Don't forget to unwrap the best present!!!!

I hope everyone has a great December 25, filled with lots of wonderful memories and blessings and great times with family and friends.

Don't forget to unwrap the best present of all: Jesus. He is not only the reason for the season but His love for us is the reason why we are all here.

Enjoy the day, be safe and God Bless.

Why loving to KISS ensures things don't get too WIIFY

Of late I've been learning how to KISS again. KISS = Keep It Simple Stupid. Life is hard enough already without making it more complex. And I really needed to learn that again. At this time of year many people make life complicated when it does not need to be. And if we learn to KISS then we won't be asking ourselves if we are becoming too WIIFY.

WIIFY = What's In It For You. So much of society in 2008 lives by the WIIFY principle. There will be sadly a great many people who will unwrap a present on December 25 and be disappointed because they didn't get something they wanted. Now that to me is WIIFY. I'm just happy to be alive, healthy, Australian and rejoice in the love of God. That is a present I receive every second of every day.

But think about Jesus. He lived simply. Very simply. And WIIFY? He never did anything for the WIIFY theory. Thank you Jesus!!! If He had done things for the WIIFY principle where would all of us be? What better example do we have than Jesus?

By embracing a simple life He had happiness every single day. We can too. Happiness should not just be about a date on a calendar. After all every single day is the same. December 25 has the same number of hours in it as every other day in the year. And every day is an opportunity for happiness. Every day can be a challenge too but we should make that an opportunity to become closer to Him, and of course ultimate happiness.

1 Peter 3:8-9 has a great verse on this:

"Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing."

So every day, not just December 25, if we KISS we won't come across as too WIIFY to others. And isn't that a blessing worth having.

God Bless.

JOY =

Jesus. Others. Yourself. That is what joy equals to me. I read that in an email sent last week by Aaron. It makes perfect sense to me. It's perfect in every way in fact.

If we have a strong relationship with Jesus we will be happy and blessed. This is none better seen than in the fruits of the spirit. As Galatians 5:22-23 states "But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law".

And if these are the fruits of being blessed with being filled with His Spirit then it is no wonder that our relationship with others should also be one of joy.

Yourself? Last of course. Sadly in our consumerist society companies are marketing products at us from the moment we take our first breath we are told to be selfish and have more, more, more of everything.

Well I am selfish. I want more, more, more of Jesus!!!! I know what JOY means and I know what joy equals. And I know I will believe in joy forever.

Vale Kerryn McCann

Like many yesterday I was really sad to learn of the passing of marathon runner and mum extradonaire Kerryn McCann. Her battle with breast cancer is and always will be an inspiration to many.

It was great to read though how she never ever gave up hope in her fight against cancer and that the love of her family allowed her to give cancer a huge fight. Through it all she just wanted to be a normal, caring and loving mum. Aren't mums fantastic?! Just read this quote from her that appeared on the net when she saw her (http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,24766728-421,00.html).

Three weeks after surgery and 34 weeks into the pregnancy, the baby was induced so that she could begin chemotherapy.

"It was really hard seeing him with the tubes and drip and monitor - this tiny little baby,'' she said last year. "That hurt, seeing him like that.

"I had badly wanted to breastfeed him - I thought I could feed him for a few days before my chemo started, but the next morning I was in having scans. I was injected with dye, so I couldn't feed him.

"But you ride with it. Yes, it's just the way it had to be."

Reading that I hope you know why her story and life will always be an inspiration to me. Not only as a person who fought cancer with hope, courage and without fear but also as a wonderful, caring and loving mum.

To mum's everywhere, hats off to you every single day.