This week’s been a game of “Good News, Bad News.” It began last Friday after Gene and I drove more than 12 hours to attend a family reunion in southern Alberta. Good news: Our eldest daughter and her husband—from Washington state—were able to join us. Bad news: Our youngest daughter and her husband,… [ read more ]
Posts Tagged: gratitude
For What Are You Grateful Today?
Do you ever experience days when your heart feels full to overflowing with gratitude to God? I hope so! Today is one of those days for me. Here’s a list of the things for which I’m grateful: For the privilege of attending our annual mission staff conference in Budapest last week. This allowed… [ read more ]
My 99-Year-Old Friend: A Living Example of Gratitude
Shout with joy to the LORD, O earth! Worship the LORD with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy. Acknowledge that the LORD is God! He made us, and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to… [ read more ]
On the Lookout for Splashes of Beauty
While in Nepal recently, a friend and I had a spent several hours talking about life—our concerns, our joys, our lows and our highs. In the end, we reached a mutual decision to not focus on the hard stuff in our personal lives or in future conversations with each other. Instead, we committed to developing… [ read more ]
Living Examples of Contentment
One of the perks I enjoy as a speaker and global worker is visiting with people of all ages and from many different cultures. They always enrich my life. On my recent trip to Nepal, I met a group of church leaders who live in the region where the earthquake’s epicenter happened seventeen months… [ read more ]
Choosing to Not Think About Negative Things
Oh, how easy it is to focus on negative stuff: We regurgitate conversations that irked us. We worry about the “what-ifs.” We get stuck in “if-only.” We anticipate the worst outcome rather than expect the best. And then we wonder why we lack joy and peace. Earlier today a friend and I walked a… [ read more ]
Things to Remember When We’re Tempted to Complain
So I spent last week teaching at a conference attended by the most loving, passionate people I’ve ever met. Some of these folks traveled four days by bus—one way—to learn and to enjoy fellowship with others of like mind. I’ve traveled by bus here too. Believe me—it’s not a pleasure ride. Let me… [ read more ]
How to Unwrap the Gift of Today
Every morning brings another day to us. We wake with a to-do list in our minds. Sometimes concerns about a sick loved one or a strained relationship or a potential job-layoff cloud our first thoughts. We roll from bed and grab a bite to eat. Some folks nibble on spiritual nourishment, too, but many… [ read more ]
Giving Thanks for Daily Blessings
A thought popped into my head a year ago today: Offer a 365-day gratitude challenge on my Facebook page. It seemed like a great idea at the time, so I set to work posting (nearly) daily comments concerning things for which I’m thankful. This exercise has been good for me, and I hope those who… [ read more ]
Why is a Thankful Heart a Big Deal?
When my kids were young, I taught them to make vegetables and fruit a regular part of their diet because I knew those foods would benefit their bodies. I probably sounded like a recording: “Eat your veggies. Eat your veggies. Eat your veggies.” I didn’t want to be a nag, but I understood the long… [ read more ]
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