We are on the countdown to Christmas. Just 3 Fridays and we will be celebrating Jesus’s birth. On this Finish Friday, I want us to focus on the reason for the season. Some may be stressed by all the gatherings, menu items, shopping, and travel plans. Remember to slow down and enjoy every moment of this beautiful season. Jesus is the best gift we can give. Let’s not forget to shine his light in everything we do. He is Immanuel, always with us.

Will you give the gift of Jesus? In John 13:34 NIV we are given the greatest commandment; ““A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” I encourage us all to be intentional with sharing the love of Jesus today and always.

“This one thing I know, You’re still on Your throne, so whatever I’m feeling, I still got a reason to praise”. You can find these lyrics in Reason to Praise by Cory Asbury and Naomi Raine. On this Thankful Thursday I want us to acknowledge that our Lord is on the throne. No matter what has or will happen we can praise the Lord, for He reigns and is ruler over all.

Repeat after me; “I Praise you Lord, that no matter what I am facing you are on the throne. I praise you Lord, for you are the ruler over my life. I praise you Lord, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made”.

Like this steeple pictured below, may our faith be seen by our posture of praise.

“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Psalm‬ ‭139:14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

We have been talking a lot about prayer in our Sunday School class. We have recently been reminded to pray specifically so that we have the opportunity to see God at work. As Water Walkers we should also pray boldly. When we read this verse from James 1:6 NIV we are instructed to pray with confidence; “But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.” Let’s evaluate our prayers. Are we praying specifically, boldly, and confidently?

I’ve been in a situation where the Doctors gave my Dad just six months to live. Looking back I believe we did pray specifically, boldly, and confidently. Did God answer our prayers? I choose to believe He did by giving us a mini miracle. Dad lived thirteen months. That time gave us seven more months with Dad. It is hardest to pray for God’s will to be done. As a Water Walker we can ask God to prepare us for His will.

I encourage you to listen to this song Thy Will by Hillary Scott. If you have a hard time composing a prayer, you can always turn to Mathew 6: 9-13 NIV;

““This, then, is how you should pray: “ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. ’” ‬‬

In 2019 my word of the year was influence. We all been influenced and we all influence others. Today I encourage you to meditate on this verse from Eph 2:10 NIV; “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

As you meditate on being God’s handiwork, ask God what your influence needs to be for 2022. Maybe there is an area of service at church or a new job at work. Maybe that influence is within your home. If you are planning on adopting a word or mantra for the year, I encourage you to write down those areas of influence. Can you think of a word that will challenge you and help you to grow?

A Mantra can also by a saying. When you adopt a word of the year, be prepared for Satan to attack you in that area. In 2019 my Mantra came from Toby Mac; “Never speak words that allow the enemy to think his is winning”. Don’t worry, stand firm because God’s got your back.

Look at this photo by Ray White and how he transformed it to be more vibrant. On this Transformation Tips Tuesday, go shine your light and be a vibrant Godly influence. Remember you are God’s handiwork and His masterpiece!!

Yesterday we had our Church’s Christmas Contada. It was a beautiful service that ended with Holy Communion. Deborah’s husband Clark plays the organ. At the start of communion he played the song; Mary Did You Know? Because of where our Christmas tree is placed, you can’t physically see Clark this time of year. He was certainly making a joyful noise with his service; “Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.” Ps 100:2‬ ‭NIV‬‬

That song and the practice of Holy Communion got me thinking about our Mindset. The song opens up with; “Mary did you know that your baby boy would one day walk on water?” It poses many questions following that one. If we knew the impact we were creating through our service, through our actions, and our reactions would we carry a better mindset?

The theory of the Butterfly Effect is that small things can have big impact. Everything we do is a ripple effect. The next question posed in the song is; “Mary did you know that your baby boy will save our sons and daughters?”. God’s great gift of salvation to us is meant to be shared with the world. What ripple effect are we making with a closed mindset?

Let’s be mindful today on the impact we are creating and the mindset we are carrying throughout our day. If you look on the TV screen pictures below it reads; “Eternal God, we give thanks for this holy mystery”. Make sure to give our God Thanks today for all his great mysteries.

Mary Did You Know? By Pentatonix.

Clark starts playing the song at minute 57; Herbert Memorial UMC Live Stream

There are times when I run that I ask the Lord to get me to the next street light. They not only light my path but they help me to keep going forward. There are times when I run and my legs are heavy that I ask the Lord to carry me street light to street light.

On this Spiritual Sunday as we go to our places of worship, let’s surrender to the Lord’s embrace. As we read in Isaiah‬ ‭46:3-4‬ ‭MSG‬, He has always carried us even when we didn’t ask. Maybe you feel you can do it on your own. Maybe you feel like you’ve asked the Lord to carry you but you don’t feel His presence. Just like the Foot Prints in the sand poem, the Lord is always there to carry us. Maybe the Lord is wanting you to ask. He desires a relationship with us as our Heavenly Father.

““Listen to me, family of Jacob, everyone that’s left of the family of Israel. I’ve been carrying you on my back from the day you were born, And I’ll keep on carrying you when you’re old. I’ll be there, bearing you when you’re old and gray. I’ve done it and will keep on doing it, carrying you on my back, saving you.”

Will you go to His alter today and ask him to carry you to through the next task, the next night, the next week? Will you surrender to His embrace? Will you nurture that spiritual relationship with your Heavenly Father?

I encourage you to look up the Foot Prints in the Sand poem and read it.

Today is Finish Friday! How are you finishing up this work week? Are you going to drag through your day or are you going to follow the advice of Kate Spade and “leave a little sparkle wherever you go”? Sometimes it’s hard by Friday to still be shining but we know as Christians we do not need to rely on our own strength.

“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭73:26‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Today when your sparkle is running low, think of this beautiful sunrise captured by Ray White and remember:

“This is the day which the LORD hath made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭118:24‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Then put a smile on your face and sparkle on!

P.S. Men can scatter sparkle too! Just shine the light of Christ!