Slowly appreciation swells to astonishment. And we enter the dialogue of our lives that is beyond all understanding or conclusion. It is mystery. It is love of God. It is obedience.
03969 – Hope & Despair, Change & Will
Hope is not blind faith that things will get better. It's a realistic belief that things can get better. Despair is an illusion of certainty. Hope is an appreciation of possibility. Change requires a way. There is no way without will. There is no will without...
03468 – Beautiful People Don’t Just Happen
The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with...
02924 – True Restfulness
True restfulness, though, is a form of awareness, a way of being in life. It is living ordinary life with a sense of ease, gratitude, appreciation, peace and prayer. We are restful when ordinary life is enough.
02501 – Nurture Friendship
Friendship takes time and energy if it's going to work. You can luck into something great, but it doesn't last if you don't give it proper appreciation. Friendship can be so comfortable, but nurture it--don't take it for granted. from If You Ask Me
01448 – True Mindfulness
True mindfulness gets that gift aspect of the world into view. When our intellect learns to recognize the gift aspect of the world, when our will learns to acknowledge it, our feelings to appreciate it, ever wider circles of mindfulness make our world come alive. I...
01245 – Giving: Humanity’s Fullest Bloom
I believe that, beyond all our desires to be appreciated, rewarded, and acknowledged, there lies a simple and pure desire to give. ...Our humanity comes to its fullest bloom in giving. We become beautiful people when we give whatever we can give: a smile, a...
00885 – Use Diversity of Music Styles in Worship
It’s not wrong to use songs that people in our community relate to stylistically or culturally. Neither is it “more spiritual” to use styles that are inaccessible or foreign to guests. The best approach is to use a diversity of styles that reflect an appreciation and...
00106 – Loving, Appreciating Our Neighbor
I believe that appreciation is a holy thing, that when we look for what’s best in the person we happen to be with at the moment, we’re doing what God does. So, in loving and appreciating our neighbor, we’re participating in something truly sacred.