Around the same time I discovered Rosie Thomas’s Christmas album (see last week’s post), I also found Mindy Smith’s “My Holiday,” which is equally sublime. You can listen to samples below to confirm and validate that this album is worthy of giving away.

You want it? Leave a comment (here or on Facebook if you’re a “friend”) and you’ll increase your chances of winning 100%. Guaranteed. (Winner to be decided Sunday…)

Find a fireplace, pour yourself some hot chocolate (or a glass of wine), grab a good book and make this your soundtrack to holiday bliss.

- Kevin

Song Picks: I Know The Reason, Follow the Shepard Home, My Holiday

Official Site for My Holiday

Amazon (Currently only $5 for the MP3 album!)

Spotify

Here’s the deal: when I read books, I underline the good parts in various colors. I figure physically interacting with the book helps me remember the nuggety goodness therein. But I want to be sure that I learned everything inside it, so after the underlining, I then dictate the sections, recording them as an MP3.

Then when I go to bed at night? I can pick and choose which “book” I need a refresher on, and listen to the audio summaries as I drift off to sleep, absorbing it all into my ultra-fertile subconscious mind.

Does it work? I think so, but I’m honestly not sure. I can’t help but think the more I retrace the grooves of truth that these books have to offer, the more streamlined my thinking becomes.

Over the years I’ve read and dictated books in the following six categories:

• Prayer

• Money

• Faith

• Living

• Thinking

This week I’m starting with Stormie Omartain’s “Just Enough Light for the Step I’m On.”

As I’m struggling to understand God’s will and purpose in my life here in Washington, this book is perfectly timed. It’s short and easy to read, but it is thick with how to harness a straightforward, bold faith. Which, I’ll be honest, I don’t have a lot of sometimes during this season of my life.

It’s hard to stay focused on Him, to remain hopeful when I’m watching a handful of my hopes and dreams slowly shatter in front of me. But I believe if I choose to submit to Him in this trying time, I’ll come through it faster and stronger.

Lord knows He’s brought me through hard times in my life before.

My job is to follow His voice and step forward where He leads, even when it’s down a dark, stanky alley.

- Kevin

Just Enough Light for the Step I’m On – Stormie Omartain

Subject: Faith

Time: 29:12

Key Thoughts:

He constantly calls you to step beyond your comfort zone.

Your tomorrow is determined by the steps you take today.

He wants to accomplish great things through you that can ONLY come by living a life of faith and obedience.

 He wants you to be so convinced of His presence in your life that even when you can’s sense it or see it, you know that He is there.

Don’t believe you’re out of God’s will just because you’re facing dark circumstances.

God prefers to give us just enough details to keep us dependent on Him.

We always hope that God will lift us above our circumstances, but often He want us to walk with Him through them.

Ask God to give you a new perspective, because you don’t always see the whole truth. Be willing to let go of your determination to see things through your own tunnel vision.

It’s in the wilderness that you’ll be convinced you won’t achieve anything of lasting importance without His help.

God wants to separate you from all that you crave so that all that you crave… is Him.

Forget any plans that you might have on accomplishing your purpose on your own. He wants you to be completely convinced that it won’t happen without Him.

You can’t do whatever you feel like doing and then ask God to bless it. 

I stumbled across this album a few years ago and fell in love with Rosie’s soft voice and catchy songwriting. So now I’m buying you a digital copy of A Very Rosie Christmas for FREE! (Provided you leave a comment here or on Facebook… and are the lucky winner randomly picked on Sunday).

Listen to “Christmas Don’t Be Late” or “Christmastime is Here” to get an idea of what’s in store.

Her MySpace page has the best audio links, so far…

Why is it so volatile? Because it’s the repository of all sorts of strong, negative emotions. Hurt. Anger. Bitterness. Revenge. Hatred.

Yet for some reason we’ve come to comfort ourselves with letting it into our lives, like some kind of non-paying houseguest. The role models of the world – the actors and politicians and businessmen and pop stars – they all seem to deal with it just fine. Heck, some even revel in their resentment half the time, teaching a whole new generation to stay firmly focused on the only thing that they say matters in this world: you.

But it’s not true.

Comfy, Chewy Centers

You are not the most important part of your relationships. Your all-consuming comfort? Your central happiness at all costs? Your obsessive longing for supreme satisfaction with all things, at all times? Not the primary plot point of your life’s story. At least, not if you want to live a life worth living.

Life is about people. Other people. It’s about engaging in and maintaining relationships. Period. Whether it’s your parents, your in-laws, your brothers or sisters, your friends or strangers, your employer or employees or your children or your spouse, the degree of your success in life is going to largely be gauged by how well you learn to play nicely with others.

And that means forgiving.

Forgiveness vs. The Future

Your ability to forgive is the key to your happiness in life. Forgiving when it’s deserved. Forgiving when it’s not. Forgiving when you’re hurt through a misunderstanding, or when it was done with sheer malice in mind. Forgiving when you’ve been beaten down physically, emotionally or mentally. Forgiving when you’ve been forgotten, or ignored, or insulted. No matter what anyone does to you in this life to upset or hurt you, the only way you’re going to heal… is to forgive.

Because when you choose not to forgive? You’re poisoning yourself. It’s a slow death, to be sure. Almost imperceptible. But it’s there, the aching wound inside you, and it will continue to fester just underneath your skin. You may think you’ve risen above or moved beyond the pain, but unless you actively extend an olive branch of peace? You’re only kidding yourself.

Here’s the kicker: Whatever you decide to do with your bitterness today will determine your happiness tomorrow. Your choice to nurture your unforgiveness will establish a habit in your life, so the next time someone offends you? Hurts you? Wounds you deeply? You’ll already know what to do, because it’ll come naturally to you.

You’ll choose not to forgive.

But the same is true if you choose to go down the wiser, more difficult road of forgiveness. The more you forgive those who offend you? The easier it becomes. Whether you’re forgiving a minor offense or the Mother of All Offenses, your deliberate decision to forgive the people in your life will have a dramatic and lasting impact on your life in the future.

Your comfort. Your happiness. Your satisfaction with all things.

The Now and Laters of Life

Walking through the temporary pain and discomfort now leads to lasting comfort later. Giving up your personal need for justification and retribution today will directly affect your personal peace tomorrow.

The seeds you’re planting deep in your heart today, regardless of whether they’re sour or sweet, will eventually explode into a harvest in your life. Roses or thorns, the choice can only be made by you.

What astounds me is the number of couples who think they can pursue a close, intimate relationship with God while they actively resent their spouses inside. It just doesn’t work that way. It can’t. Mark 11:25 makes this perfectly clear.

“And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”

Catch that? Did you fully grasp what that’s saying? Your willful decision to not forgive is the same as a willful decision to sin. Jesus Himself explained that your hating your brother is the same as murdering him. Murdering him. So why in the world do you think a holy God is going to listen to and honor your heartfelt prayers when your heart is so full of hate?

Forgiveness Is A Choice

So let me underscore this message once again, because I think it’s the key to every relationship you’ve had, are currently in or will ever have in the future:

People are going to hurt you. Accidentally. Blatantly. Badly. Often.

Your choice to give in to bitterness will be immediately gratifying, and will have lasting, miserable results.

Your choice to forgive (even when forgiveness is undeserved) will have eternal, satisfying rewards.

You are the only one who can make this choice.

And it is a choice. Not a feeling or a notion or emotion.

Forgiveness Is A Choice.