Good Monday morning! I hope you all experienced something lovely during the Christmas season.

And now we look forward to 2014. How quickly the new year approaches!

So, what does this new year hold for you? What are you anticipating for 2014? I hope that each of you holds a dream in your heart for this coming year. For some of you, that probably sounds a little cheesy but stay with me. Often times I talk to people about their dreams and they think that that is a 'Disney' type philosophy. However each of us has something inside of us that we long to pursue, that we long to try, something that we really want. 

Can I encourage you in this new year coming that you step out into something from which you have been holding back? I know it takes courage and sacrifice. I also know that some of you are nervous thinking "I have started and  stopped so many times". Those starts and stops are all a part of the learning and growing. Don't let them discourage you. It's all part of the process. The worst thing you can do is to stop altogether. As long as you keep trying, things are happening. You are learning and moving forward. If God has planted something deep within you, don't keep pushing it down. Let it surface and call if forth.

A few ideas to make good things happen for you: pray! Ask God to show you where to start. Seek out support! Share with someone you are close to and who you know will support you in what you are undertaking. Also, be patient with yourself. Everything takes time. And finally, keep your vision in front of you whether that's with a picture or a sticky note on the fridge - keep it in plain view.

To each of you, I wish you not just a Happy New Year but a prosperous one and one full of growth and positive change in your life! God has good things for us - let's claim them!

Well, here we are on the cusp of Christmas!  Christmas cusp - sounds like a dessert!! But I digress...

Christmas on television and in the movies is always very glamorous. There is a large, story-book type house and inside the fire is crackling, the stockings are hung and there is a huge and very beautiful tree all decorated and underneath - yes, many lovely and expensive gifts.

But for many, this is not reality. In fact, for many, Christmas is a very stressful time. It's a time of over-eating, over-drinking and over-spending. It's also a time for getting together with family which for some can be very taxing.

A suggestion: Don't forget to take good care of YOU in all of this. Try taking a few hours off just to read or have a good soak in the tub. Look in the mirror the odd time and ask yourself: how am I doing?

When you are feeling more calm and peaceful, not only will you make better decisions but you also cause those around you to also feel a little more relaxed. There's a Christmas gift most could use!

I want to wish all of you a very blessed Christmas and I hope you enjoy the delights of the season!  Christmas cusp anyone?...

Good Monday morning! Christmas is coming fast upon us! I find the that question now from everyone you meet is: are you ready for Christmas?

Are we ready for Christmas? Gift buying and baking aside, this year I want to be ready in a different way - in a way that really matters. This year, I want to be ready to spend more time in the Word, I want to spend more time at the feet of my Savior who started this whole thing in the first place.

It's so easy to get caught up in the tinsel and miss the tree - so to speak. Yes, that's my own bad metaphor but I'm staying with it. Buying gifts and giving is something that most of us love to do and it is not a bad thing. However when it's starts to take the place of the real meaning of Christmas, then we miss the most beautiful and natural part of Christmas - the story of our Lord and Savior.

He came to earth to save us from our sins and to love us. There is no greater gift than love. Think about having someone close to you who really loves you. Do we love getting gifts from that person? Of course we do! However if it came to their love or a gift, I would choose the love every time. I'm sure you would too. We all need to be loved - it's how we were made. There is no one who loves us more than Jesus. He gave Himself for us and there is NO greater gift than that.

Let's commit to spending more time in His presence in this next week and we, too, will be filled with that great love because it flows from Him. Even though many Christmases have passed, His love is still the greatest gift we could ever receive. 

Are you ready for Christmas? Sit at His feet and get ready to receive His love..... 

Here I am again! I am back from my various ramblings and hope to stay home for awhile and blog regularly again. So, thanks for being patient with me.

Today I am thinking about the word "should". I once heard a sermon where the pastor (an ex-biker!) talked about how we need to stop "shoulding on ourselves". I quite enjoyed his little play on words there but what I was thinking about more was how we 'should' on each other.

It's not uncommon to hear someone say "you should... (fill in the blank)". How many of us like being told what we should and shouldn't do? Unless I have specifically asked for someone's opinion, not me! In fact, I think it's rude and disrespectful to tell another adult what they should or shouldn't do. That is none of our business.

When we respect someone, we allow them to live their lives as they see fit. We don't interfere unless asked. Instead of telling someone what I think they should or shouldn't do, I like to encourage people in what I see is positive in their lives. If you look hard enough, you can always find something positive. When someone does come to me with a problem, I like to ask: can I make a suggestion? Or: this is what I might do in your situation... .

Most often what people want is just for someone to listen. We all go through hard things and it's nice to be able to share with someone who will just listen and feel your pain or your disappointment. We all need to live our own lives. We aren't here to fix each other but to be here for one another.

So the next time you feel like telling someone what they should or shouldn't do, please stop and think and see if you can reframe your words more positively or perhaps just sit quiet and listen - but then I'm not here to tell you what you should do....