As you prepare your heart and home for Christmas this year, consider the following words of wisdom and have Christ be the center and essence of your celebration.

• If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows, strands of twinkling lights and shiny balls, but do not show love to my family, I'm just another decorator.
  
  
  
• If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas cookies, preparing gourmet meals and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime, but do not share the true meaning of Christmas, I'm just another cook.
  
  
  
• If I work at the soup kitchen, carol in the nursing home and give all that I have to charity, but do not demonstrate kindness to strangers, it profits me nothing.
  
  
  
• If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and snowflakes, attend a myriad of holiday parties and sing in the choir but do not focus on Christ, I have missed the point.
  
  
  
• Love stops the cooking to hug the child. Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the husband. Love is kind, though harried and tired.
  
  
  
• Love doesn't envy another's home that has coordinated
• Christmas china and table linens. Love doesn't yell at the kids to get out of the way, but is thankful they are there to be in the way.
  
  
  
• Love doesn't give only to those who are able to give in return but rejoices in giving to those who can't. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. Love never fails.
  
  
  
• Video games will break, pearl necklaces will be lost, golf clubs will rust, but giving the gift of love will endure. --Author Unknown
  
  
  

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. Romans 15:4





Me? You must be kidding! Why me? What am I supposed to tell them? And what if they don't believe me? What if they laugh in my face? I mean ... I'm no public speaker ... I can't even speak right; I'll let all tongue-tied. Can't you pick somebody else? Please? Use somebody else, Lord; anybody but me!







Moses sure had a hard time getting his mind off himself and his own insecurities. Can anybody else relate to that besides me? Even though God had promised him in great detail all He would provide for him, Moses chose to focus on himself and his personal areas of weakness.







We are no different than Moses. Left unchecked, an unhealthy preoccupation with self will cause us to deny God's promises and provision for us. That's unbelief, and that's not a good thing for a believer to be marked by. Unbelief will lead us straight into a paralyzing lifestyle of fear and anxiety and that's not what Christ died to give us (John 10:10).







As Moses stood debating the Burning Bush, his attitude changed. All his insecurities were still there, along with his fear, trembling and stammering tongue, but he submitted to God's provision and strength to accomplish the task through him, For everything you're not, Moses, I AM (my paraphrased).







Are you struggling to accomplish something today that is out of your league, so to speak? Are you challenged with too much "life" right now that makes it difficult to put one foot in front of the next? There's a lesson here and hope for all of us. No matter what the circumstances you're facing right now; the lesson is this: I AM. Shift your focus from your own success or failure to His glory, His power, His provision. Remember that no matter what the call is to, be it ministry, marriage, motherhood, care-giving, marriage-building, child-rearing, relationship-mending, addiction-breaking& you name it; if He calls you, He will equip you to get it done!







You can do all things, through Him, beloved& all things through Him who gives you the strength& and exactly what you need (Philippians 4:13). Time spent in God's Word is never wasted time. Spend some time with Him today and believe His promises for you!







Happy trails&



xx - Punky

Men have so many things pressing down on them as a father; husband and provider it seems like things are always getting screwed up. "I forgot my kids birthday! I missed my kid's football practice! I got yelled at by my wife for not picking up Junior from a sleepover! I missed another meeting at work!" You know the drill.



What seems to be a good day is crushed by screwing up again because so much is demanded at home and at work. How can I ever get things back on track!



It seems often times overwhelming - but balance and priorities are achievable. It will not happen overnight, but you can work at some basics that will "unscrew" the crazy situations that you find yourself in each day. Here are a few points to get rolling in the right direction.



1. If you live in the Dallas area - start attending the Gathering of Men luncheon series that starts on Sept. 19, 2007. Highland Park Presbyterian. Check out our home page to find out more info. www.thefourprities.com.



2. Begin a three-times-weekly routine of reading and exercise. Most guys are not fresh mentally because their body is not stimulated and they are not learning, laughing or engaged in any drama or action in a good book or magazine. Take 45 minutes to read and go for a walk, bike ride or run three times a week. You will be amazed at what a difference it will make in your week.



3. Have a family meeting for 1/2 hour each week. Your schedule is probably as crazy after work as it is during the day. Set aside this time for everyone in the family to get together and go over their schedule for the week. It is amazing how much you will remember about the rhythm of your week just by meeting each week even if you dont write it all down!



4. Put away your phone and email for at least 3 hours a day in non-working hours. In our fast paced world it is almost impossible not to respond to work or personal email before or after work hours. However - you cannon let it dominate everything! If you get at home at 6 pm - don't look at anything for two to three hours and connect personally with yourself and your family and then give yourself 1/2 hour to address the phone or email each evening if necessary. But, pick a block of time to totally shut down and focus on your self and your family.



