bondChristian

Others-oriented gratitude: Creating reasons for THEM to be thankful

Last week, I made a Thanksgiving shift. I shifted from thinking of thankfulness in terms of how I’m blessed to thinking of thankfulness in terms of how others are blessed. Call it others-oriented gratitude. Once I realized it, I wondered how I’d missed it for so long. After all, I try to be all about [...]

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30 ways to go the extra mile

Going the extra mile is tough because it means stretching further after you’ve already stretched. It means giving more even after you’ve already given. The first part is like, “Oh, this is my Christian duty.” But the second part, the “above and beyond” part, is purely out of the kindness of your heart. Maybe it’s [...]

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Give a man a fish (because examples might beat instruction)

No doubt you’ve heard some variation of the common refrain, If I do it for them, they’ll never learn. We often throw in a reference to fishing too. These “words of wisdom” seem to creep up all over the place: at work, at home, even at church. I know I’ve caught myself with the thought more [...]

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When does “you serving them” become “them taking advantage of you”?

This is a question I’ve been asked – in one form or another – many, many times. This isn’t the answer you’re probably wanting to hear, but it aligns pretty well with the whole slave mindset. Let me know what you think. [Click through to watch if you're in email or RSS.] Takeaway: 1. Serving [...]

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10 benefits of friendship

Consider the most meaningful and fulfilling moments in your life. Do they have friendships running through them? Through my life, every meaningful moment has been either a direct or indirect result of friendship. I’ve told you that before, but I’d like to share why. This is a general list – I haven’t included specific examples [...]

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