Thanksgiving and Christmas are one of the few times each year when families and friends make special efforts to gather in spite of distance and inconveniences. Because of that and as the celebrations of life’s good things, these are gatherings to remember.

Having an attitude of gratitude is the pivotal perspective to hold throughout the year; not just holidays. When we live life from the perspective of being thankful and appreciative of what we do have, all else falls to the wayside.


There are no ordinary moments. This is the essence of gratitude. No moment, nothing in life, should be taken for granted. In developing gratitude for every moment -- for the simple joys, and even for the challenging times in our lives -- we come to truly enjoy and appreciate life. Then we are able to see the magic that surrounds us every second of every minute of every day. (Excerpt from Way of the Peaceful Warrior)

Gratitude keeps us centered and wards off jealousy and negativity. Here are 3 things you can do each day to nourish your attitude of gratitude.

1. Remember who has given all things; Jesus Christ. Cherish and deepen this relationship.
2. Notice one thing you are grateful for at breakfast, lunch and dinner each day.
   (That’s almost 100 different things your grateful for each month, WOW)
3. Keep a journal of those things you are thankful for. You will experience abundance!
   
   

Share your gratitude with others; it’s contagious. May each of you experience the joy and love this Holiday season and have an extraordinary 2009.

Little Voice Management: Gods Way

As Christians we need to be aware of the little voice we hear and where it is coming from. Is it God’s voice, your voice or the enemies? I want to address the little voice that does not come from God. It may sound like your own voice too but for today’s simplictic focus we are going to focus on the enemies little voice.

The enemies little voice is anything that you hear in your head that attacks you as a person such as:

“You are so stupid”
“You’ll never amount to anything”
“You can’t do that, who you do you think you are?”
Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah………

These thoughts and opinions do NOT come from God and here’s why.
Reason #1 Romans 8:1
So now there is not condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.

Reason#2 Galatians 2:20
My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me!

When we invite Jesus Christ into our life because we want him to guide and direct us, because we need him; he takes up residence inside of us. Our old self and old way of being is gone. God himself lives in us. Jesus Christ is perfect, whole and complete.

So any messages or little voices you hear inside that tear you down or attack your character; is not from God. God would not talk to his beloved son, Jesus that way. Because His son Jesus Christ lives in you, he doesn’t talk to you that way either!

When you hear these kind of voices, say or yell STOP. Somtimes you can say it inside your head and other times you may need to say it outloud. Make a conscious decision to stop that line of thinking because it’s not correct or true.

God’s voice may sound like this when he is addressing something in our life;

“You CAN do all things through Christ that lives within you!”
“Maybe you could talk to your husband of wife in a different way”
“You learned a lot from that situation, I wonder what you could do different next time”

You see, God only addresses our behavior not our character and who we are. My prayer for you is to hear God’s voice in the days to come!

Fully Alive,

Laura