Ok.  So I am getting back to my daily devotions with God.  It feels good.  I read today about maybe why God chose Zachariah and Elizabeth to bear the prophet John the Baptist for God.  It was because they “lived a clear conscience before God.”  That’s what I want to do.  Live a clear conscience before God.  That’s my New Years Resolution.  So it’s reading my bible daily, journaling and prayer.  I also am getting my health in order and getting my blood sugars back to normal with diet and exercise.  That feels good.  I have been enjoying some winter hikes and taking my new camera out for photo opportunities.  [Got an eagle in a corn field yesterday driving up to Waterloo].  

I am also getting out to meet new people in the community.  My family and I have signed up to help with the local theatre.  Tonight my son and I will help build and paint sets for the upcoming play.  It will be good volunteering locally and meeting new people.  Hopefully making some new friends.  

All of these things - dedicated to God in and through my life, I hop and pray will become part of my clear conscience before God.  

What is your New Year’s Resolution?  Does it include God in your life?

Have you ever been to a national park or someplace that has warning signs not to pick up rocks or things and take them with you?  I can imagine in some beautiful places it would be tempting and if everyone did it, there wouldn’t be anything left of the beauty.  

As I was thinking about my new walking stick and the places I have been that have these warning signs, I was thinking that not matter what we should always take something away.  I’m not talking about stealing or disobeying the signs, but at least mentally taking something away.  If I didn’t collect a stick or a rock I would take away the experience, the beauty, the refreshment from the walk, the whatever it might be.  I think all of us should consider what we take away from a moment or an event.  The coach or player, win or loose, can take away pride of the game and accomplishment and team spirit or something they learn from the game or the competitors they were up against.  Students, even if they didn’t learn to solve a new math or science problem, could take away relationship building from their peers or teachers.  I always ask the students, young and old, what they learned today or this week.  Most times I get, “nothing”.  But if they think about it, they problem learned about life in the classroom or the hallway or the cafeteria and they have something to take away from the day or the week.  Business people often complain, I worked all day, but didn’t accomplish a thing.  But perhaps they can take away the frustration and learn from it.  

I don’t care if we are stuck in traffic or changing a diaper or watching the paint dry, I think we can always find something to take away from the moment.  

This week I have taken away renewed interest in being outdoors in the winter for exercise.  I have taken some deep breaths of fresh air.  I have taken away some reenergizing moments for myself and hopefully improved my health a little.  I have taken away some great icy photo’s of the outdoors.  I have learned from my students on the day they took their finals.  I have increased my friendships this week.  I have a greater hope for tomorrow and faith for today.  

What are you taking away from everyday life’s moments?

I was thinking about our other list for the holidays.  You know the list of Christmas Spirit.  So here it is?

Sung a Christmas Carol?     Yes    No                          Baked holiday goodies?        Yes    No                              Given a gift?                       Yes    No                          Given to charity?                   Yes    No                              Driven by holiday lights?    Yes    No                          Decorated your home?          Yes    No                             Spread holiday cheer?         Yes    No                          Been Scrooged?                     Yes    No                              Shared at church?               Yes   No

Sorry, I had to add the scrooged.  My neighbors have this awesome outside light display with music and computerized lights.  Someone cut their speaker wire the other night.  Really it wasn’t that loud.  But some Grinch or Scrooge came along to steal Christmas Spirit. [An aside - we had two stretched Hummer limo's drive through last night to look at the lights.  Talk about looking at lights in style.  Go Bob!]

This is the time to give and share, not steal and spoil.  Make sure your list for Christmas Spirit includes lots of ways to love and spread the Peace on Earth and Goodwill to all Mankind.  See you in worship where we can hear the Great Christmas Story about perfect peace.

I hit par on a few of the holes.  I was allowing myself on some an extra throw with six layers of clothes on.  The ability to toss the disc is a little limited compared to summer attire.  I had one squirrel chew me out because I about gave him a haircut with the disc.  But he saw I was bigger than him and he scurried off up a tree.  Another taunted me from up high in a branch, dropping stuff on my head.  

I wonder what it would be like to play tennis on an icy court?  Try something new today!

I have one who has been friendly since the first day of school.  The second, as soon as I mentioned this challenge, she stopped coming through my intersection.  I don’t think it was anything I did.  The third was a green Camry.  She seemed kind of growly.  So my first week, I waved every day.  For the first three days she seemed to make sure she was always looking away from me when she came at the stop sign.  But the fourth day she looked.  I waved and with maybe some hesitation she waved back.  

That was four weeks ago.  With the colder weather hitting, I really didn’t want to get out of the car until I actually saw kids coming my direction.  So I missed some opportunities to wave at green Camry driver.  This week it was 8 degrees one morning.  But even though it was cold and it was 10 to 15 minutes before the children would start being visible, I got out of the car and stood in the cold just to catch, green Camry driver.  After the past couple of mornings, Camry driver has been looking in my direction, waving and smiling.  I would say, in an odd way, we have become friends.  

I will of course keep up on that friendship.  I miss Bronco lady, but I have adopted three other drivers now that are regular visitors to the corner.  I have begun to wave at dance mom and Hawkeye mom and Lincoln Navigator mom.  And a few others.  I notice more parents are waving, maybe because they see me wave at the previous car.  Or perhaps they see someone standing out in the freezing cold and they have some sympathy for the fool.  

