New Year’s Resolutions or as some might say revolutions are easy to do, but thinking up a list of things that you do not plan to do in 2012 might be a little harder. 

Inspired by a Starbucks coffee shop conversation with blogger and life coach Susan Hyatt I have come up with a list of a few things I do not plan on doing in 2012.

Below is my list:

1. I will not be giving up my usual morning Starbucks Non-Fat Venti Latte.
2. I will not participate in conversations that take other people and or organizations down.
3. I will not allow traditional media organizations to sway my opinions on the political process.
4. I plan on not contributing financially to organizations that do not submit their information to the non-profit clearing house  GuideStar.org.  GuideStar.org is a central source for information on U.S. non-profits.
5. I do not plan on giving financially to PAC’s  (Political Action Committee). Government should be able to work without individual and big business contributions, besides I never really have anyway.
6. I do not want to patronize businesses that are not being socially conscious and giving back in some way to society as a whole or the community where they operate. Before I make any big purchases, I will investigate the businesses efforts to help others and make our society better.
7. I don’t want to be spending time trying to figure out my competition.
8. I will not quit retelling my corny “G” rated jokes that I read from Twitter.
9. I will not measure my success against what others are achieving. Nor will I compare myself to what others have achieved or completed. I will measure my success by the goals I have established.
10. I will not always be wearing pants. Take that. However, you want.

What are your anti-New Year’s resolutions for 2012? 

That was the question that I posed to the children yesterday morning during our children’s moment portion of worship.  Some were going to be Spiderman others are going as mermaids and told me they are going as a friendly ghost.

I really wanted to dress up today but didn’t get the outfit organized.  My character for the day is Little Jimmy Dickens.  He is the 90-years young iconic star of the Grand Old Opry.   Little Jimmy and I are both short guys. Little Jimmy  is  4-foot 11 inches.  I’m taller than that thank goodness.   He is shorter than Dolly Parton (she is 5’4”).   He appears on the Opry about every Friday and Saturday nights.  He wears sequined studded cowboy outfits and sings the same songs and tells the same jokes every single show.  This weekend I couldn’t get enough of the song “May The Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose” off my mind. That was his number one hit song in 1965.

Halloween is one day out of the year we set aside to be something we are not- intentionally. When we dress up and be something we are not we do it for many reasons.  Sometimes it is to draw attention and other times it is just to get a laugh.   Halloween is becoming one of the biggest celebrations of the year in the United States.

What about the rest of the year?  Do we still wear and be our Halloween characters?  Do we wear our Halloween costumes during the Christmas season?

We are only one person.  Nobody is like us, and the one and only person whom God creates us to be. We are not somebody we want to be or someone we envy. I want to look like the body builder at the gym.  Oh I want the house or car somebody else has.  Oh that person has a dream job-I want that.    All the wants, and envy in life allows us to wear our Halloween masks and costumes year round.  They all create a mask and not allowing us to “be the me that God created us to be.”

Here are a few ways that I am working to remove my Halloween Mask and Costume all other 364 days of the year and “be the me that God created me to be.”

1. Always show Love-  even to those that are un-loveable and don’t love you back.
2. Give Grace every opportunity that I have.  Even when I feel like that I am 100% correct.
3. Show Kindness every opportunity that I have.   Little Jimmy closes every portion of his show thanking the audience for their kindness.

What are some ways that help you remove your mask and costumes the other 364 days of the year?

You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Abba in heaven; . . .
Matthew 5:43-45a

“May peace prevail upon the face of the Earth.”

Let us start right now, faithfully following in the way of Jesus, being peacemakers in our own time.

My Prayer
Holy One, help me to be more like Jesus, show me how to do the hard work of loving my enemies, praying for those who hurt me, loving others as you have loved me. Amen.

-copied from a well known Dallas based female PhD Reverend.

Words sometimes have bigger meanings than what we really expect and intend.  Recently I learned of a word I have been using some “dah” and its negative connotation.

For years I have tried to refrain from using the words  hate and stupid because of what the reflect and how oven they are used to take others down.

The television public service commercial about “hate” and its far reaching effects really made me notice that word.

I learned that “dah” is  just like calling someone stupid so I am going to watch myself in the use of that as well.

Why is it some people feel they have to drop the F bomb in every sentence they use?

What are some common words that set you off?