Quote of the day:
“On the first of January let every man gird himself once more, with his face to the front, and take no interest in the things that were and are past.” -- Henry Ward Beecher Think about it: New Year’s is one of the oldest holidays still celebrated, but the exact date and nature of the festivities has changed over time. It originated thousands of years ago in ancient Babylon, celebrated as an eleven day festival on the first day of spring. During this time, many cultures used the sun and moon cycle to decide the “first” day of the year. It wasn’t until Julius Caesar implemented the Julian calendar that January 1st became the common day for the celebration of the New Year. The content of the festivities has varied as well. While early celebrations celebrated earth’s cycles, in the twentieth century, it has become a holiday mostly associated with traditions and resolutions. While celebration varies all over the world, common traditions include: Making resolutions or goals to improve one’s life. Common resolutions concern diet, exercise, habits, and other issues concerning personal wellness. A common view is to use the first day of the year as a clean slate to improve one’s life. A gathering of loved ones. Here you’ll typically find feasting, a celebratory drink, music, dancing, and other methods of merriment. Fireworks, parades, and concerts. Famous parades include London’s New Year’s Day Parade, and large firework displays, such as in Sydney, Australia, and Dubai. Many nations and cultures within them have their own characteristic way of celebrating the New Year: In Turkey, New Year’s Eve is one of the most popular holidays. Turkish New Year’s Eve traditions include a family dinner, a national lottery drawing, and a countdown to midnight. Many people in Turkey start celebrating New Year’s Eve with a large family dinner. Variety shows on television begin in the late afternoon and continue until early morning of the next day. Many people play games while waiting for the clock to strike midnight. State TV channels announce the winning numbers of the New Year’s national lottery just before midnight. In Thailand, Thais have been celebrating the 1st of January as the first day of the year for almost 70 years. The New Year is a long holiday in Thailand from the 31st of December to the 3rd of January. Many people take this opportunity to travel either domestic or abroad. For people who are away from their hometown, it is the time to go home to visit parents and family. A lot of Thais celebrate the New Year by attending countdown events around the country where there are concerts and magnificent fireworks. A number of Thais visit their local temple to make merit either on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day. Some people also attend meditation retreats over the New Year. In the Philippines, celebrations are very loud, believing that the noise will scare away evil beings. There is often a midnight feast featuring twelve different round fruits to symbolize good luck for the twelve months of the year. Other traditional foods include sticky rice and noodles, but not chicken or fish, because these animals are food foragers, which can be seen as bad luck for the next year’s food supply. In colder countries, close to water, such as Canada, parts of the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands, it is customary to organize cold-water plunges. These plunges and races, sometimes called a Polar Bear Plunge, often raise money for charity, or awareness for a cause. The old Scottish song, “Auld Lang Syne,” is sung at the stroke of midnight in almost every English-speaking country in the world to bring in the New Year. At least partially written by Robert Burns in the 1700s, it was first published in 1796 after Burns’ death. The words, “Auld Lang Syne,” literally mean, “old long ago,” or simply, “the good old days.”
