Who are you living for?

April 23, 2021

“I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.” – from The Top Five Regrets of the Dying – A Life Transformed by the Dearly Departing, a 2012 book by Australian author Bronnie Ware.

Does Ware’s regret apply to you? Are you living your life trying to meet the expectations of others? How would your life be different if you where living it true to yourself?

The regret that Ware postulates is actually quite common, whether we are aware of it or not. From a very young age we are “conditioned” to consider what others think or want from us and act accordingly. Being a “good girl” or “good boy” means acting like or doing what we are told others expect of us. If we don’t we are called bad and punished. It sinks in fairly fast for most and we become used to conforming to the expectations of others. It’s almost as if we start to think of ourselves in the second person.

As we grow up things like being considerate of others or being politically correct take the place of admonishments from mom and dad, and the awareness of our need to go along to get along becomes a driving force. This is not to say that being polite or not blurting out offensive remarks is a bad thing. That is a sign of self-control and consideration for the feelings of others. However, there ae probably other things “holding you back” from being true to your own feelings or desires. Those are the things that Ware was alluding to in the regret that she expressed.

Having the strength and courage to live true to yourself means taking risks in life. Sometimes that can mean taking big risks, like quitting a job that you hate to pursue a new career in a field that you love, even if it pays less. It may involve asking out that person that you ae sure is going to turn you down or maybe just working up the courage to introduce yourself to that person. Don’t end up regretting that you never took that chance to be true to yourself.

The secret to not ending up with these regrets is to continually ask yourself why you are dong what you are doing and who are you doing it for? Sometimes we are doing things to meet the expectations of others, but those expectations are what we expect of ourselves, too. Husbands and wives do many things for each other that they hope to meet the expectations of their partners. Parents also do many things for their children, sometimes thinking “I wish my parents had done this for me”. Oher times we might stop and think about why we are doing something, especially something that just doesn’t feel right. If the only answer that you come up with is just “that’s what’s expected of me”; it maybe time to ask the next question- “expected by whom?”

There are things in societies called “norms”, which are the expected behaviors in certain situations. Those are what we sometimes call “common knowledge”; however, that does not mean that they are irrefutable or true. For many years there were norms and even laws that defined the behaviors expected of blacks in America. There were separate areas on buses and in restaurants where they could sit or fountains from which they could drink. It was only through the concerted efforts by some blacks during the Civil Rights Movement of the 50’s and 60’s who refused to live up to the expectations of the whites in their communities that the laws were changed. It is taking longer to change the expectations of some. Some of those expectations became deeply embedded in the fabric of our society such that they became systemic. It is the battle to root out those systemic things that is being fought right now.

Maybe to avoid the regret that Ware wrote about one can pray each day for the courage to live life true to themselves. If one has to live up to the expectations of someone else, it might be wise to choose the best role model that we know of – Jesus. You might refer to this passage from the Bible –  “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2)

Perhaps being true to yourself is being true to God’s will.

Try it. You’ll like it. Meet God’s expectations of us.

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Posted by Norm Werner

Losing sight of the common good…

April 22, 2021
Earth Day

Today is Earth Day. In his blog, Jack’s Winning Words, Pastor Freed used this quote today – “There is a great need, and growing support, for the introduction of new values in our society—where bigger is not necessarily better—where slower can be faster—and where less can be more.” (Gaylord Nelson, First Earth Day 1970) 

As I thought about Earth Day and how it has been marginalized over time, it came to my mind that, as a nation, we have lost sight of the concept of “The Common Good”. In fact, some politicians have demonized the common good by positioning things that are for the common good as socialism. Their political philosophies are more in tune with anarchy than with anything that is for “the common good”.

Yet there is a need to recognize that there are things that we need to do as a society that provide benefits for all – that promote the common good. Taking care of the planet upon which, we live is just one of those things, but certainly an important one. I know a local personal trainer who uses the motto, “Your body is the only place that you have to live.” Well, Earth is currently the only place that we all have to live. Someday, maybe we will be able to hop intro a spaceship and fly off to another planet, but for now, we are stuck here. Let’s not mess it up.

