Welcome to 2012! Congratulations! You made it through it 2011 with all its ups, downs, and sideways! Great job on accomplishing the goals and plans you had for last year!

What's that? You didn't exactly achieve everything you wanted to...well honestly neither did I, and I'm sure we're not alone. It's easy to dwell on the disappointments, make excuses, or vow to do better in the new year, right? But if memory serves correct, that was probably what we did at the beginning of 2011.

So perhaps we need a new paradigm as we face the dawn of a new year. Warning: this is not for the faint of heart. It takes courage to face the facts, wisdom to discern direction; boldness to initiate action, tenacity to maintain momentum, patience to persevere, and humility to ask for and accept the help of others.

Let's approach this year with:

1. Thanksgiving: Have an attitude of gratitude to God for His grace and mercy to see another year. (Psalm 136:1)
2. Work: God has begun a good work in you and He will see it to completion. However the work is not His alone. There is work we are required to do if we expect to experience the fullness of His plans for us. (Philippians 1:6, 2:12-16)
3. Enthusiasm: It makes work much easier. (Colossians 3:23-24)
4. Laughter: The ability to laugh at yourself and circumstances is therapeutic. The ability to laugh at the devil and his attempts to railroad you is powerful. (Psalm 126)
5. Vitality: Energy is important so take care of yourself spiritually, mentally, physically, and emotionally. (3 John 2)
6. Excellence: A half hearted approach won’t get you the whole way. Endeavor to bring your “A” game to every action, every time. (Proverbs 22:29)

I decree that 2012 will be a year of unprecedented growth, remarkable achievement, astounding acceleration, and extraordinary prosperity in the Name of Jesus Christ, the Anointed One, who has anointed and appointed you for such a time as this!

Happy New Year! Happy New You!

Beloved, I am sure that each of us can remember the feeling of celebration we experienced upon completing an important task. That feeling was one of accomplishment, peace, and joy; it provided us with an overwhelming sense of success. This was the same feeling experienced by the people of Jerusalem once Nehemiah completed rebuilding the wall. Nehemiah’s task was one filled with great opposition; he literally encountered many challenges including mockery and even physical threats. Despite those obstacles he remained faithful to God, praying for guidance and adhering to it; with his determination he was able to rebuild the wall in only 52 days! Shortly after there was a dedication of the wall and in verse 43, we find that the response of the people of Jerusalem was one filled with worship, celebration, praise & joy that could be heard for miles and miles away…..it was clear, they were Happy!

This year may have been filled with complications and discouragements but you have the ability to overcome them, remain faithful to God, you can do all things through Christ (Philippians 4:13). Throughout the course of this month I encourage you to gather your family & friends together and share in an exuberant celebration to God for all the wonderful things he has done in 2011 and praise him in advance for the many victories you will experience in 2012. You were created for this and God desires that you live the Good Life. God Bless!!

Think of all the things the Lord has done for you thus far this year. Is the season the world sets aside as being Thanksgiving, the only time you will give God thanks?

Consider the scriptures found in I Thessalonians 5:16-18 which states;

Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will]. (Amplified)

I like the Message version which also states;
Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live. (Message)

The greatest thing about being thankful to the Lord is that there is not one season over another that we should be more thankful. Each day that the Lord allows us to Excel to greater heights spiritually and naturally, we should not be remiss in pausing daily to give Him thanks.

Beloved, I encourage you daily to take a few moments out of your day, to give the Lord thanks for his many blessings. Consider everything, great and small, that the Lord has done in, for and through you, and give Him the praise, honor and glory for it ALL belongs to Him.

The Psalmist David wrote in Psalm 23:2, He makes me to lie down in green pastures, He leads me besides the still waters. There is a need to experience a place of peace and tranquility. His reference to the Lord being his shepherd allowed him to be led to that place where he could find peace and serenity. He could look into the mirror of the stilled waters and see himself surrounded by the heavens. He experienced the confidence of knowing that the Lord was keeping watch over him and it quieted his heart even in his time of trouble.

Too many people pursue peace without knowing the Prince of Peace. "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will towards men" was proclaimed at his birth. Jesus, Jehovah Shalom brought peace holistically unifying spirit, soul and body, nothing is missing, nothing remains broken. He offers freedom from strife and disorder. His peace fills every void and commands order to every aspect of your life.

The gospels all record 'an entry' [tri – UMF - ul]. The triumphal entry is defined as the time Jesus entered Jerusalem just before His death. Five days before His death. How would you be acting, if you knew it was five days before your death? Matthew said, Untie 'them,' donkey & colt, bring 'them' to Jesus. Mark said, Tell them the lord has need of 'it' [the unridden colt]. Luke said, He (Jesus) sent them ahead to get the colt, which he agreed had never been ridden, and 'they sat Him on it.' John didn't have time for all those details, he said, Jesus found a donkey and 'sat on it.' Slight differences in the story-telling, but 'all' agree on three things, (1) The event truly happened, (2) It was triumphant, and (3) They shouted, "Blessed is (the King) He who comes in the Name of the Lord – Hosanna...in the Highest." They shouted, they sang, they waved Palm branches and laid their garments on the roadway. On that day they recognized their King, as He made a public entry, even knowing He came to die. Would their shouts have been the same if they realized where His entry was leading Him to?

