Pennies and Patience

What would you say if you were asked “what two things do you always need more of?”  I suspect near the top of your list I would find mention of pennies and patience.  In some way or another, we can all use more money and a higher level of endurance with the events of life.  As […]

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Tomorrow, You’re Always a Day Away

What are you doing tomorrow?  If you’re like me, you not only have a  plan but you have a back-up plan as well!  I love to plan!  To some extent, we all do.  We like to think about, dream about, what we’re going to do tomorrow or on vacation this summer or in our retirement. […]

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Two Kinds of Wisdom

“Do or do not, there is no try” – Yoda Wouldn’t it be nice if life was that easy?  Only two choices with no middle ground?  If every decision could be broken down into a binary of sorts?  Unfortunately, life is much more complicated.  Almost every decision and choice comes with multiple options that take […]

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Control

When was the last time you were at the circus?  What did you see?  Lions doing tricks? Elephants balancing?  Bears on bikes?  It’s pretty impressive what these amazing creatures have learned to do!  James tells us that “all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed […]

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Moms at Work, Faith at Work

Happy Mother’s Day!  Our moms set one of our first examples in life of what love looks like.  Out of the overflow of their hearts, they care for us!  In this visible expression of love, we also learn an important lesson about faith.  Our faith should overflow into action.  Let’s look at how James defines […]

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Who’s Your Favorite?

We all have favorite things…our favorite pizza, our favorite vacation spot, our favorite sports team.  But we shouldn’t have favorite people.  God calls us to love and care for everyone, not just those we like or those who look like us.  James opens the next part of his letter with a clear call when he […]

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Some people really like to talk.  If you know any extreme extroverts, then you probably know a few people who have the gift of gab!  Not that there’s anything wrong with being chatty, but when we come to James 1:19, there is a clear challenge for all of us, especially those who like to talk! […]

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Faith Under Pressure

Life can be hard…and unless you’re crazy, no one looks forward to the hardships.  Yet James opens up his letter with the words “consider it pure joy when you face trials of many kinds.”  REALLY?!? Look at our hardships with joy?  How is this even possible?  Well thankfully James doesn’t stop there.  Let’s explore how […]

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