As we finish up the last gifts we finish up Chapters 12-14 with the gifts of Gratitude, a Day and Love. This will be my last post before our meeting this upcoming Saturday, January 30th, 8:30 AM-10:00AM. I will do my regular follow up completion of the book post next week after we have had our meeting. Let's get to it!
"In those times we yearn to have more in our lives, we should dwell on the things we already have. In doing so, we will often find that our lives are already full to overflowing." Chapter 12, The gift of Gratitude. As with each chapter and gift Red starts off explaining why he chose this particular gift to teach Jason. Red states during this video a statement that couldn't be more true, "I have always found it ironic that the people in the world that have the most to be thankful for are often the least thankful, and somehow the people who have virtually nothing, many times live lives full of gratitude." Red continues to explain how he learned about something that helped keep his gratitude in check, The Golden List. The Golden List is something that Red would do every morning, before he got out of bed, he would think of 10 things he was thankful for that morning. Jason's challenge is to think of a list to provide to Mr. Hamilton and continue the tradition of thinking of your own list each morning. As you have probably guessed Jason makes it through this task demonstrating 10 great things to be thankful. I challenge you to do this if you don't already have some version of The Golden List you do your self in the morning. When you get up think up your own list and thank God for that list and the fact that you just got up another morning!
"Life at its essence boils down to one day at a time. Today is the day!" The gift of a Day is our Chapter 13. Our chapter opens up on Mr. Hamilton reflecting on his friendship with Red. Red comes on the video screen and shares with Jason the task of planning how he would want to spend the last day of his life. Red tells Jason he wants him to discover what he already has, "Why should we wait until the last day of our lives to begin living the maximum day?" Jason returns after a month with his description of his last day. You could say that he def got the point that Red was trying to get across to him and he realized that instead of doing anything really spectacular it's the simple things that are so important. It's the time spent with family and friends that in the big perspective you can't afford to waste or let things go unsaid. Red talks about how the younger we are and we realize the gift of a day the better we are for it. I pray that each of us keeps this in mind day today and that you don't put off things that are important to you or could be important to others.
"Love is a treasure for which we can never pay. The only way we keep it is to give it away." Our last gift, Chapter 14, The gift of Love. Red starts out on the tape reminding Jason with a few more comments concerning the gift of a day, "..probably nothing that you would plan for your last day of life that you couldn't do today or tomorrow. Somehow, I think life's tragedies are made up not as much of the great failures as the simple pleasures and kind gestures missed." Red tells Jason this about his gift of love, "Anything good, honorable, and desirable in life is based in love." Jason's task for this last month is to review all his past gifts and explore how love is a part of each one. Jason returns and is able to correctly reflect on how love was involved in each gift Red gave to him. I won't repeat each one but what he has to say about the final gift, love. "If I were going to really try to define The Gift of Love in tangible terms, I would have to cite as an example what my Uncle Red did for me and gave me during this last year. When we truly love someone else, our love makes us a different person, and it makes them a different person." "My Uncle Red's love for me in giving me The Ultimate Gift, forever changed my life and who I am." It is so encouraging to see this change in Jason considering how he behaved at the beginning of the book. Jason is happy, encouraged and ready to continue living his new found love for life. But.. not to soon... He soon finds out that there is just one more part to The Ultimate Gift. After our meeting tomorrow I will come back next week, go over our last chapter and share some details of the meeting. Hope to see you there! Happy Reading!
Friday, January 29, 2010
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
The gifts of Laughter, Dreams and Giving
Today we are going to go through 3 gifts in one post again. Chapters 9-11 are the gifts of Laughter, Dreams and Giving. I hope you haven't gotten too tired of the repeating aspects of the book. Bare with me! Here we go!
"Laughter is good medicine for the soul. Our world is desperately in need of more medicine" Chapter 9 part of the Ultimate Gift is the gift of laughter. Red asks Jason to find someone as an example with the ability to laugh at themselves and their situation and that can be happy through life regardless. Jason brings in Mr. David Reese, a blind man who finds humor in everything. Mr. Reese and Jason met on a train one day and David taught Jason what it means to laugh whatever the problem in your life, even a life long blindness. Mr. Reese tells Mr. Hamilton before he leaves something that would do us all good to remember, "Sometimes in life, you either laugh or cry. And I prefer to laugh." Jason passes this month and moves on to the next.