The gospel writers teach us two main things, we can all view the same event and see it differently, and unless you get God's perspective on the matter, you will miss the true meaning. So, how does Jesus define victory? Victory is making a Triumphal entry even when you know it's leading to hard times, struggle – what some see as failure-even death. So, what does Jesus teach us? (1) PREPARE – Victory is making preparation for no matter what you will be facing. Jesus is the one who made preparation for His entry, He sent the disciples ahead to get the lowly vessel He would ride in on. (2) FOCUS – Victory is staying focused on the task at hand, so you can stay the course, especially as it gets closer & closer to the hard times. (3) ENDURE – Victory is enduring the struggle, even in the face of the 'same crowd' who once shouted Hosanna praises – but now shout Crucify.

So, when is it victory? When you enter or when you win? It’s TRUE VICTORY when you do God's Will. True victory is found in the Will of God – so when you enter you win.

Hollywood’s 'Deep Impact' depicted the aftermath of an earth-shattering comet and an ensuing massive tsunami. In American religious history we learn of great men of the faith that provided a tidal wave-sized impact for former generations. From the Great Awakening with revivalist and one-time President of Princeton, Jonathan Edwards, to itinerant evangelist George Whitefield, whose ability to sway large crowds so impressed Benjamin Franklin, he wrote of Whitefield’s impact in his autobiography, despite disagreeing with Whitefield's views.

Who could forget the impact of Billy Graham, whose counsel and advice was coveted by 11 U.S. Presidents? One President dubbed Graham, "America’s Pastor". Decade after decade, football stadiums across the globe were filled to capacity to hear the true unadulterated Gospel, as countless millions responded in repentance while choirs poignantly sang "Just as I am". In the 1960’s, the Civil Rights movement saw a history-shaping impact by the dream of one, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Most importantly, each of the aforementioned history-makers were first impacted by One, Jesus Christ, the One who delivered the 'Sermon on the Mount', an astounding speech still changing and challenging millions 2,000 years later. That's impact! Just three years of ministry by the God-man continues to impact countless souls across the globe, and transform hardened hearts daily. These, are then sent to impact the world. How about you? Join us, as we walk closely with Jesus and together let's go make an impact today!

The purpose of this writing is to enlighten the reader on the value of order in one’s personal life as well as in corporate life. Each individual and organization needs to have order, that is, structure or limits that guide or provide guard rails in the pursuit of purpose.

The context of ICor.14:40 speak to order, or the manner in which church meetings should be conducted to avoid the potential of confusion that would likely occur without it. The Apostle Paul sought to address the random speech and behavior of persons at church meetings that not always worked to edify the body of Christ at church meetings. Paul tried to encourage effective use of limited time that was spent in such meetings. Therefore, Paul sought to mitigate monopolizing time by teachers and prophets in their exhortations at church meetings. For example, in vs 29-30 Paul said, “Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge. But if anything is revealed to another who sits by, let the first keep silent.” Structure and protocol are important but they should not be inflexible to the point that the needs of the people cannot be met. Structure should always serve as a means to an end and does not have value as an end in itself.

Individuals as well as churches that make a difference in people’s lives understand that protocol, systems and structure are appropriate only if they simplify the process to serve and to move the person or the church closer to achieving goals, respectively. Thus we need to strike a balance between flexibility and a lack of backbone in the application of order in the pursuit of purpose and related personal and ministry goals.

Many people think "creativity" refers only to those who show talents in the area of the arts, entertainment and literature. The fact is, everyone born into the world has both the potential and responsibility to create. Both heaven and earth existed in the mind of God before they materialized into the physical realm. This sustains that creation is the ultimate vehicle from which ideas of the mind find safe passage to the tangible world. However, as we will discover from the accounts of genesis, the act of creating is not simply “bringing something into existence,” as the definition of the word implies. It is indeed much more!

The Process.
In genesis chapter one, verses 6 through 10, God spoke to the waters (all forms of H²O). It divided and created the atmosphere of the sky and water of the seas. Consequently, God needed a system to manage all waters, thus he created the system of precipitation. In verses 11 and 12, God spoke to the soil of the earth from which vegetation sprouted. For this he created the process of photosynthesis to manage the life cycle of all plants on the Earth. Lastly in verses 26 and 28, God created man and told him to be fruitful and multiply. For this he created the cycle of reproduction and the domestic roles to manage the home.

It is evident that creating and managing are essential to God’s creative process and so it must be with our creative processes as well.

