We are in all kinds of communities, and we should be grateful for each of them. There are of course the neighborhood we live in, the one we work in, our city or town. Our churches are communities of faith but also communities of friendship.
Time and Patience
May 9, 2023 by
In my work with mediation and conflict resolution, there are two major tools: time and patience.
Grateful for Mistakes
February 7, 2023 by
“Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive. Find a way to be thankful for your troubles, and they can become your blessings.” (author unknown)
Reminders To Be Generous
November 3, 2021 by
Begin this month by thinking about generosity. If you live in gratitude, you will naturally be a more generous person—generous with your attention, generous with your support for others, and generous with your material resources.
Just the Way You Are
September 8, 2021 by
Like millions of kids who grew up between 1970 and 2001, our son watched Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood almost every weekday for many years. Generations of kids loved and trusted this caring adult who spoke directly to them in the most personal and respectful way.
Connections 03.31.2019: Gratitude Plus Responsibility
March 24, 2019 by
We have a five-week-old granddaughter. She gets fed every few hours. She doesn’t have to do anything for her food. It just shows up. She partakes, burps, and goes back to sleep.
Connections 03.10.2019: Remembrance, Gratitude, and Celebration
March 3, 2019 by
In our Scripture passage from Deuteronomy 26, we learn about three ways God wants us to respond to the gifts God gives: remembrance, gratitude, and celebration.
The Need to Be Grateful
November 22, 2017 by
Did you know that our brains have a negativity bias? According to recent neuroscience research, the human brain gathers strength around fearful, negative, or problematic situations. This tendency means that we must intentionally savor any loving, positive, or unproblematic event for at least 15 seconds to offset the negative.
Facing Dualism
January 18, 2017 by
Like everyone else, I sometimes take a dualistic view of the world. Things are good or bad, black or white, true or false. This attitude always accompanies the temptation to be judgmental.
Uniform 11.30.2014: Gratitude and Hope
November 23, 2014 by
This week marks the start of a new season on the church calendar. It is Advent, the time when Christians wait with hopeful expectation for the coming of Christ. As it so often does, this first Sunday of Advent—when we light the candle of hope on our wreaths—falls just a few days after Thanksgiving.
Thrive: Jesus Feeds Five Thousand – Kyndall Rae Rothaus
May 26, 2014 by
If all you’ve got of Love in your trembling hands is a measly five loaves and two fish worth, then start distributing what little you’ve got to your friends and neighbors, and immediately it will begin to multiply.