our faith jouney: I Wish My Words Were Magical
- 05/24/16 06:08 AM
I Wish My Words Were Magical Don’t you just love all those movies and television shows where one of the main characters is headed down the wrong path and another main character sees what is going on and has a heart-to-heart conversation with that person; and the character headed down the wrong path completely changes his ways. I have to chuckle when I see that sort of thing…as if that happens in real life. I have had so many conversations with my children over the years trying to warn them of the cliff they are fast approaching. You know how many times … (24 comments)
our faith jouney: The World Is Updating Today…
- 02/09/16 11:54 PM
The World Is Updating Today… In addition to being a real estate agent, I am part owner of a food brokerage company in Cleveland. For those of you wondering what a food broker might be, it is a lot like a real estate broker. Instead of selling houses, manufacturers pay you a percentage to sell their goods rather than have their own sales staff. Our company started in 1907, and I have been here for 37 years. I got the bright idea to get into real estate when I relocated our office 12 years ago. I fell in love with the real estate … (4 comments)
our faith jouney: Getting Your House In Order
- 03/26/15 04:40 AM
By now the whole world has heard about the German flight that crashed into the Swiss Alps. Speculation is rampant as to what happened. The leading theory as of this morning is that the co-pilot deliberately crashed into the side of a mountain; while the pilot pounded in vain on the cockpit door desperately to regain control of the plane. If you are like me, I bet you have imagined yourself on that flight…strapped into your seat and literally watching your world come crashing to an end. I have been on flights where there has been a mechanical problem, and you … (0 comments)
our faith jouney: The Choices We Make
- 03/03/15 05:23 AM
Many of us feel like we are simply going through the motions with our lives. We are so embroiled with our day-to-day activity that we fail to consider there might be a big picture. We don’t see ourselves acting proactively to anything. Instead, we may feel like we are constantly reacting to our environment. We may even feel like one of those shiny silver balls bouncing off rubber coated bumpers inside a pinball machine, tossed around from side to side until our ball falls between the paddles at the bottom. We have had bad things happen to us. Some of those bad … (0 comments)
our faith jouney: It Isn’t Important Where You Head Off To In The Morning…
- 02/25/15 10:24 PM
My wife had a girlfriend over to the house when I arrived home yesterday afternoon. My wife’s friend is quite a bit younger than my wife, and once was my wife’s boss. The woman has a mid-to-high level management position with her current company. She was explaining to the two of us that the owner of the company had moved her to a different position, and she considered it a demotion rather than a lateral move. Based on the conversation, I am assuming this was one of her first major career setbacks. She asked me for my opinion on her situation, … (107 comments)
our faith jouney: Never, Ever Give Up Hope
- 01/16/15 04:48 AM
Never, Ever Give Up Hope We humans, we think we have learned just about everything there is to know about ourselves and the world around us…then you come across something like what I am about to tell you, and you quickly realize, we actually know very little. It’s important that we maintain a little bit of humbleness, lest we get served up a big piece of humble pie from our Creator. We have certainly gained tremendous insight into the way things work versus our ancestors; but several decades from now, our relatives are certainly going to look at us as primitive … (0 comments)
our faith jouney: The Media’s Fascination With Pope Francis
- 12/15/14 05:46 AM
The Media’s Fascination With Pope Francis I use Yahoo as my web browser, and I find it interesting that there usually are 4-5 articles each day about Pope Francis’s comings and goings. Pope Francis said this…Pope Francis is coming to the United States…the Pope did this… the Pope did that…the Pope said pets go to heaven too. I am Catholic, so I am naturally inclined to check these stories out, as they are of interest to me. There are a ton of us Catholics, so I understand the media’s need to report on his activities. However, I don’t remember Pope … (2 comments)
our faith jouney: There Is No God
- 11/04/14 03:40 AM
There Is No God At least, that is what Stephen Hawking recently declared. The renowned astrophysicist gave an interview a few months ago in which he stated that there is no God. He continued that miracles stemming from religious beliefs are “not compatible with science.” "In my opinion, there is no aspect of reality beyond the reach of the human mind." Hawking added. He went on to state that he has a firm belief that the universe was the work of scientifically explainable phenomena, and not that of a supreme being. What is interesting is that, while Mr. Hawking seems to … (10 comments)
our faith jouney: We Should Call Adoption Something Else
- 10/07/14 04:26 AM
We Should Call Adoption Something Else I was on a listing appointment last night and the topic of adoption came up. The couple whose home I was listing picked me as their agent because of my online profile. In my profile, I mention that that my wife and I are adoptive parents, and that I have served as a board member of an adoptive agency in Brazil for quite a few years. These kind, and wonderful people selected me because they too, are adoptive parents. There have been quite a few agent friends, whose opinion I value, who have told me … (10 comments)
our faith jouney: What Do You Say? What Do You Do?
