As we come to the beginning of a new year and the ending of an old one, you may be wishing you could just turn over a new leaf or gain a fresh start.
I once read about a man who was reading his morning newspaper and was shocked to find his name listed in the obituary column. He called up the newspaper and was outraged that they had made such a mistake. "This is terrible," he screamed, "How could you do this to me?" The newspaper's explanation did not satisfy the man, so he stormed down to their office and demanded to see the editor.
After some time of screaming and yelling, the editor grew frustrated and said, "Look buddy! Cheer up. I'll put your name in the birth column tomorrow and you can have a fresh start."
Starting all over again isn't possible. We can't go back to the beginning for a brand new start. However, with Jesus, you can start where you are and create a brand new ending. 2009 is still a blank slate. There are opportunities ahead of you. You decide which course you are going to take.
In Jeremiah 6:16, God says, " 'Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; then you will find rest for your souls.' " You decide which path you are going to walk in this coming year. You decide what your priorities will be and what direction you will take. Those are decisions that each of us will make each and every day. In 2009, choose the good way and walk in it. Only there will you find peace.
Happy New Year!
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Monday, December 15, 2008
Rose
The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn't already know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being.
She said, "Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I'm eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?"
I laughed and enthusiastically responded, "Of course you may!" and she gave me a giant squeeze.
"Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?" I asked.
She jokingly replied, "I'm here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have a couple of kids..."
"No seriously," I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.
"I always dreamed of having a college education and now I'm getting one!" she told me. After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake.
We became instant friends.
Every day for the next three months we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized listening to this "time machine" as she shared her wisdom and experience with me. Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up. At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I'll never forget what she taught us.
She was introduced and stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor. Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, "I'm sorry I'm so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I'll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know."
As we laughed she cleared her throat and began, "We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing. There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor every day. You've got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die. We have so many people walking around whom are dead and don't even know it! There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don't do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight. Anybody can grow older.
That doesn't take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change. Have no regrets. The elderly usually don't have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets."
She concluded her speech by courageously singing "The Rose." She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives. At the year's end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago. One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep. Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it's never too late to be all you can possibly be.
Thoughts.......
Remember, growing old is mandatory. Growing up is optional.
We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.
God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.
If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
Good friends are like stars.........You don't always see them, but you know they are always there.
Proverbs 18:24 says: There are "friends" who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother.
My prayer for you is that you have many friends like Rose who come into your life....and that you will be a friend like Rose to everyone you come into contact with!
She said, "Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I'm eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?"
I laughed and enthusiastically responded, "Of course you may!" and she gave me a giant squeeze.
"Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?" I asked.
She jokingly replied, "I'm here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have a couple of kids..."
"No seriously," I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.
"I always dreamed of having a college education and now I'm getting one!" she told me. After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake.
We became instant friends.
Every day for the next three months we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized listening to this "time machine" as she shared her wisdom and experience with me. Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up. At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I'll never forget what she taught us.
She was introduced and stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor. Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, "I'm sorry I'm so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I'll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know."
As we laughed she cleared her throat and began, "We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing. There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor every day. You've got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die. We have so many people walking around whom are dead and don't even know it! There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don't do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight. Anybody can grow older.
That doesn't take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change. Have no regrets. The elderly usually don't have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets."
She concluded her speech by courageously singing "The Rose." She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives. At the year's end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago. One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep. Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it's never too late to be all you can possibly be.
Thoughts.......
Remember, growing old is mandatory. Growing up is optional.
We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.
God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.
If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
Good friends are like stars.........You don't always see them, but you know they are always there.
Proverbs 18:24 says: There are "friends" who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother.
My prayer for you is that you have many friends like Rose who come into your life....and that you will be a friend like Rose to everyone you come into contact with!
Happiness or Joy?
In 1776, our country's founding fathers signed a document at Independence Hall called the Declaration of Independence. I think it's an amazing document for a number of reasons, but chiefly because it says something that is different from any other foundational document for any other country on the planet.