"Faith is all that dreamers need to see into the future." Chapter 10, The gift of dreams. Red tells Jason he wants to teach him about the gift of dreams because he feels it is probably one of the most important gifts. He tells him,"The gift of dreams allows us to go out and get any other gift we want out of this life." He wants Jason to make a list this month of dreams and prioritize that list and see what he is passionate about, he wants Jason to become a dreamer. At the end of the month Jason came to visit the attorney's office and he shared his big dream. "Somehow, some way, I would like to be able to help deprived young people live a good life. I don't really mean poor young people. I mean young people who have not learned the power and the passion and the values that they can have which will make their lives worth living. Somehow I am going to do for other young people what my Uncle Red is doing for me." After reading that.. I think we all know he passed this month!
"The only way you can truly get more out of life for yourself is to give part of yourself away." Chapter eleven and last chapter we will go over today is The gift of giving. Red starts by telling Jason the following," Conventional wisdom would say that the less you give, the more you have. The converse is true. The more you give, the more you have. Abundance creates the ability to give; giving creates more abundance. I don't mean this simply in financial terms. This principal is true in every area of your life." Jason gives something of himself for 30 days straight, something Red could not have already provided him with. I won't go through and list each one but each day involved the gift of himself doing something for someone else. Jason succeeded and learned what all can truly be given to another person, large and small. The chapter ends with Mr. Hamilton's thoughts, "I was reminded of how a small gift when it is given can be a magnificent gift as it is received."
We are almost done and to our next meeting, only a few more gifts left! I hope you are blessed by them! Happy Reading!
"Laughter is good medicine for the soul. Our world is desperately in need of more medicine" Chapter 9 part of the Ultimate Gift is the gift of laughter. Red asks Jason to find someone as an example with the ability to laugh at themselves and their situation and that can be happy through life regardless. Jason brings in Mr. David Reese, a blind man who finds humor in everything. Mr. Reese and Jason met on a train one day and David taught Jason what it means to laugh whatever the problem in your life, even a life long blindness. Mr. Reese tells Mr. Hamilton before he leaves something that would do us all good to remember, "Sometimes in life, you either laugh or cry. And I prefer to laugh." Jason passes this month and moves on to the next.
"Faith is all that dreamers need to see into the future." Chapter 10, The gift of dreams. Red tells Jason he wants to teach him about the gift of dreams because he feels it is probably one of the most important gifts. He tells him,"The gift of dreams allows us to go out and get any other gift we want out of this life." He wants Jason to make a list this month of dreams and prioritize that list and see what he is passionate about, he wants Jason to become a dreamer. At the end of the month Jason came to visit the attorney's office and he shared his big dream. "Somehow, some way, I would like to be able to help deprived young people live a good life. I don't really mean poor young people. I mean young people who have not learned the power and the passion and the values that they can have which will make their lives worth living. Somehow I am going to do for other young people what my Uncle Red is doing for me." After reading that.. I think we all know he passed this month!
"The only way you can truly get more out of life for yourself is to give part of yourself away." Chapter eleven and last chapter we will go over today is The gift of giving. Red starts by telling Jason the following," Conventional wisdom would say that the less you give, the more you have. The converse is true. The more you give, the more you have. Abundance creates the ability to give; giving creates more abundance. I don't mean this simply in financial terms. This principal is true in every area of your life." Jason gives something of himself for 30 days straight, something Red could not have already provided him with. I won't go through and list each one but each day involved the gift of himself doing something for someone else. Jason succeeded and learned what all can truly be given to another person, large and small. The chapter ends with Mr. Hamilton's thoughts, "I was reminded of how a small gift when it is given can be a magnificent gift as it is received."
We are almost done and to our next meeting, only a few more gifts left! I hope you are blessed by them! Happy Reading!
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
The gifts of Learning, Problems and Family
Today we are going to go over three chapters together. Because these are so small I decided not to break them up like I have been doing. So let's start with our next gift in Chapter 6, The gift of Learning.
