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Showing posts from August, 2017

Faith Words: My Neighbor

Inside every home on every street there are people - real people.  Life today, even in West Texas, means isolation. Oh, sure, we might wave as we drive by or when we pick up the newspaper, But most of the time we don't even know our neighbors' names. In isolation, a single parent worries how to pay the bills. An elderly couple struggles to change the light bulbs or mow the grass.  A child wonders how to fit in at school.  A family hides their hunger. Do you know your neighbor?  Is there someone you need to reach out to who lives close by, who goes to school with your kids, who works in the cubicle next to yours, who sits near you at church? Jesus told us to be salt and light.  He told us to treat one another like we want to be treated.  He reminded us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Next time you're picking up the mail at the neighborhood mail box, introduce yourself to the guy watering his flowerbeds.  Next Sunday morning, sit in a different area of th

Faith Words: Surrounded

Our little granddaughter, Vivienne, is often very brave, almost to the point of danger, but there are still many things she's afraid to face on her own.  Recently, she had the opportunity to feed some wildlife.  She so wanted to pour out the food for them all by herself, but she didn't dare attempt it without one of us grown-ups by her side. With us standing there, guiding her, explaining things to her, she embraced the opportunity to venture close to the animals and leave the food where they could eat it.  What she didn't know was that we had no intention of leaving her alone or of putting her in a dangerous situation.  We let her do what she could, all the while keeping ourselves between her and the danger.  She got to experience the thrill of feeding these hungry animals safely. There are things we want to do and need to do that take us perilously close to very real danger.  When life requires us to walk a dangerous path, we may feel very vulnerable and, in fact, be