The two disciples whom Jesus joined on the road to Emmaus recognized him in the breaking of the bread. What is a more common, ordinary gesture than breaking bread? It may be the most human of all human gestures: a gesture of hospitality, friendship, care, and the desire to be together. Taking a loaf of…
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Who am I to get something published? Who am I that anyone would care to read what I thought? Who am I that anyone would care what I had to say? And pay money for it?As the World Series starts tonight, we thought of Justin Verlander, 29, the incredibly successful pitcher for the American League…
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I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. Maya Angelou There’s a scene in the Academy Award® winning movie The King’s Speech, in which King George VI of England has a confrontation with Lionel Logue, his speech…
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We’ve heard this story many times over the years and perhaps you have too. But we believe that we need to be reminded of its message often, a message that bears repeating over and over again: A young girl was walking along a beach upon which thousands of starfish had been washed up during a…
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Love isn’t a state of perfect caring. It is an active noun like “struggle”. To love someone is to strive to accept that person exactly the way he or she is, right here and now. Fred RogersI love you just the way you are, even if … You said something to me that was hurtful …
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Anything mentionable is manageable. Fred RogersThat is which is most personal is most universal. Henri NouwenThe other day a friend told us that when he went through a divorce several decades ago he had only one other person with whom he felt he could talk – about his perceived failure, about his feelings of shame,…
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Two roads diverged into one and I took the one less traveled and it has made all the difference. Robert FrostWe live in a world in which people are constantly trying to get ahead and competitiveness drives much of our decision making. Competitiveness can cause us to work against one another and, ultimately, the common…
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One of the things that has been most helpful for us in developing and growing our relationship together, in our relationships with our wives and in our relationships with others in our lives has been learning our own love languages. Dr. Gary Chapman, in his book, The Five Love Languages, states that every person needs two…
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To help young children of abuse grow up in a safe, happy and exciting environment, but to also increase awareness of child abuse. This is the mission of The Kids Trust, a central Pennsylvania non-profit organization created by the late Gary L. Houck, Jr. It was Gary’s passion to let children who are abused know…
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One of my (Tom’s) favorite books growing up as a child is a book called Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. A few years ago the book was made into a movie. Part of the reason I resonated with the book and movie so much is because of the main character’s story. The main character…
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