What if The Lord had not been on our side? ” Psalm 124:1(NIV)

It is so easy to get preoccupied with our present circumstances and conerns about the future…that we often forget how God has been with us in the past. It is healthy and helpful to reflect specifically about God’s guidance, grace, protection and provision in our lives. It is when we look back, we can see clearly God’s hand as He guided us, protectd us, and provided for us.

Take a few moments to think about how The Lord has been with you through difficult times in the past even though at that time you didn’t know how you were going to make it…but you did! He was with you. When you and I do this, it encourages us to face today’s issues and future concerns with faith. It is knowing that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” ( Hebrews 13:8). That is an amazing promise of God to know that you can always count on Him to be there for you and with you..”He will never leave you or forsake you” ( Matthew 28:20).

We need to learn from our past..

We need to live our best in the present…

We need to prepare as we plan for the future…

And at all times we need to Pray,Trust in the Lord and Follow His guidance each day.

I really like Eugene Peterson’s perspective on this topic: “The whole task of Christian commitment is to wed a connection between God’s past and God’s future in your personal history. Your faith takes the remembered past and the expected future and fuses them together in your personality. Recollect God in the year past. Anticipate Him in the year ahead”. That will happen as you and I trust and follow Him into the year 2020.

Is your tinsel in a tangle?…It is so easy to get caught up in the Christmas Rush that we really don’t enjoy the Holidays as much as we should. How can we decompress emotionally from all the Yule Time stress?

Like most things, paying attention to our mindset and attitude is very important into making the most of our Holidays. Let’s untangle some of the negative thought patterns that keep us tense and uptight during this time of the year. One of the things we need to look at is our personal expectations for the holidays. They can be unrealistic. Be careful of the “all or nothing attitude”. We do not need to be a prisoner to such thoughts. This will set us up for disappointment. Instead of getting bogged down by wishing your holidays were different, how about focusing on what it is and accept it… even if it is a little different than what you anticipated.

It is also helpful and important to:

STOP AND SAVOR AND ENJOY THE MOMENTS THAT ARE SPECIAL. Taking time with family and friends with relaxed and meaningful conversations can help us slow down and realize that people are more important than things. There are a lot of churches that offer special Christmas music programs and also Christmas Eve services that help us reflect on God’s love for us in a powerful way.

CHERISH THE GOOD MEMORIES. Reflect on those favorite stories and experiences you had growing up. Sharing those memories with others reinforces the goodness of those in your mind and heart.

SHARE WITH OTHERS. Christmas is more about giving than getting. Remember John 3:16… For God so loved the World that He GAVE us His Son Jesus to be our Savior. We are never more like God’s children than when we give to others. Loving God and loving people is always a recipe for a good Christmas to really experience Peace on Earth and Good Will to Others.

My prayer for you and me is that we will have a wonderful and meaningful Christmas this year.

When I was in the 6th grade, I got the opportunity to be a shepherd in a live outdoor nativity scene. I was so excited, especially because I had a crush on one of the girls who was angel in the play. As typical of other experiences in my crazy life, funny things just seem happen when I am around…I had just purchased my first men’s cologne ( I had been told Shepherds didn’t always smell nice because of being around the sheep). I really wanted to impress the angels that night, so I put on my Hi Karate Cologne. I didn’t know how much to use, so I put about a lot of it on me.

When I got there that night I found out that the sheep weren’t available for the performance. They told us not not to worry, they had secured some goats for replacements. We were instructed to stand still and look toward the baby Jesus in the manger. That became increasingly difficult for me when the goats became strangely attracted to my cologne! In fact, they kept attacking me and knocking me down on the ground. It wasn’t yoga with goats… it was more like goats-mug-ya! There was a lot of laughter that night at my expense. When I got home, my mom couldn’t believe all the black and blue bruises I had on me.

It is so easy for us to get distracted when we are trying to focus on Jesus, even at Christmas time. Sometimes we are just too busy or we are distracted by other things that it can make it difficult to keep the right attitude and perspective. That is even more the reason to stop and refocus on Him.

