Good News 2000-2009, from Bob Pickering - from Spirit of Hope in Golden Valley Minnesota

December 27, 2009— Sincerity
“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 12:9-13)

During the Christmas season we all share material gifts. It is a time of great love and caring. There are more hugs, more kisses, more tears of joy. It is a truly wonderful time of year. We are blessed with love and the spirit of Christ.

Now we are faced with a new year and all of the resolutions that come with it. In most cases, we go back to the grind of daily life and settle into our routine with very few changes. However, we need to continue to share this love, this zeal and this joy. When we do, we all benefit and live better lives.

Thought for Today: As we proceed toward the New Year, let us focus on ourselves and our talents. Let us recognize that we have special gifts, given to us by the Lord to use for Him.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we are entering the New Year and the news media is full of terror and there seems to be hate throughout the world. We wonder where it will all lead. This week we pray for some understanding of it all that we can apply our talents and gifts in the New Year to help.
Amen

December 21, 2009— Joy to the World
Joy to the World has been my traditional Christmas message. This year I added Charles Wesley’s words also.

“Joy to the World, the Lord has come"“

There are a lot of great 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.

“Hark ! the Herald angels Sing”
Hark! The herald angels sing, “Glory to the new Norn King;
Peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!
Joyful all ye nations rise, join the triumph of the skies;
With angelic host proclaim, “Christ is born in Bethlehem”
—Charles Wesley, 1734 verse 1

As Christians this is the time of the year we show and share our joy with the world.

With blessings, have a Merry Christmas.

December 13, 2009— 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 others in severe career stress and financial 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 role that you play in our lives and the help you give us. Thank you for being available for us each and every day.

Amen

December 7, 2009— 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.

November 30, 2009— Relaxing
First ever two consecutive days.
“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

If this passage sounds familiar, you read yesterday’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, keep today’s message in your presence, take a break and read it. Give your faith a chance.

Something that I do is wearing 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 Today: 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 role. As we go through this busy time, let us understand our role as Christians and be leaders in spirituality.

Prayer: 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 hesitance 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

November 29, 2009— Holiday Season
“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 our family did! 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 are tired.

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, yearend business meetings. Sometimes it just gets out of control. Is all this activity a bad thing? Not really, 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 Today: 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: 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

November 22, 2009— Thanksgiving
Special note that this year June and I will be especially thankful for the 20th running of a family fun run that we started, now called the Turkey Day 5K. We will be tearfully proud when 10,000 plus runners, walkers, pets and wheel chair participants enjoy their Thanksgiving morning. 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 to be involved.

“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)

Once each year we celebrate Thanksgiving. It is the traditional start of what we call the holiday season. While giving thanks we must be aware and focusing on the good rewarding parts of our lives; focusing on the positive.

H. Norman Wright put it this way, “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- spirit, mind and body.”

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

Thought for the Week: This week we move into that frantic period called the holiday season. Winter sports activities run high, holiday parties are abundant, yearend financial activity in both our personal and business lives need care and then there are the holiday greeting cards. Let us focus this week on giving thanks to God for the love we have for each other and the support He will give us through prayer that will make this season a blessing. Pray and give thanks to the LORD.

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

November 16, 2009— Footprints
The overwhelming support that we have as people of faith is certainly wonderful and one of the greatest advantages of Christianity. Often, as an A type personality, I awake before June and go jogging ( now walking!) at sunrise, "..when the dew is still on the roses..". The sound of mourning doves and early robins is the dominant sound rather than traffic or other social activity related noise. Often I find myself humming "In the Garden".

Another time when it comes to mind is before a tough meeting or event. Whether a business meeting, neighborhood meeting or a hospital visit, it is great to know that you are never alone if you let Him join you.

Many of you often see me with a lapel pin that is a pair of feet. They are from "Foot prints in the sand". They are to invite conversation regarding the concept of walking with Christ every day. It is always an interesting conversation.

We are blessed.

Thought for the Week: This week let us simply remember that we are never alone. Let us enjoy His presence as we walk through our lives.