Next week, I will put on my Santa hat.  I can only imagine there will be some smiles.  Hopefully more waves and some dedicated new friends.  This is only one of my 99 + 1 Initiative that I am doing.  How are you doing at going out and finding the one lost soul and making a new friend for Jesus?

I also took my discs for disc golf.  I played about 8 holes at 8 degrees with snow and ice crunching beneath my feet.  I hadn’t played all summer and I had this wild idea that it would be fun to try winter disc golf.  It was fun!  I didn’t have to search for my lost disc under shrubs, because all the leaves were gone and when my disc hit the ground in open areas, it would skim a little farther on the ice than it would have on the grass.  I got to see the tracks of wildlife in the snow.  Oh what a glorious morning!  

Have you tried something new like this?  Try switching seasons for your sport.  Grab your camera and go shoot some pictures.  I don’t know what it might be for you, but mix it up a little, make life adventurous.  Even if it’s in your back yard.  

What a day to enjoy just another of God’s beautiful creations.  Be careful on the ice, but make sure you notice how grand it is.

Yesterday in the U.S. there was a Walmart worker that got trampled to death in NY and gun shots in a toy store in the South West.  Are we crazy or what?  On Christmas morning does daddy explain to the kids that mommy’s not with us because she was going for the Malibu Barbie and shot at another mommy going for the same toy.  Or does mom tell the kids on Christmas Eve that dad’s sitting in prison because he ran over and killed a store worker so he could get the biggest, HDTV.  

I have a friend in the retail business who called this week to remind me of the big sales going on in his stores.  He said that he doesn’t like the phrase Black Friday, but calls it Good Friday.  Of course many of you know that was the day they crucified Jesus - Good Friday.  I know that Black Friday speaks of the day that all stores will be in the black financially and not in the red.  So let’s stick with Black Friday and not have any more Good Friday’s where people are getting killed.  

I recall and ask that you recall also, that the whole gift giving idea of Christmas started because God gave us the greatest gift of all, his one and only Son.  A Savior is born unto us.  I know we enjoy the Black Friday sales at our house, but we know that the real gift is Jesus and our giving to one another is a joy that we share in the holiday that reminds us of the greatest gift of all.  So when we are standing in front of a harried cashier, let’s share the love and joy and real gift of Christmas.  Let’s be patient and kind to those around us.   Let us share Christ with others - leave the guns at home and not rush into the stores like wildly crazed maniacs.  Maybe we still should be praying for Peace on Earth and Goodwill to all Mankind!

With mom’s passing at the beginning of the year, I appreciate family more, especially extended family.  I have told my father I love him more than any other year.  

With my wife’s surgeries late this summer, I hold her closer and tighter.  And for her sister’s who came to stay with her in critical times, I have a new respect for the in-laws.  We again found out who our friends are and how her company she works for care about her and our family.  The outpouring of love was tremendous. 

I have recently seen maturity in my two adult children.  I respect their faith and their integrity as young adults. They have surprised me in many ways.  One I hope you will find in another blog someday.

My wife surprised me with a birthday party at my favorite restaurant and our church showed up.  Thank you guys for being there.  Birthdays and holidays are big for me and l love a good party. 

Speaking of the church and gratitude.  We tried a big launch for the church in September.  It seemed a flop for me and was very discouraging.  But when it was all said and done, the people of the church shared their support and challenged us to move on.  It wasn’t long and we have started seeing some new faces.  So thank you for your encouragement.  

I found new talents this year in teaching college courses.  I am having a blast this fall with students who tell me this is their favorite class and the would hate missing it.  That has been a boost to the ego.  I admit I love going to class as well.  Even though I have to work at preparing the material and grading papers and tests, I look forward to every Tuesday and Wednesday night and the students who make up those classes.

I have so much more to share, actually too numerous to count.  But behind all that matters is God and family and friends.  What more can one be thankful for?  

I pray that you take some serious time and thought and sit down and count your blessings.  I would assume that many things are the same as last Thanksgiving, and yet some things have changed in family or jobs or circumstances that might give us pause to see some new ways to have a thankful heart.  May those who read this be blessed and I share with you my own blessings for your Thanksgiving!

I bring up Huckabee because he is doing a new show on Fox on Sunday night called, “Huckabee”.  I found it fascinating in the format of interviews with Kelsey Grammar ( a Republican - who knew?) and other celebrities, (not all political) and a firm support of our nation, our troops, our president and support for the Republican party.  

I don’t bring this up for a political view.  I have never asked members of a congregation to vote on any issue or for any candidate, but simply to vote because it is our God given freedom to do so.  I do bring this up because after all the tiresome negative campaigns from both sides, it was a refreshingly positive approach to present some politics.  

I do try to listen to both sides of the isle as much as possible.  In fact I probably would have never known about Huckabee if it hadn’t been for former Iowa Governor T. Vilsack (D) who made some very positive comments about his colleague Governor Huckabee a few years ago.  

I don’t know if this will be a re-entry into the 2012 campaign for Huckabee or simply a new career path for him.  I do know that it is always our duty to be informed about our nation, it history, present and future paths.  I know that we need to stand firm in our convictions of beliefs.  And I believe God is not partial to politics, but is always concerned for the citizens of every nation, tongue and tribe.  We have been failed by presidents, because they are human, but we have never been failed by God.  ”In God We Trust” reminds of us many of our nation’s strengths and weaknesses, but always the place where we ultimately find victory, security, assurance and peace.