I still have times when it is difficult for me to be still and focus on Jesus. I have learned that even when you get knocked down or discouraged… get back up and keep focusing on Jesus…

The most important thing about you is not the things you achieve; it is the person that you become.” – Dallas Willard

Sometimes, It is helpful, just to hit the pause button in our day for a few moments to reflect on how we are doing on the inside. It is interesting to note that we are more than “Human Doings” going from task to task, we are “Human Beings”. It is one thing to be outwardly successful but how tragic it is when the inside of our lives, our thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors are a mess. There needs to be a healthy balance.

Of all the books I have read this year; the most encouraging, impactful and challenging one is about this very same topic. It is…”Soul Keeping: Caring for the Most Important Part of You” by John Ortberg. Reading this book {slowly, underlining highlights and making notes) has helped me to better understand how to keep a proper attitude and focus. That is so important for us to do that, regardless of our circumstances. If we keep the right attitude and focus it will allow us to continue to grow in whatever circumstances we go through in our lives. We grow by having an open mind and trusting in the Lord even when we don’t fully understand everything that we are dealing with in our lives. The end result as we look back later on this time in our life, we will see things like…the lessons we have learned, new opportunities to see God work in our lives and how God can use our experiences to actually help others.

While attending a conference some years ago, they gave us a button with these letters printed on it: PBPWMGINFWMY. The meaning of it, was a very powerful statement: “Please Be Patient with Me God Is Not Finished With Me Yet.” What encouraging words for us to remember and think about. This also reminds me of one of my favorite Bible verses: “God is the One who began this good work in you, and I am certain that He will not stop before it is complete on the day that Christ Jesus returns.” – Philippians 1:6 (CEV). We are a work in progress. Do not be discouraged, God has not given up on you and me.

I am still learning, growing, and going through stuff like everybody else here on planet Earth. The key is to not just go through life, but to grow as we go…

Over the years that I have gone hiking in the mountains, the most basic thing is to be on the right path. There have been a few occasions, when I didn’t and I had to turn around and hike back to the right trail. Some times we can get off track in our thought life too. Frustration, anger, jealousy, worry, selfishness, etc.. can leads us down the wrong path in a hurry. This leads to a bad attitude and a lot of other things we need to avoid. It is time to get back to the right path in our thought patterns.

One of the things I strive to do each is day is… to be thankful. Not just in general, but thanking God for specific and even little things. I have found that it is an essential part of experiencing God’s presence. By focusing on what we do have instead of being discouraged with what we don’t have, it changes our perspective in a positive and God honoring way. Psalm 100 teaches us that we are to enter into God’s presence with giving thanks and praise to God, who guides and provides for us. The question is.. are we letting God guide us or are we just kinda doing our own thing and assuming He will bless it? There is a big difference between these two attitudes. In that same psalm, it teaches us that “Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He that has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture” (Psalm 100:3). What a great reminder for us to realize that

He is worthy of our respect and trust on a daily basis. Thanksgiving should be an everyday attitude, and a path we should follow, regardless of our present circumstances. When things are really tough, we can be thankful for His strength and grace to endure, when things are going great, thank Him for blessings. Happy Trails and let’s stay on the right path where God leads us to His very best for us…

“Thanks be to God, who always leads us to victory through Christ.” – 2 Corinthians 2:14

One of the greatest joys of my life as a Christian, is to study some of the awesome promises in the Bible. I have found great encouragement by taking time to meditate on these Scriptures. In my personal Bible Study, devotions, or quiet time, I have a journal that I use to write down my thoughts as I read the Scripture. Sometimes, I like to study a particular verse in order to better understand it. Then I may read it in several translations just to get further insight and meaning. This is easier to do than you think. With the present technology we have, you can use it to study a Bible verse from various translations. Biblegateway.com is my personal favorite. You go there and simply type in the verse of Scripture and it will allow you to access a lot of different english translations instantly. For example, here are my notes for Psalm 62:8…

TRUST GOD MY FRIENDS, AND ALWAYS TELL HIM EACH ONE OF YOUR CONCERNS. GOD IS OUR PLACE OF SAFETY.

