What do you do when life overwhelms you? Even the happiest people can be overwhelmed with grief. Things happen. Circumstances can blindside you. You may be the most hopeful, optimistic person, and suddenly you wake up with only darkness in your soul. It is awful. When the children of Israel were taken captive by KingContinue reading “Ecclesiastes is the Book for Those Overwhelmed With Life’s Disappointments. Psalm 137.”
Tag Archives: Ecclesiastes 2:24
Feel Good About Your Work, Achievements, Skills, and Talents. Genesis 1:4.
When I taught high school, I remember being chastised by my students. I was talking about being aware of one’s strengths and weaknesses: “For example, I know that I write well. But I don’t always listen well—” “Wow, Mr. Wales. That’s pretty arrogant, don’t you think?” “What? Saying that I write well?” “Yes. That’s soContinue reading “Feel Good About Your Work, Achievements, Skills, and Talents. Genesis 1:4.”
ECCLESIASTES Part 2: THE KEY TO GODLY ADULTHOOD IS TO RECOGNIZE HARD TRUTHS, BUT CHOOSE JOY AND SERVE GOD.
After the wisest man who ever lived (1 Kings 4:31) encourages adults to face hard truths and take life seriously, he adds the unexpected, “now lighten up.” It is as though Solomon says: Work hard, do what’s right, remember one day you will face judgment—and HAVE FUN! While living wisely, choose joy! The truth is,Continue reading “ECCLESIASTES Part 2: THE KEY TO GODLY ADULTHOOD IS TO RECOGNIZE HARD TRUTHS, BUT CHOOSE JOY AND SERVE GOD.”
ECCLESIASTES Part 1: A MESSAGE FOR ADULTS—WORK HARD, GO TO FUNERALS, BE SERIOUS.
Ecclesiastes is misunderstood because a few influential preachers have described it as cynical words from Solomon during a period in his life when he was not following God. However, Solomon encourages readers to worship and obey God nearly twenty times in twelve chapters. A better understanding is that this is a book for ADULTS. EcclesiastesContinue reading “ECCLESIASTES Part 1: A MESSAGE FOR ADULTS—WORK HARD, GO TO FUNERALS, BE SERIOUS.”
DON’T LET YOUR GOAL BECOME YOUR IDOL: Enjoy the Process & Trust God With the Results.
Are you goal-oriented? Motivated by achievements? I am. Absolutely. I’m not sure I’m motivated by anything else. I often think about my goals, tallying up whether I have accomplished them—even the meaningless goals. For example, I have written 475 book reviews (reviews, not ratings) on Goodreads[dot]com. My goal is to write 1,000. I have aContinue reading “DON’T LET YOUR GOAL BECOME YOUR IDOL: Enjoy the Process & Trust God With the Results.”
The Time Machine.
I am bringing Moses home this afternoon in my time machine. We will arrive in the woods. That won’t shock him too much. He’s used to trees and pastures. “Things sure are green here in the future.” “Well, this is the Texas Gulf Coast—the Texas Hill Country looks more like Israel.” As we emerge fromContinue reading “The Time Machine.”
Household Words: 