Merry Christmas!

Make sure you take time to really celebrate!

Blessings!

Naughty or Nice...

Dear Santa,

I want to be nice to people... really I do! Naughty brings me no satisfaction. In fact, I feel bad when I am naughty; however, being nice to people is getting really difficult. The difficulty is not in my desire or ability to be nice. The difficulty comes when those you want to be nice to do not care if you are nice to them. In fact, whether you are nice to them or not, they are going to do whatever they want to do; and, if they do not want to be nice to you, then you feel you are left with no other alternative than to treat them naughty in order to get what you need accomplished. When you are nice to them you are seen as weak and they continue on with their lack of care or concern. For me this is all being stirred by a recent stay in a hospital by my wife... in Charlotte... CMCPRESBY... where we have been treated more often than not as though we are a burden to them to simply tolerate. You try and treat nurses... I mean people, nice but in some of the cases we have encountered, they do not seem to care. It has been so bad at times that you want to ask if everything is okay in their lives. Nice gets you no where. Sorry to say it but it is a fact. The saddest thought of all for me is the possibility that a human being can come to the place that they really do not care if you treat them naughty or nice. I still like nice and will try and be nice. Please, cut me some slack when you review your naughty and nice list and, oh yeah...I almost forgot... I would like a Blue Monster Truck for Christmas!

Yours Truly,

Nice Always, Naughty Only When Necessary, Billy

Change...

CHANGE

If you want to make enemies, try to change something. ~Woodrow Wilson

Acts 10 – Peter and Cornelius “The Final Major Event”
24 – 29: The next day Peter started out with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa went along. The following day he arrived in Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. But Peter made him get up. "Stand up," he said, "I am only a man myself."
Talking with him, Peter went inside and found a large gathering of people. He said to them: "You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with a Gentile or visit him. But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean. So when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection. May I ask why you sent for me?"

God totally changes everything Peter had known up until this time.

Daniel 2:20-22 Daniel answered and said: “ Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, For wisdom and might are His. And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise And knowledge to those who have understanding. He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, And light dwells with Him. 


Consider a stream… change is regular with regard to direction and speed of the current. The variety provides many unique opportunities.

Penn Station

It was time to leave town. NY had been wonderful but the time had come to return home. Penn Station was our last stop in NY. From here we would board the train to head south back to NC. Arriving an hour before departure time my wife and i had grabbed some Japanese food-to-go and like many others found a place to sit, on the floor, back against a wall to eat and wait for our "all aboard".

I saw him coming from across the station. He first appeared under the Time Square and 7th Avenue exit sign. Moving slowly, using a cane, with a hamburger, fries and a coke in his hand. I knew his life situation from the moment I saw him.

As he approached where I was sitting I was ready for anything. He smiled as he approached and said "I will only be here a moment". I responded "take your time, rest and enjoy". Then it hit me, the smell I have smelled many times before. The smell of a man who had not bathed in who knows how long. A smell so strong that it is not unreasonable to have to turn and catch your breath. A smell that makes you want to move away. I sat there, beside him, and took it all in. In no way did I want to move. The smell and sight was reality, truth, unfortunate but fact. How or why only he knows his story. I was curious but inclined to just allow him to eat in peace. I wondered if someone would complain, ask security to run him off or say something to him directly but no one did. In fact, most who passed just paid him no attention except to maybe steer away slightly to avoid the smell. It took him about 10 minutes to consume his meal and as simply and quietly as he appeared, he moved on.

i did not really do anything for this man that he will ever remember me for. I'm not sure if that is good or bad, but this I do know, at least in this situation, this time, I stopped long enough to see and experience a reality of life that was going on right in front of me. To pause and think before I quickly judge. To at least share a smile and moment of peace with a perfect stranger. To remember what it feels like to slow down and simply care.

It Is Snowing!

When I awoke early this morning I dressed and went out to find a cup of coffee. When I exited the front door of my hotel here in NY I found it snowing! It was a beautiful sight! Now I know a number of folks do not find snow as exciting as I do but please take into consideration that I was born, and have lived all my life, in the south. For me, to have one good snow a year is a treat so whenever I see snow, I get excited. It is like everything in the world around me stops. The beautiful snow, falling so steadily, is like a vail of serenity taking me immediately to a place of peace, joy and excitement. I am just happy and all over frozen water! The closest thing I can compare it to is prayer. Prayer takes me to the same place. Prayer can take anyone to the same place. The reality is, beneath the beautiful snow nothing has really changed and the heat of warmer air will restore that reality for me all to soon. However, with prayer, you can go there anytime you want. No need to wait for a cold front to merge with moisture or travel north. Wherever you are, all you have to do is pause, and pray.

The Big Apple!

NY! What a great city and this is the weekend when NASCAR celebrates the 2007 season. For those who are here it is an honor. It is confirmation that the year in some aspects has been good, success occurred at least on the track. Goals were achieved to some level and at the very least all are enjoying something in life many would give anything to be a part of. Most everyone I have spoke with recognizes this honor and express a high level of gratefulness. The Big Apple is busy but you can not help but pause and take in all that we have to be thankful for.

In life not every day is a good day. In fact some days are really bad. What can be even more difficult is when you go through a day when it seems from hour to hour it changes from good, to bad, to worse. Been there and done this! On days like this there are often no answers, formula's if you will, to change the course of events; however, there is a hope we all have, a God who love's us and knows our situation. He sees us in the midst of the Big Apple. He sees us in our challenging situations. He sees us in our pain. We struggle to change our situation when we need only turn to Him first. Like driving blind or without GPS, lost in this Big Apple, He restores our sense of where we are, restores our confidence that all will be good again, and leads us back to the place where we long to be, where we too can be thankful for life, once again.