Got Faith

43 Seconds

-Faith is holding onto the unseen as if it is seen.

-Faith believes in a person even when they have yet to perform as expected.

-Faith believes that a bridge, a chair, or a building will stand even though you don’t know the architect.

We have faith in institutions, in products, and in individuals every day of our lives. 

We have to, for that is the way life is.  We either have faith or we stop doing, going and living our lives. 

It’s like this:

I believe in the sun, even though it doesn’t shine.

I believe in love, even when it isn’t shown.

I believe in God, even when he doesn’t speak.

(Written by eyes that chose to see the unseen)

And so … we ask again.

Got Faith?

P Michael Biggs

Offering Hope

One Word at a Time

Hunches

38 seconds

Malcolm Gladwell wrote a great book a few years ago called Blink.  In a nutshell it deals with hunches.  A hunch is a blink moment when one decides something or someone is true, trustworthy, authentic, right or wrong. 

                                                                                                            Buy Blink - Click Here

Hunches are also impressions we get that suggest to us where to turn, what to try, and thousands of other impulses.

We either act upon our hunches or we leave them alone.  And the only way one can determine this in any given situation is to reflect back on our past – past hunches, past decisions and past outcomes. 

Either you trust you hunches or you don’t, and nobody gets to make that decision for you but you.

How much do you trust your hunches?

P Michael Biggs

Offering Reflective Moments

One Moment at a Time

Top Five "Almost a Minute" (Revised)

Here are the top five blogs based on the number of hits each blog receives.  Thank you for reading.

1.  Sometimes We Just Have to Get Back Up

2,  What Could You Become

3.  Kind Words

4.  Are You Listening

5.  How Can We


Enjoy!

P Michael Biggs
Up-Words.net
Offering Hope
Encouragement Inspiration
One Word at a Time

A Bit of Hope at Christmas

36 Seconds

If you need a bit of hope this Christmas season, consider this.

In the Christmas carol “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” we find this line:

“Then pealed the bells more loud and deep,

"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;

The Wrong shall fail, The Right prevail,

With peace on earth, good-will to men."

In a world where pockets of war rage on …

  In a world where we have higher prices than ever …

    In a world where peace and stability is threatened

The good news indeed is 

"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep”.

I have hope this Christmas season. 

P Michael Biggs

Up-Words.net

Offering Up-Moments

One Moment at a Time

Where the Road Leads

Where the 

Road Leads

I like road trips - the sights along the way, finding those quaint, local restaurants in out-of-the-way cities – all of that just adds to the whole experience.

 

I 

  like 

    road 

      trips. 

Mary and Joseph made a road trip.  Their road led to Bethlehem.  It was a long trip, especially with a pregnant wife and a slow donkey. 

The end of the trail for them was in a barn in back of a local inn.  That’s where their road led.

But even before that, the road to Bethlehem, and the manger was mapped out, thought out, planned for and told about. 

It involved generations of some righteous and some not so righteous ones.  But the family heritage of the Christ-child was in place nevertheless. 

It was in God’s mind from the beginning of time.  He knew the players who would appear on the stage, and he had them appear on time.   They knew their lines.  They knew how to act, what to say, and where to stand for this road trip leading to the manger.

We are all on that road now. 

     We are headed to Bethlehem. 

          We are in search of what the manger holds. 

Need peace.

                    It’s there in the manger.

Need healing.

                    It’s there.

Need hope.

                   It’s there.

Need (in) sight.

                   It’s there

Need reconciliation.   

                   It’s there.

Need forgiveness.

                   It’s there.

What do you need?

Are you on the road to the manger?

My prayer for you is that you’ll find your way to the manger this Christmas.  There may not have been any room in the inn, but there’s plenty of room at the manger. 

P Michael Biggs

Up-Words.net

Offering Hope

This Christmas

What Can I Give

What Can I Give?

55 seconds

Sometimes we want to change things.  We want to do Christmas a bit differently.  We often pledge to spend less, eat less, shop less, and keep our sanity more intact. 

That’s how we want it to be – but often, in the end, we do the same ole – same ole as we did last year.

We complain about the ‘true’ meaning of Christmas getting lost in the … well, you can finish my thoughts.

Now picture this …

In the middle of it all, we stumble upon a small girl, standing on the street corner.  She is dressed warmly, and her very clear soprano voice sings out these words:

“What can I give him

Poor as I am

If I were a shepherd

I would give a lamb.

If I were a wise man

I would do my part.

Yet what can I give him?

Give him my heart.”

(Christina G. Rossette - 1872) 

After hearing that, life just seems to get simple again.  Christmas calms down, and we hurry a bit less.  We come back to our center and see some things in a fresh light.  

What we most need to give to the one who started it all – Give Him Your Heart!

P Michael Biggs

Up-Words.net

Offering Hope

This Christmas

Your Best

25 seconds

In the Christmas song The Little Drummer Boy, we find this lyric:

I played my best for him

Pa rum pum pum pum

Rum pa pum pum

Gotta love that.  He gave his best.

His best!

What else is there to give? 

Size doesn’t matter.

     Cost doesn’t matter.

          Perfection doesn’t matter.

It’s the giving from the heart that matters.

Hold this thought close this Christmas season. 

Your best is good enough. 

Merry Christmas

P Michael Biggs

Offering Encouragement

One Word at a Time

Christmas Peace

41 Seconds

(Click Here to listen to a podcast of this blog.)

Worrisome tomorrows are the known cause of sleepless nights.  We fight demons in the night-time fearing the worst that can happen tomorrow. 

The word “Peace” comes to mind as we think about this.  Peace is stolen when we fight the demons of tomorrow. 

Ah, but look what is coming – Peace is being able to close your eyes in sleep without fear of tomorrow. 

Got peace? 

It’s a huge part of the Christmas story.  The angels proclaimed

“Peace on earth, 

good will to all men.”

Be at peace my friend.  God loved the world so much that he gave his very best – His Son - our Savior. 

Peace is breaking out.

P Michael Biggs

Offering Hope

Encouragement Inspiration

One Word at a Time

A Man for All Mankind

28 seconds

(Click Here  to listen to an MP3 Version of this blog. )

We are a universe with connections.

We all breathe the same air.

We all hold the same dreams for our children for health and happiness.

We are citizens of this world. 

At Christmas time, it is good to remember this …

"Christ was born 

in the first century,

yet He belongs to all centuries.

He was born a Jew,

yet He belongs to all races.

He was born in Bethlehem,

yet He belongs to all countries.

George W. Truett

He is a man for all seasons, all times, all circumstances, and all conditions.

He is God among us.

Merry Christmas

P Michael Biggs

Offering Hope

At Christmas

The Curious Ones of Christmas

38 seconds.

 It could be said that the shepherds in the Biblical story of the birth of Christ were curious.  The angels appeared and sang and proclaimed and announced.  What was their response?

Curiosity!

And it got the better of them.  They were invited, for sure.  However, they could have said – “No way.  That’s scary.  And who will watch the sheep?”

But they didn’t.  They went.  Their curiosity won.

And they earned a place in Biblical history as the first ones to witness the birth of the Christ child. 

May we rouse up our curiosity this season.  May we wonder and ponder, investigate and explore the joys, expressions and experiences of this great season.

P Michael Biggs

Offering Up-Moments

One Moment at a Time

 Be sure and check out my other blog sites for Christmas posts.  I'll be posting on Monday and Friday through December.