'Tis the Season

Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Festive Kwanza! I would continue, but I'm not sure I know all the holidays being celebrated around what is traditionally Christmas Day.

There has been a lot of controversy about the use of "Merry Christmas." While I am clearly a Christian that celebrates the birth of Jesus our Savior, I'm not sure I buy-in to either extreme in this controversy. I do, however, have some strong convictions about the use of Christmas expressions and terminiology.

Can I be a devotee to my Christian faith and still express sincere best wishes to someone who celebrates a different religious or secular holiday? I believe so. However, the issue goes much deeper than that.

Our culture has grown increasingly secular since the late 1950's and early 1960's. I know, because I was raised at the cusp of the transition and have observed the changes first hand. Our culture, in the interest of what is termed tolerance, has grown increasingly permissive of what was once deemed wrong, anti-social, and, yes, even evil. The result is a culture that has had a "brain switch" and is now intolerant of anything deemed Christian or absolute. Your right to disagree is respected. The truth, however, is apparent in every segment of our culture.

With this being stated, I continue to assert that expressing a sincere best wish to someone celebrating a holiday in which I don't participate is hardly wrong. On the other hand, it is also socially acceptable and proper to wish a follower of Christ a sincere "Merry Christmas."

It is also right for commercial establishments to acknowledge the Christmas holiday and permit their employees to express their Christmas best wishes. Preventing such, embraces a secularism that doesn't conform with the foundational principles of our nation.

Difference Makers wishes each and everyone a joyous holiday. Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Festive Kwanza!

Let's celebrate the melting pot called America that permits the practice of our faith without oppression or fear of retribution. Let's make a genuine difference this holiday season.

The Ice Cometh . . .Man!

Just came out from three dark and chilly days of no electric power. We "weathered," please pardon the pun, the days with our gas logs and gas water heater.

Our ice storm hit Thurday, December 15th in the early morning hours. By 6:30 a.m. on Thurday, our power, along with thousands of others, was out. By the time it was all over, more than 600,000 people . . . that's right, 600,000 . . ., were without electric power. Over the next three days we continued on with our daily activities hoping that the power would be on when we got home. After three days and about 12 hours, our lights gloriously began to shine. More importantly, the computer once again became available.

So . . . here we are . . . making a difference!

Speaking of making a difference, kudos to the men and women that came to South Carolina to help restore power to our homes. You're the greatest, and we sincerely appreciate your sacrifice on our behalf!!!

Always make a difference!

"Grandmother, what big eyes you have!"

The Bible is replete with references to money. In particular I think of Paul's letter to young Timothy where he wrote, "Yet true religion with contentment is great wealth. After all, we didn't bring anything with us when we came into the world, and we certainly cannot carry anything with us when we die. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content. But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is at the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows. But you, Timothy, belong to God; so run from all these evil things, and follow what is right and good. Pursue a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight for what we believe. Hold tightly to the eternal life that God has given you, which you have confessed so well before many witnesses" (I Timothy 6:6-12 NLT).

Reading the emboldened statements in context helps me to see that pursuing money for the sake of getting rich opens one up to "foolish and harmful desires" and that some people will wander "from the faith and pierce themselves with many sorrows." Such pursuits don't compare to pursuing godliness, faithfulness, endurance and gentleness.

MLM Blog references an advertisement by a Christian millionaire. The ad represents a get-rich-quick opportunity ($100,000 in the first year). Solomon plainly said, "A greedy person tries to get rich quick, but it only leads to poverty" (Proverbs 28:22 NLT). Over and over Scripture speaks of the error of trying to get rich for the sake of richness. Conversely, Solomon writes, "The blessing of the LORD makes a person rich, and he adds no sorrow with it" (Proverbs 10:22 NLT).

So what is the point? I believe that any effort to pursue riches without God's blessing is futile. As such, one who aspires to build wealth is wise to do so within a life of godliness, faithfulness, perseverance and other Biblical virtues. Such riches bring no sorrow. And, should God not permit the accumulation of riches, learning to live contented with His present blessings would not result in regret.

How sad to see wealthy individuals who lament the emptiness of their life. No amount of money can purchase happiness and inner peace. Only the joy of the Lord can provide a fullness that cannot be taken away.

Am I advocating that no one should work to attain wealth. Absolutely not!! I am simply issuing a warning about get-rich-quick schemes that wrap themselves in Christianity.

The Savior who had "no where to lay His head" offers life in superabundance (John 10:10). This life, however, is not based on monetary wealth or physical profusion. Nor is there any guarantee that wealth would ever result from a commitment to Christ's princples. I assert that using Christianity as a tool for building wealth is wrong, and demands a full-disclosure of the methods for comparison to Biblical standards.

I am increasingly becoming committed to the truth that God blesses those who are faithful to the proper use of wealth. It is interesting to me that there are some who are not Christians who are more committed to "Christian" principles of wealth than many who profess to be followers of Christ. Could it be that their wealth is the result of God's blessing? That's another blog.

Hope these thoughts are provocative, and give place to not allowing the word "Christian" to blind you to the Truth. Let me hear from you!

Always make a difference!!

No-Fad Living

As a "Thank You" I was given a copy of a book published by the American Heart Association entitled No-Fad Diet. As with all books, I took the time to preview the pages and get a feel for the outline and objective. Without reading the book, I can tell you that the basic outline is so common sense that it, the outline, provides a good basis for motivation. Here are the three primary objectives:

1. Think smart!
2. Eat well!
3. Move more!

Think about these as they relate to any area of your life.

Think Smart

Solomon brilliantly stated, in reference to an insincere host, "As a man thinks, so he is." Our thoughts drive our actions. In order to achieve excellence in any pursuit we must first learn to think smart.

Eat Well

As a heart bypass survivor, I am learning how to make good choices in my eating. Note, I said I am learning. You'd think someone with a foot long incision in his chest and wires holding his chest bone together wouldn't need a lot more teaching. Unfortunately, the further one gets from the operation, the less "the pain" impacts choices.

Eating well also has implications as it relates to what one feeds his mind. In order to think smart, one must feed his mind well.

Move More

Ah, the ever-present activity piece. You know well that this is my nemesis. In this area, failure is not an option. I have begun wearing a pedometer to measure the number of steps I take each day. My goal is to walk at least 10,000 steps daily. To date, my highest number of steps is just over 7,000.

In order to arrive at your expectation you will need to move more. Planning and analysis are essential to any project, but alone they do not produce results. To make more, move more.

Well, there's the start of a series of pregnant thoughts. Thanks for reading and . . .

Always make a difference!

The Little Things

Thanks for the help with the sidebar. It's amazing what a difference six little characters can make. A misplaced HTML character can create a whole lot of havoc. Guess that's what happens when a novice attempts to play in the big leagues.

Lesson learned: Pay attention to details! While some may say "Don't sweat the little stuff," it is the "little stuff" that makes the difference between mediocre and excellent.

All big problems began as little problems. Every addiction began with "Just give it a try." Always attend to the details and pursue what is excellent.

Thanks again for your help and . . .

Always make a difference.

HELP!!

My sidebar's fallen and won't move up!

Any suggestions? I guess it's not nice to fool with blogger nature.

Ponder this . . .

"All that you now have is the sum of choices you have made in the past. All that you will create in the future is the sum of choices you make from this moment on."
--Skip Downing