Article by Make The Days Count Contributor Judy Mosley

Who are you really?  No, not what do you do.  Who are you?  What do you like?  What are your thoughts? What makes you tick?  What makes you happy?  What makes you cry?  What are the things that point to who you are as a person?

It’s not about whether or not you’re married, have children, have a big bank account or sing in the choir.  Those are things that you do.  They are roles that you play.  They don’t define who you are.

For many people, it can appear as if they were born knowing who they were.  They seem comfortable in their own skin, make decisions without stressing, and make friends without compromising their own space.  Even if they didn’t have the encouragement at home or with their peers, they still seem to shine when they are themselves. Read More »

Article by Make The Days Count Contributor Jennifer Snelling

Most people make ambitious plans for the New Year including the old standards like getting healthy, organized, or improving themselves as a person.  As the New Year comes in and we’re focusing on our enthusiastic new goals for our lives, it’s easy to forget about the little things that could immediately make our days go smoothly and, in turn, make it more convenient to attain even our loftiest aspirations. 

It’s the one thing that could help us all – goals or not – more time.

Here are ten easy time-saving tips I’ve picked up that bring more convenience and ease to life. Read More »

Article by Dr. Les Hollon, Pastor, St. Matthews Baptist Church

To do whatever it takes, begins with whoever it takes us to be.  Jesus lays this truth out clear and simple in the Beatitudes.  As we trust Him with all of whom we are, we become more capable to be trustworthy with all God wants to give us.

Mercy is God’s opportunity for us to have new opportunities in life and for us to extend new opportunities to others on God’s behalf.  God’s mercy is grace at work.

God knows our life story and He knows that in order for us to be people who overcome, people who move from tragedy to triumph, we must be people who can also recover from sin.  Therefore, God connects us with a love that on His part will not let go.  

In Hebrew this love is called “hessed” (often translated steadfast love, loving-kindness, and mercy).  In the New Testament it is called grace and mercy.  This love is built inside our souls and tethers us.  When we have sinned, this love motivates our conscience, to: feel remorse, repent, and be renewed.

God doesn’t want us to visit the dark side and if we go there, He doesn’t want us to stay there.

Recovery through repentance from sin is the way out.  This good news applies to all sins, adultery is not excluded.  Broken trust can be restored.  An afflicted husband and wife may have to do sweaty work for years to get through the pain … however by entrusting their vows to God it is possible again “to love and to cherish … for better or for worse,” and go forward.

We are all sinners.  Believers are sinners saved by God’s mercy and grace.  The work I do as pastor includes helping people who are caught in sin by showing them that there is a better way to live, and to begin living that way. Our life is determined by the choices we make.

Pastor Les Hollon

“Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take,
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy, and shall break
In blessings on your head.
Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust Him for His grace;
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face.”
-William Cowper, “Light Shining out of Darkness”

This article was written by Les Hollon, Pastor of St. Matthews Baptist Church.  For more information about God’s mercy and new beginnings, 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 Stefanie Johnson

Sometimes it’s the little things that humble you, that make you realize what life is really all about. Things may seem hopeless and impossible sometimes, desperate and terrible - but if you look around with an open mind and an open heart, you will see the truth that lies beneath.

My dog, Sophie, is a 7-year-old beagle basset hound mix.  She’s sweet, stubborn, and silly.  She loves to eat tangerines and sweet potatoes and jellybeans. But none of these things are what makes her so unique. What makes her unique is the fact that she is completely blind.  Her eyes were removed around 2 years ago, and yet she has a normal life and seems completely happy. Read More »

Article by Make The Days Count Contributor Marie Monroe

“Their love dissolved my struggle and my fatigue.  The love of 10 million nameless, faceless people healed me that week.”

Just after 911, I went to a great psychotherapy conference in Hilton Head.  For an entire week we learned about holistic healing and had many ‘extracurricular’ activities to accelerate our own:  yoga, tai chi, qi gong, labyrinths, dance, meditation, massage, walks on the beach, art and fellowship.  This was a glorious healing time for me.  In the aftermath of one of the most unsettling times in our nation’s history, recovery and rejuvenation were very much needed.

As a child growing up in the 60s and 70s, I had witnessed many tragic world events - assassinations, the dinner time TV fare of the Vietnam War and the domestic turmoil that ravaged our cities.  Later, as a therapist, I had lived and worked in communities in crisis during several tragedies: natural disasters, the loss of the Challenger space shuttle, riots and gang wars, but 911 turned out to be the most difficult time I had had in my career. Read More »