THAT CHRISTMAS FEELING

"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee . . . "

ISAIAH 26:3

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IT'S IN THE AIR . . . HERE . . . THERE . . . AND EVERYWHERE! . . . . That Christmas Feeling.

Every year this time, we (meaning most of us) find ourselves experiencing a most exhilarating feeling.

We're planning and preparing and shopping and sharing good times, good foods, good music, good movies, and God knows what else. Laughing and loving abounds.

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And up, pops stress.

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HOW do we enjoy this special time of year without being bombarded with stresses? WHAT can we do to cut out senseless tension, and to cut down on absolutely unavoidable strain?

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Stress-survivors believe, in either case, that Jesus makes the difference—THE BIG DIFFERENCE. Whether we voluntarily acknowledge Him or not, the presence of the Lord spreads an undeniable feeling of peace and goodwill.
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When we spend time with the Lord daily and seek His will, we attain a most gratifying peace. Now, this awesome feeling that Jesus provides, at Christmas or any other time, requires great commitment from us.

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Stress-survivors will be the first to testify that in the same manner we yield ourselves to mega Christmas cheer, we must be willing, likewise, to surrender our hearts and minds to the essence of Jesus Christ.
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As we do that, we will be surprised at how tension and stress seem to ease away, and how love, joy, and peace compliment our lives; giving "that Christmas feeling" all through the year.

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Peace I leave with you . . .

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

O Give thanks unto the LORD,

for He is good:

for His mercy endureth for ever.

Psalm 107:1

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THE VERY BEST

"O taste and see that the Lord is good:

blessed is the man that trusteth in Him."

Psalm 34:8

IT'S TRUE . . . Most of us want the best of everything. Whatever season or situation, we want the very best.

We want the best houses, the best cars, the best clothes, the best jobs, the best families, the best friends, the best foods, and even the best health.

Be not deceived when it comes to matters of the heart, not just do we want the best, We absolutely need the best. And just as there are things money can't buy, surely, there are things man cannot supply.

For all the issues that aggravate the stress-survivors' heart and mind, we need the best de-stress we can find. No doubt, God is the best heart-fixer and mind-regulator during stressful times.

Whatever betides us--be it little stresses, big stresses, or those straggling in between--God is the best stress-reliever we can expect to discover.

Realizing that matters of the heart include the spiritual and delude the physical, stress-survivors are careful to seek The Grandest De-stressor of them all.

When we're discouraged . . . distressed . . . depressed . . . or needing a super-spiritual fix, in the words of the late gospel recording artist, Frank Williams, "If Jesus Can't Fix it, Nobody Can."

PEACE I LEAVE WITH YOU . . .

MIND RENEWAL

EVER CONSIDERED how significant affiliations require renewals?

Sure enough, personal and professional memberships, licenses, registrations, enrollments, and several others are renewed at regular intervals. Things like time, energy, actions and appetites are renewed or restarted each day.

Many areas of our lives are bound by renewals. And by "bound" we indeed understand that it is mandatory, regardless of personal or popular opinion.

Wouldn't it seem so that if the vital issues surrounding us call for regular renewal, that our minds would definitely require the same? Because our minds contribute significantly to our total being, it seems only natural that we seek mind renewal.

As stress-survivors, we sooner or later discover that renewing the mind has a profound affect on reducing stress. It may sound elementary but as we renew our mind, we refresh our thinking--which, in most cases, creates new possibilities and solutions to de-stress.

When we transform our negative attitudes and actions into positive and productive ones, BY CONSISTENTLY RENEWING OUR MIND, we experience that which the Bible describes as "Peace that passes all understanding."

Peace I leave with you . . .