Kangaroos And Emus
Two of Australia’s indigenous creatures, kangaroos and emus, have something in common—they seldom move backward. Kangaroos, because of the shape of their body and the length of their strong tail, can bounce along with forward movement, but they cannot shift easily into reverse. Emus can run fast on their strong legs, but the joints in their knees seem to make backward movement difficult. Both animals appear on Australia’s coat of arms as a symbol that the nation is to be ever moving forward and making progress.
As White As Snow
Iwas driving my son home from school one day when snow began to fall. The cottony fluff came down steadily and quickly. Eventually, we slowed to a stop, boxed in by traffic. From inside our vehicle, we watched a transformation take place. Dark patches of soil turned white. Snow softened the sharp outlines of buildings; it coated the cars around us, and accumulated on every tree in sight.
Movie Review: X-Men: Days of Future Past
The film is set in a dark, dystopian future where weaponized robots called Sentinels have ravaged the world in the hopes of exterminating the mutant threat from the planet. Rushing onto the big screen is the first fast-paced, mutant-versus-Sentinel fight scene. You can barely start breathing again when you are transported abruptly, […]
How to be an advocate for peace
Caught up in a fight, it’s tempting to throw out accusations in order to win. But to bring a peaceful resolution, we really need to become advocates! Concluding our series on Abigail, and reflecting on how she prevented a deadly disagreement.
Jordyn’s Journey
Jordyn Castor was born blind. But this doesn’t hold her back from living a full and productive life. The documentary Can You See How I See? tells her story. She excels at school and with a little help she enjoys biking and downhill skiing.
Sibling Rivalry
It is our human nature to compare and our siblings are the most available person to compare ourselves to. Hence, if you are not the only child, probably, you have experienced what is commonly known as “sibling rivalry.” According to Dr. William Antonio Boyle, sibling rivalry is defined as “the antagonism or hostility between brothers and/or […]
Perhaps you could use some help resolving a personal disagreement
Embroiled in conflict, it can feel like we’re held captive to our frustration, anger, and strong opinions. What we need is a good hostage negotiator! Let’s look at Abigail as an example of biblical conflict negotiation.
Quest For Stolen Treasure
In J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, the dwarfs gathered to go up against Smaug, the fierce dragon, to retrieve their stolen treasure. In spite of the dangerously frightening quest, Balin, the dwarfs’ second-in-command, expressed confidence in Thorin: “There is one I could follow. There is one I could call King.” His commitment to the mission, as dangerous as it was, was empowered by his confidence in his leader.
How our participation can lead to a peaceful resolution
When we witness conflict, our first instinct is usually to stay on the sidelines. We don’t want to get caught up in the fight! Another biblical principle for conflict.
The Crash
For years after the Great Depression, the stock market struggled to win back investors’ confidence. Then, in 1952, Harry Markowitz suggested that investors spread their stock holdings over several companies and industries. He developed a theory for portfolio selection that helped investors in uncertain times. In 1990, Markowitz and two others won the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for their theory.
One principle for peaceful conflict negotiating
Try as we might, we’ll never be able to avoid conflict for long. So, if we can’t run from them, how do we face our battles biblically? It starts with our mindset!
Blessed Forgetfulness
My office is downstairs, but I make frequent trips upstairs to various rooms in my house for one thing or another. Unfortunately, by the time I get upstairs I often forget what I was planning to do when I got there. Researcher Gabriel Radvansky has come up with an explanation for this phenomenon. He proposes that a doorway serves as an “event boundary.”
Let’s look at a story in First Samuel that proves we can reach a resolution in any conflict
Engaged in conflict, we may believe there has to be a winner and a loser. But is it possible to resolve a disagreement where everyone comes out on top?
A Call To Comfort
In their book Dear Mrs. Kennedy, Jay Mulvaney and Paul De Angelis note that during the weeks following the assassination of US President John Kennedy, his widow, Jacqueline, received nearly one million letters from people in every part of the world. Some came from heads of state, celebrities, and close friends. Others were sent by ordinary people who addressed them to “Madame Kennedy, Washington” and “Mrs. President, America.” All wrote to express their grief and sympathy for her great loss.
He tried to kill me!
I have been reading the books of Samuel and the story of David has taught me several lessons. After slaying Goliath (1 Samuel 17), David’s reputation soared. From a humble shepherd boy, he became Saul’s faithful servant (18:5), Jonathan’s covenant friend, and the darling of all Israel and Judah. The Lord was […]
