The Secret to a Happy New Year…

This is a reprint of a previous post....but it still rings true for this New Year!

Just about everyone starts off the New Year by making a few, well-thought out New Year’s resolutions. In fact, I would venture to guess that most of us reason that if we will remain true to our vision of a better “you” and will commit ourselves to the fulfillment of our resolutions…we will enjoy a truly HAPPY New Year…..The sad fact of the matter is that RARELY EVER HAPPENS.

So, in order to insure that you and my other faithful reader enjoy a blissful and extremely HAPPY New Year, I have decided to share my secret with you; although in truth, it really belongs to the apostle Paul. He wrote in Philippians 4:11-12 the following, “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low and I know how to abound. In any and EVERY circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.”

And there it is, my friend….in a few simple sentences, the great apostle Paul tells us the secret to happiness….for life, health, wealth and everything else. We need to learn contentment….whether in good times or bad, whether happy or sad, in plenty or want or abundance or need…..LEARN TO BE CONTENT AND YOU WILL BE HAPPY!

Now, I know that sounds almost too simplistic and as you stand there scratching your head, think on this….We learn contentment when we abandon comparison….It is the constant use of comparison that leads to discontentment. If we buy a new car that meets our needs, we have reason to be happy…. until we compare our ride to that of our boss or neighbor or anyone else who has a newer, sleeker model. The bloom of comparison leads to the seeds of discontent and there goes the joy and happiness that was once ours.

Time after time after time, when we compare what others have with what we don’t have, we tear down our foundation to happiness. We need to see what we have as sufficient for our needs…as God’s measured blessing to insure our happiness and to keep us focused on doing His will.

Whenever you trade your contentment for discontentment, you become myopic in your vision for the Lord’s work and in His will for your life. You become so self-centered in looking at what you don’t have that you are rarely thankful for what God has given….this is more than just seeing the glass as half-empty or half-full….it is a greater truth that speaks to the heart of who you are and who you want to be in Jesus Christ.

Contentment is a learned response to the actions of a loving God….you can choose to be happy with little or with much…with great wealth or abject poverty….with exceptional wellness or poor health….the list is inexhaustible ….but the choice is always yours ….and the correct choice will lead to contentment and happiness that is often inexplicable to those who view your life from outside the faith.

So, learn this invaluable lesson that Paul sought to teach each of us….in EVERY SITUATION, in EVERY CIRCUMSTANCE….don’t look around to see if others have more or less than you…learn to be content in your situation….then you will be able to live in the fullness of verse 13 in Philippians 4 that says, “I can do all things through Him that gives me strength.”

Choose today to be a person that lives with a flexible cup that is always ready to expand or contract  based on the Lord’s provisions…it is a mindset that will lead to contentment and one step closer to living a life that will honor your Heavenly Father….get started today; and oh, by the way, this is a secret that is okay to share with those you love….I know that’s what I intend to do.

Go On…..Make it a Happy New Year,

WPQ

Poem for the day:

Every year about this time,

The calendar begins to shrink...

And we are left to wonder,

To ponder and to think.

I am happy with what I have

Or am I a discontent...

That squanders all my blessings

Wondering where my money went?

For when I trust in the things I have

I'm left feeling empty and wanting more.

My joy and happiness come and go

Like living life in a revolving door.

But when I give my all to my Master;

My Savior...My Lord...My King!!!!

My heart is overflowing and

My soul will shout and sing...

Hosannas to HIM in the highest

I'm thankful for whatever comes my way.

I'm always blessed beyond measure

And thankful for each new day!

Make this new year your BEST ever...and give your Heavenly

Father the praise and adoration that He is due!

WPQ © Dec 2017

A HEAVENLY CHRISTMAS PERSPECTIVE...

The following is a reprint from a former post in 2017...but it definitley bears repeating; so,

If you are like a lot of folks this time of year, you begin to look at what you have and what you can give to those you love. After all, it is the Christmas season and that is the reason for the season ...to give to those we love and show them how much we love and appreciate them. But I would beg to differ and ask that we approach this season of gift giving from a different perspective ...to see Christmas from the one who gave and held nothing back.

