How Would You Define a Pivotal Event?

A pivotal event is defined as a moment in time when two or more factors come together in a person’s life to determine a directional change to follow indefinitely. A person’s life is often measured by the response given to a significant pivotal moment. Ernest Hemingway experienced a pivotal moment as a young man during the first World War when he was severely wounded.

Ernest Hemingway’s personal life did not reflect the presence of Christ Jesus in his life. Consequently, his near-death experience may have contributed to severe depression and his eventual suicide later in life.

A pivotal event can be perceived as either positive or negative. The measure of a person can be determined by how appreciative that person is for each day granted to him or her to do good works. 

Taking advantage of every opportunity to live for Christ and promote the Kingdom of God is definitely a worthwhile objective that will secure peace with God.        

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Be humble in the presence of God’s mighty power, and he will honor you when the time comes.

~1 Peter 5:6 Contemporary English Version

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How Does Faith Give Promise of a New Day for You?

So many people are extremely sensitive about their age and try to hide growing older with all kinds of disguises. However, what creates a crisis far more severe than the inner tensions that accompany just getting older are the worries and stress that are produced.

Dissatisfaction and disappointments are a common part of life but are capable of producing good, provided the right attitude is present. Fear, anxiety, and worry are the usual triggers related to the stress of aging.

What helps us navigate through each stage of life is simple faith that there is positive significance for me in getting older. Faith is God’s gift and comes with assurance that life can be good even though there may be a dark night of the soul somewhere in the future. Faith in Jesus Christ brings light to darkness along with the promise of a new day awaiting me in the future. 

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So let us come boldly to God’s throne of love to get mercy and find love to help us when we need it.

~Hebrews 4:16 Beck – New Testament in the Language of Today

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On Saturday, December 21 through Christmas Day, blogs will be posted each day to coincide with KHCB radio's special music and short devotional programming, "Five Days of Christmas". 

Is It Possible to Change a Pessimistic Attitude?

Are you wishing for a new beginning is some area of your life? While it’s true there are routines that must be followed, each day can bring a sense of newness by permitting yourself to expect it. But what barriers must be hurtled in order to experience the freshness of a new beginning?

One barrier that affects countless individuals is the attitude that life cannot be different. That mindset defines being stuck or trapped with no way to change. Pessimism clouds the mind with distrust and doubt and robs the heart of the joy God intends for you to experience.

Let Psalm 118:24 give you hope for a new beginning. “This is the day Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it.” Say these words until they become true for you. Another way to attack a pessimistic attitude is to “praise God from whom all blessings flow.” God’s word will transform your disposition into a joyful outlook for your life.

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[Your beauty] should be the inner disposition of the heart, consisting in the imperishable quality of a gentle and kind spirit, which God values greatly.

~1 Peter 3:4 International Standard Version

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Your Best Day - Today!

It's not uncommon for a young person to use some creative measures to look older to someone who might frown on their youthful appearance. Young people are in a hurry to grow up, and the marketplace is eager to accommodate their rush into adulthood.

On the other side, aging cannot be denied, even as frantic efforts are undertaken to slow down or reverse the assault. Hiding aging is comparable to hiding other realities that impact your identity. Listen to Galatians 6:7. "What you plant, you will harvest. If you plant to satisfy your lower nature, your harvest will be the decay and death of that nature. If you plant the truth, you will reap the good things the Holy Spirit will give you.”

Each stage of life presents opportunities that may never again be available. "This is the day that the Lord has made so rejoice and be glad in it." These are words of hope and encouragement so rejoice and be available for what God has purposed for you to be.  

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Bless the Lord, O my soul,

And forget none of His benefits…

Who satisfies your years with good things,

So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.

~Psalm 103:2,5 New American Standard Bible

Great is his faithfulness; his lovingkindness begins afresh each day.

~Lamentations 3:23 The Living Bible

Looking Back, Moving Forward - Part 3

We as people tend to view obstructions negatively, as having power to diminish our happiness and peace. Obstacles impede progress toward planned objectives while becoming a source of frustration. Changing one's perspective is difficult, but it’s possible to view obstructions as teachers and opportunities for positive change. Perhaps God intends for obstructions to slow us down so we can view life differently.

How can obstructions become teachers for positive change? A doctor in his early forties who seemed perfectly healthy began to feel severe and chronic fatigue and reluctantly submitted to a complete physical exam. Immediately his colleagues confirmed he had cancer.

Any Illness is an obstruction to health and must be confronted. For this doctor, cancer was a wake-up call. It taught him to value life and every moment as precious. Jesus remind us not to get so caught up in the pressures of living we forget what matters for eternity. “This is your day, the day God has made, so rejoice and be glad for it.”