Brother Fire

It has been a stressful few months for me. Secular work has been all too consuming and the tough economic times have taken it's toll on me...just as it has with most of us. When I'm feeling this stressed, it is very difficult for me to find peace in prayer and allowing God to comfort me. However, it seems that my friend Cait has found the perfect image of God comforting us. Cait and her husband Joe always find a way to keep peace in their lives. Below Cait shares an experience -- an image of God in an email that I think will help me to turn to God especially when faced with life's stressors. It's been a challenging week and a half for us here since returning from Florida. First was worst, of course, with news of Joe's sister's death. The personal stress there is obviously the most serious. We were already dealing with corroded pipes in our kitchen, so we thought that was our biggest problem to have repaired so we could once again use our kitchen sink. ...

As a close-to-50-year-old single man on Valentine's Day, it's hard not to be cynical during the holiday. We are constantly bombarded in the media with messages of how we are supposed to celebrate the day and what we're supposed to buy for our partners on this alleged most important day for lovers: electronics, chocolate, new car, $1,300 dollar Pandora necklace, insurance (really? yes really), flowers, etc. -- you get the idea. It's no wonder that we falsely believe that the holiday was created by a greeting card company. And it is also no wonder why it can be difficult for those who are alone to find reason to celebrate. With so much focus of the holiday on romance, it leaves us single folk out to pasture while the rest of the coupled world celebrates their bliss. And don't get me wrong, I love Valentine's Day. I support any day set aside to celebrate our love for one another. However, sometimes it's easy to feel left out when you are not partnered, or ...