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December 31, 2005, 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 on 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.

“Do not put out the Spirit’s fire;
do not treat prophecies with contempt.
Test everything.
Hold on to the good.”
(1 Thessalonians 5 vs. 19-21)

With that said on this New Years Eve, let’s all move forward with our spiritual tool box and bring the joys of Christ’s birth into the New Year.

Thought for the Week: Year end is a great time of resolutions. Weight, cash management and career changes are listed as the top goals. This week let us think about our new year spiritual goals. Let us carry the joy of Christ’s birth with us and the more materialistic wants will fall into place.

Prayer for the Week: Dear Lord and Father, we need to give thanks to you for the love that we feel when you are in our hearts. We are bringing an end to a very challenging year full of natural disasters; earth quakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, earth quakes etc. We are wondering what it is all about. Today we pray for a chance to help serve you next year. We pray that we find  opportunities to do your will here on earth; a chance to contribute to a loving peaceful world. Amen

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December 24, 2005, Come Let Us Adore Him
In this holy season, I can not think of a better way to say this:

O come all ye faithful, joyful, and triumphant,
O come ye to Bethlehem!
Come and behold Him born the King of angels!
Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation, O sing, all ye bright hosts of heav’n above!
Glory to God, all glory in the highest!
Yea, Lord, we greet Thee, born this happy morning, Jesus, to Thee be all glory giv’n;
Word of the Father, now in the flesh appearing!
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord!

Composer: John Francis Wade’s “Cantus Diversi,” 1751
Tune: Adeste Fideles (Wade, “CD,” 1751)

Thought for the Week: This week may we focus on love, peace and adoration.

Merry Christmas

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December 17, 2005, 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, NIV)

Each year our former pastor had a special service for people having a sad time over the Holidays. Pastor Rick must have been an Elvis fan because he called it a Blue Christmas Service. It was one worth attending whether you were sad or not. We can always find reasons to be blue over the holidays and it is good to take a look at those feelings, put them in perspective and pray to God for the support that is available to us. This year there are Good News friends without jobs, others who recently lost their spouses to cancer, several fighting serious illness and two others in severe career crises. I ask you all for prayers. Several years ago we met a young gentleman there, 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 and he was not being welcomed at the family celebration. In another year both June and I were having some doubtful health issues and attended for ourselves Each year there are people in attendance who are experiencing their first holiday season after losing a loved one. Many are experiencing the angst of serious illness. There are many reasons to feel pain during the season of joy. It is important to take refuge in the shadow of God’s wings.

Thought for the Week: This week let us take note of our sad feelings over the holidays. Let us recognize that they exist. Rather than mask them with joy, let us pray about them, and turn them over to God so we can enjoy the celebration of Christ’s birth.

Prayer for the Week: Heavenly Father this week we have special prayers for the holidays. We pray that the reminder of 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. We give thanks for the roll that you play in our lives and the help you give us. Thank you for being available for us each and every day. Amen

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December 10, 2005, Invisible Qualities
“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities, his eternal power and divine nature,
have been clearly seen,
being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.”
(Romans 1v20)

This is a very busy time of the year. There are next year’s budgets at home and at work, the snow needs to be shoveled (for us northerners!), increased activity at church, holiday parties and all the holiday sports tournaments are added to our month’s activities. It is easy to get caught up in all the human activity and leave our spirituality behind: Merry Christmas. It is interesting that activity surrounding Christ’s birthday celebration may often deprive us of the time to meditate and appreciate the wonders of his gifts. It is a glorious time of the year, full of memories of our youth and the excitement of growing closer to our families. Where is God in all of this? First and fore most, God is with us; even when we are too busy to be conscious of His presence. His “…invisible qualities, his eternal power and divine nature” are available to us all, every day. All days are not created equal! We all have our ups and downs. On those days when we are out of touch, where is the Lord? He is exactly where we left Him, waiting to support us.

