First Prepare the Tins:  Dust of and clean up a few of those decorate tins you’ve been saving in your basement or top shelf in the cupboards because they are too nice to throw away. Then line the tins with some colorful Christmas tissue paper. Fill the tins with homemade goodies (all of one kind or a variety of tasty treats) or some nice store bought cookies from the bakery section. Hint: some of the large warehouse stores carry ready-to-deliver cookie tins with an assortment of premium tidbits inside.

Next Write a Note:  Take one of your leftover Christmas cards and write a note of encouragement to whomever receives this gift.  Consider providing your contact information in case they need to call someone for prayer or help.  Here are a few Scripture references that are good to include in the card:

Matthew 14:14 (ESV)  ”When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.”

1 Peter 5:7 (NLT)  ”Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.”

Hebrews 4:14, 16 (NLT)  ”So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe.  So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.”

Finally, Deliver the Tin:  I like to deliver my “gifts of tin” on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day to families who are spending the day/evening in the ICU waiting room at the local hospital.  Due to unforeseen circumstances, their plans for a Christmas family gathering are very different from what they expected.  It is such a huge blessings to deliver these tins and share the Light of Christ to these families who are worried sick about their loved one who has been in an accident or is in or recovering from life-threatening surgery.   I always ask the family if they would like for me to pray for them before I go and I’ve never had a family to say “no.”  These gifts of tin are such a blessing to these families and of course it is a tremendous blessing to me personally to know that for a few moments that day, God has allowed me to be His hands and feet!

My Favorite Goodie Recipes:

1. Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies:

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour (self-rising works, too)

2 tsp. Saigon cinnamon (regular cinnamon works, too, but Saigon is better)

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 stick real butter plus 1/2 cup shortening (or 2 sticks butter) – softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar and 3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 large eggs

2 cups (12 oz) Nestle’s semi-sweet chocolate chips or M&M’s Candies

Add 1 cup chopped pecans if you love nuts!

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Then in medium size bowl mix together dry goods (flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt).

In large bowl beat softened butter/shortening with sugars and vanilla until creamy.  Then add eggs, one at a time.  Gradually add dry mixture into creamy mixture; beating until well blended.  Stir in choco chips and nuts and drop by rounded spoonful onto ungreased baking sheet and bake for 9 to 11 minutes.  Remove from cookie sheet 1 minute after coming out of the oven to prevent them from baking further.

     

2. Rolo Turtles

– Purchase several packages of Rolo candies.  Place individual candies upright on a microwavable plate.  Microwave on high for about 15 seconds or until you see candy soften.  Remove from microwave and press one pecan half into the center of each candy until caramel oozes out a bit.  Let the candy cool before eating.

3. Mom BJ’s Chocolate Oatmeal Crispies

Ingredients:

1/4 stick real butter

1/2 cup evaporated milk

2 cups sugar

3 tbls cocoa powder

1 glob (1/2 cup or so) of peanut butter

2 tsp. vanilla extract

3 cups 1-minute oats (does not work with regular oats)

Add first four ingredients (butter, milk, sugar, cocoa) to 2 quart saucepan and begin stirring while heating on medium to medium high.  Bring mixture to a full rolling boil and let boil for 1 minute.  Remove from stove and add vanilla and peanut butter, stirring well.  Then add oatmeal and stir until mixture completely coats the oats.  Drop by spoonful onto waxed paper and let cool.  Hint for the time-challenged ladies out there – you can buy these ready made at Wal-mart and Publix in the bakery area.  They are not quite as good as homemade but they’re quick!

4. Coconut-Orange Balls

– No Cooking!

Ingredients:

1 small box of real Vanilla Wafers (crushed)

1 box powdered sugar (4 cups)

1 small can frozen OJ (melted)

1 stick real butter (melted)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup crushed pecans

Mix it all together in a big bowl.  The mixture will be very sticky (like cookie dough).  Put on some plastic gloves (or have nice clean hands) and start rolling the mixture into bite-sized balls.  Roll the balls in a bowl of coconut and set on wax paper until they have setup a bit.  These are sooo delicious!