"Education is a lifelong journey whose destination expands as you travel." The gift of Learning is to be learned by Jason on Red's orders at a library in South America. The library is named after Red and houses books that are rarely seen sitting on the shelves. The people in this remote village in South America have such a desire for knowledge that they are constantly reading. Jason who has always had access to such knowledge never realized the impact it can have on someone who is limited in their access to learning and books. Jason gets through his lesson and learns that the desire and hunger for education is the key to real learning. I think Jason's problem just may well be a common one. Those who are born into free education and limitless access to knowledge take it for granted. Where those who a book is like hope are more grateful and anxious to learn more. Hopefully Red has made his point and Jason will be better mindful of the knowledge he takes for granted.
"Problems may only be avoided by exercising good judgment. Good Judgment may only be gained by experiencing life's problems." In chapter seven, Jason is learning about the Gift of Problems. Red tells Jason in the video that he must find 4 people from the 4 stages of life who have problems and learn from them. He tells Jason that he feels like he always handled all Jason's problems so he didn't have to and that he feels bad about it because Jason needs those life skills. He tells him, "When we can learn from our own problems, we begin to deal with life. When we can learn from other people's problems, we begin to master life." Jason sets off to learn a lesson from each situation he meets. He comes back a month later and tells Mr. Hamilton and Miss Hastings his stories. First he met a child, Emily, who is dieing from terminal cancer. Emily was full of life even with her situation and enjoying a simple beautiful day at the park as if nothing could stop her, not even the cancer. Second person Jason met was a middle aged man named Bill Johnson whom was trying to make ends meet for his family. And even though his family were barely scraping by he was happy and had a wonderful outlook on his life. He knew that even though things were not going his way he was still blessed with the time and love now spent with his family. Third Jason found an old man attending his wife's funeral. But rather than being grief stricken he was joyous and celebrating the life she had lived and even there thanking her for all she ever did for him. Lastly Jason uses himself as the example for the young person. He makes the case that no one he met during the month learned as much as he did during this time. He says what lays at the heart of it all, " I finally know that joy does not come from avoiding a problem or having someone else deal with it. Joy comes from overcoming a problem or simply learning to live with it while being joyful." Jason ends this gift successfully and rushes off to go visit a special friend at the park. Have you learned the lesson that problems are going to come but it's up to you to get through them and see the joy you can have on the other side? Don't forget that there is always someone there with you that's not mentioned in the book, The Holy Spirit.
"Some people are born into wonderful families. Others have to find or create them. Being a member of a family is a priceless membership that we pay nothing for but love." Chapter eight and the last chapter we will go through today is the gift of Family. This month Red sends Jason to what would seem an unlikely place to learn about families, an orphanage. Red tells Jason that he thinks Jason may be able to understand after this trip how important families are and the bond that can be formed from love between them rather blood related or not. Jason spends his month as a house parent with lots of boys and does come out better for it. As they leave the orphanage Jason seems to finally understand and he says, "I think family is not as much about being related by blood as it is about relating through love."
Thankfully Jason is moving along and we will get to more gifts on another day. Happy Reading!
"Education is a lifelong journey whose destination expands as you travel." The gift of Learning is to be learned by Jason on Red's orders at a library in South America. The library is named after Red and houses books that are rarely seen sitting on the shelves. The people in this remote village in South America have such a desire for knowledge that they are constantly reading. Jason who has always had access to such knowledge never realized the impact it can have on someone who is limited in their access to learning and books. Jason gets through his lesson and learns that the desire and hunger for education is the key to real learning. I think Jason's problem just may well be a common one. Those who are born into free education and limitless access to knowledge take it for granted. Where those who a book is like hope are more grateful and anxious to learn more. Hopefully Red has made his point and Jason will be better mindful of the knowledge he takes for granted.
