‘TIS THE SEASON: SHINING BRIGHT

Good Evening Friends

I trust your weekend went well

The lights of the season are still SHINING BRIGHT

The joy of the season is still SHINING BRIGHT

And I am praying that you are enjoying a MOST RELAXING HOLIDAY SEASON

Christmas is two short days away –

And while we discussed the light of Christmas a few days ago;

Tonight begins the celebration of Hanukkah – the Festival of Lights

I am not Jewish by birth – obviously 

However I am Jewish by rebirth – my Savior, my LORD, my King is Jewish

And I am part of the family of God

‘God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave Him great pleasure.’ Ephesians 1:5

I love that during Hanukkah, it is not only celebrated the miracle of the oil lasting for eight days;

It also serves as a reminder of what can happen when people are courageous

There is never a right time to do the wrong thing;

There is never a wrong time to do the right thing.

Standing for what is right,

Confronting the darkness with light,

Ignoring the odds - and choosing to fight

This is truly a season of miracles –

And that need to stand for what is right is every bit as necessary today

as it was so many years ago

May the LORD grant you courage in every situation you face

May His blessing abound in your life and His peace surround you as a shield

Happy Holidays – 

                And Happy Hanukkah

בָּרוּךְאַתָּהאֲדֹנָיאֱלֹהֵינוּמֶלֶךְהָעוֹלָםשֶׁהֶחֱיָנוּוְקִיְּמָנוּוְהִגִּיעָנוּלִזְּמַןהַזֶּה

‘Ba-ruch A-tah Ado-nai E-lo-he-nu Me-lech Ha-olam she-heche-ya-nu ve-ki-yi-ma-nu ve-higi-a-nu liz-man ha-zeh.’

‘Blessed are You, Lord our G‑d, King of the universe, who has granted us life, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this occasion.’

Praying you have a blessed evening…

THANKS GIVING 2019: INTENTIONAL THANKS

Good Evening Friends …

     Happy Monday!

I pray your week is off to a good start

Today was a decent day – until I went to my doctor’s office

NOW – I could let it ruin my entire evening

HOWEVER – I choose instead to focus on something positive

It is my INTENTION 

     To keep my eyes fixed on what is good and lovely and praiseworthy

     Like spending some time here with all of you

So – what is the focus for TODAY’S THANKS GIVING?

INTENTIONAL THANKS

Webster’s define intentional as: done on purpose; deliberate

Sometimes, that has to be the nature of our attitude –

WE HAVE TO MAKE A CONCERTED EFFORT TO NOT JUST FEEL THANKFUL

     BUT TO EXPRESS THAT FEELING OF THANKFULNESS

THANKS IS AN EVERY DAY THING

This is a card which I had purchased for someone I consider very dear

Unfortunately, though, despite my best intention to deliver it –

It is still in my possession … A FULL YEAR LATER

And while this particular greeting did not make it to its intended recipient,

It holds a timeless message which is applicable every day of the year –

     And NOT JUST AT THANKSGIVING

Wishing you JOY

A day for GRATITUDE

A day for SHARING

A day for REMEMBERING THE SPECIAL PEOPLE IN OUR LIVES

You may not get a second chance to express the thanks you feel today

I know this, not intellectually but experientially.

SO WHY NOT EXPRESS YOUR GRATITUDE TODAY?!

The inside of that card?

It says: Thanksgiving wishes, for a day that’s filled with happiness, thankfulness, friendship, and fun.

YET – this is my prayer every day for the people I love

And I make it a point to EXPRESS GRATITUDE –

As frequently as I feel it, as often and as quickly as possible

I am sure you have a couple of special people in your life as well:

• People who make you smile every time you think about them;
• People who give you a reason to thank God that He created them
• People who make your heart warm at the thought of how blessed you are to know them

SO – carve out some time to tell them

BE INTENTIONAL ABOUT IT!

Don’t hold back, thinking that there is always time,

that there will always be another opportunity.

There is not always another chance to do what you might have done today –

to say what you might have said today.

And, you just might be the bright, shining light to someone’s dark and challenging day –

And that is something to be thankful for.

Praying You Have a Blessed Evening!

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things” Philippians 4:8

NO REGRETS ...

Good Evening … Again …. Friends …

So earlier today, I wrote about how – even as a friend of Jesus – you can face dark places

I shared some of the concern that I had heading into the Mother’s Day Weekend.

However, I have to say that I was PLEASANTLY SURPRISED!

