Have you ever watched a video that was filmed with time-lapse photography? My favorites to watch are those of blossoming flowers. A process that takes hours in real-time is shown in mere seconds. Subtle movements, not seen by the naked eye, are clearly displayed.
Have you ever stopped to help someone, but then later realized you were the one who was blessed?
My husband is a salesman. He walks in and out of hospitals all day in hopes of making connections that will ultimately save a patient’s life. He knows every back stairwell, fast elevator and good area for cell service.
Have you ever known someone that is an incessant name-dropper? They needlessly share names and places in conversations or on social media. It’s become so common today that no one really notices.
Pythons like to slither into holes. A young Portland woman discovered this when her pet BART crawled into the gauge hole of her earlobe. She reported that before she knew what was happening, he was halfway through. After the fire department was unsuccessful in removing BART, the hospital emergency room coaxed him to freedom.
The God we worship, the God of Scripture, is a lot of things: wise, powerful, omniscient, omnipotent, loving, forgiving... And on any day, most of us a need a God who possesses these qualities and more.
On the seventh day, God, in a sense, stood back to look over Creation and pronounced it “done.” He rested from His work because there was nothing more to do. And, Creation “rested” also because it was at peace and in perfect balance within itself. Then God blessed it—“sent it forth for abundance and enrichment” and hallowed it—“set it aside for a sacred purpose.”
“Well, what did He say? What did He say your name was? Tell me, tell me, tell me!”
“He said my name would be ‘elephant’.”
What is the image of God? Because God is Spirit, we know that it is not a physical likeness. Because He created both male and female with this image, it is not confined to a gender likeness.
Does it feel like no one notices or cares when you suffer unjustly? That the trials you endure are unfair? And you hurt so much that you are tempted to slander, take revenge, or act in an ungodly manner?
Almost daily, while at work, I encounter a tedious battle. It’s the battle of gaining access to websites. First, I enter the website address. Once there, I type in my username and password. Then I find out that I must reset my password because I haven’t visited that site in over thirty days. I’m running out of new password options (and patience), but I try one more time. After my password is accepted, a verification code is required. I must choose to receive the code by cell phone text or email. I choose by text because it’s faster. I wait for the text to come through, then enter the several-digit code into the appropriate box before it expires and finally click “OK”. Next, the security questions must be answered correctly. Finally, I’m at the Home page and I must remain active on the site so that I’m not automatically logged out.
“Why does someone so good and nice suffer a painful death and die young, when others do bad things and live long?”
The Hope Diamond weighs 45.52 carats and is one of the most famous jewels in the world. Its recorded history goes back to the 17th century in France. The gem was cut into smaller pieces multiple times, so its appearance has changed. The French, deep blue diamond was stolen in 1792 and has exchanged ownership several times. As of 2019, gemologists have valued it at about 350 million dollars. It’s currently housed in the National Gem and Mineral collection at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. Even so, there are no guarantees of perfectly guarding it from theft.
The older I get, I focus more on my family’s lives and less on my own. Opting for life-giving choices benefits me as well as others. I am motivated to eat healthier so I will be around for my children and, hopefully one day, for any grandchildren that may come along. I haven’t adopted a challenging exercise regime although I still retain that hope!
Oh, the importance of a good foundation! Numerous foundation cases were filed in Corpus Christi because of the shifting sand and soil of that area. As an attorney in Corpus, my husband heard some interesting facts in these cases.
Thunder shook the air as lightning lit the sky. The windshield wipers feverishly cleared the window but only for a second. Pounding rain obstructed my view. The lane lines were no longer visible so I followed the taillights of the preceding car.
My mother complained for a couple of days of eye pain. I looked at her eye but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Because my mother has macular degeneration, I didn’t want to take her eye pain lightly. If her retina was bleeding, urgent action was necessary.
A deadline was quickly approaching, so I set aside today to complete the task. A couple of more pressing circumstances intervened taking center stage. My muscles tightened and my countenance fell as my stress level rose. How am I going to finish now? I wondered.
All summer long, my backyard rose bush produces hundreds of pink roses. I notice that it blooms and then most of the roses die about the same time. With my garden shears, I cut away the spent blooms. I imagine it sighing and saying, Thank you. Now I have room to grow and bloom all over again.