Self-centeredness has been around forever, but it came to the fore in the 1970’s. The 1970s were dubbed the “Me decade” by writer Tom Wolfe. Christopher Lasch was another writer who commented on the rise of a culture of narcissism among the younger generation of that era. But it wasn’t just narcissism that increased back in the 70’s; it was the rebellion against government and being governed. That rebellion, perhaps sparked by protests against an unpopular war (Viet Name) in the 1960’s and fanned by racism and the white backlash caused by the civil rights movement, gave rise to an anarchist movement disguised as conservatism. What was being “conserved” was an old, privileged way of life that had outlived its usefulness.

The shift from “what’s good for me” to “what’s good for us all”, was perceived as a threat because it  effectively disenfranchised the privileged people of the day (basically whites) and shifted both power and resources towards those who had been excluded from both. That gave rise to rear-guard actions that continue today, as the old, privileged class tries desperately to hold on to power. To those people, things done for the common good is just code for losing power and the ability to control things and people.

So, along came the scientists and environmentalists sounding alarms over the damage that mankind is doing to the planet. They created a day – Earth Day – to both celebrate the planet and to raise awareness of the bad things that are happening. From their foxholes the conservative rear-guard just saw it as another intrusion of government in their lives, another socialist movement of “them against us” and they fought back. They poo-pooed the scientists’ warnings about global warming, they resisted regulation on emissions or a shift away from fossil fuels for power, and they tried gut the enforcement of environmental protections by defunding the agencies responsible for enforcing them. They did not just lose sight of the common good, they fought against it. They believed that “what’s good for them is bad for us”.

It is a good thing to have an Earth Day once a year, although we should all be concerned about the Earth every day of the year. Perhaps we should have a Common Good Day also to focus upon the things that we need to do to make life better for all of us. It’s not socialism, it’s just common sense. Maybe we could call it Common Sense Day.

In the Old Testament we are told of the common good –

“But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you … for in its welfare you will find your welfare.” – Jeremiah 29:7

So, seek the welfare of the Earth, because there we shall also find (or lose) our own welfare. Happy Earth Day!

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Posted by Norm Werner

What will you do today that scares you?

April 21, 2021

“Do one thing every day that scares you.”― Eleanor Roosevelt

That piece of advice from a famous First Lady, rings as true today as ever. It doesn’t necessarily mean that you should do something stupid or dangerous; rather, that you should challenge yourself to get out of your comfort zone.

Everyone develops a comfort zone – that nice, quiet, sometimes boring place in which we try to live; not because it is so satisfying so much as because it is so safe feeling. Our comfort zones require little of us and where there is little required there is also little reward. That is why so many answer the question “How are you doing?” with the response “OK” or “good” and not “Great”. Having a great day requires effort, it requires a victory or some successful new experience. An OK day just requires that nothing unusual happen.

So, Eleanor’s advice is that you do something unusual, something out of the ordinary for you, something that scares you. It could be something as simple as saying hello to people as you pass them when you would normally just keep your head down and walk on by them. Maybe it involves introducing yourself to that person at work whom you been secretly hoping that you could meet somehow or asking that secret someone that you like out for a date. Maybe it means going somewhere that you ‘ve always been afraid to go or perhaps doing something that you’ve hesitated to do out of some unfounded fear.

Getting out of your comfort zone immediately causes a physiological reaction in your body. Your adrenaline flows. Your heart may race. You may begin to sweat. All of those things pass quickly once you break through the barrier that was holding you back and realize that your fears were unfounded. The feeling of dread is quickly replaced by a sense of accomplishment and maybe even joy. Even if the encounter does not pan out as you had hoped, the fact that you got there and did it still gives you a feeling of accomplishment and victory over the fear.

So, take Eleanor Roosevelt’s advice and pick our something that you’ve been avoiding doing or fearing doing and just do it today. At the end of the day, you will have something to look back on and learn from – a new experience. We must always keep pushing against the walls of our comfort zones, moving them further rout; otherwise, they can close in on us and become suffocating.

So when someone asks you, “How are you doing today?, you can answer, “Great, I just met someone new or I did something new, and it feels wonderful.”

Get out of your comfort zone. Do something that scares you today.

