The Truth About Loneliness

Alive and Active Life
Alive and Active Life
The Truth About Loneliness
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Do you remember the film, “Cast Away?” Tom Hanks plays a systems analysist named Chuck who is marooned on an island quite unexpectedly when his flight goes down over the Pacific Ocean. In this movie, you get a front-row seat on how a person might deal with loneliness. From hopelessness, to anger, to desperation, to finding a way. He’s alone on this island for four years! Meanwhile, he’s declared dead by family and friends back home. Chuck’s only friend is a volleyball that washed ashore from the plane wreckage. This ball becomes Chuck’s only friend: “Wilson.” Chuck becomes very familiar with the truth about loneliness. 
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Life Response – Advent #4

Alive and Active Life
Alive and Active Life
Life Response - Advent #4
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Ready or not – Christmas week is here! Time to enjoy each moment. May I make a suggestion? Take it all in! Your preparations come together in a call. It’s a call for a life response to a beautiful Baby! 

This is the fourth and final in a series to prepare your heart for Christmas. Each week we light another candle in our hearts as a statement of preparation. (Notice each additional week’s article in this series has another candle lit in the main featured image.)

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Time To Remember Emmanuel – Advent #3

Alive and Active Life
Alive and Active Life
Time To Remember Emmanuel - Advent #3
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Christmas is almost here! Whether you tend to prepare ahead – each week leading to Christmas – or you dare to load all the stress into days before, including shopping on Christmas Eve, it’s time to remember Emmanuel in your hustle and bustle.

This is the third in a series to prepare your heart for Christmas. Each week we light another candle in our hearts as a statement of preparation. (Notice each additional week’s article in this series has another candle lit in the main featured image.)

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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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Prepare Your Heart For Christmas – Advent #1

Alive and Active Life
Alive and Active Life
Prepare Your Heart For Christmas - Advent #1
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You prepare for Christmas in so many ways. But how do you prepare your heart?

Advent

The Christmas Advent Season has been richly celebrated for many years. Historically, an advent marks the arrival of a notable person or event. Often, a wreath with candles has been used during Christmas Advent, lighting a new candle on each of four weeks leading up to Christmas Day.

Even if you choose not to use a wreath with candles, there are simple, thoughtful ways you can prepare your heart.

This is the first in a series to help prepare your heart for Christmas. Each week we will light another candle in our hearts as a statement of preparation. (Notice each additional week’s article in this series has another candle lit in the main featured image.)

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Gifts Under God’s Great Tree

Alive and Active Life
Alive and Active Life
Gifts Under God’s Great Tree
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Pretend with me. You are a child. It’s Christmas. The tree is up and decorated. Glow and sparkle fill the room with Christmas magic. Being a curious child, you have already checked out the landscape of presents under the tree. You noted the gifts with your name on them. And – you’ve counted them. Now you wait . . . and wonder . . . and hope! But the pretending stops and you are an adult again. You ask yourself – “are there gifts for me as a grown-up? Is there something special under God’s Great Tree with my name on it?”

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Depression in the Holidays

Christmas has so many wonderful moments. Unfortunately, strands of loss and grief alter Christmas joy for many people each year. Approaching Christmas is hard when your heart is breaking. Depression in the holidays is a real thing.

Depression is experienced by many people during the holidays. If you are one of them, you are not alone. Life is hard. You may have had a terrible loss, a deep disappointment, a health issue, or something else that has pierced your heart this past year. It’s possible the painful life event even happened some years ago. You are not unhealthy for still feeling the sting, but you may need to find some healthy responses to move forward and be a balanced, hopeful person.

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