Stewardship Means Little Without Grace

It’s Time to Refine Our Understanding of Stewardship Stewardship is one of those words that can mean so many things to different people. On the secular level, stewardship has come to mean “an ethic that embodies the responsible planning and management of resources,” according to Wikipedia. In many religious circles, stewardship is all about tithes, …

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Understanding Joy

Joy Isn’t What a Lot of People Think It Is I’ve been mulling the idea of joy ever since reading the article The Rachel Hollis Drama Is Why I Don’t Trust Influencers by Bertilla Niveda on Medium. I’m not familiar with Rachel Hollis, but apparently her famous motto is “Choose Joy.” Ms. Niveda’s case against Ms. …

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I Am Empowered

A Peek into My Process to Conquer Insecurity and Self-criticism People who know me often describe me as strong. I’m calm in a crisis, champion the underdog, and have been strong-willed since childhood — just ask my sisters! What most don’t know is that I have a deep-seated fear of both failure and success. As …

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Renewal

We all need renewal and refreshing from time to time. Missy and I walked in the rain today. The kind of drizzle we called a “dry rain” when I was growing up in Seattle. Enough to spot your glasses and cling to clothes and hair, yet not enough to penetrate through to skin or scalp. …

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Go Fly a Kite

When was the last time someone told you to “go fly a kite”? The phrase is not as common as it once was. I don’t know if that’s because kite flying has been replaced by so many other possible activities, or if more direct phrases such as “go away” or “go to hell” have become …

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A Prayer of Gratitude

As we near the end of both this Holiday season and the year 2020, there are still things we can all be thankful for, regardless of our faiths or lack thereof. I will use the terminology I am accustomed to as a Christian, but I invite you to substitute whatever nouns/pronouns you are most comfortable …

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And God Cries

A Lament One moment Breath, the next it’s gone;    lungs full but not of air.       Bereft of loved ones’ touch          They die alone. And God cries. “Use the inside lot,” the suit says.    “Guards will keep the riffraff out.”       Money insulates the powered          from the ones they pledged to …

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Is Positive Realism an Oxymoron?

No, Positive Realism is living in reality with joy as the foundation. As in so many arenas of modern life, people seem to be polarized between Positive thinking and Realistic thinking, as if the two can’t coexist. One group is said to be woo-woo Pollyannas and the other is said to be mired in the …

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Grace and Routine in Daily Life

A reader asked how Grace fit into daily life after reading my post What is Grace? Part 1. “I am just so hard on myself if I miss a day of reading the Bible and would love to understand how His grace is sufficient for me!” Then she followed up with:  “I would love to …

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