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Posted by Norm Werner

Things unsaid can cause damage, too…

April 20, 2021

In his post today, Pastor Freed used this quote in his blog, Jack’s Winning Words – “Always ask yourself what will happen if I say nothing.”  (Kamand Kojouri)

Paster Freed went on to write – Each of us has probably found ourself in a situation where…(“I should have kept my mouth shut -.or -Why didn’t I speak up when I had the opportunity?)  One of my favorite Bible passages is Ecclesiastes 3…”There’s a time for everything.  There’s a time to speak up…and a time to shut up.”  (Ed -Actually the Bible verse says a time to speak and a time to remain silent.)

I have a sign on my front lawn that is a quote from Martin Luther King Jr. – “Our lives begin to end the day that we become silent about things that matter.”

The point of King’s message and the answer to Kojouri’s quote is that there are consequences associated with remaining quiet, not speaking up or taking action when we witness things that are wrong. That is not to say that it is right to go out into the streets and participate in lawless riots. The looting and burning that we have witnessed in the aftermath of recent racially charge police killings is not the action that either King or Kojouri were alluding to either. They are not a part of the solution and just detract from making progress on solving problems like police brutality by a few rouge officers.

The leaders (inspirational or otherwise) of all great movements in history have been those who chose to speak up about things that mattered and that were wrong. In most cases they were not out rioting in the streets, but rather out there to raise their voices in protest and to demand change (or justice). Many of them, in fact, spoke quietly but forcefully. Many endured hardships or imprisonment (Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela come to mind), but they continued to speak out against the wrongs that they saw in their countries and societies.

In many news casts one sees people of all colors joining in protest against some injustice or wrong that they have seen against a person of a specific color or ethnicity. Those people answered the question that Kojouri asked by deciding that doing nothing was not an answer acceptable to them. Doing nothing  is an answer that does not often lead to change. Just deciding that you won’t go to a planned anti-gay rally is not an action that will cause change. Going to be part of a counter-group to stand in protest of that rally, and the thoughts behind it, is an action which may either change minds or at least show support of the opposite view and the people being targeted.

It is important to ask yourself the question that Kojouri raised and to adopt the philosophy that King espoused when the answer is that the thing that you are considering really matters. There are many things in life upon which you may wish to remain neutral and here will be no harmful consequences, like choosing between Right or Left Twix, for instance. However there are also many things which you may try avoid taking a stance on that can, and do, impact your life and the lives of others; often in ways that you don’t initially understand. It is easy to say to yourself, “This doesn’t impact me, so I will stay out of it.” That is that attitude and inaction that encourages bullying, for instance.

So keep your mind and your options open when you encounter things that don’t seem right to you. Determine if this is something that matters to you or to others around you and ask yourself the question that Kojouri asked. When you have determined that it is something that matters, I think the answer to Kojouri’s question will come easily to you and silence or inaction will no longer be an option.

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Posted by Norm Werner

Impossible is a state of mind…

April 19, 2021

“Impossible is potential.  Impossible is temporary.  Impossible is nothing.”  (Muhammad Ali) That was the quote in today’s installment to the Jack’s Winning Words blog. Pastor Freed when on to write about all things being possible for God.

I think that what Muhammad Ali was referencing was more along the lines of the headline for this post – that impossible is a state of mind and not an absolute. Impossible just means that you don’t see how it can be done, yet.

Our minds serve to empower us, but sometimes they hold us back, due to our limited imagination. Things become impossible because we can’t imagine them being possible.

I’ve written about a little trick with the word impossible before, but it bears repeating. If you just move the first two letters one space away from the rest of the word and insert an apostrophe between them, the word impossible becomes the statement “I’m possible”.

It was once impossible to conceive of a man walking on the surface of the moon, yet today we know that it is possible. Getting from Europe to Asia without going around Cape Horn was once thought to be impossible, yet today we have the Suez Canal which makes that possible. And joining the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans – impossible. Hello, Panama Canal.

Things that were impossible were made possible by someone having the imagination to fuel the thought “What if?” Asking “What if” challenges the impossible by exploring new alternatives and refusing to be stopped by “conventional wisdom”.

The same is true in our everyday lives. We limit ourselves by defining things to be impossible – a job, a date, a new house, whatever. We don’t allow our minds to imagine it being possible. We don’t ask, “What if?” Or maybe, every time we ask what if, our imagination quickly goes negative, and we only imagine bad outcomes. We can be like mimes, stuck in an imaginary box of our own making.

We would be much poorer, indeed, if people like Robert Fulton, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford or Steve Jobs, had let negative thoughts and even early failure stop them from imagining that the things that they wanted to do were possible.

