Resolutive New Year

“We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day.” (Eddith LoveJoy Pierce)

Christmas time is now over. The challenges of a New Year are upon us. This insinuates a more competitive goal setting that must be met. After all, you might have set a new diet as a goal last year and if you did, did you make it? What would happen if there were new modern day goals for the North Pole?

     The 12 Days of Christmas of 2011 would look different. Maybe, it would look like 12 Drummers, and 11 Pipers piping will now be MIDI and podcasted, so that this would help in cutting costs and provide an investment opportunity on technology. The 10 Lords leaping and the nine ladies dancing are now implemented as CGI (By the way, that is Computer Graphics Imagery) because of the economic situation and have been let go. We can keep on staff the eight maids of milking so that we can have the commercial “Got Milk?” and milk mustaches on the ladies entertaining. However, I just learned a lawsuit was filed declaring there was no equal opportunity in the workplace. Yep...you guessed it...now automated too. They will be standing next to the elves. The elves were downsized (no pun intended) because the list appeared more naughty than good. After all, is there anything good coming out of the Congress and Senate lately? PETA will be happy to know the seven swans are still swimming, and we didn’t have them for Christmas day as a dinner entrée.

     Due to PETA regulations and standards, we will continue to allow the six geese to lay their eggs, and we can eat the products as long as there are no hatchlings inside. The five golden rings have been put on hold by the Board of Directors. Maintaining a portfolio based on one commodity could have negative implications for institutional investors. Diversification into other precious metals as well as a mix of T-Bills and high technology stocks appear to be in order.

     Therefore, because of wire tapping standards, the four calling birds are being replaced by an automated voice mail system. Now because the bill has not been passed for automated citizenship; the three French horns will have been deported, because they ran out of air to carry a tune in this country. As far as the two turtle doves and the partridge in a pear tree, PETA and the ASPCA are scrutinizing over the care of the animals, and now they have “Thirteen lawyers a-suing”.

     Wow. What a change. Interesting how things can become so out of whack so easily and quickly. What if we had these as our New Year Resolutions or the following: I will not sit in my living room all day in my pajamas. Instead, I will move my computer into the bedroom. I will help out the Government and conserve water by taking fewer showers. I will stop considering other people's feelings when they so obviously don't consider mine - if that unwashed fellow sits next to me again, I'll tell him he stinks!

     I hope this finds you in a joyful mood and have brightened your day. The intent is for us to look at our intentions when facing a new year. We wrack our brains to think of resolutions to improve our lives. We can obviously, prefer to make resolutions that are a sure thing like eat numerous times during the new year or sleep whenever possible.

Good resolutions are simply checks that men draw on a bank where they have no account.-Oscar Wilde

     We have to be practical in our thinking. A New Year's resolution is something that goes in one Year and out the other. Instead of being like the man in the mirror which soon forgets here are 5 things you can remember like the five fingers on your hand:

1. Mend a broken relationship – Colossians 3:13 Forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.

2. Help others who are need – Matthew 25:34-40 Feed the hungry, assist the poor.

3. Be Healthier – 1 Corinthians 19:20 we maybe the temple, so we must watch what we eat, exercise the mind and body.

4. Spend time in prayer/meditation – Matthew 14:22-23 Christ went alone to pray by himself. We too should pray more and mediate on His word.

5. Love God and others – Mark 12:29-31 This is the greatest command we are asked to do.

     Should this be just a New Year’s resolution as annual attempts or should they be daily convictions that stem from a true desire to love Him? May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thess 5:23).

Happy New Year!!

BA HUMBUG

Five people strolled into a dimly lit place, as if they stepped into the time zone and were placed back into the 1800’s. Snow covered old buildings, with candle lit lanterns and a fog strolled across the floor and chimney smoke billowed out of one of the buildings.

     Strolling about the street, are people dressed in warm clothing set for the 17th century. They break out in a song and stroll across the way. A tall elderly gentleman walks around and is greeted by others, which wish him Merry Christmas. Charles Dickens plotted the words in his reply, “BA Humbug” as Mr. Scrooge strolls to his office.

