Vanity, Vanity, All Is Vanity
October 11, 2024 by Jane Thornton
Filed under Family Focus
On a muggy summer morning a few months ago, a creak and rustle disturbed my deep vacation slumber. I slit one eye open to see my teenaged daughter creeping toward my bathroom. My bleary gaze rolled to the clock: seven a.m. “What are you doing up so early?” My voice was thick and groggy. Remember this happened in the summer, and my daughter is a teenager. Normal rousing time for her would be eleven.
A Seed-Producing Life
September 30, 2024 by Norma Vera
Filed under Family Focus
When the Word of God talked about the herb, grass and tree yielding seeds in Geneses 1:11 most of us never think anything beyond that. Often times we do not realize that we live in a seed filled world. It is as if though all of God’s dealing with humanity is about nothing more than seeds, sowing and reaping.
We have the harvest seeds (soul), tithing seeds, seeds for the sower (spiritual and physical farmer), seed of the woman, the generational seeds, and the animal kingdom seeds.
Best Friends, Best Enemies
September 19, 2024 by Jane Thornton
Filed under Family Focus
We tortured him. I should be ashamed. Yet, when those memories hit, a nostalgic, perhaps mischievous, smile creeps onto my face. As I reminisce over common stories with friends, I do believe a tinge of pride enters my voice. We traveled across the country in our Dodge wagon, two kids in the back seat, two lying on top of the luggage in the bicky-back. We knew better than to hit. Hitting could result in an immediate swerve to the roadside and a paddling. So we pointed. Our victim—Wade, the youngest, of course. Our best intimidating stares accompanied the pointing fingers.
Dark Tunnels
September 9, 2024 by Marty Norman
Filed under Family Focus
By Marty Norman
Last Easter I attended my first Good Friday “Tenebrae” at a local Bible Church. What a powerful experience! According to Wikepedia Encyclopedia, “Tenebrae” is a Latin word meaning shadow or darkness. A Christian service in the Western Church, it is celebrated in many traditions from Roman Catholic to Episcopalians to Protestants. Taking different forms, the common denominator involves a gradual extinguishing of candles while readings and psalms are chanted or sung. As the candles are extinguished the auditorium is left in total darkness.
Learning to Live with Less
August 30, 2024 by Khristy Hullet
Filed under Family Focus
By Khristy Hullett
Recently Oprah based a show on learning to live with less. Two families on the show were immersed in their technology. Oprah took away all their gadgets—TVs, phones, computers, and video games—to see how they would fare. One of the families owned 5 TVs, 4 IPODS, and 4 cell phones. Before Oprah’s challenge, they often found themselves watching the same shows in different rooms. The mother frequently texted her daughter while they were in the same house. The families in question were shocked at the results of Oprah’s challenge. They began doing things together as a family again—eating dinner, going for walks, taking cooking lessons. http://www.oprah.com/article/oprahshow/20090506-tows-live-without
