I like a list of resolutions prepared by the Rev. Walter Schoedel. He calls
them ‘7-UPS for the New Year.’ No, this has nothing to do with the soft
drink. These 7-UPS fall under the heading of attitudes and actions.

The first is WAKE UP–Begin the day with the Lord. It is His day. Rejoice in
it.

The second is DRESS-UP–Put on a smile. It improves your looks. It says
something about your attitude.

The third is SHUT-UP–Watch your tongue. Don’t gossip. Say nice things.
Learn to listen.

The fourth is STAND-UP–Take a stand for what you believe. Resist evil. Do
good.

Five, LOOK-UP–Open your eyes to the Lord. After all, He is your only
Savior.

Six, REACH-UP–Spend time in prayer with your adorations, confessions,
thanksgivings and supplications to the Lord.

And finally, LIFT-UP–Be available to help those in need–serving,
supporting, and sharing.

If you’re going to make New Year’s resolutions this year, let me suggest
Rev. Schoedel’s list.

Why do we bother to make New Year’s resolutions in the first place? Why do
we feel this need each January 1 to set new goals? Maybe it is because
resolutions help us to identify our priorities. They answer the Question:
how do I want to invest my time, energy, money, and talents in this New
Year? The New Year reminds us that time is passing. It is up to each of us
to maximize the potential of every moment.

Walter Schoedel
______________________

Keep Your Head Right

Pastor Stephen Brown taught swimming and diving for a number of years. He
tells about a young boy named Billy. Billy had watched so many professional
divers and wanted so much to dive like them that he refused to take time to
learn the basics. Time after time Brown tried to help Billy see that the
most important thing about diving was to keep his head in the proper
position. If his head entered the water properly, Brown explained, the rest
of his body would enter the water properly–at least, more properly than it
had been. Billy would dive into the pool, do a belly flop, and come up
grinning, “Mr. Brown,” he would shout, “were my feet together?”

“Billy, I don’t care whether your feet were together or not,” Brown shouted
back. “Make sure your head is straight, then everything else will work out.”

The next time Billy would stand on the edge of the pool and really
concentrate. Then he would dive and, once again, make a mess of it. “Mr.
Brown, were my hands together?”

“Billy,” Brown would groan in frustration, “I’m going to get you a neck
brace and weld it onto your head. For the hundredth time, if your head is
right the rest of you will be right. If your head is wrong, the rest of you
will be wrong.” (4)

And isn’t that true in all of life? If our head is wrong, our marriage will
probably suffer. If our head is wrong, our priorities will be fouled up. If
our head is wrong, it may even affect our health in a negative way. God
understands our distress and God seeks to make us new persons so that we can
handle our distress more effectively.

Stephen Brown, When Being Good Isn’t Good Enough, Nashville: Thomas Nelson
Publishers. Adapted by King Duncan
____________________

Let Us Work

There are many churches today that are “out to lunch” when it comes to
reaching out to change the world. But fortunately, there are many other
churches–and many church members–who are seeking the best they are able,
to make a difference in the world. Let me give you one example of a follower
of Christ who gives us a reason to believe in the future.

His name is Burl Cain and he is the warden at The Louisiana State
Penitentiary, commonly known as Angola. This institution used to be one of
the nation’s bloodiest and most brutal prisons. Then, in the early ’80s,
Burl Cain became the new warden at Angola. Cain is a devout Christian; he
put his beliefs into action in reforming the prison. He established literacy
classes throughout the prison, even on Death Row. He increased the number of
prison chaplains. He also allowed a local seminary to teach Bible studies at
Angola. He also insisted that the guards treat inmates with respect.
Consequently, incidents of violence have plummeted, and more prisoners are
enrolling in education courses.

Warden Cain was particularly instrumental in the life of one inmate, Antonio
James. James was a convicted killer who spent about sixteen years on Death
Row. The night before his execution, Antonio James asked Cain to eat his
last meal with him. Cain had counseled James in the past and introduced him
to Christ. Now James wanted to know what it would be like to die. Cain
assured him that angels would come to take him to heaven. As Antonio James
prepared for his lethal injection, Burl Cain held his hand and spoke to him
about God. James’ last words to Cain were, “Bless you.”

As long as there are disciples of Christ like Burl Cain, there is hope for
the world. The question you and I need to ask ourselves is, are we doing our
part? This is a crazy world, but it is also a God-invaded world. “The Word
has become flesh and dwelt among us . . .” Christ has redeemed us that we
might work in his behalf to redeem the world.

Martin Fletcher, Almost Heaven (London: Little, Brown and Company, 1998),
pp. 133-142. Adapted by King Duncan
________________________

Humor: Resolutions

Wife to Spouse: “I don’t want to brag, but here it is February and I’ve kept
every one of my New Year’s resolutions. I’ve kept them in a manila folder in
the back of my desk!”

Orben’s Current Comedy
_________________________

Who You Really Are

Let me tell you another story from Rabbi Marc Gafni. Gafni recalls one of
the first bar mitzvahs he ever performed. It was for a boy named Louis.
Louis was awkward and sad. His insensitive parents did little to encourage
his self-esteem. They implied that he was too dumb to learn the traditional
Hebrew passages a boy recites for his bar mitzvah.

Rabbi Gafni was determined to bring out the best in Louis. He spent extra
time teaching him the songs and prayers. He discovered that Louis was
smart, and had a fantastic singing voice. On the day of his bar mitzvah,
Louis performed beautifully. At the end of the ceremony, Rabbi Gafni stood
and spoke directly to Louis. He said, “Louis, this morning you met your
real self. This is who you are. You are good, graceful, talented, and
smart. Whatever people told you yesterday, and Louis, whatever happens
tomorrow, promise me one thing. Remember . . . this is you. Remember, and
don’t ever lose it.”

A few years later, Louis wrote to Rabbi Gafni. The boy whose parents
predicted that he was too dumb to perform a traditional bar mitzvah was
studying for his medical degree at an Ivy League university. He was also
engaged to be married. Louis ended his letter by saying, “. . . I kept my
promise—I always remembered my bar mitzvah morning when you said that this
is who I am. For this, I thank you.”

Marc Gafni, The Mystery of Love (New York: Atria Books, 2003), pp. 120-121.

_______________________

Strain Forward

Paul gives us specific directions for living each day. Paul in Philippians
says, “Forgetting what lies behind, I strain forward to what is ahead.”

If you have ever been to a circus, you’ve no doubt seen the huge bull
elephants chained to a peg in the ground. Perhaps it has occurred to you
that the elephant could easily pull the peg out of the ground and escape.
However, he does not try. As a baby elephant he was tied to a huge stake
that he could not pull out of the ground. Weeks of pulling and tugging only
wore a trench around the stake, and finally he gave up. Now that he is
full-grown, with great strength and the physical ability to pull the peg out
of the ground, he remembers only the futility of past efforts and does not
even attempt to escape. He is conditioned to failure. If you are straining
forward to what is ahead this New Year, let us make a fresh start and forget
the things that may have been holding us back in the past.

Dr. Arthur Caliandro, of Marble Collegiate Church, New York City

119:10 With my whole heart, I have sought you.
Don’t let me wander from your commandments.

Proverbs 8:17

119:11 I have hidden your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you.

119:12 Blessed are you, Yahweh.
Teach me your statutes.

119:13 With my lips,
I have declared all the ordinances of your mouth.

119:14 I have rejoiced in the way of your testimonies,
as much as in all riches.

119:15 I will meditate on your precepts,
and consider your ways.

119:16 I will delight myself in your statutes.
I will not forget your word.