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Bethlehem retains its honor at Christmas!

Oh, Little Town of Bethlehem…

I’ve been repurposing the website to help visitors to Bar Harbor and Mount Desert Island have a great vacation, with a purpose… However, Pastor Burt Lowry shared a very encouraging message this past Sunday at Ellsworth Assembly of God… And I wanted to share with you.

Pastor Lowry gave credit to the work of Kenneth E. Bailey for much of what He discovered about Bethlehem at the time of the birth of Christ. Throughout his life, Dr. Bailey studied Middle Eastern languages and culture, particularly as it relates to where Christ lived.

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The Bar Harbor Tea Company on Mount Desert Island

All-natural teas artfully blended since 2006

Lots of people love their cup of coffee, or tea, in the morning. Some brew it themselves, while others pick up their favorite blend at their favorite store. For others, an instant coffee single does the trick.

I love the rainbow of tea cups at the Bar Harbor Tea Company!

But in my home, I’m a huge fan of a cup or a glass of tea.
In Chad, Africa, tea drinking is very simple, very sweet, and very hot. Culturally, tea is served to welcome old friends and celebrate new acquaintances.

Since I have returned to the US, I have consumed more iced tea than hot tea. And thankfully, the Bar Harbor Tea Company has the resources and accessories for both kinds.

The Bar Harbor Tea Company gives you a sense of coastal Maine coziness. When you step inside for a closer look, you will be amazed by the colorful display of teapots that are lined up to greet you. It should be easy to find a teapot or teacup to match your personality, due to the wide variety of colors and styles available.

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When to make sacrifices to keep your job, and when to walk away

In my last post, I talked about how you can know when it is time to quit your job. In many ways, it is easier to know when to quit. Yet the pressure of your “life context” can make you keep working in a toxic work situation longer than you should.

However, some jobs are definitely worth the sacrifice you must make to keep them! When you find one of these, it is worth it to stay where you are rather than to run away from it.

How can you tell the difference? Below, you will find four questions you can ask to know for sure whether you should keep your job, or not.

Question 1: Do you have a great boss?

If so, keep your job, and make it work. Job satisfaction is worth far more than the money you make. And who knows? With time, you may move into a position that will make you so glad you stuck it out!

Keep your job if you find a boss like Mark and Ramona did!

I learned this tip from my dear friend Mark Vaillancourt. Just before he got to start working at Casa Shalom Orphanage in Guatemala, he told me about his job.

Mark worked as a handyman for a guy who truly cared for him and his family. His boss would often ask how they were doing. Their work relationship was much more than a paycheck. It was a deep friendship, a mutual rivalry between boss and employee to give out more than they received.

Mark and his boss made a deep impression on me.

I found such bosses at the Bar Harbor Inn. Whether it’s Jeremy the General Manager, David the Owner, or Josh and Laura, my supervisors, I’ve been blessed with the best. In the challenges I’ve faced, they genuinely care about how their guests, and employees, are doing.

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