You probably know at least a few of its famous words:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
The last phrase in this sentence particularly catches my attention: "the pursuit of Happiness." It was the intent of our founding fathers that we, as Americans, be happy people.
A lot of time has passed since that document was signed. Could we be described as a happy people today? I would have to say "no." Americans, as a whole, enjoy a higher standard of living than anyone else in the world. Yet more Americans go to psychologists and psychiatrists than any other people on the planet.
So what is the problem? Simply put, we are pursuing happiness, but we are going about it in the wrong way. For most people, their happiness depends entirely on good things happening in their lives. When things are going well, they are happy. When things are not going well, they are unhappy.
This can cause us to become caught in an endless cycle, because no matter how much we accumulate or how much we accomplish, we always will feel as though there is something more. Our clothes aren't fashionable enough. Our cars aren't fast enough. Our houses aren't elaborate enough. Our jobs aren't rewarding enough. Our relationships aren't romantic enough or fulfilling enough. Life can become a never-ending pursuit of something just beyond our grasp.
In the New Testament, the Book of Philippians talks about something better than happiness. It's called joy. In Philippians' four chapters, the words joy, rejoicing, or gladness appear at least 19 times. This joy to which Philippians refers was not something available to the first-century. It is available to us in the 21st-century as well.
We find an important word throughout Philippians that shows us the way to experience joy. That word is: mind. It appears 10 times in Philippians, while the word think occurs five times. Add to this the number of times the word remember turns up, and you have a total of 16 references to the mind. Are you picking up on a theme here? The secret to joy is found in the way we think; in our outlook or attitude.
The Apostle Paul, the writer of the book of Philippians, said this: In your lives you must think and act like Christ Jesus. That is the mind of a person who puts the needs of others above his own. It stands in sharp contrast to our self-centered attitudes of today, yet, if you want to experience joy that’s what is required.
See, joy doesn’t come from what you have, it comes from Who you know. So let me encourage you today, turn your heart to Jesus to find the joy you’re looking for. When we begin to think and act like Him (which is no small feat, mind you....) we will begin to understand that happiness doesn’t come from acquiring more, but from knowing Him better.
You probably know at least a few of its famous words:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
The last phrase in this sentence particularly catches my attention: "the pursuit of Happiness." It was the intent of our founding fathers that we, as Americans, be happy people.
A lot of time has passed since that document was signed. Could we be described as a happy people today? I would have to say "no." Americans, as a whole, enjoy a higher standard of living than anyone else in the world. Yet more Americans go to psychologists and psychiatrists than any other people on the planet.
So what is the problem? Simply put, we are pursuing happiness, but we are going about it in the wrong way. For most people, their happiness depends entirely on good things happening in their lives. When things are going well, they are happy. When things are not going well, they are unhappy.
This can cause us to become caught in an endless cycle, because no matter how much we accumulate or how much we accomplish, we always will feel as though there is something more. Our clothes aren't fashionable enough. Our cars aren't fast enough. Our houses aren't elaborate enough. Our jobs aren't rewarding enough. Our relationships aren't romantic enough or fulfilling enough. Life can become a never-ending pursuit of something just beyond our grasp.
In the New Testament, the Book of Philippians talks about something better than happiness. It's called joy. In Philippians' four chapters, the words joy, rejoicing, or gladness appear at least 19 times. This joy to which Philippians refers was not something available to the first-century. It is available to us in the 21st-century as well.
We find an important word throughout Philippians that shows us the way to experience joy. That word is: mind. It appears 10 times in Philippians, while the word think occurs five times. Add to this the number of times the word remember turns up, and you have a total of 16 references to the mind. Are you picking up on a theme here? The secret to joy is found in the way we think; in our outlook or attitude.
The Apostle Paul, the writer of the book of Philippians, said this: In your lives you must think and act like Christ Jesus. That is the mind of a person who puts the needs of others above his own. It stands in sharp contrast to our self-centered attitudes of today, yet, if you want to experience joy that’s what is required.
