Fruitful Life

Fruitful Work

Welcome to the Blaising View blog, where I share treasures I find to enrich your life now.

What America’s 250th Anniversary Can Teach Us About Happiness

As America prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary, imagine being free from the hate, cynicism, and anger choking our nation.

Are you open-minded to a fresh revelation from the Declaration of Independence?

Millions of people are reflecting on what has made this nation unique. Political opinions differ. Cultural views differ. Yet one phrase from the Declaration of Independence continues to unite Americans across generations: the pursuit of happiness.

America's 250th anniversary Declaration
America’s 250th anniversary and the Declaration of Independence. Andrea Izzotti/Getty Images
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What America’s 250th Anniversary Can Teach Us About Happiness

Step-by-Step: How Tom Monaghan Went from Orphanage to Pizza Billionaire

At six years old, Tom Monaghan watched his mother walk away, leaving him and his brother at a Catholic orphanage in Michigan.

She wasn’t abandoning them. She was trying to survive after their father died. But Tom didn’t know that.

Tom Monaghan childhood dreams
Photo by Alexandr Vasilyev / Adobe Stock
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Step-by-Step: How Tom Monaghan Went from Orphanage to Pizza Billionaire

3 Daily Rituals That Reduce Anxiety and Restore Peace

Daily rituals can loosen anxiety’s grip on our lives.

The cardinal by my window knows it.

Cardinal morning ritual reminder
This little cardinal in our breakfast room reminds me that daily rituals often bring unexpected peace.

Every summer morning, cardinals sing a melody before starting the day.

What a great ritual for good mental health!

  • Sing
  • Plan
  • Build

See how three rituals bring peace to every day.

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3 Daily Rituals That Reduce Anxiety and Restore Peace

Memorial Day: How Four Brave Chaplains Gave Their Lives So Others Could Live

This Memorial Day, remember the four military chaplains who sacrificed their lives to save others during World War II.

Memorial Day Four Chaplains sacrifice
The Four Chaplains became an enduring symbol of courage and sacrifice.

Their selfless acts saved many from a sinking ship, the Dorchester, in 1943.

More than eighty years later, their actions remind us what human courage can look like when fear and chaos take over.

Their story resonates today because much of the world continues searching for hope and stability.

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Memorial Day: How Four Brave Chaplains Gave Their Lives So Others Could Live

How to survive the desert without the desert living in you

Recently, I spoke at Highland Park Presbyterian Church on how to live through a desert season of life without the desert living inside of you.

Why this subject now? Because lots of folks are stuck in deserts.

  • Physical or emotional pain
  • Purposelessness
  • Anxiety
  • Fear
David in a desert season of life
The rugged desert of southern Israel/Pictorial Lands of the Bible

A famous king from the 10th century has advice for all of that.

He was a literary, musical, military, and organizational genius.

The king who united Israel into the reputation it has today as a worldwide leading fighting force is David.

But first, he had to survive a long desert season of life.

Desert seasons often magnify our fear.

And David’s advice for thriving without succumbing to desert terrain is golden.

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How to survive the desert without the desert living in you