Remember this: Charm and a diamond ring may bring a wedding into existence, but a maintenance plan will keep your marriage strong and exciting. Continue to pray, speak and call the things you want into existence, for this is the first step of creating. You must also prepare yourself for the capacity and resources to manage and maintain the thing for which you seek to obtain.

Consider this, God did not Create us (bring us into existence) until he had a complete management plan for our lives. This also included Jesus dying for our sins according to revelations 13:8, long before we committed our first sin.

Do this Today: Think about something you need, desire or have been praying for. Create on paper as best you can, a management plan of how you will take care of that something when it manifests itself into your care. Pray to God and explain to him how that something will expand and enhance his Kingdom. If your prayers are sincere, that something you desire will truly expand his Kingdom and promote his brand of living; it will come into existence... Guaranteed!

"The things you create today are the things you must manage tomorrow."
- Delano A. Johnson

As a Special Education teacher of a self-contained classroom, my main and on-going objective is to teach my children "self-control". Because many of them have never been to school or experienced a structured setting, they are extremely "impulsive". Initially, they are unable to control their urges to do whatever they want, whenever they want. And as a result of that, our classroom is pure mayhem and chaos! So without failure, through daily and routine consistency, "self-control" is, I’m happy to say ultimately achieved.

Surprisingly, over the years, I’ve learned to apply this same principle in my own daily walk with Christ. As a believer, I too can’t say whatever I want, whenever I want; do whatever I want, whenever I want; nor unfortunately, eat whatever I want, whenever I want. I’ve made a commitment to follow Christ, therefore, I surrendered [self]. Daily, I take up my cross and allow the God in me to govern my thoughts, my actions and my urges so I may appropriately respond in any given situation.

How, many of you may ask? It’s simple. Control yourself through the word of God! Allow God ‘s word to establish practical boundaries in every area of your life. His word will teach you how to walk; how to talk and how to live your best, godly life. In return, you will reap the immeasurable benefits of a life governed by self-control. Go ahead, you can do it. Simply take control.

******And exemplary life is a life marked by self-control.******

Galatians 5:22,23; Colossians 3:12; 2 Peter 3:9; Psalms 86:15

It is interesting that Paul wrote this letter to the church at Ephesus while a prisoner in Rome and talks about believers walking worthy of their vocation which is a profession or daily occupation. He is in prison but so dedicated to God and the things of God that though confined, he is able to speak with conviction concerning the life of every believer.

The walk is not without challenges, however, because it requires a posture of humility and longsuffering which is defined as patient in spirit, plenteous in mercy, long bearing of injuries, insults, and trouble. It also requires that we forbear or tolerate one another in love in the face of provocation . We strive to do this so that the world can see a unified, peaceful body of believers who are bound together by the Spirit of God and love is what propels that. We must also suffer long in our personal struggles knowing that God will give us the grace to come through victoriously.

Paul understood the walk so well because he had been placed in situations that required longsuffering.

• Rejection from his people, the Israelites
• Accusation
• Beatings
• Shipwreck
• Imprisonment and so much more

But in spite of it all, he knew that as Peter stated in 2 Peter 3:9 “God is not slack concerning his promise toward us as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward , not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” Christ set the example of longsuffering for us.

The English word” goodness” suggests a myriad of qualities. It means a desirable quality, something commendable, admirable, exemplary and noble.

Paul in his letter to the church in Rome links biblical goodness with full knowledge and admonition of each other. This dynamic duo – goodness and knowledge serves as a vehicle for instructing one as it pertains to dealing with difficult circumstances and one another. As Christians we are called to exemplify goodness in every area of our lives. Why – because God created us in His image and He is good. Goodness should not only be demonstrated when we assemble ourselves for worship but throughout our day to day living. One important reason is noted in 2 Corinthians 3:2 You are living epistles – known and read by men.” The world is watching how we react to certain things but most importantly they are looking for goodness to flow beyond our tongues and from our actions.

Aristotle said, “it is easy to perform a good action, but not easy to acquire a settled habit of performing such actions.”

Let us devote ourselves to goodness in all that we do.

Can you recall an experience when being gracious in word or deed was a challenge? I can quickly recall several of those incidences. A comforting truth to remember is that we can successfully get through any life challenge with the gift of God’s grace. He has provided a portion of His grace to each one of us to live victoriously and positively affect the lives of others. (Eph.4:7) His grace is always sufficient! (2 Cor. 12:9a) God’s grace can be described as an effortless beauty, infinite, and an immeasurable love expressed to mankind....it's amazing just as the old hymnal proclaims! Ask God to direct you to be gracious to someone today.

As a major biblical concept, excellence (or the verb "to excel") appears no less than seventy times in Scripture. Excellence must be an important virtue and quality of Christian character and lifestyle. In Daniel 6:3, the Aramaic word for excellence (yattiyr pronounced yat-teer) means, “pre-eminent, extraordinary, surpassing, extreme and beyond expectations."