As we all begin a new year, why don’t we dispense with the resolutions that we very seldom follow through on and think a little more deeply than the usual, exercise more, lose weight, read more, make more money etc. etc.

Let’s step back and think more of others than of ourselves. In doing so, just maybe we will improve our own joy, contentment, peace and rest.

Let us strive to forgive more, be more kind to others, be less judgmental, love more, give more, help others more and share more of our lives with those around us. In a movie we watched recently, I heard a pretty great piece od advice. Decide the person you want to be and what you want others to think, when they see you coming. When people (friends and family) see you coming, what do they think? Are they happy about it or dreading it? Are they excited or cautious? Are they inviting or hesitant.

You may not realize this, but you go through these exact subconscious evaluations on other people when you see them coming. Think about this the next time you see someone you know walking toward you.

Therefore, maybe we try a different approach to the old standard New Years resolutions and try to be a better person toward other people. If we truly believe – when we give, it will be given unto us and – we reap what we sow, then let’s sow some different seeds this year that are not centered on us, but on others. KT

Over the past weekend my memory has taken me for a little historical ride. I suppose it is the joy of the holidays that lead to personal reflection. Over the weekend, I went in my memory from youth to adulthood and came away as always, with a profound thankfulness for God in my life and for the life God has given me.

I continue to be amazed at how I had the opportunity to sell hotels as a living. With no formal education and a stutter, by all accounts, I should be employed in a job where I would not interact with other people. Somehow God saw fit to make me a salesman (probably in his humor) and  let me do something else for a living.

It’s called a glimpse for a reason. It is probably not healthy to spend too much time dwelling on the past, so instead we choose just a glimpse of where we could have ended up. There is an old proverb attributed to John Bradford in the 1500’s that goes, “there, but for the grace of God, go I.” It means, without God intervening in my life, I would not be where I am.

Many people love to think that their hard work, education, or intellect is responsible for getting them where they are. Some even quote “I am a self-made man/woman.” I would urge you to be careful to never let your mind go there, much less, let your mouth ever utter those words. Every one of us is one heartbeat away from the grave and it is only by the grace of God that we are allowed to remain among the living. Never take that for granted, because it could change in a literal heartbeat.

When these moments of reflection happen for you, (and they will) be sure to turn the world off and have a little quiet prayer time thanking God for all he has done for you and your family and gave him the gratitude for your life. Sometimes, it helps us all to see a glimpse of where we almost ended up. KT

Galatians 5:22 In the bible speaks to the “fruit” of the spirit. The fruit of the spirit is a metaphor for the characteristics you should be able to visibly see if a person is a believer in Jesus. Its much like you could see by the type of fruit (apple, orange, pear, etc.) what type of tree it is.

It has always struck me that the first three (Love, joy, peace) are the ones we all seek the most. I also believe they come in that order. Love first, then joy and that results in peace. If we took a survey of the top 10 things most people want, peace is usually right near the top. Peace is the ability to find contentment where you are in life. It’s being able to rest and see the world through the lens of love and joy.

Over the past year, America seems to have skipped a few steps wanting to hurry and have peace. Well, you can’t have real peace without loving those around you first. That kind of love also means to forbear and forgive those who have wronged us. Only when we show this kind of love do we become aware of a deep joy in our lives. It is only when you have love and joy in your heart do you find that elusive peace we are searching for.

There are other attributes (fruits) that come after the first three like, patience, kindness, goodness and faithfulness, but you see, they all come after choosing to love first.

This Christmas season, please take a moment to get with God and ask him to adjust (if needed) your love for others so you may have the joy of Christmas and the peace that can only come from God almighty. KT

My oldest daughter sent me a link to a song this week about being rich in family. It reminded me of a moving line in the movie, ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ starring Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed. This movie from 1946 should be required watching during this holiday season.

Basically, the team of the movie is about the most loved man in town (a banker named George Bailey) who lost his way and thought he was a failure and had nothing to live for, only to be reminded by an angel, that he is in fact, very blessed. His business partner and uncle Harry, lost some of the bank’s money that would cause the bank to go under. George was despondent and ready to take his own life only to meet his angel who changed his mind. Watch the movie this holiday season, and it will help you recognize how blessed you really are. In one of the last lines of the movie, his uncle toasts him and says, “To George Bailey, the richest man in town.”

Between the song my daughter sent me and this old Jimmy Stewart movie, it reminded me of how really rich I am. I am rich because of my beautiful wife of 47 years, my two beautiful daughters, two fine son in-laws and my four precious grandbabies. God has had his hand on my family for many years and there is not a more grateful (and rich in blessings) husband, father, father in-law and grandfather in the world than me.

I am truly rich. KT

I served in the United States Navy for five years and I am a veteran. To carry the same title (veteran) as those men and women who served in harm’s way and many that didn’t come home, seems grossly unfair to the ones that mattered. I was never in harm’s way and never left the United States. The ones that matter, are the ones that gave and some that gave all.

Of late, I seem to be captivated by the lead up to WWII that started when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. Until then, the US was content to watch the conflict in Europe from the shores of the United States. Everything changed on December 7, 1941, with the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The US declared war on Japan the next Day December 8^th and with Japan being an ally of Germany, the United States declared war on Germany three days later on December 11, 1941. Within Four days, the United States entered two wars that would change the history of the world. The world as it was known on December 6^th, ceased to exist over the next four days.

Over the next four years, 400,000 young men and women died and never came home so someone like me can sit at a computer and write a blog about that time in history. To say it is humbling to be referred to as a veteran, is an understatement. Those men and women deserved the title veteran. After WWII tens of thousands of young men and women have died in conflicts around the world so we as an American can live free.

In a little town in north Georgia named Dahlonega, every 4^th of July and every veteran’s day, the town puts out white crosses along the city streets, each with a service members’ name and war they fought in. All the crosses are for men and women that lived in Dahlonega and the surrounding county and that died in service to America. The crosses are spaced out about every 20-30 feet and just driving through the town, it seems there are hundreds, maybe even several thousand, young men and women that didn’t came home alive, all from this one little north Georgia town. Multiply that by little towns and cities across America and you can get a sense of the human sacrifice over the years to keep America safe.

Thank a veteran and remember those in your family who may have served and please, by all means, recognize how blessed we are to live in American. KT