In Others’ Words: Taking Two with Erma Bombeck

Beth Vogtdreams, In Others' Words, Quotes 8 Comments

Today would have been Erma Bombeck’s 90th birthday. I’ve always enjoyed her humorous — and truthful — view of life. So, I’m celebrating this wonderful writer today by posting not one, but two of her quotes. I’m keeping today’s post brief, after spending the past four days in Phoenix, cheering my youngest daughter’s volleyball team on while they competed at …

In Others’ Words: Honoring Christmas

Beth VogtChristmas, In Others' Words, Quotes, Uncategorized 11 Comments

A common theme among Christmas quotes is the idea that the spirit of Christmas shouldn’t be confined to a single day. Of course, different people mean different things when they talk about the spirit of Christmas. Love. Joy. Goodwill. Kindness. Giving … and receiving.  Truly, all of these attitudes are part of Christmas. And yes, it would be wonderful if we …

In Others’ Words: Choosing Sides on Christmas

Beth VogtChristmas, In Others' Words, Quotes 2 Comments

  I read through pages and pages of quotes about Christmas last night and I came to a conclusion: People either love Christmas or they don’t. And when they don’t, well, sometimes they tolerate it … and sometimes they just outright hate it. Reading those quotes was like sitting atop a virtual pendulum that swung back and forth, back and …

In Others’ Words: Choosing Between Love and Understanding

Beth VogtIn Others' Words, Life, Relationships 10 Comments

Loved or understood? Do we have to choose between the two? I don’t think so. When we take the time to understand someone else, isn’t that a form of loving that person? Understanding someone demands concentrated effort. Sometimes we must set aside prejudices and preconceived ideas about a person. Understanding happens when we listen. When we consider someone else more …

In Others’ Words: Love is …

Beth VogtFaith, In Others' Words, Life 16 Comments

I’ve come across many a “Love is …” attempt to define an emotion that is, in essence, undefinable. Even the “Love is patient, love is kind … ” distillation so often read during wedding ceremonies, often stumps me before I get very far into the verses in 1 Corinthians 13. Love is patient … kind … it does not envy …

In Others’ Words: Choose

Beth VogtFaith, Life, Quotes 9 Comments

By Max Lucado, best-selling author & preacher “I Choose Love… No occasion justifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness. I choose love. Today I will love God and what God loves. I Choose Joy… I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance. I will refuse the temptation to be cynical. I will refuse to see people as anything …

In Others’ Words: Life

Beth VogtQuotes, Reality 17 Comments

  “The way to know life is to love many things.” ~Vincent van Gogh, Dutch impressionist painter Loving many things = knowing life. Hhhhm. There’s a Greek word for “know”: epiginosko, which means to become thoroughly acquainted with, to know well, to percieve, by sight, by hearing … to understand. Expanding that initial equation a bit (which is a reduction of van …