Thoughts on the Lockdown (Kingdom Economy)

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  “(Misfortune) can ruin your life only if it ruins your character. Otherwise, it cannot harm you—inside or out.” Aurelius “The great objective of this life is character, for it is the only thing we can carry with us into eternity.” Austin Phelps Doesn’t it help to keep in mind, when life feels particularly hard, that God has our character growth in mind? Right now with the COVID-19 epidemic keeping most of the world in lockdown, with economies declining, it is easy to see loss and limitations. The usual props we rely on to keep us afloat seem suddenly tenuous,…

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What to do When You Don’t Know What to do

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What do you do when you don’t know what to do? In such a place, waiting for direction, I encouraged myself by reviewing the hard circumstances where God placed Moses. From the moment he appeared to him in a flaming bush, his life was never easy. Go to Pharaoh? Lead the Israelites out of Egypt? Who, me? After all his objections, Moses consented and set off on mission. Here’s the part of the Exodus story I love. God said to him: I will be with you. I will tell you what to say. I will tell you what to do….

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Facing Uncertainties

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  We’re moving. That’s the extent of what we know about this year, or maybe next. My husband is going to retire or the business is going to close—we don’t know which will come first—and we’re moving closer to home. We don’t know if it’s the right time. Billy is eight years older and past retirement age, but I still have a few years to go before Medicare. I also have a condition that may or may not qualify me for disability, but it’s bad enough that we must have health insurance to help pay for all the annoyances associated…

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Voices in the Night

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By Janet Chester Bly A wounded friend of mine wept. “I prayed very hard my husband wouldn’t leave. Every day and night I prayed. But he left anyway.” What kills hope? Fear or rage will. Guilt and doubt try to. Sin does. Prayer answers of “No” and death of a dream can. Hopelessness has the ability to make us mentally intoxicated—without reason, moderation, or judgment. Our wits become all spur and no rein. We lose confidence that good things will ever happen again when we hit rock-hard bottom. The traumas of this world soil innocence and blind our view of…

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Trusting God

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By Jackie M. Johnson “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6). Life is full of challenges. You want to lose weight but the pounds stick to you like super glue. A friend needs a new job or is having marital problems. Your niece is wondering if she will ever get married. Our country is divided on political issues. And on it goes. As believers, we are taught early to “trust in the Lord.” But what does that really…

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God Never Stops Working on Us

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Hello from Kathy Collard Miller, here in the Southern California desert. It was always difficult for my mother to relax and trust God, and even when she was in her 80’s, it seemed like the Lord was still inviting her to trust Him more. My sister and I would say to each other, “You’d think the Lord would stop working on people when they get old enough, but He sure seems to still be working on mom.” That was true up until the last few days of her life. When it was time for hospice, she moved into my home but didn’t…

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