The Most Important Resolution

If you’ve ever seen the movie “Saving Private Ryan”, you know the opening scene. Powerfully, it shows an elderly man being followed by his wife, adult children and grandchildren. They are in Normandy, France and make their way into the cemetery known as The Normandy American Cemetery. Here, James Ryan pays respect to the man who both saved his life during World War II and challenged him to live it effectively: Captain John Miller. As the story line goes, Ryan was dropped behind enemy lines prior to the D-Day invasion. One of four sons, the other three have been killed. General George C. Marshall, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has ordered Private James Ryan saved – and a military team led by Miller is sent to find him and send him home. In the process of finding and saving Private Ryan, Miller is shot and slowly bleeds to death. His last words to Ryan are “James. Earn this…earn it.” At the cemetery, the now senior Ryan concludes his visit to Miller’s grave by turning to his wife and imploring, “Tell me I have lived a good life.” She is bewildered, and then Ryan says, “Tell me I have been a good person.” An elderly man asking the question, “Am I a good person? Have I lived a good life?” captures the goal most seek. For most thinking and caring people life boils down to this simple request, “Tell me I’ve lived a good life. Tell me I am a good person.” The New Year is a time for resolutions - resolutions that we believe will help us live a good life and be a good person. Resolutions are those changes in attitude and behavior that make us stronger and better: a good person, living a good life. In the spirit of the New Year then, I offer some resolution suggestions. They are based on Biblical teaching and I think that any of us, incorporating them into our lives, will be good and live a good life. • Be honest, trustworthy and respectful in your dealings with others. These traits are foundational to any successful endeavor. • Be able to look at yourself in the mirror each morning as you are brushing your teeth and be proud of the way you treated others the previous day. • Choose your friends wisely. They will dictate your future to a great degree – “Show me your friends and I will show you your future.” • Do the right thing. If you do the right thing long enough, eventually others will notice. • Enjoy the journey. By the time you arrive at the place you want to be, the journey will be over. • Avoid people who don’t like nature or animals. • View obstacles as opportunities because with God’s help, nothing is too difficult to overcome. And finally, I want to add one more suggestion. I saved the best for last. This one is the most important of all, for if you will incorporate it into your mind and lifestyle, it will definitely change you. Listen to this instruction from 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” So, here is the last suggested resolution for the New Year: • Be thankful for what you do have, rather than complain about what you don’t have. As we go through life and especially when we enter the senior years, the realization hits us that the meaning of life is to live a life of meaning. Living with the attitude of gratitude is… The most important resolution of all! Happy New Year everyone!

Putting Christ Back Into Christmas

Putting Christ Back into Christmas Now that Thanksgiving has passed, the Christmas season is upon us. Just today, while walking with Lulu, we noticed a home with pillars. On each pillar was a big, red ribbon – a sure indication that people are getting into the Christmas spirit. It won’t be long until I either read or hear the phrase, “Put Christ Back into Christmas”. I know what the phrase means. It means that the holiday has lost its sacred emphasis. It means that a meaningless secular emphasis has become paramount and the true meaning should be reclaimed. For some, “putting Christ back into Christmas” is pretty simple: let the public school children sing carols at the school; and do not shop at stores that eliminate the phrase “Merry Christmas” by substituting “Happy Holidays.” Let’s get away from the simplistic, emotional stuff. Yes, I think public school children should be able to sing “Silent Night”. This is, after all, a Christian holiday. And I prefer “Merry Christmas” to “Happy Holidays” any time. But this is not really “putting Christ back into Christmas” to me. Do you really want to “put Christ back into Christmas”? Remember that the church is called “the Body of Christ” in 1 Corinthians 12. Among other things, that means that we are supposed to be doing what Jesus would do if He were on earth physically today. You can put Christ back into Christmas by doing what He would do. Is you church having a food drive to replenish the shelves at The Salvation Army in Alliance, Ohio? If not, don’t wait, go ahead and purchase some staple and canned goods and take them, with your children, down to 57 E. Main Street in Alliance. Let the children walk in with the groceries to feed the hungry in our community. Let them experience the joy of giving. Do it in the Name of Jesus – that would be putting Christ back into Christmas. Do you know a boy or girl whose prospects for a Christmas gift are bleak? Why not make an additional purchase for that child and his or her family. Invite the child and his or her family over to your home for Christmas lunch, give a small gift and tell them that Jesus loves and cares for them. That would be putting Christ back into Christmas. Do you have a family member with whom you are estranged? Make a call either on the phone or physically and seek to restore the relationship. Take a meaningful gift – like a grocery store gift card. Let the person know you are doing this because Jesus told us to do so. That would be putting Christ back into Christmas, too. Do you know someone who is all alone, perhaps elderly and unable to get out? Visit him or her. Take a small block of cheese and a box of Ritz crackers as a gift. Then visit for a half hour or so. Let the person know you are doing this because Jesus loves us all. That would be putting Christ back into Christmas. I think we can all agree that a thoughtful gesture or deed done in the Name of Jesus would go a long way toward… Putting Christ back into Christmas.