by Inspiration | Nov 15, 2024 | Family, Archives
The 3 “F’s” to Life’s Greatest Riches In one week’s time, which was just two and a half weeks ago, my family experienced two losses. While facing my losses, I… The 3 “F’s” to Life’s Greatest Riches In one week’s time, which was just two and a half weeks ago, my family experienced two losses. While facing my losses, I was forced to face my riches. The first loss was the tragic and unexpected death of one of my good friends, De, who was thirty-six years old as well as four and a half months pregnant with her third child. The second loss was the death of my eighty-seven-year-old great-uncle, Jack, the last “grandparent” figure in our small family. During my Uncle Jack’s funeral, the pastor said something which caused me to put down my tear-soaked tissue for a moment and think. Yes, there will be a void in my heart for both De and Uncle Jack. But, we celebrate their lives and how we are richly blessed by knowing them. And, we will get to see them one day in heaven because both had accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Richly blessed, rich? We don’t seem to hear that word a lot today. The pastor went on to say that there are three “F’s” to the greatest
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by Inspiration | Nov 14, 2024 | Inspiration, Archives
Lemon Squeeze This past Sunday my family and I went on our annual hiking trip to the Mohonk Mountain Preserve. For those of you who are not familiar with this… Lemon Squeeze This past Sunday my family and I went on our annual hiking trip to the Mohonk Mountain Preserve. For those of you who are not familiar with this hike, it is an extremely difficult climb on a treacherous terrain of sharp rocks, small caves, and the ever-so-famous “Lemon Squeeze,” where you must contort your body in order to squeeze through narrow openings towards the daylight. Once we arrived at the beginning of the trail, we began to determine who was going to take on this “beast of a climb” and who was going to relax by the lake. There were five risk-takers who decided that they would conquer the “Lemon Squeeze,” one of which is my cousin, Danny. Danny was inflicted with a stroke upon birth and has a deficit of strength and coordination of one side of his body. Many of the family members, who have experienced the wrath of the Lemon Squeeze on prior occasions, tried their best to coax Danny not to partake in the festivities in fear that he would either get severely injured or simply fail, but Danny would not stand for these
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by Inspiration | Nov 13, 2024 | Inspiration, Archives
In India, elephants are used for manual labor. When an elephant is small and weighs approximately 200 pounds, it is securely tied with a heavy-duty rope. In between ‘jobs’, the… In India, elephants are used for manual labor. When an elephant is small and weighs approximately 200 pounds, it is securely tied with a heavy-duty rope. In between ‘jobs’, the elephant tries to break through its limitation. The calf whines, tugs, and even tries to chew through the rope-but it is unable to break free. Finally, the elephant gives up his will and accepts his circumstances. The elephant believes there is absolutely no chance to free himself and overcome his limitation. In doing so, he misses out on his defining moment. A defining moment is the exact moment one adopts or accepts a new belief that drastically transforms their life. They accept this new belief as a new truth, regardless if it is true or not. Because the brain accepts repetition of thought and deduction as ‘the truth,’ the rope reigns sovereign not only in the calf’s immediate environment but in his mind as well. With this belief deeply embedded in the elephant’s mind, his handler came up with an ingenious idea to permanently disempower him. He realized all that was needed was to tie the four-ton animal up with
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by Inspiration | Nov 12, 2024 | Parenting, Archives
Advice to Parents About Children A – Always trust them to God’s care B – Bring them to church C – Challenge them to high goals D – Delight in… Advice to Parents About Children A – Always trust them to God’s care B – Bring them to church C – Challenge them to high goals D – Delight in their achievements E – Exalt the Lord in their presence F – Frown on evil G – Give them love H – Hear their problems I – Ignore not their childish fears J – Joyfully accept their apologies K – Keep their confidence L – Live a good example before them M – Make them your friends N – Never ignore their endless questions O – Open your home to their visits P – Pray for them by name Q – Quicken your interest in their spirituality R – Remember their needs S – Show them the way of salvation T – Teach them to work U – Understand they are still young V – Verify your statements W – Wean them from bad company X – eXpect them to obey Y – Yearn for God’s best for them Z – Zealously guide them in biblical truth – Author Unknown Meditation: Train up a child in the way he should
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by Inspiration | Nov 11, 2024 | Attitude, Archives
Excess and Excuses It hurts me to write this story. But I must write it. I live in Canada, which is seen as a rich country. The country to the… Excess and Excuses It hurts me to write this story. But I must write it. I live in Canada, which is seen as a rich country. The country to the south of us, the United States, also falls into this category. As a writer, I’ve been blessed that my work has touched so many lives in so many corners of the world. I receive many letters. An enormous amount of them come from places where it isn’t as good as we have it here. Yet these letters are filled with hope and optimism. Terror and fear are daily occurrences in countries like Africa, India and Papua New Guinea [PNG] just to name a few. Yet when I read the letters from people living in these and many more places, their passion is overwhelming. You also have great respect for their rich, individual heritages. You look at Papua New Guinea and discover it has over 800 languages. Each province has more than 20 different languages. Not all of them have the same dialect. The only language that they all can speak and understand is called “Pidgin English.” 800 languages means that
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