12 Shopping Days til Christmas

"Are you ready for Christmas?" the store clerk asked last week. 

Seeing bread, milk, and nothing gift-like in my basket, she mistook me for one of those early birds who has everything bought and wrapped by the day after Thanksgiving. Only in my imagination. 

"Have you done all your shopping?" a friend asked the other day.

"You mean have I started shopping?" My rhetorical response told her I still had a long list to go. 

Some of us have problems deciding what to buy our loved ones. We want the gifts to please them, but also be something they can use long after the wrapping paper and ribbons. Ready or not, the stores steadily countdown the days until Christmas. In all the stress and flurry, it's good to know Someone already bought us the best gifts of all.

Scripture says God gives us every good and perfect gift (James 1:17). He proved it by sending His Son Jesus to become our Savior. The King stepped  
down from heaven and was born in an out building, where donkeys, cows, 
and sheep took shelter from the cold. We read how wise men from the East arrived later with gifts for their new born King, but He's the one who brought the real gifts.         

       "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld His 
       glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and                truth" (John 1:14).

God, in His baffling love for mankind, sent His beloved Son to spend His first night in a manger. As a man, Jesus walked thousands of miles on dusty roads proclaiming the grace of God to a people who for the most part rejected it. He revealed truth, yet many chose to keep living in the darkness of lies. Even so, Jesus continues to offer us the gifts of grace and truth.
  
So it's okay if the sweaters don't fit and they've already read those books.
The DVD's, under the tree, may not be the ones they'd like to get. Yet Jesus 
still brings grace and truth. The more we learn and accept these treasures, 
the more we'll realize that His gifts are priceless and precious.

Little Steps 

Flipping my calendar to the last month of the year got me thinking about 
the first one. Remember January 2014? One good thing about blogs, they 
jog our memory. I looked back and read my first post of the year - 
"Old Year Resolutions." I mentioned things from past years that I had
yet to accomplish, like the book I'd been writing. With the second draft 
nearly finished at the time, I had no idea how much work it still needed. I 
also didn't know the details of publishing a digital book. I've been learning 
much about that recently.

Countless little steps over the past couple of years brought me to a bigger 

step two days ago. After much editing and ado, I finally clicked "publish." 

My book, The Neglected Journey, is now live, as they say, and available 

on Amazon Kindle. I wrote this book to encourage Christians to trek into 

the life God created for us. The one Jesus calls abundant (John 10:10). 
They say people write the book they need to read, and I'm no exception. 

Throughout the process I considered giving up more than a few times. But 

the Lord convinced me to keep studying and writing. He always has the 

better plan. The project finally grew into the vision I believe God gave 

me for it four years ago. 

We've all heard it took Thomas Edison 1,000 steps, or attempts, to 

invent the lightbulb. Though some disagree on how many times he tried

and seemingly failed, we all agree he's an example of perseverance.

       "Diligence is man's precious possession" (Prov. 12:27). 

Another way to say it is don't give up. Hold on to the unshakeable dream 

God planted in your heart and keep walking toward it. Because when we put enough of the right little steps together, they aren't so little after all.

Why Diets Don't Work

No one wants to talk about dieting with a feast on our tables and pies for dessert so I saved this topic for after Thanksgiving. Now, with most of 

the leftovers gone, we're thinking about making healthier choices for the 

three weeks between holidays. Eating more fruits and veggies ought to be doable until Christmas cookies and fudge start popping up. In our 
family, December also brings a few birthdays, i.e. birthday cakes, which 
make healthy eating even more difficult. 

Okay, so December isn't the best time to turn over a new leaf, lettuce leaf 

that is, but what about January? Of course, New Year's Day, the perfect 
time to start a diet! So why do more than 90% of us fail to lose weight and regain health even then? 

I discovered the reason diets don't work in the book of Romans, which is 

as applicable today as the day Paul wrote it nearly 2,000 years ago. 

       "Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the 

       renewing of your mind..." (Romans 12:2).

True transformation begins in our minds. Unless we change the way we 
think about food, we won't change the way we interact with it. If we see 
ice cream, soda pop, and Hershey bars as "good" and eat them regularly, 
a diet plan in a magazine can't compete with that. Our accepted list of good foods has to include carrots, Brussel sprouts, and tomatoes, before those veggies will make it onto our plates. 

Diets don't work because external tools, no matter how sensible, can't 

change the internal. Their truth has to replace the opposing "truth" we've
held in our thinking for years or even decades. It looks like the successful 
diet doesn't begin in the kitchen but in our minds.

The same holds true spiritually. Romans 12:2 says to renew our minds 
"so we can prove the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God." So we 
can be more sure of His goodness than we are that the sun will rise each morning. When we take in the Bread of Life, God's Word, and let it replace 
our opposing thoughts, it transforms our spirits. To accept His word as our 
ultimate truth, changes us for the better. First in our minds, then in our 
words and actions.

We don't have to replace pumpkin pie with pickles or Christmas cookies 
with celery. Occasional treats aren't the problem. Choosing to eat truly 
good food 340 days a year will improve our physical health. But more importantly, God's Word can transform our spirits today and for eternity.
And every word of it is good.          

The List We Need Most 

Where did November go? As my "not done list" grows and the months 

fly, I think, If I only had more time...then I'd get more accomplished, 

like posting regular blogs. Yep, that's what I need, more time. 

Or maybe I fritter away too much time. Like money, when we put our 

daily hours in "pockets with holes," we're bound to lose some of it.

What creates these holes? 

Being forgetful. My granddaughter and I spent over an hour shopping for Thanksgiving. I grabbed a 21-pound turkey and a cart load of stuff, but 

forgot the potatoes. Really?? The turkey and gravy theme didn't remind 

me? So today I'll drive to the store, put things in the cart, stand in the check out line, etc. to buy items I forgot when I did all that two days ago. 

Phone calls. My friends and family have all sorts of schedules, so calls 

come in randomly and regularly. (I'm still learning how to let them leave 

a message during the hours I set aside for writing.) My other big problem 

is saying "yes" when my priorities tell me to say "no." 

I don't have to look too far to find a few of the hole makers in my pocket 

full of time. So I don't need more time after all. I do need to learn how to 

spend it wisely.

   

Another easy list are the things we lack. We know what we need and don't 

have, especially around the holidays. It's amazing how the neglected home improvement projects stand out when visitors are headed your way. Rugs 

need cleaned, walls need paint, and the kitchen and bathroom needs remodeled. New furniture wouldn't hurt either. If we just had a nicer house, family gatherings would be more pleasant. 

So far I've started  two lists: 

1. My to do but not done list  

2. My want but don't have list.    

These may appear legitimate but they only distract me from the one I 

really need - a list of all I'm thankful for. Thank God for Thanksgiving, 

which is more than a day in late November and a holiday for Americans. 

It's a global reminder that our greatest need is a grateful heart. 

Inspired by Ann Voskamp's book, One Thousand Gifts, I've been jotting 
down thank you's to God this year. I'm on number 1,135 and those just 
reflect the ones I've thought of when my journal and pen are close at 
hand. I also thank God when I'm driving, washing dishes, or walking with 
my granddaughter. Blessings everywhere. 

It turns out the best way to grow thankful is to say "Thank You". Most of 

us have enough time and enough stuff, but we can never have too much gratitude. God bless your thanks giving on Thanksgiving Day and every 

day.