5. Eat Together as a family at least 2 times a week.



Start with these five basic steps this next week and let me know how it goes. It wont go perfect - but life is not about perfection it is about progre

Men have so many things pressing down on them as a father; husband and provider it seems like things are always getting screwed up. "I forgot my kids birthday! I missed my kid's football practice! I got yelled at by my wife for not picking up Junior from a sleepover! I missed another meeting at work!" You know the drill.



What seems to be a good day is crushed by screwing up again because so much is demanded at home and at work. How can I ever get things back on track!



It seems often times overwhelming - but balance and priorities are achievable. It will not happen overnight, but you can work at some basics that will "unscrew" the crazy situations that you find yourself in each day. Here are a few points to get rolling in the right direction.



1. If you live in the Dallas area - start attending the Gathering of Men luncheon series that starts on Sept. 19, 2007. Highland Park Presbyterian. Check out our home page to find out more info. www.thefourprities.com.



2. Begin a three-times-weekly routine of reading and exercise. Most guys are not fresh mentally because their body is not stimulated and they are not learning, laughing or engaged in any drama or action in a good book or magazine. Take 45 minutes to read and go for a walk, bike ride or run three times a week. You will be amazed at what a difference it will make in your week.



3. Have a family meeting for 1/2 hour each week. Your schedule is probably as crazy after work as it is during the day. Set aside this time for everyone in the family to get together and go over their schedule for the week. It is amazing how much you will remember about the rhythm of your week just by meeting each week even if you dont write it all down!



4. Put away your phone and email for at least 3 hours a day in non-working hours. In our fast paced world it is almost impossible not to respond to work or personal email before or after work hours. However - you cannon let it dominate everything! If you get at home at 6 pm - don't look at anything for two to three hours and connect personally with yourself and your family and then give yourself 1/2 hour to address the phone or email each evening if necessary. But, pick a block of time to totally shut down and focus on your self and your family.



5. Eat Together as a family at least 2 times a week.



Start with these five basic steps this next week and let me know how it goes. It wont go perfect - but life is not about perfection it is about progre

John Tolson with professional tennis player Monica Seles. John and Monica became friends after Monica was stabbed on the court during a tennis match.


As we see many couples struggle with family issues we are constantly thinking of what direction can be given to help them get on the right track. Often times we make things far more difficult than they really are when it comes to first steps. Here are a few quick and easy suggestions that you can start with today!!!!!!!!




" Pray for your family (daily) by name.




" Read the Scriptures with your family. Start with the book of Psalms.




" Men take your wife out again for the very first time.




" Have a family time at least once a week. (Family time is not watching TV together.) Try playing board games, walking, shooting hoops, tennis, camping, going to a concert, eating meals together.




" Set spiritual goals for your kids.




" Get your children involved in compassion work (serving) in your community.




" Catch your kids doing something right and praise them.




" Take your son/daughter to dinner.




" Show affection to your kids.




" Ask your children to forgive you when you fail them.


" Pray for your kids friends who are struggling.




" Develop a spiritual mission for your family. Take the time you spend planning a ski trip and put together a meaningful purpose for your future.




One of my [John's] favorite things to do to this day is teach kids how to shoot free throws! I look back at all the conversations I had with my kids while doing something as basic as that. Find some things that you and your family think are a blast and go do them. And, along the way you will have tons of natural opportunities to have conversations about failures and successes. Find out how you can walk along together as a family through all of it!




If you have some good ideas let me hear them on my blog. We always want to pass along to others what is working for your family!


Warmly,


John & Punky

John Tolson Hanging out with David Robinson and Dallas Mav Coach Avery Johnson after chapel service when they were both with the Spurs

One of the biggest myths about the Christian faith is this: just confess Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and all your problems will flow away! (I said that like a southern evangelical preacher with a mighty big twang.) Then the next thing that happens is that the new believer becomes frustrated that his or her life does not change overnight like promised - and they give up.






Don't get me wrong - great things do happen in our life in Christ - but it is not a magical spell that is cast which causes a lifetime of hurt to go away. It is more like a process - that is why I refer to it as a PROGRESSIVE relationship with Christ and loving yourself. Throughout Scripture we see stories of God's people blowing it in a major way! But, each time - God uses that experience to help that person to learn and grow in their spiritual life.






The reality of the New Testement is that people's lives become humanly troublesome but more spriritually fullfilled. None of them get fixed and do everthing right. As a matter of fact - the guy who wrote most of the letters in the New Testament, the apostle Paul, referred to himself as the "cheif of all sinners" in his latter days of his life. One of the greatest teachers of the Bible was blowing it on a daily basis yet still, God used him in a mighty way.






So, a much more Biblical way of looking at this issue is to say, "Help God! I screw up every day and I need Your help and forgiveness!"






And you know what? God will never love you any less because of your mistakes and He will not love you any more because of your great deeds. He loves you because you are His creation put on earth with a purpose. He wants you to progress and do wrong less and serve Him and others more.






So, pitch the magic wand. Know God loves you each and every day regardless of your mistakes and learn more about His Word and the direction it can give you and your family. He will love you through all of your days of blowing it!