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December 23, 2003
“Love came down at Christmas
Love all lovely, Love devine;
Love was born at Christmas;
star and angels gace the sign...

Love shall be our token;
Love be yours and love be mine;
love to God and all neighbor
for plea and gift and sign.”
(Love Came Down at Christmas,
words Christina G, Rossetti
1885, Methodist Hymnal 242)

Last year we read “Joy to the world, the lord has come....” A very strong message of the season. Christ demonstrated how to Love. Let us follow his lead. Merry Christmas.

Bob and June

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December 19, 2003
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me.” (Mathew 11:28)

If this passage sounds familiar, you probably read last week’s Good News. This is a strong message worth repeating during such an active time. It suggests that we have tools through our faith that can help us enjoy the season. However, just like the tools in the garden shed, they will not help us if we don’t reach out and pick them up.

The many tools of Christianity are available to us all, and “picking them up” just takes the time to allow them to work. Here are some suggestions.

Try changing your daily routine for the season.

In the morning shut off the news, put down the paper and sit alone with your beverage and just think about the season in quiet. That may change your outlook for the day.

When you feel out of control or stressed, have this weeks passage in your presence, take a break and read it. Give your faith a chance.

Something that I do is wear my “lapel pin.” The pair of feet from “footprints in the sand.” They constantly remind me that I am not alone.

There are many options. God is available to us, but we have to let Him into our lives.

Thought for the Week: The Christmas story is one of wonder and genius. The genius of the wise men to read and follow the signs shown to them. They took the time to go and answer a call. They took a leadership roll. As we go through this busy time, let us understand our roll as Christians and be leaders in spirituality.

Prayer for the Week: Heavenly Father, we are experiencing unusual times. The weather is confusing and there is unrest in our society. We are approaching a new year with hesitence and in many cases fear. We need you beside us in times like this. We pray for the presence of mind to stop and let you come with us.

Amen

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December 13, 2003
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Mathew 11:28-30)

The Holiday season has arrived. Thanksgiving just past and surely we all spent four days meditating and offering prayers of thanks for our blessings. What?? That’s not what we did in my house! What we did was have a wonderful gathering with both friends and family. Yes, there were prayers and thanks combined with some outside games, football, Christmas shopping and a 5K race. Put the weekends activities on a list and most of us would realize why we were tired the following week.

As Christians, we are coming to a very special day. A day to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Our focus however is often placed on gifts, parties, getting our acts together for the new year. Our calendars are full with many special events: holiday parties, Winter sports, Christmas pageants and services, shopping, year end business meetings. Sometimes it just gets out of control. Is all this activity a “bad thing?” I think not, especially if somehow we can get through it all by keeping Christ at our side and on our mind.

Christianity and spirituality are wonderful allies during busy times.

Thought for the Week: This week let us focus on finding more time for ourselves during this busy period. Let us be selfish once a day and take “time out” from our obligations to society. Let’s find a few minutes each day to let Christ help us enjoy the season.

Prayer for the Week: Heavenly Father, we are overburdened with problems. There are people dying at war and on the streets of our cities. We are busy with year end business activities and planning for Christmas. Many of us will be traveling over the holidays. Please give me the power to be aware of Christ’s presence through all of this. Help me find a way to walk through this activity with God as my co-pilot.

Amen

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December 7, 2003
“Peace I leave with you;
my peace I give you.
I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and
do not be afraid.”
(John 14:17 & 28, NIV)

Happiness is everywhere, it abounds all around us. We experience it on a daily basis. Today at a Christmas party there were two first time moms showing off their babies that were not there a year ago. One of the dads was also there showing the baby and being very proud. A retired friend was there after having open heart surgery this fall. He was glad to be with us. Also glad to be there was a 79 year old woman with a cane that was recovering from a bad fall. We were all celebrating and experiencing God’s love and interaction in our lives.

Of Friday there was a memorial service where one of our Good News friends gave his mother in law’s eulogy. He spoke of her contributions to the clan. She was the tree and the descendants were the vintage fruits There were open displays of happiness and love. Those of us in attendance experienced God’s love and interaction in our lives.

