“I love Jesus so much. I worship Him. I have never been this free. God has given me a totally new perspective on life. I can’t stop smiling. The pent-up feeling is gone. I’m so happy. I’m having a great time. I just praise Him and love Him and sing His praises. Like I said, I’m so happy!”

“But Tomlinson, why are you taking it out on David? He’s in the same boat as we are. They raided his home too. He lost everything too. Yes, they kidnapped his wife and children too. We’re not the only ones. We’re all in this together.”

“Manoah dear, this is an awesome day! I just found out that we’re going to have a baby. In fact, I can be more specific: without even having an ultrasound test done, I know it’s going to be a boy! A man of God met me today and gave me the news. What an angel he was but guess what? I never even asked the man his name or where he lived so we could keep in touch. He just told me a boy-for-God was on the way!”

Chilling. Frightening. Terrifying.

Christian families huddled together and prayed as the latest rumors spread. He was about to strike again. His attacks were gaining momentum and spreading quickly. He was widening his circle of terror as he convinced certain leaders to jump on board and sanction his intended path of destruction

Can you believe you ever held those extremist views that your life was all about HIM? Is it possible I ever really thought my life wasn’t all about ME? I can’t believe I once thought that there might have been something more to life than ME and MY and MINE. How foolish I was. I must have been off on a tangent because now I see clearly that life is all about ME.

There they were - fishermen (or fishers if you like) returning to their vehicles after dark, packing their rods and tackle into their trunks. Even if they did catch a few big ones, was the pain and mess worth it?

Black flies, mosquitoes, and moths swarming that fish hole. And then consider the scratches from the low branches, scrapes from slipping off a slimy rock, bleeding index finger from a hook jab and then sticky and stinky from the hot humid summer evening. But yet, some people just love every minute of it. Some are up before sunrise and others are there still fishing at dusk.

The beaming face has been replaced with a dutiful smile. “Yes, it is another great day to be alive. We can thank the Lord for that.” The spontaneous expressions of gratitude have been replaced with platitudes. A certain awkwardness overtakes you as you try to mingle with other believers. You wonder if they can sense something is wrong but you work hard to mask your feelings. You can still say all the right things, go through all the motions but something is missing.

Perhaps you’re not familiar with the acronym ADL – Activities of Daily Living. If you work with people who have been restricted in some way or injured you probably know about the routines that are officially classified as the activities of daily living. Mobility, Communication, Breathing, Bowel and bladder management, Eating and drinking, Personal cleansing and grooming, Personal device care (i.e. hearing aids, glasses etc.), Controlling body temperature, Work and play, Sexuality, and Sleeping.

A: “It just doesn’t seem fair to me. Everybody comments on the beautiful blue eyes. I’m certainly not looking for prominence or place but I’m concerned about others. I feel sorry for the ears, and the eyebrows and the chin. People rarely notice the contribution they make. They have so much to offer and yet it’s those dumb eyes people notice every time. If they only knew the truth! They’re not as blue as they appear to be and half the time they’re shut. What would they do if the ears went on strike and stopped listening? That’s what they should do. Finally people would wake up and pay some attention to the rest of the face!”

It’s hard to slow the pounding heart down at midnight in anticipation of the busy day tomorrow. Tomorrow at the crack of dawn a new day begins and there are so many things to be done. You hope something does not fall between the cracks. It seems like you are spinning too many plates and juggling too many balls. Have you ever worried that it is all going to catch up with you and crash down upon you? What would you do if you didn’t have reminders built into your electronic gadgets?