Consider this

 When we do not intentionally slow down, important things get left behind.  https://youtu.be/cc9wNZnfFho    

                 The Bible begins by stating that, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).   As you may already know, things go downhill quite quickly after that.                After God created day and night, land and sea, plants and animals, Adam and Eve, things were good.   Adam and Eve lived in the garden for an unspecified period, and God walked with them as a friend.   God told them not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but Satan convinced Eve that she did not need to follow that command.   Then she convinced Adam (Genesis 1-3:7).                When God came to meet them that day, they were afraid and hid from him.   Eventually, they confessed to what they had done, which caused ...

Our society tends to ignore or run away from death. It is treated as an anomaly, or an interruption. What if we had a different approach? One that does not minimize the loss but helps us see it in a better way.  https://youtu.be/mGHIiluWQbs  

               Sara and I like a TV show called “World’s Most Scenic River Journeys”.   Each show follows the course of a river from its source to its terminus, showing how the river benefits people and nature along the way. Today, I want to share a prayer from scripture that follows the same “source to benefits” pattern. “May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word” (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17). The source of every good thing is “Our Lord Jesus himself and God our Father”.   This may seem obvious, but we act otherwise.   When trouble comes, we panic because we cannot fix the problem.   We act as though we are the source of our own answers and power.   This can only leave us discouraged.   We must remember who is really in charge....

 We put things together in grocery stores so that we can find them more easily. Unfortunately, we do not always do that with scripture. Often, our teaching is all over the place. This lesson attempts to fix that problem.  https://youtu.be/02b0QK3OKhY  

 Four truths that make life better regardless of circumstance.   https://youtu.be/yp7osQr08go      

 How Did This Happen?                Have you noticed the sunrises lately?   They are just stunning.   The clouds are six different shades of red.   The sun is a brilliant yellow.   The hoar frost is glittering on the tree branches.   Sunrises this time of year are amazing!                This past weekend, a couple from the church brought their newborn baby boy to worship.   I have never held a baby without thinking, “This is incredible!”   This little human has a heart that can beat for eighty or ninety years without a break.   He has incredibly intricate eyes that function from day one, and tiny kidneys that filter toxins so he can remain healthy.   Over the years, his brain will develop, allowing him to learn languages and communicate.   Babies are amazing!     ...

 In a time where it sometimes feels like "Every man/woman for themselves," we need to remember and honour the value of community, friendship, and love.  https://youtu.be/MPyQgxuny4E    

  You can listen to the voices around you that say, “Compare. Compete. Try harder. Do more. Have more. Look like this. Be like that. Show off and brag about how great your life is, or at least pretend your life is better than it is so that others will be impressed”. You can do that, but it will bury you! You cannot win that game! Someone will always have more, look better, be smarter, or have been to more places. It is difficult to enjoy your life when you are focused on comparing and competing.   You can listen to the voice of discouragement and negativity. It is not hard to find things to complain about. It is easy to point out the failings of the person who tried. Unfortunately, the voices of discouragement seem to carry more weight and are louder than any other voice. You can receive a thousand compliments, but you will remember the criticism. There is always something to be thankful for, but most people do not bother to look for it. It is easier to be neg...

 Three big themes that are worth some thought.   https://youtu.be/6P2pE6WSUJE  

 The loudest voices are not always the most important ones.  https://youtu.be/uXQVHbzz0sQ  

 How focusing on the next life helps us live this one better   https://youtu.be/cydHc8alzOw  

  When my granddaughter was young, she would hold out some of her snack, and I would say, “Oooh… is that for grandpa??”  Then she would take it back, eat it and laugh!  It was the funniest thing to her.  Lately, that has changed.  At a recent Bruins game, she sat down beside me and said, “Grandpa, this popcorn is for both of us”, and happily shared it with me.  Generosity is a sign of growing up. Occasionally, God’s people were mature enough to really understand the value of giving. In the earliest days, when God’s people first started worshipping him, they gave so much that Moses had to tell them to stop bringing their gifts (Exodus 36:1-7).  Later, when King Hezekiah reopened the temple, they gave so many gifts that they were piled in heaps around the courtyard (2 Chronicles 31).  Generosity was one of the most prominent qualities of the New Testament church ...

 If we see the word of God as just a bunch of rules and things for us to do, we see it incorrectly. The word has power to change and shape us in ways that we do not see or understand https://youtu.be/_ykQut1RztI  

  In 2021, after years of hard work and dedication, Polish javelin thrower Marie Andrejczyk realized a dream by winning a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics. While this accomplishment was worth celebrating and remembering, what she did next was even more impressive.   Andrejczyk heard about an 8-month-old boy who needed heart surgery, so she decided to auction off her medal and donate the money to the family. A Polish convenience store named Zabka purchased the medal for $125 000. The family of the little boy received the money, and the surgery was completed. However, the story does not end there.   After winning the auction, Zabka contacted Andrejczyk and informed her that they were returning the medal to her. In the end, the store received some good publicity, a baby received the medical care he needed, and Maria was able to keep the medal she had worked so hard to win. That is what happens when we lead with kindness.   Unfortunately, kindness is not a word t...