Holidays Archives - Page 5 of 7

Heart of Gold

February 13, 2017 Diana Derringer Comments 1 comment

Heart of Gold--a gold heart Do you know people who have a heart of gold? Why not honor them this Valentine’s Day?

I know most people think of romantic love on Valentine’s Day. So do I. Yet, why not show other kinds of love as well? I don’t know of any rule against that.

People with a heart of gold give often.

They also give much. They are:

Kind
Friendly
Honest
Good natured

They give of themselves.

People with a heart of gold think of others before themselves.

They sometimes give away what they need, no strings attached. They love other people that much. Plus, they care for strangers as well as friends and family.

People with a heart of gold make good role models.

Think how wonderful the world would be if everyone showed that kind of love.

People value gold for its goodness.

Why not show caring people they are valued for their goodness too?

Thank them for their loving hearts.
Give them something they need or want
Give a gift to charity in their honor.
Hug them.
Take them to dinner.

“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10 NIV).

Who do you know with a heart of gold?

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In the Dark

December 26, 2016 Diana Derringer Comments 6 comments

I love the beauty of a night sky. I enjoy standing in the dark watching changes in the moon and stars.

Someday I hope to see the Northern Lights. Pictures of them give me itchy feet. I want to hit the trail and watch those amazing lights shine.

Yet, a dark night with no light can be scary.

We often live in the dark.

When we do something in secret, we say we do it in the dark.
In the dark also means we do not have the information we need.

We will look at the second meaning.

Sometimes we choose to keep people in the dark.

We fail to give them information we know.
Or, they choose not to give us information they know.

When we are in the dark, we need light. We need information to make good decisions. Life can be scary without that information.

We can light the way for one another.

We do that by sharing:

Information
Guidance
Concern

The smallest light shines brightly in the dark.

One candle can brighten a room.
One star can brighten the sky.
One person can brighten the world.

During Christmas, we sing of Jesus bringing light into our dark world. Let’s remember to celebrate and share Jesus, the light of the world, all year long.

“No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light” (Luke 11:33 NIV).

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Photo courtesy of Pixabay.

Give of Ourselves

December 19, 2016 Diana Derringer Comments 8 comments

Often the greatest gift we can give is ourselves.

To give of ourselves, we:

Give time
Show concern
Help others

During Christmas, we wrap gifts with paper and bows.

We buy:

Toys and games
Clothing
Books
Gift cards
Tools
Jewelry
Household items

We think we must:

Bake and make crafts
Shop until we drop
Attend parties and special events.

Yet, too often, we forget what matters most.

We get so busy giving things, we forget to give of ourselves. We

Neglect family
Have no time for friends
Do less than our best at work

What happened?

Isn’t the gift of self what Christmas is all about?

Jesus came as a baby to give Himself to the world. He died on the cross for the sins of the world. He offers the gift of eternal life to everyone. However, each person must choose to accept this greatest gift.

“I pray that as you share your faith with others it will grip their lives too, as they see the wealth of good things in you that come from Christ Jesus” (Philemon 6 TLB).

What is the greatest gift you ever received? Please comment.

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Thanks to Ashley Claunch and Megan Wollmann for the photo.

Don’t Rain on My Parade

November 28, 2016 Diana Derringer Comments 0 Comment

Don't Rain on My Parade--small horse-drawn cart in parade People all over the world watch Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. Many communities plan smaller parades for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the New Year. Don’t rain on my parade is probably on most of their minds.

We celebrate Campbellsville’s favorite parade on July 4. No one wants rain that day either. If it does rain, we hope it rains before or after the parade.

When we rain on people’s parade, we:

Ruin their plans
Take away from their fun
Spoil their celebration

We see this when Barbra Streisand sings “Don’t Rain on My Parade” in the movie Funny Girl. She does not want anyone to discourage her plans.

Sometimes we need to rain on people’s parade.

We may not want to, but we must. If we know their plans will hurt them or others, we:

Tell them
Try to stop them

They may not like what we say. Yet, we warn them of the danger.

When possible, let’s celebrate plans together. When necessary, let’s rain on one another’s parade.

“The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice” (Proverbs 12:15 NIV).

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Talk Turkey

November 21, 2016 Diana Derringer Comments 1 comment

We talk turkey a lot during Thanksgiving.

We discuss:

Buying turkeys
Baking turkeys
Stuffing turkeys
Eating turkeys
What to do with leftover turkey

We talk turkey any time of year when we discuss a problem.

As we talk, we:

Get serious about the problem and try to solve it
Speak in clear language
Focus on what needs to be said

Many times we know something is wrong but do nothing about it. We ignore the problem and hope it goes away. Often it only gets worse the longer we wait. We become worry warts who get nothing done.

Talking turkey is not always easy.

Like a kitchen after a Thanksgiving meal, life gets messy. If we want to clean up our mess, we need to tackle it.

Talk about what is wrong.
Do what we can to make it right.

Talking turkey usually makes life better.

We don’t talk turkey to quarrel. We talk turkey to:

Solve our problems
Get business done
Get along better with one another.

“A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict, but the one who is patient calms a quarrel” (Proverbs 15:18 NIV).

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Image courtesy of Pixabay.

Cost an Arm and a Leg

November 7, 2016 Diana Derringer Comments 3 comments

Many things cost much more than we want to pay.

