​Truth: Be bold in what you stand for, but careful in what you fall for.
This saying is so true in today’s world. With everything that AI does, and the way people can photoshop so much - it’s hard to know what to believe anymore. Things that look true aren’t necessarily so. It’s important to really ask God for wisdom to know when you need to take a stand, or when to realize what you see and hear may not be what is true and just. I have to admit I do get nostalgic for “the good ol’ days” sometimes. Life seemed much simpler when I was growing up. But at the same time, I remember my grandparents being nostalgic for THEIR good ol’ days too, so while life can’t always be a Norman Rockwell painting, there can be good to be found. We just might have to look for it a bit harder!

​The man that trusts God is the man that can be trusted.
I’m sure we all know of people that when they speak you may nod your head, but your mind goes, “Yeah, right.” Why are we skeptical? Probably because we’ve had experience in the past with being led astray by this person or told only a half-truth. When it happens often enough, you base your skepticism on the reality you’ve experienced. How much better is it to be known as a person of integrity? I know we all make mistakes, but I want to be the type of person that people can trust. It starts with the little things - if I say I will be somewhere at a certain time - I want to do that. If I volunteer to help somewhere - don’t cancel out at the last minute. Those little things are what builds a reputation that people will trust. Anything can happen to cause a change, but when we trust God to help us be honest and consistent in our daily walk of life, people notice it. The little sapling grows into a strong tree through the daily buffeting of sun, wind, rain. We need to build our character the same way. Hang on to God the way the tree’s roots dig into the ground and we’ll be surprised where it can take us.

​Trials: A smooth sea never made a skillful mariner.
This is not quite as fun a quote to take to heart. But it is a true one. If everything goes our way, we certainly don’t develop the character qualities that make us a better person. So as much as it hurts and we wouldn’t willingly walk into hard situations, knowing that is what strengthens us and makes us better people is what can help me to accept those dark times. I’ve done a few hikes in my time, and you sweat and groan and get scratched up on the way up - but ooh the view at the top. It makes it all worthwhile.
When you take this quote literally, well I’d much prefer to go out in a boat with a man that owns the boat and runs it than rent something to try on my own. I simply don’t have the experience to know how to deal with something going wrong. He has survived many rocky spots over time that makes you know you can trust him. God is our skillful mariner in the seas of life. Trusting in Him will see you through many things you don’t think you can do.

​ Training: The best thing parents can spend on children is time, not money.
I don’t have a problem relating to this quote. I grew up in a family that I don’t think had a lot of money; I just never knew that. We had both fun and work, but we did it together on our small farm; Dad could make all kinds of weird/fun things that we used to play with, and I never doubted my parents’ love for me. We lived a ways out of town, so went together as a family whenever we had a town trip; supper time was family time around the table, and Sundays were church time in the morning, then in the late afternoon a car ride out to explore some road we’d never driven down. Now as an adult and as a teacher, I realize how special my childhood was and know that it was due in large part to the togetherness we had as a family. (PS: Photo - barn where we did daily chores; moving a building for holding summer Bible school on to the farm - all hands on deck (I was the spotter in the doorway!)

​ Sin causes a Christian’s cup of joy to spring a leak.
I’m thankful for God’s forgiveness. The joy of living life with contentment is a precious gift. But there are times when it feels like I hit a bog, and it can be hard to put one foot in front of the other. I guess that’s when I need to take a serious look at whether this is just Satan trying to defeat me, or if there is something in my life that I need to deal with. I have camped many times and water is a necessity. Carrying it to the site in a bucket is great as long as the bucket doesn’t leak. So this quote is quite symbolic. The bucket is still used, but it certainly loses value if you can’t depend on it to not lose half the water before arriving at the picnic table. So we, as Christians, need to be a fully leak-proof bucket for Christ to use us at our utmost.

​Service: Believe there is nothing too small to do well.
I’m sure we’d all agree that no job is too small, but the reality is it’s hard to follow through on that in real life. It’s easy to want to be “top dog” in some way - I think having the “important” jobs gives us the belief that we are important to society; we contribute in a way that makes us as a human feel valued. I know I’d much rather be a teacher than the garbage man - yet the truth is - if we didn’t have our garbage collected every week, what would happen? That’s a very valuable job. As a teacher I know I tell my students that if they don’t do the small things right, then how will they be trusted with big things. It’s a reminder to me that I need to practice what I preach. When I volunteer somewhere, I do enjoy doing whatever is required of me and I can go home content that I’ve been of service whether I’ve been out front helping the patrons or in the back washing the dishes. I do it to the best of my ability and that’s what matters. (PS: Photo - putting shoes on rack to be neat and out of the way.)

​Salvation is free, but stewardship is costly.
This is such an important quote - I can’t imagine what it would be like to have to try to buy or earn my salvation! Jesus’ death certainly paid a price that no one would have been able to do on their own. I thank God for such an ultimate gift - but the next phase is also important. Our salvation is completely free - but once it has been received, then we can’t just sit holding that gift tightly and refusing to move on. We need to share it with others - and as we grow and mature, sometimes the stewardship of that gift comes with a cost to us. Whether financially, emotionally, or physically, Satan is not happy to have Christians succeeding and spreading the gospel; he will do whatever he can to hinder us. It’s like a farmer’s field; the crop can look so beautiful, then weather can come along and almost destroy it. Don’t let Satan send a tornado through your spiritual field!