Is Your Momentum Operating in Slow Motion?

Searching for Energy

Now that we’ve (barely) made it through another year, we might hear others say, "I just don't have any more energy to _____." Or, oops! maybe that was us! It really is a struggle sometimes to find that perfect balance of liveliness and peacefulness. 

We want to get up and go do things, but how? Of course, it's so much easier to just pull the covers over our heads or plant ourselves on the couch to watch the 17th episode of Grab All the Fattening Snacks!       

Never is it a good idea to sit back and do nothing. Not when we've worked so hard to finally get our lives on track. The struggling and striving to make things work out is behind us; we've done it! So, now is the time to begin a whole new journey with new adventures. Sure, every "new thing" has its challenges, but the horizon is golden, warm and cozy. A little corny? Maybe. But we can create whatever kind of life we want. We have the ability and now the freedom to do it. Now, we need the energy!

What’s Your Energy App?

The first thing we obviously want and need to create is more energy in our lives. One idea would be to go onto the “App Store” in our phones for literally hundreds of app/energy ideas. But that could get real annoying real fast when our phone “pings” several times a day to remind us what we are not doing! Admittedly, we may simply need to practice some new habits of our own choosing. For today, let's have some fun and see how many Fresh Start ideas we can come up with to keep the Momentum going. Ready? Set. Go.

1. Set the alarm on our smartphones to start playing soft music just as the sun is coming up. This “light” stimulation helps train our bodies to start waking up. The cat or dog will probably love this about the new "us" and help us out!

2. Ban the snooze button—it’s our worse enemy! It jerks us in and out of sleep and that will make us more tired than ever, using up valuable energy.

3. Program the coffee pot earlier to start spreading a delicious fragrance our way. It works every time!

4. Get our noggin' going first thing with brain food like berries, avocado, or coconut believe it or not. (No! this is not a recipe. Only eat them altogether if you aren't fully awake and don't know what is happening). Smile!

5. Guzzle some water! No, right now! It gets our organs moving on speed control.

6. Ready? It's time to put on that "Play It Cool" dance music by Monsta X to get the stiff muscles moving (okay, any dance music will work). Anyone can do three minutes of moving, right!

Invigorating Lunch

7. A green/spinach salad with nuts and seeds plus some avocado will supply us with all the protein we need for lunch and will keep us awake for the afternoon-long haul (p.s. no need for a carnivorous-type lunch that will clog our arteries) Smile!

8. Guzzle some water! Did we say that already? Good. This is a repeat.

9. Have a nice dinner with a friend. Talk a lot, it uses up the carbs!

10. Late-night eats only in bite-size pieces or suffer the bloat!

11. Don't hate this one just yet. . . it works! No screens on of any kind one hour before bed. Read. Use an adult coloring book. Do relaxation techniques.

12. Set bedtime and wake-up hours the same every single day. Eight-nine hours, no more, no less. This is the key!

13. Multiple choices: (a) stay up all night texting, so the morning music goes in one ear and out the other (b) keep guzzling water after 8pm and stumble to the potty five times (c) enjoy the amazing amount of energy our bodies are now used to getting.

Are You In?

We've heard the phrase, “Let go and let God.” But that's not what He said. True, the easy thing to do would be to convince ourselves to let God do all the work and give us all the energy we need. Simple, right?  

The right answer is God has a perfect plan and we have a part in that wonderful plan. Listen to these wise words:

“With all this going for us, my dear, dear friends, stand your ground. And don’t hold back. Throw yourselves into the work of the Master, confident that nothing you do for him is a waste of time or effort” (1 Corinthians 15:58 The Message).

Sure, some days will be way harder than others. It's okay to take a break, but challenging work has its own rewards. So, let’s be strong. We can do this!

“Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame...Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder” (Romans 12:11-12 The Message).

Has an Angel Ever Spoken to You?

Firstborn Baby Son

"Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus."

At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire (the first census taken). All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census.

And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary, to whom he was engaged, who was now expecting a child.

And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.

The Shepherds and the Angels

That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”

Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, 

Guarding the sheep

“Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.

(Excerpted from the real Christmas story found in Luke 1:30-31 and 2:1-20 NLT). 