    For the last three days, this play has pondered my mind like the three ghosts that visited Mr. Scrooge. “Humbug" might have faded from the English language a hundred years ago, but it was etched into stone when Charles Dickens Novella wrote The Christmas Carol and his main character Ebenezer Scrooge viewed Christmas as "humbug." Humbug could mean "sham," it has also been used to mean "hoax" or "trick."

    What Scrooge meant, of course, was that Christmas and its celebrations and traditions, with a particular emphasis on charity toward the poor, are a sham, an insincere and wasteful ritual. It was no use to him and why should he be bothered. There is another part of “Humbug” I would like to focus on.

     Jacob Marley’s ghostly visit is not just a wake up call for Scrooge. As we hear his words, we should make sure we haven’t lost out on the things that money can’t buy. We all need money, of course - but it’s possible to pay too high a price for it. It’s as if society has caught a cultural disease called ‘affluenza’. The symptoms include always wanting more, despite what we already have. And then there’s the insatiable desire for ‘success’ without experiencing contentment. Consistently, we choose our career over family. And we seem unwilling to settle for less than the best of everything.

     What is your wake up call? Is your family asking you to spend time with them more? When is the last time you took your spouse on a date without the children? When was the last time you played ball or the Wii with your children?

     On the stroke of one o’clock, the spirit of Christmas Past arrives. Dickens explores, through Scrooge’s terrifying ordeal, the love of money compared with the value of relationships. Often times we should look to our past to see what haunts us in the present by our actions. Growing up in a rigid military and strict Christian home haunted my realm of life. Parents who were abusive did not set me up for success in my own families. As the New Year approaches, now is the time to reflect back on your past and see what changes you can make for the better. It is never too late to change and make those changes. The past doesn’t make you; it is what you do with the past to make the future brighter.

     The Spirit of Christmas Present arrives to take Scrooge on a tour of the people he now knows. Scrooge is clearly shown the effects of his selfish nature; but the spirit helps him understand that even though he is utterly hard-hearted, others have not entirely given up on him. The Spirit of Christmas Present then shows Scrooge the harsh reality of life on the streets, together with the absolute determination of the families who live there to stay out of the prisons and workhouses, whatever the cost. Scrooge has never before seen the need to help anyone other than himself.

     The second reality is how do we treat one another? How do we treat our families? Do you have parents who will not talk to you? Do you feed the poor? Scrooge has never before seen the need to help anyone other than himself. He’s always believed that the poor ‘should go to the institutions provided - if they should rather die, let them die and reduce the surplus population’. Do we allow our lifestyles to shield us from the needs of the poor and downtrodden?

     The final spirit is the Spirit of Christmas Future, who has no face and does not speak. It merely points the way. The Spirit takes Scrooge to visit the house of a man who has died in his sleep. Two associates out in the street are discussing whether it’s even necessary to hold a funeral service, since no one would bother to come.

     ’But who is this man?’ asks the miser. The spirit leads him to a grave, whose headstone bears the name ‘Ebenezer Scrooge’. It’s a chilling reminder that no one lives forever; that the journey of life is brief. As the Bible says, ‘our days on earth are as a shadow’ (1 Chronicles 29.15). Many of us will recognize the struggles of Ebenezer Scrooge in our own lives. Many of us have been hurt as we grew up. Many of us pass up the offer of friendship or kindness out of a fear of rejection. Scrooge was a man who lived in a prison of his own making, the doors shut and sealed with a bitterness, which he would not let go.

     Jacob Marley’s spirit and weighs it down. Marley tells Scrooge that he alone forged it in life: ‘I made it, link by link and yard by yard.’ His chains were forged with regrets, which he could not release, and hurts he would not forgive. And as he stands before Scrooge, he can see the even greater chains that bind his old colleague: ‘Would you know the weight and length of the coil you bear yourself?’ asks Marley. ‘It was full as heavy and as long as this, seven Christmas Eves ago.

     The good news is that we can learn from the past, to change now so that we can create a better future. The good news is that we, like Scrooge, are still alive. It’s not too late: we can choose to change. Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards. Whatever our past has been, we can have a better future. Things do not change. We do. Scrooge learns his lesson, and experiences what amounts to a ‘conversion’. He responds by changing his ways and living out the lessons that he learnt on that Christmas Eve. He repents and changes his destiny.