PSALM 62:8 (CEV)

TRUST GOD.

-Trust in, Lean on, Rely on, and have Confidence in Him at All Times. (AMPC)

-Confide in Him at All Times. (DARBY)

-In Every Situation put your Trust in God. (ISV)

-Trust in Him Absolutely. (MSG)

– Have Faith in Him in All Circunstances. (VOICE)

– My Safety and Honor Rest on God. (CJB)

ALWAYS TELL HIM YOUR CONCERNS.

-Tell Him All our Problems. (CEV)

-Tell Him All your Troubles.” (GNT)

– Pour out your Heart before Him. (KJV21)

-Pour out your Longings before Him. (TLB)

-Lay your lives on The Line for Him. (MSG)

– Open Up your Heart to Him. (CJB)

GOD IS OUR PLACE OF SAFETY.

-My Strong Rock and Refuge are in God. (ERV)

-God is our a Safe Place to be. (MSG)

-The True God Shelters Us in His Arms. (VOICE)

I take time to go over this verse slowly, phrase by phrase. I thank and praise the Lord that I can trust in Him in every situation, that I can tell Him all my concerns, and that He is a strong place of shelter in the storms of life. I may study that one verse for several days. We don’t need to rush through reading the Bible, but instead understand and apply as much as we can in order to absorb as much truth as we can. Dr. Howard Hendricks, said: “There is no question that Belivers need to sit under the teaching of God’s Word. But that ought to be a stimulus and not a substitute for getting into it for ourselves.”

When we meditate on Gods Word and take moments through out the day to think about it, something great happens. It calms our spirit and gives us a quiet confidence. It gives a sense of purpose and peace like nothing else. It keeps our attitude right. Also, it will help our faith and relationship with God to grow.

This photo gives the illusion that I am holding a little lighthouse in my hand. It is really standing at a distance behind me. It just looks like it is small. This lighthouse is actually One Hundred Sixty Feet tall and was built in 1876. Later, construction of jetties to improve the Charleston harbor, caused erosion around it, so that now it is surrounded by water.

It was a beautiful morning walk to see this lighthouse. We were at Folly Beach, South Carolina, which is known as the Edge of America…being the further most point on the East Coast. Linda and I really enjoy having fun exploring places like this, especially those that we have never seen before.

To see the Morris Island Lighthouse at Folly Beach, you drive to the end of East Ashley Avenue. From there, it is about a mile walk round trip down an old beach road and through an area that is now a wildlife habitat for shorebirds and other critters. It is a pretty place with beautiful trees, salt water marsh, and palm trees.

Lighthouses have always fascinated me. They have been been described as … beacons of hope, symbolizing guidance, trust, and protection.

When you think about it, we all need lighthouses in our lives, that are true sources of faithfulness, guidance through the storms of difficult times that we encounter. I think about how God provides that for us during those challenging circumstances. He often uses special people to help us in the midst of troubled times, some we have known for a long time, others we didn’t know before the storm. God in His infinite grace and mercy, specifically places them there just when we need them the most. Often times as we look back after the storms of our lives, we are amazed how God knew just who and what we needed the most at key moments, in getting us through it all.

Jesus said “ You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world… If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I am going to hide you under a bucket do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Shine! “ – Matthew 5:14-16 (The Message)

May all of us use the the life lessons we have learned to help others, and to be a little light… to help and encourage others.

Are you finding yourself overly committed by too many things? Is your personal schedule overbooked and you feel like you never have enough time? Have you said yes to something or someone and then later wished you had not done so? I have experienced that a lot through the years. There are so many things demanding our attention and time in today’s world. We have a responsibility to take control of our time by living by priorities and not just pressures.

Josh Billings has said that “Half of the troubles of this life can be traced to saying Yes too quickly and not saying No soon enough.” It is wise to take time to consider the possible ramifications and consequences when asked to commit to something instead of just being impulsive by hastily saying yes. We are more prone to fall into this trap, when we are tired, stressed out, and not thinking clearly. The Bible describes it this way…“ What a shame – yes, how stupid! – to decide before knowing the facts!” – Proverbs 18:13 (TLB). It is important to have time to think about how these opportunities will effect our responsibilities, such as our job, relationship with our family, and other obligations.

