Pressure for a Perfect Christmas

The pressure to succeed can sometimes carry over from our work into our personal and family lives. Somehow we think the perfect Christmas is happening in someone else’s house, and we feel the need to compete.

Christmas is packed with expectations. Don’t be driven by a list of expectations. There’s a better way to have a satisfying Christmas. > Read more

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Also read: Learn from the market crash: Lessons from an Economic Crisis

This week’s success quote: “How you spend your time is more important than how you spend your money. Money mistakes can be corrected, but time is gone forever.” – David Norris

Christmas Feature: Connect with your Family, Even when You’re Far Away
Here are eight ways you can stay connected with your family this Christmas even if you can’t be physically present with them. > Read more

Save Time & Money: Four Ways to Skip the Mall
Who has time to go to the mall these days? Here’s how to skip the mall this Christmas! > Read more

Coming up next week: The Gifts of Christmas: True Friendship. Join us in the chat room
December 23, 2009 @ 9:00pm EST for this chat or see also our full chat calendar.

Photo credit: istolethetv, used under Creative Commons license.

Take action: Want to grow in your relationship with our great and glorious God? Explore our online interactive studies about “Learning About God“.

You said it: This week Kaddee shared on the Is God Still Talking? women’s devotional, saying “I love how God confirms what I am believing in my heart! So many times I want to make decisions about life’s situations and am not sure which way to go then seeking Gods direction makes me wait to hear from Him …” Read the rest of the comments on Pray God’s Word into Your Darkness, and join the conversation on Devotional for Men and Devotional for Women, each updated daily!

Blog: Tithing in Tough Economic Times
Should Christians reduce tithes in a tough economy? When money is tight, doesn’t the church also need funds just as desperately? Read more

Devotional: The Danger of Strength
Success and strength can become dangerous when uncoupled from reliance upon our Creator God, when we assume autonomy instead of recognition that all we are and all we accomplish are from the hand of a gracious God. Read more

Coming up next week: One of the topics of our upcoming online chats is “What Does It Mean to Have Faith?” Join us in the chat room October 25th 2009 @ 9:00pm EST for this chat or see also our full chat calendar for other upcoming topics.

Learn to manage your time better with our free online interactive life lesson “Time Management“!

Are you ready to “simplify your life”? If so, what is one thing that you wouldn’t be willing to give up?

It’s easy to think that charity is something someone else should do,

Wealth and opportunity are incredibly subjective. Those of us who eat three times a day without thinking about it, who lock the door behind us and get in our cars, who sleep in clean, safe places are better off that literally billions of people. We are rich, we just can’t see it.

Scott Harrison, founder of Charity: Water, describes his experience this way:

I traded my spacious midtown loft for a 150-square-foot cabin with bunk beds, roommates and cockroaches. Fancy restaurants were replaced by a mess hall feeding 400+ Army style. A prince in New York, now I was living in close community with 350 others. I felt like a pauper.

But once off the ship, I realized how good I really had it. In new surroundings, I was utterly astonished at the poverty that came into focus through my camera lens. Often through tears, I documented life and human suffering I’d thought unimaginable. In West Africa, I was a prince again. A king, in fact. A man with a bed and clean running water and food in my stomach.

Groups like Charity: Water, which builds wells, or DonorsChoose.org which helps fund classrooms in the US take donations in any amount. You don’t have to have $500 to donate, you can give $5 or a single dollar and dollar by dollar,  it adds up.

Back in August American Idol runner-up Adam Lambert challenges his fans to donate to DonorsChoose instead of giving him gifts. I don’t know what he expected, but in just 30 days, almost 2000 donors raised over $200,000. Most of the fans participating were young, were students or young adults still paying back student loans.

They funded band programs and dance programs, they bought paint and glue and scissors. They bought even bought pencils. (Yes, there are schools in the US where the students lack pencils.) It all adds up. If you ever need a pick-me-up, read the thank you letters the teachers have posted on the site.

Together, everyone’s little bit can do much. It can change the world. Who’s world will your $5 change? It just might be your own.

Christ tells us that they will. He predicts spiritual bailouts, ecological turmoil, and worldwide persecution. Yet in the midst of it all, he contends bravery is still an option. (Matthew 24:4-14)

Things are going to get bad, really bad, before they get better. And when conditions worsen, “See to it that you are not alarmed” (Matthew 24:6). Jesus chose a stout term for alarmed that he used on no other occasion. It means “to wail, to cry aloud,” as if Jesus counseled the disciples, “Don’t freak out when bad stuff happens.”