"Problems may only be avoided by exercising good judgment. Good Judgment may only be gained by experiencing life's problems." In chapter seven, Jason is learning about the Gift of Problems. Red tells Jason in the video that he must find 4 people from the 4 stages of life who have problems and learn from them. He tells Jason that he feels like he always handled all Jason's problems so he didn't have to and that he feels bad about it because Jason needs those life skills. He tells him, "When we can learn from our own problems, we begin to deal with life. When we can learn from other people's problems, we begin to master life." Jason sets off to learn a lesson from each situation he meets. He comes back a month later and tells Mr. Hamilton and Miss Hastings his stories. First he met a child, Emily, who is dieing from terminal cancer. Emily was full of life even with her situation and enjoying a simple beautiful day at the park as if nothing could stop her, not even the cancer. Second person Jason met was a middle aged man named Bill Johnson whom was trying to make ends meet for his family. And even though his family were barely scraping by he was happy and had a wonderful outlook on his life. He knew that even though things were not going his way he was still blessed with the time and love now spent with his family. Third Jason found an old man attending his wife's funeral. But rather than being grief stricken he was joyous and celebrating the life she had lived and even there thanking her for all she ever did for him. Lastly Jason uses himself as the example for the young person. He makes the case that no one he met during the month learned as much as he did during this time. He says what lays at the heart of it all, " I finally know that joy does not come from avoiding a problem or having someone else deal with it. Joy comes from overcoming a problem or simply learning to live with it while being joyful." Jason ends this gift successfully and rushes off to go visit a special friend at the park. Have you learned the lesson that problems are going to come but it's up to you to get through them and see the joy you can have on the other side? Don't forget that there is always someone there with you that's not mentioned in the book, The Holy Spirit.
"Some people are born into wonderful families. Others have to find or create them. Being a member of a family is a priceless membership that we pay nothing for but love." Chapter eight and the last chapter we will go through today is the gift of Family. This month Red sends Jason to what would seem an unlikely place to learn about families, an orphanage. Red tells Jason that he thinks Jason may be able to understand after this trip how important families are and the bond that can be formed from love between them rather blood related or not. Jason spends his month as a house parent with lots of boys and does come out better for it. As they leave the orphanage Jason seems to finally understand and he says, "I think family is not as much about being related by blood as it is about relating through love."
Thankfully Jason is moving along and we will get to more gifts on another day. Happy Reading!
Friday, January 22, 2010
The Gift of Friends
In Chapter 5, The Gift of Friends, the beginning quote is as follows, "It is a wealthy person, indeed, who calculates riches not in gold but in friends." We start the chapter with the old Jason... past couple chapters we had seen the glimmer of a change in heart but at the beginning of this one he's back. He receives Red's mission that he must find an example of true friendship that demonstrates his principles. Red tells him that the people he calls friends are "weak hangers-on." And Red tells a story of true friendship between him and Mr. Hamilton as a wonderful example.
Jason arrives back at the office a month later and tells Mr. Hamilton and Mrs. Hastings a story of what he believes true friendship is between Gus Caldwell and Red Stevens. Jason says this about friendship, "The best I can do is to say that friendship involves loyalty, commitment, and a process that includes sharing another person's life. It even goes deeper than that, but it's hard to put into words." Because of his manor and his story he passes on to the next month with the Mr. Hamilton's approval. It's encouraging to hear Jason is beginning a friendship with one of the people he helped during the money chapter. Another lesson that I believe youth of today need to learn. With bullying at such a high, kids need to know that real friends wouldn't treat you certain ways or use your friendship as a tool against you. Real Friendship is not something that can be paid for.. hence bringing back the saying, Money can't buy you everything! I pray each of you reading this knows the benefits of a true friendship. Have a great weekend!
Jason arrives back at the office a month later and tells Mr. Hamilton and Mrs. Hastings a story of what he believes true friendship is between Gus Caldwell and Red Stevens. Jason says this about friendship, "The best I can do is to say that friendship involves loyalty, commitment, and a process that includes sharing another person's life. It even goes deeper than that, but it's hard to put into words." Because of his manor and his story he passes on to the next month with the Mr. Hamilton's approval. It's encouraging to hear Jason is beginning a friendship with one of the people he helped during the money chapter. Another lesson that I believe youth of today need to learn. With bullying at such a high, kids need to know that real friends wouldn't treat you certain ways or use your friendship as a tool against you. Real Friendship is not something that can be paid for.. hence bringing back the saying, Money can't buy you everything! I pray each of you reading this knows the benefits of a true friendship. Have a great weekend!