Thought for the Week: This week we are faced with the holiday activities that are added to the norm. It is a blessed time of the year. Let us focus on being sure that we bring the Lord with us every day. Yes, He can go shopping, to a youth Holiday tournament, to a business meeting or any place we will take Him. This week let us silently recognize His presence through meditation and prayer.

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December 3, 2005, Be Real

“Love must be sincere.
Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.
Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.”
(Romans 12v9-13)

Open and honest is a great way to go through life. Where did Jesus end up when he tried it? There are two answers. One is “On the Cross”. The Christian answer is “At the right hand of God.” In our society we are often afraid to be real and share our thoughts. In some organizations being real will cost you. In the work place differing from the opinion of the leadership can hurt your career. In church differences are often divisive and we need to pray about that. Recently, in the work place, I had the choice to be open and honest with a new vice president of the company that I represented for thirty years. My openness probably accelerated my retirement by three years. It is something that is OK at age 66 but would have been a crushing blow at age 55. It is an issue that all faithful Christians have to deal with. Twenty years ago I worked with a salesman named Scott who was a very strong Christian. In his territory were two breweries and he had a strong belief that alcohol was evil and would not accept commission on them. Eventually, Scott left the company because we had a very un-Christian management team. He is doing well elsewhere and a happier person based on his decision not to support what he believed was evil. As we travel through life we always need to work to keep bread on the table. In many areas we will be tempted to hold back for the purpose of self preservation. We do need to “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer.” In the long run, we work for the Lord.

Thought for the Week: Every week we have to make decisions regarding “being real.” This week let us focus on demonstrating sincerity, zeal and joy through the patience we are blessed with through Jesus.

Prayer for the Week: Dear Lord, this week we are surrounded with the love of Jesus as we approach the celebration of his birth. It is a time of social pressures as well as great joy. This week we pray for those who have a problem experiencing this joy. We pray that they find the belief and experience the circumstance that will give them everlasting peace.

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November 29, 2005, Universal Hope
“The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.
There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.”
(Psalm 19v1-4)

The holiday season is a time of hope. The Psalmist notes that there is one clear message from the heavens, one God with one message in all tongues to all peoples. Clearly, this encourages us to believe that there is hope for universal understanding and some day world peace. We live in an often troubled world. This year there have been natural disasters, terrorism, attacks in schools, layoffs and all sorts of ungodly events. They capture the headlines. Certainly there many who question God’s role in all of this. We need to remember that “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” The press and news media report on other issues. It is up to each of us to focus on the message. With our example, we can infect the world with faith, peace and hope.

The parable of the seeds points out the greatness of a well planted thought. John F. Kennedy said it this way, “One person can make a difference and every person must try.”

Thought for the Week: OK, there will be bad news this week. We will hear it, see it and sometimes feel it. This week we need to overcome it with the faith and hope of the Lord. This week let us show others our hope for future generations.

Prayer for the Week: Dear Lord, this is the time of year when all faiths celebrate you. We celebrate your presence in different ways with the common thread of love and peace. This week we pray for the guidance to share our faith so that we may sow a seed in your name.

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November 12, 2005, Assertiveness
“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity,
but a spirit of power, of love
and of self-discipline.”
(2 Timothy 1, v7)

Several years ago there was a book about being an assertive Christian. It did not promote standing on the corner rattling beads and waving the bible. It asked us to be unafraid to tell people who and what we are through our words and behavior. The simple act of a blessing at the lunch counter, a quiet time during break, a daily meditation on our desk are all subtle but assertive statements. In the work place today, the human resource departments have declared that religious issues may make someone uncomfortable and therefore are inappropriate. In fact, many companys’ email screens quarantine the Good News as unacceptable. It is not a good idea to be an assertive Christian in the workplace. However, behaving in an ethical Christ-like manner will always improve the chance for success.

Here are three examples of Christian behavior in the workplace. One is a good friend and small business owner who starts each week with a company wide prayer breakfast. The second has a daily meditation calendar on his desk and says a blessing at all lunches! The third wears a lapel pin feet from foot prints in the sand. All three inevitably lead to discussions with other Christians and improve the work environment. We are given power, love and self discipline through our faith. It is important to remember to display and practice it every day.