One way to create some additional time instead of reacting too quickly is to respond by saying something like: “Let me take some time to consider this, and I will get back with you soon.” It may be something you really want to do, but you are not sure if you can due to some possible schedule conflicts. In that situation, I like to respond with one of my favorite sayings… “It is a Definite Maybe”. This way, you are affirming your interest but at the same time being honest and realistic. We are living in a day when, things can change in our daily lives quickly, so it wise for us to be more flexible when possible.

So the next time you feel pressured into doing something, .. even something you would like to do but you aren’t sure that you can, just say … “It’s a Definite Maybe.”

Fall is a reminder as the leaves are turning colors and the trees are letting them go, that it is okay for us to let some things go too.

We need to do, so that we can continue to grow in the future. We need to let go of bad habits and attitudes. Destructive thought patterns such as jealousy, bitterness, selfishness, obsessive worry, etc…letting go of these this will free us up to experience a renewal in our attitude and outlook in life.

This is also a time to refocus on the most essential priorities in our lives. Socrates wisely stated that…“The secret to change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but building on the new.” A positive way to approach this is to concentrate your time and energy on the the relationships and things that matter most. It is interesting that in the mountains where I like to hike, you can see things so much more clearly when the leaves have fallen off the trees. The view and the horizon is much more defined. The same is true, when we simplify our lives in a healthy way. We can see more clearly and define what is really most important. Max Lucado, describes it this way, “The most powerful life is the most simple life. The most powerful life is the life that knows where it is going, that where the source of strength is; it is a life that stays free of clutter happenstance and hurriedness.”

Our faith is vitally important, regardless of the season. One of my favorite songs is “You Got A Friend” written by Carol King and recorded by James Taylor. It emphasizes the importance of having a friend you can count on, not matter what is going on in your life. You and I will never have a better friend than Jesus. He is like some of the words of that song…

Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall,

All you’ve got to do is call,

and He will be there,

You’ve got a Friend.

Jesus is a friend for all seasons. More than anyone else, He can help us let go of the things we need to let go and help us to continue grow stronger and better in the future.

Give your burdens to The Lord, and He will take care of you.” – Psalm 55:22 (NLT)

“Don’t measure the size of the mountain; talk to the One who can move it. Instead of carrying the world on your shoulders, talk to the One who holds the universe on His, Hope is a look away.” – Max Lucado

“Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.” – Psalm 68:19

Lately, The Lord has been teaching me something special… it is simple and yet so very important . I have known for years that “we need to give our burdens to the Lord”, but recently I have made it a daily habit, sometimes several times during the day. We are not meant to carry heavy burdens of guilt, shame, worries and concerns over a long periods of time. That isn’t healthy for us…it wears us down emotionally and spiritually and can eventually have a negative effect on us physically. It robs us of our joy and puts us in a depressing mood. It can debilitate us and prevent us from doing the things we need and want to do because we don’t feel like doing it.

Here are some suggestions that have worked for me:

1. Realize God is bigger than any problem we face in life. Sometimes we think we shouldn’t trouble God with our troubles. The opposite is actually true. He wants us to look to Him for guidance, peace,and strength. We are only hurting ourselves by not turning to Him in times of need.

2. Release your burden to God in prayer. You can do this by yourself, or have a trusted friend, family, pastor, personally pray with you. There is should a relief when we get it out and deal with something that is worrying us. Check out the Psalms in the Bible, in particular these Psalms: 34, 37, 40, 121. Stop and reflect on what these and other Scriptures teach us about God’s love and care for us.

3. Do what you can realistically about the problem. Sometimes, lack of true information drives our fears and make our perception of a problem much bigger than it actually is in reality. Get some good information and advice. This helps us in finding out what to do next, one step at a time.

4. When doubts and fears return, erase them quickly by again releasing them to God in prayer. As you do this, thank God for His power and presence. Pray for others, don’t rehearse your worries. Stay focus on what you can do today.