In Developing Countries;
- it is easier to come up with gift ideas,
- (if you have the funds for it),
- there are many things that people need
- but do not have; indeed
- cooked food was the gift that
- my mother dispatched
- (through us children)
- to neighbors, extended family, and friends
- as a sign of good will at Christmas time;
- watches, shoes, garments, jewelry, dishes, sheets,
- pens, books, personal music player, TV, computers, toys, etc.
- are all also great gift ideas.
In affluent societies like in the Western World
- coming up with the perfect gift at Christmas
- can be a challenge;
- because most people use
- their regular incomes or
- credit cards to buy what they
- One option is to buy
- high-end gifts or
- exotic and rare versions
- (which can be very pricey)
- of things people use on a regular basis.
- Regular folks therefore have to work harder to give the perfect gift;
- here are a few suggestions of how to give the perfect gift.
The perfect gift takes time
- Start early, as early as September;
- listen to everyday conversations,
- listen to expressed desires and aspirations
- and make a note for gift ideas from those conversations.
The perfect gift may be an ‘experience’
- Gift ideas do not have to be ‘things‘
- they can be
- a vacation, cruises, concert, a trip to a destination
- museum/zoo visits or theme park rides, air fare, special trips;
- time off work, housekeeping, or baby sitting;
- an offer of cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping;
- scholarship, tuition contribution, tutoring,
- a special radio station/you-tube, blog post announcement, etc.
The perfect gift should be personalized, customized or handmade;
- an autographed book/ticket/music/fan wear,
- (from the author or composer, or admired person)
- monogrammed items:
- a person’s name, initials or special message,
- can be inscribed on
- silverware, bathroom set, plaque, musical instrument;
The perfect gift must fit the personality of the receiver
- Some people want big
- (the amount spent is impressive)
- others look for small details
- (how rare, how much effort, how much thoughtfulness!)
- Some people are visual
-
- others are action oriented, still
- others are moved by sound, etc.
- Some people like things, others like ‘experiences.’
- Some people want to keep up with their peers
- (they get gifts that are popular)
- others want to know that ‘they’ are unique
- (they get gifts just for them);
- How do you know what is the perfect gift?
- People usually give the type of gift
- that THEY like to receive;
- use that to guide your gift giving
- TO THEM!
- not the other way around
- do not give what you cherish
- (I once gifted a hat to my wife
- that she has never used;
- it was something I fancied for myself!)
The perfect gift may be what someone tells you they want
- They tell you directly or respond if/when you ask.
- Some apps make it easy to create a registry for gift requests.
This should have been posted before Thanksgiving Day. All the same,
“Better Late than never,” and on thanksgiving week,
I heard one radio announcer say:
“Thanksgiving is not a day, it is an attitude of the heart.”
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-
T – THANK and PRAISE God
- for all things BIG and SMALL!
- And do not forget
- the precious people in your life!
-
H – HEALTH AND LIFE
- are things we can all be thankful for
- even if we are ill at a hospital
-
A – APPRECIATE and ADMIRE
- the beauty of God’s creation around you.
-
N – NAME and NUMBER
- your blessings,
- its a rewarding experience,
- including the precious people in your life.
-
K – KINDNESS and THANKSGIVING
- in the heart
- are twin siblings in the same home.
-
S – A SMILE and a CHEER;
- want to see it on the face of the deserving?
- Just say, “Thank You!”
- from the heart
- and with a warm smile!
-
G – GIVING and RECEIVING:
- The one exists not without the other
-
I – ICTUS;
- Five Greek letters for ‘fish‘:
- Jesus, Christ, God, Son, Savior:
- at least one reason to “give thanks!”
-
V – VISION and VALUE:
- Nothing says:
- “I see and I value what you have done” like when you say
-
I – INSIDE and OUTSIDE:
- A thankful heart, expressed outwardly in sincere words
-
N – NICE and NEW:
- Thanksgiving is always that
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-
G – GOOD to GREAT:
- ‘Good Gifts’ become ‘GREAT GIFTS,’
- when it is received with a heartfelt:
Some Basic Truths For Meaningful, Happy and Successful Life
Believe that:
-
There is a God Almighty
- He is
- He sees
- He knows
- He loves
- He will judge
- He is sovereign
- (owes no one any explanation, and is
- free to do whatever he wills,
- He is Holy but he is also merciful
-
You are Special
- One of a kind
- In a good way, despite or because of
- what you did in the past
- what someone did to you in the past
- your DNA profile
- where you were born
- You have something to say, to give, to contribute, to do
- in this world;
- a legacy to leave behind,
- a mission to accomplish, and
- a dream to fulfill.
- Your life has meaning!
- You are of infinite value
- to God who loves you and died for you
- to those who love you
- mom, dad, grandpa, grandma, siblings, bff etc.
- You add meaning, joy and happiness to their lives.
- For those who may not ‘love’ you,
- They are not looking at your true value.
