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The Building One Another PodcastBOA #182 - Be a People Eye Player!Encouraging others often involves just two steps we take in the moment. See a person to encourage through people eyes – the eyes of Jesus – and do it! To have people eyes is to be a player. To “see” a person you may encourage and remain a bystander means you are people blind and didn’t really see! Can you imagine Jesus seeing the woman at the well and ignoring her? Zacchaues up in the tree and Jesus just walking past him? The leper begging help and Jesus ignoring him? Jesus is a player. He see a person...2025-04-2218 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #181 - Be a Bethesda!Jesus heals a man lying by the Pool of Bethesda who turns out to be a whiney, spineless person. Upon receiving an outright miracle, he shows no gratitude. In return for his mercy, Jesus gets nothing but trouble. Why did Jesus heal this one? Bethesda is a beautiful name in the Bible that combines two words, the first being beth meaning house, such as in Beth-lehem – house of bread. The second is hesed, so Bethesda means House of Hesed or house of mercy, Hesed means, “I will never withdraw my love from...2025-03-2518 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #180 - Be the Arms Underneath!In the middle of Moses’ final words of blessing to Israel we discover this famous gem: “The eternal God is your dwelling place and underneath are the everlasting arms.” Deuteronomy 33:27 Chris Tomlin sings, “How lovely is your dwelling place oh Lord, Almighty.” As wonderful as that describes our forever home, the next phrase describes the reason for our hope! "Underneath are the everlasting arms!" Anthony Showalter, on hearing of two funerals, wrote the refrain to the hymn, Leaning on the Everlasting Arms also known as What a Fellowship. Leaning, leaning, Safe and secure from all a...2025-03-0414 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #179 - You ARE an Influencer!Robert H. Schuller made the fascinating observation that anybody can count the number of seeds in an apple, but only God can count the number of apples in a seed! In other words, you have no idea how God will use you to influence the lives of others. Yet, you DO know our loving Lord will do far beyond what you ask or think! Who was it that first spoke to Billy Graham about Jesus Christ? Who first connected Martin Luther King, Jr, Mother Theresa, Richard Foster, Pope Francis with Jesus? ...2025-02-1915 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #178 - Be a Yokefellow!A double yoke allowed two oxen to share a load. A similar harness allows horses to pull together. When Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you, for my burden is light,” we know that the loving power of God lifts our yoke! The apostle Paul spoke of a friend as a "true yokefellow," he asked to help two women to reconcile. Philippians 4:3 Just as Jesus the ultimate Yokefellow shares our burdens, we, too, are yokefellows sharing the burdens of others. Appreciate the yokefellows in your life who share your burdens with you. Be a yoke...2025-01-2818 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #177 - Let Jesus In!An epiphany is a new and sudden insight! In today’s podcast, we discuss a remarkable story told by a person whose dramatic epiphany about Jesus was amazing and life-changing. In this New Year, ask our Lord to give you fresh epiphanies his presence, love and power in your life! To put it simply, let Jesus in!2025-01-1418 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #176 - Practicing the Presence!Consider the Christmas music in our homes, the Christmas story in our churches, the Christmas gatherings of family and friends, and our Christmas shopping (and Hallmark movies). All of those activities, which capture our attention and bring joy in themselves, are also simply the wrapping! The true gift is the presence of the person of Jesus, a babe in a manger no longer, now our risen Lord! Allow the music, the story, the gatherings and the gifts of Christmas to move beyond capturing your attention to directing your attention to the presence of Jes...2024-12-1118 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #175 - The Grace CycleHave you ever heard of the Grace Cycle? This is wonderfully captured by the Apostle Paul when he wrote: “You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity, which will produce thanksgiving to God through us.” II Corinthians 9:11 There are three stages to this grace cycle. Stage One: Grace to us – “You will be enriched in every way.” Stage Two – Grace through us – “for your great generosity.” Stage Three – Grace returned. “the gifts produce thanksgiving to God.” Grace to us. Grace through us. Grace returned. Round and round, the Grace Cycle never stops....2024-11-1915 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #174 - Journey into Joy!Rejoice in the Lord, always! Sometimes we focus on the “always,” and to be sure, as my friend, Bob Shull says, “All means all,” so always means always. We sometimes mistakenly think this verse means to be joyful for every circumstance. To be sure, there are intensely joyful moments in life that we love to experience, yet as the drama masks of comedy and tragedy tell us, there are painful moments as well. A moments reflection tells us the true focus of, “rejoice in the Lord, always.” It is "IN THE LORD!" We rejoice...2024-11-0618 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #173 - Model Jesus!Modeling is one of the most potent means of building others. Modeling sets the example. Provides a pattern. Shows the way. Gives others a picture of what they can become. Whom do we model? Jesus! Paul said, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ" and " What you have learnedand received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. I Corinthians 11:1 and Philippians 4:9 Modeling is not an option. You model your lifestyle in front of the others in your life every single day. Th...2024-10-3021 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #172 - Growing in the Knowing of Jesus!The apostle Paul wrote to the Philippians to speak of the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus. Clearly, Paul’s heart’s desire was to grow in the knowing of Jesus. We begin our friendship with Jesus as we trust him and become his followers, yet that is only the beginning of our knowing. Are you growing in your knowing of Jesus? Do you know more about Jesus and do you know Jesus more in direct friendship than you did a year ago? A wonderful prayer is simply, “Jesus, I want to know you more!”