June 8, 2010 by Sal Termini.

It is early in June and a beautiful summer day. I am heading for the beach at Ditch Plains in Montauk NY. The wind is blowing about 20 to 25 miles an hour. The waves are shoulder high and peeling beautifully. The waves are mostly breaking near the shore because of the wind. The strong northwest wind is keeping the waves from breaking farther out. I put on my wet suit and take my paddle board and head out to catch some waves. I paddle through the whitewater barely making it through the heavy breaking waves near the shore — called beach break.

I struggle to find a place to catch some waves that are not too close to the shore. I then paddle about a quarter of a mile down the beach and find a wave thats breaking about two football fields from the beach. I smile knowing this means nice long rides. The wave driven by a northwest wind is moving quickly at a severe angle to the beach. This makes the wave harder to catch because you have to paddle hard against the wind, and at the right angle, as the wind tries to spin you in the wrong direction. It is going to be a challenge just to catch a wave, not to mention to try and surf well.

I catch a wave and paddle to my left, for me it’s what surfers call backside. My back is to the wave as I try to turn into the curl. On a paddle board you must lean heavily on the paddle to turn this way, making it harder than on a conventional surfboard. I turn as hard as I can but it’s not enough and the breaking wave slams into my body. I could not get past the part of the wave that is breaking called a section. I’m now under water and swimming to the surface to find my board and try again. I get my board, grab my paddle, jump back on, stand, and then steady myself so I can try and paddle past the strong surging whitewater.

I barely make it out over two big breaking waves. I see the next group of waves, called a set, and paddle myself into position to catch the biggest wave of the set. I catch the wave start down the face and begin my turn, when the wave starts to break. I ride whitewater instead of the wave. It’s not my best wave but I turn and head back out to try again. While paddling back out I see a beautiful set of waves forming. I quickly turn my board and paddle at an angle to make the steep drop, I set may paddle deep in the wave and begin my turn. To my great joy I am turning perfectly into the curl of the wave. I turn slightly more and go up the wave for more speed and height to make the next section. I zoom down the wave staying ahead of the whitewater all the way to the beach. I am so excited that I almost fall off my board trying to get back out and do it all over again.

My greatest passion in life is telling people about Jesus Christ. I am excited every chance I get to share with others about His love and power. There are times when I have to work hard just to do what is right. Sometimes everything seems to line up against my faith, like the wind and the waves did today. Then suddenly it all comes together into a moment of perfection. You see, just like when I surf, I am always striving for perfection. Serving Jesus Christ is like that perfect wave. It brings incredible satisfaction and joy. I know I cannot always be perfect, whether I am serving God or surfing, but the greatest joy comes when I hit that sweet spot of perfection. No striving for perfection, no joy, no satisfaction, and no glory.

Don’t be discouraged by your momentary failures to serve God or do what is right because in the end there will be moments of perfection and you will never forget them. This moment of perfection is what we are all looking for. It is a far greater reward and pleasure to do it for God than anything this world can offer. To feel the pleasure and love of God because you succeeded in pleasing Him is like no other feeling I have ever had. We are created to strive for perfection. We were created to succeed. All this is only possible if we refuse to quit. Perfection is only possible if we strive for it. It was a very challenging day of surfing. Anything really worthwhile will be challenging. Yet it was worth it. Perfection is the goal of any endeavor and the pursuit of it is the reason we are given a lifetime.

Give God your best, just like you would anything else in life to succeed. Don’t neglect God. The most perfect joy you can ever know is when you experience His love.

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May 5, 2010 by Sal Termini.

Culture has its many icons such as South Park, John Stuart, Bill Mahr, O’Reilly, and even the Simpsons. On any given day culture speaks loud and bold about what they believe. If you watch any of the shows above no one is shy about sharing what they believe. Hollywood and the music industry through their popularity and power shout their beliefs from the rooftops. Politics and satire is delivered daily on every news show. Today the line between politics, commentary, satire, humor, and political opinion is blurred.

There exists one glaring hypocrisy which tells us religion is a private matter. For culture and politics to tell us we cannot share our core convictions is censorship of the worst kind. Anyone who watches television will see peoples’ beliefs being displayed through culture and politics. Religion is mocked and ridiculed but must remain silent. We can watch the sexual opinions of people acted out in movies, plays, cartoons, opinion shows, and through satirical commentators. Yet in all their proselytizing, religion is commanded to be silent and private. I don’t know about you but I’m outraged and I’ve had enough. We as a nation are able to spew every unkind idea, hateful speech, anti-religious rhetoric, vulgar and obscene opinion, but religion must be silent, and remain a private matter.

