Do you feel you need to be perfect? Do you look around your life, find it is less than perfect and feel like a failure? You’re not alone. For many of us, life feels like this, even if a little bit. And I’m right there with you. I see various ways my house or propertyContinue reading “You don’t have to be perfect! – Ecclesiastes 7:15-8:8, Part 4”
Tag Archives: ecclesiastes 7
How to escape the traps of gossip and seduction – Ecclesiastes 7:15-8:8, Part 3
It’s probably very familiar: you overhear a co-worker in the break room talking about you, or you peek over a family member’s shoulder and read their text messages, or the church grapevine gets back to you. Through one of these, you learn something negative someone said about us. You are embarrassed, hurt, and angry. TheContinue reading “How to escape the traps of gossip and seduction – Ecclesiastes 7:15-8:8, Part 3”
How the open Bible in our church sanctuary sets off my struggle with perfectionism – Ecclesiastes 7:15-8:8, Part 2
In our church sanctuary, we display a large open Bible on the communion table located on the back wall of the stage. Can anyone read it from where they’re sitting? Nope. Neither can I, and I stand way closer to the Bible than the rest of the congregation. The print in the Bible is large,Continue reading “How the open Bible in our church sanctuary sets off my struggle with perfectionism – Ecclesiastes 7:15-8:8, Part 2”
Can an ironic proverb help us make sense of our complex world? – Ecclesiastes 7:15-8:8, Part 1
Are you feeling perplexed? Confused by the world we live in? If so, you are not alone. How many of you are familiar with Veggie Tales? The creator of Veggie Tales, Phil Vischer has been making some fascinating informational videos relating to racial justice in the USA. One video answers the question why Black ChristiansContinue reading “Can an ironic proverb help us make sense of our complex world? – Ecclesiastes 7:15-8:8, Part 1”
The way to have a better life…now – Ecclesiastes 7:1-14, Part 5
I love the encouragement of this picture. With two and a half months to go in 2020, many of us are holding out for a better life in 2021. Here in the USA, the bitter presidential election will be over. It seems that we will get beyond Covid in 2021. So does that mean, asContinue reading “The way to have a better life…now – Ecclesiastes 7:1-14, Part 5”
How to overcome anger and discontentment, and have joy – Ecclesiastes 7:1-14, Part 4
Look at the woman in the picture. What do you notice? Longing, perhaps. Someone who is on the outside and wants to be on the inside. Frustration with life, maybe. Some who is upset enough to lean their forehead against a door. I wonder if something happened on the other side of the door thatContinue reading “How to overcome anger and discontentment, and have joy – Ecclesiastes 7:1-14, Part 4”
Why listening to painful things is better than foolish laughter – Ecclesiastes 7:1-14, Part 3
I have been in a doctoral program for the last two years, and this past spring I finished my coursework and passed comprehensive exams. That means I now need to write the dissertation. A book. I’m writing a book. And it feels like a mountain. The first step was to write a proposal for myContinue reading “Why listening to painful things is better than foolish laughter – Ecclesiastes 7:1-14, Part 3”
Why I like weddings better than funerals, and why I might be wrong – Ecclesiastes 7:1-14, Part 2
I like weddings more than funerals. At a wedding there is excitement and joy and dancing. At a funeral, while there is sometimes laughter remembering stories about the deceased, and while there can be joy that the person is suffering no more and is at home with the Lord, let’s face it that funerals areContinue reading “Why I like weddings better than funerals, and why I might be wrong – Ecclesiastes 7:1-14, Part 2”
A poem that can help you have a better life? – Ecclesiastes 7:1-14, Part 1
Have you ever longed for a better world? 2020 is a good year to long for a better world, isn’t it? Or maybe I should say it is an easy year to long for a better world? But while it is easy to long for a better world, actually achieving that better world can seemContinue reading “A poem that can help you have a better life? – Ecclesiastes 7:1-14, Part 1”
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