Small rant... I went shopping the other day and could not find a single nativity scene gift bag. There were snowmen, gnomes, reindeer and of course thousands of santas, but sadly, a manger scene was nowhere to be found. 

We are attending a business Christmas party and I simply wanted to bring the required white elephant gift in a nativity gift bag. Amongst all the "happy holidays" and winter wonderland themes I struggled to even find the words "Merry Christmas" etched into a sack. 

Although I do love Hobby Lobby and don't mind driving to support a Christian owned business. That's not the point. The point is this - in a world that wants to celebrate grinches and elves - let's do all that we can to keep Christ in Christmas!

Did you know there are 24 chapters in the book of Luke? If you begin on December 1st and read a chapter a day, you will have read the entire book by Christmas Eve. You and your family can wake up on Christmas morning with a fresh understanding of why we celebrate Christmas. 

Everything is more fun with friends! Want to read the book of Luke together? Join the Your Praying Friend group! There you will find a chat dedicated to this topic. We look forward to seeing you there!

​We all know someone who seemingly appears to always look at the bright side of everything. You know, those silver lining people. Their glass is always half-full, never half-empty. They're positive; they're cheerful; they're - GRATEFUL!

Were they born this way or is this a skill anyone can learn? If you're anything like the hundreds of people I've counseled we all would love to live life with a more positive outlook, myself included. Great news! We can! Gratitude is definitely a skill that can be cultivated. One simple way to do this is

to

A trigger is defined as something that causes someone to feel upset or frightened because it reminds the person of something bad.  Triggers can come in all kinds of forms. They may be a scent, a color, a person, place or thing. Maybe you were in a car accident and now merging onto highways brings you back to that accident. Maybe it's seeing an alcohol bottle, because you know your husband has been drinking.

While one person may experience an internal response, such as stress or anxiety, another person may exhibit an external response such as crying or sweaty palms. Likewise, the intensity of the response may vary from minimal to severe. The intensity of the trigger oftentimes relates to how traumatic the person perceives the event to have been, but can also coincide with the individual's ability to cope with the trigger. This is why coping skills are so important. They can make even the most intense triggers tolerable.

There's a word to describe the opposite of a trigger? When an experience brings up a strong, pleasant emotional response it's called a 

Like a trigger, a glimmer can be a scent, a song, a color, nature, etc. It is anything that gives you that warm fuzzy feeling. Sometimes it's the little things throughout the day that may go unnoticed, if we're not being mindful. 

Homework: Go looking for glimmers! You don't want to miss them and they may be just what you need to brighten your day! 

Let the good outweigh the bad. Search for little miracles throughout the day. Write them down. This is called a gratitude list! Want to share some positivity? Comment a glimmer you observed today!

Recommended Resource:
Gratitude Journal