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By Michael Roy
In recent years we’ve all seen or read about the horrors that can result when animosity escalates between people of divergent racial, ideological, or religious backgrounds. Ethnic confrontations in the Horn of Africa, political violence in North Africa, continued bloodletting in the Mideast, and strained race relations in scores of other countries all raise questions about the present state of the human condition. Most of these conflicts are civil or intrastate wars, and most victims are civilians. Can’t someone put a stop to it all? Don’t you wish that someone could decree that all people of every country, color, and creed must respect, accept, and live in harmony with everyone else, regardless of their differences, and that would happen? Unfortunately, even if some international body had the authority to issue such a decree, it would never work. Simply put, righteousness cannot be legislated. Kindness, understanding, and love must come from the heart, not as a dutiful response to a law. When people have lost loved ones, homes, or land, have been the target of violence, or have otherwise felt the brunt of another group’s scorn, no edict is going to change the victims’ attitudes overnight. Even if they wanted to reconcile, no amount of willpower can instantly overcome deep-seated resentment or hatred. So how can prejudice, fear, and distrust be overcome when these things have been so deeply ingrained? The answer is summed up in one word: love. “Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins.” If you hate somebody, your interactions with them are likely to breed disagreement and conflict. But if you truly love them, even if they have wronged you, it’s possible to look beyond their faults and accept and forgive them. This may sound like a noble aspiration—to overlook and forgive all the flaws and failings of others—but realistically, who is capable of suddenly releasing resentment, hatred, fear, or other deep-seated negative attitudes they may harbor toward individuals or entire groups of people? Most of us lack the resolve and emotional wherewithal to do that. Sometimes we don’t even want to do it. The good news is that despite our human limitations, it is still possible for us to truly love, understand, and accept others, regardless of their past or background. The key to such love comes from the ultimate source of love, God Himself. The Bible tells us that “God is love.” He is the all powerful Spirit of love who created the universe and brought us all into being. To show us what He is like, He sent His own Son to earth in the form of a man, Jesus Christ. Jesus’ entire ministry was one of love. He experienced human suffering and had great compassion on the people as He ministered to their spiritual and physical needs. He became one of us. He taught that we could fulfill all the laws of God by fulfilling just two commandments: “Love God,” and “Love your neighbor.” On one occasion, an antagonist overheard Jesus teaching this and challenged Him. “Who then is my neighbor?” Jesus responded with the story of the Good Samaritan, in which He clearly showed that our neighbor is anyone who needs our help, regardless of their race, creed, color, nationality, or cultural background. The way we can love our neighbors and do our part to bring peace to the world is to ask the Prince of Peace, Jesus, to give us His love for others. When we are connected with the God of love, He can empower us to do what is humanly impossible: to truly love others the way we love ourselves. The supernatural love of God is what brings genuine peace, unity, and mutual respect. Even when fear, prejudice, and hatred have been ingrained for years, the love of God can wash it all away. Once you personally know that God loves and forgives you, it becomes much easier to love and forgive others. You can then “get rid of all bitterness, rage, and anger, along with every form of malice, and be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” When you open your heart to Jesus, He can miraculously free you from the bondage of hatred and ill will toward others. “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” What a wonderful world it would be if the only thing we saw when we looked at others was love—the color of love. Why not start the year off by asking Jesus for His gift or love to see others through the eyes of love. If you want to learn more about how to do this you can write me here: [email protected] Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy. —Norman Vincent Peale
Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those who believe.—Gail Devers In my deepest, darkest moments, what really got me through was a prayer. Sometimes my prayer was ‘Help me.’ Sometimes a prayer was ‘Thank you.’ What I’ve discovered is that intimate connection and communication with my Creator will always get me through because I know my support, my help, is just a prayer away.—Iyanla Vanzant The foundation stones for a balanced success are honesty, character, integrity, faith, love, and loyalty.—Zig Ziglar With faith, discipline and selfless devotion to duty, there is nothing worthwhile that you cannot achieve.—Muhammad Ali Jinnah I think you need to go through some stuff to really appreciate life and understand what it means to persevere, overcome, and have faith. I think those tough times make you a stronger person.—Judith Hill The keys to patience are acceptance and faith. Accept things as they are, and look realistically at the world around you. Have faith in yourself and in the direction you have chosen.—Ralph Marston Indeed, this life is a test. It is a test of many things—of our convictions and priorities, our faith and our faithfulness, our patience and our resilience, and in the end, our ultimate desires.—Sheri L. Dew My faith helps me understand that circumstances don’t dictate my happiness, my inner peace.—Denzel Washington To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible.—Thomas Aquinas Quote of the day:
