Hope For A New Year – Advent #4

Alive and Active Life
Alive and Active Life
Hope For A New Year - Advent #4
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A New Year is an opportunity to let go of some things, hold onto other things, and grab onto new things. It also involves various emotions. Even though a New Year can feel scary, not knowing what’s ahead, it can also be exciting with new opportunities. In some cases, it may be a relief to walk into a fresh perspective. Hope for new possibilities begins to rise. Sadness about aging, saying good-byes, or letting go of previous endeavors can be painful. Knowing there will be difficult challenges is sobering. Yet, overall, most people embrace hope as one year morphs into another. God gives hope for a New Year.

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Two Ways To Live

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Alive and Active Life
Two Ways To Live
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Every person I know has lived through some pretty tough challenges. So many stories, my own among them. And I bet you have stories, too. So, a question for you: when everything seems tumultuous, when you can’t see, or when you feel overwhelmed and tired, how do you get through tough times well? There’s help by exploring two ways to live.

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A Regular Person Superhero

Alive and Active Life
Alive and Active Life
A Regular Person Superhero
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Marvel Comics puts lots of money into movies about superheroes. And – based on success at the box office – lots of people connect with these superheroes at some level. Not everyone is “into” superheroes. But most people can pinpoint at least one superhero they admire. Who is that superhero for you? This list will give you a start –

  • Captain America
  • Iron Man
  • The Hulk
  • Spider-Man
  • Thor
  • Hawkeye
  • Black Panther
  • Doctor Strange
  • Black Widow
  • Ant-Man
  • Falcon
  • Superman
  • Batman (Well, Superman and Batman are really D.C. Comics)
  • Director Fury
  • Someone not in this list?
  • Maybe a person in your life!

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Your Valuable Life

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Alive and Active Life
Your Valuable Life
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Have you had the joy of watching little kids when they get in front of a mirror? They have heart-warming and sometimes hilarious interactions. These little ones have such authenticity and vulnerability as they interact with “themselves” in the mirror. What about you? When you look in the mirror, who do you see? Do you value the reflection of that person? Are you authentically being “you” each day? It’s time to treasure your valuable life like God does.

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God’s Timing – Scripture Dissection

Alive and Active Life
Alive and Active Life
God's Timing - Scripture Dissection
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Surely you’ve wondered at least once – “what’s the deal with God’s timing?!” He seems to be on a completely different time schedule. Admit it with me: there are times you’ve wondered when God is going to answer your prayers. Whether it’s personal or global tragedies that happen without warning, waiting years for God’s intervention in a difficulty, healing a relationship, providing for a need, or personal matters of the heart – all certainly involve God’s timing.

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Tear Into It!

Alive and Active Life
Alive and Active Life
Tear Into It!
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In graduate school, I had a stark realization as first semester syllabuses were handed out in class. It reminded me of a similar eye-opener in college-level classes after high school – but this was definitely a step up. As I began to digest graduate school expectations, I noticed a panicky feeling inside. There would be no reminders, no pace set for us, no little “clues.” Set your own reminders, pace, and “get a clue!” The level of expectation was much higher. There was no option except to tear into it, and hope for the best!

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Fresh Start

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Alive and Active Life
Fresh Start
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I remember a season a couple decades ago when I felt things were falling apart. By that time in my life, I’d already noticed an interesting development. Despite a lot of hard work, regardless of best intentions, even after applying good counsel and working to apply Scripture – things don’t always turn out. That’s when you discover the value of a fresh start.

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Looking For Donkeys – God’s Timing

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Alive and Active Life
Looking For Donkeys - God's Timing
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What a weird title for today’s content. But I promise – it’s straight out of Scripture! But what does “looking for donkeys” have to do with God’s timing? Sometimes “looking for donkeys” oddly describes life. But that’s not reason enough to designate a full article to it. So, what is reason enough? I’ll give you a clue. It has a lot to do with God’s timing.

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God’s Dimension: Real And Very Near

Alive and Active Life
Alive and Active Life
God's Dimension: Real And Very Near
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One freezing early morning, I pushed back my curtain to see what the winter storm did to my yard overnight. My eyes struggled to focus in the flood of “sun-on-snow” brightness. Gradually adjusting, I saw something magical. It was like a story book scene. This piece of incredible winter art – in front of my eyes – reminded me – God’s dimension is real and very near.

(If you live in an area where this weather never happens, I’m including a few pictures so you can imagine.)

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Who’s Got Your Right Hand – Advent #2

Alive and Active Life
Alive and Active Life
Who's Got Your Right Hand - Advent #2
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We’re in a series to help prepare your heart for Christmas. Each week we light another candle in our hearts as a statement of preparation for Christmas. (Notice each additional week’s article in this series has another candle lit in the main featured image.)

This is the second article in the series. With Christmas closing in, it’s time to consider your right hand.

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