E-News Article (Page 20)
Light It Up
Driving into my neighborhood recently I noticed that some of my neighbors still have their Christmas lights up and some of them still turn them on at night even though we are now into March. I chalk it up to the fact that there is snow on the ground and getting to the decorations is probably challenging. It doesn’t bother me. It’s just an observation. I bring it up because of a story I read online. It’s a story of How COVID has affected us
Pure Peace
When is the last time you were in absolute silence? The world today is full of noise. From 24 hour news, to internet at our fingertips, it is hard to find a moment of pure, unpolluted silence. I’m going to challenge all of you to spend an hour in silence with God this week. Thursday at Octane I will be doing that with our 4th and 5th graders. Imagine how much easier this exercise will be for you! I am How COVID has affected us
Tough Messages
Difficult messages are difficult to deliver. Whether you have to call someone to give them news you are sure will disappoint them or you have to call someone to tell them you were hurt by words they said or if you have to meet with someone to tell them they were just outright wrong in the information they shared. Difficult messages are difficult to deliver. From a minister’s standpoint, difficult messages become difficult to deliver when you think some may How COVID has affected us
Frozen Pipes
With the cold weather in the winter months, comes many challenges for us northern Michigan dwellers….icy roads, lack of sunshine, and freezing temperatures. One of the side effects of these freezing temperatures is frozen pipes. Pipes freeze when the temperature is too cold, and if you’ve ever had it happen to you, you know the signs. You turn on your faucet expecting to see the water pour out as usual, and it starts to hesitate and then you get a How COVID has affected us
Dream Big
If there was one thing I could erase about our nation’s history it would be the slave years. It is hard to believe that once upon a time there were people in our world that looked at another person’s skin and considered that person to be something other than human. Once the Emancipation Proclamation was passed, you would have thought that things would change. Not overnight, but you thought gradually race relations would improve. However, definitely into the ’60s and How COVID has affected us
“Believe!” – Not for the faint of heart
I’ve chosen “The New Inductive Study Bible – Discovering the Truth for Yourself” (NASB) to do my daily Bible reading. It’s a unique way of studying the Bible because before every book, you are given a great deal of information to seek after and observe along with questions to answer. You make many markings in the margins as you read. For example, when you come across a location, you double-underline it with a green pen and then locate it on a map. How COVID has affected us
Childlike
Last week was my first full week with kids. I had them Sunday, Wednesday, and Thursday. My passion for my job was rekindled and I was reminded why Jesus told us to become more like children. I taught them 3 different lessons from the Bible. They taught me several. On Sunday, I taught on the unforgiving servant. It was a great reminder about how because Jesus first forgave us, that we too must forgive others. Later on in the week How COVID has affected us
Community is Just a Click Away
If you have driven west on M-72 towards Traverse City recently, you may have seen a new billboard just after the Bill Marsh auto dealership. The billboard features a smiling family of 6 sitting at home on their couch with the words, “Community is just a click away.” The only other text on the board is a url, kccwired.com. Pop-up on kccwired.com Those who visit the website, which is a local church, are greeted with the same photo on the home page How COVID has affected us
What really Matters?
Well, what goals do you have for 2021? If you were going to narrow down your list to three things you wanted to do differently or to be different once 2021 was over, how would your list read? Weight loss, more books read, finish a degree, stronger marriage, more time with family, a vacation? Not to cast judgment or to make anyone feel guilty, but do you think Paul had New Year’s resolutions? On the Morning Dive, we have been How COVID has affected us
Where Do You Find Hope?
What brings you hope? Hope is something that is personal yet can also be universal. Some items that bring you hope could cause the next person anxiety. For example, if you finally decided to take charge of your finances, balancing your checkbook could be a source of hope and stability. While those who are struggling with financial discipline could find the sight of a checkbook and an anxiety-inducing tool. The same goes for the bathroom scale. If you are struggling How COVID has affected us