10 Ways to find true union with God amid the chaos | Aleteia.org
Is your relationship with God getting lost in the flurry of your life? Try these tips!
Continue reading “10 Ways to find true union with God amid the chaos | Sr. Theresa Aletheia Noble (re-blog)”
Luke 3:22b NLT – And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.”
Peanut Gallery: Jesus was a “blessed child.” At both His Baptism and Transfiguration, the Father made a special point of expressing His approval… the Father blessed His Son.
This blessing – “you’re my child and I’m proud of you” – is something we all yearn for. We want it at the end of life from our heavenly Father. And we want it during our lifetime from our earthly fathers.
It’s that earthly blessing that I’m thinking about here… and many of us never receive it.
One of the saddest recent Christmas stories came out of England:
Despite their material requests, the tenth most popular Christmas wish on the list was a “Dad”.
For those of us who have/had loving, encouraging, supportive dads, the gain is immeasurable. For those of us who haven’t, the loss is enormous… it’s a hole in us that we long to fill.
If this unfilled longing resonates with you – or if you wonder how you can bless your children and grandchildren – I commend the book, The Blessing, by Trent and Smalley to you. It provides guidance for families seeking to bless their children following a Biblical model. And it provides healing and help for those of us who have been “looking for love in all the wrong places. “
At a family gathering a few years ago – our 2 kids, their spouses, and 8 grandchildren – we made a special effort to bless our family.
While they all watched, we singled out each of our kids and their spouses, laid hands on them and told them what we saw in them that made them special to us… and how proud we were of them. Then we asked them to do the same for each one of their children. We all prayed together and then had a fun and games evening.
Our kids are spread around the world now, but we continue the practice with them – and now our grandkids – whenever we can.
“A family blessing begins with meaningful touching. It continues with a spoken message of high value, a message that pictures a special future for the individual being blessed, and one that is based on an active commitment to see the blessing come to pass.”
Dr. Gary Smalley;Dr. John Trent. The Blessing (p. 30). Kindle Edition.
Check out Trent and Smalley’s book – The Blessing – there’s even a workbook available for anyone who wants to go deeper. You and your family will all be the better for it.
Peanut Gallery: Advent is a season of preparation and anticipation – to get ready for the Coming of Christ. It’s a season to joyfully prepare our hearts and homes to receive “God with us” – Emmanuel. It’s a time to remember Jesus’ humble birth and look forward to His glorious return.
But for many people – with broken hearts and homes – it can also be a tough time of year.
In this re-posted article, Billy Graham offers practical help for those dealing with difficulties during this season. The “good news” is – there’s still over two weeks to work on some of these suggestions… follow the links. You still have time to enter into the joy of the season.
Take advantage of them.. and/or pass them on to a friend in need. You’ll be glad you did. And so will your friend.
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“When Christmas is Hard” – Biblical Advice from Billy Grahem
December 7, 2012 – Billy Graham has shared practical, biblical advice for dealing with holiday-related difficulties. – click on link.
In the middle of the “most wonderful time of the year,” many of you are facing a dilemma or difficulty. You may have a strained relationship with one or multiple family members. Perhaps you’re lonely or grieving a loss and the holidays are particularly painful for you. Or, this is the busiest time of the year and you dread the rat race that often accompanies this season.
Whatever the case may be, we want to provide you with resources to help guide you through this season’s difficulties in a biblical way. Below, you will find some family- and holiday-related questions people have asked Billy Graham over the years, along with his answers.
Help the Lonely
This Christmas was very hard for me. Most of my relatives are gone now (including my husband), and the few I do have are either too old or live too far away, so I was completely alone. Please tell people to reach out to lonely people during holidays, because it’s hard for them.
Be a friend »
Can’t Afford Gifts
My husband lost his job recently and we really can’t afford to give people as much for Christmas this year as we have in the past. But I’m afraid we’ll offend them if we cut back too much. I know this isn’t a spiritual question, but how should we handle this?
Don’t go into debt »
Hectic Holidays
I know Christmas is still some weeks away, but I’m already getting uptight about it. It’s always such a hectic time and we always end up spending far more than we planned to. To be honest, I don’t really enjoy Christmas any more, although I know I ought to. Continue reading ““When Christmas is Hard” – Biblical Advice from Billy Graham”
The Peanut Gallery 