# 38 Joy to the World

This IS the reason for the season! In a time when we seem to have started the Christmas season even before thanksgiving is over, take time this week and remember that Christmas is the birth of our Lord. My prayer for all of you is is a Merry Christmas in the love and peace of Jesus Christ.
May you always walk with him living in your heart.


Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls.
Mother Teresa 

8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

# 37 Weakness

As we grow older it becomes very apparent that several things that were not a chore a few years ago have become...well more difficult. Many of us have had medical operations that may have altered the original organization of things. Hips, knees, and backs seem to take a little longer to "spring" into action. With this weakness we are reminded to slow down and depend on others at times. Also time to slow down and reflect on our faith and Gods presence in our lives.

How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in your life you will have been all of these.
George Washington Carver 

2 Corinthians 12
I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

# 36 Age

Age is just a number. I have the luxury of  being able see what I can become by watching my older brothers. Sixty looked like the end of the road when you were 20! Now that I am in my 50's seventy doesn't look so bad. A few things I have observed will keep you young:
Stay busy     Take care of your health     Enjoy your family every day     Keep learning

Forty is the old age of youth; fifty the youth of old age.
Victor Hugo 

Proverbs 20: 16
29 The glory of youths is their strength,
    but the beauty of the aged is their gray hair.

# 35 Work

Work provides dignity. We all like to think that we matter in some small way in the world. By working we can measure our contributions to society. I think it is a shame that so many people today are able to work but choose to let someone else take care of them. It is healthy to be productive and complete even a small project. I am pretty sure I will never retire. I may quit working at my present job someday

 but I will continue to work at something...Blogger? Winemaker? Photographer? Speaker?

Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.
Thomas A. Edison 

Proverbs 16: 2-3
2 All one’s ways may be pure in one’s own eyes,
    but the Lord weighs the spirit.
3 Commit your work to the Lord,
    and your plans will be established.

# 34 Trespass

One of my photo subjects always seems to be a version of this Old English sign I keep seeing..I think it comes from the french translation "tree's passing"...I see them all the time in the woods......hahahaha
All kidding aside what does it mean to you to "trespass" against someone?
 Having a hard time coming up with any?
OK how about thinking of when people "trespass" against you.....

We should always consider the golden rule in this discussion. Do unto others as as you would have them do unto you.
Forgiveness is not an easy thing, but we all need forgive and be forgiven!

To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.
Lewis B. Smedes 



Mathew 6

14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; 15 but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

# 33 Compassion

Do you show compassion? It is easy to pile on when you catch some one in a mistake. I think we all have gone overboard at one time or another with the holier than thou attitude. Consider giving someone compassion in those situations. We may be there sooner than we think.

Compassion will cure more sins than condemnation.
Henry Ward Beecher 

Psalm 103:11-14
11 For as the heavens are high above the earth,
    so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
    so far he removes our transgressions from us.
13 As a father has compassion for his children,
    so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him.
14 For he knows how we were made;
    he remembers that we are dust.
11 

# 32 Network

Networking is really just understanding. If you know yourself and your strengths..and weaknesses you can be a blessing to others. If you understand your friends and neighbors you can help build up each of them by sharing your understanding. The best way to do this is by listening!

It is not our purpose to become each other; it is to recognize each other, to learn to see the other and honor him for what he is.
Hermann Hesse 


Sirach 6
33 If you love to listen you will gain knowledge,
    and if you pay attention you will become wise.
34 Stand in the company of the elders.
    Who is wise? Attach yourself to such a one.
35 Be ready to listen to every godly discourse,
    and let no wise proverbs escape you.
36 If you see an intelligent person, rise early to visit him;
    let your foot wear out his doorstep.

# 31 Knowlege

Learning  is one thing we can do all of our life. When is the last time you read a good book? It is said the we use only a fraction of our brains capacity. By gaining knowledge in new areas we will have more to discuss than the weather and who won the game last night!

Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance.

Confucius 

Proverbs 15:14

The mind of him who has understanding seeks knowledge, but the mouths of fools feed on folly.

Proverbs 22:12

The eyes of the Lord keep watch over knowledge, but he overthrows the words of the faithless.

# 30 Sharing

I just finished a business book that I would recommend.
 It is called "Love is the killer app" by Tim Sanders. Its all about sharing. Sharing your knowledge, sharing your network and sharing your compassion. The "big  thought" relayed in this book is; by sharing all of these freely you become such a resource for everyone around you, you can not help but be successful...and happy.

We are not cisterns made for hoarding, we are channels made for sharing.
Billy Graham 

Philemon1
4 I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, 5 because I hear of your love and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and all the saints, 6 and I pray that the sharing of your faith may promote the knowledge of all the good that is ours in Christ. 7 For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you.

# 29 Today

How true it is that we can not do a thing about yesterday..or tomorrow. Our time is today. We all get the same 24 hours. No time management, it marches on with or without us. Personal management, what WE CHOOSE to do matters. Choose wisely!

Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow. It empties today of its strength.
Corrie Ten Boom 

Matthew 6:34

34 “So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

# 28 Be Humble

We are a prideful people. But what can be wrong with telling your children you are proud of them? Not a thing! Its when we get caught up in "self pride" thinking we are all that and a bag of chips..... it takes talent to catch fish that small!

Have a sage mind and study the proverbs..