- They are looking at something other than
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-
Things can and Do Change
- Other opportunities will open
- Closed doors may become open
- New doors will open up
- ‘Doors’ can become walls or
- ladders may be provided to scale walls!
- People can change
- Friends can become enemies
- Bosses can become subordinates
- Doubts can become trust
- Opponents can become team-mates
- Miracles (impossible ‘coincidences’) can happen
- New methods, medications, procedures, approaches will be invented
- making it easier to get where you want to go in your life!
-
Reality, Facts, and Truth Rule in the Long Run
- There are no ‘alternative facts’
- Opinions, feelings, emotions, loyalties change, facts don’t
- Evidence based choices are best
- Respect True Scientific Discoveries
- God is the ultimate scientist
- They are foundation to practically all human achievements
-
The Other Side of Life Will Be Different
- All tears will be wiped away;
- No more sorrows, sickness, death, or evil,
- No more scammers, swindlers, thieves, liars, sociopaths;
- Those who (we) think they ‘got away with it’
- will not escape the ultimate justice,
- If you have invested in it!
- I recommend Jesus to you, Personally!
- Don’t think there will be need for ‘Faith’
- Faith will become sight
- It will be like the Garden of Eden all over again!
Follow Reach Ministries on Twitter and Facebook; Contact: reach4himwdray@gmail.com
YOU CAN DO THIS, LET’S DO THIS!
In order to have a meaningful and successful Life after Defeat, Step 1 is to separate Who YOU ARE from WHAT HAPPENED (the event). Now the next steps:
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- Take Time to Reflect
- Avoid far reaching decisions while you are ‘feeling blue.’
- Choices under such conditions are likely to be
- emotion driven,
- ill advised, and
- wrong.
- Learn from the experience.
- Who to trust
- What to do
- A better way
- Keep Things in Perspective
- The Time Perspective
- There may be other opportunities.
- Take the long view.
- How will this look one, two, five, or ten years from now?
- How will this look from the other side of eternity?
- You may have gone through this in the past,
- remember how you made it through then?
- The ‘Others’ Perspective
- In the past your ‘win’ meant others lost!
- Your experience may not be the best,
- but it is not the worst either.
- Others have survived such things
- The ‘God’ Perspective
- He lives, he sees, he knows, he understands, and
- He is in control
- He does not make mistakes
- All Things Are Possible with him
- Consider Alternatives
- Do it again!
- Success sometimes (often) comes only after several tries
- ‘Third time is the charm’
- Believe!
- Adjust Your Line of Attack (approach)
- More and better preparation
- Note the ‘signs’ along the way and make adjustments
- Change Direction
- You may not be a fighter pilot but
- you will be able to design the planes they fly in
- You may not qualify or be approved to be a doctor
- but you will be an excellent nurse practitioner or
- a medical technician, or a surgical nurse, etc.
- You may not qualify to become an engineer
- but you will be an excellent and successful mechanic!
- You get the idea!
You can Do this – Let’s Do this!
Contact: reach4himwdray@gmail.com
The place
How do we get there in prayer?
- Renounce evil.
- Push past
- the mental/intellectual distractions
- Is the stove off?
- Did I respond to that email?
- If so, can it be misconstrued, how?
- Did I pay that bill?
- If only my team did not make that play
- we could have won that championship!
- What did my spouse/child/sibling/co-worker mean/do when ….?
- That dress was not right for the wedding reception!
- The latest political controversy!
- My elbow is itching,
- Push past,
- The ‘Time-Keeper’ Stage
- How much time has passed
- ‘Has it been 5, 10, 20 minutes already?’
- ‘How much longer can I keep this up?’
- ‘Gimme gimme’ stage
- ‘Lord, bless ….’
- ‘Lord, I really need this money/job…’
- ‘Lord, if only you would heal…’
- ‘Lord, please help…’
- “this is ‘fun’, stage”
- I love this prayer song
- I am having fun singing this worship song
- This is a one man concert
- This feels good
- Push past,
- The problem solving stage
- Issues appear more clearly to the mind while praying.
- Problem 1
- This is the main issue
- This is the solution
- Problem 2
- This is the key problem
- I can resolve it by doing ‘a’, ‘b’, and ‘c’.
- This is useful
- I got to get to it, right now!
- Stop the prayer, be practical, take the next step!
Now you are at the top what do you do!
- Praise! Praise! Praise!
- Holy, Holy, Holy!
- Worthy, are you Lord!
- May your will Be done!
- Let Your Kingdom come!
- Be glorified!
- Pure Praise! Pure Worship!
- Mountain Top Worship!
- Peace, Joy in the Lord!
- Time stands still!
But you got to go back down
- from the Mountain top to the earth
- to live among people, and
- let the Glory shine through you!
- That’s the whole purpose!
We are Designed by God to Reach out to Him and to Others; To Reach Out for Love and Towards our Dreams!
Reach!! 