<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[RSS Feed]]></title><description><![CDATA[RSS Feed]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com</link><image><url>http://direct.ecency.com/logo512.png</url><title>RSS Feed</title><link>http://direct.ecency.com</link></image><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Fri, 10 Apr 2026 14:56:01 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="http://direct.ecency.com/@the-good-elder/rss" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[Break the Unconscious Cycles]]></title><description><![CDATA[Copyright ©2020 by The Good Elder. All rights reserved. A few months ago, I was dismayed by the criticism that some received for their first steps toward attempts to change. The criticizers basically assumed]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/religion/@the-good-elder/break-the-unconscious-cycles</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/religion/@the-good-elder/break-the-unconscious-cycles</guid><category><![CDATA[religion]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[the-good-elder]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 02 Mar 2020 18:52:09 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[You Can Make a Difference]]></title><description><![CDATA[Copyright ©2020 by The Good Elder. All rights reserved. Recently, I found myself in a low place emotionally. I reflected upon that scripture found in 1st Samuel 30:6. It is much easier said than done.]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/religion/@the-good-elder/you-can-make-a-difference</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/religion/@the-good-elder/you-can-make-a-difference</guid><category><![CDATA[religion]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[the-good-elder]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 11 Feb 2020 20:31:27 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Repentance Is a Consequence of Change]]></title><description><![CDATA[Copyright ©2020 by The Good Elder. All rights reserved. In religious teachings and discussions, repentance is merely a theological concept for many. It is woefully misunderstood and underestimated in its]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/religion/@the-good-elder/repentance-is-a-consequence-of-change</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/religion/@the-good-elder/repentance-is-a-consequence-of-change</guid><category><![CDATA[religion]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[the-good-elder]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 21 Jan 2020 16:42:15 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Can We Step Up?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Copyright ©2019-2020 by The Good Elder. All rights reserved. When I found myself reading Deuteronomy 9 one day, it struck me as a damning indictment against those among Israel who feel self-righteous,]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/religion/@the-good-elder/can-we-step-up</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/religion/@the-good-elder/can-we-step-up</guid><category><![CDATA[religion]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[the-good-elder]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 02 Jan 2020 21:48:24 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[When Hope Seems Lost]]></title><description><![CDATA[Copyright ©2019 by The Good Elder. All rights reserved. While enduring some unpleasant challenges recently, I found myself reflecting on a statement that I've offered a few times in exhortation: "While]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/religion/@the-good-elder/when-hope-seems-lost</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/religion/@the-good-elder/when-hope-seems-lost</guid><category><![CDATA[religion]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[the-good-elder]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 11 Dec 2019 17:35:36 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Thankful for God's Blessings]]></title><description><![CDATA[Copyright ©2019 by The Good Elder. All rights reserved. A few months ago, I was reflecting upon the events during our trip to drop off my daughter to college. I recall her talent, the talent of her classmates,]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/religion/@the-good-elder/thankful-for-god-s-blessings</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/religion/@the-good-elder/thankful-for-god-s-blessings</guid><category><![CDATA[religion]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[the-good-elder]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 18 Nov 2019 16:54:18 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Using God in Vain]]></title><description><![CDATA[Copyright ©2019 by The Good Elder. All rights reserved. In recent moments of contemplation, I found myself becoming upset and exasperated because people, by willful ignorance or apathetic indifference,]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/religion/@the-good-elder/using-god-in-vain</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/religion/@the-good-elder/using-god-in-vain</guid><category><![CDATA[religion]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[the-good-elder]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 30 Oct 2019 18:06:18 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[What Is Your Story?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Copyright ©2019 by The Good Elder. All rights reserved. In a moment of contemplation, I became aware of the tendency that we all have to create or live by stories that we tell ourselves (or that we've]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/religion/@the-good-elder/what-is-your-story</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/religion/@the-good-elder/what-is-your-story</guid><category><![CDATA[religion]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[the-good-elder]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 22 Oct 2019 15:43:48 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Doing It God's Way]]></title><description><![CDATA[Copyright ©2019 by The Good Elder. All rights reserved. One of the common criticisms about religion is that it's too strict, that it's out of touch with how the modern world works, and that, in light of]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/religion/@the-good-elder/doing-it-god-s-way</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/religion/@the-good-elder/doing-it-god-s-way</guid><category><![CDATA[religion]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[the-good-elder]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 01 Oct 2019 21:00:45 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Missing Opportunities]]></title><description><![CDATA[Copyright ©2019 by The Good Elder. All rights reserved. One of the hallmarks of today's society is constant (and sometimes ruthless) competition and unconscious judgment. Most people, due to their