...2024-10-0917 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #171 - Walk with Journey Partners!Paul marvelously describes his friend Epaphroditus as, “my brother, my fellow worker, my fellow soldier! What a marvelous combination! Just think of the people in your life you would call friends and fellow workers and fellow soldier! We call those people “journey partners” in your life. Journey partners share friendship in life, love, laughter and lament. Journey Partners share endeavor and adversity, perhaps in the past, present or future. Let your journey partners know how much you appreciate them! Be a journey partner with Jesus! In turn be a journey...2024-10-0114 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #170 - People Eyes are Anxious for Others!Paul’s words about Timothy’s care for the Philippians reveal that he is “genuinely concerned for your welfare.” Philippians 2:20 The sense of this is, “Timothy is anxious for you,” he worries about you because he actually cares for you, misses you, wants the best for you!” We have often talked about the gift of “people eyes,” the eyes of Jesus for people. Timothy’s caring heart is the reflection of the people eyes of Jesus. Jesus “sees” us as we really are, often harassed and helpless, worn down and thrown down. Jesus reaches to y...2024-09-1713 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #169 - Helping People Find Joy in Jesus!Is a major aim of your life to help people find joy in Jesus? There are many ups and downs in the lives we lead, yet always we know the immediate presence of the Lord who loves us and his promise of joy! “These things I (Jesus) have spoken to you, that my joy may be in your and that your joy may be made full.” John 15:11 “Jesus… who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross.” Hebrews 12:2 You may encourage the people in your life with words such as: I am with you! I...2024-09-1017 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #168 - Holding People in Your Heart!One of the fascinating things about the Apostle Paul is how clearly he demonstrates his interest in people! For example, he holds the Philippians in his heart as he remembers them, prays for them with joy as he yearns for them. Immediately we see a patterns to help us hold people in our own hearts: Remember them – be aware of them. Pray for them – with joy and expectation. Yearn for them – love them with the love of Jesus. The first step is to remember them. It’s easy to remember the people we see regularly, but given...2024-09-0315 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA# 167 - When Building People is EGR (Extra Grace Required)Reflecting on the wonder of the phrase “love covers,” as in love covers a multitude of sins and irritations and aggravations, I am reminded of the term EGR. EGR, for Extra Grace Required, was coined by pastor Dale Galloway to give us a way to think about the challenging people in our lives. Joyce Landorf’s book “Irregular People” addresses the same kinds of people situations. As you work through an EGR situation (knowing in humility we, ourselves, may well be EGR to others), consider these questions: Where do I get the extra grace? Who are my Y...2024-08-1320 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #166 - Love Covers!Twice Peter repeats the phrase, “Love one another earnestly.” The first time, he simply tells us to do it (I Peter 1:22). The second time, he shares a consequence, “because love covers a multitude of sins!” (I Peter 4:8) Love covers! God’s marvelous love covers the multitude of your own sins and we in turn are invited to cover the multitudinous sins of the people in our lives. Covering does not mean covering up by denying the sin happened, nor avoiding the person, nor excusing abuse – for Jesus in Matthew 18 teaches us how to address the...2024-07-3017 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #165 - Stretch Out to Love Earnestly!The apostle Peter offers this direct word, “Love one another earnestly from a pure heart!” I Peter 1:22 The word “earnest” carries the sense of reaching out eagerly and resolutely, like a runner racing to the finish line or a parent chasing a child wandering into danger. So, this kind of earnest love for one another isn’t casual or necessarily easy. It’s focused, urgent unrelenting, exactly like God’s earnest love for us! Note that Peter says we are to love earnestly from a pure hear, a heart with no agenda other than the well...2024-07-1615 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #164 - Use Words that Give Grace!We live in a time in which conversation is increasingly coarse, and there is a diminishing capacity to disagree agreeably. When you disagree with someone, ask yourself, “Do I only want to state my view and if possible, change your view?” Or, “Do I want to hurt you, demean and damage you with my words? Do you refer to people with whom you disagree as “of that ilk,” a disparaging way of associating them with some group you disapprove of? Now is the time for us to take the words of Ephesians seriously, “Do not let A...2024-06-2516 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #163 - The Power of MicrogroupsWe often think of small groups with anywhere from 6 to 12 people in them, but a MICROgroup has only 3 or 4 people! We see many microgroups in the New Testament: Peter, James and John;' Mary, Johanna and Suzanna; Mary, Martha and Lazarus; Paul, Silvanus and Timothy. The power of microgroups is their capacity to deepen your love for Jesus and your friendships with others. A microgroup is tiny church! You study scripture, share lives and pray for one another! This is much like the early church of Acts 2:42, “And they devoted themselves to t...2024-06-1115 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #162 - Always Have an Empty Chair!The idea of the empty chair offers a great way to encourages groups to welcome new participants. If the group is open to new people, have an empty chair present every meeting! The concept of the empty chair extends to our personal lives as well! Ask yourself, “Am I open to an empty chair in my personal life? Am I open to new acquaintances, new friends while growing more deeply with the friends I have? Jesus told his disciples, “I have called you friends!” He didn’t call them disciples (although disciples they were) or...2024-05-2112 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #161 - Try Making a Personal Discipleship Plan!Do you have a plan, even a simple plan, to grow as a disciple of Jesus? It’s very easy to attend a class or a study group, attend worship Sundays and assume that’s enough. It is true that Christian growth happens as we just live life with the Lord who loves us. However, just as students grow in maturity simply by living life at home with adults, they also grow when they stretch their lives according to various plans at school. One way to enhance your own spiritual growth is to have a PDP...2024-04-3015 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #160 - Short-Term Challenges Inspire Joy!Do short-term challenges grab your attention? The World Vision Global 6K is a 3.73 mile walk that raises money to help the peoples of the world have clean water. The 100 Push-Ups a Day Challenge raises money for cancer healing research. Ideally, such challenges go beyond the short-term fitness and fund-raising goals and inspire us to make walking and exercing part of daily life. The Apostle Paul offered this intriguing observation, “Train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds pr...2024-04-0312 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #159 - Stomach Lag - when our feelings lag behind our faith!It’s easy to mix up the way faith and feelings work in our lives. In fact, we are invited to trust God regardless of how we are feeling. Sometimes, while we are trusting God, our feelings soar with joy. At other times we experience “stomach lag” as our feelings lag behind our faith. Faith isn’t a feeling, it’s a trusting, a relying, a resting upon another, no matter what we are feeling! The apostle Paul does offer a way to counter stomach lag: do not be anxious about anything… but in everythin...2024-03-1914 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #158 - Positioning - Seeing God at Work!Think of the times you found yourself positioned with people through no conscious choice of your own and it became clear your meeting was for reasons of God’s own. That is the concept of “positioning.” When you are aware that God positions people together, it helps us to see God at work in your life. When you realize God positions you, then “play the position!” Deliberately look for ways to build up the people God positions into your life – perhaps with a word of encouragement or some act of service.2024-03-0514 min