     You could mend a quarrel, release a grudge, lessen your demands on others, apologize, forgive someone who has treated you wrongly, find a forgotten friend, and write an overdue thank-you note, point out one thing you appreciate most about someone you live with or work with, dismiss suspicion, tell someone you love them, or give something away. You cannot do a kindness too soon, because you never know how soon it will be too late.

     In our consumer culture, Jesus isn’t just another pick-and-mix lifestyle guru; in fact, he claimed exclusively to be ‘the Way, the Truth and the Life’. If we choose to follow him, then we also have to count the cost - of dedication, commitment, perseverance, selfless love and generosity. But the reward - a dynamic, living relationship with the dynamic, living God - is surely worth it.

     It’s time to reconsider our BA Humbug lifestyle. Like a snow ball, it only begins with a flake and a mind willing to imagine what you can design. Paul reminds us that Christ works in us, and he will help with our lifestyle change. It is never too late, and it is never a humbug to change. As we celebrate the birth of Jesus, may God grant you all these things - not just at Christmas, but also throughout the New Year and all the years to come. Medication alone will not help, but counseling can help as well as Christ can help you change. Dwell on these things as a gift of Christmas. A GIFT – God’s Infinite Forgiving Thoughtfulness.

Merry Christmas to all …….

D(ebating) O(n ) U(tilizing) B(lind) T(rust)

"We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe." –Doubting Thomas

     Often times we are presented with facts and fiction. Sometimes fiction will be present as facts. How will this information, that is being presented and how we perceive it, be manifested as believing or quite doubtful? Doubt - that unnerving feeling of uncertainty - visits each one of us at one time or another during our journey. You worry that you might be wasting your time. You consider throwing in the towel and giving up.

     In Camelot, King Arthur says to Lancelot that he is satisfied he did the right thing in starting the round table. Lancelot replies, "Your majesty, did you ever doubt it?" And Arthur responds, "Lance, only a fool never doubts." Doubt is a conformation of faith, for it is an indication of the seriousness and value of faith to the doubter.

     There are two types of doubt. There is a constructive useful doubt and there is a destructive destroying doubt. Constructive useful doubt (CUD) is like a cow chewing on a cud. You chew on the information for awhile, but you take action and you begin to digest through questioning thoughts and information. It is that feeling that urges us to question rather than take someone else's word for everything. Without this constructive form of doubt we could easily be lied too, cheated, and led about blindly by others.

     Destructive destroying doubt is like a worm which grows and feeds on the worries and fears, guilt and regrets and prevents one from stepping out on faith in order to grow. It dwells on issues and problems and does not see a future. It creates distrust of everyone and everything, including ourselves. We never feel the decisions we make are right and are often unable to make decisions or do anything at all; for fear that the outcome will be unpleasant.

     There is a German saying that states, "To believe everything is too much; to believe in nothing is not enough." Helen Keller, who was blind from birth but who accomplished much through her handicaps, said this about doubt: "It need not discourage us if we are full of doubts. Healthy questions keep faith dynamic. Unless we start with doubts we cannot have a deep-rooted faith. He who has a faith which is not to be shaken has won it through blood and tears -- has worked his way from doubt to truth as one who reaches a clearing through a thicket of brambles and thorns."

     Doubt is really the faith of unbelief. Doubt is a valid tool as a lifeline to double check if all is well to set sail. Patience is attributed to Job and yet is not always a virtue: when a question or even a protest to God is in our heart and mind and soul, it may be time to speak up. God doesn’t take umbrage or offense when we ask or question. Faith in God gives us stability and coherence. The world around us may be crumbling, but God, as the psalmist says, is a sure foundation, the rock of our salvation. Whatever happens around me, I know that at least God can be counted on. He is faithful.

     Doubt is a spiritually destructive force. It tears you away from God. Doubt is not the enemy, but a gift of God to move us from trusting ourselves to trusting him. Doubt feels like God is far away or absent, but it is actually a time of “disguised closeness” to God that moves us to spiritual maturity. Doubt is not a sign of weakness but a sign of growth.

