...success

There's a story about a father and son who were in constant tension about the son's casual attitude about finding a job. During a particularly heated argument, the father said, "If you can get a job you enjoy, that's fine. But in the end, a job is the way you make a living."

The son answered meanly, "Well, I want something a lot better than wasting away as manager of a muffler shop."

The mother overheard the conversation and was furious. "How dare you demean another man's life? Your dad's a wonderful husband and father and people look up to him. He gave up on his dream to be a sportswriter so he could give you and your sisters a good home and college educations. He may not be your idea of success, but he's mine." And she handed him a poem by Betty Anderson Stanley:

"He has achieved success who has lived well, laughed often and loved much; who has enjoyed the trust of pure women, the respect of intelligent men and the love of little children; who has filled his niche and accomplished his task; who has left the world better than he found it, whether by an improved poppy, a perfect poem, or a rescued soul; who has never lacked appreciation of Earth's beauty or failed to express it; who has always looked for the best in others and given them the best he had; whose life was an inspiration; whose memory a benediction."

-character counts

...line

Christmas time was approaching
Snow was starting to fall
Shoppers choosing their presents
People filling the mall

Children waiting for Santa
With excitement and glee
A little boy tugged my sweater
Looked up and asked me

Where's the line to see Jesus?
Is He here at the store?
If Christmas time is His birthday
Why don't we see Him more?

As I stood in amazement
At this message profound
I looked down to thank him
He was no where around

The little boy at the mall
Might as well have had wings
As the tears filled my eyes
Thought I heard him sing

Where's the line to see Jesus?
Is He here at the store?
If Christmas time is His birthday
Why don't we see Him more?

Where's the line to see Jesus?
He was born for me
Santa Claus brought me presents
But Christ gave His life for me

In the blink of an eye
At the sound of His trump
We'll all stand in line at His throne
Every knee shall bow down
Every tongue will confess
That Jesus Christ is Lord

Where's the line?
Where's the line?
Where's the line for the Lord?
-steve haupt & chris loesch

...again

Year after year with "tireless regularity and eternal patience," God reminds the world every Christmas that he sent his Son, Jesus, to save lost mankind. Christmas is also God's reminder that Jesus is coming back to earth for all who have accepted him as their personal Lord and Savior.

His first coming is an indisputable fact of history. His second coming to end this world age is as certain. According to Bible scholars, there are 1,845 references in the Old Testament and 318 in the New Testament about Christ's coming again. This means for every prophecy in the Bible about Christ's first coming—every one of which was fulfilled in minute detail—there are eight about his second coming!

Jesus is coming again. God has promised this in his Word, the Bible. 

Jesus himself promised it as well. John 14:2–3 

And all the signs that Jesus and the Bible said would immediately precede his return are evident today, also reminding us that Christ's return could be very soon. 

If it were today, would you be ready?

season

The message of Christmas is not about the proclamation of a holiday or the declaration of a season. It is about the proclamation of a Person and the declaration of Salvation. The birth of the child in the manger was an event that prophets had written about, the people of Israel had spoken about, the patriarchs of old had wondered about, and the angels of God shouted about on that glorious night when Christ was born

–roy lessin

bottom...

Dr. Alfred Adler, international psychiatrist, based the following conclusions on a careful analysis of thousands of patients: "The most important task imposed by religion has always been, 'Love your neighbor....' 

It is the individual who is not interested in his fellow man who has the greatest difficulties in life and provides the greatest injury to others. It is from among such individuals that all human failures spring."

True, Jesus did say that we were to love our neighbor as we love our own self, but as somebody else said, "Heaven help your neighbor if you hate yourself." If I happen to hate myself, I will tend to project my feelings of self-hatred onto my neighbor, and while I may not hate him, I will find it difficult, if not impossible, to love him. This is because I can only love and accept others to the degree that I have learned to love and accept myself—in a healthy way, that is.

So, if we are to follow Jesus' example and admonition to love our neighbor (all people), we need to resolve our damaged and negative emotions that block or hinder our loving ourselves so we can be free to love others.

While we are working towards that goal, we can choose to do the loving thing to others even if we don't fully feel that love yet. And what an impact we Christians would make in our homes, places of business, schools, cities, and nation if every one of us would make the commitment every day to love our neighbor, mean it, and practice it. It's still important to do right whether we feel like doing it or not.

Let's pray that we will!