See, joy doesn’t come from what you have, it comes from Who you know. So let me encourage you today, turn your heart to Jesus to find the joy you’re looking for. When we begin to think and act like Him (which is no small feat, mind you....) we will begin to understand that happiness doesn’t come from acquiring more, but from knowing Him better.
Laugh!!!
Someone asked me recently, “Why do you put the funny stuff at the end of the Monday e-mail?” There’s a two part answer to that. First, I love humor. I always have. I like to laugh and I like to make other people laugh. But there’s a bigger reason.
Did you know that people who laugh live longer? It’s true. Proverbs 14:30 says, “A relaxed attitude lengthens a man’s life.
Humor is an amazing thing. It’s a tension dissolver. It’s an antidote to anxiety. It’s just like a tranquilizer, but without any troublesome side-effects. And it’s free! You don’t even need a prescription!
Laughter is life’s shock absorber. If you want to have less stress in your life, learn to laugh at your circumstances.
Someone once asked U.S. President Abraham Lincoln how he handled all the stresses of the Civil War. He said, “If it hadn’t been for laughter, I could not have made it.”
Many famous comedians grew up in poor neighborhoods with lots of problems. They coped with their troubles by learning to laugh and making others laugh.
So learn to laugh. If you can laugh at it, you can live with it. And besides, if you learn to laugh at your troubles, you’ll never run out of anything to laugh at! Life is full of funny situations. The cowboy comedian Will Rogers once said, “I don’t know any jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts.”
And if you’re wondering what God thinks about laughter, check out this verse in Psalm 2:4, “The One enthroned in heaven laughs.” Isn’t that a great verse? God has a sense of humor. God laughs! Proverbs also says that a merry heart is good, like a medicine.
I loved a story a friend told me recently. She and her husband had gone on a trip and were miles from home. All of a sudden, with absolutely no warning, their car quit. The transmission just quit working. They were on their way to a wedding, they were running a little late and they were in the middle of nowhere. That’s where their car quit.
What would your reaction be? Do you know what my friend did? She started laughing......and not a little snicker, mind you. She busted out laughing! Her husband had already started turning red with anger when he looked at her in wide-eyed disbelief. She simple said, “What other option do we have?” and within a brief moment both of them were laughing. If you ask me, that’s what this laughter thing is all about. It changes things.....it’s contagious......it’s good for you......and God loves it!
Have you ever seen the face of an orangutan? God thought that one up! The duck-billed platypus? Hey, that was His idea too! That proves he has a sense of humor. Do you want to be more like God? Let me encourage you......learn to laugh. It will bless your soul.....and probably those around you, too!
Did you know that people who laugh live longer? It’s true. Proverbs 14:30 says, “A relaxed attitude lengthens a man’s life.
Humor is an amazing thing. It’s a tension dissolver. It’s an antidote to anxiety. It’s just like a tranquilizer, but without any troublesome side-effects. And it’s free! You don’t even need a prescription!
Laughter is life’s shock absorber. If you want to have less stress in your life, learn to laugh at your circumstances.
Someone once asked U.S. President Abraham Lincoln how he handled all the stresses of the Civil War. He said, “If it hadn’t been for laughter, I could not have made it.”
Many famous comedians grew up in poor neighborhoods with lots of problems. They coped with their troubles by learning to laugh and making others laugh.
So learn to laugh. If you can laugh at it, you can live with it. And besides, if you learn to laugh at your troubles, you’ll never run out of anything to laugh at! Life is full of funny situations. The cowboy comedian Will Rogers once said, “I don’t know any jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts.”
And if you’re wondering what God thinks about laughter, check out this verse in Psalm 2:4, “The One enthroned in heaven laughs.” Isn’t that a great verse? God has a sense of humor. God laughs! Proverbs also says that a merry heart is good, like a medicine.
I loved a story a friend told me recently. She and her husband had gone on a trip and were miles from home. All of a sudden, with absolutely no warning, their car quit. The transmission just quit working. They were on their way to a wedding, they were running a little late and they were in the middle of nowhere. That’s where their car quit.
