I Had (Have) A Friend

Stephan Tchividjian
9 Aug 2022
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friend

Friendship is talked about…but seldom experienced. I would like to tell you about my friend. My friend grew up in another country. He was born in a small town where he was raised by an angel of a mother and a complex father. He was part of a large family. My friend became a Christian in his teen years. I first met him when he was in his early twenties and just starting a family. He had two families, and he was devoted to both of them. Please don’t imagine that he actually had two wives and two lives, no. […]

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Hiking with Tequila

Stephan Tchividjian
7 Jul 2022
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I love to hike. I could truly say that it’s one of my favorite pastimes. I could honestly do it everyday. I have had some incredible adventures throughout the years hiking. I have hiked alone. I have hiked with my wife, Lisa. I have hiked with friends, and I have hiked with strangers. My hikes have been beautiful. My hikes have been frightening. My hikes have caused injury. My hikes have been long. My hikes have been short. My hikes have been hot, and my hikes have been cold. My hikes have been…oh, you get the idea…my hikes have simply […]

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hiking

Grunts

Stephan Tchividjian
3 Jun 2022
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Once in a while I tend to be petty. For example, I’ve been noticing a lot of grunts around me of late. Grunts are audible noises that one voluntarily makes… usually. Pigs grunt, but that’s not the type of grunt I am talking about. I’m noticing the human grunts. My daughter grunts when I ask her how her day was… I’m not sure how to interpret that; is it good or bad? I have also noticed the loud “come on” or “hmmmm” in a crowd… I think they call that a loud listener. I am not much of a grunter […]

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Meanwhile…

Stephan Tchividjian
11 May 2022
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Several years ago, actually 12, the movie “UP” was released by Pixar. The entertaining story about an old man, a talking dog and a little stowaway boy, all floating around in a house tied to hundreds of balloons, takes you on an adventure filled with childlike wonder… sort of like life. One of the more comical elements of the story is the dog, aptly named DUG, who wears a special collar that allows him to speak.  However, DUG is often distracted by squirrels. We find him in mid-sentence when he will notice a squirrel, stop, gaze intently at the it […]

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meanwhile

Lessons from a Sloth

Stephan Tchividjian
6 Apr 2022
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sloth

Recently, sloths have been making some appearances. They have had cameos in movies and videos and in some cases have gone viral (a term that today means…became popular). Sloths are best known for their movements, specifically the slow pace and intentionality. They are not known for their looks, but for their speed (or lack of…tacked at .17 miles per hour). I bring up the Sloth because God reminds me of how much I miss when I move too fast… and that brings up what I want to talk about. Slow as a Sloth I typically don’t like to fast. I […]

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Tension

Stephan Tchividjian
10 Mar 2022
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There is a tension that exists between our physical bodies and our spiritual ones. Have you heard the phrase, “you can be so heavenly bound that you are no earthly good?” The general idea is that sometimes we allow one to disconnect from the other, and that is not how God created us. I am guilty of allowing the “cares of this world” to infiltrate my perspective. Sometimes I am so focused on the here and now that I lose a sense of purpose and focus, my world gets cluttered, and I tend to drift. However, there are times that […]

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tension

The Fog

Stephan Tchividjian
2 Feb 2022
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fog

The story that you will find below has been a story that I have shared in the past. I share it again because I believe it’s more appropriate today than it may have been when it occurred. I sense that many of us, as followers of Jesus, are experiencing some kind of fog. A fog can bring about a sense of lostness, confusion and even depression. I sense that I am not sure where I am, where am I going and what is next. I have found that when I am in a fog, having a sense of what is […]

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Reflect and Reposition

Stephan Tchividjian
5 Jan 2022
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The beginning of a new year always has a bit more emotion attached to it.  Sometimes we are eager to leave the old behind and start fresh and then other times we wish the year would never end. Many of us may be anticipating good things, including some significant milestones.  However, there may be some of us that have a sense of dread.  We may be anticipating some hard decisions and wishing things could be different (and we are tired) or our minds are filled with anxious thoughts as we anticipate the future. Like I said, the beginning of a […]

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Tuesday Nights

Stephan Tchividjian
7 Dec 2021
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tuesday night

A fun question to ask someone as you get to know them is whether they consider themselves an introvert or an extrovert. In essence, the answer to that question provides some insights as to how that person is refreshed. An extrovert is refreshed when they are around other people… the so called “energy in the room”. The introvert, on the other hand, is refreshed by finding a quiet place, alone with a good book. I am both… weird. I found out a few years ago they call that person an ambivert. I sometimes find it hard to navigate the idea […]

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The Houseguest

Stephan Tchividjian
10 Nov 2021
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I recently came across an interesting story that got me thinking…   A mysterious letter A small family, known as the Harts, living in an average suburban community, received an unusual letter from an unknown distant relative. The letter stated that within the next several weeks they were planning to visit and were appreciative (nice way of saying expectant) of their willingness to provide accommodations. There was no contact information, only a black and white photograph with the grainy picture of an old man. You can only imagine their apprehension, confusion and curiousity.   The Harts were a young couple, married […]

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