How Can We Change What’s Not Working?

Stop and slow down

There are times when life gets going so fast—like a runaway train--that we rarely take the time to turn our heads for a moment and see where we came from and where we are going. Just one common example is the cell phone. According to bankmycell.com, there are now more mobile devices (9.32 billion!) in the world than there are people (7.74 billion). And even more amazing, not every single person owns a cell phone. So, obviously, many people have more than one device. Unbelievable.   

According to one tracker, it’s easy to understand, “You don’t need a home to have one, and you don’t need a network that touches every building. It’s easier to plop a cell phone tower in a neighborhood than plug in every single building.” This makes sense, but cell phones have made us spin faster and faster until we almost get dizzy and fall over.  

Every now and then, though, it’s a good idea to slow down, look back, and do a friendly examination of ourselves. Especially with the mind-blowing situation we just survived. It took every bit of toughness, strength, and resilience we had in our bodies to get right here and right now. If we don’t want to repeat all that, it’s to our own advantage to review every now and then how much we have achieved. We do it in our jobs once a year, so why not in our personal lives too?

Wide-Eyed Wishing

There are two ways to contrast how we are doing--what didn’t work before and what is working after.

  

Many of us were perhaps too young when we rushed down the aisle the first time. We didn’t take our time to get to know the one we said, “I do!” to, nor even to make permanent life-plans that involved both of us. We, most likely, lacked the experience needed to deal with and avoid repeated scenes that caused us damage and destruction. Honestly, we really had no idea what we were doing; it was very much like wide-eyed wishing. Eventually, because of our innocence, we lost ourselves in a pool of nothingness. We lived a “half-life” never developing our own talents and abilities. Thankfully, we eventually gained insight and found the strength to make better decisions.   

The Next Wise Choice

Grow and Gather

Learning from past circumstances, we have been able to choose new goals and habits that uplift our “fully-developed lives.” Our hearts spill over with joy just creating a whole new way to live. Enthusiasm goes a long way. Sure, not every single day goes smoothly, no one said it would. This is real life. It gets hard sometimes for all of us. We are not alone in this truth. The key is how we respond to all the messiness. We each must decide what that looks like for our own lives not for our friend’s life, not for our sister’s, brother’s, or mother’s life, but what positive thing we do when life gets us down. It’s all about making the next wise choice. The confidence we now have (and it will increase every day), can help us survive at least the next 24 hours! Go. Grow. Gather. Repeat.  

Word Reflections

Wiser words have never been spoken than in the first nine chapters of the Book of Proverbs. We use those as a guide to weigh how our lives are going and where we can go next. If we haven’t quite reached the pinnacle where our lives can bloom, studying and meditating on these words of God will make it very clear what the next step is in front of us.  

If we are beginning to find satisfaction with our journey, sustaining true wisdom for the “long haul” can be discovered through these chapters in Proverbs. They will direct us in knowing God better and what He sees for our future. It is His heart for our hearts!

“As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the real person” (Proverbs 27:19 NLT).

How to Turn Desperation into Cheerful Circumstances

A big box of Joy!

This is the season of hope and joy! But let’s face the truth right now: we feel like saying bah-humbug, right? Living the single-again life--especially if it's a new situation to us--brings on welcome activities like pulling the covers over our heads for the next two months!  

If we want to breathe, however, the covers must come off. But good news, we are stronger than we look, certainly after savoring that morning cup of coffee, tea, or juice. Getting dressed in something cozy and colorful, styling our hair and makeup, and stepping outside for a walk will fill our lungs with hope. Now, we can think clearly.

Anticipate Something Good
We can take this season and make all sorts of things into new habits and traditions. We can show the world we are here to stay on our terms! Remember, our lives don't have to be a picture of perfection. We can choose to simply live, breathe and survive by what we do and how we act. One definition of hope is "anticipating something good to come in the future." Ready to test that thought? 