     

5. Mom Peggy’s Graham Cracker Brickle

Ingredients:

Box of graham crackers

1 stick real butter (ok, margarine will work but butter is always better)

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Divide graham crackers into pieces and lay flat on baking sheet (spray with Pam).  In small saucepan, bring the butter and sugar to a boil for 3 minutes then begin pouring a small stream over the graham crackers.  Sprinkle with pecans and bake for 12 minutes.  Once cooled, these begin disappearing quickly!

“I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!”  John 15:11 (NLT)

Merry Christmas everyone!

Today we simply grab a bag of premeasured popcorn and butter-like-stuff, toss it in the microwave and press the popcorn button.  Almost instantly (3 minutes) we can enjoy fresh, buttery popcorn.  Growing accustomed to such quickie results cause us to look for spiritual gifts and blessings to be delivered in the same way – instantly.   When we face difficulties or pray for God to bring good things into our lives we want to see instant relief!  It’s really sort of funny how we pray for patience to be given to us instantly.  Isn’t that sort of like oximoronic?  Patience simply cannot be given instantaneously.  It is something that can only be developed as we do it.  As we learn to BE patient, we develop more patience.

In the Bible we are told to “consider it a great joy” when we experience trials of all kinds, “knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience” (James 1:3).  Perhaps you are in trial right now; a dark place that leaves you exhausted and feeling demoralized.  A moment in time that you can’t imagine feeling joyful about anything.  A time when your patience is being tested beyond what you feel you can bare.  Interesting sidenote: the Greek word for “trials” in this verse is “peirasmois” which is linked to the term “peirates.”  What do pirates do?  They can steal your sense of security, dignity, dreams and sometimes even the people you love the most.  Do not despair, my friend, for God does not intend for you to stay in this place.  He will remain with you as you go through this difficulty time and He will help you develop endurance (patience) in the process.

The word “patience” in James 1:3 is derived from two Greek words: hupo (under) and meno (remain).  James wants us to understand that in order for us to achieve God’s refining goals for our lives, we need to be willing to remain under the pressure and show heroic endurance.  When we feel we are going to go under for the final count, we are to stand strong in our faith and continue trusting God for an outcome that will refine our character, increase our  patience, and ultimately bring joy to our lives.  There are no shortcuts for producing patience.  Nothing instant about it.

As you read this post, my prayer for you is that you will place your trust in God as you endure any hardships or trials and that you will get a glimpse of the joy that comes in the morning!

As moms, our initial response is to sooth the child who is hurting. Then we take things a bit farther by assuring the child “It wasn’t your fault. Mean buggy! Mean floor!” This teaches our young children that the resulting pain was not their fault because the buggy did it! As we grow up, we carry the same attitude with us into adulthood as we learn to play the blame game.

As adults, many of us carry the same attitude that nothing is ever our fault. The speeding ticket I received was not due to the fact I was driving too fast, but because the officer had setup a speed trap. My check bounced because the bank didn’t know what they were doing, not because I presented a check for payment before the were funds available.  As leaders in the church or business world, we often make decisions that affect other people or processes.  When the outcome is good, we accept full credit and when things don’t work out so well, we begin the blame game. “They were’nt supportive enough.” “The books didn’t arrive on time.” “She made a typo.”

Okay, I conceed that everything bad that occurs to us is not our fault, but as leaders we must learn to take responsibility for ourselves and our team in order to maintain a positive influence that moves us forward.  How pitiful we are when we place blame on others when the responsibility is ours alone. Having been a victim of this from both angles (as the blamer and the blamee), I find it much more rewarding to be the responsible party by following these helpful steps:

1. Don’t get defensive:  When someone speaks to you about an issue in which they feel you have made a mistake, always be prepared to accept the possibility that they are right.  Then focus on the problem not the person.  How can the issue be resolved quickly and effectively?  Be willing to admit you messed up or overlooked an angle, then move forward with the fix.
2. Don’t react – respond:  A reaction is what happens when you are not in control.  A mosquito bites you on the arm, so you slap it!  No thought needed.   A response is what is given when you take a moment to consider your words carefully, realizing that every word has the potential to lift someone up or shut someone down.
3. Be a person of integrity:  Do the right thing even when no one seems to notice.  Do the right thing for yourself by being honest with yourself and accepting the blame when it is indeed your fault.  Share a little grace with your team by accepting the blame as a leader even when you know someone in the group contributed largely to the problem.  After all, you were the leader who allowed that person to mess up!
4. Don’t burn any bridges:  People are always life’s most valuable asset.  They are also the only “things” you can take with you to heaven!  Remember your high calling to be an ambassador for Christ above all other titles and duties you may have.  You are called to represent the love of God to others in a way that draws them (reconciles them) back to God.  On a more human note, you may also need these people to accomplish a big task in the future.  Treasure people – don’t trash them!
5. Model what you want to reproduce in others:  Jesus was a servant leader who led by example.  He made the ultimate impact on our  lives by serving us with His life!
6. Trust God to do immeasurably more than you could ever hope for or imagine!  (Eph. 3:20)  When you feel completely broken, you are ready for God to take the pieces and make a beautiful mosiac of your life; a creation that would never be possible in your own power.  Trust Him to bring about your ultmate fulfillment as a ministry leader, a business manager, a parent, a teacher, etc.  Nothing is impossible with God!

Stop playing the blame game and become a servant leader who models humility and inner-strength.  When you lead others who can do the same you will experience rich rewards through your teamwork.

Perhaps like me, you have a “perfectionist” within you who strives to obtain something that is without flaw or blemish of any kind.  Our deformed desire for perfection only leads us to find disappointment, discontentment, and discouragement.   Many of us pursue perfection in ourselves (perfect hair, perfect body, perfect smile) and we often expect perfection in others (perfect mate, perfect job, perfect church).  Even as we aim for perfection, we discover it’s a moving target! (George Fisher).  That stinks!

But I thought the Bible teaches Christians to strive for perfection… Let’s look at what the Bible says in 2 Corinthians 13:11.  The Apostle Paul closes this powerful letter to the Corinthians where he calls them to stand firm in their faith by trusting the one and true Christ Jesus by writing, “…Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace…” (NIV).  The word “perfection” (from the Greek word  KATARTIZO) means “to complete thoroughly, to repair…or adjust” (Strong’s Concordance).  Can we as imperfect beings complete ourselves?  We cannot!  Only Christ, the Perfect One, can make us complete, repair us from the inside out, and transform us to be more like Him.

So relax!  We no longer have to be perfect (as in without flaws) – we need to become perfect (complete) by maturing in Christ!  In other words, we just need to GROW UP as we grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ!

“For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.” 2 Corinthians 5:21

There are others who have layed down their lives to defend an oath they took to serve our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  I would like to pay tribute to the men and women who stood firm in their faith and were martyred, no murdered, for their unwavering comittment to proclaim their allegience with Jesus Christ.  The church that stands triumphantly today has a great debt to the early Saints.   So I cannot pay tribute to modern day heroes without pausing to honor the heroes of our faith that stand with Christ in heaven today, cheering us onward toward the goal we must each keep in site – the goal of following Christ with all that is within us.

Keep the faith!  Stand Firm!  Don’t slow down.  Don’t lose sight of the prize!

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.”  Hebrews 12:1 NLT

In 2000 (the year Y2K didn’t happen), I decided to take a risk and begin living out God’s design and purpose for my life.  I decided to trust Him with the desires He had placed within my heart and to use the gifts and abilities He had placed within me.  I made the commitment to take the next step in this new pathway of faith even though I had no clear picture of how to go from where I was to where I felt He was leading me.  Sort of like Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom when he had to cross the invisible walkway that would take him from one side of a great canyon of death to the otherside where the treasure lay.  His only problem was that the pathway before him was invisible until commited to taking the next step by actually placing the balance of his weight on the foot that hovered above what should be a walkway; as his foot came down, the step he needed appeared.

Well, good news!  God doesn’t ask us to take blind steps of faith.  He has already provided proof that He can be trusted and when we ask, He usually illuminates step that lies ahead of us.  He just wants us to trust Him enough to take that one step.  Then when we’ve faithfully moved forward in faith, He illuminates more of our pathway.

When I finally trusted God enough to take that first step of faith into ministry leadership I was still a little afraid I would not be up to the task but I took the step anyway.  Then He revealed the step before me and I learned that what He was asking from me was something I was not only capable of doing, it was something I loved to do as well!  God had given me such joy in this first step much like the glee I experienced when I was 11 and my older brother was 15 and he let me win a game of chess.  God allowed me to serve Him from my comfort zone.  He had not asked me to do anything I was not already familiar with nor incapable of doing.  He had already equipped me to complete this task.  I just needed to take the first step.