These are great examples of hearts not troubled or afraid. Happiness is given to us through our faith. It is at our disposal- Enjoy.

Thought for the Week: Happiness will surround us this week let us look for it, focus on it and appreciate God’s role in bringing it to us. Let’s not let our hearts be troubled or afraid.

Prayer for the Week: Dear Lord and Father you have left us with peace. Sometimes we lose our focus and do not use your gift, We allow our human selves to take control. This week we pray that we find peace and happiness. We pray that we use and share your gift. Amen

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November 30, 2003
“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; NIV)

Holiday cheer is a great and wonderful thing. It is a time when it is easy to be happy in our society. Bright lights, merry music and more smiles and eye contact as we walk along the streets. Yes, the holiday season brings us great joy.

There are, however, those that are experiencing tough times. There are events that just can not be ignored. There are those with critically ill loved ones who are fearful that this is their last holiday together. There are those that are experiencing their first holiday season alone after losing a loved one. There are many who are ill and fearful. These are friends of ours that are experiencing a “Blue Christmas.”

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 the Week: I ask for special prayers this week for three friends that triggered the above. Jim who is spending his first Christmas with his wife in a home with dementia; Sig and Norm who may be experiencing their last holiday seasons. Let us focus this week on those around us that are experiencing a blue Christmas. Let us identify them. Let us reach out to them with love.

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

Amen

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Thanksgiving, 2003
“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)

Just a short prayer of Thanksgiving today for all my friends. The best part of Good News is the many of you who respond that I have never met. Our list of friends includes four CEO’s (at least two take time to share the Good News with some staff), many salesmen (because that is my world), several clergy in several countries, many retirees and all sorts of others. Thanks to you all because you each enhance my life at some level.

Our 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

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November 22, 2003
“Lift up your heads, ye mighty gates; behold, the King of glory waits;... Fling wide the portals of your heart; make it a temple set apart from earthly use for heaven’s employ, adorned with prayer and love and joy.” (Lift Up your Heads, ye Mighty Gates) (George Weissel, 1642; Methodist Hymnal 213)

What does it take to be positive and happy? When we are sad, blue or hurt, what is the best way to fix ourselves? That’s correct, “fix ourselves.” We chose our moods and often hang on to our hurts and remorse. We are responsible for our attitudes and can work to adjust them. Several years ago while doing volunteer work in treatment centers, it was common to see patients carrying a plastic garbage bag. It was called a “pity bag” and used to symbolize the emotional garbage that was being carried by the patient. I hope that those bags did well for the patient because they did me a lot of good. It is a helpful concept to know that we can chose to throw away our troubles. But how? There are two messages that we need to remember to keep on the positive side of life. First is to remember that God is with us and second is to:... Fling wide the portals of our hearts... and let Him help out. With His help we can throw away most garbage and stay positive.

Thought for the Week: Our lives and weeks are full of choices that we need to make; routine and difficult. This week let us allow God to help us with the tough decisions. Let us pray about them.

Prayer for the Week: Heavenly Father, this is a time of Thanksgiving and prayer. The start of the holiday season. We pray for the peace and hope promised through our faith. We give prayers of joy for Your gifts and the many blessings in our lives. We pray that through our example of love and joy we may influence those around us. Amen

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November 15, 2003
"Whatever you have learned or
received or heard from me,
or seen in me—put it into practice.
And the God of peace will be with you."
(Philippians 4:9, NIV)

There are almost 300 million people in America and billions world wide. As individuals we are not "statistically" significant overall. But we all know that statistics can be manipulated and are often misrepresented. Certainly within our Christian faith, each of us is significant to God. In many of Pauls letters he advised that "God will be with  you". I will add; personally, up front and close. As statically insignificant as the mathematicians make us, God gives us meaning, power and faith. We are the Power of one. As Christians, we can impact the world one individual at a time through our faith. When we demonstrate that we are at peace, we infect those around us. When we demonstrate good Christian ethics, we lead others to follow us. When we are at peace, others want to join us. We all know of pyramid schemes and chain letters. We have an opportunity through our faith to be at the top of a living chain. Each day we are at peace through our faith we will positively effect our environment. Our challenge as people off faith is to work our peace so others will join us.