The bullies tell us that religion is a private matter which is another of their great bogus arguments. They spread this propaganda because religion is a powerful force. Religion is a core value, it is what many people truly believe with all their hearts. It is a tactic to silence a huge segment of the population, people who have every right to share their beliefs with others. Therefore it is an attempt by bullies to marginalize those who believe in religious values. Calling religion a private matter is their way of keeping religion out of the marketplace of ideas, because it will challenge their beliefs and ideologies.

In many of our institutions of higher learning atheism and the teaching of evolution, is in the majority, and they want to keep it that way. This is changing in philosophy, science, and in the marketplace of ideas. If religion is permitted to speak the bullies know they will lose their power. It is religious values that are the conscience of a nation. Most people that I know, know the difference between right is wrong. When religion begins to tell people what is right is wrong by expressing its opinion, it is ridiculed, rejected, and mocked as intrusive. What they forget is they intrude on our values daily without regard for our rights or beliefs. Culture and politics are able to tell us what is right and wrong but religion must be silent. It is time for religious people to be bold and courageous. Culture and politics want to make you feel embarrassed by mocking what you believe, This is their way of silencing you. The apostle Paul said almost two centuries ago, “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ.” The double standard of making us feel ashamed for our beliefs while we are not allowed to make them feel ashamed for theirs must not continue.

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April 26, 2010 by Sal Termini.

In my life I have had three encounters with bullies that really stand out. The first one happened when I was in eighth grade. A bully named Jack was very jealous that some of his friends liked me. Everyday he would threaten me and tell me he was going to beat me up. He was very loud, obnoxious, and cruel. He would get right in my face and make fun of me in front of my friends. I told him to leave me alone. He said, “make me.” I said, “I don’t want to fight you.” I guess I was afraid he would knock my block off. One day on my way home he blocked the side walk so that I was unable to get by him. What happened next was a blur. He swung and I ducked. As I ducked I managed to get behind him and got him in a headlock. I held on with all my might trying not to let him go. So for about 30 minutes we kept going around in a circle. He was trying to get free and I was trying to hold on with all my might. Finally he asked me to let him go. I said, “only if you let me go.” He promised he would, and the fight ended.

The second time I had a fight was in 10th grade. I had never played soccer before, and every time I tried to kick the ball I would either miss it or step on it falling backwards. I was new to the school having come from Queens to Long Island. I didn’t have any friends at that time. A boy walked over with a group of his friends and started mocking me. The next thing I knew, he shoved me to the ground. I jumped up and yelled leave me alone. With that he looked back at his friends and with a smirk across his face whirled around to punch me as he did I ducked and by accident hit him with an uppercut. He fell backwards stunned. I noticed the other boys started moving closer towards me. To my good fortune the gym teacher came over and broke everyone up.

The third time I was playing softball and a huge blonde haired kid with scars on his face said to me, “I’m taking your turn at bat.” I said to him, “I waited all day to play. I want to bat for myself.” I later found out he bit the eyebrow off another kid in school. He sent two other kids to the hospital with injuries. He was a brutal and cruel person. He looked at me and probably liked my spunk and walked away taking another kids turn at bat.

I watch with great interest the debate between theists and atheists. Atheists claim possession of something they do not own: reason. They are loud, boisterous, cruel, unkind, and have a mocking attitude similar to the bullies I’ve described above. Many of the great colleges and learning institutions in this country began with Christians who believed that God gave man the power of reason. Atheism now makes claim that religion is devoid of reason. Like bullies in any given place, they are trying to rob what rightly belongs to all men — religious or irreligious. Some of the greatest scientists and scholars, past and present, believe in God. It is sad that because atheists are loud, cruel, and entertaining many think that they’re right. There numbers are greater in our colleges, so they believe might makes right.

