Article and Photograph by Make The Days Count Contributor Judy Mosley
It had been a rough day.
My intention for the entire day was to finish the laundry. It had been piling up like mountains in the basement and if I didn’t do something fast, we wouldn’t have been able to leave the house in a decent manner. So at breakfast I prepared my children, letting them know that I had to finish the laundry and that I couldn’t play until it was done. “But, I can get it done much faster if you guys will help me,” I informed them, hoping that would be an incentive. And, just like the storybook, my son replied, “Not I!” So, the mother hen was left to fend for herself.
Between loads I had been able to spend some time with the kids, but got my big break around 3pm. We were hungry and I knew exactly what we were going to eat: Strawberries. Read More »
Article and Photograph by Make The Days Count Contributor Marie Monroe
I’m a photographer. So I spend a lot of time looking at my hometown with an eye for photos. I like to drive, or have my friend drive, while I look around with a ‘fresh eye’ at my usual surroundings.
Sometimes I venture into a neighborhood that’s off my beaten path just to see what I might see and capture. I’ve learned a great deal about my town this way as well as any other place I visit when traveling. While I look mostly for the scenery and its objects, I also learn about the people in these places from seeing their surroundings and what they’ve placed there.
On a very windy and cold day this winter I was driving in an older, more rundown section of town looking for photos. I’ve always been attracted to the patina of older buildings and objects and found myself in an urban area where industrial and residential properties sit side by side. Read More »
Article by Make The Days Count Contributor Blake Cothron
The darkest hour of the black night slowly begins to change … first shades of black become dark blue, and the stars fade from view. Birds awaken and joyfully sing choruses to the awakening sun, like songs of appreciation and delight. The glowing moon becomes faint as the great sun slowly rises over the horizon, beaming warmth and light over the landscape … another day has begun!
In the midst of this epic scenario happening right outside your walls, where are you, and what are you doing? Are you jolted by a blaring alarm clock, dragging yourself out of bed and wiping the crust out of your eyes, in a hurry to make it to work … did you hear any birds singing today? Read More »
Article by Dr. Les Hollon, Pastor, St. Matthews Baptist Church
What does “getting ahead” mean?
A man, once called Saul, who is better known by his later name, the Apostle Paul, said it is not by living on one’s own terms; not by seeking social prestige; not by trying to win people’s approval; not by advancing ahead of other people his age; and not by burning with passion that is disconnected from right purpose.
Figuring out the best answer for the “getting ahead” question determines where and how we “end-up” in life. The answer shapes our vision for life, our relationship with family & friends, our connections to money and possessions, and our pursuit of opportunities.
Simply put … what we are willing or not willing to do is guided by our ambition. God’s best for us is the right ambition to have.
Ambition (from the Latin, meaning “to go around”) means to put out the effort to accomplish what we desire. What we consistently desire is crucial. Good desires craft good ambitions. Bad desires lead to bad ambitions. Jesus said be careful to know what you treasure because it will shape your heart (Matthew 6:19-21).
The question is not whether we should or should not be ambitious. But how do we ensure our ambitions are rooted in God’s character - so we don’t come up short after we get what we want? Hence the phrase “be careful what you want for you will surely get it.”
Jesus told us to want - after we’ve grounded ourselves in the Kingdom of God (Matt. 5:48, 6:33) - for good wanting = good ambitions which = good efforts which = true fulfillment. Spiritual ambition is finding out what God wants us to do and then “to go around” doing it.
Paul’s life was changed when God “called me by His grace” (Gal.1:15). From his failures he learned how to be successful. We can also!
Together, let’s commit to “By the grace of God, I will do what I can do and I will be who I can be.”
Pastor Les Hollon
“We must nurture our dreams like we would a child. They are God-given and just as precious. Without ambition how would a child learn to ride a bicycle, play an instrument or whistle? We deny the spirit of God when we as adults settle for less than our dreams!”
-Conway Stone
This article was written by Les Hollon, Pastor of St. Matthews Baptist Church. For more information about life lessons, St. Matthews Baptist Church, or to contact Dr. Hollon, click over to St. Matthews Baptist Church.
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Article by Make The Days Count Contributor Marie Monroe
I read somewhere about the 50 or so names an arctic indigenous people have for various types of snow. Being a fan of weather (that’s a long story … I can watch the weather channel for hours. I think it all started in Ms. Pitcock’s 3rd grade science class in, say, 1964? Anyway …)
Back to precipitation. So, I’ve carried that fascination for decades now. 50 names for snow? 50 types of snow?
I took this in as fact. I decided instantly that, of course, there are that many types of snow and if I only knew them … it’s still on the “Things-To-Do-Before-I-Die” List – or Bucket List - to learn them.
However, way down here in the lower 48 (apparently Hawaii doesn’t count; it’s too far West and not contiguous), I’ve translated the concept in my own way into my own favorite form of precipitation - Rain.
Rain and I have been friends for a long time. I like songs about rain. I like movies that have rainy scenes. Oh, and I like to talk about it. And yes, write about rain. I’ve even done art about rain. Read More »