The Reclaimed Leader PodcastRL 329: How to Help Your People Move from Greeting to Engaging (with Stan Ott & Lee Zehmer)Have you ever been in conversation with a pastor looking past you to someone else? Or did you show up to church only to be ignored while people caught up with their friends? Today we welcome Stan Ott and Lee Zehmer from "Building One Another" as we talk about moving from greeting to engaging.2024-03-0546 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #157 - Be a Mentor (pass the baton)! Think of a person whose intentional influence on your life helped shaped who you are today? A parent? A teacher? A friend? A fellow worker? That person was a mentor. A mentor is a person in your life who helps you develop, helps you become the person our Lord wants you to be, by passing the baton of faith and life practices. You also can be a mentor in turn as you deliberately invest yourself in the lives of others. Be a mentor – pass the baton to others of what God has given to you – and tell your own mentors how muc...2024-02-2019 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #156 - Touching Jesus and Touching People! Why did the woman with the hemorrhage and others who were ill touch Jesus? They trusted him! To touch Jesus today is to trust Jesus. Touching Jesus by trusting Jesus in every moment of every day connects us with the love and the life-changing power of the Lord who loves us! Just we know of those who sought to touch Jesus, we also know Jesus touched people. He touched lepers and blind people and little children with light touches filled with the power and love of God! When we touch people with a word of encouragement by text or call or...2024-01-3017 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #155 - Your Faith Story is for Sharing!The story of your own walk with the Lord who loves you is one of the easiest and most helpful ways to help others become aware of the same Lord! Sharing your story may be a simple as mentioning something that happened in your life with words of affirmation such as, “The Lord encouraged me by…” God comforted me with…” “The Lord who loves me was with me in this situation…“ More profoundly your faith story includes the beginning of your faith journey with Jesus. If you have no memory of when your trust in Jesus be...2024-01-0917 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #154 - Move from Greeting to Engaging!You walk into a room of people – perhaps a party in a home or a church sanctuary or a school program. Someone standing at the door greets you and immediately looks past you at other people who are coming. You feel both welcomed and ignored! Further into the room you pass someone else who also greets you and then looks past you? Again, you feel immediately welcomed and ignored! Imagine bumping into a person who has the people eyes of Jesus, who welcomes you and stays alert to you as long as you sta...2023-12-0516 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #153 - Stay Awake in the People Flow!In the midst of the people flow that swirled around him, Jesus remained awake to the individual persons who were near him. Whether it was Zacchaeus in a crowd, Bartimaeus in a crowd or an ill woman in a crowd, Jesus saw and paid attention to each one with his “people eyes.” Sometimes the people flow is a people flood and at other times a trickle, yet always every single person you encounter has a story and is a thread in God’s greater story. In the midst of the people flow of your ow...2023-11-2116 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #152 - Hold Jesus in Your Heart!A moment came in which Jesus remarked to the twelve apostles,“I have called you friends.” In that moment he did not call them students or disciples or followers, and they were all of that. Nor did he use the language of today, calling them parishioners or clients or patients or subjects. He called them friends! Jesus held them in his heart and they held Jesus in theirs! It’s what real relationship is all about! Think for a moment about the people who are close to you – family members and friends, both near and...2023-10-2617 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #151 - Hold People in Your Heart!Of all the marvelous words the Apostle Paul wrote to the Philippians, among the most meaningful to them must have been “I hold you in my heart!” To hold you in my heart, have you in my heart is not passive, it’s highly active! There are countless people you have met, known and know, who reside somewhere in your mind. You think of them when something sparks a memory, but I would suggest that to hold them in your heart is to go beyond remembering them! If I say, "Marty is in my hea...2023-10-1018 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #150 - Be a Valley-Walker! Who is with you when you walk through the valley of the shadow? It is Jesus the Good Shepherd! He is your ultimate valley-walker! Who else are the valley-walkers in your life? They are the people who walk with you through whatever valley of the shadow lies before you. You can also be a valley-walker for someone else. Who are the folks who need you to be their valley-walker? May you experience refreshment and the renewal of heart even as you walk with others! Jesus said, “I am with you always.” Matthew 28:20 2023-09-2616 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #149 - A People-Lifter in Action!Jesus helps us cope and gives us hope as he lifts the brokenhearted and those who seek him. If the people in your life were to be interviewed about you, would they say you are a people-lifter? I’ve been thinking about Dick Feiertag, a life-long friend of mine who recently slipped away to be with Jesus. Dick was a people-lifter who, like Jesus, helped people cope and gave them hope! Dick showed how the blend of friendship and leadership is not only possible, but that it leads to life-long relationships of encouragement....2023-09-1219 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #148 - Lifting People!The verb “to lift” occurs some 200 times in the Bible indicating various ways we lift our eyes, lift our heads, lift our voices, lift our hands and lift our faces. Above all we learn that the Lord who loves us loves to lift his people! The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down. Psalm 146:8 The Lord lifts up the humble. Psalm 147:6 Jesus came and took Simon’s mother-in-law by the hand and lifted her up. Mark 1:31 When you find yourself drained, depleted, diminished, or damaged, you need someone to lift you – to help you cope and give you hope...2023-08-0815 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA# 147 - The Pop-in Principle!When we observe the methods of Jesus, we see him regularly popping into peoples’ lives, unannounced and uninvited. He popped in to offer words and presence that brought the kingdom of God into their lives. As his disciples, we are to live as Jesus lives, so