A Happy Heart

The writer of Proverbs once wrote, “A happy heart makes the face cheerful” (15:13 NIV).

Who do you know with a cheerful face?

Are you one of them? Do you have a cheerful face? Where do you gain happiness of heart from? If you polled those around you who are cheerful of face, what would they tell you the secret to happiness is?

When our hearts smile, so do our faces.

What is one thing you can do today to create a smiling heart for someone else’s benefit? One thing you can do to help them find the smile of their heart again?

When you find it, you might notice… your heart is smiling, too.

Harmony, circa 2008.

My Christmas Prayer

Its Christmas time again, and this year I wanted to do something just a bit differently… therefore I leave you with the following…

Dear Heavenly Father, Creator of all,

This year at Christmas, there are many things to be joyous and thankful for, my family and friends among them. Thank You for the reminders throughout the year of Your love for us, Your grace to us, Your kindness and forgiveness, and the gift of Your Son, Who died for us. Thank You that, so far, this country is still wrapped in Your arms of love and that You have prevented things from becoming much worse than they have thus far. We are so blessed as a people, as people, as a family; so blessed with privileges beyond the scope of our imaginings because we sometimes take them for granted. Forgive us this neglect and grant-taking and accept out thanksgiving for what You have given to us, even when we have been too self-centered or otherwise focused to see You in the circumstance.

Thank You for willing troops who have pledged to give their all in order to make this world a safer place; may we, the people and we, the family, have the same courage to do what is right according to Your call on our lives as a country, a people, a family. May we ever be thankful to You and heed Your way and will. May we, as a nation and individually recall the numinous sacrality of Who and What You Are, Lord God. Give us the insight, the understanding, the willingness to see and hear what You would have us to. Help us to remember the sacred and keep it holy… beginning with You, extending to others, ourselves, and that which You have blessed us with. May we revert from the profane and re-balance ourselves in You, in Your sacredness, Your loving arms, Your presence, Your very being. May this be a time of reconstituted, revitalized, re-energized, renewed spirits and of growth in Your grace and goodness.

This year at Christmas, Lord, may we be ever mindful of all You have done on behalf of sinful humanity, and of each one individually… may I be mindful of all You’ve done for me, God. May I – and we – be accelerated and refurbished by Your presence as You wash us in Your Word, the very Living God, Christ. May we be humble before You, knowing we are broken, and would be completely lost without You; may we once again turn our hearts fully toward You in submission and awe as we are still, just knowing You alone are God. That Your Son, Christ and Messiah, died for our sins; us… individually and collectively. And in our dealings with others; in our relationships and as we go about the day meeting strangers and new acquaintances, may we be ever mindful that they, too, are made in Your image, and are worthy of our respect and the love You have placed in our hearts. May we be discerning as we go about these relationships, however brief or full they may be; may we find comfort in knowing that You are there with us in the midst of all that is happening, and with us in all transactions of communication with others. May we treat them as we would want to be treated, and therefore may we know in our hearts You made us to be treated well for we have our self worth in You and are created in Your image.

May You guide us, each one, and bless us in the year ahead, Lord God, so You are glorified in it and in all these things, which I pray in the holy and numinous name of Jesus the Christ, Amen.


I hope that somewhere within your heart, reader, you can resonate with this prayer… May you come closer to Him this coming year, for God’s glory, Amen.

Christmas...

What is the true meaning of Christmas?

Is it Jingle Bells, presents, Santa Claus, even telling the "Christmas Story?" Is the meaning of Christmas donating and sharing our resources with one another and those less fortunate?

I would argue that these might be pieces of Christmas, but that Christmas itself is a celebration. A celebration that began at the fall of man, when God told the serpent in Genesis 3:15 that Jesus would come and bring God and man together again (thanks for that reminder, Pastor Bruce). A celebration of relationship renewal; a celebration, really, of the birth that "ended" in Life Everlasting, our Living Love, Justice Himself hung between two thieves, died there, was buried in a rich man's unused tomb, rose again, and resultantly that we are here today, not needing to hang on crosses ourselves.

As Pastor Bruce stated yesterday, "God came into this world through a birth canal... just like one of us." And this, indeed, is the miracle of Christmas. That God, Who abhors sin, would come down from heaven, out of eternity and pureness of love, justice, and grace, and become part of that which He created in order to redeem sinful humanity from our sin... came at such a time as to die in the most horrendous imaginable way for our most horrendous sin... this is the meaning, ultimately, of Christmas. We usually celebrate this part of His life on earth at Easter, but really, it is the message of both... Jesus was much more than just a cute little baby born like a lamb in a stable, laid in a manger. Yes, He was a lamb, so this is fitting... He was and is the Lamb of God; the ultimate sacrifice to replace the yearly lamb sacrifices of the Old Testament. But He was more; so much more. He was God in a womb; God on a cross; He was an still is God walking and talking with you and I. He was a gift, and He gave us the gifts of life eternal and of the Holy Spirit, Who in turn gives us gifts, as well. The Ultimate Gift of God, His Very Self in human form, is the meaning of Christmas...