Fail not to call to mind, in the course of the twenty-fifth of this month, that the Divinest Heart that ever walked the earth was born on that day; and then smile and enjoy yourselves for the rest of it; for mirth is also of Heaven's making. -- Leigh Hunt Think about it: One of the miracles of Christmas is that even in a modern society, where you often find yourself seemingly besieged by rampant materialism, the true meaning of Christmas is never entirely lost. Even nonbelievers are moved by the symbolism of an innocent child who represents humanity’s hope and who came to earth to invite each person to reach out to God and to one another. I cannot imagine a more beautiful story. Christmas has a way of bringing out the best in people. It’s a time of year when we look upward in search of peace and hope and outward in search of reconciliation. You may disagree. Turn on a television or read a newspaper this month, and it will seem the world is just as broken as it was last month. We constantly hear about the pressure of individualism straining the bonds between ourselves. And far too often we choose to react by closing in on ourselves. But Christmas is a unique opportunity given to us all to make things right, with God and with one another. This season, a father and son who haven’t spoken in years will greet each other with a hug. A daughter who has a grudge against her mother will whisper in her ear that she loves her. Siblings who have drifted apart will look at each other and remember the joys of their childhood and shared experiences. Such exchanges may be awkward and often don’t come easily, but part of the magic of Christmas is that for a few weeks, all around the world, in all kinds of cultures, communities, and families, people rediscover what unites them and come together to share a brief but blessed moment of peace and fraternity. Whether your December is synonymous with snowstorms or trips to the beach, we’d like to take this opportunity to wish you a very happy Christmas, and may God bless you and yours with His perfect peace and love, this season and always. Dear one,
No gift could fill your heart with all the special things you deserve, so this Christmas I offer a prayer instead, asking the One who knows your every need to give you His very best. First I pray for your happiness. Not the fleeting kind that comes from happenings or new acquisitions, but deep abiding happiness that will be there even when nothing special is going on. Next I pray for peace in your heart. I don’t mean a lack of excitement, an empty feeling, or surcease from activity or challenge, but rather a sweet knowledge that God is in control, and that He won’t let anything happen to you that you and He can’t work out together—a quiet certainty that gives you rest inside, even when you are working hard or the pressure’s on. My prayer wouldn’t be complete without praying for you to have faith. Some people think faith means blindness to reality—an overly optimistic outlook that denies the facts. But real faith, the kind I wish for you, is based on the most wonderful realities of all—God and His love and His promises to you. That kind of faith knows that God wants only the very best for you and will bring it to pass. That kind of faith comes from reading His Word. That’s the kind of faith that moves mountains. I pray for you to have wisdom and understanding, so that you can look at life around you and then to heaven above, and find the answers and explanations and guidance you need—God-given wisdom that gives you patience and faith for others and points the way in difficult moments. And last but not least, I pray for you to experience love—great love, overflowing love, patient love, wise love, sweet love, fun love, exciting love, purposeful love, abiding love, strong love, encouraging love, God’s love in all its wondrous forms. God came down at Christmas in the form of a little baby to give us all these things—happiness, peace, faith, wisdom, and most of all, love. So my prayer is that this Christmas you will take Christ into your heart, believe His promises, and experience all the wonders He has for you. I pray this for you because I know that Jesus wants to give you all these things, because He loves you. And I do too. To celebrate Jesus this Christmas I’d like to share some reflections on a few quotes about Christmas.
Jesus’ love was at the center of all that He did for humankind. His was a life of giving. He gave up His life in heaven to come to this world. He gave up the unimaginable riches of His kingdom to live on earth without even a place to call His own. He gave His time, His strength, and His reputation among many of the supposedly righteous to seek out the beggars, the outcasts, the sick and dying who could never offer anything of this world in return for all He offered them. He laid down His own life in order to rescue us from the pitfalls of sin, and He did it purely out of love for us. Why did He do that? To help us to understand what the essence of God is. He gave us the example of how to develop that nature in us, how by His grace we can become children of the Most High. As we discover the joy of helping to bring His love to others, we grow His kingdom. We experience a touch of God’s joy when we emulate His giving without seeking anything in return. We might seem to lose in the moment, but in the end, we gain far more.
Sometimes we may be tempted to attach too much importance to the traditions of Christmas, like trees and music and celebrations. Even giving gifts and doing good deeds have to have gratitude at their core or they lose their greatest value.
Have you ever wondered why Jesus came to earth when He did? I wonder if it might have been to illustrate that He is the center of everything. He brings sense out of all that came before His life on earth, and He brings the promise of all that is ours to claim through Him.
When people look at the story of a baby in a manger and angels singing and the wise men visiting, I wonder if they truly grasp what this event means for humankind. Jesus, who had everything, gave it all up, and His birth marked the beginning of the transformation from the earthbound, time-constrained, sin-prone existence of this temporary life into the supernatural, eternal, unfathomable wonder and beauty of eternity. An existence immersed in unbounded joy, purpose, and oneness with the King of all! It marks the arrival of the gift of perfect love.