-dick innes

beliefs

Here's a portion of my personal list of beliefs that you may want to pass on: 

• I believe I'm a work-in-progress, and there will always be a gap between who I am and who I want to be.

• I believe every day brings opportunities to learn and to do something meaningful.

• I believe the true test of my character is whether I do the right thing even when it might cost more than I want to pay.

• I believe no matter how I behave, some people will be mean-spirited, dishonest, irresponsible, and unkind, but if I fight fire with fire, all I'll end up with will be the ashes of my own integrity.

• I believe life is full of joys and sorrows, and my happiness will depend on how well I handle each.

• I believe pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional, and if I can control my attitudes, I can control my life.

• I believe kindness really matters, and sarcastic comments and badly-timed criticisms can cause lasting hurt.

• I believe there's joy in gratitude and freedom in forgiveness, but both require conscientious effort.

• I believe what's fun and pleasurable isn't always good for me, and what's good for me isn't always fun and pleasurable.

• I believe no one's happy all the time, but in the end, I can be as happy as I'm willing to be.

• I believe the surest road to happiness is good relationships.

-character counts

...confession

The following is reported to have been written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.

My confession:

I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are, Christmas trees.

It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, "Merry Christmas" to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu. If people want a creche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.

I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from, that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.

Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.

Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her "How could God let something like this happen?" (regarding Hurricane Katrina). Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, "I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?"

In light of recent events ... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc., I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.

Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave, because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem. We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said okay. (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide.)

Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.

Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. 

I think it has a great deal to do with "WE REAP WHAT WE SOW."

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. 

Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. 

Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.

...needed

I asked for Strength and God gave me Difficulties to make me strong.

I asked for Wisdom and God gave me Problems to solve. 

I asked for Prosperity and God gave me Brain and Brawn to work. 

I asked for Courage and God gave me Danger to overcome. 

I asked for Love and God gave me Troubled People to help. 

I asked for Favor and God gave me Opportunities. 

I got nothing I wanted, but I received everything I needed.

-author unknown

tgu

Keep this philosophy in mind the next time you hear, or are out to repeat a rumor.

In ancient Greece (469 - 399 BC), Socrates was widely lauded for his wisdom. One day the great philosopher came upon an acquaintance, who ran up to him excitedly and said, "Socrates, do you know what I just heard about one of your students...?"

"Wait a moment," Socrates replied. "Before you tell me, I'd like you to pass a little test. It's called the Test of Three."

"Test of Three?"

"That's correct," Socrates continued.

"Before you talk to me about my student let's take a moment to test what you're going to say. 

1. The first test is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?" "No," the man replied, "actually I just heard about it.""All right," said Socrates. "So you don't really know if it's true or not. 
2. Now let's try the second test, the test of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my student something good?" "No, on the contrary..." So," Socrates continued, "you want to tell me something bad about him even though you're not certain it's true?" The man shrugged, a little embarrassed.
3. Socrates continued, "You may still pass though because there is a third test - the filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about my student going to be useful to me?" "No, not really..."

"Well," concluded Socrates, "if what you want to tell me is neither True nor Good nor even Useful, why tell it to me at all?"

The man was defeated and ashamed and said no more.

This is the reason Socrates was a great philosopher and held in such high esteem.

It also explains why Socrates never found out that Plato was having an affair with his wife.

-author unknown

...north

"You have circled this mountain long enough. Now turn north." (Deuteronomy 2:3)

Listen to this wonderful challenge from Ruth Graham...    

"Either we can be victimized and become victims, or we can be victimized and rise above it.  Often it is easier to play the victim than take off our masks and ask for help.  We get comfortable with our victim status. It becomes our identity and is hard to give up.  The Israelites often played the victim card, and I love what God finally tells them, 'You have circled this mountain long enough. Now turn north' (Deuteronomy 2:3).   Turn north!  It's time to move on!  Self-pity, fear, pride, and negativity paralyze us. Taking off our masks takes courage, but if we don't do it, we will remain in our victim status and end up stunted."

What about you?

Do you keep talking and talking and talking about something you just can't get over? 

Are you living in the past because you just can't "let it go"?

Do you keep wallowing in self-pity wondering what "could have been"?

Have you discussed it over and over with different people but you've never taken action?

Have you worried and worried about it but you've never done anything?

Are you still living in misery because it's something you can't forgive or forget? 

