It's Christmas

     It's Christmas. It's the day someone said Jesus was born. Was it really December 25th that Jesus was born? Who knows and it doesn't matter one way or another. What matters is that God came down from heaven and became a human. He was born of a virgin, was given the name Jesus as it said He would be. He  endured all the trials and temptations that you and I do. Through it all He never failed and was blameless, was crucified and three days later rose from the grave thereby defeating death and hell, making it possible for us to spend eternity with Him if we choose to. We can spend eternity with Him if we accept his free gift of salvation. A gift, not something we earn but something that is free for the taking if we want it. I never made my kids earn their Christmas presents and God doesn't make us earn ours. If we want it, reach out and accept it.
     Around Thanksgiving I started tipping when I would order fast food. I would tip the lady behind the counter that would give me the eclairs I ordered. We helped a family who's house had burned down a couple of weeks ago. We made a donation through work to another family that was struggling to provide Christmas for their 12 kids. We don't know any of these people we helped but I pray that they know who provided these "gifts." It wasn't us. We just distributed them. If they haven't already done so, I hope they accept the greatest gift of all.
     Nicole , Spencer and Ethan have moved to Connecticut. Cory was in St. George with a friend. We didn't put up a tree this year. No decorations were set out or hung on the mantle. We didn't have any "Christmas music" playing in the house or in the car. Kathy worked a lot of hours the last few weeks and didn't have  much time for shopping. I didn't make my usual list of who's getting what and then getting to the store to buy what was on my list. Kathy bought a few things for Ethan and pretty much left it at that. She bought me a CD, I bought her a CD and a necklace. We woke up today and even though we didn't have a decorated tree, a decorated house, no Christmas music and only three presents to unwrap, it was still Christmas.
     We spent the day at my mom and dads. We opened a few presents from them, ate and watched a few youtube videos. Laughed at some and cried at another. We came home and my sister Kathy and her son Josh came over and watched some football, ate cookies, candy and spent some time together. It was still Christmas.
     I would have loved to pay Nicole and Spencer's house payment for the month. Bought them some wii games and gadget or two. Paid a trailer or truck payment for Cory. Maybe even bought him some more tools. Given Kathy an Alaskan cruise with a trip to Denali. Bought her some new clothes and new carpet. Then there is all the friends we know that we would really like to buy gifts for to show how much they mean to us through the year. It didn't happen and probably won't but, it's still Christmas.
     It's Christmas because of the gift God gave to us. It was Jesus and what he did for us. Not because of the gifts we give or receive. If you received gifts from friends and family, awesome. If you were able to give gifts to friends, family and strangers, even more awesome. If you have accepted the greatest gift of all, let others know that they can have it too. It's a gift He wants all of us to have.
     Merry Christmas, be a blessing and be blessed.

Friend or Family?

     When our kids were growing up they would bring their friends over to play, or get a ride somewhere. We tried to make sure that we made their friends feel welcome when they came over and welcome to come over anytime. If they were important to our kids then they were important to us. If nothing else we needed to see who would be influencing our kids and how it was happening. As best as I can remember there were very few people that we strongly discouraged either one of the kids  from hanging out with. There were friends, boyfriends and girlfriends.
     Cory brought home a few friends from school but mostly they were neighbors, teammates from football, Jr. Jazz or diabetes camp. There were a few that he brought home that when they left I couldn't shut the door behind them quickly enough.
     Nicole brought people home from everywhere. School, Jr. Jazz, Volleyball, Basketball and dance class. There were a few of them that I couldn't shut the door behind them quickly enough as well.
     In either case whether it was Nicole or Cory, we wanted to make their friends feel welcome. If you have been to our house more than once then you can be pretty sure that you are considered family. Some people are like sons or daughters and others are more like cousins. All are welcome, but not all have developed a close relationship with either us or the kids. There are even a few people that have never set foot in our house that I would consider them to be a son or daughter.
     We've had people that have or still are struggling with alcohol or illegal drug use that are welcome as a son or daughter in our home any time. There are ex-boyfriends and ex-girlfriends that are still welcome in our house  as a son or a daughter. Just because the relationship didn't go any further with Nicole or Cory doesn't mean we never want to see you again. People never cease to be important just because circumstances have changed. We are in each others lives for a reason and as long as I am around and you are too, our lives should be impacting each others in a positive way.
     When we go to Jesus and ask for forgiveness he doesn't first check to see if we use alcohol or drugs or whatever other problem we might have. When we go to him and repent and ask for forgiveness he adopts us as sons and daughters. We are now in his family even if we have problems that we need help with. We go through his door and we are family. What a great example for us to follow. If you come through the door of our house, you can bet you will be family, if you want.
     I want to know how work is going, about nursing school, about your day of snowboarding, camping, fishing, your trip to Vegas or Price. About your pregnancy. If it's important to you it will be important to me, maybe not as important to me as it is to you but still important. If you have a problem you need help with, we might be able to help. If you just want to stop by and say hello, do it.
     If you came through our door once, you were a friend. If we developed the friendship in some way, i.e.  talking, having you go with us to dinner or on a day trip, you are family. Stay in touch, we want to hear from you.
     Be blessed and know that we care about you.
    

