Not every Christian is the same. We have come from different backgrounds, different physical families and many times, different church backgrounds. While we are different, there are many things we can all do to enhance our spiritual lives and to encourage the people around us each week.
Below are four quick things every Christian can do every weekend. Take a moment and see how you can make your weekend, and even your life a little greater.
Plan to Attend Service
I know this seems like a given, but it isn’t. Some people, know that Sunday is coming, still miss it. I figure they know that the start of every week is Sunday, but they fail to make plans to be at services. Failing to make plans has resulted in them missing services. So, this weekend, plan to attend services on Sunday.
Surround Yourself with Christians
To make your weekend go better, especially, your Sunday, surround yourself with Christians. As you plan for services, plan to meet with your church family after services. Be the one to step up and invite people to gather together. A quick example is inviting people to eat together following services. If money is tight, invite everyone to chip in and have them at your house. (think of it as a potluck meal)
Pray
This weekend, schedule four times to offer quick prayers. Set an alarm on your phone to remind you of your scheduled prayer time. The weekends give us more time or more relaxed time, and this can be a great moment to pray.
Sleep.
Yes, I said it…sleep. I have already proclaimed 2018 as “The Year of the Nap,” and I am planning to stick with it. There is a benefit to rest; plus, our bodies need it. For years, researchers have told us our bodies will function better with rest, and many of us are starting to realize it.
Final Thoughts:
Today is Friday.
For many, your weekend is already beginning, or it will begin after work. What steps will you take this evening to prepare yourself for Sunday?
Each one of us can begin today for a greater Sunday.
It’s Monday. You really do not want to get out of bed, but you must. Your feet hit the floor as your hand hits the alarm clock to finally turn it off after a few taps on the snooze button. It is Monday.
However, you Monday does not need to be a bad one. Start the day by laughing a little to get your adrenaline flowing. One of the best ways is with the Monday Morning Laugh. Today’s Monday Morning Laugh features Tim Hawkins and a few thoughts on Christmas songs. Take a moment and enjoy.
Monday’s do not have to be all bad. Start the day laughing and renew your energy for a better day.
Well, it is time for a football post to annoy most of you. In fact, this might get me banned from the state of Alabama.
I am a WVU football fan; always have been and always will be. From the Jeff Hostetler years, through the Major Harris years, and now to 2017. I have also been part of the fan club that never appreciated the old, 3rd down draw that Don Nehlen loved to run. Oh yeah, and I never really like Pitt.
I like WVU Football because when they win, fans burn furniture. It is the best tradition in college football; hands down. The best job in the world is a furniture dealer in Morgantown, WV during a winning season.
As a WVU fan, I will say that WVU has rarely gotten the respect they deserve. From the hateful Lee Corso words in the mid-90’s to the blatant non-caring ESPN tribe today, there is a lack of respect. However, some of it is well deserved. There are games where WVU plays so well that no one could beat them; then there are others where they should have never shown up.
In all the years watching WVU play football, I have watched a few all the way through, some I have turned off the TV since they would not listen to what I was telling them. I like WVU football, but it is something in which I will not invest a lot of my faith. It is hard for me to put my faith in 18 – 22-year-olds playing a game.
I am weird I understand. I have not watched an entire football game in well over ten years now.
While being a WVU fan, I have realized the team will never win every game. In fact, they will probably lose the ones I want them to win the most and end up in some crazy Bowl Game that is all about money and less about football.
I like WVU football and I always will. I have learned many life lessons from watching them play; the most important being, it is a game.
Here is something to think about:
When your team loses, realize it is ok. The other team played better, and you got beat. It happens, and it is ok.
Look at football in its context – it is a game; nothing more, nothing less. If the outcome of a football game determines your life, you might need another hobby.
Tearing down others does not help. When your team loses, accept it. When your rival loses, accept it. Tearing down someone else for your benefit hurts everyone.
Teach your kids about football, but teach them it is a game. If you want to teach them, take them to a soup kitchen or an orphanage. Football seasons come and go, but the poor will be with us always.
Show more passion for your family than you do for football. Others can tell how much you care about something because of your passion. Do you show more passion to your family than you do a game?
Place values before a win. If you have to cheat, deceive, or violate ethics to win, then you need another hobby. Sports should be about teaching children values and values have very little to do with winning.
When your team loses, breathe; it will be ok. When your team wins; be happy.
Monday mornings seem to be hard on many people. Monday’s are the day many people begin their workweek, send the children back to school and get back to the gym. Well, today is Monday.
Take a moment and watch or listen to this two-minute clip of Jeff Allen discuss health clubs. I find myself feeling pretty much the same.
In a few short weeks, the world will turn to look and discuss the Messiah. Every year, one day has the world looking at the cradle which would rock the world. Whether you celebrate December 25th as the birth of Christ or another holiday in the giving/receiving of gifts, the fact is, people are thinking about the baby Jesus. Most likely, your family and friends will be thinking about Jesus.
While we know that Jesus grew into a man, the Christmas season causes us to reflect on the baby Jesus. It was a humble birth that God chose to bring His Son into the world. It would not be a birth that would amaze the world as it does now, but it would be a quiet entrance of the Promised Deliverer.
The first years would be a silent reflection of the humility of His life. Common people would be His first visitors and around two years of age magi from the east would bring Him earthly, honorable gifts. As His life would be sought by a power-hungry king, His family would become refugees. Finally, returning to His homeland, His family settled in a common town.
Amazingly enough, the Messiah grew up among the people without notice. Even after He grew into adulthood and began His earthly ministry, the people still saw His as Joseph and Mary’s boy. As His fame was growing and multitudes followed Him, some still saw Him as an earthly man and others saw Him as the Messiah the nation had waited so long to see. To the latter, He was their deliverer, their Savior, their King.