Have you circled and circled and circled this issue all your life? 

The time has come!!!

You have circled this mountain long enough.  Now turn north!!!

-david langerfeld

...conquerors

We envision a conqueror as one standing atop a hill with head held high, sword thrust high toward the sky and his shout of victory echoing through the land.

From our standpoint, the conqueror has achieved the ultimate. But, according to Scripture, a person can be more than a conqueror.  Paul straightforwardly announces that in Christ we are more than conquerors over hardship, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, or sword. (Romans 8:35-37)

We would be satisfied with being conquerors - and the promise that we are in Christ is powerful in and of itself. However, the addition of the words "more than" reveals we who are in Christ.  We are not to settle for being merely a conqueror. We are to be MORE than one!  How?

A careful reading of the verse within its context reveals that the question, "How", is the wrong question. The verse is not a "how to" verse.  It is an emphatic affirmation - it says, "WE ARE."  It tells us why are we more than conquerors, not how to become so. Therefore, we need this passage to speak to us anew, allowing its abundant truth to sink deep into our hearts. Then we can begin living like people who are "more than conquerors," rather than a people just trying to somehow make it through.

1. We are more than conquerors because we are in Christ, who loved us!  Paul was careful to use "loved" rather than "love," for by using the past tense he points to the cross. On the cross Christ showed us the full extent of His love, conquering sin once and for all! And there is nothing that can separate us from that love. For us the cross is the symbol of victory.  
2. We are more than conquerors because the very things that could defeat and destroy us, God transforms into things that accomplish His good."And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him and live according to His purpose."Romans 8:28  Be sure not to define "good" from a human, earthly perspective. Doing so is a gross misuse of this great truth. Good for God's people is always to be understood from God's perspective. God alone is good and therefore good has to do with holiness. It does not say that God causes all things, but that He uses all things for our good, for our holiness.
3. We are not only more than conquerors over "these things," but in them and through them as well. The assaults, troubles, hardships, and hurts of this life do not have the final say, Christ does.  "Greater is He that is in us than He that is in the world."1 John 4:4 And He is able to make all things work for good in our lives! All things!

With the quiet assurance that all things will accomplish God's good in our lives and the peaceful confidence that nothing can separate us from His love in Christ Jesus our Lord, we are more than conquerors!

We are conquerors who humbly and readily acknowledge that we are so only in Christ, not by anything in ourselves. We are conquerors who do not lord it over others, but serve in Jesus name.

We are conquerors who glory in Jesus Christ and Him crucified wherein our victory lies!

We are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus!

-gerald whetstone

...change

I'm going to change.  

More than that, God is going to help me change.  

He is helping me grow and be a better person. 

My past ended a minute ago and I'm looking ahead to new beginnings and a new hope in all God is.

I'm going to be kinder and less critical. 

I'm going to be less vocal and listen more. 

I'm going to talk Jesus to every single person I meet. 

I'm going to be more joyful and not operate so much on emotions and circumstances. 

I'm going to claim God's blessing in my life and let him work a miracle in me.

I'm going to smile and see Jesus in every face I meet. 

I'm going to stop and think before I open my mouth

I'm going to do this in order to ensure my words are uplifting, loving, compassionate and forgiving. 

I'm going to share and give to those in need. 

I'm going to find joy in my life regardless of what happens or why.

I'm going to try harder to understand nothing is impossible for those who believe God is all He promises He will be. 

I'm going to spend more time with those I love and to keep a promise when I make one. 

I'm going to remember and practice prayer.  

It is, after all, my chosen time to spend time with my Savior. 

I'm going to sit quietly and listen when others need a shoulder to lean on. 

I'm goimg to be more supportive, sympathetic and encouraging to the cross others carry and not be so critical and judgmental. 

I'm going to try and grasp that I'm never too old to learn something new and remember that God works in unusual and strange ways. 

I'm going to be receptive and approachable and try to remember that we are all works in progress.

I'm going to be more forgiving and hopefully, with God's help, I can put it all behind me and learn from every single thing that happens. 

I'm going to remember I'm not perfect but through God I can do all things.

I'm going to change.  Thank goodness God considers me a work in progress. 

I know I have a ways to go but God considers me valuable and wants me to meet my potential. 

He sees value in me and is willing to spend time on me and with me. 

His commitment to me is 100% and I'm placing all my hope on that.

Remember God doesn't make junk and he is helping me change. 