Counting my blessings

     I have a shelf full of tickets. Not traffic tickets, they're Bronco tickets, Ute tickets and concert tickets. I have  a computer full of pictures of people, animals, flowers, sunsets, snow, ice, clouds, mountains and fields. All things I got to experience. On this computer that I store my pics on I have this cool little site called facebook that I can keep up with friends and make new ones if I choose.
     The tickets represent time spent doing something I enjoy. Football and music. The football is a minimum of four hours spent with at least one friend and or family member. The concert is a minimum of three hours spent with a friend and or family member. I keep the tickets not to say I went here or saw this. I keep them because each one represents a time that God has blessed me. On any given Sunday I am one of only 76,000 people out of how ever many billion people are on the earth to be at that spot doing something I like. Same with concerts. Only a small number of people can get into the building to hear the band. Each time I am with someone I want to be with to share it.
     Pictures. I have thousands of pictures thanks to digital photography. No more costly film development. Each one represents a time I was well enough to walk out the door and go for a hike. Each picture is something that I can share with someone else that can't hike due to age, health, finances or transportation. Each picture is something that shows how creative God is. A small flower no bigger than a pin head to a 12,000 foot high snow covered mountain with a mountain goat and her kid. I share it with someone else and God may use it to bless them or speak to them.
    Facebook. What an amazing way to keep in touch with people. It can be as curse as well if not used correctly. It can be used to encourage, to share important events both upcoming and already passed. It can be used to reach out to someone having a difficult time. It can be used just to say hi and bring a smile to someones face.
     Three simple things, tickets, pictures and a web site. In ten years there have been about 90 football games and or concerts. About 10,000 pictures and most recently a daily visit with friends on facebook.
All insignificant in the big scheme of things but each one represents a blessing from God. He knows I like football, music, hiking, photography and people. He blesses me because He loves me.
      I'll keep saving my tickets and pictures and sharing time with my friends and every once in awhile when life seems like it sucks, I will count my blessings and pray that God uses me bless some one else with my time, pictures or tickets or just a hug and encouraging word.

Twenty six Letters

I had a miniature version of this on facebook once as well but Toes said to put it on here too. 

Twenty six letters make up the English alphabet. With those twenty six letters you can combine them in hundreds of thousands of ways to make words. Depending on who you ask, there are approximately 200,000 words in the English language. We use 1,000 to 2,000 in our daily lives. I only use 100 to 200 'cause I'm a "man of few words." Not that I don't know more than 200, I just don't talk much. 

These words have enormous power to build up or tear down. To curse or to bless. To give life or to destroy. God spoke everything into existence. The moon, stars, heaven, land, sea, animals and you and I. He spoke blessing. We speak blessings over ourselves and others when we say things that build us up. Good job, I can handle this, you're so fun to be with. We speak cursing with phrases such as, I'm an idiot. you suck, how stupid can you be?  

How many times have we said something and regretted it later if not as soon as it left our mouth? How many times have we said something and brought a smile to someones face or tears of joy to their eyes? 

Someday we will have to answer to how we used these twenty six letters. Did we use them to bring joy or cause sadness. To encourage or discourage? 

Twenty six letters, individually not much to look at. Use them in certain combinations and they are very powerful. 

Have a blessed weekend.

Seven Notes.

I know this was on my facebook wall many months ago but now I can add more to it. 

Seven basic notes, A, B, C, D, E, F, G, Now add a few variations to each note in the form of sharps and flats. Go down an octave or up an octave. You now have the basic ingredients to write music. Some people were masters at putting the seven basic notes with their variations together and wrote symphonies. Others kept it simple and wrote songs like Mary Had a Little Lamb.

Country music, Opera, Jazz Classical, Rock, Reggae, all start with the seven basic notes but end up with entirely different results. They can be used to make you happy, relaxed, get you excited, make you sad. These seven notes and their variations have been used to write hundreds of thousands if not millions of pieces of music. All of them sounding totally different from each other. 

Everything good comes from God and music is one of the best gifts I have received from him. Both playing instruments and listening to others. It's amazing how something as simple as seven basic notes can be used in so many different ways and have such a huge affect on people. 

What you don't see

 It's dark outside. The sun won't be up for a few more hours. There's lights all across the valley shimmering in the darkness, with more lights snaking their way along the roads into town. Nothing to see but lights in the darkness as I stare out the window. Each light has a story behind it. The mom taking her kids to day care so she can go to work the first of her two part time jobs. The college student heading to his first day of grad school, six years after starting but still paying as he goes. The girl that just got engaged the night before and can't wait to share the news with her friends at work. The office worker heading in for his last day at work because the company he works for is going out of business. The married couple going to the hospital not knowing that only one will go home.The Temp worker that will be offered a full time position. The little boy that has left the front porch light on for the last six months so his dad can find the house when he comes home from Afghanistan. The girl who just 24 hours earlier had a bottle of pills and a razor ready to end it all but is now so glad she couldn't bring herself to do it. 

All around the world 24 hours a day, 365 days a year this scene plays itself out in one way or another. Happiness here, heartbreak there. Billions of people everywhere dealing with the ups and downs of life. We see porch lights and headlights in the dark and rarely pay attention to either one. God sees it all.  

I first had this thought in 1983 looking out the window of St. Marks hospital. I had been there for three weeks and in a few days would be there for another three weeks. I see the same thing almost every time I look out over the city whether it's dark or daylight.  Last year Brandon Heath wrote "Give me Your Eyes" and now Matthew West has written " My Own Little World."  I pray that He gives me his eyes and that I step out of my own little world, population me and let Gods light shine through me and brighten someones day or maybe even change their life. Blessings to you and praise God, with out Him we have nothing.