LIFE is...(What it is-Part 2)

A new year is almost upon us all. Life moves pretty fast. Take some time to let the lessons learned by others instruct you on your journey. Here is a collection of quotes from people who've had the guts enough to say truths that the rest of us know deep inside of us but we have struggled for the means of expression.
Through both humor and insight, I hope that these quotes help you better define what LIFE is, which can in turn redefine how you Live in this upcoming new year...

“Life is just one darn thing after another” Mark Twain

“And they Lived happily ever after” any old Fairy tale

“Everything is funny as long as it is happening to someone else” Will Rogers

“You’re not the man I knew ten years ago...It’s not the years Honey, it’s the Mileage” Marion Ravenwood to Indiana Jones

“A survey stated that the average person’s greatest fear is having to give a speech in public. Somehow this ranked even higher than Death which was third on the list. So, you’re telling me that at a funeral, most people would rather be the guy in the coffin than have to stand up and give a eulogy” Jerry Seinfeld

“I had always felt Life first as a story--and if there is a story there is a story teller” G.K. Chesterton

“You could not Live or love or laugh or cry had God not given you a heart” John Eldredge

“The difference between school and Life? In school, you’re taught a lesson and then given a test. In Life, you’re given a test that teaches you a lesson” Tom Bodett

“Through humor, you can soften some of the worst blows that Life delivers. And once you find laughter, no matter how painful your situation might be, you can survive it.”
Bill Cosby

"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." John Lennon

“I fight really hard to remain unjaded—to keep believing that you can actually walk into a studio and write a song that breathes Life..I know music can’t change the world, but who says God can’t speak through a song...Life is serious, but I do think that God wants us to enjoy the things He's given us, like music” TobyMac

“The doors we open and close each day decide the Lives we Live” Flora Whittemore

“When I stand before God at the end of my Life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, ‘I used everything you gave me’.” Erma Bombeck

“I think I’ve discovered the secret of Life - you just hang around until you get used to it” Charles Schulz

“You see things and say ‘why?’ but I dream things and say ‘Why not?’ ” George Bernard Shaw

“I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it’s not the answer” Jim Carrey

“to Live is so startling it leaves little time for anything else” Emily Dickinson

“There are only two tragedies in Life: one is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it” Oscar Wilde

“A simple rule of thumb: God leads us one step at a time...with God there is no wasted time. We will be surprised by how the threads of our Lives are woven together” Gordon T. Smith

“I wonder if some of us are living such safe Lives that not only are we bored, but so are our guardian angels” Mark Batterson

“The soul Lives by that which it loves” St. John of the Cross

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing” Helen Keller

“we are inclined to be so mathematical and calculating that we look upon uncertainty as a bad thing...Certainty is the mark of the common-sense Life. To be certain of God means that we are uncertain in all our ways, we do not know what a day may bring forth. This is generally said with a sigh of sadness; it should rather be an expression of breathless expectation." Oswald Chambers

“Life’s most urgent question is: what are you doing for others?”
Martin Luther King, Jr.

“And in the end, it’s not the years in your Life that count. It’s the Life in your years”
Abraham Lincoln

"When you sing, you make people vulnerable to change in their lives. You make yourself vulnerable to change in your Life. But in the end, you've got to become the change you want to see in the world." BONO

“God puts us in positions, all the time, for a reason...You can say, ‘Why is this happening to me?’ But you have to understand that it’s happening for a reason, and God is doing it to strengthen you” Drew Brees

“The most glorious reason you exist is for the proclamation of the glory of God to the ends of the world. And it's more than having a nice Life.” David Platt

“Never forget what Jesus did for you. Never take lightly what it cost him. And never assume that if it cost him his very Life, that it won’t also cost you yours” Rich Mullins

“All their Life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on forever: in which every chapter is better than the one before” C.S. Lewis

“If you cling to your Life, you will lose it; but if you give up your Life for me, you will find it.” Jesus (Matthew 10:39)

CHRISTMAS Is... (What it is-Part 1)

Christmas time is...here. Cue the "Charlie Brown Christmas" show intro song and a smile breaks across your face and maybe, just maybe you even stop in your tracks for a moment. You hope of having a peaceful holiday that will lead you into a better new year.
But without understanding the meaning or definition of the season, your life will look no different as another holiday and year comes to a close. You may even want to scream out loud, just like good ole' Charlie Brown, "Isn't there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?".
Through both humor and insight, I hope that these quotes help you better define what Christmas is, which can in turn redefine how you live...