It is just more proof that atheism has no code of conduct or respect for other people who believe differently than they do. These people claim diversity and pluralism until there belief system is seriously challenged. They then revert to bad behavior. People who believe in God need to stand up for themselves. Atheism is trying to dominate the market place of ideas by providing crude entertainment in the form of mockery. They demean people who believe different than they do. Like ancient Rome the atheist sees himself as the lion in the Coliseum with the Christian as the victim. In a society today where a lot of our entertainment is vulgar, atheism has found a willing audience. Just because it is loud, boisterous, and mocking doesn’t make it right. The co-opting of reason from Christianity is a fallacy that must be overthrown. Scripture reveals that God himself invites man to speak to God with these words, “come let us reason together.” It is the Christians search for truth that founded the educational system in our country. It is time to give rightful place to people who believe in God as equals in powers of reason, and that they are equal if not smarter than those who profess atheism. Well over 75% of Americans believe in God. We must not let a small vocal minority lie about reason being the possession of atheists or bully the rest of us. There are a great many brilliant people, equal in intellect and powers of reason, that could easily shame by argument, education, and civility those who are atheists. So I say to the atheists, stop your bullying and come let us reason together.

We who believe in God must not allow atheists to threaten us to make their point. We must not allow their cruel taunts to go unanswered. We must not be afraid of the fight. In fact apostle Paul wrote, “fight the good fight of faith.” In all three instances in my life, bullies wanted to demean and humiliate. I was very fortunate to come out unscathed in these three instances. I think it’s time that we fight for what we really know to be true. Sooner or later as the truth comes out they, too, will smirk and walk away, picking on someone weaker. Dear believer, know that what you believe in is important, not just for yourself, but for all of us to stand unified in our faith. The value system of our faith has made America great. Our faith has greatly helped contribute to America’s greatness. Atheism, like Jack, is very jealous that a lot of people like what you believe. To those atheists, the fight is not about truth but about popularity. In the second instance we are in the territory of science and philosophy where they think they are in charge. They may think our arguments are clumsy but we can surely hold our own. Dear friends, standup for what you believe, in these evil times. Without an audience the bully, like the atheists, will give up. They can go back to their surly views, fighting each other. Like their belief in evolution they can devour one another in a contest for the survival of the fittest. There are plenty of analogies in the above stories. I think the moral is to stand your ground knowing that truth sets free, even for atheists.

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April 15, 2010 by Sal Termini.

A recent study by the university at Groningen in the Netherlands found that the environment effects people’s behavior both negatively and positively. The study shows disorder in an environment causes people to be less moral. In one part of the study the environment was made to reflect a run down neighborhood with graffiti on the walls.The people littered and did more socially unacceptable behavior. In the second part of the study the same area was made clean, the walls were repainted, and the area ordered to reflect a better environment. People acted with a higher sense of morality reflecting the neighborhoods cleaner and ordered appearance.

Two important lessons we should learn from this study

1. Do you change your environment for the better?
2. Do you stand up for what you believe no matter where you are?

Know what you believe

It is amazing how may people will give in to bad behavior when in a poor environment or are put under social pressure. It is important to know what you believe in and then be faithful to those principles regardless of our environment or social pressures. Sociologists tell us we act out of our core beliefs. Few of us take the time to really know what we believe and why. Safety, prosperity, and security will come to a neighborhood, a society, a culture, even a nation that have people who will act on good core beliefs and not on a morally corrupt environment or society.

Know what to believe

To many people accept as normal a world that easily adapts to compromised moral principles. In fact many people live in a double standard knowing what is good but acting out of their weaknesses rather than our core beliefs. Many in America, in our culture and as a society live by morally corrupt self interests further diluted by morally compromised cultural norms. In the end we all will suffer the consequences. A good example is our economy which is suffering a deep recession because of unscrupulous lenders and borrowers. In the final analysis as in any moral breakdown in a society or a culture we all pay the debt. To make moral decsions we need a guidline to what good and evil really is. We live in a world of moral confusion and ignorance. When I am looking what to believe I read the words of Jesus. In His words I find not only moral perfection but compassion which is the foundation for all justice.