lack]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/religion/@the-good-elder/missing-opportunities</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/religion/@the-good-elder/missing-opportunities</guid><category><![CDATA[religion]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[the-good-elder]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 09 Sep 2019 21:31:45 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Know Him for Yourself]]></title><description><![CDATA[Copyright ©2019 by The Good Elder. All rights reserved. In recent months and years, one of the things that has troubled me most as a minister is seeing how accustomed people are to, and how comfortable]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/religion/@the-good-elder/know-him-for-yourself</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/religion/@the-good-elder/know-him-for-yourself</guid><category><![CDATA[religion]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[the-good-elder]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 12 Aug 2019 16:47:06 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Process of Becoming]]></title><description><![CDATA[Copyright ©2019 by The Good Elder. All rights reserved. In recent months, I've found myself being drawn to include within my messages the reality that God is not going to do everything for you, no matter]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/religion/@the-good-elder/the-process-of-becoming</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/religion/@the-good-elder/the-process-of-becoming</guid><category><![CDATA[religion]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[the-good-elder]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 22 Jul 2019 15:46:42 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Preparation Is Essential]]></title><description><![CDATA[Copyright ©2019 by The Good Elder. All rights reserved. Recently, I found myself thinking on a sermon distributed in 1903 by Bishop William S. Crowdy (whom I affectionately call "the Prophet) entitled,]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/religion/@the-good-elder/preparation-is-essential</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/religion/@the-good-elder/preparation-is-essential</guid><category><![CDATA[religion]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[the-good-elder]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 28 Jun 2019 18:55:03 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[In That Day]]></title><description><![CDATA[Copyright ©2019 by The Good Elder. All rights reserved. Religious practitioners and doctrines often refer to "that day" as one that is urgently coming, but from what I've seen recently, fewer]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/religion/@the-good-elder/in-that-day</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/religion/@the-good-elder/in-that-day</guid><category><![CDATA[religion]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[the-good-elder]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 03 Jun 2019 19:44:48 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[A New Day, A New Walk]]></title><description><![CDATA[Copyright ©2019 by The Good Elder. All rights reserved. By the time we reach 30 years old, most of us have learned how to drive, have lived on our own (and perhaps away from our home/family), have gone]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/religion/@the-good-elder/a-new-day-a-new-walk</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/religion/@the-good-elder/a-new-day-a-new-walk</guid><category><![CDATA[religion]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[the-good-elder]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 09 May 2019 20:19:57 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[If Thou Shalt Seek]]></title><description><![CDATA[Copyright ©2019 by The Good Elder. All rights reserved. For this calendar year 2019, my Congregation embraced for our annual theme, "If Thou Shalt Seek." Seeking the LORD is a common refrain]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/religion/@the-good-elder/if-thou-shalt-seek</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/religion/@the-good-elder/if-thou-shalt-seek</guid><category><![CDATA[religion]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[the-good-elder]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 17 Apr 2019 18:45:30 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Testing our Spiritual Reflexes]]></title><description><![CDATA[Copyright ©2019 by The Good Elder. All rights reserved. The scripture from 2nd Chronicles 7:14 has found its way into the mainstream in recent years. It is not surprising, given the unsteady predicament]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/religion/@the-good-elder/testing-our-spiritual-reflexes</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/religion/@the-good-elder/testing-our-spiritual-reflexes</guid><category><![CDATA[religion]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[the-good-elder]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 25 Mar 2019 15:49:15 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Becoming Righteous]]></title><description><![CDATA[Copyright ©2019 by The Good Elder. All rights reserved. Recently, I found myself conversing about, and subsequently being inspired by the precept found at 2nd Timothy 3:16. As I contemplated this scripture,]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/religion/@the-good-elder/becoming-righteous</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/religion/@the-good-elder/becoming-righteous</guid><category><![CDATA[religion]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[the-good-elder]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 06 Mar 2019 15:04:15 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Right Road]]></title><description><![CDATA[Copyright ©2019 by The Good Elder. All rights reserved. In a recent moment of contemplation, I found it stunning that while many people espouse so many life goals and plans, few (if any) achieve any of]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/religion/@the-good-elder/the-right-road</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/religion/@the-good-elder/the-right-road</guid><category><![CDATA[religion]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[the-good-elder]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 13 Feb 2019 17:02:27 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Watch Yourself]]></title><description><![CDATA[Copyright ©2019 by The Good Elder. All rights reserved. One of the goals or desires of many religious practitioners is to obtain salvation in time for the culmination of "the last days." Few]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/religion/@the-good-elder/watch-yourself</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/religion/@the-good-elder/watch-yourself</guid><category><![CDATA[religion]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[the-good-elder]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 28 Jan 2019 17:28:03 GMT</pubDate></item></channel></rss>