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| Photo by LONDON SLUSH |
Key Verse
“The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you” (Zechariah 4:9).
Text —Zechariah 4:1-10
Message
The text gives us an account of Zerubbabel, a Babylonian Jew who returned to Jerusalem as the head of a band of Jews in exile and became governor of Judaea under the Persians. Influenced by the prophets Haggai and Zechariah, he rebuilt the Temple. There were limitations and challenges that could have hindered his rising up and accomplishing this great and noble task, but he did not allow any of such to define him and affect his purpose for living.
Okay, where do I even begin? When we set out on our planned road trip to Elgin sometime in September, I thought it was just going to be a simple mission—Sam's dealings, followed by my solo exploration. But God said, "I have a different assignment for you, my child."
Let me take you on a journey that left a mark on my soul.
Part I: Accommodation, The Bus, and the Best McDonald’s in the UK
We found the accommodation easily, which was such a blessing. The city of Elgin itself felt calm—a quiet peace settled over it. The accommodation we stayed at was very tidy, but as you know, I always travel with my own sanitizer and disinfectant spray. I disinfected the room, and I laid down my bedsheet and covered the pillows. In my head, that was the only way I could truly settle in.
Now, for a quick detour: If you know me, you know I stopped eating McDonald's ever since I got to the UK. But we had a kind of early start, and desperate times call for golden arches. I had the McDonald's breakfast in Elgin, and let me tell you, it was the best I have ever had in the whole of the UK—and I've had it in Glasgow! But, but... the best McDonald's I've ever had in Europe, full stop? That was in Ukraine. The taste, the service, the environment's neatness—it was different. (But that's a story for another day.)
The next morning, my partner was off to his assignment, and I was ready to explore. I had my list of places to visit, but suddenly, I decided to ditch the taxi plan. I was going to touch the soil of Elgin, so I decided on the bus to the city center.
Oh, the chaos! The live map kept telling me to keep going past what looked like a perfect bus stop. Eventually, I found the real stop—just a small sign, no name, nothing definitive. I had to ask a girl on the street for confirmation. The bus arrived late, and I was almost ready to give up. WhWhen it finally came, paying for such a short trip felt like an arm and a leg; however, as a tourist, I paid the fare and hoped for the best.
I had no idea where I was going. There were no marked stops, no Saint Mary's bus stop, and no Queen's Gate bus stop. I was glued to my map, hoping I hadn't missed my stop. Then, suddenly, the bus came to a final stop, everyone got off, and I checked the map again. City Center? Five minutes away. God is good.
As we wrap up the week, let's take a moment to count our blessings. It could be a cup of coffee, a kind word, or a beautiful sunset.
Tell us: Share one thing you're feeling grateful for today.
I'll go first: I'm grateful for all of you!
Hey everyone. How are you doing today?
Get ready for some truly fantastic news that just dropped from Google, and it's going to make our blog an even more incredible place to hang out and learn. If you're anything like me, you love digging into topics, getting those "aha!" moments, and sometimes, you want to know more about a specific point I've made. Well, Google just gave us a new tool to do exactly that, right here on the blog.
Google has rolled out a brand-new beta feature called "Google Search links" for Blogger, and I'm already buzzing about the possibilities. I even used it for this post. This isn't just a cool gadget; it's a way to create a more engaging, interactive, and genuinely helpful reading experience for all of you.
So, What Are These New Google Search Links?
It's actually pretty clever and super easy on my end (which means more time for me to write awesome content for you). Here's the gist:
Based on the content of my blog posts, Blogger will now automatically identify keywords and phrases within my writing. When you're reading, these identified terms will become clickable links. And where do they lead? Straight to relevant Google Search results.
Think of it this way:
- I write a post about, say, "digital marketing strategies."
- Google's tech might pick up on phrases like "SEO optimization," "content marketing," or "social media trends."
- If you're reading and think, "Hmm, I'd like a quick overview of 'SEO optimization'," you can simply click that phrase.
- Voila! A Google Search page opens with results for "SEO optimization," letting you explore further without ever leaving the flow of the blog post.