Tia Price

“And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”
Luke 1:33

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate His reign this year.  May you and your family be blessed in the coming new year and in years to come.  From our family to yours, Merry Christmas!

During my reading time today I came across the coolest thing I’ve read about in a long time. In her book, Until We Reach Home, Lynn Austin writes about how two characters, who speak different languages, communicate with each other by using passages in the Bible. The male character (German) would right out a passage location and the female (Swedish) character would look up the passage in the Bible of her translation.

It made me think about how many topics the Bible really does cover. Just think how universal it is; how many cultures and people are bonded by its words. I don’t know my Bible well enough to communicate with someone who doesn’t speak my language but I want to now.

How many people must have known their Bibles that way? You know, before radios, TV, video games, software, and the Internet. Before great big libraries, concordances and city life. For some, the Bible might have been the only book they owned. How often did they read their Bibles and how long would it have taken them to know it enough to think of a passage and know its location immediately? All these questions and other thoughts ran through my mind.

My solution is memorization. My daughters are memorizing verses every week. I did to when I was younger and still do. My problem is that I have grown accustomed to my concordances and online Bibles. I never placed value on knowing where to find the scriptures I memorized. I know so many and yet most of them I would not be able to find without the help of the instruments mentioned above. I think I will start my new found endeavor by going back and memorizing the locations of the scriptures I know (using my special instruments of course :-))

It is a small step but one I will take to reach my ultimate goal. How well do you know your Bible?

Has the current economy got you thinking about the true meaning of Christmas, your spending habits, and how much time you are spending with family and friends. Which would you appreciate more; a thoughtful handmade gift or a $25 dollar gift certificate? Would you have chosen differently last year? Are you sending out less Christmas cards and making more phone calls and sending more email greetings than before? Are you putting more focus on spending quality time with family or trying to avoid them because you can’t keep up with the gift-giving? Don’t get caught up. Think about what this season really means to you and follow your heart.

This season I’ve made a commitment to sharing. Sharing God’s love, sharing my time, and sharing my knowledge with others. I will serve others and in doing so demonstrate God’s love for us. I will share my time with my family and in doing so cultivate a closer bond with my girls before they hit those teenage years. I will share what I have discovered about debt and how to be free from it with everyone I encounter and release those families tied down by it so that they can enjoy life again.

I won’t worry about who I give presents to and who I didn’t. I won’t worry about how much or how little I am spending. I won’t complain about what gifts I receive or don’t receive. I will share. Those who will receive, will receive and those who will not, will not.

God’s love: John 3:16
My Time: Volunteering and Family Nights
My Knowledge: Debt Elimination

On my way to taking my girls to school today (later than usual, I might add) I took a moment from my hurried thoughts to notice the snow on the highway. The wind was blowing it to and fro and as it moved it looked as if it were clouds moving across the sky. It gave the impression that we were flying above the ground, above the madness of the morning rush, above the reality of the moment. I felt such peace. What little wonders God has for each of us to discover if we’d only take the time.

Today’s lesson: Take a moment to find your peace in the midst of madness.

“Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things. “