“Christmas, my child, is love in action. Every time we love, every time we give, it's Christmas.”
Dale Evans Rogers

“Christmas is the day that holds all time together” Alexander Smith

“Nothing makes me lose my cool like Toy Packaging. Ask the kids to leave the room for toy packaging. I have no choice the money’s spent, I’ve worked for hours to make dent. I guess it’s anger management, toy packaging” Sara Groves song “Toy Packaging”

“That’s the true spirit of Christmas; people being helped by people...other than me” Jerry Seinfeld

“This is the message of Christmas: We are never alone."
~ Taylor Caldwell

“Christmas is the season when you buy this year's gifts with next year's money.”  ~Author Unknown

“A lovely thing about Christmas is that it's compulsory, like a thunderstorm, and we all go through it together."
~ Garrison Keillor

“Roses are reddish, Violets are bluish. If it weren't for Christmas, We'd all be Jewish.”
~Benny Hill

“I never believed in Santa Claus because I knew no white dude would come into my neighborhood after dark.”  ~Dick Gregory

“Christmas is for children.  But it is for grown-ups too.  Even if it is a headache, a chore, and nightmare, it is a period of necessary defrosting of chill and hide-bound hearts. “ ~Lenora Mattingly Weber

“Were I a philosopher, I should write a philosophy of toys, showing that nothing else in life need to be taken seriously, and that Christmas Day in the company of children is one of the few occasions on which men become entirely alive."
~ Robert Lynd

“Christmas is a time when kids tell Santa what they want and adults pay for it.” Richard Lamm

“There has been only one Christmas -- the rest are anniversaries.” W.J. Cameron

“Christmas is a time when you get homesick - even when you're home.”  ~Carol Nelson

“He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree.”  ~Roy L. Smith

“The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree:  the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other.”  ~Burton Hillis

“Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childish days; that can recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth;
that can transport the sailor and the traveller, thousands of miles away, back to his own fire-side and his quiet home!”  ~Charles Dickens

“One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas day.  Don't clean it up too quickly.”  ~Andy Rooney

“Christmas is a necessity.  There has to be at least one day of the year to remind us that we're here for something else besides ourselves.”  ~Eric Sevareid

“Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree.  In the eyes of children, they are all 30 feet tall.”  ~Larry Wilde

“Isn't it funny that at Christmas something in you gets so lonely for - I don't know what exactly, but it's something that you don't mind so much not having at other times.”  ~Kate L. Bosher

“Christmas is perhaps the only time in the year when people can obey their natural impulses and express their true sentiments without feeling self-conscious and, perhaps, foolish.  Christmas, in short, is about the only chance a man has to be himself.”  ~Francis C. Farley

“Nothing's as mean as giving a little child something useful for Christmas.”  ~Kin Hubbard

“And on the sledge sat a person whom everyone knew the moment they set eyes on him. He was a huge man in a bright red robe (bright as hollyberries) with a hood that had fur inside it and a great white beard that fell like a foamy waterfall over his chest. Everyone knew him because, though you see people of his sort only in Narnia, you see pictures of them and hear them talked about even in our world—the world on this side of the wardrobe door. But when you really see them in Narnia it is rather different. Some of the pictures of Father Christmas in our world make him look only funny and jolly. But now that the children actually stood looking at him they didn’t find it quite like that. He was so big, and so glad, and so real, that they all became quite still”
C.S. Lewis NARNIA-The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

“But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests’.”
Luke 2:10-14 (NIV)

Merry Christmas to you and Happy New Year!

What IT Is...

First of all, if you were wondering by this title, no I'm am not trying to get in touch with my "urban" self. Cause it ain't there bro -- tru-dat.

So, anyway, for the next few blogs, I wanted to investigate the definition of a series of all-important words in our lives that I firmly believe in turn define what our lives look like...

It will be a work in progress, and will include a large amount of both humorous and insightful quotes(think "top 25" lists)from various people concerning their experiences with the subject matter in order to encourage and challenge you in your journey. The topics defined will include: Christmas, Life, Love, Story and God.
BTW, soon some of my post-Disney trip do's and dont's will also be shared. Still trying to process that whole experience. If you have taken children, you know of what I speak of...
In the mean time, watch for the first blog this week on defining: "Christmas".
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

P.S. check out this Acrostic written 2 years ago about the Loving's life so far at that point...

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=51189206003

Favorite Christmas Movies quotes

I heard it said once while I was in college, learning to appreciate what great thinkers wrote, that "he who never quotes will never be quoted".
So, for 2 reasons(to help spread Christmas cheer and in hopes of being quoted someday by others!), I share with you some of the most personal memorable quotes of some of my favorite Christmas movies of all time. Note--these are not written in a descending order but rather in random because that's how they were typed flowing out of my random thought process brain. Some movies also have more than one quote, so read carefully as you laugh or feel compelled to contemplate:

#1. "It's Christmas Eve! It's...it's the one night of the year when we all act a little nicer,...we smile a little easier,...we cheer a little more. For a couple of hours out of the whole year, we are the people that we always hoped we would be!"
- Scrooged