Jesus was the personification of God’s care for humankind. He was God’s merciful offer of rescue to a world drowning in folly. He was a living demonstration of how far God’s love is willing to go, even to the point of appearing in a form that we could understand. I pray that your life will be filled with God’s Spirit this Christmas and that His many wonderful blessings will be yours in the coming year. Christmas is a time of joy and celebration. Many countries have unique customs and traditions that help make this a happy season.
No matter what Christmas traditions we hold dear, that same unspeakable joy found in the love God sent to the world that very first Christmas, can still be felt today by all those who open their hearts to it. With that love and joy in our hearts we can truly celebrate Christmas. Jean heaved another world-weary sigh. Tucking a strand of shiny black hair behind her ear, she frowned at the teetering tower of Christmas cards waiting to be signed. What was the point? How could she sign only one name? A “couple” required two people, and she was just one.
The legal separation from Don had left her feeling vacant and incomplete. Maybe she would skip the cards this year. And the holiday decorating. Truthfully, even a tree felt like more than she could manage. She had canceled out of the caroling party and the church nativity pageant. Christmas was to be shared, and she had no one to share it with. The doorbell’s insistent ring startled her. Padding to the door in her thick socks, Jean cracked it open against the frigid December night. She peered into the empty darkness of the porch. Instead of a friendly face—something she could use about now—she found only a jaunty green gift bag perched on the railing. From whom? she wondered. And why? Under the bright kitchen light, she pulled out handfuls of shredded gold tinsel, feeling for a gift. Instead, her fingers plucked an envelope from the bottom. Tucked inside was a typed letter. It was a ... story? The little boy was new to the Denmark orphanage, and Christmas was drawing near, Jean read. Already caught up in the tale, she settled into a kitchen chair. From the other children, he heard tales of a wondrous tree that would appear in the hall on Christmas Eve and of the scores of candles that would light its branches. He heard stories of the mysterious benefactor who made it possible each year. The little boy’s eyes opened wide at the mere thought of all that splendor. The only Christmas tree he had ever seen was through the fogged windows of other people’s homes. There was even more, the children insisted. More? Oh, yes! Instead of the orphanage’s regular fare of gruel, they would be served fragrant stew and crusty, hot bread that special night. Last, and best of all, the little boy learned, each of them would receive a holiday treat. He would join the line of children to get his very own.... Jean turned the page. Instead of a continuation, she was startled to read: “Everyone needs to celebrate Christmas, wouldn’t you agree? Watch for Part II.” She refolded the paper while a faint smile teased the corner of her mouth. The next day was so busy that Jean forgot all about the story. That evening, she rushed home from work. If she hurried, she’d probably have enough time to decorate the mantel. She pulled out the box of garland, only to drop it when the doorbell rang. Opening the door, she found herself looking at a red gift bag. She reached for it eagerly and pulled out the piece of paper. ...to get his very own orange, Jean read. An orange? That’s a treat? she thought incredulously. An orange! Of his very own? Yes, the others assured him. There would be one apiece. The boy closed his eyes against the wonder of it all. A tree. Candles. A filling meal. And an orange of his very own. He knew the smell, tangy sweet, but only the smell. He had sniffed oranges at the merchant’s stall in the marketplace. Once he had even dared to rub a single finger over the brilliant, pocked skin. He fancied for days that his hand still smelled of orange. But to taste one, to eat one? Heaven. The story ended abruptly, but Jean didn’t mind. She knew more would follow. The next evening, Jean waited anxiously for the sound of the doorbell. She wasn’t disappointed. This time, though, the embossed gold bag was heavier than the others had been. She tore into the envelope resting on top of the tissue paper. Christmas Eve was all the children had been promised. The piney scent of fir competed with the aroma of lamb stew and homey yeast bread. Scores of candles diffused the room with golden halos. The boy watched in amazement as each child in turn eagerly claimed an orange and politely said “thank you.” The line moved quickly, and he found himself in front of the towering tree and the equally imposing headmaster. “Too bad, young man, too bad. But the count was in before you arrived. It seems there are no more oranges. Next year. Yes, next year you will receive an orange.” Brokenhearted, the orphan raced