He'll help you change, too, if you will let him.

-melinda clements

...gift

If I live in a house of spotless beauty with everything in its place, but have not love, I am a housekeeper - not a homemaker.

If I have time for waxing, polishing, and decorative achievements, but have not love, my children learn cleanliness - not godliness.

Love leaves the dust in search of a child's laugh.

Love smiles at the tiny fingerprints on a newly cleaned window.

Love wipes away the tears before it wipes up the spilled milk.

Love picks up the child before it picks up the toys.

Love is present through the trials.

Love reprimands, reproves, and is responsive.

Love crawls with the baby, walks with the toddler, runs with the child, then stands aside to let the youth walk into adulthood.

Love is the key that opens salvation's message to a child's heart.

Before I became a mother I took glory in my house of perfection. 

Now I glory in God's perfection of my child.

As a mother, there is much I must teach my child, but the greatest of all is love.

-unknown author

!...little

In 1858, a Sunday School teacher named Mr. Kimball led a Boston shoe clerk to give his life to Christ. The clerk, Dwight L. Moody, became an evangelist. In England in 1879, he awakened evangelistic zeal in the heart of Fredrick B. Meyer, pastor of a small church.

F. B. Meyer, preaching to an American college campus, brought to Christ a student named J. Wilbur Chapman. Chapman, engaged in YMCA work, employed a former baseball player, Billy Sunday, to do evangelistic work.

Billy Sunday held a revival in Charlotte, N.C. A group of local men were so enthusiastic afterward that they planned another evangelistic campaign, and brought Mordecai Hamm to town to preach. During Hamm's revival, a young man named Billy Graham heard the gospel and yielded his life to Christ.

Only eternity will reveal the tremendous impact of Mr. Kimball, a faithful Sunday School teacher, who invested his life in the lives of others. 

...net

"The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?"Psalm 27:1

If you have ever been to a circus and watched the high-flying trapeze artists perform their seemingly death-defying acts, you will have undoubtedly thrilled with the exhilaration of their performance and their split-second timing. I think I'd be a nervous wreck if they didn't have a safety net below to catch them should they fall.

If I had to do that (especially without a net) I'd be absolutely terrified. Will I be able to reach my partner? Will he be able to catch me? Or will I crash and be hurt or even killed?

Sometimes life can be somewhat like that. I've been there on occasion and you probably have too. Life or work as you knew it suddenly ended. Perhaps you lost a spouse, or your marriage fell apart, or you lost your job and income. You feel like you are out there in mid-air and have no idea where you are going to land or if you are going to crash. It can be very scary and even terrifying.

I've been involved in ministry for four decades and have always been responsible for raising my own support and that of my staff and our entire ministry's operating expenses. It's quite a challenge. With recessions and other financial setbacks over the years we have lost a lot of support. At one time I really thought we were going to crash. I was scared and one morning when praying, I fell asleep and had a very vivid dream. In the dream I heard a voice clearly say, "Philippians 4:18 makes sense to me."

I awakened and immediately opened my Bible to Philippians 4:18.

It read, "I have received full payment and even more; I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God." And the very next verse read, "And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:18-19

In my heart I knew that somehow God would provide. My mind was at peace. God did provide. He didn't or doesn't hand it on a silver platter, but he still does provide and our ministry continues and has become more effective than ever.

God is my safety net. Without him (at least for me) life at times could or would be terrifying.

I'm also reminded of King David who, when the Philistine enemy seized him in Gath, wrote, "When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?"Psalm 56:3-4

-dick innes

...camp

External economic forces beyond our control can diminish, even decimate, every form of financial asset we have, but the most important asset we possess—integrity—can only be destroyed by our own choices. Those who sacrifice integrity to save their fortunes will eventually lose both.

I showed them a cartoon of a boss discussing an issue with executives in his office. The caption reads: "This might not be ethical. Is that a problem for anybody?"

My point was that ethics is not simply a factor to consider; it's a ground rule. 

People who treasure their integrity summon the strength to do the right thing even when it costs more than they want to pay.

Another cartoon depicted a conference table. The head honcho points to a woman with an armful of blindfolds and announces: "Miss Jensen will now hand out the moral blinders."

The message: Try as we might, we can't avoid ethical responsibilities by covering our eyes. Our obligation to be honest, fair, and responsible doesn't go away just because we refuse to acknowledge it.

