THE NEW TGIF

God is often referred to as the Light. In John 8:12, Jesus spoke to the people and said, "I am the Light of the world." Then in Chapter 12:46, He continues, "I am the light that has come into the world so that everyone who believes in me will not live in darkness." I often associate rays of sunlight with God's radiance shining upon us. Without God there would be only darkness. Imagine a mirror and it's ability to reflect light.This show is brought to you by Talk 4 Radio (http://www.talk4radio.com/) on the Talk 4 Media Network (http://www.talk4media.com/).

Every situation that enters our lives does so with the knowledge of the Divine. In each, we are assigned the role of either teacher or student, and at times both. Every encounter with another affords us the opportunity to share our knowledge with them so that what has enriched our life has the potential to do the same for them. In some circumstances...This show is brought to you by Talk 4 Radio (http://www.talk4radio.com/) on the Talk 4 Media Network (http://www.talk4media.com/).

Life is filled with clichés that people adopt as truths without giving them careful consideration for their validity. One common belief is that life is short and therefore should be lived to the fullest. Make the most of life while you can because in a blink of an eye it will be gone and all that will remain is death, a nothingness, a void, a non-existence. This belief is responsible for a deep rooted fear many people have in regards to the end of life experience.This show is brought to you by Talk 4 Radio (http://www.talk4radio.com/) on the Talk 4 Media Network (http://www.talk4media.com/).

I stood in line behind four young adults, all of whom had varying degrees of disabilities. With the assistance of their caregivers, each carefully chose items for purchase and were being instructed to place them on the conveyor belt in preparation of payment. The cashier, a tall well groomed young man no more than nineteen years of age, smiled patiently as each customer placed and paid for their items. His eyes revealed that for him it was truly an honor and joy to be assisting his customers.This show is brought to you by Talk 4 Radio (http://www.talk4radio.com/) on the Talk 4 Media Network (http://www.talk4media.com/).

How often do you pray to God: every day, once in awhile, when you need a favor or never? It's been my experience that the majority of prayers are those of petition, that is, they seek a favor from God. Many are well intentioned, seeking assistance for a good cause or healing for one in need. Then there are those frivolous prayers such as wanting to win the lottery, often accompanied with a plea deal: "If I win I promise to donate half to the poor." But most treasured prayer is the TAG Prayer:This show is brought to you by Talk 4 Radio (http://www.talk4radio.com/) on the Talk 4 Media Network (http://www.talk4media.com/).

Our misguided love for another or sense of purpose can easily sent us into a downward spiral of despair when our plans are suddenly interrupted. Redefining who we are ("I'm no longer this person's spouse: I am now their widow or ex.") can be debilitating and terrifying. One runs the risk of losing their identity and their reason to live. While it may sound like a romantic theme from a Hollywood blockbuster, designing our lives around our relationship to our love interest can backfire.This show is brought to you by Talk 4 Radio (http://www.talk4radio.com/) on the Talk 4 Media Network (http://www.talk4media.com/).

What kind of God blesses some of His children and not all or some more than others? If you look, it's easy to find those who appear to receive more from God than others. We are well aware of those who work as hard as their neighbor but fall short of reaping similar successes. Could it be that our Heavenly Father has favorites or that His destiny for some is that of pain and hardship rather than abundance? For certainly, there seems to be a discrepancy in the distribution of His mercy.This show is brought to you by Talk 4 Radio (http://www.talk4radio.com/) on the Talk 4 Media Network (http://www.talk4media.com/).

Most of us are familiar with the acronym, TGIF: "Thank God It's Friday". For some it also conjures up images of sumptuous foods served in a family style restaurant. I'm as big a fan as any of the last day of the week but probably not as much for the eating establishment. As of late, TGIF has taken on a new meaning for me: it stands for ...This show is brought to you by Talk 4 Radio (http://www.talk4radio.com/) on the Talk 4 Media Network (http://www.talk4media.com/).

Go onto social media and you'll find posts claiming that "God is in control." Very often this sentiment is designed to offer hope to those who feel they have been treated unfairly, fear terrorists groups, or for family members struggling with a life-threatening condition. "God is in control" sends a message of faith and hope: "Don't worry. God will take care of it or those who are causing the problems. God will provide."But the phrase "God's in control" is misleading:This show is brought to you by Talk 4 Radio (http://www.talk4radio.com/) on the Talk 4 Media Network (http://www.talk4media.com/).

When I was growing up we valued the opinions of others. If someone liked you, you felt good about yourself and if they didn't you needed to take a hard look at what was "wrong" with you. The pendulum has since swung to the other extreme: people no longer care what others think of them. "My opinion of myself is all that matters." Yet in reality, it's not their opinion that matters nor my own. The only opinion that has relevance is...This show is brought to you by Talk 4 Radio (http://www.talk4radio.com/) on the Talk 4 Media Network (http://www.talk4media.com/).