Pride slays thanksgiving, but a humble mind is the soil out of which thanks naturally grow. A proud man is seldom a grateful man, for he never thinks he gets as much as he deserves.
Henry Ward Beecher 

Sirach 3:17–18, 20, 28–29

My child, conduct your affairs with humility, and you will be loved more than a giver of gifts. Humble yourself the more, the greater you are, and you will find favor with God. What is too sublime for you, seek not, into things beyond your strength search not. The mind of a sage appreciates proverbs, and an attentive ear is the joy of the wise. Water quenches a flaming fire, and alms atone for sins.

# 27 Seeds of Faith

How Big is your faith?

Sometimes in our life we question how and why things may happen, and even may question our faith. Hang on to the faith you have, even if its only a mustard seed!

Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe.
Saint Augustine 


Luke 17:5–10
The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” The Lord replied, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.

# 26 Be Wise

We all think we are pretty smart. I wonder how many of us would say we are loyal and faithful? We have many choices to make every day, How are YOU doing? I struggle to make the right choices I should, many time in the very small things...like eating right. I am starting to track my food intake. A small thing I will try to be faithful too! It will be healing for my flesh!


Proverbs 3

3 Do not let loyalty and faithfulness forsake you;
    bind them around your neck,
    write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 So you will find favor and good repute
    in the sight of God and of people.

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
    and do not rely on your own insight.
6 In all your ways acknowledge him,
    and he will make straight your paths.
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
    fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
8 It will be a healing for your flesh
    and a refreshment for your body.

# 25 Honest as the day is long

If you ever catch someone in a lie, don't you always wonder when the next time they may be stretching things a bit? And yet who among us can say with a straight face, we have never....exaggerated I mean lied!

The reading below is specific to money but it is truth for every aspect of our lives

: : HONEST AS THE DAY IS LONG - "A consistently reliable person. The implication seems to be that he or she is honest all the time. 24 hours a day.

Honesty is the best policy.

Benjamin Franklin 

Luke 16

10 “Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. 11 If then you have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth,[d] who will entrust to you the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own? 13 No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”

# 24 The Vine

"Abide in Me, as I abide in you." I do believe there is a an emptiness in every persons heart that only God can fill. This relationship is very personal and very necessary. I takes courage to understand and explore this. I have seen many people in my life who thought otherwise. They never really find peace until they cultivate this relationship with the vinegrower.

Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.
Winston Churchill 

John 15

Jesus the True Vine

15 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. 2 He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes[a] to make it bear more fruit. 3 You have already been cleansed[b] by the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. 6 Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.

# 23 Love

To love a child is one of the greatest gifts one can give. Our gran-daughter Jade had her 1/2 birthday this last week.  What a joy she is! Happy and healthy with parents that work together. She has a bright future!

 I don't remember my kids growing that fast! What a blessing!

 I had no idea how much fun gran-children would be...

The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother.
Theodore Hesburgh 

1 Corinthians 13

The Gift of Love

4 Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. 7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. 9 For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part; 10 but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly,[b] but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. 13 And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.

# 22 Can You See

You can't see the forest for the trees! So many times in our life we can "see" the picture or situation that is right in front of us. Stephen Covey calls it a "paradigm shift". Looking at things from a different perspective can make all the difference in the world.

If you change the way you look at things,

 the things you look at change.

Wayne Dyer 

Luke 24

The Walk to Emmaus

.30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. 32 They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us[k] while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?” 33 That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. 34 They were saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!” 35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

# 21 Be Happy

Some cause happiness wherever they go;

 others whenever they go.

Oscar Wilde 

The Louisiana Duck Men of Duck Commander have created the most popular unscripted cable show in history.The founder's favorite saying is Happy, Happy, Happy! They have done it with a funny look at family life, with a christian point of view. We need more TV that shows families praying, and eating together!

Psalm 1
1 Happy are those
    who do not follow the advice of the wicked,
or take the path that sinners tread,
    or sit in the seat of scoffers;
2 but their delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and on his law they meditate day and night.
3 They are like trees
    planted by streams of water,
which yield their fruit in its season,
    and their leaves do not wither.
In all that they do, they prosper.

#20 Scout Ants

I was privileged to speak to a couple of groups of people this week and part of my presentation was the Boy Scout Law. With all their controversy in the past months they have got a lot of things right for a long time! Imagine if each of us got up every day looked  in the mirror and recited the following

 "I will be .........

• Trustworthy,
• Loyal,
• Helpful,
• Friendly,
• Courteous,
• Kind,
• Obedient,
• Cheerful,
• Thrifty,
• Brave,
• Clean,
• and Reverent.

Proverbs 6

6 Go to the ant, you lazybones;
    consider its ways, and be wise.
7 Without having any chief
    or officer or ruler,
8 it prepares its food in summer,
    and gathers its sustenance in harvest.
9 How long will you lie there, O lazybones?
    When will you rise from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
    a little folding of the hands to rest,
11 and poverty will come upon you like a robber,
    and want, like an armed warrior.

# 19 Be Nice

Sometimes its work to get along with each other. Just do it!

We are all members of the body of Christ..so be nice!

If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.

Mother Teresa 

1 Corinthians 12

One Body with Many Members

12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

14 Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15 If the foot would say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear would say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many members, yet one body. 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and those members of the body that we think less honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our less respectable members are treated with greater respect; 24 whereas our more respectable members do not need this. But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior member, 25 that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it.