Encouragement
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Can We Be Friends?
We don’t have to be best friends, but can’t we just get along? There are a lot of reasons for not liking people. Some of them make sense. After all, we reason, don’t I have the right to choose who I associate with? We divide so easily over masks versus no masks, covid shots versus no covid shots, gun control versus no gun control, Republican versus Democrat, conservative versus liberal, how to handle border control, Caucasians versus Black or Asian, marriage versus free love, disciplining children over letting the free spirit reign. (He will grow out of it). These differences can cause a lot of stress, irritation, and worst of…
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Who are the real cheerleaders?
Being a cheerleader is an exciting experience. When you hear about the opportunity to audition for the squad, you prepare because it looks like so much fun. You work out like crazy until you’re so sore you can barely walk, hoping you’ll make the cut. If you’re lucky enough to get on the team, you quickly learn the many advantages of being a cheerleader. First, lifetime friendships are formed as you rehearse together. Overnight, you are the center of attention at school when you arrive for pep rallies in your cute uniform and guys who never noticed you before are interested. In your own town, in your own school, you…
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Are You Too Old?
“I wouldn’t try that if I were you,” my well-intentioned neighbor said. “After all, you’re not so young anymore, and all the guys in a Senior Life Saving Class will be big, strong athletes from La Crescenta High School who want to get jobs as lifeguards this summer at the beach. And, well, you’re just a stay-at-home mom of two little girls.” “You’re right,” I said. “We love camping, but in this heat, we would like to be out on the water. And we just bought a used boat, and someone needs to know how to rescue anyone just in case.” It’s the first time I ever felt really old! What…
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Why Isn’t Everything Gray?
Looking at the sunset last night, I began to wonder why we have so many beautiful colors in the rainbow. Why do we even have so many colors everywhere to enjoy? Why isn’t fruit and all of our food just one gray color? What difference would it make whether an apple was red or green or yellow? After all, it is just something to eat to keep us alive. God could have made one food for all…gray, kind of like mana from heaven for the Israelites as they crossed the desert. And how about all those dozens of colors of fish? Divers tell us that in the deepest depths…