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Blessed are…
I was leading a study group recently, and we were discussing the meaning of the word ‘blessed’, which Jesus used to describe those whose lives reflect the qualities of the Sermon on the Mount. I...
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Getting Rid of What’s in the Way
The word, ‘Leisure,’ come from a Latin word that means to be free. Leisure is anything that gives us a sense of freedom from the cares and demands of life, while we are doing it. But to build leisure...
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The Joy is in the Journey
Frank Lloyd Wright, as a small boy, went for a walk across a snow-covered field with his serious, no-nonsense uncle. When they reached the far side, his uncle pointed to his own tracks in the snow,...
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Granny Smith
There’s an old tombstone outside St Annes Church in the Sydney suburb of Ryde, dedicated to the memory of Maria Ann Smith. In the early days of Sydney she was the midwife for the area and was commonly...
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‘Thank God I can still feel pain’
Doctor Paul Brand, who has spent a lifetime treating lepers, had a frightening experience one night. Getting ready for bed after hours of travel he discovered there was no feeling in his heel. So he...
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A Virus Called Peace
I once received an email warning me of the spread of a virus called “Inner Peace.” It told me to be alert for symptoms that could pose a serious threat to my usual stable condition of conflict. These...
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What’s in the bag?
There’s an old legend about three men each carrying two sacks, one on their back and one on their front.. When asked what was in the sacks, the first said, “On my back are all the good things that have...
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Happiness is not a destination
One of life’s persistant myths is that things will be better when we get to a certain point we haven’t reached yet – like when the mortgage is paid off, when the kids leave home, when we make that sea...
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The Seven Wonders of the World
I love the story about the teacher who asked her students to list what they thought were the Seven Wonders of the World. Most of the votes were for things like: Egypt’s Great Pyramids, the Taj Mahal,...
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Add some applause and watch things grow
One of the most difficult musical instruments to learn is the violin, but in recent times the Suzuki method has taken much of the pain out of it. The first thing it teaches children is a proper stance,...
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‘When one’s expectations are reduced to zero’
Stephen Hawking, considered by many to be the most intelligent man on earth, suffers from Lou Gehrig’s disease and, for years unable to speak, has been confined to a wheelchair, where he can do little...
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‘You could never know how wonderful everything is.’
For fifty one years Bob Edens was blind. He felt his way through five decades of darkness until one day a skilled surgeon performed a complicated operation and, for the first time, Bob Edens had sight....
View ArticleTreat yourself to a dose of awe
The Oprah Magazine recently talked about our need for a sense of awe. ‘Awe,’ it said, ‘Is what we feel when faced with something sublime, exceptional, or altogether beyond comprehension.’ Dacher...
View ArticleA lesson from Japan
A friend who grew up in Japan told me that the Japanese prefer to own one thing of beauty rather than many, because if you own one thing you will look at it and truly appreciate it, whereas if you own...
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