Have you ever been in a place and automatically made assumptions as to the character of others based on how they looked? I hate to admit it, but I have. For instance, I took my daughter to a piercing studio because she wanted her cartilage pierced, and to be honest, I would rather go to a piercing studio than Claires to get piercings. It is just my personal preference. Well, while we were there a man came in that had piercings and tattoos. Honestly, I didn’t judge him at this point because I was in a piercing studio. However, the woman that was doing my daughter’s piercing knew him and, to make a long story short, they got to talking. She asked him what he had been doing that day. 

I was listening to the Bible, and something struck me as very interesting and inspiring. In Psalm 50, starting in verse 9, God points out that He has no need for meat sacrifices. In fact, everything is His already. However, what He really desires is that we offer to Him “the sacrifice of thanksgiving” (v. 14). Thanksgiving comes from the Hebrew word yadah and can mean “adoration, a choir of worshippers, confession, praise, thanks (-giving, offering)” (Strong’s Concordance).

At first, I asked myself, how is it a sacrifice to give God thanks? Well, the truth is, sometimes it isn’t easy. 

My family and I were blessed to go on a family vacation this summer to Belize. This was our first official family vacation ever. It was a spur of the moment decision. I termed it our “carpe diem” moment because life is unpredictable, and we don’t know what tomorrow will bring. Therefore, sometimes it is good to do something with your family when you have the opportunity.

Well, something really inspiring and surprising happened on our trip. To some it may not seem so awesome, but it was to my family and me. We got to witness how a good name is powerful and long lasting.

“Neither a lofty degree of intelligence nor imagination nor both together go to the making of genius. Love, love, love, that is the soul of genius.” – Wofgang Amadeus Mozart

Love is the most powerful gift from the Holy Spirit. It is above all other gifts (1 Cor 13:13). It is truly a superpower, and we all better possess it because if we don’t we are nothing (1 Cor 13:2). Those who do not love do not know God, because “God is love” (1 John 4:8). 

Movies love superheroes. They draw in great crowds of all ages because who doesn’t like superheroes? Kids idealize them to the point of dressing up like them and pretending to be them. This is no surprise because superheroes are cool and powerful. They usually have powers that defy human physics, or they are so smart they can create a suit that makes them a superhero. They protect the innocent and defeat the evil. They are courageous. They also are in great shape. And last but not least, they save the day, always.

This past week I volunteered at my children’s school to help organize the library. Organizing books is a type of meditation for me. I don’t think about anything except Dewey decimal and the alphabet. Plus, it makes me happy to see the finished product, organized bookshelves. I love books, especially organized books.

Well, it got me wondering if there was any spiritual lessons I could learn from organizing books. It may sound weird to some, but I try to see if there are spiritual applications/lessons to learn in my everyday life.

I really don’t want to fit in with the masses. In fact, when did conforming become so popular? I would rather be a Christian, set apart, different, and sometimes downright unpopular. Honestly, isn’t that the way it should be? Did the patriarchs fit in with the masses? Not really. There were only eight people on the ark. Moses didn’t fit in with Egypt. Joseph didn’t fit in with his brothers. Christ was hated by His own people, and he even warned His followers that the world would hate them because they followed Him (Matt 10:22).

Yesterday was Mother’s Day, and I know not everyone who reads my blogs are mothers. However, I wanted to share some things that made me realize that it is the little things that matter, and I believe this applies to everyone who desire to be more joyful and content. 

First, let me say that I have a tendency to focus on the negative little things that drive me crazy. For some reason, it is by far easier for me to see those little negative blots in my life rather than see the twinkles of the positive little things that want to brighten my life

It is that time of the year again where we have cleaned our houses and de-leavened them, and now spend seven days eating unleavened bread. I remember when I was a child my mom pointing out that it was nice to have Unleavened Bread at the beginning of Spring because it came right on time for spring cleaning. However, the Feast of Unleavened Bread is much more than just cleaning our houses and vehicles. Yes, it is nice when I open the fridge and it is clean, looking like it is new again, and I do enjoy driving in a clean car. Yet, the physical de-leavening is to encourage us to de-leaven spiritually.

Fear is a powerful tool that Satan likes to use against us, and here lately I keep hearing a lot of fear. Fear over who is going to get elected, fear of the economy, fear of China, fear of Russia, fear of North Korea, and the biggest fear, that we are getting closer to the end of the world. Now, as Christians, why are we so afraid of the end of the world? Why do we get fearful when we look at the world around us and we start thinking that the time is near for Armageddon? Aren’t we supposed to be praying for God’s kingdom to come (Matt 6:10)?

My last couple blogs have been about faith, and I realized that, with faith, we must also have perseverance. Don’t give up even if it seems like Jesus is slow at returning. Don’t give up running the race of righteousness. This race is not a sprint but a very long marathon, and one of these days there will be a finish line.

Thankfully, we can look at our Bibles, and get comfort from the many that have lived before us, like Abraham, Joseph, Moses, the apostles, Paul, and many others.