by Charleen Burghardt I will never forget a warm evening with the moon barely visible in the sky when we walked into an 1893 wooden dance hall. A flickering neon Coors beer sign greeted us as we entered. We noticed only one guitarist and one vocalist occupying a stage surrounded by small twinkling lights. As… Continue reading Youth Group? You’ve Got to be Kidding
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Test Post
Hi, I noticed that notifications were not going out for my new posts, so I’m trying a few modifications to see if they work. If you receive a notification for this post, you don’t need to do anything, but I invite you to check out my recent posts at CharleenBurghardt/Blog
Grace Offers Hope
by Charleen Burghardt How did you make it through a hard time or an impossible situation? I look back to when my sons were young, and I was a single mother; I wonder how I survived. My two sons had a rare disease needing extra medical care and developmental disabilities needing intervention. I juggled teaching… Continue reading Grace Offers Hope
Unwelcomed Gift
Did you receive any unexpected gifts this Christmas that you did not appreciate? Do you have a trait you wish you didn’t possess? I did. Let me tell you my story. As an avid reader, I devour almost anything in print, except computer programing manuals. However, reading has not always been fun for me. I… Continue reading Unwelcomed Gift
Feeling Drained?
Have you ever felt depleted? I have, especially during holidays. Today, I woke up drained mentally from processing all the activities of the week and preoccupation with all the tasks ahead. Maybe I needed a slower day to recover. It seems I expect more of myself than I can accomplish in the time I have.… Continue reading Feeling Drained?
Whisper a Prayer
by Charleen Burghardt “Sometimes the biggest prayers have the fewest words.” Tama Fortner I read this, and it resonated with me. I thought of how often I pray with few words but with a heart full of need. Elegant words or elaborate prayers are not needed to talk to God. Conversing with the One present… Continue reading Whisper a Prayer
Facing the Holidays
The holidays are here; Christmas decorations displayed give us the clue. I wonder where Thanksgiving went in the stores that concentrate on Christmas. I have not feasted yet on the Thanksgiving meal. How is your soul at this season? As the holidays approach, you may have a sense of dread about the upcoming days.… Continue reading Facing the Holidays
Do you ever need someone to listen to you?
“I just need someone to talk to and listen to me,” I said to myself when I was distraught. I suspect you can relate. Have you ever had a friend who is a good listener? What a valued and rare gem to have that kind of friend! Reliable, non judgmental listeners are hard to find. … Continue reading Do you ever need someone to listen to you?
Gratitude in the Mist of Loss
Are you going through a time of disappointment or grief? Maybe you areexperiencing the loss of a loved one, a lost dream, a defeat or another kind ofsetback. All these can bring grief and sadness. Sorrow can both crush us underits heavy weight and consume us to obscure our vision. Furthermore, we findourselves aware of… Continue reading Gratitude in the Mist of Loss
Unlimited Grace
Have you ever thought, “I feel weak dealing with what is going on, whether it be grief or challenging circumstances?” When that happens we are in an unsettling place of not being in control. We recognize we are not as strong as we would like to be. It may bring us to our knees in… Continue reading Unlimited Grace