I know that when man sinned and we fell from grace, God put into motion His plan of redemption ....and that plan called for justice and for the shedding of blood so that sins might not just be covered over, but might be forever removed.

Yes at Christmas, it is easy to get caught up in all the tinsel, lights, decorations and presents...and for those of us that believe in the birth of the Christ-child, we so love the compassion of a mighty God that sent His Son to be born as a babe and dwell among us...Emmanuel, God with us.

But the Christmas story is not about the child born to us....it is about the cross borne for us by a Savior, Jesus Christ the Lord. When God's plan went into effect that day in the Garden of Eden, God prepared all of Heaven for the sacrifice that was to come and though it began with the lowly birth of the King of the Universe, wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a lowly cattle stall...the true gift of Christmas was the sacrifice that Jesus made for us at the cross.

Jesus could have held His position in Heaven and told His Heavenly Father to come up with a new plan to save mankind; but He did not! He forsook all and stepped out of Heaven's glory to become the substitute for you and me. The cross and all its pain and suffering belonged to you and me...it was for our sins that we should have been nailed there; however, God would not let that happen because of His great love for His creation ...so He gave up His most precious Son and send Him to stand in your place and mine.

Yes, the story of Christmas centers around the CHILD; but, it is really about the CROSS and the love of the Father for His lost children, the joy of His creation. So, this Christmas, see the gift of Christmas in a new and heavenly perspective as you see what Jesus sacrificed for you in Heaven so that He could become the sacrifice for you on the cross. I promise if you do, Christmas will mean so much more than presents you give or receive.

Besides, if we know Christ as our Savior, we are already blessed beyond measure...what else could we possible need?

Wishing you a Merry Christmas through Heaven's Eyes,

WPQ

Poem of the day:

If you just celebrate Christmas

With lights and gifts and such...

You may miss God's greatest gift

And the joy of Heaven's touch.

For on that night so long ago,

When angels came from glory;

And heralded the baby's birth

To begin the Christmas story.

The night was filled with joyous song

As Heaven's light show filled the skies

And we now come to celebrate....

To see Christmas through Heavenly eyes.

wpq@2016

The Oil of Forgiveness

This is a reprint of a former post...

The Christmas season brings for many, the joy and celebration of spending time with those you love and adore, reveling in the traditions of Christmas past. Unfortunately, looking back to those past Christmases can also bring heartache, pain and the pangs wrought by unforgiveness. Who of us hasn't had a Christmas spat with a family member that leaves us feeling wounded and bruised; however, for most of us, we check our egos and extend the hand of love and forgiveness to each injured party and move on with our celebration of this holy season.

Maybe, you find yourself this Christmas season getting ready to avoid someone with whom you have been wronged.  The pain and hurt are still fresh on your mind and embedded in your heart...you have not been able to forgive, much less forget.

The apostle Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:32 that we cannot afford to live this way and be in right communion with our Heavenly Father...Paul says, "And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ."

After all, the true meaning of Christmas is the starting point of God's plan of salvation by providing Heaven's perfect lamb in the birth of His Son, Jesus Christ...the once and for all sacrifice that would show mankind the Father's immense love and make a way for us to be FORGIVEN and reborn as new creatures in Christ.

So if our great and holy God the Father can forgive us for our sins, shortcomings and mess ups that wound and destroy our relationship with Him; how much more can He expect us to forgive those we encounter that do likewise to us? If we were perfect, then we might expect to sit on our throne and demand better from those that we love...but let's face it...

NO ONE IS PERFECT EXCEPT THE RIGHTEOUS SON OF GOD...BORN IN A MANGER SO THAT HE MIGHT BECOME AS US, ONLY PERFECT! It is that perfection that allows him to wear the mantle of Savior, die for OUR SINS, be raised from the dead, and assume His rightful position, seated FOREVER AT THE RIGHT HAND OF THE FATHER.

Now, I don't know about you, but as a guy, I HATE rattles, creaks and noisy squeaks. In fact, on more than one occasion, I have pulled my car over and got out or under the car to find out where a rattle or squeak might be originating...and when found, I grab my little squirt can of WD 40 and apply liberally to the squeak...for me, it is the oil of liberation.

