January 3, 2006

Number 1

VIEWPOINT

One Christmas, a mother decreed that she was no longer going to remind her children of their thank-you note duties. As a result their grandmother never received acknowledgments of the generous checks she had given.

The next year things were different, however. “The children came over in person to thank me,” the grandparent told a friend triumphantly. “How wonderful!” the friend ex-claimed. “What do you think caused the change in behavior?” “Oh, that’s easy,” the grand-mother replied. “This year I didn’t sign the checks.”

LOOKING BACK:  Here’s a comment I noticed in another church newsletter:  “A favorite slogan around the holidays is ‘Jesus is the reason for the season.’  Yet when December 25 fell on Sunday, the Lord’s Day, I wonder how many celebrated with Santa rather than worship our Savior?  It’s ironic that some who proclaimed that we need to ‘put Christ back into Christmas’ were already planning on staying home from worship!

LOOKING AHEAD:  “The Station” is a thoughtful essay by Robert Hastings.   His words can stimulate our thinking at the beginning of 2006:  “Tucked away in our subconscious is an idyllic vision. We see ourselves on a long trip that spans the continent.  We are traveling by train.  Out of the windows we drink in the passing scene of cars on nearby highways; of children waving at a crossing; of cattle grazing on a distant hillside; city skylines and village halls. But uppermost in our minds is the final   destination.  On   a   certain day, at a certain hour we will pull into THE STATION.  Bands will be playing and flags waving.  Once we get there so many wonderful dreams will come true, and the many pieces of our life will fit together like a completed jigsaw puzzle.  How restlessly we pace the aisles . . . waiting . . . waiting . . . waiting for THE STATION.  When we reach the station that will be it, we cry.  “When I am eighteen . . . .  When I buy a new 450 SL Mercedes Benz . . . .  When I put the last kid through college . . . .  When I pay off the mortgage . . . .  When I get a promotion . . . .  When I reach the age of retirement . Then I shall live happily ever after.”  Sooner or later we must realize that there is no station; no one place to arrive at once and for all.  THE TRUE JOY OF LIFE IS THE TRIP.  The station is only a dream.”

I look forward to seeing you Sunday with a Bible, a smile and a positive word!                                                                                                                 RA

POSITIVE ADVICE

A good start for the New Year (and every day)!

·         Throw out non-essential numbers. This includes age, weight and height.

·         Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down. If you really need a grouch, there are probably family members that fill that need.

·         Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Just never let the brain idle.

·         Enjoy the simple things. When the children are young, that is all that you can afford.  When they are in college, that is all that you can afford. When they are grown, and you are on retirement, that is all that you can afford!

·         Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath. Laugh so much that you can be tracked in the store by your distinctive laughter.

·         The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and pray.  The only person who is with us our entire life, is ourself.

·         Surround yourself with what you love, whether it is family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.

·         Cherish your health. If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it.  If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

·         Don't take guilt trips. Go to the mall, the next county, a foreign country, but not guilt.

·         Tell the people you love, that you love them, at every opportunity.

·         Remember, life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.