Joy

Joyful

“Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
 Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his^[a];
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.”

(Psalm 100 vs. 2&3)

Thought for Today: When you are feeling down and out- think about the joy of our faith!

Prayer for Today: Dear Lord and Father, today we pray that we can keep our focus on the joys of our faith and that we may share those joys with those around us.

Amen

Brotherly Love

“Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.

Honor one another above yourselves.”

(Romans 12vs 10)

            Paul is saying that at any moment in time the person closest to or standing next to you deserves dignity and honor. In many cases that is not how it works. We are an overloaded society and rarely give the person near us enough of our thoughts. We are thinking too far ahead rather than in the present. We need to slow down.         

            My point is that we should not forget to give consideration or care to everyone; even when we do not have time. Christ served everyone; He made time for lepers, prostitutes, tax collectors and all of the “unclean” and destitute as well as his disciples. We are often called or approached by a friend or acquaintance for advice or help at an inconvenient time. Often when that happens we look at our watch while they talk, space out and not listen and then brush them off as quickly as possible- Wow WWJD on that one!

            The above is a real problem faced by all of us almost daily. We have deadlines in our lives and people that matter long term; our families and career colleagues. With that in mind, how do we deal with the others; those who come for help when we do not have time. We need to pray about that, about how we can be considerate and tolerant. 

Thought for Today: Let’s focus on being caring when we are interrupted by a friend. When we are asked for support, let’s find a way. Let us ask how Jesus would deal with the telemarketer!

Prayer for Today: Heavenly Father, today I will meet someone in need and I won’t have time to listen. Today when that happens I pray and listen in your name; as Jesus would.

Amen

St Valentine's Day!

 Be My Valentine

“Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic,

love one another,

be compassionate and humble.”

(1 Peter 3 vs. 8)

            “Love one another” is a great idea. It does not include any qualifiers or reasons to separate people from the group; it means all, every day and moment. That is our Christian charge and it means everyone, every day.

            This is a day that in America has become a symbol of romantic love where symbols seem to replace the real thing. It is good to have a day when we symbolize our love, caring and dedication. It is good to focus on those around and dear to us. It is kind of fun.

                        As Christians we believe that we were made in God’s image. To love everyone we need to have God’s heart and capacity to care.  Happy Valentine’s day!

Thought for Today: Today we will focus our love on those closest to us; our families, significant others, mom’s and dad’s etc. That is great, but let’s also try to care for everyone!

Prayer for Today: Dear Lord, today we give thanks for our ever expanding hearts that seem to have enough love in them for everyone. We give thanks for the ability to understand and care for all.

Just Do IT!

“Never tire of doing what is right.”

(1 Thessalonians 3:13)

            One of my Pickeringisms is that there are two types of people in the world; givers and takers. That is certainly a gross oversimplification I use to describe humanity. It came from my sales and business training and has overflowed into my teachings on living.

            In business I was taught to watch for those who would want to win at any cost; those who would think they were climbing a corporate ladder rather than building a pyramid of support. On a ladder you step on the rungs as you climb and often the ladder breaks. In the pyramid you build a base wide and tall as you move forward and up. I like that.

            It Christian life there are also givers and takers. We are all people in need and the level of that need is relative. Often our needs vary from year to year, decade to decade. When June and I were raising four children we were active in our Christian family. However, we often needed love and support from our peers. I feel there were times when we took a bit more than we gave; emotionally and financially.

            Today we give more than we take. That gives us a much warmer and more rewarding feeling.

Both being a taker and a giver in the Christian sense is OK. You see, if there were not people in need, there would not be anyone to give to and that would be a conundrum.

            Paul’s message says never tire of doing what is right; my experience is that when you are doing what is right you will not get tired! OOPS- is that a Pickeringism?

Bless you all for being my friends.

 Thought for Today: Today let us live as good Christians. If we need support let us accept it without guilt and recognize that we have made the giver feel good. If we are givers, let us give freely where there is need.

Prayer for Today: dear Lord, today we pray for those in need. Whether the need is great or small, physical or emotional, we pray that we recognize it and give them support in your name.

Amen

Perfect peace!

 Perfect Peace

“You will keep in perfect Peace

those whose minds are steadfast,

because they have trust in you.”

(Isaiah 26 verse 3)

            Peace is a direct result of faith and trust. When situations are not what we would like we often focus on the bad results that may occur. When we do that we may bring the negative result upon ourselves. We were not steadfast!

            In life we need to keep our eye on the sky, look upward and outward for the positive results. We need to be steadfast and positive. With a positive outlook and a strong faith we will get the most positive results. This outlook can lead us to perfect peace.

Thought for Today: Today let us all be positive in the face of all challenges. Let’s snatch peace from the grasp of negativity.

Prayer for the Day: Dear Lord, today we give thanks for the opportunity to have peace in our lives. We pray that we may focus on doing your will and that through our steadfast love we will have peace and contribute to the peace of others.

Amen

Love and Hospitality

Love and Hospitality

 "Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
and grace my fears re-lieved;
how precious did that grace appear
the hour that I first believed.

Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
and mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess, within the veil,
a life of joy and peace."
(Amazing Grace, Vs 4 & 5)
(Words by John Newton, 1779)

           There are almost as many ways to find joy and peace as there are people. It can be found anywhere at any time. It is something that we all measure in our own way. As Christians we have the tools to and knowledge to reach out and find it.
            However, often we let our everyday tasks and challenges disturb our peace. This winter it seems that the traffic situation has been a threat to many people's tranquility. The temperature and constant snowfalls have created danger, fear and frustration across the country. Even in the deep south there were days when rustration replaced grace on the highways.
            One of our Good News buddies wrote a book called Finding Grace. In regards to traffic his comments were "...leave early, take the pretty route and listen to good music." He is right on.
            As Christian's when we find our tranquility threatened, we need to use our tool kit; prayer, meditation and even a chat with a friend. They all will work. God did not put us here to be frustrated; experience grace as He wants you to.

Thought for Today: This week let us all keep grace at the forefront of our daily prayers. Let us expect the daily challenges and be ready with our tool kit. This week let's experience grace and joy every day.

Prayer for Today: Heavenly Father, we recognize that your joy and tranquility are always available and you are always with us. This week we need you to help us daily. This week we pray that we may keep you on our minds and in our thoughts as we work through the challenges of our Christian lives.

Happiness

Thought for the Today: The things that bring peace, serenity and happiness to our lives are found in our spiritual growth. This week let us avoid the rat race by praying for serenity and doing what we need to obtain peace and be happy.

Eleanor Roosevelt said it like this:

“I hope your dreams take you... to the corners of your smiles, to the highest of your hopes, to the windows of your opportunities, and to the most special places your heart has ever known.”

(Ecclesiastes 11:9)

"Be happy, young person, while you are young,

and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth.

Follow the ways of your heart..."

The Serenity Prayer:

God grant me the serenity

to accept the things I cannot change,

The courage to change the things I can,

and the wisdom to know the difference,