Authentically Include Others
I sometimes see a fellow traveler of the way sitting alone at services. I wonder what brought them there to sit alone. I seldom find strength to go talk to them. Imagine arriving at services and no one notices you; no one speaks to you.
What does God say?
Many relevant topics today are discussed in smaller groups and larger groups, such as church discussions. When I have questions about what God’s Word teaches on a certain topic, I ask a parent or family member. As a young person, I learn about what God’s Word says through sermons, presentations, discussion and visiting with family and friends.
Blog: The gift of crying
One morning I was so sad that I just cried. All things seemed difficult and frightening, l was disappointed, and I felt my vacation had been far too short. Everything seemed utterly oppressive. I hugged my dog for consolation. I lay down by its side, feeling my heart weighed down by all my sorrows. I just stroked the soft fur for a while, letting tears stream down my face, and the dog then licked them off my face.
Blog: What am I like?
I asked my children what I should write in my next blog post. One of them suggested I should write about myself and tell the readers what I am like.
Blog: Alone
The room was quiet. The young boy was sitting alone in the twilight, staring at his phone. My wife and I in the living-room were wondering why our son’s life was so lonely. We were worried that his lack of friends might leave deep scars in his mind. It was as if he were quietly slipping away from life.
Blog: Why should we pray?
"For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone." (Ps. 91:11–12).
Blog: Experiences of the covid year
A year ago, I was invited to start blogging for Päivämies. Optimistically, I expected that, given a full year, I would find 12 fairly good ideas for blog posts. Well, I didn’t. Deadlines came and went, and I often did not even touch the pen in the meantime.
Blog: Grandpa, come and play with me
A year ago our son suggested that he could bring his family to live in our home office for as long as they were building their new house. That meant we had to start clearing the room.
Blog: The sun or the wind?
”The wind gathered its strength and blew even harder. The trees bent down and the water surged and boiled, but the traveler just wrapped his cloak more tightly around him.” This is an extract from a fairy tale titled The sun and the wind, which was written by Aesop more than 2500 years ago.
Blog: Empowering memories
Wednesday is the most important weekday. Soon after the noon I begin to glance at my watch, wondering if the mailman has already come. A large part of the advertising flyers and other leaflets that come into our mailbox go unread into the recycling bin. But I take the daily newspapers, stack them by my armchair and begin to read. The biggest local paper contains a lot of interesting information about Kainuu, Finland and the world.
Blog: Getting lost
My mother married a man who owned a very remote farm. She needed time to get familiar with the surrounding forest. At that time cattle were allowed to graze and roam freely in the woods. There were no fences, and the cows were free to move around. In the late summer they sometimes walked long distances to find mushrooms to eat.
Blog: Many kinds of angels
Marraskuu, the Finnish name of November, means ‘month of death’. It is certainly a fitting name. November is dead, dark and cold. The last swans have left, and we no longer hear their constant trumpeting song. The lake has gone through a cycle of freezing, thawing, re-freezing and re-thawing, and snow has done the same. In between the snowy periods we have had rain and the evenings and nights have been pitch black. Even mornings were quite dark for a while, but as soon as we got snow, mornings took on the lovely shades of blue twilight.
Tehän tunnette Herramme Jeesuksen Kristuksen armon: hän oli rikas mutta tuli köyhäksi teidän vuoksenne, jotta te rikastuisitte hänen köyhyydestään. 2. Kor. 8:9
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