4 Living Life to the Fullest Lessons from the movie Last Holiday

I must admit that the movie Last Holiday charmed me because of the warmth of the two lead actors, Queen Latifah and L.L. Cool J.  In that red dress Queen Latifah is styling to the max!

The love story between the Queen and L.L. won't win any famous awards but the life lessons of the story are hard to resist.  Here are four of those lessons that I hope will help you:

1. That Special Trip or Vacation is Definately Worth SAVING For!  

The depth and length of this recession we find ourselves in, the Great Recession (some are calling it) reminds us that spending some and saving some of our precious dollars is what we all need to do.  Saving for travel can be exciting because the anticipation of visiting famous destinations can sustain us until it's time to go!   We all can benefit by looking forward to a time when we can throw caution to the wind and just kick back and enjoy ourselves.....even if it's only for a little while.

  2.   Don't Keep Your Talents to Yourself!

Queen Latifah's character, Georgia from New Orleans, was so careful about her life that she kept her talents hidden and obscured.  She kept them to herself.  But when a doctor told her she only had 3 weeks to live (sorry to spoil for you if you haven't seen it yet)  all of a sudden she let her talents flow.  And folks took notice too.  Your talents are meant to be used and shared.  USE THEM!

 3.   Let Love Take Hold

L.L. Cool J's character, Sean, didn't even know that Georgia was diggin' on him.  Not really.  But once he got the hint he could follow up and it turned out he was carrying a torch for Georgia himself.  They looked like a happy couple on screen.  We've got to let the folks we love know it.  We've got to let go of all that fake shyness and let love flow! 

 4.   Don't Be Shy About Making New Friends

Another lesson of the movie was the relationship that developed between Queen Latifah and the french chef at the hotel where she was staying in Europe.  He felt appreciated because she ordered every dish on the menu.  She clearly took delight in enjoying the gourmet dishes the chef prepared.  If we can simply learn to enjoy the moments we're given and live life to the fullest while we can there are people out there waiting and willing to befriend us and make our lives fuller and richer. 

If you're going to pick up a movie this holiday season on DVD....try this one!  It's great entertainment and the love story also re-enforces some life lessons that remain timeless.  Enjoy!
    

Living With a "Bucket List" Mindset

     

"You only live once, so why not go out in style?"

I have lived with that line in the trailer of one of my favorite movies for a long while.  And after a visit with two of my favorite cousins, who have made it a point to travel the world shamelessly, I was reminded again that life is short.  We've got to live it to the fullest while we have the chance.  Living with a "Bucket List" Mindset means doing five important things while you can.

See these 5 important tips below!

1. 
   
   Travel the world and never look back!  International travel is hard to beat in terms of what it teaches us.  The beauty of a place like Rio in Brazil or the sugar cane fields of Barbados can only be fully experienced up close.  Don't wait, travel the world!
2. 
   
   Find a friend who you can speak truth to and who can speak truth back to you!  The world is filled with hucksters, liars and fools!  Avoid them and find a friend who can be counted on to "zing" you every now and then!
3. 
   
   Laugh.....even when you feel like crying.  Oh, don't skip the crying part but a great sense of humor is a great helper in times like these!  Laughter AND crying is good for the soul.
4. 
   
   Connect with your spiritual self and don't ignore it!  In the movie, Morgan Freeman is heard even quoting his pastor at one point, IMAGINE THAT?
5. 
   
   Reconcile those old hurts!  Jack Nicholson's character must gather himself to reunite with a daughter whom he'd been previously estranged from. 

Maybe the movie was emotional for me because I visit hospital rooms regularly as a church pastor.  I see families at their best and at their worst.  Maybe the movie was emotional for me because I recently found out that a good friend who was about six years younger than me died suddenly....or at least suddenly from the perspective of a person who only saw her occasionally after college.  I've lost so many family members to the scourge of cancer also.

Maybe the movie was emotional for me because I could buy the DVD itself for a rock bottom price as my favorite Albertson's Grocery store in my neighborhood was moving out because of the recession. 

Find out what chords are touched in you when you watch the movie, The Bucket List.  But, take the five tips to heart and you will find gifts of God in unexpected places, people and things! 

A Thought to Sustain Your Spirit in Tough Times

Sometimes the achievement is to make it through to the blessing on the other side of your challenge!  Listen to the wisdom of George Washington Carver, the great inventor and innovator who took the peanut and made it shine.  He wrote:

In these strenuous times, we are likely to become morbid and look constantly upon the
dark side of life, and spend entirely too much time considering and brooding over what
we can't do, rather than what we can do, and instead of growing morose and
despondent over opportunities that are shut from us, let us rejoice at the many
unexplored fields in which there is unlimited fame and fortune to the successful explorer.

        

         Explore the "can-do" things in your life and move, thrive and live abundantly!  

                 

 

          

             

Who is Controlling You?

The great African American novelist Charles W. Chestnutt once offered this interesting opinion that is truly food for thought as this new year and new decade dawns, he wrote: 

"We are all puppets in the hands of fate and seldom see the strings that move us."