observing him practicing this Pop-in Principle, we also look for ways to pop-in to the lives of people. Rude? Impolite? Well, perhaps at times, but then when you think about Jesus, he often popped into lives unannounced, uninvited, in ways that may have been perceived as a bit rude, or...2023-07-1824 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #146 - Lord, Please Teach Me What to Say!Reading through the words of consolation and desolation the prophet Isaiah speaks to Israel, there are many marvelous sentences that seem to jump off the page! For example, “The Sovereign Lord has given me a well-instructed tongue to know the word that sustains the weary,” Isaiah 50:4 Wow! How wonderful to know there is a word – words – that sustain the weary. It reminds me of the wonderful Job 4:4, “Your words put people on their feet!.” Do your words lift people, put steel in their backbones, love in their hearts and hope in their heads? Do you know wo...2023-07-0417 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #145 - We are Sent to Serve (take a towel)!Consider this remarkable word, “Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God.” John 12:3* Jesus could have thought of his power as a means of serving himself. We easily think of our strengths as given for our own blessing. So, what did Jesus do, knowing all things were in his hand? He took a towel! He practiced humility, using his strength in the service of others. Consider what privileges God has given you –privilege(s) of educat...2023-06-2014 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #144 - We are Sent to Work!Many people think the lyrics, “It’s off to work we go,” are sung in "Heigh-Ho, Heigh-ho" in the 1937 Disney classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The words actually are, “It’s off to home we go,” but it really doesn’t make any difference. You can’t miss the uplifting joy of fruitful work that runs through the song. Sometimes people say that “work” was given as a punishment with the Fall of Adam as described in Genesis 3, however, we read in Genesis 1:28, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it,” and in Genesis 2...2023-05-2318 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA#143 - We are Sent to Stand Up!What comes to your mind when you read the famous words of the prophet Micah that begin with, “What does the Lord require of you but to do justice…?” Micah 6:8 When we consider the ways God “sends” us to do the work of Christ in the world, we know we are sent to show up with compassion and speak up with words of faith. The calls for justice in scripture also teach us that we are sent do stand up for what is right. While there are many social justice issues that roil our culture at the mom...2023-04-2515 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #142 - Jesus Moments and Jesus Movements!A “Jesus Moment” is any moment in which we, aware of the person of Jesus, entrust our life to him. A Jesus Moment is any moment we confess our love of Jesus and intent to follow him. Such Jesus moments morph into Jesus movements as such moments likes sparks in a fire spread the flame of faith in growing circles. This suggests the flame of faith in you is a spark you received from someone else in a Jesus moment that becomes a Jesus movement when you pass it on. “Who do you...2023-04-0419 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #141 - We are Sent to Speak Up!There is a time to let your life and your deeds be the way you bear witness go God’s love. There is also a time to use words. People like to quote Francis of Assisi as saying, “Preach the gospel at all times and if necessary, use words.” as a way of lifting up good deeds and minimizing speech. Except Assisi didn’t say that! Perhaps your life has such a vitality that people are drawn to wonder why. However, it is only with words that they will learn the why....2023-03-2120 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #140 - We are Sent to Show Up!The Lord who loves us sends us to show up! When through our “people eyes,” the eyes of Jesus for people, we become aware of the need within some human situation, that very awareness is a sending – sent to show up! Show up to do what? Perhaps just be there – the ministry of presence – perhaps to speak a word, pray a prayer or do some heavy lifting in support of the person or people. “David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life. David was in the wilderness of Ziph at Horesh. And...2023-03-0716 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #139 - Look Up in Lent!What will your focus be during this season of Lent? Lent is the season of the church year that begins with Ash Wednesday and ends with Easter Sunday. Typically, our focus during Lent is downward, inward as we review our lives, confess our sin and walk with Jesus during his final somber days in Jerusalem. However, remember Hebrews report that Jesus, for the joy set before him, enduring the cross. Jesus in the most “down” experience imaginable, looked up! Take on some spiritual discipline this year that will help you “look up” and connect m...2023-02-2112 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #138 - See Yourself as Sent! In a very moving moment during the funeral of Tyre Nichols, his mother, RowVaughn Wells said she truly believed her son was sent on an assignment from God. Indeed, all of have been “sent” to accomplish various tasks in life – some rather generic – encouraging the people God sends us – and some specific to our individual gifts and callings. The Gospel of John wonderfully explains how Jesus was “sent” and in turn, that Jesus sends us to serve: Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. John 4:34 Jesus said to them agai...2023-02-0712 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #137 - On the Road (again) of Encouragement!This year, as always, with the Building One Another podcast, Lee Zehmer and I encourage you to take the theme of these podcasts to heart. Choose to be a building one another person - a person for whom the road of life is the road of encouragement. The people our Lord brings to you are on their own challenging roads. You may know for certain that your words and deeds of encouragement can make all the difference. “Your words put people on their feet!” Job 4:4 Ask our Lord for his people eyes, the eyes of Jesu...2023-01-2414 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #136 - Feast on Joy! Joy snacks are those moments in daily life that inspire you to become aware of the presence and reality of the Lord who loves you. Such “snacks” help us begin to see the embedded joy in the smallest of details. Christmas is so much more than a joy snack. Christmas is a joy feast, a joy festival! Jesus, who was a babe in a manger, is a babe no longer, but is our very present, living and loving Lord! Whether you are walking through the valley of the shadow of dea...2022-12-2012 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #135 - Turn from Wishes to Hopes!A wish is something you want to happen, but you have no reason to believe it will happen. A hope is based on something – a reason for your hope to happen. If you say, “I hope we have an early Spring.” “I hope the fish will bite,” but what you really mean is that you wish for those things because you have no basis to expect them. Here is a marvelous thought: A promise turns a wish into a hope! If you wish for a cup of coffee and then