How is respect or honor a form of love? I left you with this question in our last post. We could go in many directions here, so I’ve chosen a few strands that at first may not seem related, but I think you’ll agree with me that they are multicolored threads woven into the same blanket. Let me take you to a nursery rhyme. Yes, many children’s rhymes are for adults. Continue reading
Posts Tagged With: spiritual growth
Weighing Honor
Categories: Being Like Jesus, Spiritual Growth
Tags: Character, honor, love, spiritual growth, Three Blind Mice
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Honoring Ways
Whatever does it mean to honor your mother and father? Or to honor God? Or to honor others? This character quality is on Troy Christian School’s 5th grade character focus list, but of course, it’s for everyone. Our students learn that honor is “showing deep Continue reading
Categories: Being Like Jesus, Parenting, Spiritual Growth
Tags: Character, honor, love, spiritual growth
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Within My Wardrobe
Within the wardrobe of my heart, I can be close to God. Over time He changes me, transforming me to be more like Jesus. In my last post, I wrote of Lucy and the Wardrobe she entered that changed her life. We read Rev. 3:20 in which Jesus invites Himself into our inner world to live with us. I also introduced you to Ruth Myers little prayer book.* Here is her “most basic act of worship” prayer: Continue reading
Categories: Being Like Jesus, Parenting, Spiritual Growth
Tags: C.S. Lewis, prayer, Ruth Myers, spiritual growth, worship
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The Other Side of the Door
You remember that Lucy thought it would be worthwhile (though her siblings did not) to try the door of the big wardrobe which was in an otherwise empty room in the professor’s sprawling country residence in England. I’m referring to C.S. Lewis’ book, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The four children were exploring the house on a rainy day. However, it was Lucy’s sense that the wardrobe was worthy of exploration that changed her life as well as her sibling’s lives. Young Lucy was given wonder-filled uncommon sense. Continue reading
Categories: Spiritual Growth
Tags: C.S. Lewis, Character, prayer, Ruth Myers, soul, spiritual growth, wisdom
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The Sensibility of Belonging
Last week I encouraged you to check out rbc.org as an online source for auditory daily devotionals and other Bible study programs and resources. Why? Because you are very busy people! Technology has tightly wound life, so sometimes it’s wise to fight fire with fire. That is, use technology to help you slow things down, to help you look beyond the temporal to the eternal. Continue reading
Categories: Parenting, Spiritual Growth
Tags: mentors, Parenting, relationships, spiritual growth, technology
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Tapping into Wisdom
About 23 years ago, I heard of a study that was done of 50 people between the ages of 90-95. It had such an impact on me, that I’ve never forgotten it. The researchers asked them this: If you had life to live over again, what would you do differently? There were three main responses:
1. I would reflect more. Continue reading
Categories: Parenting, Spiritual Growth
Tags: Character, mentors, Parenting, relationships, spiritual growth, wisdom
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Your Spiritual Wardrobe for those Cactus-Sitting Moments
“Would You Praise Him on a Cactus?” is the title of one of my favorite children’s poems. You may ask, “What does a cactus have to do with my spiritual wardrobe?” Yeh, I know, my mind takes some strange turns. You may want to check out the last post, and then stay with me here. We’ll see what happens. Continue reading
Categories: Parenting, Spiritual Growth
Tags: Character, devotions, Parenting, spiritual growth, spiritual warfare
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Dressing for the Weather
“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything – to stand” (Ephesians 6:13). Hmm. Note that word, “when.” Bad weather is coming – those evil days. Well, really, those days are here, so we need to be dressed for this weather. Continue reading
Categories: Being Like Jesus, Parenting
Tags: Character, confidence, courage, Parenting, spiritual growth
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Confidence
Who can’t remember times when you were afraid, insecure, questioning, feeling inadequate, wishing you could just disappear off the planet for a while? Everyone experiences these times. It’s a part of being finite: you don’t have all the cards in your hand. Add to this our fallen nature, and it is only reasonable that we would be insecure.
I could describe a bundle of my life stories to illustrate. On my first day of Continue reading
Categories: Parenting, Spiritual Growth
Tags: Character, confidence, courage, Parenting, spiritual growth, trust
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Rest Stop
This stream is about to take us to a view of Mount Confidence and Boldness Butte, and it may take some courage to get there. We have to pass through the rapids and then hike away before we do some mountain climbing. Time for a rest stop. Spread your blanket on the ground, lie down, and stare up at the evening sky. The stars are about to peak through. Continue reading
Categories: Spiritual Growth
Tags: boldness, Character, confidence, courage, meditate, rest, spiritual growth
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Karen Thomas Olsen
Journey North Character 