One thing is consistent about vacations….you don’t want to leave. You long to remain there for one more swim in the pool or one more hour at the beach. We all want to linger, tarry, continue and remain on vacation. This word remain is the same word used in scripture when Jesus reminds us of a secret to a great relationship with Him. John 15:5 says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me …
Tag: peace
According to a study by Columbia University, there are significant benefits to sitting down to eat a meal as a family. The study concludes that when we eat more meals sitting down together good things happen. …”everyone eats healthier meals, kids are less likely to be obese, smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol, try marijuana….their grades will improve, they’ll talk more…there will be less stress and tension at home and your child will feel like you’re proud of them….” Just as …
Have you ever been driving down the road and all of a sudden noticed a wild driver coming up really fast behind you? If you’re like most people, your attention is suddenly divided between looking forward….to where you’re headed….and looking in your rear view mirror…at the erratic driver behind you. :/ Similarly, when trust is missing in a relationship we tend to spend an inordinate amount of time and energy looking over our shoulder to see if the person in …
The Bible records a story in John 4 of a Samaritan woman fetching water at a well and her life-changing encounter with Jesus. The setting of the story is at Jacob’s well, where this woman goes each day to get water for drinking, bathing and washing in her home. She returns to that well day after day….coming to the well each day is a chore that seems to have no end. Whereas most Jewish men would not engage or …
From 1991 – 1993 scientists embarked on a bold mission to replicate the world’s biological systems in an enclosed facility called Biosphere II. The Arizona-based experiment included a crew that lived in the “closed world” for two years. The crew grew their own food, did experiments, learned how to function together (that part of the mission did not go so well) and they tried to replicate the natural environment of plants and the other building blocks of life. One of …
“Miss independence” finds dependence in this story of life change. Sharon’s quest for independence in life and a taste for the world’s riches left her empty. In this video find out how she discovered a satisfying love after experiencing great disappointment. …
If you are like me, you probably have days when you get so wrapped up in life’s rapid-fire events that you leave God out. Everyday events, conflicts, fears, interpersonal clashes, decisions and trials get solved….more or less…on our own. This, to say the least, does not result in the inner peace that God promises us. I am fortunate that in a moment of quiet reflection some time ago, God gave me a image in my mind that was so real I could almost feel it. It was a …
I visited a prison recently as part of my job. As I walked along a sidewalk near some repair work being done, I was struck by the sight of several jail cell doors stacked on top of each other. These once impermeable doors were now of no use for keeping prisoners at bay. What once held back criminals was now just a stack of metal…their usefulness, and power, gone. Prison cell doors are massive, weighing 500 – 2,000 pounds each. You …
Sitting on our patio recently among the beauty of nature, I looked around as the sun began to set and noticed how quiet it was. Like a magnet, I was drawn to the stillness of the moment. It was the lack of noise that quieted my heart, I am sure. That serene moment seemed to usher in a sense of the presence of God. It had been a long and trying several days, so the silence felt good. God is surely …
Bill Stark’s Faith Story from The 315 Project on Vimeo. Seeking importance, recognition, accolades and peace from what the world offered did not work well for Bill. While some of the world’s riches and glimmer did offer temporary relief and peace, there was no underlying sense of purpose and value. Then, one summer, all the things Bill had relied on to bring happiness and security in life, suddenly were gone. At that point, Bill turned to God in a deeply …