Know when to change

Our country needs to return to the Judeo Christian belief system of our founding fathers. In that belief system people are taught adhere to the the highest kind of morality. This morality was based upon God’s character reflected by His laws. God’s never dilutes His morality by selfish motives or cultural norms. The standard is the highest and the best because we will all derive benefit from it when we stand firm in our belief of those standards. These moral principles are the glue that hold a nation together without defrauding and hurting one another. These laws are love and prosperity in action. It is important to stand up for what you believe regardless of the consequences that is true heroism and is sadly lacking today. We live in a climate were it is socially acceptable to mock God’s laws like the Ten Commandments. The time to change our hearts and direction is now before its to late

Know what to do

We as Americans must not give in to a compromised and coarse culture, we must become the agents of worldwide and national change. We must model and uphold the standards God has set for the human race. There will be mockers and scoffers who want through their own corrupt motives to profit them through human failure. It is up to us as individuals to stand up for what we believe not bowing to pressure to compromise our beliefs. The Judeo Christian ethic is meant to change the world around us for the better. We can become part of the solution or become part of the problem. People who mock morality and people with religious convictions do so because they fear the truth. They know their behavior is based upon corrupted and morally bankrupt ideals give short term pleasure but will unleash long term suffering and negative consequences. The buzz words freedom and choice are misused and misrepresented. They fear that truth will win out and that a society with superior morals and ideals will put positve pressure on them to do what’s right. The fear of morality and the arguments against it are used instead to entice and deceive people. If acted upon these corrupted moral principles will and have left us a culture depleted morally, financially, and socially. We are living under the weight of negative consequences of this compromised morality .The Judeo Christian ethic and morality is meant to be the liberating conscience of a nation. It is our last hope to prick the conscience of those who seek to overcome healthy limitations to human greed, selfishness, and corruption.

Know when to act

In Germany before World War 11 the people were motivated to go to war and commit atrocities for freedom, prosperity,and national pride. It is not always society and government that is right or good morally. It is written in scripture, Blessed is the nation who God is the Lord.” A nation can become evil because it compromises its moral and spiritual principles. It is up to us as a people, as Americans to choose what we will become as a nation. America’s greatness came about because our forefathers believed if we adhered to the judeo Christian principles we would prosper. Our respect for God in those principles would result in a respect for one another and bring guidelines of decent conduct to every American citizen. In turn those principles would bring prosperity to America and all its citizens. We were to be an example to the nations of the world of a shinning city on a hill. Today we see every nation in moral, spiritual, and economic collapse because we have rejected moral truths which are the bedrock of human productivity, civility, and success. The time to act is right now before it is to late.

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January 30, 2010 by Sal Termini.

(from an article by NY Times writer James Wood)

“Terrible catastrophes inevitably encourage appeals to God. We who are, at present, unfairly luckier, whether believers or not, might reflect on the almost invariably uncharitable history of theodicy, and on the reality that in this context no invocation of God beyond a desperate appeal for help makes much theological sense. For either God is punitive and interventionist (the Robertson view), or as capricious as nature and so absent as to be effectively nonexistent (the Obama view). Unfortunately, the Bible, which frequently uses God’s power over earth and seas as the sign of his majesty and intervening power, supports the first view; and the history of humanity’s lonely suffering decisively suggests the second.”

The writer James Wood is commenting on Pat Robertson’s remarks that Haiti made a pact with the devil and is today suffering the consequences of that action. In his article he is reflecting on one of the most hotly debated issues in the history of the world. Is there a God? If there is why does he allow evil?

A Perspective on Death

We who have been struck by tragedy suffer the terrible pain of loss. The loss only exists because we love. I believe, as the saying goes, it is far better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all. The loss of a loved one in an atheistic world view is permanent and catastrophic. In a Christian view it is a painful but temporary loss that will be overcome by Jesus Christ’s glorious triumph over death.

1 Cor 15: 53, “For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54, When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory. 55, Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”

To a Christian death is the passage of a person into eternity. We pass through death and the sorrows of life as one would pass through hostile territory to reach a place of safety. In view of our temporary condition we should live life getting to know God with whom we will be spending eternity. We should also do our best to do what is right knowing that life is to be lived in the light of eternity. Have we lived our lives loving God and people? The point is in Christ, death does not have the final say, but is part of our journey as human beings.

Our lives are temporary as we are called to live fulfilling God’s purpose for our lives until we are again united with Him.

2nd Cor 4:17, “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18, So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

We must never minimize the suffering of others because to do so would be callous. It is also not the Christian ideal to blame people for their suffering while they are hurting and in pain. Christ delivered, healed, and blessed many who were far from God in the midst of their suffering. To do so is a sign of God’s saving love and grace. It is God’s way of demonstrating His love so that people will remember it and serve Him. Jesus also warned them, “Go and sin no more lest something worse come upon you.”

