Change invites choice. You can choose to view change as a pain or as a gain. You can choose to focus your mind and heart on what causes the change or Who gets you through it. You can choose the lie about change (you are vulnerable) or choose the truth (you can be victorious.) And…
Stress is your body’s response to change. Yet the term “stress” conjures us all kinds of negative images of danger, calamity, conflicts, and difficult situations – hence the term, “distress.” But stress can also be positive: a wedding, a new job, a thrill of discovery, a vacation trip – even Christmas. Positive stress, also called…
Sending gifts and greetings is a long-held Christmas tradition. In the U.S. alone, the Postal Service delivers more than 16 billion pieces of mail in between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Your Gifts, Your Choice You may choose to send gifts via mail. Delivering packages in person may be impractical or even impossible, but sending allows you…
Distress. Just the word brings anxiety and pressure to mind. You can feel the strain from exhaustion or anguish that penetrates your soul when you’re distressed, worn out, and pulled in different directions. Change and Distress “Stress” and “distress” are not the same, even though the terms are often used interchangeably. Stress is your response…
Ashley peered through the windshield at the detour signs. The new route took her off the interstate. I could get frustrated … or I could enjoy this, Ashley thought. The picturesque drive wound through the rolling countryside and deposited her back on the highway, adding just a few minutes to her normal drive. Ashley smiled.…
Even the most level-headed Christ-follower – one focused on worshiping Jesus – can get distracted at Christmas. If that’s you, then likely you are already well-aware of the danger in focusing on gifts, shopping, parties, vacations and even family time or special church activities during the holiday season. What may be more subtly distracting is…
In India, tap water is unreliable even though it is purified. Local entrepreneurs recycle used water bottles, fill them with tap water, and reseal them with a hot nail or piece of metal so the bottles appear to have been processed in the factory. These water bottle knocks-offs are considerably less expensive than factory-processed bottled…
On January 1, 2010 Anna Newell Jones made a New Year’s resolution. “I was suffocating from the weight of $23,605.10 in debt,” she says. “I decided to take drastic action when I made the decision to stop all unnecessary spending.” Anna started a blog and tracked her progress to family, friends, and strangers. 15 months…