#2."Seeing isn't believing. Believing is seeing."
- The Santa Clause

#3. "First we'll make snow angels for two hours, then we'll go ice skating, then we'll eat an entire roll of Toll House cookie dough as fast as we can, and then to finish, we'll snuggle!" and "You did it! Congratulations! World's best cup of coffee! Great job, everybody! It's great to be here." and last but not least, "The best way to spread Christmas Cheer, is singing loud for all to hear."
- Elf

#4. "You see, Mrs. Walker, this is quite an opportunity for me. For the past 50 years or so I've been getting more and more worried about Christmas. Seems we're all so busy trying to beat the other fellow in making things go faster and look shinier and cost less that Christmas and I are sort of getting lost in the shuffle." and "I'm not just a whimsical figure who wears a charming suit and affects a jolly demeanor. You know, I'm a symbol. I'm a symbol of the human ability to be able to suppress the selfish and hateful tendencies that rule the major part of our lives. If... you can't believe, if you can't accept anything on faith, then you're doomed for a life dominated by doubt."
- Miracle on 34th Street

#5. “You've been given a great gift, George: A chance to see what the world would 
be like without you” AND
"Merry Christmas, movie house! Merry Christmas, Emporium! Merry Christmas, you wonderful old Building and Loan!"
- It's a Wonderful Life

#6. "Aunt Clara had for years labored under the delusion that I was not only perpetually 4 years old, but also a girl” and “I want an official Red Ryder, carbine action, two-hundred shot range model air rifle!” and of course, "Deck the harrs with boughs of horry, fa ra ra ra ra, ra ra ra ra."
- A Christmas Story

#7 “It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes, or bags...Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more."
- The Grinch, by Dr. Seuss.

#8. "Charlie Brown: 'Isn't there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?'
Linus Van Pelt: 'Lights, please...
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, 'Fear not: for behold, I bring unto you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.' And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men...That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown."
- A Charlie Brown Christmas

#9. “Okay, this is extremely important. Will you please tell Santa that instead of presents this year, I just want my family back?"
- HOME ALONE

#10. "We're kicking off our fun old fashion family Christmas by heading out into the country in the old front-wheel drive sleigh to embrace the frosty majesty of the winter landscape and select that most important of Christmas symbols...What we're looking for today is the Griswold family Christmas tree." and "Well I'm gonna park the cars and get check the luggage, and well, I'll be outside for the season"
- National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

#11 “Just remember, the true spirit of Christmas lies in your heart
- Polar Express

#12 "Business! Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence, were all my business. The dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!" and
"I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year."
- A Christmas Carol

Merry Christmas to you. Go watch a great Christmas movie and "Snuggle" up with your friends and family!

BACK To The Future...Whoa, this is Heavy!

MOMENTS in TIME define who we are in the PRESENT and who we become in the FUTURE. Strange that something so little can equally be so big. When was the last TIME you have thought BACK through your PAST and those Moments that have defined who you are today? Think about the people in those situations, for better or for worse, who played a major role in that TIME of your life. Now, think about when was the last TIME you lived purposefully in the moment, not only for yourself, but for those around you in order to help define their FUTURE...

Today, October 26th is the anniversary of the day that fictional movie character Marty McFly from “Back to the Future” goes back in TIME in the year 1985. Here we are today 25 years later.
Yes, I’m feeling a bit nostalgic today thinking BACK about the films impact.
Not only did it have cool special effects for even our day and TIME, way cool actors, great music from across the decades, tons and I mean tons of some of the best one liners found all in one film, but BTTF also contained some great life lessons.

One of those ever-present lessons in the films is the power of a moment. For instance, in 1985, Marty McFly’s parents discuss to the family at suppertime, for what is apparently the hundredth TIME they have heard, about the day they met and how they fell in love. This of course turns out to be crucial plot information once Marty accidentally goes back in the PAST to that fateful same week in 1955 altering some of those Moments.
Similarly, in a scene early in the film, Marty has this conversation with his high school principal:
“Mr. Strickland - ‘I noticed your band is on the roster for the dance auditions after school today. Why even bother, McFly? You don't have a chance, you're too much like your old man. No McFly ever amounted to anything in the history of Hill Valley!’
Marty McFly - ‘Yeah, well, history is gonna change’.”

In the PAST, Albert Einstein once said “Not everything that counts can be counted. Not everything that can be counted counts”. Also, the Psalmist wrote a Prayer to the Lord, “So teach us to number our days, that we may get us a heart of wisdom (Psalms 90:12)”. And in the same vein of thought, Charles Spurgeon once wrote that "the place of our habitation is fixed, and we are wrong to remove from it out of whim or caprice, but seek to serve the Lord in it, by being a blessing to those among whom we reside...It is when we are in His work that we may reckon upon His smile".