“See to it…” Bosses and teachers are known to use that phrase. “See to it that you fill out the reports.” Or “Your essay is due tomorrow. See to it that you finish your work.” The words call for additional attention, special focus, extra resolve. Isn’t this what Christ is asking of us? In this dangerous day, on this Faberge’-fragile globe, with financial collapse on the news and terrorists on the loose, we have every reason to retreat into bunkers of dread and woe.

But Christ says to us, “See to it that you are not alarmed” (NIV)
“Keep your head and don’t panic” (MSG)
“See that you are not troubled” (NKJV)

And remember: “All these [challenging times] are the beginning of birth pains” (Matthew 24:8), and birth pangs aren’t all bad. (Easy for me to say.) Birth pains signal the onset of the final push. The doctor assures the mom-to-be, “It’s going to hurt for a time, but it’s going to get better.” Jesus assures us of the same. Global conflicts indicate our date on the maternity calendar. We are in the final hours, just a few pushes from delivery, a few brief ticks of eternity’s clock from the great crowning of creation. A whole new world is coming!

Question: Some news reports say the economy has started to turn around … have you experienced economic “relief”, or are you still waiting?

About this Author: Max Lucado

Homeless Jesus & the Holy Spirit
The concept of welcoming Christ into our hearts and lives is presented early on in the Christian journey. We are often quoted Christ’s welcome from Revelations 3:20, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” So we take that first step and open the front door to Jesus. But what happens afterwards? With time, we show Jesus around, but do we treat him like a tentative guest or does he get to move in and make himself completely at home in our lives? Watch the video.

Take action: Be prepared for when difficult or trying times come (if they aren’t here already). Try our online interactive study series Suiting up for Battle which explores the apostle Paul’s inspired instructions Ephesians 6.

You said it: This week Kathy shared on the Spiritual Family Financial Goals women’s devotional, saying “I live alone, but this is a truly wonderful devotion at a time in my life. I guess God knew what I really needed! I also forwarded it to my best friend who is also going through some financial difficulties.” Join the conversation on TheLife.com Devotional for Men and TheLife.com Devotional for Women, each updated daily!

Experience TheLife Blog: The Ridiculousness of Forgiveness
The ridiculousness of God’s idea of forgiveness is that it not only frees me from the shackles of vengeance but it directs its attention outward as an extension of grace. Discuss on the Experience Blog! Read more

Devotional: We Know God’s Truth Through Jesus Christ
The Bible says that Jesus was full of grace and truth. Truth is not a principle. Truth is a person; truth is Jesus Christ. Read more

Coming up next week: One of the topics of our upcoming online chats is “The Heart’s Battlefield” Join us in the chat room August 24th 2009 @ 7:00pm EST for this chat or see also our full chat calendar for other upcoming topics.

Serving and giving are two verbs that describe the essence of the Christian life. I wish this weren’t true because I have trouble with both of these. Serving is something I have expected others to do for me, and giving is something I often put off until I have more. My warped thinking goes something like this: When I have enough to spare, I will be more than happy to be a generous person. You will never have seen such a generous person! In fact, I will break the bank on generosity – just you wait and see – as long as I have enough left over for my needs. And since I rarely have enough for my own needs that means I don’t have to worry about this giving stuff.

Right about now, some of you are thinking that I’m not a very spiritual guy. Well, I don’t know about how spiritual I am; I’m just being honest. This idea of characterizing my life by giving and serving is hard. It’s not an easy thing to serve and give when you are thinking about yourself all the time.

Jesus went over to the collection box in the Temple and sat and watched as the crowds dropped in their money. Many rich people put in large amounts. Then a poor widow came and dropped in two pennies. He called his disciples to him and said, “I assure you, this poor widow has given more than all the others have given. For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has.” Mark 12:41-44 (NLT)

This widow blows a big hole in my excuse theory, doesn’t she? She simply gave what she had. She wasn’t waiting for anything. Actually, according to Jesus, giving and receiving works opposite to what we naturally think. We think, “Once I receive, I will start giving.” Jesus always said, “Give and you will receive. Be faithful with the little that you have and I will give you more.”

A widow once brought a paltry little offering to the temple, but in Jesus’ economy, she out gave the wealthy, because she gave all she had.

Lord, make the subject of my thinking someone other than me for a change. Make me aware of others. Help me to think about those around me before I think of myself. And help me to learn to give, not like the great philanthropists whose wealth I so often envy, but like this poor widow, who, according to you, knew the true measure of giving.

