Posts about Christian Living (2)

[Also seen in Crosswalk] Often, we think of stewardship in terms of finances or time, but the concept of stewardship extends beyond our bank accounts and calendars. If we view our entire lives – past included – as a gift from God, it changes the way we view stewardship.

Though the word “bully” doesn’t appear in the Bible, the idea of treating others in a brutish and insolent manner does. The Bible is full of examples of bullying: Saul’s persecution of David in I Samuel, Ahab’s and Jezebel’s threatening of Elijah in the Book of Kings, Saul (also called Paul) and his relentless bullying and persecution of Christians, and, finally, Jesus himself—being bullied, scorned, and persecuted by the religious leaders of the day.

From childhood, most of us are taught to express gratitude in response to a kindness. That’s an act of politeness. But when we can express kindness in response to gratitude – that’s an act that creates ripple effects that extend beyond ourselves.

[As originally seen at Crosswalk.com] The Bible tells us that God is love. It declares He loved us first. It calls Him our first love. But when pain or troubles come into our lives, we might, in the deepest corners of our heart, wonder, “Is that really true? Does God really love me?” (1 John 4:8-19, Isa. 63:7-14)

In this era of content reels and social media influencers, our kids are constantly exposed to messages that relate to body image. Unfortunately, more and more of our kids are dealing with negative body image issues at surprisingly young ages.

While riding in the backseat of my Subaru Outback, one of my co-workers said it sounded as if I had a bad wheel bearing. I previously noticed a change in the sound of my tires on the road, but I confess I’m just shy of ignorant when it comes to car maintenance. I shared the news with my husband, but he didn’t seem too distressed, so I continued to drive the car every day – for months. Until one day, I couldn’t.

Read a good book lately?

[As appeared on Minneapolis Star Tribune] Here we are, just a few days into the New Year. How are those resolutions looking?