Hope

Hope is anticipating that which is to come. Hope equips us to believe that things can be different.

In the OT, Gods people waited in anticipation of God keeping His promise for them & the world. Hope that the prophecies were true, that He hadn’t changed His mind. That deliverance & redemption for mankind was coming.

We celebrate Christmas because that hope came one night.

Jesus is hope. Therefore we look at hope in a new context. I believe in several ways actually.

• In Christ we have hope because of the assurance of the resurrection & eternal life. So we can look to His next coming with confidence.
• We know His salvation, we are recipients of the promise, and we know the way of deliverance & redemption. He has changed & continues to change us & our circumstances. We are never without hope.
• He is a Living hope, resident in us that allows us to extend hope to others.
• How can we extend hope to those who feel helpless, marginalized, & hopeless? Our befriending those in these situations brings hope to them, hope comes & stands next to them, talks to them, perhaps gives them something.
• Hope is the first step in recovery or change.
• Life begins with hope

Do you see hope being shared all around us at Christmas time? I believe this is the time of year we have great opportunities to bring hope to people. Can I encourage you to look for them?

Giving Thanks in all circumstances

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. NIV

Are you finding it hard to be thankful this year?, not feeling very celebratory? Every year some people face this holiday weighted down by memories or situations that make it hard to be thankful. But I think this year the continued disruption to all our lives is weighing heavy & we are tired.

When I look at Paul’s instruction to us, I see the need for us to look for Gods goodness, love, and faithfulness in our lives, even if it’s just a spec we can be thankful for. We may even find ourselves praising Him & our whole perspective changing.

The first thanksgiving followed a time of great uncertainty, challenges, & loss. Yet their thanksgiving celebration lasted 3 days. President Lincoln called for a thanksgiving during the Civil War because he was amazed at the abundant crops in such a time of troubles.

So let’s spend some time between now & our thanksgiving table to consider our reasons to be, because it’s Gods will for us to be thankful.

 Eight things to think about Retirement.

Should I even?

*Understand your motives. Is retirement just a cultural expectation or a life transition strategy for you?

*Some careers use us up either physically or mentally. If so, maybe it is time to do something else if you can.

*Some careers are very enjoyable & life affirming so perhaps that is best for you.

*Some careers can transition to a satisfying part time effort to give you life flexibility. 

I retired for 3 reasons. 1. Unusual retirement plan financial incentive. 2. I did feel career complete after 38yrs. 3. Desire to do volunteer ministry.

So let me encourage you, I found that if you can & desire to retire, there is plenty of useful & meaningful volunteer opportunities. I’ve had absolutely no regrets.

Dollars - have a financial plan

*Lots of advisors out there.  Find one you trust & much younger than yourself.

*We are 12 years into a 30 year plan - planned for 15 active then cruse.

*No debt - a borrower is a slave to the lender. Be done with letting them direct your life.

*Establish a stable spending profile/lifestyle. Protect the nest egg.

*Careful about depending on consulting market for part time work. Some have done well, But generally short shelf life of your knowledge once you leave field.

*Don't assume job market. Likely not much opportunity comparable to what you left. 

Dreams

*If you have big plans for anything have them funded before you retire - do not use nest egg. 

*Important to follow dreams you can afford.

*Why would you all of the sudden become jet setters? World travelers or motor homers? If you had not been interested before you retired. *Compulsive spending & investing are the real dream killers in retirement.

*Careful about following the kids. Your roots are important. Kids often move back to home area they grew up in. 

*Pursue some interest inspires you. Painting, pottery, golf, serving others?

Health

*Minimum fitness plan - movement of some kind.

*Work may have provided more physical activity than you realized.

*Measure weight often. Awareness helps manage.

*Both Physical & mental health are important. I confess I did well on both of these the first 5 years, not so much the last 7. Mostly because I deviated from the plan.

Relationships

*Perhaps your workplace was where most of your relationships lived?

*Was work providing cover for family relationship issues?

*Increased presence will have an impact on home life. Many have gone back to work because of feeling underfoot at home.

*Building new relationships with new activities should bridge the gap for you.

Significance 

*Most of us leave work at most significant career level. Peak sense of value, respect, skill, & achievement. Expect feelings about this. May be a sense of loss or void until you find meaning in something else.

*Need reason to get up, something to do beside chores, home projects, & golf.

*Some return to any job, just to feel useful.

*Volunteer world can really use you. However it’s easy to just do stuff, need to look for things that also bring meaning to your effort. They are out there.

Time Management

*Most work places drive our life schedule.

*As do kids school activities, or parent care.

*Your time management was generally a reaction to the demands of others. So it can be an uncomfortable challenge to manage yourself.

*Create a routine out of your other activities. Fitness,dreams,purpose, etc.

Spirituality 

*You’re in the final period, or qtr. to use sports analogies. You & likely your peers & friends also. 

*Your own mortality will increasingly come into view. Loss of people you know that are your age will be a constant reminder. 

*Avoid getting caught up in could of been/should of been thinking about the past. Enjoy the good memories of the past, but focus on the legacy you want to leave.

*Make new friends of generations below you to keep a more balanced view of life.

*Thoughts of Eternity will affect your thinking, particularly if it's unsettled. 

* I will leave you will this final thought. I have both observed & experienced far more peace & freedom if ones thoughts of eternity are settled by Jesus.

 Thanksgiving, Love, joy, hope, & peace.

I was inspired by what a preacher said on the radio, although I had already been thinking about this. “Even if we are in the last of the last days, approaching a world as in the days of Noah, how do we respond?” 

Challenge & Tribulation have been the companions of the church since its beginning. Still very obvious in many parts of the world today. Those times also stirred actions that saved many souls & brought positive changes to communities & nations. So maybe we have entered an unprecedented opportunity in our nation for the church? Do we really believe that God reigns in all circumstances?

We are entering into our traditional Christian holiday season. Like last year it appears it’s going to be disrupted from tradition one way or another. Perhaps this is a call for us to really look deep into our purpose & calling? How will you experience & promote thanksgiving? How will the Love, Joy, Hope & Peace, of the advent be manifested in your life in such a way to be seen & shared with others? Perhaps now more than ever the Gospel in word & deed needs to be experienced by those around us. 

It is good for us to remember & celebrate the significance of the past, but let's do it with our eyes fixed on the things to come. Let’s look to Jesus for the new opportunities He may have placed before us. 

“For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭1:10‬ ‭NLT‬