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Cast of Characters by Max Lucado
I just finished up reading Cast of Characters by Max Lucado. This is the second book I have read by Max, the first being one of my favorites, Traveling Light. We read Traveling Light as our January Selection in 2009. Cast of Characters is one of Max's newer books and I picked it up one day a while back in the $5 book store in the outlet mall. I have just now gotten around to reading it as I am scouting out books for our book club this year. This is a non-fiction book that is 222 pages long with discussion points behind every chapter. Here is what the description states from Max's website:
We find our stories in theirs. We find our hope where they found theirs. In the midst of them all...hovering over them all...is the hero of it all: God. Maker.
Shaper. Rescuer of sinking hearts.Do you believe that God can use you to accomplish extraordinary things? If you have any doubts, take a look at the heroes in the Bible. You'll find people like Mary, Peter, David, Joseph and Esther--ordinary people who allowed God to work through them in amazing ways. In Cast of Characters, Max Lucado gleans from several of his best-selling works to present some of the Bible's most interesting lives. Each chapter includes related Biblical text and discussion questions for individual or group study. Come closer to God's heart for you, by spending time with this cast of characters. Cast of Characters contains 22 character studies, profiling both men and women who loved and were loved by God. These heroes—from King David to Joseph, Moses to the Samaritan Woman, Abigail to Lazarus—may be known for their achievements, but Lucado explores how God accomplished more through their failures than their successes. Lucado reveals how these ancient biblical characters are relevant to modern concerns among people such as doubt, rejection, insignificance, purpose, humility, suffering, risk, and consequences. Extraordinary stories are told about the following characters: Mary, Peter, Matthew, The Samaritan Woman, Esther, David, Joseph, and more… (end quote)
I have to say I was not as in to this book as I had been with Traveling Light. Not to say that it wasn't good reading. I did like the way that Max presents you with the related scripture first on a character and then would take their story and make it sound like something going on in modern day times that makes it easier to relate too even though it's still the same story! How wonderful our God is a God of second chances and wants and uses imperfect people like you and I! I do not feel that this book will make it to our book club selections but that's not to say you wouldn't enjoy it. I believe as others have said about Traveling Light that it is a book that you may have to just be in that time in your life for it to be the most beneficial. I have several other Lucado books on my list to read and do hope we will feature another of his again sometime this upcoming year. Happy Reading!
We find our stories in theirs. We find our hope where they found theirs. In the midst of them all...hovering over them all...is the hero of it all: God. Maker.
Shaper. Rescuer of sinking hearts.Do you believe that God can use you to accomplish extraordinary things? If you have any doubts, take a look at the heroes in the Bible. You'll find people like Mary, Peter, David, Joseph and Esther--ordinary people who allowed God to work through them in amazing ways. In Cast of Characters, Max Lucado gleans from several of his best-selling works to present some of the Bible's most interesting lives. Each chapter includes related Biblical text and discussion questions for individual or group study. Come closer to God's heart for you, by spending time with this cast of characters. Cast of Characters contains 22 character studies, profiling both men and women who loved and were loved by God. These heroes—from King David to Joseph, Moses to the Samaritan Woman, Abigail to Lazarus—may be known for their achievements, but Lucado explores how God accomplished more through their failures than their successes. Lucado reveals how these ancient biblical characters are relevant to modern concerns among people such as doubt, rejection, insignificance, purpose, humility, suffering, risk, and consequences. Extraordinary stories are told about the following characters: Mary, Peter, Matthew, The Samaritan Woman, Esther, David, Joseph, and more… (end quote)I have to say I was not as in to this book as I had been with Traveling Light. Not to say that it wasn't good reading. I did like the way that Max presents you with the related scripture first on a character and then would take their story and make it sound like something going on in modern day times that makes it easier to relate too even though it's still the same story! How wonderful our God is a God of second chances and wants and uses imperfect people like you and I! I do not feel that this book will make it to our book club selections but that's not to say you wouldn't enjoy it. I believe as others have said about Traveling Light that it is a book that you may have to just be in that time in your life for it to be the most beneficial. I have several other Lucado books on my list to read and do hope we will feature another of his again sometime this upcoming year. Happy Reading!
