December 28, 2009 by Sal Termini.

The Spirit of (CHRIST)mas for the New Year

The world economies are experiencing a recession. The financial outlook for some is growing grim and for others there is a slight glimmer of hope. In God there is no lack of resources. In heaven there is no shortage. God has invested unlimited resources in you, if you believe. You are a person in the process of becoming a “better you” every year. Let the old year pass forget its sorrows, mistakes, disappointments, hurts, and failures. God has put in you through faith the power of positive change. Always remember, with God there is always a second chance, a new beginning, and a better tomorrow.

God has placed in you an abundance of LOVE, GRACE, FRIENDSHIP, FORGIVENESS, GENEROSITY, and FAITH.

LOVE is treating others with respect and compassion regardless of who they are.

GRACE is giving others your best even if they don’t deserve it and can never repay you.

FRIENDSHIP is bearing burdens and sharing joys with those we love.

FORGIVENESS gives us all the chance for a new start — a new beginning with the slate wiped clean. Most of all FORGIVE YOURSELF and let joy fill your heart again.

GENEROSITY is when one seeks to bless others in all ways and in every circumstance.

FAITH believes in God’s love and provision even when it is not seen, and it refuses to despair, feel hopelessness, or be discouraged.

FAITH IS BELIEVING IN A GOD WHO BELIEVES IN YOU. MAKE A DECISION THIS YEAR — YOU WILL BECOME A PRSON OF FAITH. BELIEVE IN GOD BUT ALSO BELIEVE IN YOURSELF, THIS YEAR, FOREVER AND ALWAYS.

Hard times can bring out the worst or the best in you. The decision is yours what kind of person you will become. You must not allow adversity in your life to make you bitter, selfish, or mean. It is in hard times that the “best you” can shine through. There are gifts we can give to each other every day. The greatest gift of all is giving yourself away. The spirit of Christmas is more than material gifts it is meeting the needs of others, spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and socially.

You can encourage someone, be a friend, lend a hand, spend some time with people alone or simply bring comfort to someone sad. The gifts of love are many and the supply of love in our hearts is boundless. In fact, the more love you give away the more you will fill up with even more to help people. As you give love you will find that you receive joy, peace, and strength. God made us so that as we give ourselves away we, too, are filled. This the great miracle and wonder of Christmas. Let it cause you to become the New You of the New Year.

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December 17, 2009 by Sal Termini.

A portly man with a potbelly puts on a red coat with white fuzzy cuffs. His thin spindly legs move him with a shuffling motion to a gaudy gold chair. His beard is white with scruffy patches of pink skin showing. He smiles through his mustache and we see yellow teeth and nicotine stained lips. He’s flanked by two teens dressed as elves and looking bored. A mom and dad drag their terrified child down the red carpet to sit on Santa’s lap. The frightened child is now supposed to pour out their dreams, hopes, and aspirations. The mother and father are yelling at the child to please smile as they begin taking pictures. The traumatized child is trying to hold back her tears. The smell of cigarette and mouthwash permeate the air as the chubby man says, “What would you like for Christmas.”

Two women in their 50s wearing full length mink coats stand at a jewelry counter. They are berating a salesperson for her tardiness in showing them a diamond studded bracelet. They’re both wearing rings on their fingers, bracelets on their wrists, and jewelry around their neck. If they were to fall off a yacht the weight of their jewelry would cause them to drown. The two women turn on their heels walking out of the store smugly tearing apart the counter person as being inept and below them. The angry jewelry clerk shakes her head in disgust as she locks the jewelry back up in the case.

The electronic store is filled with mothers, fathers, and kids. Several are whining they never get what they want for Christmas. Two of the kids are discussing music with lyrics that would make a trucker blush. Two more are talking about some lewd video they were watching on YouTube and were e-mailing their friends to join them. Two-parents are asking in pleading voices, “Are you sure you really need this?” The father says, “It really costs a lot of money.” The boy answers, I don’t care my friends have one. The mother pulls out her credit card from her wallet saying to her husband, “Its only once a year.” The father in resignation answers, “Somebody’s still got to pay the bill.”

A man wearing a dirty NY jets cap is sitting on the sidewalk with his back against the outside wall of one of the major retail chains. He has created an elaborate nest of plastic bags, cardboard boxes, and old clothes to sit on. He’s wearing a tattered coat and gloves with holes in them. His face is red from the cold and dirty from not having a place to live or wash. Holiday shoppers walk by him glancing briefly down and then stepping over him to get to their destination. One person says they are thrilled that the recession has brought such great sales.

