December Third

December Third....what a day it has been! We started off by going to WRMB radio station to do an interview for our book. It was a great interview, and we were ever so grateful for the blessing it was to be able to share our hearts. It will be weird to hear ourselves next week on the morning and afternoon drive time on 89.3 WRMB.

Today was a treat from God. Not every day is like that. Some days you want to end before they really get started. If fact, you sometimes wish you could rewind and start again, but you can't. The reality is that some days go on for months and you are forever changed by them. The difficult thing is finding joy and gratefulness in the midst of them. Sometimes its just the simple things; the monotonous things that keep a sense of normalcy- those things that would usually drive us crazy help us keep our sanity when times are tough.

So why not let those same things make us grateful now; content in our lives, our relationships and what we have been blessed with? I suffer from the 'too much' disease: Spending too much, eating too much, trying to do too much, expecting too much and wanting too much. But what I am trying to do this season, one day at a time is being grateful and content with what I have been given and the situations I find myself in instead of living with the too much's. I want to be content and know that what I have is more than enough.
Colossians 1:21 & 22 says: Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight without blemish and free from accusation- if this were the only thing I had to be thankful for, it would be enough. But to that he has added so much. I am more grateful now than I ever have been, and want to focus on being content in him.

Remember our book signing on Saturday, Dec. 5 at the Walden books in the Wellington Green Mall from 1-3pm. Bring a friend and recieve a free gift with purchase! Until tomorrow....may you have joy in the journey!

December Second

Today is the second day of the Christmas Season....joy, gratitude and contentment are the words of the day. God has been hammering away at our hearts on how truly blessed we are and how ungrateful we as Americans have become.
For many years, we have been able to acheive a cheap (really expensive, in some cases) immitation of Christmas. We have been able to afford the 'finer things of life' and replace the joy and contentment that comes with a real relationship with Christ with 'stuff'. Gifts, events and all the busy-ness has become a poor substitute for the real joy and gifts which are family, friends and the memories we make with them. We have done this for so long, that it is hard to remember what this season is supposed to be about. But with the financial downturn, we are now forced to take a good hard look at what is real and what is artificial about our Christmas celebrations. And that is a good thing. We have so much to be thankful for...and its not the stuff. We have freedom in Christ, we have friends and family that love us unconditionally, and food, shelter, air, and on we could go. So how can we close "pandoras box" and reverse this tide now that it has run rampant for so long?
Repentance is an outdated word, but it is what we need. Literally, it means "turn around and go the other direction". I know it is difficult to turn the ship around, but it is so worth it. So it is time to refocus. We have been using the wrong lens, and now we need to change it to the right one.
Col. 1:12 says: Giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share in the kingdom inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.
So be thankful for Christ. Be really thankful, by focusing on what is true, lovely, righteous and holy. Think about what really needs to be done, and what will make the most of this precious time with friends and family. Get the kids involved and thinking more about who they could bless, and why it is important. We decided to do a "Family Motto" for the season to help us remember what we are all about. We got the family involved, and tomorrow you will know what we came up with.
Until then, may you have joy in this day, and the season!