Visual Guide to Home Energy Savings – courtesy of PurelyShutters.co.uk Read more at http://www.purelyshutters.co.uk/blog/purely-shutters/a-visual-guide-to-home-energy-savings/ Read more

By Jason Micheli: It was my fault. I knew I should’ve carried on something by John Grisham or David Baldacci or maybe, like everyone else on the plane, The Kite Runner. Instead I’d fallen asleep with the evidence right there on my lap: a theology book, thick and unambiguous, with an unexciting orange cover that plainly, if obscurely, said Church Dogmatics II.1 by Karl Barth. I’d just woken up after almost an hour not sure if we’d landed already or if we’d not... Read more

Our church today prayed for Rick Warren and his family and for all who are grieving. Two prayers for the grieving today: Grant, O Lord, to all who are bereaved the spirit of faith and courage, that they may have strength to meet the days to come with steadfastness and patience; not sorrowing as those without hope, but in thankful remembrance of your great goodness, and in the joyful expectation of eternal life with those they love.  And this we... Read more

Almighty and everlasting God, who in the Paschal mystery established the new covenant of reconciliation: Grant that all who have been reborn into the fellowship of Christ’s Body may show forth in their lives what they profess by their faith; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Read more

My friend, Jim, has a rule when he goes out to dinner with friends. Everyone has to put their smart phone on the dinner table and the first person to pick up the phone has to pay for the table. Why? Here’s why: SAN FRANCISCO — Brittany Morton used to cringe when her boyfriend would whip out his smartphone over dinner. Imagine what she’ll think when it’s attached to his face as computerized glasses or strapped to his wrist, demanding... Read more

From Andrea Kay: Let’s hear from those with degrees in the liberal arts and tell us what you are doing these days… Of all the non-useful things people believe, have no proof of but perpetuate, I’d like to put one to rest: “You can’t do anything with” (fill in the blank) an English degree, a degree in philosophy or anything in the general vicinity of the humanities or social sciences. But that belief is just false, false, false — especially... Read more

I’ve been to lots of colleges to speak and lecture, but never to one like the College of the Ozarks, a unique college sitting on the hill just west of the river/lake of Branson MO. My invitation was to be a convocation speaker for spiritual emphasis week and I focused on two themes: loving others (Jesus Creed, enemies, and the meaning of love) and loving God (prayer). Great group of students, led by talented worship team, and also fun chatting... Read more

From JoNel Aleccia: “It’s becoming more acceptable to be in a long-term, committed relationship without a legal document,” says Pamela J. Smock, director and research professor at the Population Studies Center at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. By the time they’re 20, 1 in 4 women ages 15 to 44 in the U.S. have lived with a man, and by the time they’re 30, that ratio climbs to 3 in 4, the new study shows. “The question becomes not who... Read more

Jen Hatmaker’s wisdom with an attack plan for getting out of the doldrums, worth your read: None of these were executed at once. Over a few weeks, I just implemented healthier practices, one at a time. It was not revolutionary when I sat down with Alan Bradley’s latest novel finally (“Whenever I’m a little blue, I think about cyanide which so perfectly reflects my mood” ~Flavia), nor did my world tilt back on its axis when I wrote the first... Read more