So as you share your turkey, your Chinese food, or tamales with loved ones or alone... As you share gifts, memories, stories, laughter, readings from the Bible, and love... keep in mind that none of this would be possible if God had not come down to be amongst us. He is among us even today if we will allow His presence in; He is the center of Christmas, and the CROSS is the center of Who He Is. Without the sacrificial atonement of the cross, He wouldn't have been here; and without it, neither would we be here. He took our place on this most unimaginable and cruel torture device... a death so cruel that Roman citizens were never placed there because of how slow the death is; how excruciating the pain; and these are what we still, to this day, deserve because we are wretches... but for those who are in Christ, we are wretches saved by grace.

Mercy makes a sentence more lenient; grace replaces one person for another in an unmerited and just way. It is said that those who center on anything other than the cross within Christianity are those who are afraid of its true implications: that man is sinful, and thus that they are. People have more issues with pride than with low self esteem, despite how many texts there are out there concerning raising self esteem. But if our self esteem is based in God esteem... if we base who we are in what He has done for us, rather than our own "accomplishments," then we will come to understand more and more what it is to truly serve and love Him Who served and loved us while we were still filthy with sin.

The challenge I pose this year is one that many will likely balk at. But those who love Christ and truly want to know Him more... those Who know they are among the "once filthy with sin," who want to share Christ's love and the true meaning of the season of Christmas with others... they will prayerfully consider it, I believe. And the challenge is this:

Christmas is a time to repent and renew ones' self within God; it is a time to walk down to the foot of the CROSS, humbly, awe-filled, repentant, open to cleansing, revelation, grace, sacrificial love.

Christmas is a time to remember that God became one of us in the same way we were... He chose to come through a birth canal; to be raised by imperfect parents in an imperfect and hostile world; to learn a trade, be taught the ways of His people, and to walk among His creation, observing firsthand what it is like to be human. He was tempted; He got tired, thirsty, hungry, felt pain so overwhelming none of us could imagine it. He knew what it was like to not want to do something, but He did it anyway... because He loves us. God knew all sins from throughout all of time would need atoning for... all sin that we would repent of, confess, be delivered from. And He died for the people who created that sin; chose that sin. He came and died on the cross of Calvary in order to restore relationships between God and humanity, man and woman... to restore every relationship possibly imaginable.

Christmas is a time to forgive others, forgive ourselves, and seek forgiveness for when and where we have been wrong. It is a time for making amends, for extending the hand of friendship, help, love where God calls us to do so.

Christmas is a time to remind one another of the great sacrificial grace and love that was extended to us on a hill long ago by someone who was truly God and fully man.... Those who don't believe Jesus was both, or who believed He didn't really die on the cross; those who believe He was just a good man who died... they are as in need of prayer now as anytime; and Christmas is a good time to remember the sacrifice God made on behalf of these people as well as those who already believe. Think about it... if Christ wasn't truly both God and man we are all truly doomed and God is made a liar, His promises null and void. Thank God He sent His Son, His very self in human form, to save us from ourselves! To save us from our pride and otherwise sinful self, and forgave us despite all our wretchedness. And Christmas is a time to share that message with others! The message of the birth, as well as of the cross. For without one, there cannot have been the other...

We are to be the lips of Christ when we pray, the hands of Christ when we reach out our hand, the ear of Christ when someone needs a listening ear, the feet of Christ when action must be taken... this Christmas and always.

Ponderments on Beauty

So I've been thinking about beauty this week as I sit here meandering through my mind, and it has brought pause for reflection. Of course, we all know that everyone has something beautiful about them and the other day I was even telling a friend of mine that even though we don't see it, even the most vile and evil people we can think of had something beautiful about them; so what do you think? I'm not asking you to aim to find Hitler's beauty, or that of the person you like the least I'm just asking you to ponder for a moment before you go on. What are your thoughts on this statement?

Then I got to thinking the longer you know and love someone, the lovelier they become to you because you are seeing them through the eyes of choice; of love. I know this is true for me, no matter where the relationship is (or isn't) today. I'm not talking bangin' hot, though there is that, too. It's another matter altogether. There's outward beauty, which I could point out in a million people, and then there's inward beauty. Can I find the same number of people really and truly? This is seeing with the eyes of your heart; looking into their soul and spirit and finding someone worth more than you can imagine. To God, we all are. Unfortunately, not everyone shows it.