Prayer for the Week: Heavenly Father, we are certainly glad that you are here for support. Often the world around us is confusing and it is difficult to understand your wishes. However, we give thanks for the roll that you play in our everyday lives and the help you give you give our friends and families.
Amen

November 9, 2009— Tough Love
“You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
(Mark 10:43-45, NIV)

Spiritual growth is an important part of living a peaceful and rewarding life. Defining it is sometimes difficult. It is more than reading a passage, it is living the life. It is climbing the Christian ladder of success. Not running around preaching a passage, it is demonstrating the lifestyle. In the above passage Mark mentions greatness and to be great, one must be at peace. This peace can be found by walking the walk; Serving others as a lifestyle.

Listening to TV Evangelist Mac Hammond this morning, he defined serving others as “...meeting another person's needs when they do not believe you are serving them.” Often he is referring to what many therapists call “tough love.” Serving others has more to do with following God’s will and sharing God’s word than it does with being a caregiver or a soft touch.

It often means saying no or advising people of a direction that they would rather not go. That is real love and not an easy thing to do. Each time we follow through with the tough decision, somehow we experience spiritual growth. The results are usually very positive. We take a step up the ladder of success.

Thought for Today: Today let us look forward to the tough decisions rather than shying away from them. When they need to be made, let us think about the question “What would Jesus do?” Decisions made with love and faith are the correct ones.

Prayer for the Week: Dear Lord, in today’s world, we see retaliation, hate, fear and a lack of trust between nations and religions. We need to ask “Where is God in all of this?” How do we play a role in this? Heavenly Father we pray for answers as we walk the walk.
Amen

November 1, 2009— Global Peace
“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 over 300 million people in America and billions worldwide. As individuals we are not "statistically" significant. 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 Paul’s 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 affect 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 affect 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

October 25, 2009— Keep in Touch
“I can never be lost to your spirit! I can never get away from my God!"
(Psalms 139:7)

We live in a world where people disappear from one another. Spouses leave marriages never to be seen again. Children are kidnapped and disappear forever. People disappear from cruise ships and resorts around the world. Our Government has a witness protection plan that changes people’s identity. It's as if the earth just swallowed them up. But no one disappears from God.

In Psalmist writes that David knew he couldn't hide from God (Psalm 139, 7-12). He could go to heaven or Sheol or he could take wings and fly or go to the depths of the sea, but God "would be" there. The knowledge that God is everywhere is a comfort Jesus taught to bring encouragement to his disciples. So when you are at work, at home, playing golf, serving Him or living for Him, remember that he is always with you.

There are many times in life when we are lonely. We often feel deserted after the death of a loved one, the loss of a job and at many other times. Lately I have been dealing with several friends who suffer depression. Somehow they have lost their grip that God is with them. Some mouth the words without having the feeling. We all need to keep our eye on the sky, He is there to support and love us.

Thought For The Week: Let us all stop at least once each day and focus on the roll that God played in our lives on that day. We will find him there.

Prayer for the Week: Heavenly father, sometimes we feel lonely and out of touch. "Things" all around us, at work, within the family, in politics and in the community seem to lack your presence. We pray that somehow we can understand feel your presence through the these times.
Amen

Pick Note: Many of you notice the "Feet" in the lapel on many of my sport coats. They are from "Footprints in the Sand" and are my reminder that I do not walk alone.

Bless you all.

October 18, 2009— Paul’s Sales Training
“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. 12Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.”
Romans 12 vs. 9-13

Last year our Pastor Ed had each of us in bible study pick a “Faith Verse”, a verse or more that we feel we try to live by; one that means a lot to us. The above was one of several selections that I made. There is a lot to it and it is a good way to live your life.

With that said, I want to talk about my sales mentor and trainer, George. In the years he spent training me he sounded just like Paul in his message to the Romans. He would not tolerate sales bluster- he always was sincere and expected the same from me.