Today, I pray that God speaks to your heart through this post to stir up that longing within you that inspires you to move forward in discovering your design and recognizing your life-purpose.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11).

So a couple of years ago, I totalled my car in my own driveway.  Yes, this is best saved for another post.  Thanks to State Farm, I was recompensed enough money to buy a newer better car from some friends in our Sunday school class.  It came complete with a church license plate on the front of the car.  Argggh.  Now I had the dilemma of deliberately removing the plate so I could continue driving as normal, or change my evil ways and begin driving like a proper Christian should – with law abiding courtesy to all.  Of course, I would drive even better if the license tag was branded into the area of my steering wheel that is used for honking my horn!

So here’s my final thought on this subject.  I now have a license plate on the front of my car and have since added an Ichthus to the back of my car making sure the world knows that I am a Christ-follower when I am going and coming.  If I cannot discipline myself to drive in a fashion that exemplifies what I stand for, should I simply remove these items from my car?  I guess it would be easy enough to remove the license plate, but the Ichthus would leave adhesive residue shaped like a fish and that would defeat the purpose.  So, I resign myself to continue asking God to live through me even in traffic on I-65 in Birmingham, Alabama.  Isn’t this like praying for patience?  God answer by placing you in difficult situations.   I guess I’m destined to be driving on busy roadways until I get a grip on driving like a believer.  Pray for me and those I encounter on the road!

“In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16 NLT).

This incident caused me to pause and consider how a little effort on my part (or the lack thereof) can make a huge difference in the lives of others.  You see, just the day before, we had the nest removed from it’s perch to pressure wash the house.  Having seen a flock of four fly away from this nest two weeks earlier, we thought it was empty.  It was not and now we had removed it from its secure foundation.  Attempting to right our wrong, we placed the nest back on it’s perch with the intention of returning within the hour to reattach it using some small finish nails.  This would have only taken a few minutes of our time.  We turned away and lost our sense of urgency until it was too late for adequate response.

How sad to think that if I had just expended a little more effort, a little more consideration, a little more time, that nest and its eggs would likely still be on its pathway to purpose.   This incident makes me mindful about being more conscientious about timing when responding to the needs of others.  Jesus half-brother, James, asks believers, ”What good does it do to say, ‘Good day and be blessed,’ to someone who is hungry or needs clothing  if you are not willing to feed or clothe them” (James 2:15-17).   I’m afraid I’ve been guilty of haphazardly listening to someone share her needs with me, only to conclude the conversation with them by saying, “Well, God bless you!  Hope your week gets better!”  Oh sure, I stopped and listened to her pour her heart out to me and I even provided the correct responses of “Oh my,” “how sad,” and “I’ll keep you in my prayers!”  Then off we went in opposite directions – no promises given, no risks taken, no problems solved.

God wants to connect us with others so we can reveal His love for them.  As Christ-followers our faith is dead and useless unless it produces good deeds. What if an individual’s life could be enriched or injected with hope by simply offering what we can afford to give in a timely fashion?  Sometimes this means praying for an individual – right then and right there!  When someone requests prayer by email – respond by writing your prayer in the reply.  Don’t delay!  Someone may need that twenty-dollar bill you just withdrew from the ATM machine or that sack of clothes you removed from your closet six months ago.  Someone you encounter may need that washing machine you replaced because it didn’t match the dryer and you don’t really need the $50 you can get for it.  Perhaps someone needs a ride to and from work for a few days.  Women in prison need someone to stop by and encourage them.  Women in shelters need a Bible study leader or classes on developing parenting skills.  Single moms would love to buy groceries without three kids and a carseat in the buggy – what about offering to babysit?

The number of needs around us can be quite overwhelming at times, but we only need to meet them one by one, as the Holy Spirit guides us.  Like the story of the man who walked the beaches at night when thousands of star fish had washed ashore.  He would pick them up one by one and toss them back into the sea saving them from death on the sand.  He knew he could not save them all, but he could make a world of difference to the ones he could reach.

Father, help me be mindful of those who need what I have to give.  Amen.
“Let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” (Matthew 5:16)