So, rather than give up your hopes and dreams as being impossible; let you imagination loose and start asking “What if?” Take your huge dream, that seems so impossible all at once, and break it down to smaller steps that you can imagine accomplishing one at a t time. I don’t imagine that the first shovel of dirt dug out of the path of the Suez Canal (or the Panama Canal for that matter) was a big thing, but shovel after shovel turned the impossible into, I’m possible.

Figure out what step you can accomplish today towards making your dream a reality. Look at that little step and say, “I’m possible”, and get it done. Step after step, day after day, you will be on your way to making your impossible dream a reality. Impossible is a state of mind and you’ve changed your mind on it. You are now thinking “I’m making it possible.”

If you need a little help getting into that positive frame of mind, just ask for it in your prayers. Once you have God on your side it is easier to imagine that all things are possible (especially for GOD).

Have a great day and a week full of possibilities. Make I’m possible out of your impossible.

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Posted by Norm Werner

Battling COVID fatigue…

April 17, 2021

We hear a lot these days about the so-called COVID fatigue – the failure of people to do what is right (and they know it) because they just give up trying. They are exhausted or tired of taking the health precautions that are required during a pandemic. They have Coved fatigue. They lack the willpower to carry on.

“Willpower is the basis of perseverance.” Napoleon Hill

We have been threatened, begged and cajoled to wear masks, social distance and wash our hands, all in the attempt to slow the spread of the virus. Yet, many have given up and given in to the virus by becomes complacent (or worse – combative) and deciding to “go on with life”, as if the virus doesn’t exist. We see some on the news telling us, “I’m young and healthy, I think I can beat the virus.” Yet these days the young and formerly healthy make up the biggest percentage of newly hospitalized COVID victims and a significant portion of those dying. 

“It’s not that some people have the willpower and some don’t. It’s that some people are ready to change and others are not.” James Gordon

Perhaps it is that resistance to change that is the culprit; yet, change is inevitable. Change just happens around us and we must make the choice to go along with that change or to fight it. The U.S. Marines have a famous motto – “Adapt, Improvise and Overcome”. That motto recognizes that change is inevitable and that we must be ready to adapt to it and improvise in order to overcome. The COVID pandemic has caused changes that no one wants and which cannot be ignored. The advice that we have been given by health experts is the improvising that s required to overcome the COVID virus.

“Willpower is the key to success. Successful people strive no matter what they feel by applying their will to overcome apathy, doubt or fear.” Dan Millman

If willpower is the key to successful fighting this pandemic, the key to willpower is that it is not inherent in us, but a skill that must be developed through conscious effort.

“People don’t just find the strength and the willpower they need, they create it.” Anonymous

Perhaps a key to developing (creating) the willpower that you need to get through this crisis is recognizing that you are not in this fight alone. No, I don’t mean that you should look around to see others in this same boat – we see that every night on the news. What I mean is that you are not facing this crisis alone and without help – God is with you. You need only reach out to God for his support and strength to preserver.

We are told in 2nd  Timothy 1:7 – “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.”

So, tap into that strength and resolve every day through prayer. Don’t pray that God make the COVID virus go away. That’s not how it works. Pray instead that God give you the strength and perseverance to do what is right to get though this test of your will.

“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” – Isaiah 40:31

Maybe you could add to the words of Isaiah that they will wear their masks, maintain social distance, wash their hands and not get sick. They will adapt and overcome.

Tap into the willpower that God gives you by renewing your resolve through prayer each day. Don’t view the things that you must do during this pandemic as “one more day of inconvenience”; but, rather, as one more way that you can demonstrate the power of God through your actions.  Let God give you the willpower to get through this.

Not your will but God’s will be done. Now that is willpower!

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Posted by Norm Werner

Remove the debris in your life…

April 15, 2021

I get a daily newsfeed from Realty Times that contains real estate advice. One article this morning that caught my eye was headlined “Remove the old debris in our lives”. The Realty Times article was about getting rid of the stuff than may have accumulated, especially during the COVID lockdown. It told of a woman who finally bit the bullet and cleaned out her garage, which was so full of debris (stuff) that she could not get her car into it. Does that sound familiar?

