When buttoning your coat, if you get the first button correct, the rest of the buttons all line up, too. The same is true in life ...
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How often have we heard how important it is to have our priorities straight? I'm guessing it's been more than once or twice. Why is that? The answer is simple: because we keep getting our priorities out-of-whack (that is a technical term meaning "messed up"). It's not because we want to have our priorities out-of-order. Our intentions are good. Over time, however, we get pulled or distracted or even disgruntled and our priorities begin to shift. A little here, a little there. As our priorities shift, so do other things in life -- home, family, happiness, and contentment. One or two degrees in the wrong direction can make a big difference over time. When couples come in for counseling, they often think the most important thing is their relationship. They ask, "What can we do to work on our relationship?" While their relationship is not unimportant, it's not the most…
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Have you ever thought about this question: What kind of person is Jesus looking for? Is Jesus looking for the smart people? The creative people? Could it be that Jesus is looking for the person who is good at managing their time? Or managing their money? Those aren't bad qualities, but nowhere in the Gospels does it say Jesus is looking for those kind of people. Instead, the Gospels show us that Jesus is looking for the person who wants to follow him. That's why his invitation is simple: "Follow me." Simple, yet life-changing. Simple, yet challenging.
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The person who invented the first photocopy machine must have been a creative person. It is quite a thing to visualize and conceptualize and bring to life a machine that would impact literally millions of lives. Ironically, the invention of the photocopier has made it easier to duplicate than to innovate. You simply place your paper on the machine and it produces something that looks like the original. With newer technology, it might even look as good as the original -- but it is still just a copy. Photocopiers are not evil (except when they constantly jam and chew up paper). In fact, there are innumerable times when duplication is necessary, even beneficial. However, I’m thankful that when God responded to our sinful condition, he chose to incarnate rather than duplicate. God could have duplicated the systems that were already in place, the hundreds of laws passed down throughout Hebrew…
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Anthony Weiner is back. OK, he never really went away but his problems have resurfaced. Weiner, the former New York congressman who is now running for mayor of NYC, is back in the news having to explain vulgar pictures he took of himself and sent to others -- after he had resigned for doing the same thing as a sitting congressman. What does it say about our society that we have come to expect our politicians to be slimy? We watch a press conference and assume that some, if not most, of what they are telling us is untrue. We joke about a politician "flip-flopping" but it doesn't really upset us. Could it be that our comfort level for unethical behavior is stooping lower and lower? Instead of raising the bar by expecting more, we shrug our shoulders and accept things "the way they are." When leaders lack integrity, regardless…
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