Happy New Year

Good News010206- Happy New Year

"Not that I have already obtained all this,
or have already been made perfect,
but I press on to take hold of that
for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.
Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.
But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize
for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. “
(Phillipiens3:12-14; NIV)

        Happy New Year. For the next few weeks the athletic clubs will be filled with "New Years resolutionists". Diet programs will come and go, self improvement books will be purchased or at least the dust will be blown from last year’s cover! Does that sound familiar? Yes, we all have had a few resolutions fall by the wayside.

        I do not know if Paul wrote the above on New Year’s Eve but it is appropriate. Many of us have new goals today: weight, fitness, financial goals etc. Paul is asking us to look at our spiritual goals. "...Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize.” Hold that thought as you proceed through the New Year.

Thought for Today: Let us look ahead rather than behind. Let us look ahead at the opportunities in our lives. This year let us practice Christian ethics and life style in all phases of our lives and by all means share our faith with others.

Prayer for Today: Heavenly Father as this New Year begins please hear our prayer for serenity:

"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."

Hear this for all the worlds people so that your love and peace may dominate this New Year.
Amen

“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 Merry Christmas.

My message for Christmas week is:

Good News121105-Joy

“Be joyful always; pray continually;

 give thanks in all circumstances,

for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

1 Thessalonians 5 vs. 16-18 

            The Christmas is a joyful time. The joy of the celebration generally pushes the stress and negativity into the background. A friend recently commented that he wanted to bottle up the holiday spirit for later use.  He needs to learn that the bottle he needs is the bible on his bookcase. The bible is more than a bottle; it is a large jug of joy. A drink a day will keep miseries away and you can take as many drinks as you want!  

            Ok, so that’s enough analogy for today! If you are reading this “Good News” you know where to go when in need. You know to seek out a spiritual mentor, a sponsor or even to grab your favorite prayer guide and pray. That is truly what spirituality is all about; having the faith to snatch joy from the heat of the moment rather than getting bogged down in negativity.

Thought or Today: Today and throughout the holiday season, let us shed the stress, pray for the moment and find the joy.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, today we ask that we may find the joy of the holiday season. We ask so that we may share it with others and be leaders in our faith.

This is my favorite quote and a great way to run your life:

Do all the good you can,

by all the means you can,

in all the ways you can,

in all the places you can

at all the times you can,

to all the people you can,

as long as ever you can.

John Wesley

The Dali Lama on living.

Below is a quote from the Dali Lama thai I like. Think aboutb it! We Christians need to livd like we are going to die and die like we are going to live!

The Dalai Lama when asked about what surprised him most about humanity answered “Man. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices his money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives like he is never going to die and he dies having never really lived.”

Signature Devotional- Spinach

"You made all the delicate,
inner parts of my body and knit them together in my mother's womb.
Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex. ...
Your workmanship is marvelous."
(Psalm 139:13-14, TLB).

Was Popeye a philosopher? Cartoonists often are. When Popeye was confronted with difficult situations he would state "I yam what I yam?” gulp down his spinach and defend right!
        We are not all Popeyes and we are expected to conform, often to standards below those of our Christian faith may face difficulties if we do not. In any case it is necessary to understand who we are, what we are and keep the Lord in our daily lives. We need our "spinach".
         In many ways we are continually fighting an image syndrome. Conformity is the word, and clones are the result. Quite often we get flack because we don't fit.
    If there was a right way to be, how would some of the prophets or John the Baptist fit in with the rest of their society? Probably not too well at times.
    The truth is you are you. You are who God created you to be. He wants you to know who you are and understand your unique characteristics. You were created by God and then the mold was broken. No one else is exactly like you.
        You are unique. You are special and it is all right to be you. Don't let others shape you. That is God's task He started with you, he will finish with you and he will be with you. He is our spinach.

He really does want you to be you.

Thought for the Day: Let us search for the person that God wants us to be so that we may serve him better.

Prayer: Heavenly father, as we travel through our weekly chores, we need to see a way to help You. We often lose track of your plan. Sometimes we are too busy and do not understand it. This week we pray that each of us may find a better way to serve You and make life better for everyone.
Amen.