Does love exist? And if it does, can you prove it? And if you can prove it, can you force someone to give it? Or force someone to receive it? There are those who truly don't believe in love, but just because they've never experienced it, or don't feel it right now, it doesn't change the fact for those who have felt it that it's real and tangible. Have  you ever seen someone in another car at a stop light jamming away on their air guitar or their invisible microphone? Now the

We all find ourselves discouraged about where we are in life at different points. Life rarely turns out the way we expect it to. Choices, good or bad, lead us to different experiences and trajectories, and the actions of others certainly play a role in this reality as well. Whether we are comparing ourselves to others, or simply hard on ourselves, we frequently find ourselves searching for what is “missing”. Years ago, I got to a point where I felt that there was something br

Liz stared at the computer screen in front of her. Feelings of discouragement washed over her. She had worked for almost a year now to build her foundation to help abused women, but so far, she had struck out in obtaining much of any support for her cause. Another bill was due, but more women had also been abused, and she had not been able to reach them. Her prayers to God were that someone with resources would be willing to share. Even $10 from a thousand people could go suc

When I was a teenager, I had an opportunity to go on a week-long summer camp with a bunch of youth from my church. I had been looking forward to this for a long time. I was also excited that my older sister would be there to show me all the great things about camp.   On the third day, the leaders took the youth that were there for the first time on a hike together. During these hikes, it was intended that we would learn about nature, survival skills, and the importance of sta

Lindsey stared at the screen in front of her. Another rejection email, another month with no job leads. She bit her lip in despair, trying to hold back her tears. She didn’t have money for her house payment, or any other bills, for that matter. The economy was seriously struggling and had been for some time now. She knew that she wasn’t the only person in her position, but being out of work for five months now was taking its toll on her. She thought back to when she was first

Do you struggle to find hope in the world around you? Take a moment and ask yourself these next few questions: What is your reason for getting out of bed each day? Why do you go to work? What are you working toward? Where would you like to see yourself in 5-10 years? If you struggled to answer any of these questions, then you could probably use some help strengthening your belief. We go to work so we can pay our bills and or provide for our families, but why? Maybe we're look

The day had finally come, Jill and Tom were moving into their first home. They had spent many years in apartments and living in many different locations, but they were finally settling into an area where they could make memories and lasting relationships. Some of the apartments they had lived in were small and less than ideal, but they were able to make it work. The excitement of all the possibilities this new spacious home offered seemed surreal.   There were many things tha

There is a story of an old horse that fell into a dry well. The old horse was mildly injured from the fall, and, due to the shape and size of the well, the people trying to help the horse could not get it out with the limited tools they had. After some discussion, they decided it would be best to put the old horse out of its misery. They could not safely fire a gun into the well, as they could not see the horse or the bottom of the well and the chance of a ricocheted bullet w