Thought for the Week: We Christians spend hours doing good things in society. Many simple things have very little to do with spirituality but come from our hearts through our faith. This week, let us freely discuss our Christian ethics and beliefs with others so that they may better understand why we are who we are.

Prayer for the Week: Dear Lord and savior, we are approaching the time of year when all faiths have special recognition of their beginnings. This week we pray that through faith we may focus on our similarities rather than our differences. We pray and give thanks for peace and the opportunity to serve humanity through You. We pray that the peace pledged by You spread through out society.

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November 1, 2005, Keeping Faith
“Come near to God and he will come near to you… Humble yourselves before the Lord,
and he will lift you up.”
(James 4; 8 and 10)

All days are not created equal. There are rainy days and sunny days. There are days when getting out of bed is a chore and others when we bounce out of bed with enthusiasm. Each day brings a new set of circumstances. The following is from a Good News partner, Bill, who was caught in hurricane Wilma. (A sample of Bill’s story follows. Bill has given his permission for me to send the whole story to you if you request it by replying to this.)

“Kathleen and I returned to DFW late last night, having survived supposedly the worst hurricane in recorded history. Thursday morning, the 20th, we were told that we had to evacuate the timeshare/condo we were staying in. They took us to a school in a rundown/downtown part of Cancun and put about 15 people in a room…. They had water, tuna and some other canned food, but no cots, mats, blankets or bedding…. They did the best they could with what they had. They were determined that no one got hurt.… During the middle of the second night water started to get into the rooms so the marines took us out through the three feet of water and hauled us to a school auditorium in armored vehicles. We were all soaking wet. …for 3 days and 3 nights about 200 of us were soaking wet day and night….”

“Through this complete process, one can only think of Philippians 4:13. “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.” Thank God we are safe.”

Yes, all days are not equal. Sometimes the one thing that is within our control is our closeness to God. We need to stay close every day.

Thought for the Week: This week let’s all focus on the blessings that God has given us. Every day will be different in content, but let’s focus on keeping the Lord close by.

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October 23, 2005, Spirit
God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.
The Spirit searches all things,
even the deep things of God.  
For who among men knows the thoughts of a man
except the man’s spirit within him?
In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.
We have not received the spirit of the world
but the Spirit who is from God,
that we may understand what God has freely given us.”
(1 Corinthians, 10-12)

To be as good as we can be we need all of the pieces to be in good shape. That includes our faith, values and spirit. There are a lot of people who have strong bodies, great minds, good finances and great friends that seem empty or angry. They have missed a piece of the human puzzle.

In my life time I have been blessed by knowing several Olympic athletes from the 1950s. They have all had tremendous competitive and travel experiences that average people fantasize about. One of the characteristics that have always confused me was that of the six or eight that I know, all have had good lives, but only two seem to be happy. The others seem to radiate negativity.

The difference is not obvious. You have to look beyond the celebrity into the inner self. One is a former speed skater that at age eighty is still involved with teaching children the sport. He has given back and shared his entire life. The other is a former 1956 and 1960 hockey player and former politician. He also still gives back to the game and serves society on a daily basis.

However, when looking beyond their public service, there is a spirituality that I envy. Both are lay speakers and serve the Lord daily. Each holds a position of local celebrity, but each has absorbed the Holy Spirit and is servant to the Lord. These two “…have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God”. They are blessed as we can be when we accept the Holy Spirit”.

Thought for the Week: Let us recognize that God wants us to be happy and has given us the tools to make that happen. This week let us function as the Lord wants, in a positive and cheerful way.

Prayer for the Week: Dear Lord and Father, we give thanks to you for the gift of life and the blessing of your Spirit. Often we need your support in our lives and you are always there for us. We appreciate your love for us, the love that you have given. Amen

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October 16, 2005, Trust and Faith
“When I am afraid,
I will trust in you.
In God whose word I praise,
in God I trust.”
Psalm(56:3)

We all experience times in our lives, certain situations when our trust level is down. These are usually times when we must let a situation be under someone else’s control.

