Friday’s List To Live By #74

The wise man wrote, “A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity (Prov. 17:17).

In his neat book, How to Retire Happy, Wild and Free, Ernie J. Zelinski, has an entire chapter aptly titled, “Your Wealth is Where Your Friends Are.”

Zelinski says that having close relationships with others is important as we grow older. In it, he offers some qualities people cherish in a close friend. Continue reading

1 Comment

Filed under Friday's List to Life By

Coping With Conflict

Conflict.

It seems to have escalated in recent years.

Conflict between “Trumpers” and “Never Trumpers.”

Conflict in Congress.

Conflict between Republicans and Democrats.

Conflict between liberals and conservatives.

Conflict between mask wearers and non-mask wearers. Continue reading

1 Comment

Filed under Relationships

Ecclesiastes 9:11-12

Have you ever encountered some setback, problem, challenge, or even tragedy, and some well-meaning person says to you, “Everything happens for a reason.”

Other versions of this philosophy are expressed this way.

“God doesn’t make mistakes .”

“God must be up to something.”

“You must be very special for God to trust you with this.” Continue reading

9 Comments

Filed under Life

Work Ethic and the “Great Resignation”

Some time ago I was chatting with a fellow preacher who told me about a mutual acquaintance who had resigned from the church where he was preaching and had taken a secular job.

When I expressed surprise, he responded, “Well, I guess he’s a part of the “Great Resignation.”

“Is that really a thing?” I asked.

“Oh, yes,” my friend replied. Continue reading

5 Comments

Filed under Work

Word of the Week: Hope

Have you noticed in the past 12-18 months the number of reports dealing with mental health problems people are facing?

The virus has not only taken a toll on us physically and affected our economy and politics but also impacted us emotionally and psychologically.

One survey showed that 51% of young adults say they feel down, depressed, or hopeless.

Another survey found that 40% of all Americans have reported some mental health issues related to the pandemic. And 11% had considered suicide. Continue reading

1 Comment

Filed under Renew in '22, Word of the Week

The Message of the Cross

“The cross is the center of the world’s history; the incarnation of Christ and the crucifixion of our Lord are the pivot round which all the events of the ages revolve” once wrote the British minister, Alexander MacLaren.

Not only is the cross, the center of the world’s history, but it is also fittingly the center of why Christians assemble on Sunday. It is the center of what we will be doing today. Continue reading

1 Comment

Filed under Sunday Seed Thoughts

Weekly Recap: February 13-18

Good Morning From Beverly Hills, Florida

Occasionally my blog mentions something that occurred “on this day in history.  Today our household is celebrating such an event.  It was on February 19, 19– that a baby girl was born about 60 miles north of here.  Her name– Norma Jean Slaughter.  While that birth won’t receive any national recognition, it’s pretty important to us.   Happy Birthday, Sweetie! Continue reading

4 Comments

Filed under Weekly Recap

Friday’s List To Live By #73

The other day Norma Jean and I were eating in Cracker Barrel and I saw a plaque as we were leaving with “Rules For Marriage.”

I said, “That would make a good Friday’s list.” However, it would be even better to actually live by these “rules” in my marriage. And your marriage.

With only a slight modification, plus the addition of Bible verses for each one, here they are.

9 RULES FOR MARRIAGE Continue reading

4 Comments

Filed under Friday's List to Life By

Random Acts of Kindness

 

Norman and Berdyne Fultz, friends of mine from Lee’s Summit, Missouri, shared an interesting incident on facebook that occurred this week.

The Fultz’s were eating at an On the Border restaurant on Monday evening celebrating their 70th Valentine’s Day together. Their meal became a little sweeter when the server informed them that an anonymous gentleman had paid their bill.

Apparently, he noticed them when they entered the restaurant and told the server they were “a cute couple,” and wanted to buy their dinner. Continue reading

5 Comments

Filed under Discipleship

Hebrews 2:1-3

“The hardest thing about milking cows,” once quipped a farmer, “is that they never stay milked.”

Isn’t this true of so many areas of our lives? Doing something once is not enough. It must be repeated over and over again. Like… Continue reading

1 Comment

Filed under Passage To Ponder