HAPPY NEW YEAR

Nothing changed. There was no aha moment. No break in time when time stopped for a brief moment. It didn’t happen and we move from one day to the next. Night changes to morning as the second hand sweeps past the twelve. That is how it is every night of every day of every year. And New Years Eve changes to New Years Day without a disruption in time. It is a millisecond following another millisecond.
It is only in our minds that something magical happens. Something happens at that precise moment as the clock strikes twelve, when we put behind us all that has gone on for 365 days and turn our face forward.
A new year with all it’s hopes and dreams. This coming year will be an amazing year that we are already creating within our minds. It is shaped by circumstances but more importantly by all the people we know, love and cherish.
Each and every one of us looks with anticipation to a wonderful, love-filled year of accomplishments and fulfillment of visions and dreams. The optimism looks down the road of time and dreams big dreams, possessing a desire to fulfill all that they feel God wants them to be involved in and to accomplish. It’s exciting!
Each of us hopes for an amazing year. Something so spectacular, word cannot describe it, neither can our mind conceive. The bible says it better then I can: “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9
And there in lies the truth. A life totally enveloped in the love of God. Our lives live for Him and each day becomes more then just another day with different stuff. Over the last few weeks I have been haunted by the words of a song sung in the movie, Sister Act. Words that I will seek to live out this coming year.
“We will follow Him, Follow Him wherever He may go, There isn't an ocean too deep, A mountain so high it can keep, Keep us away, away from His love . . . I will follow Him.”
In Mark 2 Jesus asks Matthew to, “follow me.” There is no other person under heaven that we can follow. No other person who is not only our master but he is the Lord of our lives.
In 2011, God will remind us over and over again of the last words of His Son to His disciples as found in Matt 28. He said, “go . . . unto all the world.” He showed us how to do it, He lead us in the way we are to go and He is sending us into a new year. He is sending us out to let the whole world know that Jesus saves.
Something to think about
HAPPY NEW YEAR.
Robin

Merry Christmas

It’s Christmas Eve. Only a little while and Christmas morning will be upon us. It’s quiet now. The stores are all closed. Most everyone has made their way home. Just the odd car goes by. The winter air is still and cold. Above the clouds the stars shine brightly and the moon casts its diminishing light on one and all.
It’s Christmas Eve and the presence of Christ casts His shadow on us all. We recognize the irreplaceable shadow of a unmistakable baby in a loving mother’s arms. He has come. In the last few moments I came in out of the cold. I had stood out on the back porch looking up into the dark sky. Taking a few brief moments to talk to Jesus. To welcome Him to his morning birth. To welcome the reason we celebrate. As Christians, we celebrate the most important moment of our year. The moment of His coming. But there is another moment in time we celebrate and it’s that instant when we took Jesus into our lives and hearts.
Now as the old clock on the wall strikes twelve, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt the Jesus has come. He is here. I can only imagine what it would have been like on that night so long ago. Maybe it was quiet like it is tonight. Everyone has gone to bed, the stocking are hung, and the lights have dimmed. The hustle of Christmas is over and now, and now, we finally give our tired selves over to the exhaustion that leads up to one very special day. The last gift is wrapped, each stocking lovingly filled, and the milk and cookies have disappear. It’s Christmas.
Thank you Lord God of the universe for sending your Son, who came as a baby, experienced what we experience, and at the same time, brought peace and joy to our hearts.

Christmas is a celebration of peace. And it came in a child and it comes to all, even today.
Merry Christmas
Robin

It's almost Christmas! Only a few days left. Each day we write a new page in the book that is our life. How are you going to write on these last few days of 2010? Every day we get out of bed we have a clean slate to write our life on. Some days there is more writing and other days, less. Some exciting days, some mundane and some sad. But each day is important in itself even though we have some days that are of extreme importance.
During a conversation just the other day I found myself listening to something many of us take for granted. Exiting the hospital doors I could tell all went well. It was quite the day for him and he had lots of writing on that days page in his life story. He talked endlessly about all that had gone on for the previous four hours and how it was a GREAT DAY.
To him, Dec 16th will be one of those great days to read about in his memory for years to come. We all have days like that. Days so filled, we could do nothing more then live in the moment filled with people and activities and even moments when we heard the voice of God saying . . . You alone know your great days. Cherish them. Never get tired of drifting back into your storehouse of amazing memories.
Now we stand just days away from Christmas and the beginning of a New Year. My question to all of us is, how are we going to spend our last moments of 2010? Oh, we could say we want to be productive and we want to be able to look back and remember our accomplishments. We might even want to relive the joy seen in others faces as they opened their Christmas gift. We want to remember another wonderful Christmas. Then there will be New Years. Almost a year ago we started a year with great expectations. Some of us even set goals or resolutions. Did you lose the weight? Did you stop smoking? Are you still walking each day and keeping healthy? Or can you even remember what you said you would do?
If truth is told, most of us didn’t accomplish much in this regard and I believe there is a reason. That reason is, the most important days of 2010 were predominantly, intimately connected to other people. And that my friend is the most amazing thing we can realize. We spend our time remembering birthdays, anniversaries, parties and Christmas. If you can, and I pray you can, join me in writing great things on our last pages of 2010. For the next few days I will write on my daily memory bank about who I saw and the people I talked to. The ones I shook hands with. The tellers at the bank. The lady at the drive through window. I will relish every opportunity God gives me to not only shake a hand, but to hug someone and forget my agenda if just for a moment so I can listen to the heart of someone else.
Jesus did it every day and He continues to stop by and listen to us. He hurts along with us just as well as cheering us on. When we smile, He smiles, when we have questions, He has answers. When we need some advice, He gives it if asked. He is like that and more. Makes me want to be like Jesus, if only for a few more days of 2010. I think I feel Him leaning over my shoulder reading what is written on my latest page.
Something to think about.
Merry Christmas to each and everyone
May your new year be filled with wonderful days, and warm cozy nights
Rob

