Leadership Training from David’s Perspective

By Shae Hamrick

“Did you hear? They are letting another ninety-seven people go.” I nodded to Sue’s whisper at the lunch table. “Yes, and we may be next. Are you ready?” Fear didn’t grip my heart as it had in the past. I have been through several moves and changes in the last year in our department. The clouds of more changes loomed in the distance. I was preparing.

When the first rumors of change came through, I was no more equipped than the young shepherd boy named David must have been when servants pulled him from the field while watching his father’s sheep. David’s training started as he tended the sheep, played the harp to soothe them, guided them to green pastures, and killed attacking bears and lions. Through it all, his faith in God grew. But was he ready to be king when Samuel first anointed him? David must have felt much like I felt. A little panicked with no idea what to do next. David went back to shepherding. I returned to my tasks in the maintenance department of restoring services and helping customers.

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The Amazing Race

By Christine Thomas

Lately my days have been an exercise in scheduling. With four children involved in sports, music, tutoring, rehearsals, and youth groups, not to mention the bustle of the holidays thrown in the mix, I spend so much time in the car that my right foot brakes and accelerates when I sit down to eat at home, although I usually grab a snack on my way out the door.

In between this endless shuttling to and from commitments and appointments, I make an occasional pit stop at home to throw in a load of laundry. Every day feels like a live TV show in which I’m an actor who must hit her mark or the program is thrown off track. Consequently my mind is always racing as I mentally contrive the order of each day.

When describing my harried life to a friend, she passed along a word of advice which helped her during one of life’s hyper-busy seasons.

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Time For War?

By Julie Cosgrove

Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears; let the weak say, “I am a warrior.” Joel 3:10

The prophet Joel is reversing what Isaiah once said in 2:4- the more familiar verse that is often stated on greeting cards along with Peace on Earth near Christmas and into the New Year. We think of our Lord as a peaceful God, one that wants us to turn the other cheek, who told Peter to put away his sword in the Garden, who wouldn’t fight to defend himself from execution on the cross, and told His disciples after the resurrection “Peace I bring to You.” In fact, we call Christ the Prince of Peace.

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Slow Slide Into Sin

By Shae Hamrick

“Mom. The speed limit’s 40,” my daughter said as I sped down the street to take her to a friend’s. I was hurrying. I had been working on a project and was anxious to return in order to finish as much as I could today. She always asks to be driven somewhere when I’m in the middle of something. I sighed and slowed from 45 to 40.

Over the last several weeks, I have taken notice of my tendencies to push the boundaries of right and wrong. Listening to the news, I wonder about our nation’s tendency to change what is right and what is wrong. A bill was put forth to protect the sanctity of marriage, while at the same time, measures are being pushed to protect gay rights to employment under the hate crimes bill. Our freedom of speech, protected by the first amendment, is threatened in the same manner under the same bill.

When did it become wrong to have opposing positions and beliefs? To exercise our rights to them?

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Tickets For Two

By Christine Thomas

“Your Mom and I talked and we want to do something different for Thanksgiving this year.”“ Oh really, like what?” I said gripping the phone tighter. “We want to take you and Jim, and Joe and Amy, to the Cowboys game on Thanksgiving Day.”

My Dad’s offer was simple and appealing, but at the same time it put me in a familiar place, stuck between two good decisions. I twirled around the logistics of his offer like a Rubik’s cube. We were planning to spend Thanksgiving at my in-laws. If we accepted, my Dad’s offer where would everyone stay? Should I cook a turkey meal?

“Wow Dad, that’s really generous,” I said weakly. “Jim will probably want to go, but let me check and I’ll call you back.” As predicted, my husband wanted to go. He thought his parents would understand why we couldn’t make it. “Let me call my Dad.” I picked up the phone, and then set it back down. “Uh-oh, what about the kids?” If we were comic strip characters, we would have question marks above our heads. Realizing we couldn’t leave the kids home alone, and not knowing who would babysit on Thanksgiving Day, I insisted that Jim go without me. I could tell he wanted to say yes, instead, he made an announcement.

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