We learn from the OT that Israel experienced 120 years of unity before splitting into the Northern and Southern kingdom under the reign of Solomon’s son, Rehoboam. King Rehoboam had the opportunity to build and strengthen the community, but he chose to exert his power instead and this ‘family feud’ led to 430 years of ongoing conflict between the people of Israel.
When it comes to studying leadership from Biblical characters, Moses certainly stood out as one of the great leaders given his monumental task of leading a large group of Israelites out of Egypt. As incredible as his feat of escaping an army of Egyptian chariots was, what was even more overwhelming for Moses was the tedious task of managing a group of hungry and disgruntled people wandering in the desert wilderness.
We should be motivated to demonstrate loving kindness and grace to other people, including those that we may disagree with. After all, we are defined by how we treat others, but it all starts with how we treat ourselves. How can we be kind to ourselves?
At the end of the Day, the medals that we have hanging from our heavenly shelves will not be given according to our earthly wealth or our worldly achievements, instead we are rewarded by the influence and impact that we make in helping others know about Jesus and inspiring them to race for the eternal crowns that they too will have the opportunity to receive for generations to come.
It was well over a year ago (around March of 2020) when church leaders began to ponder the question, “What are we going to do if we can’t meet as a church on Sundays?” Fast forward to the late spring in 2021 as churches in our Province are allowed to resume in-person meetings, I want to share some of the lessons that church leaders, like myself and many other pastors, have gained to see the church not only survive the pandemic, but to THRIVE amid adversity.
Parenting during “normal” times can be daunting enough as is, but when moms and dads take on the additional role of homeschooling, while bringing work from the office at the same time, the toll that this take on families and marriages has been evident.
Many cultures have the tradition of making birthday wishes before blowing out candles on the cake. It is also not unusual to find coins of every currency at the bottom of water fountains, thrown in with the hope of better fortune. From wishing wells to genies in a lamp, tales of worldly wishes coming to pass are all too common in children’s stories.
Instant gratification has robbed everyone of patience and the advancement of technology has been a big culprit. Think about it, most innovations are developed to save us time, but we still seem to have less and less of it now than ever before. Why is that?
There is no escaping the culture of cause-driven protests that have been permeating in cities all over the world. Many of them involving young people that have often been mis-labelled as being apathetic or entitled. While there are differing opinions, often leading to heated debates, on the issues/cause, there is agreement that everyone has a VOICE and there are more platforms than ever before for these voices to bring about changes that would lead to a revolution.
Mother’s Day in 2020 will undoubtedly be celebrated a little differently than it has before given the precautions over social gatherings because of the COVID-19 pandemic. That being the case, the opportunity to honour mothers is still valid, perhaps more so now than ever before. From the working mom that now has to add homeschooling to the fold, to the grandmother in a care home deprived of family visits, the sense of isolation for each can be equally damaging.
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