Question: What are some ways that you can encourage yourself to give more freely?

About this Author: John Fischer

There are plenty of “best” lists out there, but any such list will be incomplete. For one thing, what criteria would be used for such a list? Literary eloquence? Social impact? Perfect prose?

What about sales figures? On the list of best-selling books of all time, we find The Lord of the Rings sitting right beside Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Topping out the list: The Bible with over 6 billion (!) copies.¹ If you’re interested in reading what may be the most popular book of all time, you can read it online, or explore Why should I read a 2000 year old book? or How do I approach reading the Bible?

What are some of your favorite books? Share them with us and our readers in the comments!

Over the years, my pocket book has been stretched until it looks like a suitcase!  Life is challenging with our world’s economy, the cost of living, and the ever present bills that seem to crawl into our mailbox.

I have always believed in a comment made to me years ago that it was important to create memories and make that a priority with family. Empires fall, money fades, but we have our memories.  That has been a foundational practice for me as I raised my kids.  My purse may have been empty, but my heart was full.  We created memories with adventures in the park, flying kites, walks along the beach, and campfires with my extended family.  One such special memory was watching my kids bring their backpacks to my bed while I read and they did homework.

Sin in our world can create unpleasant and sad memories for us.  Sometimes we cannot choose those and carry heavy scars because of that.  One great thing is that we can create new positive memories ourselves.  We have choices to heal, to move forward, and begin a new page in our scrapbook of memories.

I love watching my children open up our scrapbooks smiling and laughing, saying things such as “remember when….”  I didn’t have money for trips but what I had for them was TIME.  Time creates memories.    People climb corporate ladders in their workplace.  How about climbing the corporate ladder as a parent?  It takes time and creativity as we fill the pages of our scrapbook.

Solomon voiced these words in Ecclesiastes 5:18, “What is the best thing to do in the short life that God has given us?  I think we should enjoy eating, drinking, and working hard.  This is what God intends us to do.”  Our time on earth is limited, and each day gives us a great responsibility to do our job, to take care of our bodies, and enjoy life!

Memories don’t have to be elaborate.  They just need time.  We have had our share of picnics and ants, bike rides, table games, baking in a total chaos, and new family traditions created.

Solomon continues to say, “It is better to enjoy what we have than to always want something else, because that makes no more sense than chasing the wind.”

Summer holidays are coming up.  Vacations need to be scheduled, kids activities need to be prepared to keep everyone’s sanity and the scrap book of memories added to.  What a great privilege to look back over the years and smile, though so needy financially and still have had the opportunity to choose positive memories with my kids despite the dollar value.

Make a list of memories you can create in the next days for your own scrapbook.  Rejoice that despite the dollar value, there are so many memories that are at your fingertips.  Be positive with your kids as you live out the importance of building memories.

Father God, thank you that you love making memories with us.  You cherish listening to our hearts, You always have time for us, and You want us to enjoy the life we have here on planet Earth.  Help us to discern positive memories that we can carry in the scrapbooks of our memories and thank You for those opportunities.  Help us to remember that a dollar has just a dollar value and a memory is a lifetime!  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Questions: What is keeping you from making memories with your family? What are your priorities in life? What is the most important thing you can do in the short life that God has given you?

About the Author Linda Goodhand Rodgers

Daily audio podcast: A second daily devotional, The Mission of the Spirit, today on the Men’s Devotional Blog

Summer is here and love is in the air.

One of the easiest ways to accomplish both of these things is simply to head outside.  Take your date to the beach and play Frisbee in the sand, or enjoy a simple and romantic picnic.  If there’s a harbor in your town grab an iced latte and watch the sailboats.

Hit the park

There are parks in almost any city and a quiet walk together can be a great way to spend an evening.  If you have a dog, bring them along.  If not, just enjoy the scenery and each other’s company.  If you can find a park with a swing set, climb onto a swing and remember what it feels like to be a kid again.

Find some ice cream

In the summer, ice cream is everywhere and what better place to eat it than out in the sun with someone you love?  Even a really fancy ice cream is budget friendly.  Choose your favorite flavor, head for anywhere with a view, and you’re well on your way to great summer date.

For more great summer date ideas that won’t cost a lot, check out Justine Hwang’s article, “Fun and Affordable Dates”.

Could your relationship use a romance make-over? Try our free life lesson Rekindle the Romance. This could be your best year yet!