Thought for the Week: It is challenging but exciting to think that we can effect others with our positive actions. This week let us consider others and by example, share our hope a regarding our future.

Prayer for the Week: Heavenly Father we see and hear ugliness in the world on a daily basis. The mid-east is in turmoil, many of our streets are not safe and there are too many negative financial issues within our institutions. It is hard to understand where you are when we are bombarded daily with these issues. We pray for understanding of your role and that we may participate in an overall solution.

Amen

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November 8, 2003
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice.
And the God of peace will be with you.”
(Philippians 4;8 & 9, NIV)

For several years there has been a lot of overly bad news. It seems that we have been bombarded with a media frenzy of negativity; Financial news, terror, street violence, some institutions breaking down etc. How does that effect the peace and tranquility in our lives? The one word answer is “negatively”!

As Christians, we need not be effected that way. We have an ally, friend and leader in Jesus Christ. We have the ability to take a few minutes when stressed and utilize His help. Please note that I said “utilize” rather than “ask for” his help. It is up to us as individuals to “just do it.” In my high school we were forced to memorize something from Benjamin Franklin regarding time usage. “We have only just a minute, only sixty seconds in it, forced upon me, can’t refuse it didn’t seek it, didn’t chose it, but it is up to me to use it....” In a way, our faith fits that mold. Just like we can waste our time, we can waste our faith. The difference is that our faith is always available and time can be lost. In our search for peace and tranquility, love and friendship—the ability to to live our lives well, we need to keep our faith at the forefront; “...Put it into practice, and the God of peace will be with you.”

Thought for the Week: This week let us have peace no matter what happens in our lives. Let us focus on out faith when we are stressed. This week let us pray rather than react to negativity. Put our faith to good use.

Prayer for the Week: Heavenly Father, we pray and appreciate your response. Often when we need you we fail to seek you. This week we are faced with many challenges in our lives. This week we pray that we will recognize your activity in our lives and your presence around us.

Amen

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November 3, 2003
Worry or Pray “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” (Matthew 6:25-27 NIV)

My pastor and I were having coffee recently. He was concerned about some business stresses that were effecting June’s and my lives. During this session we talked about money and tough decisions that often have to be made. Often these decisions are made to minimize financial risk. We surely tend do that. This was without me having remembered today’s passage.

As we talked about my life strategy, he was challenging some of my decisions based normal financial logic. I explained to him that “June and I felt that God had a plan that we had not yet seen and that somehow we were serving His needs.” Then I made a slight error and slipped into some studio language, “ After all, it is only @^% money.” There is a message there somewhere. Matthew 6:27 above asks what “worry” will do for us. But we still worry. What will worry accomplish? Higher blood pressure? Broken relationships? Jealousies? Just maybe we should pray more than we worry. After all, our faith says that God is with us at all times.

Thought for the Week: This week let us think about Matthew 25-27 and try harder to enjoy the week. Think about how great it would be to get through the week without “worry.” Let’s “Let go and let God.”

Prayer for the Week: Heavenly Father, there are many reasons for us to be concerned about our future. There is war and conflict in the world; many of us are unemployed or concerned about our future; our children are exposed to dangers that were not around when we grew up. It seems that there are endless reasons to worry. This week we pray for the faith and good judgment to let you help us. We pray rather than worry

Amen

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October 19, 2003
Indian Summmer
“This is the day that the Lord has made, Let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24; NIV)

In Minnesota we are experiencing a wonderful Autumn. An “Indian Summer” as it is called. Our first heavy frost was followed by a freeze and now we have warm temperatures. Certainly this is a gift to us by God. It is something that we all appreciate and offer our thanks. During this time, the crab grass has died; there is color in the leaves; the lawn does not need to be mowed as often; the evenings are cool; the garden does not need weeding. There are many blessings about “Indian Summer” and they are easily recognized. In our daily lives there are also many blessings but we often do not see and acknowledge them. We try to control our lives and often do not turn enough over to God. The more we allow Him to take over, the more blessed our lives become. Psalm 40:16 says “...But may all who seek you, rejoice and be glad in you...” As we give thanks for good weather, we need also to give thanks and recognize God’s roll in our daily lives.