As I read the article it popped into my mind that we all carry around tons of mental “debris” in our personal lives, mostly in the form of pre-conceived notions or prejudices. The things in the backs of our minds that kick off knee-jerk reactions to people or events are mental debris – left-over stuff that we have not discarded that serve no useful purpose and may, in fact, have become a disservice. These old mental artifacts may cause us to hesitate or draw back from someone different from us for no good reason. They may direct a decision to do or not do something or to go somewhere or avoid those places out of some unfounded fear.

I often advise people who are getting ready to sell their house to declutter to the extent that people can walk freely through their homes without bumping into things or being afraid to knock something over. Life is like that too. Declutter mentally, so that you can walk through life without fears. There is no reason to limit your experience of all the things that life offers just due to your mental debris.

Just as in clearing clutter from a dark and overstuffed garage, these old bits of mental debris need to be dragged out into the light of day and evaluated with the thought in mind that you will discard those that it serves no good purpose to keep. Unlike some of the odd tools that you may have accumulated over time, there is little excuse to keep these mental bits of debris because, “I may need it again someday.” Fears and prejudices served no real useful purpose when they first came into your life and they certainly won’t be useful someday in the future. Perhaps you had some life experience that conditioned that fear or prejudice into you. It is time to discard that event and put it behind you.

The first step to getting rid of this mental debris is to recognize that it is there and drag it out into the light of logic. Many, like a dark place in the corner of your garage, dissolve where exposed to light. At the least, acknowledging them will let you take steps to discard them. Almost all of the things that make up our mental debris are based upon unfounded fears. Face those fears. Expose them to the light of logic and watch them disappear.

Once you clean out your mental debris, you will find that there is room for new things – new experiences and new friends. You will be able to walk through life without bumping into fears and pre-conceived roadblocks. Life is a little more straightforward and enjoyable without that mental clutter causing detours.

It’s Spring. Time to clean out the mental debris in your life. Prayer makes for a good cleaning tool. Ask God to help you declutter your life and get rid or your mental debris.

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Posted by Norm Werner

Don’t make it a problem…

April 14, 2021

In today’s post to his blog, Jack’s Winning Words, Pastor Freed used this quote – “A problem isn’t a problem until it actually happens.”  (Julie A Ross & Judy Corcoran) 

I thought about that and decided that one could also say that “A problem isn’t a problem until you make it one.”

Things that haven’t actually happened yet (and in many cases aren’t likely to happen) become problems in our minds when we let our imaginations run away with us and present all sorts of possible bad outcomes to think about. If living a long time has taught me nothing else, it is that things never turn out as bad as we imagine that they could. Yes, some bad things end up happening, but not to the disastrous degree that our imaginations conjured up as we fretted about them.

How many of us have spent a restless night before the day that we planned to ask someone out? We toss and turn imagining all of the ways that we could be rejected. Or, perhaps, we can’t sleep the night before the big game because we are imagining al of the things that could go wrong or bad things that we might do to cost the team a win. Perhaps tomorrow is the day you plan to ask the boss for that raise and now your mind is racing with all of the ways that you could be rejected or worse.

Most sports professionals use a technique called visualization to mentally rehearse before a shot or an event. They visualize how success will look. They “see” the ball going over the fence in baseball or perhaps landing gently on the green and rolling towards the cup in golf. They do not visualize failure, and neither should you. Instead, take the event that is at hand an visualize how you will be successful. Practice the things that you might say or do and “see” a successful response or outcome.

By visualizing a positive outcome ahead of time, you will go into the event in a positive frame of mind. It may help you to take a positive approach if you also visualize that God is with you, standing next to you as you go through the event. After all, we know that “If God is with us, who can be against us?” – Romans 8:31

So let your imagination run with that scenario for a while. Imagine that you are standing there with God physically at your side. Doesn’t that build confidence? Don’t you feel a little more comfortable with the thought “We’ve got this”? Now, let the scenario play out in your mind and “see” the positive outcome. You might be amazed that, no matter which way things go, you have already won. You see – A problem isn’t a problem, if you have God on your side.

Start each day by visualizing God being with you and you will have a great, problem-free day.

