This is the time of each year when you hear about reflection; a time when we are challenged to look back and measure our success and failure, but I've never really understood the grading curve for this reflection...the problem with us reflecting on the value of our accomplishments and failures can be crippled by a couple of factors.
We usually base our findings on the world's standards and on our motives...but its bigger than that, we think of our victories as something that is to be stood on forever and our failures as the things that we quickly discard...
I used to look back on the things that I had not done well, and to the miscues in each year and tell myself that "that's just how it is" and sometimes that is going to ring true, there are going to be events in my life and yours  that God allows with the intention of drawing our attention back to center and growing us to be a little more to the person that we were made to be, but maybe not the person we have chosen to be.
But...if I want to be real, if I want to truly examine the reflection of my life in the mirror of reality, then I realize that many of my shortcomings, many of my failures, are the result of my choices, both in thought and action-not really the uplifting words I want to hear-but it's true for me anyway.
So,  this is where I'm supposed to make my "resolutions" right?  I think instead-for me-I'm just going to find a moment when I finish this message to seek God fresh and anew, to come clean with myself and to draw closer to HIm...the rest will take care of itself...that's right, I said it, the rest will take care of itself...how...because if I'm closer to Him then my life will reflect more of Him and my choices will be more in line with His desires for my life, and though not everything will go as I plan this year I know I'm a part of His plan, and that is enough for me.
Planning is important, its essential, but if we get caught up living in the future or stuck in our past we are missing out on the most precious time of our life...the moment, this moment right now, and the anticipation of what God's plan might hold in store for you and me right now. If I was in the picture at the top of the page I would plan to pick the flower on the farthest hilltop, but for now I'm good with the one
Are you a part of His plan? Yea, you are, maybe His plan for you right now is for you to accect His presence in your life for the first time and accept Jesus Christ as your Savior, If that's you I would love to talk with you about that. And to the Christian, the chrurch "member", maybe His plan for you is to get involved in the life of your church-by the way, sitting in one place for 50 minutes is not being involved-maybe its time to really let go of the past and move forward...
Luke 9:23 makes it real clear.."If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. That verse speaks directly to my heart every time I read it, and I want to live it out more and more. So this year seek Jesus, and if you see someone following him, I hope it looks like me. 

Tis the season to be jolly, and hey, as long as we're asking for toys I'll take one of these, do the come in orange? Christmas is nearly here, and everybody has their list of things that they hope to find under the tree this year, and there isn't a thing wrong with that, not a thing.

Christmas is a time of giving gifts to those you care about, and it isn't the size of the gift but the thought behind the gift that makes it special, that makes it memorable. Children's faces light up as they gather around the tree and lift and shake each present to try to figure out what might be inside, its wonderful its magical, heck I miss those times myself!

But we must be careful that we don't hang Jesus on our store bought tree or try to wrap Him up in one of our boxes with a big bow...no, we must distinguish between the holiday we celebrate and the birth of our Savior. Every year we hear more and more about how we can't say Merry Christmas, but I will, and how we can't call it a Christmas tree, but, isn't that what it is....and how horrible it is to take Christ out of Christmas...Just a little perspective beloved...I've been saying Merry Christmas all my life and nobody has asked me to stop. I'm not putting up my community tree of good cheer this weekend, I'm decorating my Christmas Tree. And if someone wants to take a few letters out of an English word...go ahead, I still use all of them when I write.

Why is the world so threatened by a word and a plant??? The light shined in the darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not...the world isn't afraid of the symbol, they just don't understand. The world may one day change my calendar and stop producing evergreen trees-doubtful-and remove a line from Websters-probably not-but the world can never take Christ out of my life, and I will celebrate His birth on Christmas day in front of my Christmas tree. God gave a gift to those He cares about, you and me, but if you only celebrate it one one day you've missed the point. Merry Christmas to all those who believe in what I believe, and happy holidays or seasons greetings, or whatever it is to all the rest, I hope you receive all you want but most of all I hope your receive what you need...