I went to church in the morning –

Heard my Pastor preach an amazing message on ‘The Power to Get Back up’

SO – AFTER CHURCH …

I had a FABULOUS breakfast made by my oldest son ‘Eggs-Benedict’ … AMAZING!!!!

And then He and I went to go see my Mom.

I was nervous and a bit sad because things have just not been the same since … ALZHEIMER’s

HOWEVER –  All my fears were for naught

We had an absolutely amazing visit with my mom!

She knew who my son was [which she ALWAYS does] …

But she knew who I was as well … BEST MOTHER’S DAY PRESENT EVER!!!

I was even able to show her a picture of my Aunt Mae … her favorite & only remaining sibling

SHE WAS SO EXCITED!!! Her face just lit up as she grabbed the phone from my hand and proceeded to talk at the picture of my aunt, ‘My sister, my sweet sister … I miss you so much and I love you!’

I was ABSOLUTELY TICKLED!!!

And as we concluded our visit, I said, ‘MumMum … I love you!’

And she responded, ‘I love you MORE!’  Just like she always did …

So I went my way … stopped at the SPCA to look at some adorable puppies and then to enjoy the remainder of my Mother’s Day.

THEN – AT 9:53PM MY PHONE RANG

“This is Mary [one of the nurses from my mom’s nursing home], your mom, Ms. Sereta was having trouble breathing and we have called an ambulance and she’s been taken to the hospital.”

So, I told my youngest son and bolted out the door. 

We had just did this same thing LAST MONTH! When I got there, they had her on a BiPAP oxygen machine, had nitro-patch on her chest [her systolic was 196 when she got there] and her lungs were filled with fluid. Already suffering from congestive heart failure and renal failure, she was experiencing a hypertensive crises and respiratory distress.

 Around about midnight, I got a text message from my middle son asking how she was doing.

Now, you have to understand that he has not seen my mom in two years.

The last time he saw her, she was ICU and they were asking us to make a decision about taking her off of life-support. So, we had called all the grandchildren up to the hospital to say goodbye.

NOW – she obviously survived that episode. However, my middle son has not been able to bring himself to visit again her since then ... NOT UNTIL LAST NIGHT/THIS MORNING. 

He wanted – as best he could – to remember her as she was before … the Nana that lived in my home with my sons and I for over fifteen years … the Nana who used to get on the floor with them and act crazy. That is why him coming to the hospital this morning WAS HUGE!

HE HAD TO FACE HIS FEARS and the sure pain he would experience seeing her, not only in her diminished capacity because of Alzheimer’s, but even more fragile due to the numerous issues that landed her in the ER last night.

BUT HE DID IT … AND I COULD NOT HAVE BEEN MORE PROUD OF HIM

You see, he is my child that puts on the strongest face of all my sons. He is a lot like his mom.

Yet, he is actually a very caring person under that SUPREMELY TOUGH [AND OFTEN TIMES CYNICAL] EXTERIOR. 

AND – when he got to the hospital, wouldn’t you know … SHE KNEW WHO HE WAS! And her first comment after acknowledging him was, ‘I HAVEN’T SEEN YOU IN A WHILE!!!’

I LOVE HER!!! SHE IS SO FEISTY!

He stayed with me until after 3AM – until they got her situated in her room in ICU

SO WHY SHARE THIS TONIGHT?

Because I believe there are some people who fall in the category of my last post:

FRIENDS OF JESUS FACING SOMETIMES DARK PLACES

But, there are also some people who fall in the category with my middle son:

INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE TASKED WITH FACING THEIR FEARS AND CHOOSING TO STEP … FORWARD ... IN FAITH

While this morning was extremely difficult for my son, 

HE WILL NOT LIVE WITH REGRETS

He will not live/exist wishing that he had seen her one last time, wishing he had said ‘I love you’ one last time AND, MOST IMPORTANTLY he will not have to live with the regret of letting his fears control his present and future. He faced that challenge head-on. So, whatever happens with my mom [whenever it happens], I know he will be alright.

BE ENCOURAGED TONIGHT –

No matter what your today may look like …

No matter what you have been avoiding up until this point …

YOU HAVE THE POWER TO MAKE DECISIONS WHICH WILL CHANGE YOUR PRESENT AND FUTURE

THE HARDEST PART IS MAKING SHIFT IN YOUR THINKING.

DO NOT BE CONTROLLED BY FEAR

DO NOT LET FEAR OF WHAT MIGHT/MIGHT NOT HAPPEN ROB YOU OF JOY TODAY

STEP OUT IN FAITH ... NO REGRETS!

Praying You Have a Blessed Evening!