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What is the Christmas Spirit Anyway?
Hint: It’s not about Bing Crosby or Barry Manilow. Although they can help. Yes, even Manilow. 🙂 Christmas is almost here, ready or not. Can I get a show of hands? Who else besides me is in the “not” ready category 99.2% of the time? Who am I kidding? It’s 100%. Christmas happens at the…
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“Use your words”: Revisiting St. Francis of Assisi
I’ve been chewing on this topic for a long time. I’ve written this blog post in my head a hundred times. So I guess now would be the appropriate time to write it using my keyboard. Its message hits home in a big way for me. Prayerfully, perhaps it will challenge others as well. St.…
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Finding the Christmas Spirit
It is becoming a yearly struggle. Each year I slip further into adulthood, it seems harder and harder to get into “the Christmas spirit” when the calendar hits December 1. I’m not even talking about the going-through-the- motions “Christmas spirit”; the one that pushes people by an unknown force to put up trees the weekend…
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Awakening the Blog
Or, to borrow a theme from an upcoming movie: Summer’s Wars: The Blog Awakens. It has been over a year since my last blog post. How time flies! Since my last post, I’ve often had things I’ve wanted to write about, but just haven’t taken the time, due to a combination of busyness and laziness.…
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Happy Fourth of July! (A Wet Blanket Independence Day Greeting)
Happy Fourth of July! It is only appropriate to start an Independence Day post with those words, or something similar. The “wet blanket” portion of this post is what follows. While the wish is sincere (why wouldn’t I want you to have a great Fourth, after all?), it is a qualified greeting. That is because…
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A (tepid) Reunion with My Stolen Pathfinder
A drama that began 27 days ago, on November 15, 2013, came to a close on Wednesday. My stolen Nissan Pathfinder is now back in my possession after nearly a month. The reunion comes with mixed feelings. I’ll recap the story from the top for those who are interested. It was a beautiful Friday morning.…
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30 Days of Thanks – in one
The “30 Days of Thanks” or whatever it’s called has been quite popular on Facebook the last few years. Starting on November 1, the participant posts one thing for which he or she is thankful each day during the month of November. It’s a great concept, cataloging one’s blessings. I have enjoyed reading the outbursts…
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Things I can’t do without
By special request, in light of a previous post, I am following up with the antithesis of my last post’s negativity. When it comes right down to it, the list of things I can’t do without is pretty short, but I’ll give it a whirl. God Uhh…. Yep, that’s pretty much it Some might think…
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Things I could do without
What are some things you could do without? Not to complain, just some things that make you think, “You know what? If those things didn’t exist, I wouldn’t mind!” There are many things I could do without, so I figured it was high time I made a partial list. A complete list would be nearly…
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No, Google, you may not have my phone number
For years it seems, every time I log into gmail (or any of the other internet-based email providers: yahoo, hotmail, etc), they ask for my phone number so I can have the assurance of never losing access to my account. Pffft. Like I’m going to give you my phone number, Google. You know everything there…
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The Cure for Jealousy
I’ve discovered the cure for jealousy. Not that I should take credit for it, because it’s been around a long time. But I discovered it, and it’s made a world of difference in my life. The catch is, it’s only applicable to those who hold the Bible as authoritative; i.e. hold it to be God’s…
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O Holy Night: Warming a cold heart to the Christmas spirit
I’ll admit it. I didn’t feel … it. It just wasn’t there. Isn’t it supposed to automatically turn on the day after Thanksgiving? You know, when it’s ok to start decorating, and overzealous radio stations hijack their regular programming for 100% Christmas music? Don’t we all get in the mood for Christmas then, as if…
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What is God’s will for my life?
What is God’s will for my life? It’s one of the questions most commonly asked among Christians. We scratch our heads and wonder how we make major life decisions. “What college should I go to?” “What career should I choose?” “Who should I marry?” And so on. Life is filled with decisions big and small,…
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Our Engagement Story
I’ve told our engagement story dozens of times, but I thought I’d write it down for posterity. And for future generations, should they care. The day was Monday. June 14, 2010. My boyfriend Mike Sorensen was IM’ing me, trying to convince me to go hiking after work that day, rather than hanging out on our…