As I was pulling out the ornaments the other day, I got to thinking about what an extraordinary experience that is, without fail…as I’m sure it is for many of you, too.
It brings people who have been gone for many years or from whom I’m separated by great distance right there into the room with me. Pretty powerful stuff!
It’s as if I’m dipping my hand into a time capsule from which I pull very fond memories and relive special moments…some from when I was quite young.
Case in point: two of my ornaments, a tiny little manger scene and a small silver guitar, used to go on my parents’ tree. When I was very young – maybe three or four years old – of course I wasn’t allowed to touch any of the glass ornaments. Those two, though, were saved for me. I was always very excited about the prospect of hanging them in their places of honor.
All these many years later, they are two of the first I seek out when the boxes are opened.
Read more…
The labor statistics for October were released this morning; not too surprisingly, the unemployment rate has topped 10%. Feels like this is neverending, doesn’t it?
Brace yourself. It’s going to be a while before the jobs outlook improves.
In my “other career,” I spent ten years as an executive recruiter – and now help candidates become more marketable. So I guess you could say I’ve been around the block a few times when it comes to the hiring process. Employment is a lagging indicator, so jobs routinely take longer to bounce back after the economy has begun to improve.
Because this recession has been very deep and broad – and since there are all sorts of other contributing factors (like skyrocketing government debt) putting a drag on the overall situation – I’m expecting this to be a lethargic, lengthy “jobless recovery.”
I’m sure you know people who have taken a hit due to the economy. Maybe it’s you or someone in your immediate family.
I read something the other day that struck a chord given the tough times so may are facing and thought it worth sharing.
The writer was one of those who has been seriously impacted financially. Still, he said that in spite of what he’s lost, he’s fully aware of how much
he has.
How true. It’s a great reminder given the state of the job market – and even more timely since we’re just a few weeks away from Thanksgiving.
God is there, and he’ll stick with us…through thick and thin. Hang in there.
Wishing you and yours a blessed Thanksgiving.
As a landscape and nature photographer, probably my favorite time of year to shoot is autumn. My adopted home state of New Hampshire is amazingly beautiful during the season.
While colors in many parts of the United States are lovely, in my book nothing comes close to what you’ll see here – mainly due to the abundance of vivid red hues mixed in with the orange and yellow.
I was interested to read recently in Live Science about the striking difference between the colors in Europe versus the U.S. – particularly those parts of the States that, like New Hampshire, have so many trees that turn red.
According to the article, most of the color in Europe of monochromatic. It’s yellow, yellow and more yellow.
Why is that?
Evidently the mechanism that results in red hues requires quite a bit of energy from the tree. That perplexed scientists who wondered why, if the leaves are about to die anyway, the tree would do that. Read more…
Clergy Appreciation is coming right up…as you’re probably aware, it’s observed each October.
Of course, appreciating your pastor and ministry team is more than a one-and-done thing; it’s important to encourage and support those people throughout the year.
I ran across an interesting notion about the concept of Clergy Appreciation: honoring the pastor reveals more about a congregation than it does about the pastor.
Food for thought.
One interesting idea I ran across in terms of something “handmade” and appropriate for the occasion was a devotional book created by the members and friends of the congregation. Each person or family submits a page: it could be a favorite Scripture verse along with a note, it might be a note of thanks, or it could be comments about a sermon that was particularly meaningful.
End result? A completely personalized devotional book created specifically for that person.
Any other interesting ideas your congregation has tried?