A teenager spending a weekend away with friends, away at camp or going off to school. We fear what they may find to do.

A family member not home at an expected time. We fear an accident or other harm.

Consider a simple four way stop sign with all drivers arriving at the same time. Often no one trusts enough to go first.

Reading this, it would be easy to think that the subject was fear, but it is Trust.

“The Lord is my light and salvation—Whom shall I fear?”(Psalm 27:1)

There is a link between a weak faith, trust in the Lord, and
high levels of anxiety and stress. Yes, there are days when we are strong and have no fear, then there are days when we are weak.

On the weak days, we need to meditate. Leave the news turned off, put down the newspaper and get closer to God. “Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me”(Psalm 50:15)

Thought for the Week: When we have doubts this week, let us stop, take a deep breath and try to place our faith in God. If we can do that, our reactions to doubtful situations will be less stressful.

Prayer For the Week: Heavenly Father, as we go through our busy schedules, it is easy to forget you. This week we pray for forgiveness for the times that we forget your will. We offer prayers of thanks for the many gifts and love that you have given us. Amen

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October 10, 2005, God is 24/7
“A just balance and scales belong to the Lord;
All the weights of the bag are His concern”
Proverbs 16:11

Every day we observe the behavior that surrounds us. We see the good and the bad acted out. During the recent crises in New Orleans, the newscasters reported on the illegal procurement of goods from stores. Most of us made a judgment regarding that. Of course laws were violated and we can judge that. Every person that took something violated a common law. That is our society and our laws.

What role does the Lord play in judging all of this? Does he view the parents that took the baby food, diapers and other necessities the same as he viewed the people taking guns and TV sets? Someday we may know the answers to those questions. For today we need to be forgiving Christians and understand the stress of the crises.

We live in a competitive world and every day we make hundreds of decisions. From breakfast to bed time, we need to decide to do what is right. Most decisions are routine, but some weigh in and we lose sleep over them. There is often a conflict between what Jesus would do and what we want to do. When that occurs, we need to pray. We need to pray for strength and the knowledge to do the right thing under the judgment of God.

Thought for the Week: This week let’s keep our thoughts and decisions simple. Let us function as Christians and ask our selves, “What would Jesus do?” and follow His lead.

Prayer for the Week: Dear Lord, this week we will be dealing with any number of crises; floods, earthquakes, winter weather and every day business and personal issues. We ask for your guidance and ability to understand your will. We ask that we be given the faith and patience to serve you under all conditions, every day. Amen

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October 3, 2005, Whole Self
“Now the body is not made up of one part but of many.
But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body,
every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.
If they were all one part, where would the body be?
As it is, there are many parts, but one body.”
(1 Corinthians 14-20, NIV)

We all have a single challenge to be the best that we can be. Paul talks about the body but we know that there is more. To be as good as we can be we need to recognize that we are more than just a physical presence. We need to keep our whole lives in order; our careers, minds, relationships, spirituality and finances. If we are weak in any of these areas, we have an opportunity to grow. The YMCA logo simplifies this in their logo. The triangles sides are labeled, “spirit, mind and body.” The marketing sure sounds simple but it is a constant challenge.

The Lord wants us to be at peace, to be happy people. To accomplish this we need to keep five areas of our lives in balance. Something will be missing if we are spiritually weak or doubtful. If we are in trouble financially it often has a negative effect through out our lives. When we stop growing and learning our minds seem to trigger a slump in other areas. It is easy to take career problems into other areas or our lives and important to keep in touch with friends and loved ones and maintain relationships. People matter to us.

With all of this said, it demonstrates why life is a constant challenge and never boring. We are blessed to have the abilities, through Christ and his example, to grow in all areas of our lives. We are blessed with the ability to be all that we can be through prayer and meditation.