Article by Malcolm Marler

Do you ever envy other people’s talents?

Dr. Michael Saag is a friend and a world-class HIV researcher and physician.  But it’s his ability to quote entire dialogues from movies he has seen that makes me laugh hysterically.  Especially comedies…

He can have an entire room rolling on the floor by quoting a scene word for word.  I just shake my head in disbelief at his photographic memory.  Sometimes, I can’t even remember a movie’s title I watched last night!  Woe is me.

What talents do you envy in others?  Maybe it is someone who can sing, or play an instrument, or some other gift you wish you had?

The more we envy the talents of others, the more likely we will miss and devalue our own.  Envy is a marvelous distraction from self-discovery.

I Corinthians 12: 12-26 says that … all persons who claim to be a child of God are all connected to one another like the human body, and all parts of the body are equally important.  The hand doesn’t say to the foot we don’t need you, or the ears have no right to envy what the eyes can do … And so it is with our talents and gifts.

So how do I know what my gifts are?  How do I identify my gifts so that I can use them to further the work of the Creator?

For me, a starting place in discovering my own gifts is the answer to this question:  “What do I love to do in helping others?” Read More »

Article by Kevin L. DeWitt

Something which motivates me a great deal is growing old with regret.  I don’t want to look back on my life wishing I had done more … things with meaning … wishing I hadn’t hurt this or that person … or rebuilding relationships with those I did.

Regret can be scary.

And the only way to live without regret is to find a way to make life truly meaningful.  So how do we do that?  How do we make each moment count?  Here are some thoughts.

Make life about others

One of the most important things any of us can do is to make our life about other people.  So much of our world is self-centered.  We’re brought up to believe that we’re more important than everyone else, and that we need to take care of our own needs and wants first.

But after a while – some people sooner than later - we realize that we feel empty.  That’s, by the way, when many of us have a midlife crisis … because we realize we’ve spent so much of our lives working to make ourselves happy … and we aren’t. Read More »

“And so you care for them as one of your own family members.  Because now you know the truth:  There is a thin line between “them” and “us.”

Article by Malcolm Marler

Even though I work at an adult Level 1 trauma hospital, my work can still be routine at times.

In the Pastoral Care department, we are usually called during critical times with patients and families, as well as making routine visits on various units.  This happens every day.  It is all part of what we do as healthcare workers.

But when you are on the receiving side of the care giving equation in the hospital, it is anything but routine…

“Malcolm, I’ve had an accident,” he said.  ”Are you hurt?” I quickly asked while thanking God it was his voice calling me from his cell phone and not a state trooper.  ”I’m hurt a little, but the car is bad,” he offered apologetically.  At this point you realize just how insignificant a ton of steel and leather really is.  You can find another car.  “Where are you?  I’ll be right there,” I said as I hung up the phone. Read More »

Article by Dr. Les Hollon, Pastor, Trinity Baptist Church

“Humility, shaped by gratitude, comes before honor,” says the Lord.  (Proverbs 15:33).  Once I was standing in line at a business and noticed that on the other side of the counter stood the teller talking to her supervisor.  Together they were looking at her computer screen, and then she exclaimed, “Welcome to my world.”  The teller claimed the opportunity to bring her supervisor into her world, her set of problems.  From this situation, the employee hoped her supervisor would better understand the context & challenges of her work … 

Wisely, the supervisor smiled and nodded supportively.  All of us want to be understood.  If we feel like we are doing our best, we want our life & efforts to be appreciated.  During this Thanksgiving, say thanks to the people who make “your world” a better place to live & work. Read More »

Article by Make The Days Count Contributor Chris Bennett

Note: In the difficult times we’re facing with financial and job crises, the need for volunteers in every community is growing.  We’re tempted to focus on ourselves because of the fear and uncertainty in the news each day.  It’s our hope that after reading this article you will see that volunteering not only helps others, but it helps each of us.  Volunteering with gratitude leaves each of us feeling better and greedy for more of this feeling.

Even to most amiable of people, mental ruts seem to find their way to the forefront of any given personality.  Signs of such an impersonal emotion are strong amounts of irritability and discontentment mixed with downright ill tempered attitudes.  These traits more than likely do not represent who you are, hence the term ruts.  

For me, mental ruts are extremely frustrating because I am consistently on the go and my life moves very fast.  So I ask … how is it possible to not only find a simplistic way of relieving that unwanted crabbiness but also find a way to channel that off-putting energy to good use?  

The answer is helping others by volunteering your time. It creates a strong sense of self- worth and helps bolster your self-esteem.  Rest assured there are countless ways to get involved in any number of activities in and around your community. If you have a church, hen this is always a great place to start as most churches organize volunteer projects throughout their communities. Read More »