The bigger question is not whether God caused the tragedy in Haiti, but are we ready to face God in death? If you believe in eternity the sting of death is removed. It is by the triumph of eternal life given to the world as a gift when we put our faith in Christ’s power to conquer death for us. The question I pose is not who is worthy or what religion is right but one of power. God invested the power to conquer death in Christ. Faith in Him breaks deaths power over our lives. His resurrection proved that.

The Christian world view mitigates the pain with a promise from God that death is God’s last enemy to be destroyed. (1 Cor 15:26) The love of God in the Christian worldview is about taking tragedy and turning into triumph. God cared so much that He came to the earth in Jesus to teach us the way out of death. Jesus wept when He was at the tomb of a friend named Lazarus. Jesus was saddened by death’s power over our lives and our doubt that He has the power to deliver us from death. God hates death and does not delight in the death of the wicked. (Ezekiel 33:11) In a Christian worldview death is leaving the world of hatred, pain, suffering, war, disease, and sorrow to be eternally in the presence of God. In the Christian worldview God sees death as a release from a fallen and sinful world. He allowed death so humanity would have relief from evil. Imagine sickness, war, disease, and suffering with no end. In God’s plan death puts an end to all suffering and death.

1st Thess 4:13, “Brothers and sisters, we want you to know about those Christians who have died so you will not be sad, as others who have no hope. 14, We believe that Jesus died and that he rose again. So, because of him, God will raise with Jesus those who have died. 15, What we tell you now is the Lord’s own message.

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January 20, 2010 by Sal Termini.

The beginning of the New Year can be a good time for reflection. It is also a good time to ask yourself some important questions.

• What are my goals for the New Year?
• Do I have a plan to reach those goals?
• Are these goals connected to my life-long goals?

We live in a world filled with busyness, so stop and ask yourself, what do you really want out of life? The new year is a good time to contemplate what is really best for your future. Am I going in the right direction? What changes do I need to make? Am I moving towards my strengths? Am I doing what I’m really called to do in my life? These are essential questions we should all ask ourselves from time to time and contemplate our answers.

It’s good to write these questions down as paragraph headings. Then in a small paragraph below, answer those question. Too many of us put off these big questions. I ask young people these questions all the time and they struggle to answer them. I asked the same questions of people later on in life and many of them still struggle to answer these important life questions.

I believe too many of us live our lives in the mundane and the irrelevant rather than take the time to answer the question that gives meaning and purpose to our lives. The ones I listed above are the practical issues of our life.

There are even deeper issues we must ask ourselves about — spiritual issues that get to the heart of who and what we believe we really are. They are moral questions because they ask us about what we will become. They are life issues because they ask, what happens after death and will I have become the person I really wanted to be?

Life is not just the destination it is also a journey. The joy is in the journey. The joy is in becoming the person we are supposed to be by doing the things we were created to do. Being fulfilled is one reason why we were born. To know we have fulfilled our destiny is one of the great joys and satisfactions of life. Give yourself some time to contemplate these issues. You are worth it.

Our life is meant to be an interaction with God and other people. God is the one who gives us our purposes and dreams. God is the one who gave us our abilities and skills so that we might be fulfilled in life. Our life has meaning because it touches other lives. So the question is, will you include God this year in the most important questions of your life. The questions above are practical but they are also spiritual. We are a divided people when we separate our spiritual and practical lives. Learn in this New Year to integrate them in new and powerful ways.

-Sal Termini

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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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November 30, 2009 by Sal Termini.

If you were to write a eulogy for your life what would say about yourself? Create a eulogy that is about a paragraph or two long, no rambling. Would it be a letter of reference for heaven or for hell? In these important paragraphs, as you write about your life, would seeking God, his will, and purposes hold a prominent place?

A eulogy recalls the best things — the highlights of one’s life. A eulogy is also about honesty. How do you think other people see you? How do you really feel about your life up till now? There is something very empowering when you write an account of your life.

Here’s a few hints to get you started. Write about:

• Your important accomplishments
• Meaningful relationships in your life
• The kind of person you are

Writing your eulogy is a way to see what you have focused on in your life. It is a way to discover who or what was important in your life. What has your life meant to others, especially those closest to you? When you’re done, read it a couple of times. It will be hard at first but the point is to think about your life.

Don’t miss part two of “Eulogize Yourself,” in the next installment of the Good News Journal. it will change your life.

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