FOL

You're a real piece of work!

The idea of being self-made is a positive thing in our culture. It describes someone who beat the odds, worked hard, overcame barriers and accomplished the unthinkable. Yet the Bible, without diminishing the importance of hard work and perseverance, assures us that we are NOT self-made. And really, that should come as a relief to all of us!
Category:  FOL
Tags:  Craftsmanship, Identity, Tamasy

Be encouraging in business

Being a leader is more than just being the person in charge. It’s also about encouraging your employees and setting an excellent example for everyone around you. And there’s plenty you can do to coach your employees to be the best they can be.
Category:  FOL
Tags:  Encourage, Encouragement, Struble

For auld lang syne?

Auld Lang Syne - the song that gets a one-night stand every year that we don't really even know the lyrics to. Should all acquaintance be forgot - may it never be! If there's any year that we should look back and appreciate the people who were with us in the ups and downs, it should be this year!
Category:  FOL
Tags:  New Year, Gratitude, Relationships

An unconventional love

The final week of Advent is a reminder of the unexpected, unconventional Love that Jesus brought into the world. As we see in the birth story of Christ, this love is determined, affectionate, active, sacrificial, unmistakable and transformational. Our hope is that you know this love, are living in this love, and are sharing this love with others.
Category:  FOL
Tags:  Advent, Love, Christmas

Thanks in hard time

With everything our nation has been through this year, it might seem counterintuitive to set aside a day for giving thanks. But then, one might have said the same thing 157 years ago when our nation was embroiled in a brutal civil war. Yet it was in the midst of that nation-dividing, death toll rising, fear and striving moment that President Lincoln issued his Thanksgiving Proclamation. His words then ring just as true today - we must never lose sight of what we've been given, of what God's done, and of who He is.
Category:  FOL
Tags:  Thanksgiving, Trial, Roberts, Theology of Work

A selfish reason for being thankful

A study by Dr. Robert A. Emmons, a psychologist and professor at the University of California-Davis, "discovered scientific proof that when people regularly engage in a systematic cultivation of gratitude, they experience a variety of measurable benefits: psychological, physical, and interpersonal.” So even with so much going wrong in our world right now, could it be that gratitude is as healthy a personal discipline as working out or eating right?
Category:  FOL
Tags:  Gratitude, Thanksgiving, Thankful, Tamasy, Grateful

Almost welcome

Even with all the division, fear and suffering in our nation today, we see examples almost every day of people helping people, going out of their way to lend a hand, supply a meal, extend a courtesy. Do you see these acts of kindness? Look for them, be inspired by them, and be one of them!
Category:  FOL
Tags:  Gratitude, Welcome, Hospitality, Sanders

Optimism: a vital part of resilience

As a general rule, optimists tend to cope better with adversity because they face it and, on a deep level, believe that they can rise to the challenge. Michael J. Fox, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 1991, puts it this way: “Optimism and hope related to how we think and feel about the future. If we really believe that things will work out for the best, all setbacks become easier to deal with.
Category:  FOL
Tags:  Optimism, Resilience, Hope, Thurman