Using your credit card at a gas station pump or drive-up ATM is quick and convenient. However, despite retailers following Payment Card Industry (PCI) standards to protect your information, cybercriminals are finding ways to steal your information. Cybercriminals are using technology called “card skimmers” to read and record your card information in a matter of seconds. Although retailers regularly check for card skimmers, learning how to protect yourself at gas station pumps and ATMs should be a priority now more than ever.
When exposed to certain conversations, events or situations, many people experience “emotional triggers” that may remind them of something upsetting in their past. These triggers can spark strong emotional and physical feelings that may prompt people to respond or react in unhealthy ways, feeling tense, anxious, panicky, sad or angry, or having the urge to withdraw or lash out. Getting to know your triggers can help you learn better, healthier ways to respond. Try these suggestions:
If you were to ask any preacher that is expected to preach at least 48 out the 52 Sundays per year to the same congregation from the same pulpit, most of them will openly confess that preaching is hard work.
After 15 years of preaching (10 years, full-time), I have discovered that as endearing as the congregation is, they will never understand the hard work that a preacher puts in week after week to deliver a 20-minute sermon every Sunday.
Rev. Davi Weasley, Pastor, First Congregation Church of Bellingham, WA, shares wise tips to help ministers advocate for themselves during the call agreement negotiation process.
Expressing our emotions can be powerful motivators, especially during a Sunday sermon delivery. As UCC ministers, your sermons can drive us to pursue our passions, connect deeply with others, and motivate our faith toward doing the greater good.
However, when our emotions are running high in response to life circumstances, they can trigger a response that can impair our ability to think rationally. Stress and anxiety can contribute to hasty decisions especially where it concerns our finances.