up the stairs empty-handed to bury both his face and his tears beneath his pillow. Wait! This wasn’t how she wanted the story to go. Jean felt the boy’s pain, his aloneness. The boy felt a gentle tap on his back. He tried to still his sobs. The tap became more insistent until, at last, he pulled his head from under the pillow. He smelled it before he saw it. A cloth napkin rested on the mattress. Tucked inside was a peeled orange, tangy sweet. It was made of segments saved from the others. A slice donated from each child. Together they added up to make one whole, complete fruit. An orange of his very own. Jean swiped at the tears trickling down her cheeks. From the bottom of the gift bag she pulled out an orange—a foil-covered chocolate orange—already separated into segments. And for the first time in weeks, she smiled. Really smiled. She set about making copies of the story, wrapping individual slices of the chocolate orange. There was Mrs. Potter across the street, spending her first Christmas alone in 58 years. There was Melanie down the block, facing her second round of radiation. Her running partner, Jan, single-parenting a difficult teen. Lonely Mr. Bradford losing his eyesight, and Sue, sole caregiver to an aging mother.... A piece from her might help make one whole. "I could not have made it this far had there not been angels along the way." - Della Reese
"Twice or thrice had I loved thee before I knew thy face or name, so in a voice, so in a shapeless flame, angels affect us oft, and worshiped be." - John Donne "The dreams which reveal the supernatural are promises and messages that God sends us directly: they are nothing but his angels, his ministering spirits, who usually appear to us when we are in a great predicament." – Paracelsus "For every force charged by God, may he be exalted, with some business is an angel put in charge..." - Maimonides (Moses ben Maimon) "Yes, love indeed is light from heaven; A spark of that immortal fire with angels shared, by God given to lift from earth our low desire." - Lord Byron “All arrangements that are carried out between heaven and earth are carried out through angels." - Mirza Ghulam Ahmad "Believers, look up -- take courage. The angels are nearer than you think." - Billy Graham “I saw the tracks of angels in the earth: the beauty of heaven walking by itself on the world." – Petrarch "Could we forbear dispute, and practice love. We should agree as angels do above." - Edmund Waller "We not only live among men, but there are airy hosts, blessed spectators, sympathetic lookers-on, that see and know and appreciate our thoughts and feelings and acts." - Henry Ward Beecher ”Ever felt an angel's breath in the gentle breeze? A teardrop in the falling rain? Hear a whisper amongst the rustle of leaves? Or been kissed by a lone snowflake? Nature is an angel's favorite hiding place.” - Carrie Latet "Hush, my dear, lie still and slumber. Holy Angels guard thy bed! Heavenly blessings without number gently falling on thy head." - Isaac Watts ”Insight is better than eyesight when it comes to seeing an angel.” - Eileen Elias Freeman Quote of the day:
“Don’t rest on your past laurels.” – Author Unknown Think about it: To rest on your laurels means to be satisfied with one’s past accomplishments and not put forth any further efforts. In ancient Greece, the laurel was a plant that was sacred to the god Apollo. Laurel wreaths were awarded to the winning athletes in the Pythian games, held in honor of the god Apollo every four years. Later, laurel wreaths were awarded to signify other victories and honors, in Greece and Rome. The term rest on one’s laurels doesn’t appear until 1831, it is a phrase that denotes laziness and is not a compliment. Here is a good story that depicts someone who didn’t want to rest on his laurels but wanted to keep striving to improve and accomplish his best. At a period of Donatello's life he went to Pisa to execute some works there which were found so wonderful that the Pisans broke out into great delight, praising the artist to the skies. Oddly enough, however, this excessive praise proved distasteful to the sculptor. He declared that he must go back to Florence for the whimsical reason, that where he was praised by everybody he would soon forget all he knew, grow lazy and self-satisfied, whereas at home in Florence he was notoriously abused and found fault with and thus forced always to produce his best, "the constant blame forcing him," as he put it, "to study and consequently do greater achievements." Are you resting on your laurels or striving to accomplish your best? |
AuthorThe goal of the blog is to provide interesting, motivational, soul feeding material. All to help remind us that God loves us all and wants a personal relationship with each of us and will take care of us in times of trouble. I aspire to be a force for good by providing you with positive input. I encourage you to share the blog with others. Archives
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