someone says, “I w...2022-12-1313 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #134 - Snack on Joy – give thanks with a grateful heart!Richard Sima writes of snacking on joy and taking joy in the small moments of life Such “joy snacks” may range from lunch with a neighbor, petting the cat, watching a show, calling a friend. Simple things. Wonderful moments! This Thanksgiving dinner, or during any meal at any time, take time to reflect on your moments of joy during the past year or perhaps just the last week – little moments that were joy snacks – major moments, joy festivals - and give thanks with a grateful heart!2022-11-2208 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #133 - Journey Partners!A journey partner is someone who walks with you as a friend through the ups and downs of life. We find countless illustrations of journey partners throughout the record of the Bible: Moses, Miriam and Aaron David and Jonathan Ruth and Naomi Elijah and Elisha Jesus, Peter, James and John Jesus, Mary, Joanna and Suzanna The Christian faith is certainly personal but its not private! Our Lord designed us to “walk through the valley” with him – and with the people God gives us. Who are the journey partners in your life to whom you could say, “I will...2022-11-0113 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #132 - Encouragement for the Long Haul!In Matt Redman’s song, “You’ll Never Let Go,” he sings to the Lord, “You never let go – Lord, You never let go of me.” There are countless reasons all of can know we deserve being let go. Yet, the God who loves us never, ever lets us go. The Hebrew word hesed, sometimes expressed as kindness, mercy, steadfast love, has the sense of, “I will never remove my love from you.” God NEVER lets us go! Let’s encourage one another for the long haul with God’s hesed love. For the lo...2022-10-1914 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #131- Be a Candle on the WaterDear Friend, In the 1977 Disney movie, “Pete’s Dragon,” the leading lady, Nora (Helen Reddy), stands on the top level of a lighthouse. With the bright light shining behind her as a “candle on the water,” she sings the song of hope, “Candle on the Water” to her fiancé who is lost at sea. You may listen to it on Youtube. “I'll be your candle on the water, this flame inside of me will grow. Keep holding on you'll make it, here's my hand so take it, look for me, reaching out to show, as sure as rivers fl...2022-10-0410 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #130 - People Are More Important Than Programs!Consider the times Jesus turned his attention to someone who interrupted what he was doing. Such as when the woman came to the well where Jesus was sitting. Or when Nicodemus came to him one evening. Or when he paused to speak to Zacchaeus who was sitting in a tree. I will never forget the life-changing perspective I received upon hearing Chuck Miller, a mentor in my life, say, “People are more important than programs.” It’s easy to put our agendas ahead of the people in our lives. The busier the easier to mis...2022-09-2014 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #129 - Give a Second Glance!The term “second glance” is often to describe how we react to someone’s appearance or apparent worth to us. She didn’t give him a second glance. He didn’t give the cashier a second glance. The lack of a second glance suggests the person is ordinary, of no particular value to us - not worth our eyes lingering for a second glance. Jesus gives people- you and me - the second glance! Perhaps more accurately, Jesus engages us with his first lingering glance. He knows us for who and what we are – and...2022-09-0614 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #128 - Love is a Willingness to be Frustrated!Bernard Harnick, a marriage and family counselor in Zurich, enjoyed teaching that, “Love is a willingness to be frustrated!” Do you wonder what he is talking about since frustration may not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about love? He was referring to Ephesians 5:21, “Out of reverence for Christ, yield to one another.” He explained that in a relationship, the other person may want to do something that you do not want to do. It may even be the opposite of what you want to do! However, out of love and...2022-08-2314 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #127 - Churn Churn Churn to Turn Turn Turn!Consider the meaning of churn, a vivid word that speaks of agitation and swirling confusion. Our lives constantly feel the churn, churn, churn of life’s demands. When we feel the churn, what do we do? We turn! We turn and re-center ourselves on the Lord who loves us and on the loving people God gives us! When Jesus says things like, “Let not your heart be troubled” or “In this world, you will have trouble” you know it’s because he wants to bring peace into the midst of our churn. In the midst of...2022-08-0914 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #126 - Walk & Talk!The term “cocooning” came into vogue a few years ago as a way to describe staying inside one’s home instead of going out to socialize. Cocooning blossomed during the height of the pandemic and still many people prefer it. A wonderful way to get some exercise and to grow your relationships outside your home is simply to walk and while you are walking – talk! Talk to the Lord who loves you and talk to the people in your life! Talk to your Lord about the issues and the people on your hea...2022-07-2721 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #125 - Blessing Children (and adults)!While considering words that bless and encourage children (and adults), we keep in mind that such blessing goes beyond words to the actions that enhance their well-being. We see pronouncing blessings modeled by God in words to Isaac, “I will be with you, and will bless you.” Isaac in turn passes the blessing to his sons,” By faith Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau.” Hebrews 11:20 Ask yourself, when you are with a child, do you look that child in the eye and warmly bless them with words? Words such as: I love you more...2022-07-1916 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #124 - Bless with the Blessing Cup!Do you speak words of blessings to the people in your life, telling them eye-to-eye the ways they are a blessing to you and to others? A wonderful way to do this is known as the Blessing Cup. It’s easy to do this with family, with friends and with small groups. The Blessing Cup is a way to celebrate one person or for everyone to share deeply and pray for one another. Pick something to celebrate such as a birthday, a promotion, a graduation. Sit and share a meal at table. Put in...2022-07-1214 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #123 - Ways to Move Friendships into the Heart!Two very practical ways to grow friendship are the shared meal and the small group. Shared meals grow new friends of the road and move friends off the road into the heart. Dick Halverson, former Chaplain of the US Senate, used to say there is something sacramental about the shared meals of Christians since we know Jesus is among us. Ask yourself, “How may I make eating with others part of my weekly life?” It’s not about the food, its about lingering with one another at home or out to eat. If a...2022-06-3015 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #122 - Best Of BOA #2Join us as we revisit a favorite