Hope Is Coming

Hope was promised in the ancient scriptures.  Isaiah 7:14 said it this way.

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”

And in Isaiah 9:6 we read:

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end.

And then, then it happened.

Luke 2:1-20 “In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.)

And everyone went to his own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.  He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.

While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and they were terrified.

But the angel said to them ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. Today, in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.

This will be a sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.’

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.

But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.

The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.”

What the Bells Say

 (This is the #2 in Our Christmas Blog Series)

Perhaps you need a word of hope this Christmas season.  If you do, keep reading.

From the carol I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day we find this phrase:

“Then pealed the bells more loud and deep

God is not dead, nor doth He sleep”

Sit with that for a few minutes.

Some in our world might sing to us a doomsday song.

Some might paint a bleak picture.

Debt on every hand.

               War

               Strife

               Confusion

Dissonance at every turn.

However …

However, these words ring out loud and clear.

GOD IS NOT DEAD,

NOR DOTH HE SLEEP.

What a comfort.

What a hope. 

God is still on duty 24/7.  How about that?

Is the world going to hell in a hand-basket?

Not on His watch.

God is very much real, alive and in control.  He doesn’t even take Sunday afternoon naps.

Simple message?

You bet.

Take heart.

God is watching over you!

What Child Indeed

A Christmas Blog - Part One of Four

(Today we begin a four-week Christmas series in these blogs.  

Wishing you a season of hope, joy and wonder.)

It is interesting to ponder the baby who became a King.  He was brought into the world into such humble settings.  His place of birth was less than wonderful.  His first swaddling left much to be desired.  His first visitors were farm animals, and then came shepherds fresh from the fields. 

Not a very exciting way to welcome THE KING, was it? 

His birth surprised the establishment of the day as well.  They were looking for a deliverer. 

Instead they got a baby.

They were looking for a warrior to lead the charge against their enemies and oppressors. 

Instead they got a baby.

They were looking for a hero.

Instead they got a baby.

But most of all … they got love.

Ponder the child in the manger. 

Love expressed in the 

most wholesome, 

beautiful way.

Love expressed in innocence.

Love expressed in cries 

in the night,

just like the sounds

any normal baby

would offer.

Love expressed through a lifestyle of peace,

compassion, caring, passion. 

Never before had the world seen

such a life, nor would we ever see it

again in such a pure state.

This baby, this little one named Jesus grew to become …

Well, what do you need this Christ Child to be in your world?

Do you need …

A friend?     He is.

         A healer?     He is.

                A savior?     He is.

                       A comforter?     He is.

                A model of integrity?     He is.

            A pathfinder?     He is.

A protector?     He is.

What child is this?

Indeed, what child is this!

I Saw Thanksgiving Today

November 2011

It’s the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.  Carolyn and I made a trip to this great Whole Foods Store in the Roosevelt district of Seattle. 

There were throngs, gobs and myriads of people in there already at 9:45 A.M. 

Amazing. 

Yet, in the traffic jam of grocery carts and shoppers, I saw, rather sensed Thanksgiving.  People were hurrying and scurrying to find just the right ingredients for some yet-to-be-baked dish, all with the thought of giving to family, loved ones, friends, in the spirit of thankfulness. 

I saw it in the smiles rather than the curses of hundreds of shoppers jammed into narrow aisles and being forced to allow others to take their time and stand a bit too long in front of that item they themselves were searching for. 

I narrowly avoided three cart crashes, and each time was greeted with a smile, a “sorry” and a “Have a great Thanksgiving.”

Not one – not one discouraging word was uttered. 

Not one – not one frown crept across the faces of any of the shoppers today. 

Instead I saw smiles, grins as big as the sun, Thanksgiving greetings, happy kids, kind and gentle parents. 

That, my friend is Thanksgiving. 

I am thankful –

     Thankful for peace

          Thankful for love from above

               Thankful for love here on earth

          Thankful for good things that have come our way

                  this year in abundance

     Thankful for guidance through the trials this year

Happy Thanksgiving!

Michael and Carolyn Biggs

Markers along the Road to Success

From a lifetime of reading, here are some markers I gathered that help all of us stick to the task at hand.  May one or two of these do that for you as well.

“You need two types of courage –

First, the courage to get started

Second, the courage to not quit.”  

“Act in spite of fear.”

“You must believe it 

before you can see it.”

“Never let mistakes define who you are.”

“Don’t quit five minutes 

before the miracle happens.”

“Many successful people have found 

opportunities in failure and adversity that they 

could not recognize in more favorable circumstances.”

“A quitter never wins 

and a winner never quits.”

“The most common cause 

of failure is quitting.”

“To succeed 

you must have stick-ability.” 

“Keep showing up.”

“Dream big, 

and never stop short 

of reaching the top.”

To the perseverance spirit 

that resides in each of us, 

I wish you progress on the journey 

toward your future. 

As Winston Churchill once said:

What Is Failure?

Let me sing you a song.

Do you remember those famous men

Who had to fall to rise again

They pick themselves up

Dust themselves off

And start all over again.

If I could implant one key phrase into your heart and mind, it would be this phrase …

  

Every successful person is someone who failed, yet never regarded himself as a failure.

John Maxwell says this: 

What you have to tell yourself is, “I’m not a failure.  I failed at doing something.”

-Mozart was told once his opera ‘The Marriage of Figaro’ “had too many notes.”

-Van Gogh sold only on painting in his lifetime.

-Thomas Edison was considered un-teachable as a youngster.

-Albert Einstein was told by a Munich schoolmaster that he would “never amount to much.”

God give us a few more Einstein’s, Edison’s, and Mozart’s.

If I were judged on my failures, I would have buried my head in the sand long ages ago. 

Just because I failed at one thing, does not mean I am a failure at everything.

You only become a failure when you throw up your hands and quit on life. 

So, let us keep on working at our craft, our painting, our music, and our writing, or whatever it is you want to do with passion. 

Learn from the past.

Study for the future.

Become the best you that you can become.

It’s just your future that is waiting. 

Names Matter

(I find this story so intriguing I am including it for this week’s blog.  I wish I knew the origin of this story.  If I ever find out, I’ll post it on a future blog.  Read this most important message.)

During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz.  I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions until I read the last one:

"What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?" 

Surely this was some kind of joke.  I had seen the cleaning woman several times.  She was tall, dark-haired and in her fifties, but how would I know her name?

I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank.  Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade.

"Absolutely" said the professor.  "In your careers, you will meet many people.  All are significant.  They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say "hello." 

I've never forgotten that lesson.  I also learned her name was Dorothy.

Make somebody feel important.  Remember their name.