The same should be true for our injured relationships with our loved ones and the "squeak" of unforgiveness that keeps us uncomfortable and sometimes down-right mean and vindictive...that's when it is time to pull out the oil can of forgiveness and let it have its way in salving and solving the problem that keeps us at odds with a loved one. Use the oil generously as you ask for forgiveness or offer forgiveness to someone who may have wronged you. The one that apologizes first is saying "I love you and being with you" more than I love being right or pompous in my attitude. The one who forgives first says "I find my strength in holding tightly to the ones I love" more than I want to punish those who have hurt me. The one who forgets first says "My joy is complete when our relationship is as it should be....WHOLE AND WITHOUT BLAME AND OUR LOVE FOR EACH OTHER IS MY GREATEST TREASURE."

Maybe this Christmas season there is someone you need to forgive so you can begin to forget and move past the hurt...maybe, you're the one that needs to be forgiven...but in any case, someone has to squeeze the oil of forgiveness on the situation. If not, then another Christmas will come and go and loving one another as Paul commanded will be lost; yet another Christmas memory will be made...

So make memories that count and show the Father's love this Christmas...that will honor the Babe in the straw and give those you love a very Merry Christmas.

Loving the Babe...Making Memories with those I Love,

WPQ

Poem for the day:

Christmas is a wondrous time

Filled with unending joy...

As we each celebrate

Heaven's baby boy.

But our joy can go amiss

When others cause us pain

As we forget what God has done

With eternity our gain

So share His love and tenderness

Forgiving those you love

And in so doing you will share

The Father's boundless love....

Merry Christmas!

WPQ©Dec 2017

God Bless Our Troops & Families This Christmas

The following is a reprint from November 2009....And it still bears repeating this Christmas season.

Come Home for Christmas

For many years, probably dating back to my late twenties, I have tried each year to write a Christmas poem that embraces the reason for the season. The poems have been short, long, epic, comical, serious, whimsical but most of all, celebratory in nature. After all, the Christmas season is about celebrating the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. I have written about this holy season from almost every vantage point…from the donkey that Mary rode upon to the little angel in charge of the Heavenly Host, announcing to the shepherds the birth of Jesus….but this year, in light of all that is taking place in our country and around the world, my vantage point is a little different.

So many of our families have their loved ones spread across the globe, standing in harm’s way as they defend the sacred values and ideals that we as Americans hold so dear. It is to these brave, courageous men (and women) that I would like to dedicate the following poem …it is my prayer that God will watch over, protect and defend and under His great mercy, provide safe passage home to many of our military men and women this Christmas season. I ask that each of us do something measured and on purpose that will signify to our armed forces the value and dignity we bestow upon them….MAY THE GOD OF AMERICA PROTECT EACH OF YOU AND ANSWER THE PRAYER OF YOUR HEART ….TO BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS WITH THE ONES YOU LOVE,

Amen.


Come Home for Christmas

It seems like many years ago that you went away

I was just a tiny tot that loved to run and play.

But, Mom says that it was only about a year ago

When you were called to go to war…my, but time is slow.

I can’t believe that its time for Christmas once again

And you’re not here to celebrate with our family and friends;

To lift me on your shoulders; to place the star upon the tree;

To bounce me up and down on a bronco-buckin’ knee.

Today, we climbed into the attic with all the spiders, bugs and such

And Mom said I was really brave for helping out so much.

We gathered all the boxes of lights and Christmas stuff …

And that floppy-eared old hound dog that you and I named, “Ruff.”

Grandpop carried down the tree in that dusty old trash bag

And Mom started cleaning with her trusty dusting rag…

But, I was very quiet as I fought back all my tears

‘Cause Mom said you’re not coming home for Christmas this year.

Now, I know that you told me that I must try hard to be brave

‘Cause there were other kids just like me you had to go and save;

You had to go and fight in a war where valiant men would die

You told me to be “a brave soldier” and do my best not to cry.

Daddy, I’ve been trying to do just as you ask;

So I could kneel at my bedside with one simple task.

To pray that Jesus would keep you out of harm’s way

So He could send you home to us before Christmas Day.

