Navigating the New Year: A List, Part 1

I have my new computer.  Yippee! What I don't have are my files or many of my programs.  I anticipate those this week.  Cross your fingers and toes.

So, we're back to blogging with a soft start. Today and the two days that follow, I'm posting a list I wrote at the beginning of the new year.  Don't take it too seriously, or take it very seriously - whatever speaks to you.  I'm not talking to anyone in particular, or everyone in particular, or quite possibly myself.

In other words, take it for what it is worth - not much, but there are a few laughs in there.  It has forty-five bullets, so 15 on each day.

1. Create. If you think you can’t be creative, it may be because you aren’t being creative. The only way to be creative is to be creative. 
2. Stop looking for the bad. Look for the good. And talk about that. Be more optimistic.
3. See the people as people, not as issues. See the people first - and then discuss the issues. Failing to see the people is objectification and it cannot lead to peace. 
4. It is a good and faithful thing to stand up for what you believe. Make sure it is what YOU believe, not what you think you should believe - don’t be a blind follower. Think for yourself. 
5. People never earn forgiveness, including you. It is an act of grace. 
6. A MEME on Facebook may not be true, even if it sounds poetic.  Think about it before reposting it.
7. You have the ultimate power over your computer - you can turn it off.  If it misbehaves, exercise your authority.
8. You are the boss of your underage children. Act like it.  You are not the boss of your adult children, even when you think you are right.
9. No one can read you mind, even when you think you are hinting at high volume.  Use words.
10. What you think has happened, and what has really happened may not be the same.  Stop confusing your conclusions with fact.  
11. Stop acting in ways that are passive-aggressive.  Even the name of it sounds dishonest.
12. Send cards. It may not feel like a big action, but it feels like one to the recipient.
13. Go to church. It isn’t about you, so a sunrise or a garden won’t do it. Be in church so that you can be the church. (Edit for your own faith). 
14. Whatever happens, you will have a story to tell. 
15. If you think the Bible says the answer clearly, you are wrong. The Bible is beautifully complicated. Have enough respect for it to realize that.