24 December 2023
Two-Minute Features | 31 December 2023 | 17 December 2023

Accepting that Things Always Change, Part 1 (TMF:2255)

Friday, December 29, 2023
Peace to Live By: Accepting that Things Always Change, Part 1 (TMF:2255) - Daniel Litton
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       With all the variables there are in our world, change is undoubtedly going to come. People come and go from our lives, companies make changes that affect people, our interests change over time, people can pass away, we grow old and cannot do what we used to do. Whatever you want to cite, all the variables make change enviable. Change is guaranteed, no matter who we are, and there is no escaping it. I spent a lot of time thinking about change in early 2020, and really trying to come to grips with the concept. It’s funny, because a couple months after contemplating change, the company I worked for announced they were moving my department to a different state. Ah change! Yup, certainly for me change was now occurring. Whether I went or not, there would be change. It wasn’t anyone’s fault, it’s just the way the world works. I ended up deciding not to accept the position in the different state and thus move. The problem for our minds comes when we decide to resist the change, or have a mindset of resistance in general toward change. This is something that has to be learned—the ability to accept change. It’s just that a lot of people haven’t cultivated this ability.

A Midday Devotional Refresh, Part 2 (TMF:2254)

Thursday, December 28, 2023
Peace to Live By: A Midday Devotional Refresh, Part 2 (TMF:2254) - Daniel Litton
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       Sometimes it’s by late-afternoon or even the evening. This doesn’t always happen, but it does on some days. I have forgotten what I had refreshed my mind on in the morning. So, what I have found is that it can be good to have what I call a ‘Devotional Refresh’ that occurs around lunchtime or later in the afternoon. It doesn’t have to be a long time, say ten minutes, where you go over the notes you took from your morning devotion. This ‘keeps alive’ that time well spent so that your good thoughts can carry on throughout the remainder of the day. Interestingly enough, where I actually learned with was from Benjamin Franklin. In his autobiography, he goes over his daily schedule and the fact that he would spend some time at lunch refreshing his mind on that morning’s devotional time (see The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, 1790, public domain). He said this helped him throughout the day. I was struck by the simplicity of this, and the fact that it had never occurred to me to do this kind of practice. It seems so obviously good. It is just as we usually don’t simply eat breakfast, and expect that breakfast to carry us until dinner. No, we eat this thing called lunch a few hours after breakfast to get us to dinner.

A Midday Devotional Refresh, Part 1 (TMF:2253)

Wednesday, December 27, 2023
Peace to Live By: A Midday Devotional Refresh, Part 1 (TMF:2253) - Daniel Litton
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       I am certainly a believer in having a good, solid morning devotional time. It is a place where I can re-gear my mind, per say, and get all of my thoughts in check. I can let go of any desires that have cropped up and are subtly robbing me of my freedom. I remind myself that all that really matters is God. In this whole entire process, then, in whatever I am reading, whether that is a good book or the Good Book, I try to take a few notes so that I can remember what I was thinking about. If I am on my smartphone or tablet, for instance, I accomplish this task through taking a screenshot of the important information. One thing I have found is that some days my devotional re-gearing seems to wear off as the day carries along. Sometimes it’s by late-afternoon or even the evening. This doesn’t always happen, but it does on some days. I have forgotten what I had refreshed my mind on in the morning. So, what I have found is that it can be good to have what I call a ‘Devotional Refresh’ that occurs around lunchtime or later in the afternoon. It doesn’t have to be a long time, say ten minutes, where you go over the notes you took from your morning devotion.

Is It Time for a Reboot? Part 3 (TMF:2252)

Tuesday, December 26, 2023
Peace to Live By: Is It Time for a Reboot? Part 3 (TMF:2252) - Daniel Litton
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       That’s okay, though. That can happen. If it does, we can move on to find people that more closely align with what we now are. This isn’t sin, it isn’t wrong; it’s just reality. God wants us to grow. He wants us to increase our faith. At the beginning of our Christian lives, we may not have been that full of faith. Jesus’ disciples sure weren’t in the beginning days. As they grew, though, so did their faith. And it’s the same with us. As our faith increases, our negativity and doubting decreases. This is good for us, but not everyone grows at the same rate. Just as a child outgrows his or her shoes after a while, if we are actively growing, we outgrow ours. Simply put, we may just find that we’re no longer compatible with the church we’ve been involved with, or even the place where we currently work. It may be time for a change. And while the change may not be necessarily comfortable, it will lead to comfort in the future.

Is It Time for a Reboot? Part 2 (TMF:2251)

Monday, December 25, 2023
Peace to Live By: Is It Time for a Reboot? Part 2 (TMF:2251) - Daniel Litton
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       That all being said, there’s only so much we can do, when we are growing, to help those at our church or workplace to grow in the same direction. We can try to have a positive influence on them, but sometimes no matter how much we shine our light, the light just bounces off of them and comes back to us. Sometimes people aren’t willing to grow, and aren’t willing to embrace positive influence in their lives. When we find then that we are stuck in a rut, sometimes all we can do is shut down and restart to something new. Sometimes we need to get out. We are only responsible for ourselves and our families. We cannot be responsible for others changing their ways. Perhaps we used to be a very negative person ourselves, but we’ve spent years becoming a more positive person. As we’ve done this, we look around and see that the people around us represent where we used to be, and not where we are now. That’s okay, though. That can happen. If it does, we can move on to find people that more closely align with what we now are. This isn’t sin, it isn’t wrong; it’s just reality.