Yes, I made this promise that I’m trying to keep;

That’s to pray for you every night until I fall asleep.

So I’ll obey all the grownups and do just what they say,

If Jesus will bring you back to us before Christmas Day.

I promise that I will be brave and not cry at all

If God will help my daddy and his men to stand tall;

To fight for all our freedoms and our American way

And let Daddy come home and celebrate this Christmas day.

I won’t ask Santa for anything even though I’ve been great,

If you’ll bring Daddy home to us not one minute late…

And so, dear God, if it’s okay to make one more request of you

Could you let all the other daddies come home for Christmas, too?

W. Patrick Queen

 November 2009

Please feel free to share this with others you know….especially if they have a loved one in the military this Christmas season…May God Bless each of you as you reach out for Him….

           

WPQ

A Baby Changes EVERYTHING....

My wife and I woke up this morning and before rolling out of bed, I looked at the clock (around 7:30 AM) and asked if she remembered what she was doing 28 years ago at that time of the morning...she smiled that precious smile of hers and said, "Oh, yes, I remember every moment of that day and I always will!"

You see today, December 20th, my wife and I will celebrate the 28th birthday of our daughter, Alyson Taylor Queen…and as her mother and I took a moment to walk down memory lane this morning, I was reminded of that age-old truth…A BABY CHANGES EVERYTHING!

I remember that during those long months of expectancy, I took a simple note card and in my rudimentary calligraphy wrote the following and placed it in Alyson’s crib….

COMING SOON…..ALYSON TAYLOR QUEEN.

As a father, expecting his first (and in my case, only child), I was filled with fear, trepidation and anxious moments as I anticipated this new arrival….would I be a good father? Would I know what to do and how to protect this small child? Would I, could I and should I filled my every thought, for as I have mentioned before….A BABY CHANGES EVERYTHING!

I’m sure that was true on that first Christmas night, two thousand plus years ago, as Mary and her betrothed husband unloaded the donkey and began to make a birthing bed for Mary. They probably waited in silence, huddled together to stave off  the cold night air as they awaited the miracle of birth. The cattle stirred and the bleating sound of the sheep interrupted their thoughts of what had happened in days past ….and look where they were now…for we all know….

A BABY CHANGES EVERYTHING…..ESPECIALLY WHEN HE IS THE SON OF GOD!!!!

And now, as another Christmas eve draws near (and 2,000 plus years later) the same is true….A BABY CHANGES EVERYTHING….for that was God’s intent all along. Through His prophet Isaiah, God foretold, “For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6

God came to us in a form and in a way that we could understand….He came as a baby and through His birth, His life, His death and His glorious resurrection, HE HAS CHANGED EVERYTHING. No longer does the notion that God is mad at us hold water...that He is hell bent on our destruction because of our sin and disobedience….He has shown His great love for each of us because He sent His son…His only Son to take our place; to pay our debt; to forgive our sins; to cleanse us from all unrighteousness; to make us a new creation; to give us eternal life as a free gift from Him….and it all started with a baby.

It is my hope that you know the Christ-child of Christmas not only as the babe in the manger, but as the Christ on the cross. I pray that the babe of Bethlehem lives in your heart and is the Lord and Savior of your life. I trust that for you this baby, God’s son, is the BABY THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING FOR YOU.

If not, why not?

Don’t let another day go by without the acknowledgement that you need a savior. Accept today that the baby born to Mary and Joseph so very long ago is the baby that changes everything …and if you are willing to confess that He is Lord and that His death on the cross paid your sin debt, you will have eternal life… and your forever life, in the presence of the Heavenly Father, starts the moment you invite this baby into your heart.

Trust your heart to the babe, God’s Son, EMMANUEL….GOD IS WITH US!

Be Blessed and Know that He is God,

WPQ

Poem for the Day:

Born that night in a cattle stall,

This one babe to die for all...

God's most precious gift was born

In a manger laid on Christmas morn.

Shepherds and Angels announced His birth

Glory to God...Peace on the Earth.

And with the Wisemen let us bring

Our precious gifts to Christ the King.

