6 Hot Tips to Survive the Season

6 Hot Tips to Survive the Season

You would never look like this...would you?

I don’t know about you, but when I’m standing and waiting in the grocery store checkout line I love looking at all the magazine covers.
 
Did you know Val Kilmer has only weeks to live? Or the Kardashians are taking over the White House? Or Elvis is still alive and well in Tahiti (and hanging out with Michael Jackson)? Well it’s true ‘cause I saw it in The Enquirer!
 
I admit I’m also easily distracted by the headlines on those glossier (and frankly less funny) magazines: “10 Fixes for Your Life.” “5 Exercises to Get You Fit Right Now.” Or, and my personal favorite, “3 Sure-Fire Ways to Lose Weight by Eating Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream” (OK, I made up that last one, but I bet I can make it happen – I’ll let you know how it turns out).
 
So here are your 6 Hot Tips to Survive the Season:
 
1.  Breathe. It’s that simple and that hard. But do it.
 
2.  Take pictures. Designate someone to take photos of all the wonderful things your congregation is doing. You’ll be glad you did, because you will forget. Be sure to share the pics on social media, on bulletin boards, in emails, and in letters.
 
3.  Sit still. Just for two minutes. Maybe five. You need to in order to be the voice of calm when everyone else is freaking out.
 
4.  Keep your antenna up for a story. Sometimes it’s the seemingly inconsequential interactions that in retrospect have deep meaning. But, if you’re too busy to be aware, you just might miss them.
 
5.  Pray. Yep – reach out to the Maker of all good things. But, hey I don’t need to tell you that. This one’s more for me – remember, take time to pray.
 
6.  Listen. If all else fails, take a moment to listen to Jordan Smith, this season’s winner of The Voice, singing “Mary Did You Know.” Close your eyes and drink it in. It will definitely remind you of the wonderful Gift that we celebrate this season.
 
And that, my friends, is a wrap for this year. I’ll be taking two weeks off to be with the family. Will we survive all that togetherness? It’s doubtful, but tune in to find out. Be sure to join me in the New Year when we’ll count down the Top Ten Posts of 2015 and find more ways to inspire generosity! 
 
Merry Christmas and God bless each and every one of you. You are all a great gift to me.

Cesie Delve Scheuermann is a consultant in stewardship, development, and grant writing. Over the past decade, while working as a volunteer and part-time consultant, she helped raise over $2.5 million dollars for numerous non-profit organizations. She’s heading to the store ASAP to start her new Ben and Jerry’s diet. She served as the Oregon-Idaho Annual Conference Lay Leader from 2008-2012. Her position with the Conference is funded through a generous grant from the Collins Foundation; she is available to consult with churches in Oregon and Idaho. You can reach her at inspiringgenerosity@gmail.com.

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