- 10/02/14 11:32 PM
What Do You Say? What Do You Do? God gave me a gentle reminder last night that being a real estate agent isn’t all about buying and selling homes…the number bedrooms or bathrooms a place has…the list price versus selling price. We are all in and out of so many houses throughout our careers that we sometimes forget that people live in these houses. These are people’s homes. These things we sell are vessels which contain people’s sadness and joy. It is where children were raised. It is where people mourned the loss of a loved one. It is where tears … (54 comments)
our faith jouney: God Isn't Finished With Me Yet
- 09/26/14 05:08 AM
God Isn’t Finished With Me Yet How many times throughout any given day do we get frustrated with a loved one, a co-worker…even a passerby on the street? They say, or do something which is not up to our standards; and we get upset with them. Sometimes that frustration becomes so severe; we may even want to write that person off…muttering to ourselves, “They just don’t get it, worse yet…THEY ARE NEVER GOING TO GET IT!!!!” Comically, that judgment we impose on others-we somehow never seem to reflect on the fact that the very people we are judging may be thinking … (2 comments)
our faith jouney: The Power of Love: 1 Corinthians 13.
- 02/04/13 05:22 AM
The power of love... The last several weeks I have devoted my time to sharing stories of some real American heroes; whom through their actions, have helped to make our country…and the world a better place. These better angels, as I refer to them, chose love over hatred. They chose love, over indifference. They chose love over neglect. They chose love when the consequences of that choice came with a heavy price…and very little reward. Over these past posts, I pointed out that Lincoln had coined the term, “better angels”…and that he felt that it was a conscious decision we have … (0 comments)
our faith jouney: Turning Away from Light and Choosing Darkness
- 02/01/13 02:34 AM
Turning Away from Light and Choosing Darkness I have spent the last several days pointing out the exploits of some real American heroes. People who, when presented with the choice of lifting up another human being, did so willingly…without any expectation of reward. They made a choice to choose goodness and light, over darkness and evil. All of us are presented each day with the opportinity to be a blessing to another, or a curse. Through our actions, or in-actions, in what we say…and what we don’t say…we can lift a burden off someone, or place a burden on them. I … (8 comments)
our faith jouney: God Has a Big Tent!
- 12/04/12 09:11 PM
This term “big tent” often comes up in conversation when we are talking about political parties. This party, or that party has a big tent…or it doesn’t have a big tent; which is meant to mean that a particular party is inclusive in its organizational structure, or that the party is not welcoming to particular groups. Depending on your political leanings, the other side’s “tent” appeals to all groups; or maybe various groups go unrepresented. What got me to thinking about God having a big tent; was when I was reading about the ACLU group bringing litigation upon communities to remove … (8 comments)
our faith jouney: My Self-Imposed Exile from God
- 08/22/12 12:58 AM
My Self-Imposed Exile from God I don’t know about you, but from time to time, I feel pretty far away from God. I wish it weren’t so. I wish each day, I would wake up brimming with faith…but I don’t. During these periods, as hard as I try to focus my thoughts on good and righteous things…there seems to be this static in the airwaves between God and me. I have felt this way the past several months, and it is reflected in the lack of postings on my blog. I use this blog as my formal prayer to God. Looking … (8 comments)
our faith jouney: Aging With Grace
- 07/16/12 11:58 PM
Sunday was my birthday...I turned 63. I wrote the following post last year. I thought I would re-post it. I posted it...not so much for you, the reader, but more for myself...to sort of reinforce how I should feel being another year older. My son asked me at lunch on my birthday how I felt about being another year older, and I told him that I was just happy to be on this side of the grass. It's funny how much you can enjoy life...when you simply lower your expectations to just being able to draw your next breath! Anyway, here … (8 comments)
our faith jouney: You Can Still be a Great Agent and be Nice Too
- 04/12/12 02:00 AM
You Can Still be a Great Agent and be Nice Too I try my very best to treat everyone I meet as I would like to be treated. In an effort to be 100% honest and completely objective…there are times when I fail miserably. We all do. We are mere mortals…but that shouldn’t keep us from trying to be nice…even to the people on the other side of the deal. I realize I have a fiduciary responsibility to represent my client’s interests to the best of my ability. I feel I do. There are many times I have asked for price … (7 comments)
our faith jouney: Our Lenten Journey: Part Two
- 02/26/12 11:12 PM
Our Lenten Journey: Part Two I would like to continue on with my thought process from the other day when I spoke of Lent as a journey to rediscover our faith; a process to enhance our faith, to have it shape us, and to provide a roadmap for our spiritual journey. I made the observation that while Satan had tempted Jesus during those 40 days in the desert; Jesus had walked out of the desert strengthened in His resolve to carry out His mission in Jerusalem of dying on the cross. Lent is sort of like the television, or movie version … (4 comments)
I Wish My Words Were Magical
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