Let It Shine!

Our Task for a New Year . Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5; 16 Happy New Year! We say and think that and have trouble living it because there are problems (illnesses, financial issues, family stress, etc.) that do not roll over at midnight on December 31st. “Happy New Year” is an excellent thought to have. If we are the light of the world, then we need to be happy and allow the light to shine. Hearing or reading the news can be depressing. There is our post-COVID world, and racial violence seems to be on the uptake, New Year’s Eve violence, and world economies seem lackluster. As Christians, we need to care and be concerned. However, we also need to pray and thank the Lord for the good news side of the coin. Our focus needs to be on the positive side; there is always more right than wrong, good than bad. In a recent TV sermon, Joel Osteen asked, “The Bible says we are the light of the world. Have you got your light shining out?” Focus on that with smiles and laughter, and show the warm glow and the light of the world. Thought for Today: Today will be a great day. Yes, everyday things like illness, stress, cranky kids, bad weather, and too much to do will occur. There will also be great friends and family, fresh air, good food, and other positives. We need to keep our light shining so others may see it. Prayer for Today: Dear God, we give thanks for the warmth and joy you give us in our hearts and our Christian love for others. We thank you for the happiness in our lives and the ability to share it. Amen

Renewal

We are in the Holiday recovery mode and are weary. From time to time, it is necessary to take a break. It is vital to prevent burnout and refresh ourselves. We need rest to be the best we can be and do our jobs as parents, employees, and citizens. Along with resting, we need meditation. Ok, if you are reading this, I am preaching to the choir again. However, many rest and renew their minds and bodies without thinking of renewing their spirit. They forget to pray or recognize the Lord’s role in their lives. Others neglect their bodies. It is easy to overeat during the holidays and skip a workout. That’s a double-edged sword that I have been guilty of for years. That’s what New Year’s resolutions are all about. We will do fine next year. The message from Isaiah above is to keep hope in the Lord, keep him in your life, and he will help you soar like an eagle. Thought for Today: Let us think about keeping God in the forefront of our minds. Prayer for Today: Father, we ask that you fill us with your spirit and strength and guidance. Amen

Joy to the World

Joy to the World “Joy to the World, the Lord has come" There are a lot of one liners that can be taken from Christmas carols. The opening of "Joy to the World" says it all to me. It summarizes our Christian lives; lives of joy through the forgiveness of our faith and our Christian peers. Let us all feel the joy of the season, the love for each other and keep our faith strong throughout the season. With blessings, have a great Christmas Eve.

Blue Christmas

01219 Blue Christmas “Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you, my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed.” (Psalm 57:1) Many churches have a special service for people having a sad time over the Holidays. Our pastor must have been an Elvis fan once because he called it a Blue Christmas Service. We can always find reasons to be blue over the holidays, and it is good to look at those feelings, put them in perspective, and pray to God for the support available to us. It was one worth attending whether you were sad or not. Our friends Bob, Carl, and Dave miss their wives who passed away. There are too many to list with severe ailments and others with challenging career and financial situations. Several years ago, we met a young gentleman, John, who had visited during the summer. He was in tears during the service. He was despondent because his parents were having a problem with his sexual preference. I ask you all for prayers. Celebrating Christmas is for all of us. Through it all, we remember those who are experiencing loss. June and I pray about aging. It is important to take refuge in the shadow of God’s wings. Thought for Today: Let us take note of our sad feelings over the holidays. We need to recognize that they exist rather than masking them with joy. Pray about them, turn them over to God, and enjoy the celebration of Christ’s birth. Prayer for Today: Heavenly Father, we have special holiday prayers. We pray that your presence brings trust and love to the world. We pray for people who have lost loved ones and are spending their first Christmas with an empty place at the table while giving thanks for your role in our lives and the help you give us. Thank you for being available for us each day. Amen

Endurance and Encouragement

Endurance and Encouragement “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves …” (Romans 15 vs. 5) Instant gratification is something that we always seem to want and often expect. We have national lotteries around the world and people become instant winners. (They may have played for twenty years!) The desire is clear, we want what we want when we want it! If that is where you are at in your life, you need not read any further today. That is not my message! Paul’s message to the Romans is about endurance and encouragement; two things given to us through our faith and prayers that will make us successful. There will be no lightning bolt that makes us winners. In the years that June and I were associated with my son’s music business we dealt with hundreds of starry eyed musicians who were waiting for their big break. Some actually made it, but all that did, earned it. The ones that worked at it 24/7; the ones with undying passion for writing and performing; those who were too serious about it to enjoy the party atmosphere were the successful ones. In our own lives we need to endure. Life is not a sprint, it is more like a marathon and there are no days off. We will feel weary and need encouragement. We need a place that we can find the encouragement; we have it because God is with us. We do need to reach out and grab it through prayer. Thought for Today: Today let’s think who we could reach out to for encouragement; our pastor, significant other, child, bartender. There is always someone. Prayer for Today: Dear Lord, we thank you for your support and pray that we can let you in when we are tired. Amen

Unseen

Unseen “Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly, we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed daily. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4, 16-18) Life is not a sprint; it is an endurance event. Endurance athletes pride themselves on completing events that range from two hours to multiple days long, which is indeed commendable. I do not mean to sell them short, but we all need endurance and focus on getting through a 168-hour week, a four-week month, and a fifty-two-week year. Marathon runners do not get to the end of the race by being discouraged by the next hill; they focus on the finish they cannot see. An interesting aspect of this is that the pain suffered when nearing the end almost always subsides when the finish line comes into view, and that was always true for me in my Triathlons. When we travel through our years, there will be peaks and valleys. Sometimes the hill out of the valley seems too steep to climb. One step at a time, we will get to the next peak when we keep our focus on the unseen prize. Thought for Today: Let’s think about what prize we want in life and focus on it. Prayer for Today: Dear Lord, today we pray for a vision; your vision for us. We pray for the understanding of your will, so that we may focus on it. Amen

Protect Our Hearts

Protect Our Hearts "Finally, be strong in the Lord and his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes..." (Ephesians 6:10-18) Today, we need to protect ourselves from our self-induced stress and the negativity in the World that we cannot control. The question is, how? Mac Hammond from the Living Word Christian Center says, "We need to protect our hearts." Over the years, I have often heard the expression, "When the going gets tough, the tough get going." In business and sports, this meant that when the pain sets in, run harder; when it is a breakpoint, put the ball away; when the order is being lost, dig deeper. In each instance, "I" assumed full responsibility for correcting "my" problem. My male ego would come into the issue and apply pressure to the situation. I changed my thoughts on that in the 1980s. I needed help from someone with more power, God. Think about that for yourself. Thought for Today: Today is the first day of the rest of our lives. Let us move forward through daily prayer and let the Lord help us through it. Prayer for Today: Heavenly Father, life is good. The kids have food and shoes, there are two cars in the garage, and TV sets in every home- we are genuinely "fat cats" living under your domain. Today, we would like to thank you for meeting our physical needs, which we often rely on daily, and for helping us meet our spiritual needs. Amen