Tag Archives: community

Characters With Special Needs On Television

Recently, there have been several television shows that include a character who has special needs. Many of these characters are young adults, or teenagers, who are part of an ensemble cast of main characters. Others appear now and again, on a few episodes in a series. This is a big improvement from the “very special episodes” that would sometimes focus on a person with special needs, who would disappear from the series after that episode ended. Glee is an extremely popular television show about a group of teenagers who are in the Glee Club of their high school. These students … Continue reading →

Stone Soup

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Do you know the story of stone soup? In the story, a village is poor and hungry. Gradually each family brings a single item to the soup pot, which is originally only populated by stones. By the end they have a nourishing soup for the whole village. I find myself valuing our community again today. Last week, my daughter learned how to ride a bike. She also added to her extensive bruise and scrape collection. This weekend I got her some knee pads at the garage sale of one of the families at our preschool. Yesterday one of our neighbors … Continue reading →

Why I’m Blogging My Health

I’ve talked about “liveblogging” your health: writing openly and publicly about your health issues as they happen (or as close to “live” as possible). A writer friend of mine blogs his experiences with cancer — the good, the bad, and the ugly, no holds barred. Former Pets Blogger Courtney Mroch wrote very openly about her experiences with her cancerous “hitchhiker”. One advantage of liveblogging a health issue — or other important goings on in your life — is that lots of people can get the news quickly and easily. They can stay up to day with your progress without you … Continue reading →

Greening Up Your Neighborhood

Now that you have got a good handle on green practices for your home, why not expand a little and lead the charge to green up your neighborhood? You can start with a single neighbor or hit the town. It is up to you. No matter what you choose, you will be making a difference. Here are some ideas to get you started. Organize a park clean up day If you are already park of an organization, such as a civic organization, a church family or a parent’s group, then you may already have a ready group of volunteers to … Continue reading →

Reach Out to Help Others

Recently I had a conversation with one of my friends about the importance of giving back. It started as a discussion on the economy, and the dismal way it seemed to be going, and then it turned to the extravagant lifestyles that so many people seem to be embracing. We then talked about how we could help those around us. She mentioned a project she had completed in another town where she cut hair for the poor children whose parents couldn’t afford to get them a new outfit and school supplies for school. This is a great way to reach … Continue reading →

Lighted Luminaries for Christmas

Today while driving back from a long, hard day of shopping, we passed through a neighborhood and then had to double back. Each year, the entire neighborhood, which includes many cross-streets get together to put on a show that symbolizes the light of Christ through white paper bag luminaries. This neighborhood puts up the luminaries every year, and they span very far. I confess that we turned off our headlights and drove very slowly by. We had the feeling that we were traveling down a lighted Christmas runway, as the lights went off into the distance. The Christmas decorating around … Continue reading →

Needs In Your Community And Beyond

Sometimes it may seem as we look around our community, we see so many areas of need. We could shrug our shoulders and decide ‘The problems are too big. I can’t do anything, so why bother trying?’ Imagine if God had taken that attitude with the world and the problem of sin! What a dreadful state we would be in. But God sent His Son to pay the price for, and deal with our sins, Isaiah 53:5-12 and John 3:16. Instead of admitting defeat, we could look at the skills, talent sand resources we have and see how they can … Continue reading →

Why Pray For Your Community?

In a recent blog I suggested praying for the community where we live. Why should we pray for our communities? Because it is the place where God has put us and we are to be a witness or ambassador there just as Paul was in Corinth, 2 Corinthians 5:20. In Acts 22:15 , though these words were spoken by Ananias to Paul, I believe they ought also apply to us. We need to witness to what we have seen, heard, experienced and know of Jesus. Have you ever thought that you may be in the community where you are because … Continue reading →

Why Am I Here? – Part 1

Have you ever had to live in a place where you would not choose to be? But you are there because of work, or family, circumstances, or perhaps because God directed you there. I’ve been in that position at varying times in my life. God showed some important truths during these times. I admit, I haven’t always been as receptive to learn them as I could have been. But here are some of the things I learned during these times. ‘From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the … Continue reading →

What to Bring to a Fourth of July Parade

Every year, we try to hit at least one fourth of July parade. These parades are fun and really give us both a sense of patriotism and community. In our old neck of the woods, when we lived in our smaller home with the postage-stamp yard, the town Independence Day parade went right past our home, literally. We simply got some lawn chairs out and pulled them up to the sidewalk before the parade started. Our neighbors would do the same. One neighbor always hands out Italian ice (or water ice as it is called here in Pennsylvania), while another … Continue reading →