Blue Christmas

Blue Christmas

"Humble yourselves ... under God's mighty hand,
that he may lift you up in due time.
Cast all your anxiety on him
because he cares for you. “
(1 Peter 5: 6 & 7)

            Christmas season is a time when it is easy to be happy. The cheer it brings is a great and wonderful thing. There are bright lights, merry music, more smiles and more eye contact as we walk the streets. Yes, the Christmas season brings us great joy.

             There are, however, those that are experiencing tough times and events that just cannot be ignored. Those with critically ill loved ones who are fearful that this is their last holiday together, some that are experiencing their first holiday season alone after losing a loved one. Many who are ill and fearful. These are friends of ours that are experiencing a "Blue Christmas". (Thanks Elvis!)

             Many of us do not know how to deal with people in this kind of emotional need. We would love to help but do not want to interfere.  I pray that all of us think about that. This is a time to share; a time to listen; a time to pick up the phone and just say hello; a time to ask someone if they would like to share a prayer. This is a time when we can reach out to someone out of love and share God's faith.

Thought for Today: Let us focus this Christmas season on those around us that are experiencing a blue Christmas. Let us identify them. Let us reach out to them with love.

Prayer for Today: Heavenly Father we pray for ourselves, our friends and loved ones. Many are ill and experiencing fear, uncertainty, loneliness or hurt. They need you in their lives and have not found you. Today we pray that we may be the conduit that strengthens their faith and eases their anxieties. We pray for a way to do your will in this way.
Amen

Thank You!

Thank You!

Thanksgiving in America is a holiday that starts the official beginning to the holiday season. It coincides with the start of the new church year, Advent. This post is a thank you to all my Christian friends and readers.

"As therefore you received Christ Jesus the Lord,
so live in him, rooted and built up
in him and established in the faith,
just as you were taught,
abounding in Thanksgiving"
(Colossians 2:6-7)

 
            This is just a short prayer of Thanksgiving today for all of you. The best part of this blog and my nook is the many of you who contact me that I have never met. Our list of friends includes four CEO's (at least two take time to share the devotions with staff), many salesmen (because that is my world), clergy in several countries, many retirees and all sorts of others. Thanks to you all because you each enhance my life at some level.
        Several years ago my pastor spoke of "returning thanks" to God this week rather than "Giving Thanks". It was something his grand father used to do three times a day. His basis was that God gave us the things we are thankful for and he wanted to hear from us but that we were really giving back or returning thanks.
 
        This week I return thanks you all, as well as to God, and share my love of people and life with you.

Prayer for Thanksgiving: Dear Lord and Heavenly Father, we return blessings and thanks to you today for the many wonderful experiences we have, the love that we feel from our friends and acquaintances and for the guidance that you give us in our daily lives. We pray that through out the world people learn to appreciate your blessings and to live the life that you desire for us; one of peace and good will for all.
Amen

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving

"As therefore you received Christ Jesus the Lord,
so live in him, rooted and built up in
him and established in the faith,
just as you were taught,
abounding in thanksgiving".
(Colossians 2:6-7)

            June and I are especially thankful for a family running event we started in 1990, now called the Turkey Day 5K. Each year we are tearfully proud when 10,000 plus runners, walkers, pets and wheel chair participants enjoy their Thanksgiving morning in downtown Minneapolis.(…and Chicago, Boise, Miami and Deerfield, Ohio) As an aside, but probably more important, will be the contributions of food and hard cash that will be received by the Second Harvest food shelf. We both feel blessed that the Lord gave us the inspiration start this event and placed people in our path who have made it special.

             Thanksgiving is the traditional start of what we call the holiday season. While giving thanks we must be aware and focus on the good rewarding parts of our lives; on the positive.

I like the way H. Norman Wright put it, "Thanksgiving is not to be limited to only the times when we are aware of blessings. Let us give thanks even when we have a problem to solve, when there are difficulties to be met.  At these times, we give thanks to God for unconditional love and goodness, for unlimited wisdom and abundance. When we give thanks continually, we are rejuvenated in spirit, mind and body."

    Let us hold those thoughts and be thankful for all of our blessings.

Thought for Today: Let us focus on giving thanks to God for the love we have for each other and the support we both give and receive.

Prayer for Today: Dear Lord and Father, this week we give you thanks for our friends, our families and our troubles. Yes, we give you thanks for our financial crises, our family stress and the ripples in our personal seas of tranquility. Through our troubles we learn to pray and appreciate the many blessings that seem greater when compared with the ripples of life. We give you thanks for our lives, your love and your Grace.
Amen

Positive Christian II

Positive Christian II

Even youths grow tired and weary,
       and young men stumble and fall;”

(Isaiah 40 vs. 30)

            For the last several years I have exercised with an older retired physician, Phil. We walk/jog/waddle 15-20 miles a week and we have a lot of time to talk. He has completed over 25 marathons, 20 ultra-marathons and many of know my triathlon history (Retired from competition on my 72^nd birthday.) Phil and I talk about our youthful days and have determined that growing older is not for the weak! We just do not recover as fast as we used to and often are fatigued and sluggish. It is hard to stay positive. June can tell you what I mean!

