My Christmas Mantra

By Kristi Paxton

The best things in life are __________. (Fill in the blank.)

The word that most often comes to mind is “free.” The best things in life are free. OK. I get it.

I’ve been thinking of a new one:

The best things in life are not __________. (Fill in the blank.)

Here is my top ten list in reverse order, a la David Letterman:

The best things in life are not _________:

10. items I will ever have to dust or dust beneath.

9. low calorie.

8. at the mall.

7. in my jewelry box, nor will they ever be.

6. on TV.

7. caffeine-free.

6. without fur or a tail that wags.

5. labeled with a prestigious name brand.

4. in the newspaper holiday inserts.

3. offered in my pant size.

2. visible or controlled by me.

1. things.

As I approach the holiday season, I must repeat the above list over and over and over. Even so, often I find myself behind the steering wheel, driving to the mall. The newspaper insert is on the seat beside me. I’m heading off to Target to pick up the cute holiday outfit I saw on TV last night, wondering if they have it in my size and if it will still be cute. I’ve been jittery lately, so I order a hot cup of Starbucks decaf at the drive up. My mind wanders to that honking big ring I saw on the Kay’s ad. I hum the tune of “Every Kiss begins with Kay’s.”

Alarmed, I hope I have the courage to immediately turn the car around and head back home where I can brew a real cup of joe. A wagging tail will greet me at the door. I’ll cuddle up with a blanket, close my eyes and make a Christmas prayer for Peace on Earth.

And then I’ll reach for that plate of cookies—food for holiday season thought.

Amen.

Investment

By Robin Steinweg

 Do I ever regret time in prayer?

Sadly, maybe before-hand. Like when the pillow is coziest, sleep beckons or I have tasks to check off my to-do list. 

Few things get interrupted like my time for prayer—at least initially. If I sit down intending to pray, the computer will blink at me, the phone will ring, an appliance will act up, the neighbor’s dogs will yap, the garbologist will take a break outside my house with the engine running, a plane will sound as though it’s going to crash, I’ll suddenly think of fifteen dozen things that need to be done without delay, and my dog will beg to go out. And that’s saying a lot, because I don’t have a dog.

The computer can wait.  In fact, I can turn it to face away from me. The answering machine can take a message or the caller can get back to me. I can unplug the appliance and check it later. I can close the windows. I can put in ear plugs. I can pray for the pilot. I can keep pen and paper next to me and add to my list as things pop into my head, and then keep praying. I can remind myself that I don’t have a dog, and tell the devil to get behind me, because I AM GOING TO PRAY anyway!

That’s what it might take—a commitment to pray no matter what. When my sons were little, they knew not to interrupt me from prayer unless one of them was choking or bleeding. Our day would be better if they let Mommy pray. As my wall hanging states, “A day hemmed in prayer seldom comes unraveled.”

And has there ever been a time that I wished instead that I had stayed in bed or run errands?

Just yesterday I nearly didn’t pray because of interruptions. Important things, you know? But I sent up some heartfelt requests for safety for my sons and husband.

In the afternoon my younger son perched atop the log ride at the amusement park where he’s worked for the summer. A sudden bolt of lightning scored the air close enough to him that he felt the static. They closed the park early, and he came home—safe.

Do I regret that I spent the time yesterday in prayer?

Hardly.

Instead, I grow more determined.  Not only to ask for things, but to thank God for listening to me, and to take the time to listen to Him.

Let me rephrase: it’s not taking my time. It’s an investment of my time, and it could continue to pay into eternity! 

Now

By Kristi Paxton

June 15, Nic Wallenda walked a tightrope suspended across the widest part of Niagara Falls. An historic moment. Each step he understood the concept of Now.

The biggest trouble of our times is that we are never where we are,” said a writer friend a while back. For a moment I wondered what he meant. Then I regretted eating the entire container of *salted caramel gelato, simultaneously dreading the dirty house I must clean…soon. I understood his comment.

We are masters at regret—thinking about the past, the splurge, the nasty comment. Another writer friend recently landed on the Dr. Phil show with his wildly popular book titled “Secret Regrets.” Out of several blogs Kevin Hansen launched, Secret Regrets was the one that touched a collective nerve. We all think back to what we should not have done. Think back.

And, we are excellent at planning our futures. To the right of this keyboard is a pile of lists, (I just thumbed through and counted nine ratty pages) tasks I want to complete, books I want to read, blogs I want to visit or create in the future. Many of my listed items are outdated events now, unaccomplished goals. Perhaps I should make another list: stuff I did not accomplish. Most of my future plans can now go into my heaping pile of regrets.

But am I good at embracing The Now? Not so much, but I’m getting better. After a recent trip to the honking chaos of New York City, my husband and I enjoyed the pastoral drive from airport to front door. We parked the car at the end of our lane, got out and paused to breathe Iowa air. Suitcase in hand, I said to my husband, “Look at that butterfly, how he’s spread flat on the leaf!” He was as if mounted in a collection. We both dropped our bags, he digging for a camera, I powering up my cell phone. For 15 minutes, the butterfly waited while we enjoyed his stillness and snapped his portrait. Obviously the winged creature was dead. But no. As soon as we put the cameras away, he fluttered up and away.

When asked what he thought about as he walked across Niagara Falls, Nic Wallenda said, “a lot of praying, that’s for sure.”

*Note: Salted Caramel Gelato; Talenti Brand; Hy-Vee; expensive. And you’re welcome.

Make Writing a Priority – Secrets Learned from Austin Boyd

By Kathryn Lang

Time keeps on slippin . . . slippin . . . slippin.

The song mentions time slipping into the future – I just want to know where my day went. I started out with the best intentions and even a schedule. Then time just kept on slipping and it was the end of the day.

Austin Boyd took chose to spend some of his time talking to newer writers at the Southern Christian Writers Conference in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. He said that to be a writer we had to write, so there had to be a moment when writing became the priority.

Time Budgeting Tips Learned from Austin Boyd

- Differentiate between the important and the urgent and then choose the important. Family is important. Writing is important. Taking the neighbor to the grocery would be urgent. Developing a filter to focus on the important will begin to reduce the time clutter issues in your life.

- Make a list of what you need to do. Go through the list and put the most important things at the top of the list. Review the list once again. Now exclude all of the small stuff at the bottom of the list. If you still have trouble figuring out how you will get it all done then reverse your thinking and start determining what you will not be done. In the end, you will have a list that you can accomplish.

- Schedule out the time stealers. Buy an egg timer that you can set for different amounts of time and then set it when you get involved with the internet, social media, games or the television. There is nothing wrong with taking a break, but take a determined break or you will look up and realize the day is spent.

- Set aside five minutes each day to brainstorm ideas. Be creative. Think outside the box. Now write down these ideas and keep them in a way that you can easily access them. As your time balances out, make room in the schedule to address these ideas one at a time and you will have the tools to keep the wheels turning in your writing.

One step at a time and you get there. Time will not keep slipping away if I keep it duct taped to the floor. I will determine how I spend my time and I will make each purchase worth its weight in gold.

Kathryn C. Lang writes words to inspire and encourage the hearts of others. You can purchase her inspirational books through Amazon or her website www.kathrynlang.com. Her debut novel, RUN, follows the struggles of Sara as she discovers that you can only run from your past as long as you are willing to sacrifice your future.