Month: December 2018

Christmas Day is just around the corner. It is less than a year away! I’m excited, how about you?

I know there are some individuals who may not be, based on their response in recent days. Our intentions matter because they will impact our actions and those actions will create reality. I have silently listened and read the rants of those people who feel they need to knock the concept of Christmas. They write and speak about it being a “Christian” application of a pagan celebration. December 25^th is not the actual day of Jesus’ birth. It is just a commercialized event to boost retailers sales before the year ends, etc.

So, it is not the right day, would it matter to those who criticize it if it were the right day? I am thinking about having an “Incarnation Day” celebration in the spring of 2019 to celebrate the birth of Jesus, because that is a more realistic time frame for the actual event. But guess what, you will likely find a pagan celebration on that day as well. Simply because over the history of the world someone celebrated something every day, before Christ was born. This is true of the day you were born on as well. So with that line of thinking, no one should ever acknowledge their birthday.

Joy is a character and emotion that God gave to humanity. There will always be those who seek to find it in inappropriate ways, but that does not negate the fact that the joy of the Lord is our strength. Celebration of life is part of who we are and those who seek to deny it, and seek to diminish it in others, really only reveal the true intentions of their own hearts.

Early in my ministry I met a young couple who responded to the invitation to invite Jesus into their life with the words, “I like my life and I do not want to give up the things I enjoy.” Their perception of what God had to offer them had been infected with the negative expressions of what such a life was really all about. They did not want to give up the celebrations and happiness they believed they had the right to enjoy. The truth is God is not a party destoyer.

Just because there are people who choose to turn an event into a sales pitch does not mean that is what the event was, or is, actually about. Jesus took a whip into the temple to drive out the money changers who had turned that which was spiritual event into a business opportunity. He did not eliminate the event, because some people abused and neglected its true purpose.

As we start the journey towards our next Christmas day remember to keep the true meaning of this event alive and active in your hearts and lives every day. Do not let the intentions of the negative nay-sayers impact your life. Move forward in Faith with God’s Hope, Joy, Peace and Love radiating from your heart and life.

The one thing you can count on is, things will change in your life. Sometimes change will come over a long time. For almost five decades we have celebrated Christmas day at my Mom and Dad’s house. This year my mom will be coming to our house. Not because my Mom, now 89 years old could not handle it, but because my health challenges necessitated the change this year.

Then there are the times when change unexpectedly arrives and we are forced to shift almost instantly. Friends of ours, lost the mother of the family in the fall and there will be significant changes for them today. Parts of their family who usually come to their house cannot come this year and so everyone will be travelling north on boxing day for their Christmas gathering.

Change will happen and how we decide to deal with it will determine its ultimate impact on our lives. Major change took place in our world when “God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, {5} to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights children of God” (Galatians 4:4-5). Jesus left the splendour of heaven to be able to identify with humanity and to demonstrate God’s love for us.

In the bustle and business of this day do not forget to remember the real reason for this season. May your next 365 days be filled with good health, joy and unlimited blessings. Merry Christmas!

I was looking through our picture file thinking about the topic of energy and how that word can be perceived in so many different ways. Energy can relate to fossil fuels, renewable resources like solar or wind power. It can be linked at the quantum level to the existence of everything vibrating at different frequencies. In this moment of time, for me it has a connection to my physical energy, or it reduction due to the pharmaceutical that was injected into my body a couple of days ago. Yes, I did give permission for this one time only event, as a stop gap, ahead of surgery in the future. One of the side effects is weariness.

I was thinking about the energy our border collie, Diamond, demonstrates on a regular daily basis. Add to this a sanguine personality and there is always something to be happy, excited and energetic about for her.

Then I came across this picture from a number of years ago. You find Chester the cat, Sandi the retriever mix with poor hips and Coby, the Lasapo cuddled together. Coby is the only one of this group still alive. What you see in this picture is one of his favourite activities. Energy conservation is certainly displayed with this group, but not with our current border collie.

The concept of energy is something which causes uneasiness, perhaps even some fear for some followers of Jesus. There is even an element of avoidance that may be exhibited. From my perspective, universal Biblical truth aligns with science and is something we should endeavour to be at least knowledgeable enough about to be relevant to those we speak with in our world.

My wife just came through the office to say she was heading out the door and listed all the things she is looking to do in the next twenty-four hours. My goal was to simply finish the writing of this article, in this moment of time, and then find a pillow and my lazy boy chair. I am wanting my higher energy levels back sooner, rather than later. Until tomorrow, . . . zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

I do not know about you, but for me, almost every day I receive invitations to respond and take advantage of special trainings and opportunities that will advance, or enhance some aspect of my life. If I will simply plug into their system my life will change for the better forever. Rarely do I ever respond, because I am very aware of the importance of the training which asks, “Who do you listen to?”

I want to learn from the source, or at least as close to the source as I can get. I am thankful to Joel Bauer, who has trained a significant percentage of the top trainers and marketers in the world. When you go to the source, you have the opportunity to learn to develop a sensitivity and perception that is very valuable in avoiding the traps of being drawn in to things which do not resonate at a high level of integrity and benefit.

It is also important to understand how important it is to actually plug into the system that you are interested in and desirous of following. Many of you have spent insane amounts of money on items and trainings which you have never implemented. How much benefit have you received from having it sit on your self, unopened and completely unplugged from your life? We have such things on our selves. Good intentions, unfulfilled brings no value to your life.

I would encourage you as we move quickly towards a new year to not just make a resolution to take action on something you have already invested in, but make a decision to commit to doing something that will change your life forever.

If you do not have any such resources on hand you can work with, find someone who is a source and begin the process of plugging in and moving forward with it.

Do not forget to include in your life the One who is the Source of all life and who has provided His training manual (The Bible) for your benefit. The universal principles found there are timeless and extremely beneficial. Say YES to the relationship with Him and live fully committed to Him and see for yourself the difference it will make in your life.

Yesterday I asked the question. “What do you see?” and showed you a still picture of nature. Today I want to show you a short video and ask you the same question, “What do you see?” Our ability to be able to perceive beyond the obvious is an important part of understanding life at a deeper level.

This process is something we must work at from a conscious competence level before we can develop an unconscious competence mastery. Matthew 9:36 records for us these words, “When Jesus saw (“hor-ah-o”) the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” Note the reference to this Greek word in my December 21/18 blog article for its meaning.

When we truly begin to SEE (Shift our mindset, Elevate our energetic awareness and Enhance the quality of our life) it will impact our ability to perceive much more in terms of what is really going on around us. Jesus’ ability to see opened the door for compassion in regards to the crowd. Some people might have seen the crowd as an inconvenience and an opportunity to be frustrated and upset. Others might have viewed the crowd as limiting their ability to get personalized attention from Jesus. The list of negative possibilities is likely as varied as the number of people in the crowd. Jesus perceived them as harassed and helpless.

When you encounter that impatient, horn blowing driver, what do you perceive and how do you respond? What do you actually know about what is going on in their life in that moment of time. How would you be reacting if you were in their shoes experiencing what they are experiencing in right then?

The final rush is on before Christmas. SEE if you can slow down, even a little, to be able to perceive what is really going on in the world around you.