Thought for the Day: The fall season is upon us. The busy holidays are approaching us all too swiftly. This week we have the opportunity to relax and enjoy the dwell in activities between the end of Summer and the holidays. Let us enjoy by allowing God’s will into our daily lives. Let Go and let God this week and appreciate the things he will do for us.

Prayer for the Week: This week Father, we pray specifically for those in the World that need food, shelter and a quality of life. In our country there are too many people out of work or threatened by unemployment. In many countries the Holy season approaches many desperate people. Thus week we pray for them and that somehow the prosperous peoples of the world can find a way to do your will. We pray that we may find a way to contribute.

Amen

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October 12, 2003
A prayer of David. “ Hear, O LORD, my righteous plea; listen to my cry. Give ear to my prayer&Mac247; it does not rise from deceitful lips. May my vindication come from you; may your eyes see what is right. ... My steps have held to your paths; my feet have not slipped.” (Psalm 17:1,2 ...5;NIV)

A classic error of human ways is that we tend to hear what we want to hear. This often leads to a mis-communication and an expectation that will not be met. Disappointment occurs. Often there is a disagreement after the fact. In business this even happens with written contracts because people do not read the same meaning into the words. Lawyers get rich on this stuff.

In a profit driven economy the focus often becomes dollars and return on investment. Thus a win-lose mentality can develop. That is not how God planned the world. Experience shows that consideration of others creates a win-win in our society always and works best. In our own lives we need to have a clear conscience.

“...My (our) steps have held to your paths; my (our) feet have not slipped.” We need to meet God’s code of ethics in all of our dealings to sleep at night. Every day it is impotant to keep that in mind; important to keep God in our “operating style.” People that follow those principals are the real winners in life.

Thought for the Week: This is a great week approaching. This is the week that we will be cooperative rather than be competitive. We will save the competition for the card game, the sport, etc. When working or in our dealings with others, we will be cooperative and seek a win-win situations in our lives.

Prayer for the Week: Heavenly Father we pray for a good life. We pray that we may contribute to the goodness in the lives of others. We are often confused by the negativity and violence in our society and feel incapable of helping. This week we pray that we can see a way to contribute more of ourselves. A way to share your love with others. Lord, please help us contribute so that your will may be done here on earth. Amen

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October 5, 2003
“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” (1 John 4: 7& 8)

Many of you have known me for years and have heard me comment on over achieving sales persons. My comments simply are that no one would deal with the frustrations of sales and dealing with the public unless the reward was internal. Somehow, all overachievers feel they are helping others. In thirty years of sales I have seen many people enter the field “for the big bucks”. These people do not become long term over achievers and most seem to underachieve and disappear. Many of my mentors were of this type and years ago I thought of them as “boy scouts”. The connection between them, love and God was had not been made. Our “Good News” list includes them today. Also on this list are clergy from many faiths and from business people from receptionists to CEO’s- all successful, primarily through a love of serving. In business as well as our daily lives love, caring and sharing God with others will lead to success and happiness. Let us follow NIKE’s lead and “Just Do It”.

Thought for the Day: This week let us search out and focus on the many things we do to “serve.” Not just the big things, but the little. The times we allow someone into traffic, open or hold a door, a phone call to say hello, etc. These are all acts of caring. Let us enjoy when someone does these things for us. Let us share our caring spirit and enjoy the week.

Prayer for the Week: Heavenly Father we need to understand Your “love.” The world is full of hate, distrust and doubt of others. Personally each of us shares these at some level. This week we pray that we learn to “love” the way Jesus did and can apply that love in our daily lives as an example to others..