According to Wikipedia, “Pleasure is experience that feels good, that involves the enjoyment of something. It contrasts with pain or suffering, which are forms of feeling bad.” It is human nature to seek something that makes us feel good and is enjoyable or satisfying. Anything from eating our favorite dessert to winning at our favorite…
We have all heard the phrases: “Listen to your mother, listen to your heart or gut, listen to God, or listen to your conscience”. This might seem strange to someone whose mother is not present and who’s heart, God and conscience are all silent. Yet we know what our mothers told us when we were…
Influence is the power to have an impact on someone or something. Every person, whether they realize it or not, has the ability to influence others through actions, words, or lifestyle choices. A person’s actions and words can impact others, either positively or negatively. When a person influences someone else, they are changing that person…
Experience combines both the act of directly observing or participating in something, and the resulting knowledge or skill gained. It encompasses both the process of encountering something and the lasting effects it has on a person. In other words, experience involves actively engaging with the world through seeing, doing, or feeling things. It’s about being present…
In general terms, tolerance is a willingness to accept feelings, habits or beliefs that are different from our own. This does not mean that we agree with the other, it simply means that we are willing to live and let live, to in some cases, agree to disagree. To live in peace, we must be…
The term “spirituality” has been cooped to apply to many kinds of beliefs and practices that have nothing to do with the gift of the Holy Spirit, sent by Jesus, to guide us on our spiritual journey in our practice of Christianity. Almost any kind of ritual, has been dubbed “Spiritual” as though some external…
Righteousness is a word from the Bible that we hear in church, but not so much in everyday conversation. It is used to describe something or someone who is especially virtuous, morally pure and just. It implies a very high level of goodness, decency and even holiness. When we say that something is righteous, we…
According to Wikipedia, “Repentance is reviewing one’s actions and feeling shame or regret for past wrongs, which is accompanied by commitment to actual actions that show and prove a change for the better.” If our conscience tells us that we have done something wrong, it is important to take steps to do what we can…
We have all said things we wish we hadn’t. Sometimes it is due to thoughtlessness, or we were teasing, and other times we may have been angry and lashed out. For whatever reason, we wish we could retract hurtful words. The old stick and stones…saying doesn’t hold true, words can hurt someone, whether said purposefully…
The American concept of family has changed across the decades. In the 1920s, large farm families were common. Seven to ten children were not unusual. City families also tended to be quite large. The more children a family had, the more help was available during busy times. Some of the children were expected to stay…