Authored by Tina Kapp

Now on to the next five tips for excelling at work, which I hope will help you when starting out at a part-time job, an internship, or even in your long-term career.

6. Be nice.

Authored by Mara Hodler

There are some things I’m good at: I can clean, organize, delegate, and plan like a boss. I can cook well enough to get paid to do it, and I can write pretty well. But I have one skill that I haven’t yet figured out how to market, and when I do, I’m fairly certain it will make me rich. I can worry with such skill and

Authored by Tina Kapp

An internship is an exchange of services for experience between a student and an organization. Wikipedia explains: “Students can also use an internship to determine if they have an interest in a particular career, create a network of contacts or gain school credit.”1

Authored by Tina Kapp

Some of you may have seen the movie or musical, Man of La Mancha. It’s the story of Don Quixote, the crazy Spanish crusader, who sings the famous song, “The Impossible Dream.” A couple of lines of the song say:

Authored by Mara Hodler

I’m thinking about those moments when life is moving along smoothly, it looks like you have a good view of where things are headed, you’re making progress … and then all of a sudden, surprise! A total about-face happens. Something that forces you to change and pushes you in a different direction. A complete

Authored by Tina Kapp

Part 2 of this series ended with an excerpt from Saint Francis’ prayer to be a light where there is darkness and joy where there is sadness. That prayer goes on to say:

Lord, grant that I may seek rather

Authored by Peter van Gorder (a guest contribution)

A friend of mine mentioned how he often feels melancholy after experiencing something beautiful. I wasn’t sure what he was talking about. It wasn’t until I started to recall my feelings at the end of a magnificent sunset, a fantastic day, or when the curtain comes down after a moving performance that I realized how

Authored by Mara Hodler

Last summer I killed our van. Yup. No one saw it coming. I was driving along at the peak of summer—and also at the peak of rush hour—completely lost. In the middle of crawling traffic, my air conditioner stopped working. I thought it was just bad luck that I was stuck in traffic and my car had no AC, so I did what I

Authored by Tina Kapp

I read a very interesting article called “Take Charge of Your Life in Just One Hour,”1 by Anna Rich. There are countless articles and books trying to help people become better organized, more focused, and generally more successful. The reason this one stood out to me was because it was simple, clear, practical, and

Authored by Tina Kapp

I’m a big fan of Mike Donehey, the lead singer of Tenth Avenue North, and host to their video journal on YouTube. He has a series of short talks for young people on a variety of topics. He often shares how he receives inspiration for songs he has written, or funny stories that help him better understand God

Authored by Olivia Bauer (a guest contribution)

This conversation is based on real-life events, but using made-up names.

Linda: “OMG! I haven’t heard from Dylan in a week!”

Authored by Mara Hodler

I recently read an acronym for fear that I thought was well expressed and could be applied to the kind of fears we all face at times about things that we worry about, that haven’t actually happened:

Authored by Tina Kapp

It’s second nature for some people to have faith and show trust in God. They somehow see the good in difficult people or trying situations. To them, the glass is always half full. You’ll often hear them say things like, “God will supply,” and, “Don’t worry, things will work out.” Upon meeting a person like this for the first

Authored by Marie Story

As the children of Israel were preparing to cross the Jordan River, Joshua sent the priests ahead with the Ark of the Covenant. He instructed the people: “When you see the Levitical priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD your God, move out from your positions and follow them.1 Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this

Authored by T.M.

Have you ever had a cake that was more frosting or fondant than cake itself? When I encounter a cake like that, I usually scrape off the topping and eat the cake. The top part was only fluff anyway, and I prefer the substantial, chocolaty-cake part.

Certain breads don’t sit well with me either—the kind where a

Authored by Dan Roselle

Communication is an integral element of life, and, likewise, it plays a key role in our friendships.

And by communication I don’t just mean talking, but also nonverbal communication like body language, written communication, and listening.

Authored by Marie Story

Have you ever tried sleeping with a fly or mosquito in the room? You’re lying there, nearly asleep, when bzzzzzzz—the fly dive-bombs your face. I don’t know why they do this. I just know it’s really annoying. They don’t just do it one time either! They’ll do it over and over and over. Some flies are even bold enough (or obnoxious enough) to land on your face or ear. Unless you live