Two men are talking in front of a large LCD TV. One man is explaining how this is the time of the year he can get anything he wants without having to listen to his wife complain that he spends too much money. The other man says his wife is using that tactic on him right now. The other man laughs and says, “It goes both ways.”

A man and a woman stand in the middle of the clothing section of a discount department store. The woman looks tired and sad. The man looks like he just came from work after pulling an all-nighter. The man in a hushed hoarse voice explains to his wife there is just not enough money this year. The wife looking up into his eyes searching his face for hope tells him they must not disappoint the kids this year. They discuss how they just can’t keep up with the other kids who are better dressed at school. The woman puts down a beautiful sweater and look for something more inexpensive on the sale rack.

In the background the mall is playing an old classic called, “Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas Day.” I have felt every one of those emotions described in the people above. I have had my bouts of arrogance like anyone else and I have been so broke and disappointed that I doubted I could make it through another day. Some of us are up, some of us are down and Christmas seems to heighten the emotions either way. It is hard to dig down amidst all the glitter and materialism to find the real meaning of Christmas in one’s heart. The pull of a culture that has lost its way is so powerful that we are adrift in its currents unable to break free.

The Christmas story is really about the human race getting a new start. God came and His very presence reveals in us the coarseness in all our lives. We know there’s something wrong with us. Our hardened hearts reveals that. Many of us know we made a mess of things but continue to soldier on. For some of us we cover up our hurt by having a party, an affair, another big purchase with a promise of happiness. We watch the advertisements of rich people in happy homes with big fireplace and a table filled with food. Clothing designers, car manufacturers, anyone selling anything tells us we have to have their product to be happy. We lost our way when we began to focus on the external for happiness.

2000 years ago the people then, just like we do today, missed the meaning of life. In our pride and arrogance we tell ourselves we’re all right. Yet in all of us there is a searching, a longing for the truth. When I hear the words, “Unto us a savior was born,” I have two reactions. My first one is, I don’t need anybody to save me. The other is, I desperately need to find the reason I exist and the meaning of my life. I need a guide — someone to show me the way out of external things to the real meaning of life. We are all weary of being caught up in things that don’t matter. In all the above observations people are struggling to communicate and relate. Yet I find whether we are rich or poor we will hurt and disappoint one another. Like you, I have hurt myself and other people too many times to make believe everything is all right. Amidst all the cares and burdens of life we also fail to genuinely love and take care of one another.

I heard these words in a beautiful Christmas song: “The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.” I know one thing about God; even though we are not looking for Him He is always looking for us. His love compelled Him to come 2000 years ago. It compels Him today to touch our lives intimately and powerfully if we’ll just take the time to recognize the real meaning of Christmas. It is to let God in and give us a new start. I do not know anyone who does not hope that at the end of their life there will be a glorious place filled with the perfection of God’s love. We all want to know that there is a God who will love us and accept us when we leave this world. The truth is, if we did not need saving God would not have come in human flesh to explain to us His plan to redeem us and reveal himself. If we could have done it ourselves God would have stayed in heaven. If this Christmas season teaches us anything it is to look to God to become the people we ought to be. That is why he came and that is the message of Christmas.

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December 11, 2009 by Sal Termini.

 In the last GNJ I asked you to write a eulogy about yourself and to be honest. I also asked you to read your eulogy several times to discover those things you would like to change or even add to your eulogy.

 The best part of writing your own eulogy is that you are still alive. This means you can still change your life for the better. You can decide the kind of person you really want to be. You can still change and shape your destiny.

A eulogy should be a celebration of ones life. Rewrite your life story with those things that will give yourself and others the most joy. We must learn to live our lives purposefully. Determine what you want out of life and live towards that goal everyday. This means you don’t have to leave this earth with regrets. YOU CAN CHANGE, there is still time. A great life is only a choice away. The new, and improved “you,” wants to break out. The only limitation you have is the one you put on yourself. Living life to its fullest is one of life’s greatest adventures; and changing to improve your life is another. Make a choice to begin living your great adventure today.

Remember, the only things that will go with you when you leave this earth is your good deeds. The only things that really count are how much you love God, and others. How many lives did you touch for the better? How many people did you help? I would want to celebrate those things that have eternal value. Remember, money, fame, possessions, and power will all fade away. Only the love you showed to others will last forever.

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