Yesterday, as I was approaching the door to my place of work, I happened to encounter an older gentleman. I said my usual “Hi! How are you?” to him as he held the door for me. He responded, “Hello! I am well! It is a GREAT day to be alive! Praise the Lord!” I couldn’t help but smile and say, “Yes, it is!” His enthusiasm and apparent zest for life was contagious. I don’t know him. I don’t know his story. But it was obvious that he was grateful for the gift of another day. I must admit that I

We are living in a world where people are constantly on the move, running from thing to thing, and then collapsing every night due to exhaustion. Our to-do lists are a mile long and our calendars are over-flowing with commitments. It all seems never-ending, so what can we do? simplify: verb (used with object) to make less complex or complicated, make plainer or easier. The word simplify has become my mantra on my journey of simply embracing life. I don’t know about you, but I definitely prefer “easier” to “complicated.” Here are three steps that I have found to be

One of the most negative behaviors we can ever engage in is that of comparing ourselves to others. The world we live in seems to cultivate comparison. We are surrounded by opportunities to see how other people are doing life. Social media makes it feel even more personal. We compare our day-to-day with the highlight reels of those we “follow.” Comparison steals our joy. Instead of focusing on who others are or what others have, let’s pay attention to our own identity. Psalm 139 tells us that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made.”  God’s attention to detail when creating each of us

“You’ve got to accentuate the positive Eliminate the negative Latch on to the affirmative Don’t mess with Mister In-Between.” This little song popped into my head this morning while I was sorting out some paperwork that I forgot to take care of last week. My mom used to sing this to me whenever I was feeling low. Published in 1944, the lyrics by Johnny Mercer were reportedly inspired by a sermon. This clever turn of phrase is a great reminder to choose to be positive. Why be positive? There are lots of benefits. Positive people tend to be healthier and