True inward beauty comes from the fruit of the Spirit working in someone's life. If there is no relationship with God, can they still be inwardly beautiful? I think to a certain degree but it is this relationship with Jesus Christ that is going to make the biggest difference. In anyone. You can be as beautiful as Mo'Nique, Tyra, Cindy, Emme, or Kimora; as handsome as Larenz, Brad, Taye, or Denzel, but without the heart piece and the God piece honey, it's someone with a pretty face, a nice laugh, a pleasant speech pattern and body language, even good works but tell me, are impatience, rudeness, unkindness, and jealousy beautiful? Not according to God's Word; and not in my book.

I say this not to tell people what to think or believe; that is between you and God, and is not for me to judge at all. Followers of Christ have been called to call out those who say they are in Christ but who aren't acting like Him; not to judge those who are in the world. That said, inner beauty that comes from the fruit of the Spirit is best grown with His guidance, which often comes through other people. But it's important to know in your heart and spirit intuitively and through prayer that they are the right people for your life. A deep prayer life is one of the best recipes for a beautiful heart, and a beautiful person. And to gain this, one must know the God Who created him or her in His image, wonderfully and awesomely. And with that, be confident that you are a rare find to the person He has for you to share your life with, if marriage is the gift He gives you. If celibacy is your gift, that makes you no less rare and beautiful to God and to the people He places in your life to speak into it. So if the people in your life are speaking evil, negative, or otherwise unhealthy things around or about you be aware it is one of two things (could be more, but two I know of): a test from God to see how you will handle it, or a message that you need different people in your life.

They say we become more and more like the people we spend time with; the three to five people closest to you is - in a sense - what you will become . Who are you surrounding yourself with? Are they beautiful people from the heavenly perspective? Just a thought to ponder

I will give you an example from my own life and will use five examples, briefly...

When I was a child, the five people I was closest to were names Shamanna, Teresa, Tessa, Aamon, and Lisa, other than my family. Shamanna and Teresa were my best female friends, and Aamon my best male friend. This was oh, until about fifth grade or so. Well, to this day I have something of each of these five as part of who I am: from Shamanna, I learned about trust; she is who I learned trust with because I learned not to trust her over the years. I learned not to just blurt out who I am, what I feel or think, etc. I also learned about outer beauty because of some things that happened in her life, as well as mine. From Teresa, as well as Tessa, since they're sisters, I learned the joy of trampolines, of street hockey, and of poi (which I haven't had in years!). Aamon and Lisa, brother and sister, taught me the importance of play. They are not the only ones over time to do so, but were definitely the first.

I know this is a seemingly trivial example set, but given I didn't want to use today's examples out of respect for privacy, I thought it more prudent this way.

Anyway, the point is this: true beauty comes from God, into the heart and soul, and develops over time. So my ponderment for you today is this: who do you know that is truly beautiful? Is it one of the close people? Should it be? And as an aside, out of curiosity what is YOUR definition of beauty? Holla at me and have a blessed, wonderful day!

Humbly Awed

What does it mean to be humbly awed by God? I’ve been thinking about this for part of the evening now and it had be recalling some of the times where this has occurred in my own life, which may help me find out… as you read this, consider… where have you been humbly awed? Feel free to share your stories… they are more than welcome!

I can think of the following off the top of my head, for my own life…


Petting an octopus when I was two

Being used by God in a myriad of differing situations, including two where He used me to help prevent suicides from happening

The births of children

The love I see for people who have died when I attend funerals

Being at the edge of the ocean… one of those times, a shark’s tooth rolled in on the waves at my feet, which was really awesome

Being the Seder Mom at a church event last year

The Stations of the Cross last year

Some of the things that God has done with my clients’ lives through coaching


What do these have in common? First of all, God. Secondly, they are experiential. Thirdly, they were things that I didn’t see coming, in many of ways… not in the way I thought they would, or not at all, depending on the situation. And that is where humble awe comes in: being open and aware and allowing God to do what He’s got planned and allowing ourselves to experience, take in, be drenched with His love in that moment. And as it happens, or later on, to reflect on all God has done for us… including the things we may never know He’s done.

I was talking with a friend the other day about God’s answers to prayer; sometimes He says yes, sometimes no, and sometimes not right now… but they are all answers to prayer. If we had gotten everything we’ve ever prayed for like we were sticking quarters into a gumball machine, our lives would be so much messier than they already are that we might not have made it this far. God knows what is best for us, individuals and corporately. He can see the future of each potential choice and pattern… and guides us even when we are unaware of it, steering up through the obstacles of life in such a way that our free will works with His will and we are able to grow in Him, if we allow ourselves to and allow Him to move in our lives. And again, this is where being humbly awed comes in…

Allow yourself to be humbly awed, and you’ll be amazed at what God can and will do in your life, my friend… if you are open to it.