The untold reality of small business life lurks beneath the surface of your favorite local shops, cafés, and services. While customers see the welcoming smiles and carefully crafted products, they rarely glimpse the late-night inventory counts, payroll struggles, and supply chain battles happening behind closed doors.

"Rolling in dough" couldn't be further from truth for most small business owners. We share our eye-opening experiences with merchandise ordering, where despite our best planning, we found ourselves at the bottom of priority lists compared to big box stores ordering thousands of units. These aren't complaints—they're windows into the complex world of entrepreneurship that requires patience, persistence, and passion that extends far beyond profit margins.

Your support creates ripples throughout your community in ways you might never imagine. That $5 coffee helps pay a college student's tuition. The boutique purchase funds a family's back-to-school shopping. Every dollar spent locally circulates within your community rather than disappearing into corporate coffers. And your word-of-mouth recommendations carry more weight than any expensive marketing campaign ever could.

Small businesses face seasonal ebbs and flows that require constant adaptation. Summer months bring vacation disruptions, changing routines, and new opportunities to serve differently. We're discovering innovative ways to maintain connections with traveling customers while welcoming visitors exploring our small town. These challenges stretch us, but they also spark creativity that enhances the character of our community.

Next time you're deciding where to spend your hard-earned money, remember that choosing local means investing in the very fabric of your community—the people, relationships, and unique character that make it home. Share your favorite local spots, tell their stories, and become part of the vital support system that allows small businesses not just to survive, but to thrive and serve in meaningful ways.

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Music from #InAudio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5NgiN3KLb4

We explore how God's seemingly strict laws in the Old Testament were actually protective measures designed with loving intention and divine foresight, not arbitrary rules meant to control or burden His people.

• Understanding Biblical quarantine laws as protective measures, not punishment or shame
• Recognizing God's intentionality in creating laws that protected ancient Israelites before modern scientific understanding
• Seeing how Biblical separation laws during illness parallel modern quarantine practices
• Finding God's character throughout Scripture instead of focusing on ourselves
• Discovering how God prepares us through everyday experiences for unexpected challenges
• Viewing physical fitness as preparation that enables us to protect and serve others
• Recognizing the Bible as the story of Jesus: coming, arriving, and returning again
• Learning to trust God's perfect intentions even when we don't understand His methods

Join us this summer for our running group! Whether you want to start running with intention or join our Bible reading journey, it's never too late to begin. God doesn't care if you're on day one or day 105—He simply wants you to seek Him intentionally.

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Music from #InAudio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5NgiN3KLb4

Strong foundations don't just happen—they're built through consistent, intentional investment over time. When life's storms hit, it's the invisible work of foundation-building that determines whether we stand or fall.

For over two decades, our family has maintained a weekly gathering tradition, bringing together multiple generations for meals and meaningful connection. Nearly 20 years later, grandchildren eagerly anticipate these evenings, texting throughout the day to discover what's for dinner—not from pickiness, but from excitement for both food and fellowship. This consistency has created bonds that withstand the pressures of busy schedules and life's challenges.

The parallels between building foundations in relationships and in physical pursuits like running are striking. Ellen shares her journey of building a running base after years away from the sport, discovering that consistency transforms initial struggle into growing capacity. Just as skipping foundational training leads to physical breakdown during a challenging race, neglecting relationship foundations leaves families vulnerable when conflicts arise.

We reflect on spiritual foundations too, observing how youth who attend church without seeing consistent spiritual practices at home often drift away as adults. The foundation isn't the glamorous part—nobody compliments the concrete work on a beautiful house—but without it, everything else eventually crumbles. Whether in family relationships, spiritual growth, or athletic pursuits, what we invest in consistently reveals what we truly value.

The reward comes in unexpected moments that reveal the foundation's worth—like a teenage son calling his mother during his golf game just to check on her race progress. These connections aren't accidental but result from years of intentional foundation-building that creates relationships capable of weathering any storm.

What foundations are you building today that will support what matters most tomorrow? We'd love to hear about your family traditions and how you're creating stability for the journey ahead.

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Music from #InAudio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5NgiN3KLb4