Category Archives: Uncategorized

4/6/26   MondayMatters:  Keep Easter Going

4/6/26 MondayMatters: Keep Easter Going

Easter is not a one day event. Easter changed our calendar. It changed our holiday system. It changed the Hallmark Business and the Cadaver Egg business. More importantly, Easter changed the whole plan of salvation. God allowed access mankind to Himself by way of His Son, Jesus. Not only is Easter more than a one day even in the cosmos, it should be an ongoing awareness in our individual lives. We need to find a way to keep Easter going past one Sunday or even one weekend. The church calendar calls the next 5 Sundays, Easter. Here are four ideas to help you keep Easter going in your life this year.

Here’s the video.

https://youtu.be/sZXEy3GBd1E?si=x6aYH9FjJqOYvGcJ

 

I’ll post a thought each day this week on that topic on Facebook and Instagram. Also, look for the new Branches podcast, Extending Branches to drop tomorrow morning on Spotify, Apple cast, and wherever you go for your podcasts. Like and subscribe if you would. For one central location to be made aware of all things, well, me 😬, subscribe at branchesblog.com

 

MondayMatters Day 45: Necessary Suffering

MondayMatters Day 45: Necessary Suffering

Jon-Mical pitched yesterday against a very good team from Youngstown, Ohio. He pitched well, going 6 1/3 innings, giving up 5 hits and 2 walks,  with 2 strikeouts. We won 11-4. And I suffered through most of the game. There is a unique form of suffering that grandparents endure at ballgames or band concerts. It… Continue Reading

MondayMatters Lent Day 44: Backwards Land

Reading today Psalm 95 and John 18:24-40 When Jon-Mical and Jakson, our grandsons, were little, I began telling them an ongoing story when they came over to spend the night. We would all squeeze in the same bed together, Mimi, Jon-Mical, Jakson, and PoppyC, and they would say,”PoppyC, tell us a story about Backwards Land.”… Continue Reading

MondayMatters Lent Day 41: That About Says It All

MondayMatters Lent Day 41: That About Says It All

MondayMatters Lent Day 41: That About Say’s It All John 12:1-11   I think they are called microcosms, those snapshots of life that pretty much sum up the whole thing. We had one this morning. I was getting Amos ready for school. He’s 3 and ¾. (Do NOT forget the ¾’s. In fact, he says… Continue Reading

MondayMatters Lent: March 25,   Day 36    Sweet Comfort

MondayMatters Lent: March 25, Day 36 Sweet Comfort

MondayMatters Lent: Day 36 (yes, I miscounted the days yesterday ) 2 Corinthians 1:3-11 I have a friend, Bryan Duncan, who played in a Christian Rock Band in the 70’s called The Sweet Comfort Band. They came to be in the second wave of the Jesus Revolution that started in the hippie world of Riverside,… Continue Reading

MondayMatters Lent: March 26, Day 37       And Then You Die

MondayMatters Lent: March 26, Day 37 And Then You Die

MondayMatters Lent: Day 37 And Then You Die Isaiah 53:7-10 I have good news and bad news. The bad news first. This is a very busy morning. It’s Thursday morning, so I have my weekly men’s Bible study, usually 20-25 guys that meet at 6am every Thursday. We have been studying the lives of the… Continue Reading

MondayMatters Lent Day 38    Viernes de Dolores

MondayMatters Lent Day 38 Viernes de Dolores

We are keeping Caleb and Amos while their parents are traveling. The morning routine is grueling. It’s funny. At home, I am up by 4:30 or 5 every morning, fully refreshed, lots of quiet time, totally prepared to face the day. Here, I scramble out of bed at 6, gulp down the first of several… Continue Reading

1/7/25 MondayMatters: Desire What You Desire

1/7/25 MondayMatters: Desire What You Desire

Here’s the video    https://youtu.be/I_hSAFyzsxg?si=2D9OckFRxhgta8i5 Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” I don’t think God gives us everything we want. I think He helps us to want what He wants. That is my desire for 2025, to desire what God desires for me to desire.… Continue Reading

12/16/24 MondayMatters: Meditation

12/16/24 MondayMatters: Meditation

https://youtu.be/TT2sNpgj2wo?si=KdSnJ4jI5oHbj71V Watch the video above.  Then…We are building a foundation for a terrific 2025. Start some things now that will foster momentum for significant spiritual growth. We have talked about Bible reading, consistent prayer, and today, meditation/journalling. The discipline of quietness, centering, meditating is a vital as the other two for discipleship. Here are 4… Continue Reading

50 Day End-Well and Start-Fast Spiritual Adventure

50 Day End-Well and Start-Fast Spiritual Adventure

By the time you’ve read the title the adventure is about over. 😂 I have always worked better, especially when it comes to my personal discipleship, by creating seasons, short bursts of intentionality that help me focus, keep me energized, and give me attainable goals. I also have always tried to step up my game… Continue Reading