I, Sharyl, having been born of goodly parents seek to find deeper faith, learn to love all who cross my path and choose to be a follower of Jesus Christ. Let me tell you about learning to love those who cross my path. My dad was a generous man. To our home came all manner of humanity, the stranded Israelis bikers, the Serbians

“When they began to shoot rockets in our region, near our apartment — a rocket hit our building — the Lord blessed us, and the rocket did not explode. We survived. We grabbed our bags and food and left our home,” Sergei said.

The Jericho Road or Parable of the Good Samaritan surely had three people expressing gratitude: the man who fell among thieves, the innkeeper and the Samaritan. When do we pause to express thanks to God during our afflictions for the mercy that is still given to us?

“We have de-emphasized the indebtedness and overemphasized the gratitude, and they belong together,” explained Jenae Nelson,

The spirit of every human being is different.  We were meant to be different. Each person was created differently to play a particular part in the divine plan of the universe.  You have a part to play that no one else can play.  Until you find out way down deep who you really are – you are not ready to play your part.

Their work in bringing forth the potential within every human being - especially our children in five simple steps shows easy ways adults can change their language, seek the teachable moments, set clear boundaries that keep others and self safe, honor the human spirit that is within each person and learn deeply listen to others and walk alongside them in genuine companionship. The key is to learn to recognize the virtue(s) another has as a strength such as compassion, justice, gentleness, and forgiveness, to mention a few (there are hundreds of virtues).  Also the growth virtue or the one needed for the moment such as cleanliness, fortitude, patience... I wish you could have been with us.

Those who mourn need time to grieve their losses, and they need supportive friends and family to be with them through that experience. The amount of time needed for grief to run its natural, healthy course varies from person to person, depending on several factors. Was the loss sudden or agonizingly anticipated? Some people might need to avoid things that remind them of their loss, while others might find comfort in memories. I'm in the avoidance category as the length of time needed to grieve is long and the reminders often start the grief process over again.

All of us are faced every day with the decision of how to react to the actions of others. The past few months have been filled with adversity, and I have allowed the adversity to affect my thinking, increase frustrations, and even my health. The crossroads is what will be next. In looking at Frankl's work, I was reminded that no matter what the action of another, I have this small moment where I can breathe and bring the spirit of Christ that rests within me to the forefront of how I might react and realize that I choose. I choose, not someone else.

When the $28 million dollar pitcher took the mound, fans were either cheering or booing. It had me wondering why sports stadiums are filled with fans who pay a lot of money these days for a ticket to attend. The striking answer was it creates a sense of belonging to something. Often times athletes and sports teams become the idol for people, buying gear, dressing up, and spending limited resources to show that they are devout followers of their team and players. I can relate, I used to be one of those rabid fans of the SF 49rs and the Phoenix Suns. Today, I find that I choose to be a devout follower of Jesus Christ and seek that which is eternal vs. temporary. Is there pleasure in seeing individuals play at high levels, knowing they dedicated themselves to this excellence, certainly!

But, as I watch the increasing numbers of the homeless, the abandoned, and the orphans in our nation, I have a hard time balancing the behemoth stadiums that are built on taxpayer dollars and state waivers of paying taxes, and pondering do we have our priorities straight?

we are all battling the mortal appetites that cause us to stray from God's side of the line, human beings have the light of Christ within them and a constant meter of right and wrong. I also believe God when it was stated, "this is my work and glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of all mankind." The constant battle to be on the right side of the line requires each of us to sacrifice.

Sacrifice is the medium by which we learn to know what we really love.