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Posted by Norm Werner

How to get rich quick…

April 13, 2021

The blog, Jack’s Winning Words, contained advice this morning on how to become rich that originated from an ancient Greek philosopher – “By desiring little a poor man makes himself rich.”  (Democritus)

Pastor Freed referenced the movie The Jerk and its main character Navin as an example of someone who was happy (rich) with just the few simple things around him. All of us are not simpletons like Navin, but we can all still be happy and feel rich by appreciating the things that we have and not lusting after things that we don’t have.

The starting point for that happiness and rich feeling is to be thankful for what you do have – starting with life. If you wake up in the morning and feel grateful that God has given you another day. That is a good start. Taking the new day for granted is a start down the wrong path- the path of entitlement. It is this feeling of entitlement that eggs us on to lust after the things that we don’t have.

A good way to ground yourself at the start of each day is to utter a short prayer to God, thanking Him for giving you another day and another opportunity to appreciate the things and people around you. Assuming that you are not in survival mode, scrambling for your next meal and your very existence, you can also be more aware of and thankful for the things that you already have.

Most in America, and in most civilized countries of the world, have much more than someone living at subsistence level or in survival mode out in the jungle somewhere. We may have a roof over our heads or at least somewhere to stay. Most have enough food to survive readily available and most have more than one set of cloths. There are many in the extremely poor parts of the world who would consider themselves rich if they had just those things. So, right away, you are richer than that poor, starving naked person huddling under a tree for shelter somewhere.

The real key to becoming rich quick is to control your desire for more, for things that you don’t have. There is already a scientific explanation for not being happy by accumulating more things. It is called “The law of diminishing returns.” This axiom basically states that the satisfaction or happiness realized by obtaining another item of a certain type diminishes with each added item. So maybe you were still very happy when you got your second pair of pants or shirt; however, buying the 10th or 20th pair of pants or shirt is much less satisfying. The thrill is gone, and you may event start to question yourself about why you “needed” another pair of pants or another shirt or blouse? The real answer is that you don’t need them.

So, why do we keep accumulating things that we really don’t need? I suspect that the answer in most cases is that we think that owning them will make us happy. For some it is the pursuit of that ownership that provide them the happiness; a happiness that quickly fades once it has been achieved. It turns out for them that victory in one pursuit just leads to the start of another chase for the next shiny thing.

Maybe, after you thank God for giving you another day, you can ask Him to help you find happiness is what you have. Ask God to open your eyes to see the beauty in the things and people around you and to appreciate them. Once you stop to think about all that you already have and the love that you share with those around you, you may find that you are already a rich person indeed.

So, the secret to getting rich quick it to be thankful for, and happy with, the things that God has already given you. Then you can stop chasing the next shiny thing and start enjoying the things and people who are already there. Instead of buying that 10th pair of pants for yourself, buy them and donate them to a charity and see if that doesn’t make you feel richer than hanging them in your closet.

God has given you another day. What more do you really need? Be happy. Enjoy the riches that God has already given you.

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Posted by Norm Werner

Keep the candle of hope burning…

April 12, 2021

In his blog, Jack’s Winning Words, Pastor Freed used this quote today – “Once we choose hope, everything else is possible.”  (Christopher Reeve)

I’ve written here before about faith and hope and which comes first. One post in particular that I wrote about four candles representing peace, love faith and hope provided an answer. When the candles of peace, love and faith were extinguished and only hope remained, the flicker of the candle of hope was able to reignite the other three.  So, perhaps faith is born of hope or at least hope leads inevitably to faith as the only logical answer to the question, “What happens next?”

But, beyond providing the spark that ignites faith, hope also fuels the imagination and lets us dream about what might be. Hope illuminates what is possible out of the gloom of all that we think is impossible. Hope still says “Maybe”, when all else says “No!”

Pairing hope with faith creates a formidable combination indeed. Hope tells you that maybe it can be and faith tells you that God is with you in the pursuit of that maybe. Hope gives you strength to carry on and faith gives you perseverance to not give up.

When you think about it, the duo of hope and faith are really inextricably intertwined. One cannot have faith without hope. Nor can one really have hope without faith to sustain it.

So, as you start a new day and a new week, stoke the embers of hope in your life and rekindle your faith through prayer. Include your hopes in your prayers. Giving them voice makes them more real and keeps them in front of you. Then start your day with your To-Do list of hopes in mind and God at your side.

It’s a new day and all things are possible to those who believe and have hope. Keep your candle of hope burning.

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Posted by Norm Werner

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