17 Christmas Thoughts for 2014

Merry Christmas Everyone.  And now we march toward Dec. 25th.  May you find peace in the middle of the chaos, joy in the jungle of activities, and love from those near and dear and peace from the One Who Is the Best Gift of All - Jesus Christ - Son of God!

Click on the underlined links below to read each essay. 

Christmas Hope

When Love Was Enough at Christmas

The Story or Silent Night

What Child Indeed

What the Bells Say

Hope Is Coming

Christmas Wins Again

A Conspiracy of Love

A Christmas "Do" List

Consider Joseph

The Impossible Is Possible

Christmas Changes

My Grown-Up Christmas List

Listen for Love

One Solitary Life

Prayer of St Francis of Assisi

The Birth of Christ


Michael Biggs
Offering Hope
Encouragement Inspiration
One Word at a Time

Never Accept the Unacceptable

A Message to Ferguson Missouri

My thoughts today are directed specifically to the town of Ferguson, Missouri and the rioters wrecking havoc on that town. 

So the decision didn't go your way.  You wanted a death for a death.  And look at what you are doing.  You are destroying a nice little town, your own town I might add, in the heartland of America. 

I must not sit in silence over this.  Your actions turn my stomach.  Your attitudes reek of bias, stupidity, hatred and prejudices. 

I foolishly thought that cool heads and attitudes would prevail when the final verdict came down.  We here in America have a system that is representative of all segments and all concerns.  It appears to me that due diligence was served in the proceedings and evaluations of the facts in this case.

And now look at you.  You act like a bunch of spoiled kids.  Your side didn't win and now you take out your revenge on the “winning” side by looting, uproariously rioting and stomping around like a bully who didn't get his way.

This is unacceptable behavior.  This is barbarism.

Are you looting, torching vehicles and breaking store-front windows simply to protest, or is this a convenient way to steal, pilfer and rob from your neighbor? 

It seems that reason has been tossed out the window for getting back at the system for not getting your way.  Shame on you.  SHAME ON YOU!

I want to borrow an idea from Paulo Coelho’s book – Warrior of the Light.

Warriors of the light

never accept

what is unacceptable.

For me, your behavior is grossly unacceptable.  To do damage such as you have wrecked on your community is barbaric.

Demonstrate – yes, if you feel the cause justifies it.  But to cause such devastation – that is unacceptable. 

Are we barbarians?  Are we simpletons, with weak little brains and big strong arms?  No we are not.  We are human beings.  We share this sphere called earth.  John Kennedy said it well with this.

“Our most basic common link

is that we all inhabit this planet.

We all breathe the same air.

We all cherish our children’s future.

And we are all mortal.”

Barbarianism is never an acceptable behavior. 

~I pray that reason will once again reign in Ferguson, Missouri. 

~I pray that cooler minds will prevail.

~And I pray that humane behaviors will once again overcome destructive ones.

P Michael Biggs

Up-Words Web Site

Offering Hope

Encouragement Inspiration

One Word at a Time

Trust Who You Are

The great quest in life is to know and understand self, and then to trust that marvelous person living inside your skin.

It starts with skill assessment and discovery.  There is an abundance of material on that subject and it is readily available.  After establishing your identity, how about spending some alone time in assessing your discovery and coming to grips with whom you really are. 

A personal example:  I am a writer of words offering hope, encouragement and inspiration.  The bulk of my work has been in blog and essay form, allowing many of these texts to be turned into speeches and messages of hope for mankind.  I’ve written a few fiction pieces and even have a stellar idea for a novel, but so far that idea hasn’t come full circle.

This I do know – people will read my messages of hope and encouragement.  I know for a fact that I can write those kinds of messages.

In the movie Shrek, there is a great line that helps our focus for this thought.

What labels do you bear from some mean and depreciating individuals?  Remember this – they are only labels, and just because “they” say it, that doesn’t make it so.  Cast off those labels.  Ignore them and reach for a higher ideal.  Reach for your true calling.

Trust your heart to reveal what it is you do best.  It takes guts to become a full-blown version of who you are meant to be.  Happiness lies just around the bend once we discover and embrace this discovery.

P Michael Biggs

Up-Words Web Site

Offering Hope

Encouragement Inspiration

One Word at a Time

What Is Your Value

Here is a bit of hope in our thought today.  You control your own value.  YOU!

And how does one build value?  The question is so simple, yet so predictable, isn't it?

We build our value by becoming more valuable.  This is not a cheesy response.  It is actually very profound. 

We increase our value by doing a few simple acts.

Read good stuff.  There is an abundance of reading material available at our fingertips, however, not all of it is worthy of our time.  What you read is your choice, and I hope you’ll make wise choices.  Charlie “Tremendous” Jones once said, “We are the sum total of the five people we spend the most time with.”  Improve your value by exposing yourself to some great minds in books.

Biographies always teach us something – struggle to victory, life is hard – yet the survivors find a way to survive. 

Personal development books do an inside job if we allow them to.  They instill seeds of possibility and words of hope inspiration.  They stimulate ideas, philosophies, and growth.

Seminars in our chosen field can add an immense body of knowledge, if we dare expose ourselves to them. 

A great mentor or even several mentors can pay huge dividends.  Mentors can help us fast-track to the next rung on the ladder, or whatever metaphor works for you.  A quality mentor can coach us on self-development, irritating quirks, lazy habits and faulty thinking.  The great mentors teach us great work habits that produce results.

Have you noticed that we haven’t yet mentioned money as a way of adding value?  Money comes later, after one proves his/her worth and value. 

Until you learn to change the course of the world, the weather, the political landscape and global warming, then I suppose the best place to start is by improving one’s own value.

Just imagine how valuable you can become! 

P Michael Biggs

Up-Words Web Site

Offering Hope

Encouragement Inspiration

One Word at a Time