If we believe their price is too high, we say they cost an arm and a leg. Most of the time we mean they cost too much money:

Fancy cars
Big houses
The latest electronics
Long vacations

All these may be nice, but none are worth the loss of an arm or leg. In fact, I don’t know anyone who wants to give an arm and a leg for anything.

Sometimes we say, “I would give my right arm for” something we want. However, we don’t mean it. We simply wish we owned that item.

On Veterans Day, we honor those who pay a great price for our freedom.

Many give an arm and a leg or much more. Those who serve our country face danger most of us cannot imagine.

Veterans often suffer in ways we never see. We immediately notice missing arms and legs. However, losses we don’t see can cause as much pain or worse.

One good turn deserves another. Do something special for a veteran this week. We can never repay veterans for all they give. However, we can offer respect and an attitude of gratitude.

To those who faithfully serve or have served, thank you. We salute you, one and all.

“The ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough” (Psalm 49:8 NIV).

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Easy as Pie

October 31, 2016 Diana Derringer Comments 3 comments

Easy as Pie--Pumpkins From October through December, gaining weight becomes as easy as pie (very easy). We no longer want small summer meals Instead, we desire comfort food … and plenty of it.

Farmers have picked the last of their fruit and vegetables. We find them for sale everywhere. Let the eating begin!

Making pie is not easy.

Of course, many cooks buy pie crusts already made. Some also buy pie mixes. Making those pies is easy. However, making a whole pie takes work … and plenty of it.

Eating pie is easy.

Pumpkin pie is a fall favorite, especially for Thanksgiving. I prefer chocolate, lemon, or pecan.

Easy as pie applies to more than pies.

Anything that requires little work is easy as pie.

However, something easy for you may be hard for me.

You may be a great painter. Not me.
You may understand physics. Not me.
You may be able to fly a plane. Not me.

If I study painting, physics, and flying planes, I will improve. They may never be as easy as pie, but, if I tackle them, they will get easier.

Perhaps this fall and winter we should try to gain more knowledge instead of weight. Physics or pie? Which sounds better to you?

“ Salvation that comes from trusting Christ—which is what we preach—is already within easy reach of each of us; in fact, it is as near as our own hearts and mouths” (Romans 10:8 TLB).

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Green Thumb

July 4, 2016 Diana Derringer Comments 1 comment

My friend Carolyn’s husband has a green thumb.

Tim grows beautiful flowers, shrubs, trees, and other plants. His flower garden amazes me. In the middle of his garden stands an American flag. The flag serves as a symbol of the freedom we celebrate each July 4.

My thumb is definitely not green.

Most of my plants get sick and die. Therefore, I grow flowers that require little or no care.

In spite of my lack of talent, I admire the beauty of other people’s plants.

I may not know the plants’ names.
I may not be able to grow them.
However, I can enjoy them.

I am thankful for people with a green thumb. I am also thankful I don’t need a green thumb to be used in other ways.

God gives each of us our own special talents.

Like Tim’s flowers, we are all different. Yet, we can all be beautiful in our own way.

Some people work well with numbers.
Others work well with people.
Some are great planners.

Whatever our talents, green thumb or not, let’s bloom where we are planted.

“Then God said, ‘Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.’ And it was so” (Genesis 1:11 NIV).

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Pick Up the Pieces

March 21, 2016 Diana Derringer Comments 7 comments

Pick Up the Pieces-Judy Clark When we break a dish, we pick up the pieces. Occasionally we glue those pieces back together. The dish may not be as good as new, but it works.

Sometimes we must pick up the pieces of our lives. We return to normal or a new normal after a bad experience. We try to make a difficult situation okay. We may have:

Broken hearts
Broken bodies
Broken minds
A broken world

Yet, we decide to make the best of our trouble. We pick up the pieces, pull ourselves together, and move on. We may not be as good as new, but we still work.

Easter is all about picking up the pieces. However, we don’t have to pick up the pieces ourselves. Jesus did that for us when He:

Lived a sinless life to pay for our sins.
Died on the cross to give us eternal life.
Rose from the grave in victory over sin and death.

When we give Jesus control of our lives, we receive more than a return to normal. Jesus makes us new — better than ever. Like a potter forming a new creation, He gives us a fresh start.

We become God’s child.
God’s Spirit gives guidance and support.
We gain a home in heaven. There we never have to pick up the pieces again.

“Yet you, LORD, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand” (Isaiah 64:8 NIV).

Thanks to Judy Clark for the photo.

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Head over Heels

February 9, 2016 Diana Derringer Comments 2 comments

Head over Heels morgue file8161310074013 Have you ever been head over heels in love?

You were so in love you did not know up from down.
You acted silly but didn’t care.
You wanted to spend every single minute with your loved one.

Have you later realized that was not true love?

So often we get the meaning of true love all wrong. We focus on the temporary:

Physical attraction
Common interests
Popularity
Desire to love or be close to someone

None of those are necessarily bad. However, true love means so much more. Love that lasts means moving beyond puppy love to:

Commitment to the loved one, regardless of circumstances
Willingness to give 100 percent, not 50-50
Being there for one another when life gets hard

At the same time, we want to keep true love lovely by:

Talking and laughing with one another
Sharing fun times
Hugging and saying “I love you” often

That helps keep us head over heels in love with our loved one for life.

Above all, we want to follow the ultimate example of love – Jesus’ unconditional, sacrificial love.

“You have stolen my heart with one glance of your eyes” (Song of Solomon 4:9 NIV).

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Photo courtesy of morgueFile.