episode from a couple years ago.2022-06-2815 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #121 - Friends of the Heart! Consider two kinds of friends: friends of the road and friends of the heart. A friend of the road is a friend who walks life’s road with you. You are next door neighbors or work in the same office or attend the same school or church. They are true friends, however, when the road ends and one of you leaves the place you shared life, the friendship of the road slowly vanishes. On the other hand, at times a chemistry, a unique bond, forms in a friendship such that when the road ends, the friendship continues, a friendship of love...2022-06-1414 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #120 - Ministry at a Distance!We may think of the ministry of proximity happening in those moments we connect with people. It may be through ministry without moving, as people come to us, or ministry by walking around, as we move among people in our neighborhood, office, church and so on. However, there are many people we may encourage who don’t live near us, family, friends and associates who are scattered all over the country and even the world. We typically think of Jesus’ ministry as the ministry of proximity as he interacted with a variety of people in many...2022-06-0713 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #119 - Ministry by Walking Around!Jesus spent much of his time walking from place to place and touching people he met along the way. For example, when he entered Jericho, he encountered Zacchaeus up in a tree, "Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” Luke 19:5 As he left Jericho, Jesus walked near blind Bartimaeus sitting by the road, who called to him, “Have mercy on me,” and Jesus said to his disciples, “Call him [Bartimaeus].” Mark 10 Jesus constantly ministered just by walking around! Every encounter created the possibility of offering a word of...2022-05-3113 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #118 - Ministry Without Moving!When you have “people eyes,” the eyes of Jesus for people, you may experience ministry without moving! Such ministry moments may happen as you simply sit in your home or in a coffee shop or on a front porch or in an office with the door open. When a person walks by or turns toward you, a simple warm word can open the door to anything from simple friendship to deep encouragement. Think of Jesus sitting by Jacob’s well when a woman came for water or the evening Nicodemus dropped in. For Jesus...2022-05-1812 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #117 - Help People Cope!The word “cope” is interesting. It means to struggle or to deal with some challenge, often in a calm and deliberate way. She coped with a flat tire. He coped with a stuffy nose. Life presents us with all sorts of coping situations, some are micro-copes and others are macro-copes. Micro-copes deal with those little challenges we all face. With macro-copes, we face harder ones. If we contend with too many micro-copes at once, they may feel like a macro-cope! The Apostle Paul urges us to “bear one another’s burdens” (Galatians...2022-05-1012 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #116x - Greatest Hits from Episode 5Join us as we revisit a "Greatest Hits" episode from the early days of the podcast. In this day and age of negativity, we can encourage people by calling things good!2022-04-2816 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #116 - Be a Spirit Lifter!“Times of refreshing” is such a wonderful word for us in the midst of lives that are often over-busy and very challenging. The Apostle Paul spoke of such times of refreshing coming from the presence of the Lord. Acts 3:20 There are people in your life who are Spirit-Lifters? Spirit-lifters lift your spirit and are conduits of such “times of refreshing” in your life. Ask yourself, “Who are these Spirit-Lifters in my life?” Thank them, if you can! Consider how their words or actions have lifted your spirit. Then in the spirit of “blessed...2022-04-1912 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #115 - Journey into Joy!Last week I tripped on a hose, discovered I had to redo a job because someone else dropped the ball, and I had to dig through ten boxes looking for a missing document. Have you ever done a joy check? Especially when you are feeling a bit annoyed? Consider this wonderful word the Apostle Paul writes directly after addressing a disagreement between two people, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.” The key here is the place of joy is “in the Lord” and not in the circumstances of life. D...2022-04-1210 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #114 - People are the Homes of Our Hearts!People are the homes of our hearts. As you think about the houses and apartments in which you have lived, ask yourself, “What made this dwelling place a home and not merely a house?” In our homes we experience love, encouragement, tears, laughter, mercy and memory. If a person is a home of your heart, then that person offers love, encouragement, tears, laughter, mercy and memory. Such persons are among God’s most indescribably marvelous gifts to us. Whether friend or family, you may offer to be such a home i...2022-04-0518 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #113 - Enjoy the One-One-One Prayer!The One-One-One Prayer is a wonderful way to pray more deeply for a person. The One-One-One Prayer prays for one person a day for one minute for one month. Think of a person you know seems outside of the life of faith or a person who is carrying a heavy burden. Perhaps it’s a family member or a neighbor, a fellow employee or someone you know in your community. Praying for a minute doesn’t sound very long until you try it! It give you the time to pray for the person’s well...2022-03-2912 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA#112 - Your Interruptions are Your Invitations!How do you feel about being interrupted? You are cooking a meal, working on the computer, reading a book, scrolling on Facebook and bam someone interrupts you. Perhaps it’s a phone call or a child tugging or an email or the doorbell. It’s easy to be annoyed because interruptions can be irritating - you want to do what you are doing! Jesus was constantly being interrupted. Nicodemus interrupts to talk at night. Blind Bartimaeus interrupts with a holler to be healed. A woman coming for water interrupts his rest by a well. His own m...2022-03-2213 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #111 - Be a Rope Holder!A number of years ago, Pastor Walt Ungerer called attention to the story of the conversion of Saul. After Saul’s dramatic encounter with Jesus, he began to preach about Jesus and a plot arose to kill him, “but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket.” Acts 9:25* Walt asked the question, “Who are your rope holders?” Who, in your moment of crisis, are the people who will stand with you, who hold on to the ropes that carry you in some situation...2022-03-1512 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #110 - Lent Lifts Up the Lord Who Lifts!I think of Lent as a hopeful season. While Lent is a time for introspection, a time of confession and of coming to terms with the reality of our broken lives, it really not about us! It’s about knowing, anticipating and discovering the joy of the Lord who lifts us! While Lent is a reflective time during which we consider