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Dana Rongione 25/04/2024 Dana Rongione 25/04/2024

The Greatest Castle Never Built

Last week, Jason and I took some much-needed time off to rest and refresh ourselves. We spent a few days in northern Wales, taking in many sights, including three castles. They were all impressive, but my favourite was Beaumaris Castle. Now, there's a sight to behold! It's a massive fortress on the coast of Wales, with walls that stretch on for what seems like miles. But here's the thing: it was never finished. King Edward I had big plans for this castle but ran out of money before he could see it through to completion, leaving Beaumaris with the title “The Greatest Castle Never Built.” Bummer, right?

Dana Rongione 04/04/2024 Dana Rongione 04/04/2024

Crying Over Spilled Sand

Because of our house’s limited storage space, the seasonal flower arrangements from the chapels are typically placed into totes and stored in our attic. The problem is that the totes large enough to hold the arrangements are too large to go through the attic doorway unless they’re turned sideways. As you can imagine, this is not the best practice and usually results in my having to “tweak” the arrangements once they come down from the attic before displaying them in the chapel.

Recently, however, the arrangements that came out of the attic needed more than a simple adjustment. Half of the vases had fallen over, dumping their flowers and sand inside the tote. The result was a gritty, mangled mess that took several hours to rework.

Dana Rongione 11/03/2024 Dana Rongione 11/03/2024

Avoiding Spiritual Nose Dives

You'll never believe the silly bird antics I witnessed at our backyard feeder yesterday. I'm still chuckling over this one!

So there I was, heading outside to check if spring had finally sprung, when I spotted this large starling stuck head-first inside the birdfeeder. Somehow, he had wedged his plump body through the tiny opening at the top and gotten stuck. Yup, rather than just pecking at the food from the sides like the other birds, old chunky cheeks got the brilliant idea to nose-dive straight in after a snack!

I did a double take at the bird standing on its head as the poor thing flailed around, feathers flying, trying in vain to work himself back out. His scrawny tail feathers kept getting caught on the feeder’s lip every time he backed up. You could tell the foolish bird had absolutely no plan for extracting himself from that self-imposed trap.

Dana Rongione 07/03/2024 Dana Rongione 07/03/2024

Losing Our Edge

Did you know a dull knife can be more dangerous than a sharp one? It's true! Without that razor edge, you apply more pressure and risk slipping as the blade catches. Who knew?

Similarly, spiritually dull Christians pose hazards, too, often without realizing it. Now, I'm not suggesting we go around stabbing people with convictions, but lukewarm faith does subtle damage.

When passion cools and vision blurs, we drift along numbly. Rather than piercing darkness, our words and witness lose edge. We fear ruffling feathers with truth. But Proverbs 27:6 says, "Faithful are the wounds of a friend,” meaning caring rebuke holds more value than mute passivity.

Dana Rongione 05/02/2024 Dana Rongione 05/02/2024

Stirring Up the Soul

There's nothing quite like the smell of a big pot of soup or chilli simmering on the stove during these chilly winter months. The savoury aroma fills the kitchen, bringing comfort and warmth on cold days. I don't know about you, but something about stirring a steaming pot of soup feels soothing to the soul.

As I stand over the pot, swirling the wooden spoon around and around, I'm reminded of what Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 1:6-7:

“6 Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. 7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

Dana Rongione 01/02/2024 Dana Rongione 01/02/2024

Channeling Your Inner Superhero

Lately, I've been dreaming about being a superhero. Wouldn't it be amazing to fly through the sky or lift a bus over our heads? To run faster than a speeding bullet or be invisible? Or to read an entire novel in the blink of an eye? Who wouldn't want superpowers like that?

While we may not be able to shoot laser beams from our eyes or scale tall buildings, we can still be superheroes in our everyday lives. No, I'm not talking about building your secret base or wearing your underwear on the outside of your tights. I'm not even talking about donning a mask. Instead, I'm referring to using the gifts God has given us to make a difference and spread His love.

Dana Rongione 29/01/2024 Dana Rongione 29/01/2024

Lukewarm Faith

As you can see, Jesus had nothing good to say about the church of the Laodiceans. Even the way he addressed the letter showed his disapproval. With every other church, their letters were addressed to the "church of [insert city]" or "the church in [insert city]." This time, the letter was addressed to the church of the Laodiceans. In other words, the church of the people. The Lord recognized how the people there viewed the church as "theirs" rather than "God's". No wonder this church made Him sick!

That being said, can you imagine Jesus saying He wants to spit you out of His mouth? That's some tough love right there! But the Laodicean church was just going through the motions. They showed up on Sundays but had no passion or zeal for God. Their faith was like a cup of tea that's been sitting out too long—not hot enough to be soothing and not cold enough to be refreshing. In a word, yuck!

Dana Rongione 15/01/2024 Dana Rongione 15/01/2024

Taking Sin Seriously

Jesus introduces His message to Pergamos by reminding them of the sharp two-edged sword proceeding from His mouth. This symbolises the Word of God that will soon cut to their hearts concerning compromise in their midst.

The city of Pergamos was an epicentre of pagan idolatry and immorality. Yet Jesus commends the believers there for clinging to His name despite persecution. For the most part, they had resisted the rampant evil around them.

However, Jesus takes issue with Pergamos' tolerance of sin within its walls. Some members dabbled in idolatry and sexual immorality. These wayward sheep should have been confronted and corrected for their own good. But instead, they remained unchallenged as part of the flock, to its detriment.

Dana Rongione 02/10/2023 Dana Rongione 02/10/2023

Who’s the Fixer?

Picture this: You're in the midst of a hurricane of chaos, trying to control everything around you like a weathered ship's captain steering through a storm. You've got your hands full, attempting to "fix" your circumstances, mend broken relationships, and even "improve" people to meet your ideal standards. You've got a toolkit brimming with solutions, and you're determined to use it, no matter the cost!

But wait just a second. Before you envision yourself as a one-person repair crew, let's chat about the power of relinquishing control and acknowledging what isn't our job.

Dana Rongione 28/09/2023 Dana Rongione 28/09/2023

What’s Going On Beneath the Surface?

Hey there, friends! Today, I've got a story to tell you, and it all started when the shower and internet went out simultaneously in our house. Yep, last week, our cosy home experienced a weird, isolated power outage. We had lights and electricity in most of the house, but the power shower (popular in the UK) and the outlet our router was plugged into went dead. Things were very interesting for several moments as Jason was using the shower and I was using the internet when they both suddenly quit. No fun!

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Dana Rongione