Author: Ryan Flanders

 I heard a story a while back about a father who was sick and his three sons were constantly experiencing friction and difficulty in their relationships with each other.  The dad, wanting his children to see that they were indeed stronger together shared a strange request.  He asked them to each bring 2 sticks to his hospital bed.  With each son present with their sticks, he asked them one by one to attempt to break one of the sticks.  They did so easily.  Then the father asked them to combine each of their remaining sticks together and attempt to break them.  The object lesson needed no explanation.  The point was obvious.  They were stronger together.  Many times in life we can find ourselves like those sons, at odds with those close to us or just find ourselves drifting from family, friends, co-workers, the church, the community…..Remember we are stronger together.   (more…)

How are you viewing the current events? #nofilter

Do you remember how popular it was to see photography post a few years ago that were followed by the #nofilter.  It was originally popularized on Instagram.  Instagrammers were trying to show you how awesome their photo turned out without any of the Instagram photo filters that were designed to help the photo look better.  This popular hashtag spilled over to other social media platforms.  A  true filter doesn’t attempt to hide reality, but emphasizes different aspects, moving some things to the background and others to the foreground.  

A filter for a photo in some ways is similar to a world-view.  Your worldview is like a lens through which you attempt to see the world and make sense of things. In other words a world-view is like a filter.   (more…)