All of these fun pick-me-ups could fit right into our new wonderful lives (remember that's a choice we have too):

• Connect with a close friend who really understands and supports us. 
• Change our thinking and celebrate our own life. Try simple things we've never considered before such as a new restaurant. A new route to work. A new workout center. A new quilt for our bed.  
• Keep our sense of humor, even if we're not known as the funny-type. Watch a comedy. Tell jokes with our kids/grandkids. Share an amusing story with a family member.
• Keep an encouragement journal. As often as we can (morning or night) just list a few things we are grateful for or that bring us happiness.  
• Volunteer to help someone in need. Work at a thrift store that benefits abused women. Read to children or the elderly. Teach someone to dance. 
• If we don't feel like being the cook this year for family dinners, it's okay to bring a store-bought dish or flowers. Really. 

” Hope is the power of being cheerful in circumstances that we know to be desperate.” –G.K. Chesterton, English writer, and philosopher

The Truth and Nothing but the Truth

The truth is powerful, and we need a good dose of it right now. Aren't we tired of experiencing lies, people evading us, and abusing our good nature? Of course, we are. On our topic for today, then, we need to know where hope comes from, so we can understand it and, apply it to our lives. If not, our hearts will continue to feel "sick." Our stomachs will react negatively to our situations. 

Don't forget Hope!

Ready for a great truth? God is the original source of all hope. He knew we would someday need all the hope we could get. He offers it to us with hands outstretched! The Bible, in fact, tells us that hope creates patience, courage, and joy. So, we can THEN understand why we have none of these at times. Without hope, we have nothing else. In fact, it is one of the three things which last: faith, hope, and [true] love. 

Hope is produced by endurance--when we "hang in there" and keep moving forward no matter what happens. No matter how much pain we might be feeling. When we do something hard for a long time and still end up breathing. It is not a magical "wishful thinking" kind of thing. Hope is the confidence we have in things that are unclear or unseen. It's our inspiration! 

“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13 NLT).

How Can We Calm Down the Craziness?

Welcome Wreath!

It’s here! Twenty-three more days to Christmas! The month of December has some varied and crazy kinds of celebrations around the world. It just takes a walk through a shopping mall to discover the prime time for retailers is now (we can check our credit card statement in about four weeks!). And it seems each year is trying to out-do the previous one. So much so, we tend to forget what in the world we are doing!

Discover Something New

Traditional activities can somewhat calm down the craziness. A favorite, first made popular in Germany in the 1900s, is various paper calendars to count down the days in December. Each one has twenty-four or twenty-five little windows that can be opened one day at a time exposing beautiful or fun pictures to the delight of a child. We always had these when I was a child and I still enjoy them. Hurry and get one because it’s already December 2^nd!

Another peaceful and meaningful practice in many homes is putting up a Nativity scene either now or when the Christmas tree goes up. In 1974 a neighbor of mine, who made ceramics, surprised me with a Christmas gift—a fifteen-piece Nativity set which is still in one piece (or should I say 15 pieces) today and is put up on the first Sunday of December (like yesterday). A string of tiny, white lights surrounds the scene. It’s a joy to see it lit up every night!

Aside from our own homes, we can witness Christmas traditions everywhere including in our churches. Many churches begin the Christmas countdown with what is called Advent candles. This consists of an evergreen wreath with four, large candles around the edges and one more candle in the center. Each Sunday in December a candle is lit and on each of the following Sundays, one more candle is lit. On Christmas Day (or Eve) the last Advent candle is lit. What does it all mean?

There are various meanings surrounding the season of Advent, which means “coming.” But to make this simpler, we can remember that the five candles represent the following themes:

Candle of Hope

• Hope (or promise)
• Preparation (waiting)
• Joy (peace)
• Love (adoration)

And the fifth (center) candle represents the true meaning of Christmas, the Birth of Jesus Who is the Light of the World.

It’s a Perfect Time!

Traditions anchor us in a world gone crazy during this season. As we see our children grown and off making their own traditions with their own families, sometimes our homes can take on a simple or “minimalist” environment. It’s not so important to go “bananas” trying to keep it just the way it was when the kids were five, eleven, or even thirteen. Actually, it’s rather fun to see a new kind of wonderful appear in our homes.

The one and only event to keep in the forefront is to remember and celebrate the birthday of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Who can light our world with heavenly stars, angels blowing trumpets, and three kings bringing the gifts! Now that’s a perfect birthday party!

“Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise” (Hebrews 10:23 NLT).