I hate to think of myself as a "puppet" especially in light of all the self help resources that are available to nurture my mind and challenge me to lead a life that matters.  But there are some responsibilities that drive a great deal of what I do in my life.

How about you?  Do you feel fully in control of all the circumstances in your life right now?  I am frequently with folks who have taken ill or had some other traumatic event take place in their life.  Some of them have talked about how surprised they were to have to face their illness or trauma.  Yet, when pressed they could tell of warning signs or ways they were living that might have led to the very illness or trauma they were facing.

I was reminded of the kind of dedication to the unknown our soldiers face at a recent event with one of my favorite World War II veterans.  He could joke about the paths his life had taken before, during, and after the war as he reflected about it.  But it also seemed to me that he mastered the art of living fully in the moment, somehow.

If we can live fully in the moment in this new year maybe we can shake some of those unknown forces trying to control us and turn us into puppets.  Maybe we'll truly be able to make up our own minds about living green, losing the pounds and loving our friends, lovers, and family members in the ways that will really matter.

A wise sage wrote of "a time for every season under the sun" in the 3rd chapter of the book of Ecclesiastes in the Hebrew Scriptures.  Day by day I'm finding that book of the Bible a bigger and bigger gift!

Consider who and what is controlling you as this new year begins.  Live each moment out loud, fully, expressively, and joyfully!  Make this new year and this new decade brighter and better as you move along in it!   Keep striving for higher ground!

Be Careful of Your Next Adjustment

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. inspired me with his stand for peace, his witness for justice and his commitment to non-violence.  I must admit that one of my favorite quotes of his was this one,

Human salvation lies in the hands of the creatively maladjusted.

We live in need of constant adjustments.  Our eyes adjust from darkness to light.  Our feet adjust to different surfaces as our bodies encounter them.  We adjust what we wear according to the weather.

For me as a Christian this is the time of year when we really focus in on salvation.  The celebration of Christmas is all about God's creative act in sending Jesus to earth to live, to minister and to die. 

But an urgent call I got recently reminded me that the work of salvation is undone until everyone is free to live fully.  A counselor called from one of our locally run groups for the developmentally disabled.  She called to see if there was anything some of the developmentally disabled adults could volunteer to work on in my church.

Before I could answer her she said she had called more than twenty churches asking whether or not there was something in those churches the volunteers she works with could do.  She encountered one, "no" after another. 

It seems that even in this special time of the year there are still some hearts that are frozen cold.  Have we done what we could to reach out the those who are physically or mentally less abled?

Have we sought salvation not just for ourselves but also for those who are still discrimated against, even today?  Dr. King's word rings out in my mind again.  We are called to be 'creatively maladjusted.'

Let's not adjust to injustice, to malice and meanness, to hurt and heartache.  Let's make this a season where we creatively reach out to the ones in our midst who deserve our attention, our care and our involvement.

Don't Make the Cash Cow Moo!

This holiday season can bless you if you let it.  I have often gotten to December feeling depleted and sometimes even dejected.  I've often seen the holiday season as something to get through with too many things to do.  Mid-life won't let me continue down this perilous path.

I want to spend less, worship fully and enjoy my family and friends.  I'm not basing my happiness on how much I spend or, "make the cash cow moo!"

This year I'm trying some new things, some simpler, less expensive things.  I was grateful to read an old blog of Rev. Dr. Todd Bolsinger, who used this video a few years ago with his congregation.   I want to encourage you to take a look at the 2009 version and let it rock your world! Watch this and see what God might be calling you to do next!    www.adventconspiracy.org



                                                                    
 

Get a Life....a Prayer Life!

I've got one more post about this Tiger Woods fiasco.  I promise that after this I'm going to take my own advice and 'leave Tiger Woods alone!'   He just opened a door so widely in one of his public statements that I cannot let it go.

Tiger said, "Personal sins should not require press releases and problems within a family shouldn't have to mean public confessions."  I like this statement very much.  Yet, at the same time I'm reminded of that powerful scene from the movie, The Godfather Part III where Michael Corleone confesses his many sins before the preist after almost going into a diabetic coma.  It was as though his confessions helped him deal with his many sins so that his inner turmoil would not eat him alive.

Press releases and public confessions aren't really necessary, it's true Mr. Woods.  But here is one of the chief reasons why an active prayer life between us and God is necessary, helpful and something to treasure.

God forgives. I also hope that forgiveness flows through families. I hope that ongoing grudges and claims made by one family member to another that they will 'never forgive' in this situation or that situation will not be the chief end of any issue.

One of the great truths of folks of faith and good will is that we all know that one day we all will stand in need of forgiveness for something. An active prayer life is an outstanding place to converse with God about our personal sins, our shortcomings and the times we miss the mark.

On the internet there is a place where you can get some answers to questions you might have about prayer.  Its:  www.allaboutprayer.org   Visit the site for answers to questions you might have about daily personal prayer, family prayer and gaining greater intimacy with God.  I'd love to know if you've started or re-started your prayer life recently.  Leave me a comment and may your active prayer life bless you!