The most interesting part of the CNN article (to me, at least) is the requirement to make all guns "smart," meaning they cannot fire without the presence of a "key." For more perspective and the link to the CNN article, click on Firearm Keys & Liability.

Here's the link to my personal quotation file. It's not full of things I've written or said; it's full of quotes I've gathered from personal reading over many years. The file is over 60 pages long, and I'm sure I'll continue adding to it. You can view it, or download it and make it your own - for free.

Sharon Rauenzahn, the author of 2 previous years' Advent Readings already on my site, is writing a new set for this year! 

So if you're looking for extremely fresh material, check out "Preparing for Perfection." The readings for the first two Sundays are finished and ready for use. The ones for the remaining Sundays will be ready in a few days - well before you need them.

Or for links to all 5 reading sets, go to Advent Readings.

Blessings,

Tim (and Sharon)

If you've been intending to take a look at my site but haven't gotten around to it, here are some places to start. These are the 5 most visited pages over the last 30 days:

1. Advent Readings. I'd like to add a couple new Advent readings to the four that are already there, and have a couple of writers considering adding to this offering. If you are a good writer with an interest in this sort of thing, take a look at the link to see what these look like. Let me know if you want to give one a try.
2. Premarriage Counseling. While the visitors to this page are probably mostly pastors or professional counselors, the Advice for Couples page contains similar material that is designed especially for parishioners.
3. Tithes & Offerings. This is a very complete treatment of a complicated topic. It is good for pastors and parishioners. See also a related and very recently posted page: Tax-smart Donations.
4. Stock Donations. Good for parishioners, and also for pastors/church leaders who want to position their organization to receive such donations.
5. Overcoming Temptation. While I'm a bit surprised by the popularity of the first four on the list, I'm not surprised by this one. Everyone struggles with one or more temptations, and have fallen to these more than once in their life. When this happens we all want help so we can do better next time. I know that I need to write some more on this topic, and am working on some material in the background.

• "What return can I reasonably expect from my investments?"
• "Should I take more risk on my portfolio, or is it already too risky?"

... then this webpage is for you: Portfolio Expectations.

Hope you will check it out,

Tim

After church I went looking for a particular sermon I remembered preaching many years ago on that passage. I found it in my files for 1998 and noticed that I had not previously posted it to the public. And I'm it contains some very helpful content for anybody who leads others - in the church, the home, on the athletic team, or the workplace. It's simply been my go-to passage and philosophy for all kinds of conflict management.

So I revised it into a sort of teaching to guide pastors and parishioners in resolving conflicts in all kinds of settings - or to use to teach others how to do this. To have a look, click on Resolving Conflict. 

(To hear Pastor Jeff's teaching on Matthew 18 you'll have to wait until he retires, and hope he'll start posting his sermons on the internet. Sorry about that.)

Blessings,

Tim Isbell