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
The Gift of Money
"Money is nothing more than a tool. It can be a force for good, a force for evil, or simply be idle." Thus says the quote at the beginning of our next chapter. Red gives Jason the task to learning about the value of money by giving him $1,500.00 to help 5 strangers. He tells Jason that "All the money in the world won't buy you one more day of life. .... To you money has always seemed like the air that we breathe. There's always more." Because Jason has no idea how a little bit of money can help or change some one's life he must go and give the money away. Once he gives people the money they can focus on real and important issues in their world.
Jason returns at the end of the month and gives the stories of the 5 people he helped with the $1,500.00 and how he even put in $300.00 of his own money to good use. We begin to see even more of a change of heart in Jason as he makes it successfully through another gift. Similar to what Red had Jason do I have heard before where people are given an amount of money at church or something else and told that they can not spend it on themselves but make some one's day. This one particular story told of how when church let out one day they were each given an envelope with $10. The pastor told them before they left to use it for another. One person said that when they were in the Starbucks drive through they gave the cashier the $10.00 and said to pay for as many drinks as it would cover behind her in the line. Just think of what that did for that person (s) that received that unexpected gift. Even a small gesture such as this can brighten some one's outlook on life.
Jason doesn't know the value of money and Red is right to give him the lesson. So often today kids do think that credit/debit cards and ATM's are a money tree and that their parents are made out of it. I think this would be a neat lesson to teach those still learning such as a youth group what the difference money can make when it's shared. Thank you for reading. Next time, Chapter 5, The gift of friends.
Jason returns at the end of the month and gives the stories of the 5 people he helped with the $1,500.00 and how he even put in $300.00 of his own money to good use. We begin to see even more of a change of heart in Jason as he makes it successfully through another gift. Similar to what Red had Jason do I have heard before where people are given an amount of money at church or something else and told that they can not spend it on themselves but make some one's day. This one particular story told of how when church let out one day they were each given an envelope with $10. The pastor told them before they left to use it for another. One person said that when they were in the Starbucks drive through they gave the cashier the $10.00 and said to pay for as many drinks as it would cover behind her in the line. Just think of what that did for that person (s) that received that unexpected gift. Even a small gesture such as this can brighten some one's outlook on life.
Jason doesn't know the value of money and Red is right to give him the lesson. So often today kids do think that credit/debit cards and ATM's are a money tree and that their parents are made out of it. I think this would be a neat lesson to teach those still learning such as a youth group what the difference money can make when it's shared. Thank you for reading. Next time, Chapter 5, The gift of friends.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
The Gift of Work
The first gift that Jason receives is, The Gift of work. "He who loves his work never labors" I like that quote and it's a good thought, something that I think about often lately as I try to discover what I want to go back to school for, what I want to start a career in. I know that I want to love it. Several ideas have come about but I know that my heart would not be in the right place so therefore it indeed would be a great labor. Like Red Stevens is teaching Jason, good comes from the work we do and I do enjoy it. Yes sometimes the work we do is not enjoyable but it brings me joy to get an honest days work in and provide for my family. Something we may have learned, but most of the Steven's family has no clue about. And something that many people in this upcoming generation are experiencing as well.
We see Jason go through this lesson and come out successful on the other side and we begin to see a glimmer of change. He does the difficult task of putting in fence posts and I think what Gus tells Jason at the end of the chapter is the heart of where this lesson lies, "If you can do this kind of work with pride and quality, you can do anything." Yes, these chapters and lessons are brief but monumental. I can already think of several people who have no idea what the gift of work is all about. May be something simple to you but something that we all need to remember to tell those who will come after us to pass on this life lesson and to pray for those who don't know it yet. Happy Reading!
We see Jason go through this lesson and come out successful on the other side and we begin to see a glimmer of change. He does the difficult task of putting in fence posts and I think what Gus tells Jason at the end of the chapter is the heart of where this lesson lies, "If you can do this kind of work with pride and quality, you can do anything." Yes, these chapters and lessons are brief but monumental. I can already think of several people who have no idea what the gift of work is all about. May be something simple to you but something that we all need to remember to tell those who will come after us to pass on this life lesson and to pray for those who don't know it yet. Happy Reading!
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