            I want to talk about friends that Phil and I have who have lost their spouse. Staying positive while grieving is a difficult challenge and nearly half of us will face it. It is a time when our Faith may be challenged, we may ask, “Why me Lord?” and we need to deal with our new loneliness. It takes a strong faith to stay positive.          

All of the above sounds a bit negative and that is not intentional-it is just data. The reality is that it is great to be a Christian. We have a great perspective on life and a lot to share with future generations. In our later years we have the support of our Lord and have time to help others, time to share, time for ourselves, and time to recover from our ills. We need to be positive Christians, set an example on how to live and be happy. As we struggle through our many challenges, we need to remember the following:

“but those who hope in the LORD
       will renew their strength.
       They will soar on wings like eagles;
       they will run and not grow weary,
       they will walk and not be faint.”

(Isaiah 40 vs. 31-32)

Thought for Today: Be happy, be positive and share our enthusiasm with others.

Prayer for Today: Dear Lord, today we thank you for our blessings and the ability to focus on positive feelings through your love. Today we pray that we may be positive and radiate joy to those around us.

Amen

Positive Christian I

Positive Christian I

“He gives strength to the weary
       and increases the power of the weak.

(Isaiah 40 vs. 29)

            It is another early morning and I am in Sterling, Mass caring for my ailing ninety-eight year old mother .I am thinking back to a summer when June and I moved into our seventies and deeper into over 40 years of marriage. It was a year of celebration and joy. We also did a lot of reminiscing about the victories and challenges we worked through over the years. June and I are truly blessed.

            The story is not all that positive however, we are getting older and as my mom says, “Growing old is not for the faint of heart”. It comes with its own set of challenges. We get tired easier, recover slower and can eat less. Several years ago June and I set a goal of not becoming grumpy senior citizens. We decided to pray and always try to be positive Christians. It is not always easy.

Thought for Today: Today will be a milestone; things will happen we do not expect. Today let’s recognize the blessings we will have, even if they seem like challenges.

Prayer for Today: Heavenly Father, today we thank you for our many fond memories. As we face today’s challenges we pray that we accomplish your will, deal with issues Jesus way and generate more fond memories for tomorrow.

Amen

Always Friends

Always Friends

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved,

 clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.

Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

(Colossians 3, 12-14; NIV)

            Most of us have a problem with feeling like one of “God’s chosen people”. The control freak in us wants to believe that we chose to follow Him. That is ego-centric and introspective. We all know that we chase Him until he catches us. In our lives, who are “God’s Chosen” and what do they do? 

            This is Thanksgiving week and one of my traditions is to do a Christmas letter. Each gets addressed or emailed to someone special. All played a roll my life. Each in some way has been a friend, advisor, mentor, coach etc. It is wonderful to sit think about each of them (you). Are they God’s chosen people? 

            There is a priest in the UK who included me in his daily prayers during my cancer period, another is a running buddy of over twenty-five years duration, and several former pastors who were spiritual advisors… the list goes on. The holiday season is a great opportunity to celebrate Christ’s birth and life. Also, it is a chance to pause and think of the many people God has placed into our lives that have demonstrated to us “… compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience...”

Thought for Today: This holiday season, let us simply think about our friends; remember why they are, who they are and what they mean to us.

Prayer for Today: Dear lord and Father, we have many blessings that you gave us. Among them are our friends and contacts. Each of them is in some way a blessing. This week we offer our prayers for their health and happiness and thank you for presenting them to us.

Amen

Tha Dalai Lama on Man!

The Dalai Lama

“Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?”

(Matthew 6 vs. 27)

           

            June and I have been blessed with the ability to enjoy our lives; both the pitfalls and the pleasures. We strongly believe that somehow the Lord has been involved in our lives and lead us to enjoy the simple pleasures. We both believe that the ability to put the events of our life into perspective is our greatest blessing through our faith.

            Several weeks ago a “Good News buddy” forwarded this to me. I believe that this is not describing a person of faith but is right on for those that have not developed a spiritual lifestyle.

            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.”

           

Thought for Today: Who in our circle of friends resembles the Dalai Lama’s description? It could be family, neighbor, friend or even someone in our church. Today let’s think about that and find a way to share our faith with them.

Prayer for Today:  Dear Lord, today let us pray for those who have not included Christ in their lives; those who are spiritually weak, worried about physical rather than Godly issues. We pray for them and ask you for a way to help, a way to share and a way to contribute to their spiritual growth.