In each heart may the Savior's reign

Fill the skies and the lowest plains;

With our praise and everlasting joy

And all because of Mary's baby boy.

W. Patrick Queen @ December 2015

This is a reprint of a former post....Please share!

Each year at Christmas, I eagerly search across my radio dial trying to find the story of the Man and the Birds, as told my Paul Harvey. I find that in listening to that story, I am so wonderfully reminded of the love of God for each of us. On many occasions, I have been forced to pull off on the side of the road to listen to the conclusion of the story…it’s so hard to drive when your eyes are water-logged and leaking.

I hope and pray that during this Christmas season, you will have the wonderful opportunity to hear Mr. Harvey’s captivating telling of this timeless story…of Emmanuel, God with us. If not, then please read on and be forever blessed to know that the love of God was expressed…in human form…in a manager in Bethlehem…in a baby named JESUS.

The Man and the Birds by Paul Harvey:

The man to whom I'm going to introduce you was not a scrooge; he was a kind decent, mostly good man. He was generous to his family and always upright in his dealings with other men. But he just didn't believe all that incarnation stuff which the churches proclaim at Christmas Time. It just didn't make sense and he was too honest to pretend otherwise. He just couldn't swallow the Jesus Story, about God coming to Earth as a man.

"I'm truly sorry to distress you," he told his wife, "but I'm not going with you to church this Christmas Eve." He said he'd feel like a hypocrite. That he'd much rather just stay at home, but that he would wait up for them. And so he stayed and they went to the midnight service.

Shortly after the family drove away in the car, snow began to fall. He went to the window to watch the flurries getting heavier and heavier and then went back to his fireside chair and began to read his newspaper. Minutes later he was startled by a thudding sound...Then another, and then another.  Sort of a thump or a thud...At first he thought someone must be throwing snowballs against his living room window. But when he went to the front door to investigate, he found a flock of birds huddled miserably in the snow. They'd been caught in the storm and, in a desperate search for shelter, had tried to fly through his large landscape window.

Well, he couldn't let the poor creatures lie there and freeze, so he remembered the barn where his children stabled their pony. That would provide a warm shelter, if he could direct the birds to it. Quickly he put on a coat, galoshes, tramped through the deepening snow to the barn. He opened the doors wide and turned on a light, but the birds did not come in. He figured food would entice them in. So he hurried back to the house, fetched bread crumbs, sprinkled them on the snow, making a trail to the yellow-lighted wide open doorway of the stable. But to his dismay, the birds ignored the bread crumbs, and continued to flap around helplessly in the snow. He tried catching them...He tried shooing them into the barn by walking around them waving his arms...Instead, they scattered in every direction, except into the warm, lighted barn.

And then, he realized that they were afraid of him. To them, he reasoned, I am a strange and terrifying creature. If only I could think of some way to let them know that they can trust me...That I am not trying to hurt them, but to help them… But how?....since any move he made tended to frighten them, confuse them. They just would not follow. They would not be led or shooed because they feared him.

"If only I could be a bird," he thought to himself, "and mingle with them and speak their language. Then I could tell them not to be afraid. Then I could show them the way to the safe, warm barn. But I would have to be one of them so they could see and hear and understand." At that moment the church bells began to ring. The sound reached his ears above the sounds of the wind. As he stood there listening to the bells ….listening to the bells pealing forth the glad tidings of Christmas, he understood …. And he sank to his knees in the snow.

I trust that this Christmas, when you hear those church bells ring or the sounds of carolers lifting their voices in praise to the newborn babe, you too, will understand the message of Christmas….Jesus Christ is born and God is forever with us!

Merry Christmas….Happy Birthday, Jesus!

WPQ

Poem for the day...

On that starry Christmas night

Many centuries ago....

The King of Heaven left His throne

And came to earth below.

Not as a ruler or mighty king

but as a simple child;

Born of God and woman

This babe so meek and mild.

And in lowly cattle stall

In a manger filled with hay

The God of all creation

In a feeding trough did lay.

For one day he'd lay down His life

So our sin debt would be forgiven.

This precious babe of Christmas

Was the greatest gift that was ever given!

WPQ © Dec 2017