our Lord’s sacrifice for us, it is also a time to re-discover the passion, the love, the laughter that our Lord has for us today. The very word “Lent” is a hopeful word. It means...2022-03-1014 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #109 - Hinge PeopleIn his book Hinge Moments, Michael Lindsay speaks of those “hinge” moments that pivot our lives in brand new directions. Rebekah’s whole world spun when she met Isaac. Elisha’s life dramatically turned when he met Elijah. Saul’s life whirled in a new direction when he met Jesus. At the heart of each of these hinge moments was a hinge person, the pivot person of a new direction or understanding or experience in life. Who have the hinge people been in your life? People whose influence on you, whether brief or over many years, h...2022-03-0111 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #108 - Conscious EncouragerSometimes we encourage people with little forethought. We just impulsively say or do something that lift’s someone’s heart. At the same time, we all know people whose ongoing challenging situations slip from our minds in the busyness of our lives. Becoming a conscious encourager is a way to elevate these people over the long haul. Consider spending a mental moment in the beginning of your day thinking of the people you anticipate you will see that day to whom you will offer some encouragement. Then think of people in your...2022-02-2209 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA#107 - Do You Puff Up or Build Up?In one of the great one-liners in the Bible the Apostle Paul wrote, “Knowledge puffs up but love builds up!” I Corinthians 8:1* It’s well worth repeating out loud! Knowledge may lead to a swelled head yet love leads to a swelled heart! Of course, Paul wasn’t opposed to knowledge. His own letters have much to say about the knowledge of God and the knowledge of our own selves. However, when on the basis of all that we know, we begin to pride ourselves above others, begin to think more of ourse...2022-02-1513 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #106 - Encouragement for the Long HaulSometimes we encourage people going through an intense but short-lived situation. Other times we know people who facing challenges that will be over a long haul. Sometimes over that long haul we may forget a person’s ongoing need to cope. To be encouraging over the long haul, we ill discover a simple two-part rhythm is helpful: Remembering and Showing Up. Some of us remember each other’s situations effortlessly. We just do! For others of us, if the situation is out of sight, it’s out of mind, so we use our calendars to remind...2022-02-0817 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #109 - Hinge PeopleIn his book Hinge Moments, Michael Lindsay speaks of those “hinge” moments that pivot our lives in brand new directions. Rebekah’s whole world spun when she met Isaac. Elisha’s life dramatically turned when he met Elijah. Saul’s life whirled in a new direction when he met Jesus. At the heart of each of these hinge moments was a hinge person, the pivot person of a new direction or understanding or experience in life. Who have the hinge people been in your life? People whose influence on you, whether brief or over many years, h...2022-02-0111 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #105 - Encouragement Says Come!Think of the significant moments in your life when you said, “yes” to some invitation – to be with someone, to go somewhere, to join a group, visit a church and so on. Its remarkable how significant our response to a simple “come” may influence our live. The flip side is equally true. To be the one who offers, who says, “come,” creates for others and for yourself the possibility of new experience and deeper friendship. An interesting line in the Book of Revelation (22:17) says, “The Spirit and the Bride (the church) say, “Come.” And let the one who hears sa...2022-02-0116 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #104 - Encouragement is Improv! (Update)The art of encouragement takes such a holy flexibility because everyone we seek to encourage is a unique person in a particular set of circumstances. One of the great concepts we learn in music and drama is “improv,” short for improvisation. Improv is the capacity to take a risk as you create the new, try something different, look for a new way. Encouraging people is certainly an improv experience! Are you willing to take a risk and look for a way to encourage people? If you are, our Lord will love people through you! W...2022-01-2616 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #103 -Encouragement is Life on Life!Consider how intensely personal spiritual encouragement may be. For example, the apostle Paul writes, “we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.” I Thessalonians 1:8 Paul and those with him didn’t just share ideas or concepts or faith but their own lives, that’s as personal as it gets. He makes no mention of activities, programs, books or resources (not that they don’t play a role), but simply the encouragement of life on life! Later he ob...2022-01-1821 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #102 - Hugs that Help!The literal words Luke uses to describe the father hugging the prodigal son, “He fell upon his neck,“ are precisely the same words Luke uses to describe the elders in Ephesus “falling on the neck,” that is, hugging Paul. In both cases, Luke is describing people who by their very hugs are saying, “I love you and I’m not letting go of you!” Hugging is an oddly complex topic today because there are matters of appropriate boundaries and proprieties, of acceptable and unacceptable settings to hug people. Yet, we all know how a warm hug can communicate lo...2022-01-1115 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #101 - Choose Joy!This is the time to choose joy! There is much in our lives and in our day that distracts us from the Lord who loves us. Furthermore, we live in a culture of complaint. It’s easy to criticize Christmas carols and church services and pastors and family members and just about everything and everyone. Yet, Christmas is about God breaking into our self-centered world with literal good news of great joy. So, while not denying that there are serious matters in our lives, This is the time to choose joy. It’s the time to r...2021-12-2212 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #100 - Distraction as the Main Attraction!Many things distract us from what we are trying to do. While we’d like the days leading up to Christmas to center on reflection and anticipation, we find ourselves distracted by the many demands of the season. We also become aware of crises in the lives of people we know and in situations around our country and world. This is a good time to remember that sometimes what we feel are distractions are actually the main attraction. Attending the sudden crisis of a friend or a family member is far more significant that finding the perfect gi...2021-12-1514 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #99 - Passing Faith to ChildrenJoin Stan and Lee as they welcome Bob Bohler who talks about his book “Pass Your Faith To Your Children.” There is no more important task for a parent! Thanks for listening.2021-12-0821 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #98 - Surprise Brings Joy!Surprises can thrill us, renew us and bring us joy, although we do know some surprises can be painful and very difficult to bear. Surprising people in a manner that sparks joy is one wonderful way to practice the words of I Thessalonians 5:11, “encourage one another and build up one another.” One of the things we learn from Chip and Dan Heath’s book "The Power of Moments", is that it takes thought and effort to elevate an ordinary moment so that it encourages the heart and so that it is memorable. This advent season is the perfec...2021-11-3014 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #97 - Give Thanks With a Grateful Heart!Henry Smith wrote the wonderful worship song, “Give Thanks," It begins, “Give thanks with a grateful heart.” You may find it on Youtube and sing along! