Reminders: Doubt or Disbelief?

Is it okay to have doubts about God?  In fact, it is not unusual for people to have doubts, especially when we are feeling vulnerable and insecure.  When we don’t feel worthy of God’s love, and when things aren’t going well, it is easy to wonder if God has abandoned us, or if He was…

Food for Thought: What’s in a Name?

In May of 2018, Johanna Giselhall visited her local tattoo artist in Kyrkhult, Sweden and had him intertwine the names of her two children onto her arm. After the session was over, Johanna realized that “Kevin” had been misspelled “Kelvin” with the permanent ink. She said, “My heart stopped and I thought I was going…

Food for Thought: Choices, Choices

Never criticize your spouses’ inability to make good choices. Remember, that you are one of them––Author unknown Choosing between two or more alternatives can be difficult for some people. It may be that they have been hurt by making poor choices in the past and do not want to make the same mistakes again. On…

Reminders: What Would You Do?

If you saw someone back into someone else’s unoccupied car in a parking lot, and cause a big dent or a broken headlight, and then just drive away, would you take the time and effort to leave a note on the windshield giving the license plate number of the hit-and-run driver?  Or would you just…

Reminders: Who Are You?

A thought-provoking plaque in a gift shop reads: “Learning changes your mind.  Exercise changes your body.  Who you choose to love changes who you are.”  Think about that! We didn’t have a choice about who brought us into this world, but at some point in our lives, we do have a choice about who we…

Reminders: The Seven Wonders of Faith

Most thinking people can’t help but wonder why we exist, and what it all means.  Rev. Charley Reeb, preacher and author, has compiled a list of seven questions people want answers to: “I wonder if God Exits.  I wonder why bad things happen to good people.  I wonder why my prayers go unanswered.  I wonder…

Food for Thought: Are You Easily Offended?

For 116 years, Barnum’s Animals crackers have come in little boxes that multiple generations easily recognize and fondly remember.  However, you’ll be hard pressed to find that old familiar look.  Playing off its namesake, Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey, the colorful boxes debuted in 1902 showing animals in boxcars reminiscent of the circus coming to town.  The three rings no…

Reminders: Why Am I Here?

Have you ever wondered why you are here?  Not the old “senior moment” joke where you go into a room and can’t remember why you are there, but the bigger question of why you were put on this earth.  It’s the kind of thing that sometimes comes up when we feel like we could be…

Food for Thought: Uncertain Certainty

In 1997, the book Into Thin Air became a bestseller. Author Jon Krakauer chronicled the disastrous 1996 Mt. Everest expedition that resulted in the deaths of eight climbers. Charlotte Fox was a part of that summit. She made it to “the top of the world” and survived the harrowing journey down. On May 24, 2018, Fox fell down the stairs of…

Reminders: Mercy and Compassion

There are many stories in the Bible that demonstrate the concept of mercy.  The first one that comes to mind is the story of the Good Samaritan. That story is particularly instructive in light of the history of the time. Jews and Samaritans were not on the same social level. The Samaritans were considered inferior.…