New Years Resolutions

I have heard a lot of people making New Years resolutions lately. One thing I noticed is they all want "less".

Eat less
smoke less
drink less
weigh less
gossip less
less government
less spending
etc.etc.etc.

I think we should be asking "more". More of ourselves. Doing more for God.
more prayer
more time with God
more for the homeless
more for the hungry
more for the elderly
more for the children

I think this year I want to ask more of myself. What more can I do?

I resolve to speak of God and Jesus more.
I resolve to do more for my fellow human.
I resolve to let God use me more.
I resolve to listen more to the hurt.
I resolve to make this year less about me and more about humanity. This year I am going to do more to help those who have less.

Be Blessed my friends and prepare the way of the Lord. Do more!

Is it really over?

A friend on face book posted this status:

" Praise God Christmas is over, Now back to normal life"

I thought this was funny, but I don't think my friend was joking.

Yes, by all means, Praise God for everything! But, my dear friend ,Christmas is not over. Oh sure the trees are coming down, the leftovers are almost gone, the paper is cleaned up and the carpets can be vacuumed once again, but Christmas is not over.

What were we celebrating? a fat man in a red suit? the demise of our credit card balance? No.

We were celebrating Christ Jesus the Lord coming to walk among mankind and show us the truth,the light and the way. This is not a once a year celebration, but an ongoing way of life! To live as Christ taught us, to accept Jesus as our savior, these are not just for the 25th of December. If Sunday was the only time this year you went to church then you are sadly missing out on the GREATEST GIFT OF ALL!

What a great opportunity to teach the children about our dear savior and his birth!

Be Blessed my friends and Merry Christmas! (everyday)

New Years

what makes a bad word a bad word ??

One of the teens in our church youth group posted this question today on face book. My immediate response was to tell her that if you wouldn't use the word in front of the pastor at church it is a "bad" word.

I got to thinking .
Watching commercials on TV and listening to the radio, what used to be considered "bad" words are now everyday words. I remember George Carlin had a list of 7 things you can't say on TV. That was always a good rule to follow. If they can't say them on TV or the radio station bleeps them then they are "bad" words. Now that list has changed to but a few. I have heard church officials use some of the 7 in the church building. I have heard parents and grand parents use some of the 7 when talking to the youth. I have heard lyrics in a song that plays on the radio that 10 yrs ago would have been bleeped. I have watched even Disney characters use words that were on Carlin's list. It's considered a "bad" word if it offends the listener, but what offends one person does not necessarily offend another. I always thought foul language showed ignorance and was used to end an argument that you weren't winning.

Has the society changed so much in just a few decades that now anything is okay to say? Is there no longer a need for a verbal filter when in "polite company"?

Just my thought for the day. Jesus said the tongue was sharper than the sword. He warned against saying things to hurt others.

Snow!

Long story made short.

I had the gas shut off at my house in the summer time and had no heat. I couldn't pay the bill. As the calendar ticked away the months I still could not turn it back on. I had requested help but most agencies that help with that sort of energy assistance wouldn't be able to help until November. We would heat water on the stove for baths but as far as heating the house we were at God's Mercy. Some dear friends had loaned us space heaters but here in my part of the world it can get very cold. I would pray each night for God to help me keep my family warm this fall and winter. Each day when I woke the forecast would be for 65-70 and sunny.

My family started teasing me that it was because of my prayers that the weather was so nice this past October and November. I'd like to think they were partially right. God helped keep my family warm, in His way. I had finally gotten the agencies to work together and have the gas heat turned back on. I had warned my family that 14 days from the day I stopped praying for heat and started giving thanks for the agencies that helped, it would snow.

14 days from the day / hour that I had my heat turned back on.. Guess what!?  SNOW!!!
and it was a beautiful snow, the trees were flocked with a gentle white blanket. The flakes were large and beautiful falling gently to the ground. I felt like I lived in a snow globe.

God had blessed me with the warm fall weather and again to say "your welcome" He blessed me with a beautiful snowfall.

What a great and merciful God!

Falling Leaves

 I only have one tree in my yard but somehow my yard has more leaves than the rest of the block. I had been asked if this bothers me. It doesn't and this is why.

I sent a couple of young adults out to rake the leaves that had fallen from the trees.

When the pile in the back was about 4 feet tall I heard the young lady give out a yelp and the young man laugh. I looked out my window in time to see him toss her small frame into the pile and throw a handful of gold and  brown in her hair. I watched as they playfully enjoyed the leaves like small children. 

When the pile reached 5 and a half feet tall two teenage boys (13) asked if they could jump in the pile. I gladly said yes. I watched as they took turns diving in from the top of the stump. They yelled and laughed so hard! They would take turns making the pile tall again and jumping in.

( for some reason that song from Steven Curtis Chapman kept running through my head) 

"♫♪’m diving in, I’m going deep in over
my head, I want to be
Cought in the rush, lost in the flow,
in over my head, I want to go♫♪"

I really wanted to go and jump in too!  I was remembering the year before when I did dive in with the neighborhood children. I remembered once when my two oldest were small and we played in the leaves an entire afternoon! I remembered the youngest ones picking leaves out of their scarves. I remembered gallons of hot chocolate being poured and trays of cookies being eaten,still outside in the cold and darkness, not wanting the fun to end.

Oh, How Blessed I am, to be the yard that gets all the leaves!

Giving Thanks

The Holy Day of Giving Thanks has just passed. I had a wonderful dinner with wonderful guests.

I got to wondering what the topic of conversation was for the rest of the world.

Did you talk about people? Those who made it to dinner and those that couldn't join the family. Did coworkers, employers or clients come into conversation? Did you discuss the neighbors,community members or the people that had to work that day?

Did you talk about money? Did you make plans for "Black Friday"? Did you talk about how much the turkey cost? Did you make plans for Christmas presents? ( who is buying for whom, and how much you were planning to spend) Did the high cost of gasoline come up?

or
Did you talk about God, the reason for Holy Communion, Jesus' death and resurrection, and the possibility of the second coming? Did you talk about the great and wonderful things God has done for you and your family?

I guess the real question is ..

This Thanksgiving while your family and loved ones were close, did you discuss gossip, greed or God.

As for me and mine, we discussed God and all of His Glory. We gave him Praise!