The Greatest Gift All

As you may already know, Christmas is part of Advent, and Advent is the Latin word for, “The Coming”. Which may mean to some that we are waiting for Christmas. And indirectly we are. Most children are waiting for more then the day. They have their Advent calendars and there are those ornaments on the book case which they change every morning, counting down the days until Dec. 25th. They are waiting for, wait for it, PRESENTS. Well, okay, we are all waiting for presents. It’s part of the Christmas we have created over the centuries.
In some cultures they open their presents on Christmas Eve. Now, that troubles me some. Why would you open your gift the day before the day of? It doesn’t connect in my mind. Even when I factor in their ability to sleep in Dec 25th and not having to rush to get to church... I still can’t fathom opening something before its time. But who am I to change their tradition. Many years ago, our family opened one gift on Christmas Eve. It was part of a Dutch tradition and a special time with my dad. We would go to their home before church. It was a evening ever filled with lights and food, sweets and decorations and joy of the season and yes, presents.
A long time ago someone once said, “A tradition was at one time just another good idea”. And I believe it’s true. With some, they keep us in a rut. With other traditions, they conjure up memories of the past and the joy and love we felt at another time, in another place. Maybe that is why I love the song, “I'll be home for Christmas, . . . If only in my dreams.
You see, coming home is what it’s about. It doesn’t matter where or what you call home. But as the song suggests, it’s a place, “Where the love light beams”. A place where you feel love and acceptance. A place where you come in the door and you feel more then the warmth of the fire but the warmth of each others heart. I also believe we can and need to start other new traditions. Some that have not even been thought of before. It might just be time to start a new one yourself. Come up with something new and wonderful to you and yours. At the same time remember, something more is coming.
You see, we are all waiting for the coming. The coming of Christ. Mary could not open the gift of a son one day early. She had to wait until God’s appointed time to give birth to a Son, “. . . she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS”. Once a year we celebrate the Birth of Jesus Christ. The Saviour of the world. He is coming. He is coming in our life and He is coming for our life.
This Christmas, join in our Christian Family Tradition. Won’t you join in accepting the gift of God’s Son.
Something to think about
Rob

Too Big Of A Smile

I stood there listening to a just awake teller saying, she loves the Christmas music for a while. And she said that as we listened to something about wanting a Hypo for Christmas. I can understand that. All retail people live, eat, and breath Christmas music day in and day out, nonstop for every hour they are working. For some, the sounds of Christmas start right after Halloween.
As I walked away, I wondered to myself, how many people who are really, totally excited about Christmas, still the same on Dec. Twenty second? No, I’m not talking about too much of a good thing. I’m just talking about being locked into Christmas all day, every day for a month or more.
So, I started to think about ways that all of us can make this year a better one for everyone we meet. I caught you humming Burl Ives song . . . I was too. The day after my encounter with that teller, I put it in practice. Yes, I went out of my way to smile and say hello to everyone I passed. Some of the carpenters at Home Depot and Lowes must have been caught by surprise. After a whole day of it, I was feeling so good. As I smiled my way thorough that day, I realized there must be a lot of unhappy people out there.
The next day, after analyzing what had happened, I directed my attention to people who looked down, both figuratively and physically. I would walk straight toward them so they would have to lift their heads and BOOM, there was this man with too big a smile, saying hello. I’m sure some thought I was a nut bar but, thank you Mars Bars, no nuts here.
I am having so much fun. I smile bigger then life and in return, I receive the same thing back. You see, I believe that we have an amazing Lord in our life and in our hearts. When we first met him for real, we smiled a lot and loved life. That same Lord of life is still there. Sometimes our life gets in the way and all the things that get us down. But I believe we can make our world a happier, more joyful place when we put on a smile and greet the day and the people in our day in an amazing wonderful way.
One day, when we get to heaven, I’m wondering, will we arrive to see a sea of smiles, so glad to see us? I think so. So, now it’s up to us, to go out there and smile so the world smiles with us. After all, the best gift on Christmas morning does not come gift wrapped, He comes in Glory and Majesty and Power and Love, and there is a smile on His face... and we smile back.
Something to think about.
Rob