     The book of Job makes it clear that doubt can be, and often is, the key factor in overcoming a falsehood. We are not called to have faith in everything that claims to be food for the soul. We are called to test it and evaluate it, and judge it by its fruit. To have faith in everything or to believe in everything is the same as believing nothing.

     Why seek if you think you have it all? But if you doubt that you have it all, you will seek for more doubt can always be made a virtue if it is handled right, and used as an opportunity for growth. John the Baptist was using his this way, but the Pharisees were using their doubt as an excuse to not grow, and a shield to prevent their having to see the light. We need to stop fearing doubt and recognize it as an ally to faith

     John the Baptist represents the doubter who is just the opposite of the Pharisees. Their doubt drove them to the denial of all evidence, but his doubt drove him to seek more evidence. John was in prison for doing the will of God, and even one so use to being deprived of life's luxuries, can not be happy in such bondage. John began to doubt whether or not Jesus was really the Messiah. This one who said of Jesus, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world," was now isolated and felt forsaken. His personal crisis led him into the shadows of doubt, and he asked his disciples to go to Jesus and ask Him right out if He was the one who was to come, or if they should expect someone else?

    John was saying, I have lost my certainty and lack assurance, and I need some evidence to eliminate the doubts that are creeping into my faith. This kind of doubt can hurt, but it is like the pain of exercise; it hurts, but it leads to the strengthening of the muscle. Doubt that motivates a man to seek for more evidence is not harmful to his faith, but helpful, for it will lead him, as it did John, to get that which supports his faith.

    Paul stated it in I Thess. 5:21, "Test everything, hold fast to the good." When you test and chase away that doubt then you are on the road to new discoveries. Jesus understood John's doubt, and he will understand yours. Come to Christ, as John did, and seek for answers to the mysteries that puzzle you and provoke doubt. It can be painful, but the end result will be the pleasure of a deeper faith. Don't let doubt drag you into darkness.

     Job's doubt was good, for it did not plunge him into unbelief. Doubt will not hurt us as long as we always put our trust in Christ. Self-doubt is usually seen as a bad thing in today’s society. When you're working hard at something, learning and growing, it's natural to feel uncertain at times. The boldest step of faith we can take is to doubt ourselves and trust in God.

How to overcome destructive doubt:

1. Evaluate Your Situation

Test to see if it is worthy to doubt. Assess whether the doubt is in fact destructive. By asking: "How often do I experience doubt after making a decision?" "Do I frequently avoid making decisions because I am afraid they will be wrong?" "Do I constantly reassess and change my plans in hopes of getting it right?" If you relate to any of these questions then you are most likely experiencing destructive doubt. Now that you've interrupted the doubt, it needs to be replaced with an empowering thought or belief

2. Take Action:

Doubt and indecision can stall progress. The point of this step is to stop the doubt in its tracks so that it doesn't have a chance to root itself in your thought processes. You're worried that you're not making enough progress, and that worry and doubt make you so unsure about you need to do next that you just stop doing anything. Take captive every thought, “we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:5).

3. Re-build Confidence:

If you're feeling insecure, you can remedy that with fresh victories - victories of all stripes, shapes and sizes. Victories don't have to be huge milestones. Each small step is a victory in itself. Have faith in yourself, your dream, resolution and goals! Always maintain hope. Begin to trust yourself and your ability to make effective decisions

     Job’s questioning of God; so it was with Thomas, yet these are men of passion and love of the Lord is an inspiration and reassuring proof that doubt, when it comes, does not have to be a negative. Doubt is debating on using blind trust. It is trust through Christ as Peter did walking on the water can we begin to grow our faith. Doubt compels us to glimpse at who we think God is. It makes us face whether we really trust God, or whether we trust what we have made Him to be in our own minds.

    Doubting God is agonizing and frightening because we think we are leaving God behind. But doubt—real hard deep unnerving uncomfortable scary doubt—helps us to see that, maybe we have made God into our own image. We come to discover, slowly but surely, that the “faith” we are losing is not faith in God. It is actually in the idea of God that we surround ourselves with.