What would your reaction be? Do you know what my friend did? She started laughing......and not a little snicker, mind you. She busted out laughing! Her husband had already started turning red with anger when he looked at her in wide-eyed disbelief. She simple said, “What other option do we have?” and within a brief moment both of them were laughing. If you ask me, that’s what this laughter thing is all about. It changes things.....it’s contagious......it’s good for you......and God loves it!
Have you ever seen the face of an orangutan? God thought that one up! The duck-billed platypus? Hey, that was His idea too! That proves he has a sense of humor. Do you want to be more like God? Let me encourage you......learn to laugh. It will bless your soul.....and probably those around you, too!
Keep Fighting the Fight
Of course, it’s football season. I don’t know how your team might be doing this season (if you even have a team....), but let’s look back to last season for a moment. It was at about this point that everyone began talking about the New England Patriots. They were hot, undefeated and on the move. Rumors began to float around about how the possibilities of this team going undefeated and winning the Super Bowl. Well, that partially happened. For the regular season and playoffs they, indeed, went undefeated, but they didn’t win the big one. Had they won, they would have been hailed as the greatest team of all time. Instead, the '72 Dolphins remain the only undefeated world championship team.
The Patriots didn’t do it. Instead, it was Eli Manning’s year. By the way, do you remember how last season began for him? Probably not. Let’s just say it wasn’t exactly a smooth start. Several weeks into the season he was still the media's goat. He wasn't a favorite among the fans, either.
That all changed with his four consecutive playoff wins; Manning will long be remembered for last year's outstanding postseason performance. The Patriots, on the other hand, will be remembered as the team who couldn't quite go the distance - the team who went "18 and no".
Which brings me to my point. There's a sense in which life itself is much the same as a single game or a single season or even an entire athletic career. The principle is that a strong finish is more important than a strong beginning. The Giants got off to a shaky start last year, but they finished well - and that's what matters most in the game of football.
A guy named Paul wrote about ½ of the New Testament and in some of the last words he wrote he said, "The time of my death is near. I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful." (2 Timothy 4:7) What a privilege to be able to say this. He had been knocked down plenty of times during the 35 years that he served Christ. He even fell down on his own sometimes. Most important, however, is the fact that he always got back up. He kept moving forward, always with the aim of finishing well.
This is what really matters in the Christian life. The occasional defeats are inevitable, especially early on. But your focus must remain on finishing well. A strong finish can overcome a shaky start; a strong finish is more important than an impressive start.
Let me encourage you to forget about how things were, and start moving toward how you want things to be. It's too late to undo your rookie mistakes, but it's not too late finish well. The season isn't over yet.
The Patriots didn’t do it. Instead, it was Eli Manning’s year. By the way, do you remember how last season began for him? Probably not. Let’s just say it wasn’t exactly a smooth start. Several weeks into the season he was still the media's goat. He wasn't a favorite among the fans, either.
That all changed with his four consecutive playoff wins; Manning will long be remembered for last year's outstanding postseason performance. The Patriots, on the other hand, will be remembered as the team who couldn't quite go the distance - the team who went "18 and no".
Which brings me to my point. There's a sense in which life itself is much the same as a single game or a single season or even an entire athletic career. The principle is that a strong finish is more important than a strong beginning. The Giants got off to a shaky start last year, but they finished well - and that's what matters most in the game of football.
A guy named Paul wrote about ½ of the New Testament and in some of the last words he wrote he said, "The time of my death is near. I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful." (2 Timothy 4:7) What a privilege to be able to say this. He had been knocked down plenty of times during the 35 years that he served Christ. He even fell down on his own sometimes. Most important, however, is the fact that he always got back up. He kept moving forward, always with the aim of finishing well.
This is what really matters in the Christian life. The occasional defeats are inevitable, especially early on. But your focus must remain on finishing well. A strong finish can overcome a shaky start; a strong finish is more important than an impressive start.
Let me encourage you to forget about how things were, and start moving toward how you want things to be. It's too late to undo your rookie mistakes, but it's not too late finish well. The season isn't over yet.
Oops.......
I've been away from the blog for a bit......but will try to get some recent posts up today.
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