"Do you misunderstand?"

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Recently, my nephew and his dad (my brother) were talking about his role in the Christmas play at school. They were discussing his costume and what he’d do in the play; those kind of things.

"What character are you playing?" my brother asked.

My nephew said, "I’m a shepherd."

"Oh," my brother said, "Do you know what a shepherd does?"

"I guess he herds sheps," my nephew said.

And my brother, without laughing, said, "That’s sheep, son. He herds sheep."

"Oh good," my nephew said. "That makes sense now. I didn’t even know what a shep was, Daddy. I didn’t know how I was going to herd it."

Do you ever get assigned a role at work or home and wonder how you’re going to do it? And you’re not even sure what it means?

Life’s like that sometimes. Next time you’re asked to do something you’re not sure about, ask your Heavenly Daddy to send you some help as you listen to life and make a life, not just a living.

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"Do you learn from others?"

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John received a parrot as a gift. This parrot had a bad attitude and an even worse vocabulary. John tried and tried to change the bird's attitude by dong anything he could think of to "clean up" the bird's vocabulary. Finally, John was fed up and yelled at the parrot. The parrot yelled back. So John grabbed the bird and put him in the freezer.

For a few minutes the parrot squawked and kicked and screamed. Then there was total quiet. The bird didn’t even peep for over a minute. John got worried and quickly opened the freezer door. The parrot calmly stepped out onto John's outstretched arms and said, "I believe I may have offended you with my rude language and actions. I'm sincerely remorseful for my inappropriate transgressions and I fully intend to do everything I can to correct my rude and unforgivable behavior."

Then the parrot said, "May I ask what the turkey did?"

Do you need to change some way you act? Look around you and learn from others why you should change as you listen to life and make a life.

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"What’s your New Year’s resolution?"

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Was your New Year’s resolution to stay young? Let me give you a few suggestions about how to do that. First, throw out all nonessential numbers like your age, weight and height. Let your doctor worry about them. That is why you pay him/her.

Second, laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath. Third, surround yourself with what you love, whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.

Fourth, cherish your health. If it’s good, preserve it. If it’s unstable, improve it. If it’s beyond what you can improve, get help.

Fifth, tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity. And create a few opportunities every chance you get.

Sixth, measure your life not by the number of breaths you take, but by the moments that take away your breath.

And finally, make sure that you listen to life and make a life, not just a living.

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"So what did you eat on New Year's Day?"

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A lot of people have traditions that something which happens on New Year’s Day determines what the whole year will be like. For instance, some thought the first visitor of the new year would bring either good or bad luck. A dark-haired man was supposed to bring good luck. (So much for being bald, huh?)

There are more traditions about food than any other. You eat a certain food and it promises good luck through the new year. In Spain, people ate grapes. The Dutch believed eating doughnuts brought good fortune. Corned beef and cabbage are another lucky favorite, especially cabbage because the leaves symbolize prosperity. Rice is another lucky food. And in the southern U.S., black-eyed peas with ham are the New Year’s Day food of choice. The hog is considered lucky because it symbolizes prosperity.

So what did you eat on New Year’s Day? Who was the first person to visit you? Was it a dark-haired man?
Did you start the New Year by listening to life for what God had to say?

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"Who visited you on Christmas Eve?"

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My wife tells the story from her childhood of decorating the Christmas tree along with the rest of her family one Christmas Eve. All of a sudden, there comes a knock on the door. One of her five older sisters answers the door, and says, "Well, Santa Claus! Come on in! Are you here to see my little sister?"

Like she’s shot out of a cannon, my wife takes off running for her bedroom, scared to death that Santa Claus has come on Christmas Eve and she’s not ready for him. She’s not laid out his cookies and milk. She’s not said her bedtime prayers. And she’s not in bed, asleep. All of which means that she’s a bad girl and Santa’s not going to leave her a single present.

Like my wife was with Santa, sometimes we think we have to be perfect for God to give us any presents. And yet we know we can’t be perfect so we wind up running away from God.

There’s no need to run from God in this new year of 2008. God forgives and gifts you with everything you need to make a life. So run to God as you listen to life and make a life, not just a living in this your new year.

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