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMTmZKotTYw As we celebrate Thanksgiving Day this year, begin with having a grateful heart that springs from the joy of the Lord who loves you. Then consider the People in your life, the Events of your life and the Things in your life (P.E.T.). Take your time and give thanks for our Lord’s encouragement as you remember each one. Then go a step f...2021-11-2412 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #96 - Be a Balcony Person!Years ago, Bruce Larson and Keith Miller wrote about the difference between basement people and balcony people.[1] Basement people wear you out and tear you down. “It won’t work. Why didn’t you do it right? What’s wrong with you?” Balcony people bear with you and build you up. “You can do it. I’m with you. You are amazing!” In our often tough and tense time, it’s the balcony people who put us on our feet (see Job 4:4). Consider the people in your own life and the ways you relate to them. Fr...2021-11-1613 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #95 - Speaking of God!Think of times you have talked with people who share your faith when they are need of a word of encouragement. Do you ever mention words of faith – such as Jesus, God, faith, hope, trust – in such ordinary conversation – to encourage them in God - whether you are on the phone, at a coffeeshop or simply sitting outside? Some time ago, G. Campbell Morgan wrote: It has become very difficult for Christian people to talk of the things of Christ to each other. They meet together in ordinary life, and they talk of everything except the deepest things...2021-11-0816 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #94 - Practice the Priming Moment!When you awake in the morning, is your mind a jumble of disappearing dreams and the coming events of the day? Do you take a moment, still lying in bed, to center yourself on the Lord who loves you, ready yourself for the day to come? My friend, Lee Zehmer, likens this to the priming of an engine, whether it’s an airplane engine, a lawnmower or a snowblower. To prime an engine means to give it a little starter fuel, to get it going. Consider practicing a “Priming Moment” in the first seconds you are aw...2021-11-0215 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #93 - Lift People's Hearts!A friend drove me on a six-hour trip when I was recovering from surgery. A receptionist made a phone call she didn’t have to make to help me. A neighbor helped me stop a leaking pipe. All of these acts of kindness lifted my heart and sparked joy in me! Think about ways you may spark joy in the life of another person. How might you lift their heart and renew their spirit? One direct way to do this is with your words. As one of Job’s friends said to him, “Your words have p...2021-10-2512 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #92 - Joy to You!Marie Kondo has influenced a great many people with her approach to sorting and decluttering things by asking the simple, yet profound question, “Does it spark joy?” That question becomes even more profound when we consider the question, “Do YOU spark joy?” Is joy in other people the consequence of your presence, your words, your actions? Jesus offered a marvelous word when discussing the significance of keeping his commands, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” John 15:11 How marvelous to think that t...2021-10-0715 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #91 - The Power of Positive TrustingWhat kind of pressure do you find yourself under today? Pressure from situations with your home, health, work, finances? So many people are suffering the after-effects of Hurricane Ida, wildfires and constraints caused by the pandemic, it’s common to feel, “I’m so over it,” and want to escape! We find ourselves returning to the marvelous New Testament word, hupomone (pronounced hoop-o-mown-ay). The prefix hupo means “under” and the verb mone means “remain.” Literally, hupomone means to “remain under," thus to endure. The ideas is that as we experience pressure in life and want to get aw...2021-09-0714 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #90 - My Answer is Yes!The wonderful Hebrew word hineni means, “Here I am.” It's more than simply "being here," it's being fully present to you. When God called Samuel, Jacob, Moses, Isaiah, all of them replied, hineni, here I am! Hineni is, "I am here with you at the deepest level, yours, ready to run with you." Darlene Zschech has shared that hineni could mean, “My answer is yes before you even ask!” What a wonderful way to understand hineni! If your heart is soft, open fully to the indwelling Lord Jesus who loves and leads you, then when you sense...2021-08-0917 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA Update June 2021Here is a brief update about what has been going on with Building One Another.2021-06-0901 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #89One wonderful way be a noticer of oneself is undertake the spiritual exercise known as Examen. Examen is a two-step process of reflection. A great time to do it is at the end of the day. First, reflect on moments of “consolation,” that is moments that encouraged you during the day. Second, reflect on moments of “desolation,” that is moments that discouraged you. As you walk mentally walk through all of those moments, be aware of the presence of the Lord who said, “I am with you, always,” in every moment. Examen is a simple process, yet it is a life-givin...2021-05-0913 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #88 - Are You a Collector or a NoticerThere are two kinds of travelers, the collectors and the noticers. A collector has to see everything: every point of interest, every special site, every museum and every exhibit. They rush through countless sights “collecting” them, in essence taking a quick picture, checking off the sight-seeing list and moving on. A noticer notices, takes the time to observe and to reflect, is not in a hurry and makes no effort to “see it all.” The noticer wants to see and to see deeply. You may be a collector as you rush along trying to pack everythi...2021-04-2214 minThe Building One Another PodcastBOA #87 - Enjoy God's Fireworks!It’s easy to go through life staring at a computer or a smart phone or a desk or a road or to be so preoccupied with various matters that we literally do not see the glory of our Lord around us – in the beauty of nature and in the people around us! Wake up! See the beauty around you, share that beauty with others, and together know the presence of the Lord who loves you! “For the beauty of the earth, For the Glory of the skies, For the love which from our birth over and around us lies: L...2021-04-1712 min