Comfort

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,  who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4 )

Maybe you are one of those tough people who handles life’s most powerful blows like the whole experience is just another day at the office. Maybe you don’t need encouragement. And you certainly don’t need comfort. Maybe for you, needing comfort is for sissies.

But I doubt it.

Raising the Bar

She is in her mid-seventies, is legally blind, walks unsteadily with a cane, has a myriad of medical problems and is an encouragement powerhouse. She is to encouragement what LaBron James is to basketball and what Peyton Manning is to football and what the widow at the temple is to giving. She sets the pace and raises the bar.

Death, Be Not Proud

This week, once again, I and many people I know felt the sting of death in particularly shocking ways. Many who read this column felt personally the death of a child, so precious and with many years seemingly ahead, and so loved and cherished by parents and grandparents who mean much to us.  Nearly the same group was stunned by the sudden and unanticipated death of a vibrant disciple of Jesus who had been serving him for decades and was still vigorously having an impact for him.

Straw to Gold

This week Sheila shares with us something from her blog that I found very helpful. At the end of her post I will reference a longer article I wrote this week.

Do you remember the Brothers Grimm fairy tale about the miller’s daughter who was commanded by the king to spin straw into gold?

It occurs to me that life often gives us straw in the form of financial problems, health challenges, relationship difficulties, or life-jarring grief. A person of faith says, “This is happening to me, so I need to make something out of it that will encourage other people. I need to spin the straw into gold. I can’t let it be wasted.”

The Dawn Wall

Before you read this post it will help if you could click on the following link and take a look at the Dawn Wall that is part of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. Dawn Wall.

The Heart

Today you must deal with certain realities that include: circumstances, your health, your energy level, your mood, the state of various relationships, others’ attitudes toward you, consequences of others' decisions, maybe certain hints about the future, and perhaps some unexpected curve ball that was just thrown your way.

Happy New Year?

2015 has begun. We are nearly a week into it. Many friends have told you they hope it will be a happy one. The newness will soon wear off, but you will keep hoping that it will be just that kind of year. But will it?