Friendship II It takes a long time to grow an old friend. (John Leonard, late literary critic) Long-time friends are invaluable assets to anyone who enjoys life and strong relationships. Most people have a lot of acquaintances, but the people who are most valued are...
Friendship I A friend is one who believes in you when you have ceased to believe in yourself. (Author unknown) There may come a time for some of us when we’re not doing well, and we feel like we just can’t go on. We’ve lost confidence in our abilities and don’t see...
Advent Advent reminds us we need salvation, not savings. We need peace, not presents. (Pastor Tim Sprankle) As we near Christmas, it’s good to remember that this is Advent season, the time to reflect on the real reason for celebrating. Gift giving is but a small...
Honesty Sincerity connects because it’s so rare. Our antenna is up and our tolerance is down. (Deeper Path Team) We hear a lot about “fake news,” and we’ve all experienced hypocrisy in almost every area of common life. It’s unfortunate that, indeed “our antenna is up”...
Forgiveness Forgiveness is the cure when we want to take revenge. (Anonymous) Although we often want to “get even” with someone who has wronged us, it really doesn’t help. Judith Orloff, M.D. put it this way: “Forgiveness is a paradigm-shifting solution for...
Conflict I will not waste my life in friction when it could be turned into momentum. (Frances Willard, 19th-century American educator) Like many physical realities, friction has both positive and negative outcomes. Friction between two objects can create heat,...
The Basics The restatement of the obvious is the first duty of intelligent men. (George Orwell, 20th-century writer) Someone might be criticized for always stating the obvious. After all, if it is so well-known, why is repeating it necessary at all? On the other hand,...
Choices II Every choice reduces [a little] one’s freedom to choose the next time. (C. S. Lewis, late British author) Perhaps you’ve never thought about choices the way Lewis did. We’ve all made decisions without considering the effect those choices will have on...
Choices I No matter how many books you read, no matter how many schools you attend, you’re never really wise until you start making wise choices. (Marie T. Freeman, teacher) We may not be reading as many books as we once did, but some of us are listening to...
Christmas Is Coming (in three weeks) Unless we make Christmas an occasion to share our blessings, all the snow in Alaska won't make it white. (Bing Crosby, late popular singer) Even Bing Crosby, who introduced the popular song, “White Christmas,” recognized that the...
Jesus Speaks: Highway to Hell Jesus was sent by God over 2,000 years ago to visit earth. What He said was recorded by eyewitnesses in the book of Matthew in the Bible. This is what Jesus said about the road to destruction. “Do to others whatever you would like them...
Hope There is tremendous energy in the present power of a future hope. (Linda Brumbaugh, blog writer) Life often seems dark and foreboding. Whether it’s the failures of the past or today’s discouragements, sometimes it seems that life is overwhelming. When we are in a...