George did not like evil, like late deliveries, bad product or cheating on pricing- he liked what was good; fair deals, integrity and ethics. He taught me to respect and honor both the manufacturer and the customer and that they had to come before me- that was not always easy.

Verses eleven and twelve have to do with keeping a positive attitude; a difficult thing in life, especially in sales. You see, no salesman has more than half of the market share so by definition, they lose more than they win. In my business we had about a ten percent share so we lost nine out of ten. With that said, George taught me to always be upbeat and positive, “Never be lacking in zeal… Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction.”

During those years, George was not a church person; just a great guy sent to me from God to be my mentor. We now have a different relationship, friends of each other, of the Lord and of Jesus. He is a Good News Buddy and I bet I will hear from him when he reads this.

Thought for the Week: This week let’s focus Paul’s important message in verses 11 and 12. Let us use them to keep our attitude positive so that we may have a positive effect on those around us. “Never be lacking in zeal... Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction.”

October 11, 2009, Good Name
“A good name is more desirable than great riches.”
(Proverbs 22:1)

In the 60s when I desired to change careers from engineering to sales I had several interviews that changed my life. On my very first one, I did not have a clue what I was doing and was sliding into a deep hole fast. The fellow conducting the interview let me know quickly and for whatever reason gave me a lecture on selling myself and dressing for success. He pointed out that the most important product that I would ever have to sell would be myself and how important it was to make sure the product was of high quality. Frankly, that was in 1964 and my next sales interview was in 1972, he scared me to death.

In 1972 a gentleman named Warren started my second sales interview with a question, “What have you ever sold?” That question would have sent me packing in 1964 but not this time. I talked about selling myself to my company to get my job, selling management on budgets and projects and that I believed everyone was a salesman every day whether they knew it or not. The job was mine and it has been all uphill ever since.

During the time from 1964 through 1972 there was a lot of I did a lot of product on myself; there were college courses, business books, church and of course by my mentor and partner, June. You see, that first interviewer was put in my life to advise me and the Lord gave me two ears to listen and understand.

In a recent Winner’s minute, televangelist Mac Hammond stated that we are all “Brand Managers”. He stated that George Washington said that the one of the most precious things this side of the grave is a good reputation.

Thought for the Week: This week let us consider what we are selling in every situation Let us make sure that we are the best possible brand. Also, we will be interacting with a lot of people that may not be as good as they can be. Let’s be sure that they hear our message so that they may benefit from our experience.

October 4, 2009, Positive Attitude
“I know that there is nothing better than for men
Than to be happy and do good while they live.”
(Ecclesiastes 3:12)

It is interesting to think about what makes us happy, excited and pleased with our lives. Each of us is different, but I suspect that in Paul’s letters he had certain things in mind. I doubt they were what we consider life experiences.

Yesterday on the golf course, on the first tee I was very nervous because my game has been suffering all summer. It was in England with my nephew Matt and I wanted to do well. My drive went long and straight stopped exactly where I wanted it and my approach held the green less than 20 feet from the hole. Yes, I was happy, but that is not what Paul meant by “do good”.

Recently while talking with a friend, Dave, about a sporting event that we both were interested in, we were joined by Don who’s dad has recently passed away at age 101. The subject changed as Don processed some of his grief. We were silent (you know that is not my normal style) and let him talk for 20 minutes. We heard about being a volunteer fireman for 60 years, early days on a farm in Windom Minnesota, hunting trips with dad etc.; Don was in his glory telling us these stories and both Dave and I Listened intently. We were helping in a silent way.

Paul was a teacher with a mission. We have been given the task of carrying on his mission in our faith. The Lord has not given many of us the ability to be preachers or to talk the talk every day. We are not all Evangelists. However, if we are Christians, we are all ministers of the gospel. Knowing that, how do we preach the word? We preach every day through our actions and the example we set in our daily lives.

We need to be “…be happy and do good…” every moment we can.

Thought for the Week: This week we will be tested- things will not all go well. We need to find a way through our faith to be an example to those around us; an example of good living and happiness. In golfers terms, even when lining up our fourth putt.