So, today in this Moment in TIME, I simply encourage you to think BACK on your life’s journey so far. The FUTURE and your FUTURE is in the Lord’s hands and yet He allows you in those simple and profound Moments to make choices. Pay attention to the details. Be grateful for all things that have shaped you in the PAST defining yourself in the PRESENT. I could never begin to express enough thanks to all my varying Family members, Teachers, and Friends who through childhood, teen years, College experience and on into the Marriage with raising children & Ministry years (Poplarville & Starkville) that have shaped my life thus far. Look for the trace of grace in your journey. And in your being thankful, share your lessons learned from the PAST to others in your PRESENT helping to positively shape the FUTURE. That’s the Power of Love!

...And if for some strange reason you weren’t a big Fan of the BTTF films or even this little devotional, I would say in response that both will stand the test of TIME. Or to quote Marty McFly after his big guitar solo, “I guess you guys aren't ready for that, yet. But your kids are gonna love it.”

Your Friend in TIME,
Matt Loving

*For fun, make sure you check out this website www.bttfmovie.com
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Some personal “fun-Facts” connecting me with the BTTF trilogy:
DATE - On October 26th 1985 my Parents took me to see the film Back to the Future, the same day in the film that Marty goes back in time. My Dad and I have reminded each other about that bit of trivia through the years and just talked about it this PAST weekend. That winter my Parents also moved my brother, Alan, and I from Memphis, TN to Brandon, MS(go BHS Dogs!) by which the Lord put in motion many vital Moments and people that have shaped who we are today.
DANCE - In BTTF, the quirky named “Enchantment under the sea” dance is where Marty’s parents must attend and fall in Love, or Marty will be HISTORY(also where He plays the big guitar solo to the song ‘Johnny B Goode’). In my PAST, my wife, Jenny, and I went to our first dance through Mississippi College(go Choctaws!) in April 1993. That dance also had a quirky name called “Company B” featuring music from the PAST. The rest for us is our History together ever since...
MUSIC - Whether in the 1980’s in the film (when I was a kid and middle schooler) or the 1950’s (when my Dad was a kid), Music is also considered to be a ‘character‘ in BTTF because of it’s prominent role in important Moments. Music has always been a big influence in my life. One example is the date that Jenny and I officially began dating Back in 1993 was also the night we attended a Dc Talk & Michael W. Smith concert together in Jackson, MS--I will refrain from posting that pic of us together per Jenny’s request, even though it will always be one of my personal fav’s of us together...Coincidentally, in the PRESENT year 2010 we took our 3 oldest children to see their first concert, TobyMac(formerly in the group DcTalk), in the same location and same month as our first one!
MINISTRY - In 2005, I designed a youth ministry Bible study series for the Crosspoint Youth entitled “Back to the Future-a study on the book of Revelation” utilizing scenes from the entire trilogy to coincide with lessons from Youth Specialties “Creative Lessons in Revelation” series. This PAST January our ‘Disciple-Now’ Retreat theme was ‘Totally Awesome 80’s’ which had a coinciding logo entitled ‘Back to the D-Now’, using a similar logo to the BTTF movie logo.

“Walk On” - Isabelle Learns to WALK - Fall 2010

Jenny and I have both worked towards this and waited for it to come - our youngest child, Isabelle, has finally decided to walk during the month of September.
At the first MSU football game tailgate, she was content to sit, eat and play in one spot.
The past 2 weekends, at the MSU vs. Georgia & the Alcorn State games tailgating, things were completely different as we observed her making her way around to greet everyone. Maybe she was just showing off. Maybe she was just vying for free food. Most likely, it was an equal combination of both.
Nevertheless, this video attached is a short compilation of the summer to fall 2010 journey for Isabelle learning to walk on... of course it includes the classic U2 song “Walk On”.

Additionally, J.R.R. Tolkien once wrote in his ever-popular story Lord of the Rings lyrics to a song about the paths of life we will walk on. It read as follows:

“The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.

And on a final note, the apostle Paul once recorded in the Scripture passage of Ephesians 2:10 that “we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them”. Yes, this article has been yet another shameless method to brag on one of my children. But, let me ask you this question: compared to my families joy over Isabelle, how much more does the Heavenly Father rejoice in seeing you learn to walk in the ways that He has gone before you to prepare and created you to walk in? The Road goes ever on and on...

An Arrrow Pointing To Heaven

"I grew up hearing everyone tell me 'God loves you'. I would say big deal, God loves everybody. That don't make me special! That just proves that God ain't got no taste. And, I don't think He does. Thank God! Because He takes the junk of our lives and makes the most beautiful art." - Rich Mullins

The website article listed below is a commentary on the life of the late Rich Mullins, musician and minister of the most unlikely kind. The author does an amazing job of introducing the reader or, if you're like me, reminding the reader about the simple and profound impact of Rich Mullins life. Be changed...

http://www.saturdaynothing.com/index.php/saturdaynothing/article/tasting_art_the_story_of_rich_mullins