ARE YOU CONVINCED?

convinced

What does it take for you to be convinced?

Are you someone who needs to do extensive research on your own before you will accept something as true?

Or are you convinced because of who you initially heard something from?

One time in a discussion group a fellow student of mine exclaimed in a frustrating tone that he was struggling with the varied readings we had been assigned. He felt both authors gave compelling arguments from the opposite point of view. He had felt convinced by each author until he read the next one.  

I noticed our professor, who was sitting in on the discussion, exhibited a quick little smirk with a twinkle in his eye before responding calmly, “Have you compared both author’s point of views with what scripture actually says on the topic?”

  • Have you ever been in that situation?
  • Uncertain of what you should be convinced about?
  • What is the most important thing to be convinced of according to scripture?
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PLENTY

plenty

A definition of plenty is an adequate or more than adequate number or amount of something: a number or amount of something that is enough for a particular purpose.

  • Given the picture above, how much food is plenty enough for you to be satisfied?
  • Does your sense of “plenty” vary?
  • Maybe your sense of “plenty” depends on what food is in the chafing dishes above?
  • What type of banquet are you imagining that you would love to have plenty enough for you to feel satisfied?
  • What is the ultimate purpose behind having plenty?
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PROMISE

promise

One definition of the word promise is a legally binding declaration that gives the person to whom it is made a right to expect or to claim the performance or forbearance of a specified act.

The picture above shows a common childhood type of promise known as the pinky swear.

  • How many of your childhood promises have you kept?
  • How about as an adult?
  • When is the last time you made a promise?
  • Did you keep that promise?
  • When is the last time someone made a promise to you?
  • Have they kept that promise?
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THE JOY OF RAIN

rainpuddles

Does rain bring you joy?

The boy in the picture above is clearly full of joy thanks to the rain falling around him.

He gets to splash around in the puddles and watch the droplets explode up and fall back down again.

He also gets to hear the rain pitter patting against his umbrella and everything around him.

Do you remember playing in the rain as a kid?

What other reasons can you think of that might spark the joy of rain in our hearts?

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GARDENING EXCITEMENT

seedling

Have you ever experienced gardening excitement?

Seeing the seedlings sprout that you planted into rich garden soil can certainly bring an experience of gardening excitement.

Growing up my father and grandmother were avid vegetable gardeners. They taught me to appreciate the taste of a homegrown tomato, sugar snap peas, and many other vegetables.

Seeing a seed spring to life from the soil always yields gardening excitement in my heart!

As I watch squirrels and birds pillage a bird feeder or nibble on other greens in the yard, I know they too experience a level of gardening excitement because they can eat and be satisfied.

Can you imagine the gardening excitement that would ensue in those wild animals immediately following a severe famine and drought?

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Be Glad and Rejoice

earth

What do you see in the picture above that prompts you to be glad and rejoice?

Perhaps the amazing beauty of a picture taken from a satellite prompts you to be glad and rejoice?

Does thinking about all the varied people, animals, and vegetation across the globe stir you to be glad and rejoice?

Maybe the fact that it is the beauty of a night view that influences you to be glad and rejoice?

Or does the sheer mass of land alone move you to be glad and rejoice?

Can land itself be glad and rejoice?

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GREATNESS

Greatness

How do you define greatness?

What do you see in the picture above that you would describe as great?

How would you feel if you were the people in the boat?

Do you think the people in the boat are aware of what is in the water beneath them?

What would happen if the animal surfaced at that exact moment?

Something great!

But not in a positive sense.

How aware are you of what greatness is going on beneath the waters in your daily life?

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SATISFIED

satisfied

What does it take for you to be satisfied?

Does your answer depend on your circumstances?

The most frequently used definition of satisfied is to be pleased or content with what has been experienced or received.

What have you experienced  or received in the last six months that made you feel pleased or content?

Or what are you hoping to experience or receive that will make you be satisfied?

  • Achieving a health goal?
  • Staying covid free?
  • Becoming debt free?
  • Simply being able to pay your bills when income is reduced or nonexistent?
  • Meeting a deadline or coming up with a solution for a personal or work project?
  • Improving your interpersonal relationships?
  • Other?

What elements are within your control and power to make happen so that you experience feeling satisfied?

What elements are beyond your control and power to make happen so that you experience feeling satisfied?

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To Take Pity

Rescued Kitten

What does it mean to take pity?

Merriam-Webster defines pity as: sympathetic sorrow for one suffering, distressed, or unhappy.

The approximately six-ounce kitten in the photo above received my pity instantly back in August 2013.

My husband and I were out walking our dogs before work one morning and heard a cat crying across the road from us.

While I held the dogs, my husband crossed the road to investigate. He attempted to capture her, but she kept darting away when he reached down.

Unable to capture her, he decided to return to me and the dogs without her. Then she came out onto the sidewalk under a streetlamp for the first time.

Until that moment I was unaware how tiny she was.

My heart melted for her safety.

By the time my husband had returned to my side of the road with the dogs, I instructed him to finish the walk while I attempted to attract her on my own. I crossed the street, sat down in the bushes, and ignored her until she was curious enough to be scooped up.

I knew if we failed to rescue her, she would end up as hawk food or roadkill. I was not comfortable with either scenario.

As my husband returned with the dogs, I was able to catch this tiny little kitten that we then took into our home.

Have you ever considered that God has been moved to take pity on us?

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