Speaking of the turmoil before the American Revolution, Thomas Paine said, "These are the times that try men's souls." Tough times always try our souls, but they also test our character.

The next year or so will be like a character boot camp for all of us where our moral backbone will be either strengthened or broken.

While we can't know when, it's absolutely certain this dark period will end. 

And when it does, only those who protected and preserved their integrity will emerge with the credibility to restore everything they lost.

-character counts.

take

Take time to think—it is the source of power.

Take time to play—it is the secret of perpetual youth.

Take time to read—it is the fountain of wisdom.

Take time to pray—it is the greatest power on earth.

Take time to love and be loved—it is a God-given privilege.

Take time to be friendly—it is the road to happiness.

Take time to laugh—it is the music of the soul.

Take time to give—it is too short a day to be selfish.

Take time to work—it is the price of success.

-author unknown

...borrowing

Somewhere recently I read this statement: 

"Most of the 500 wealthiest Americans got their money the old-fashioned way: they inherited it." That may be the case with money, but it is not true with the most important things in life. It's not true of character. Of course we are influenced by the character of our parents, but our own character is our own doing by our own choices and the way we choose to live.

We may inherit money, but we do not inherit faith. 

Someone put it in a catchy line, "God has no grandchildren." 

Faith needs to be first-hand, personal, and appropriated by each person. 

Too many of us are seeking to live on borrowed faith. The 500 wealthiest Americans may have received their wealth the old-fashioned say—by inheriting it—but we don't obtain character and faith that way. These are not inherited—they are personally claimed and cultivated.

-maxine dunnam

...fog

It was a fog-shrouded morning, July 4, 1952, when a young woman named Florence Chadwick waded into the water off Catalina Island.

She intended to swim the channel from the island to the California coast. Long-distance swimming was not new to her; she had been the first woman to swim the English Channel in both directions. The water was numbing cold that day. The fog was so thick she could hardly see the boats in her party. Several times sharks had to be driven away with rifle fire. 

She swam more than 15 hours before she asked to be taken out of the water. Her trainer tried to encourage her to swim on since they were so close to land, but when Florence looked, all she saw was fog. So she quit. . . only one-mile from her goal. Later she said, "I'm not excusing myself, but if I could have seen the land I might have made it." It wasn't the cold or fear or exhaustion that caused Florence Chadwick to fail. It was the fog.

Many times we too fail, not because we're afraid or because of the peer pressure or because of anything other than the fact that we lose sight of the goal. By the way, two months after her failure, Florence Chadwick walked off the same beach into the same channel and swam the distance, setting a new speed record, because she could see the land!

"I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" Philippians 3:14

-kneemail

...anxiety

"Return, O my soul, to your rest" (Pslam 116:7)

As we look to the future with the pandemic, it's vital that we look to the past with our Lord.

Psalm 116 begins: "I love the Lord" (v. 1a). This is a present-tense affirmation and experience. But here is why the psalmist makes this declaration: "because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy" (v. 1b). He trusts God in the present because God has been trustworthy in the past.

The psalmist makes his point again: "Because he has inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live" (v. 2, my emphasis). Once again, he bases his present faith in God on God's faithfulness in the past.

He then illustrates: "The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; I suffered distress and anguish. Then I called on the name of the Lord: 'O Lord, I pray, deliver my soul!'" (vv. 3–4).

This experience taught him that "gracious is the Lord, and righteous; our God is merciful" (v. 5). He knows that "the Lord preserves the simple" because "when I was brought low, he saved me" (v. 6). Now he can say, "Return, O my soul, to your rest; for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you" (v. 7).

How to "cast all your anxiety on him"

What pandemic-induced changes in your life today are especially difficult for you? Name them, then identify times in the past when God has been faithful to you when you faced related challenges.  

If you're struggling financially,

     remember previous times when God met your needs.

If you're worried about the future,

     remember days when such worries were met by God's grace.

If you're concerned about your family or health,

     remember when God provided for your family and health.

Now trust your present fears to your ever-present Father. He promises that "he will not leave you or forsake you" (Deuteronomy 31:6). Jesus assured us, "I am with you always, even to the end of the world" (Matthew 28:20). You can "cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you" (1 Peter 5:7).

R. C. Sproul observed: "The issue of faith is not so much whether we believe in God, but whether we believe the God we believe in."

Do you?

-james denison