The Lily Letters

Bible Reading: 1 Corinthians 13 Hands-down, this might be my favorite passage in the Bible. I know some people find it cliche or overused or taken out of context, but I sincerely believe that you cannot emphasize love enough in a world like the one we’re living in today. Love is everything, and I think Paul does such an excellent job of reminding us why. For a bit of context, in case you may not know or remember, Paul wrote this letter to the church in Corinth, because they were hindering their own mission after becoming obsessed with flashy spiritual gifts, acting selfishly, and becoming divided. With this specific part of the letter, Paul seeks to point them back to love, as everything is meaningless without it and engaging in love as an action builds up the church of Christ. Now having a deeper understanding of why this passage was written, I wanted to emphasize a couple of points Paul made: Verses 1-3: In spite of anything we do, say, or have, none of it matters without love. Verse...

“Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.” — James 1:19 Assumptions are easy to make, in every single aspect of our life. When communication is fast and schedules are full, it’s natural to fill in gaps with our own interpretations. But assumptions can quietly create misunderstanding, frustration, or even distance where unity is meant to grow. This past week at work, I attended a communication seminar to help with my serving on our school conduct board hearings. We talked about going into those situations with a preconceived notion of the student already being guilty or sneaky because the situation has been brought to that level. The scenario we talked about was someone egging someone's car. We made so many theories and had many assumptions about the situation, but one crucial thing was missing. There were no eggshells. (this was after seeing a picture and everything). So in this part a whole room full of professionals were so sure this poor...

Check Your Flashlight Colossians 2:6-7 6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. Why might a flashlight troubleshoot? Check the batteries: They may be dead, low on charge, or inserted incorrectly. Inspect battery contacts: Look for corrosion or dirt, which can block the electrical connection. Clean the contacts with a cloth dipped in alcohol or vinegar. Inspect the switch: The switch mechanism can fail. Try pressing it multiple times or cleaning around the button. A faulty switch may need to be cleaned or replaced. Replace the bulb or LED: The bulb or LED can burn out over time, especially in older models. 1.To Glow for Christ we must check our power source. With a traditional flashlight this might include making sure that it has batteries. In your Bibles, highlight or underline part b of Colossians 2:6 and write in your jo...