Book Club Members: Did Santa bring you Killing Jesus? I sure hope so, because we will start off the New Year next week with reading the latest from Bill O’Reilly.

WOW Lovers: Next Monday’s WOW will be a listing of words that Merriam-Webster Online is contemplating adding to its next edition. It’s currently listed as slang by that austere organization. Do you know the definitions for these words? I sure don’t!

Well, boys and girls (that seemed right simply because it’s Christmas Day), we’re finally at the end of the 12 Days of MIP. Today I give you a little insight into the two highest reader-viewed posts that I also like. If I were to arrange them in the order in which I liked them, the order would be somewhat different. In fact I think I would have listed # 2 as my top choice, but you, dear readers, chose differently for your top choice. Thus, in your order and in your honor:

Number 2:

Lessons Learned from Heart Attacks 3 & 4…

This post was one of the first to hit the MIP blog after my 2 heart attacks this past summer. The posts prior to this and some that came immediately after this post were largely serious and factual, but this one I reserved for just venting my complete and total frustration with the medical world–a world that is an all too familiar part of my life. While I understand that I’m definitely not a cardiologist or nurse and that their jobs are made especially tough by cases like mine that probably would be right up House’s alley, there are times when I wonder why these folks were given an RN or MD after their names. Click here to see what I mean.

Number 1: (Drum roll, please!)

It’s All About the Splash…

To be honest I wasn’t sure if this post would even warrant a glance from anyone. For one thing…it’s remarkably brief, which probably causes most of my readers to confuse it with a WOW post. But sometimes, when I’m brief, I’m at my best and this one may qualify in that category. Also, it’s sometimes difficult to get my thoughts onto paper or screen clearly and my fear, with this post, was that it wouldn’t make sense to anyone other than me. Thankfully, my dear readers “got it.” Click here to enter the “Splash Zone.”

Friday’s Post: The 12 Days AFTER Christmas…

You might also like: The 12 Days of MIP: 4 & 3; The 12 Days of MIP: 6 & 5; The 12 Days of MIP: 8 & 7; The 12 Days of MIP: 10 & 9; and The 12 Days of MIP: 12 & 11

When I was a teen, I was fortunate to live in a condo complex. It had a rather nice pool where most of the complex’s teens hung out during our summer vacations. Every once in a while, we would collectively get a penchant to do cannonballs off the diving board until we could do them no longer (either that or the pool closed for the day). I was deceptively good at them, despite my small, slim profile, knowing that angle, speed and determination could yield a respectable splash. Our series of perfectly tanned, perfectly attractive lifeguards would warily eye the sizable guys preparing to unleash whale-sized splashes and I would sneak ahead of them and generally shock the distracted guard with a decent amount of chlorine-blue water. I have to say this little sneakiness delighted me, but probably irritated the stuffing out of our heated lifeguards….but, they needed cooling off (at least that was my excuse)!

That is often how I view the joy that comes from being a blessed Christian. If we are fully blessed by God, our joy should spill over, maybe even SPLASH over, into the lives of the people around us. It should come naturally, almost like breathing. If it isn’t, most likely something is amiss that needs addressing: grief, fear, fatigue, a really big “ouch”, anger, frustration or confusion.

Whatever it is, it boils down to one simple question: Do we recognize that God is there with us to direct us, heal us, encourage us, strengthen us and guide us back to that splashy kind of joy?  And then…we have to live in that trust and get on “the diving board” and take one huge running leap at God-directed, God-infused abandon and let that splash onto other people. Is that always easy at first? Nope. It takes a lot of practice, and sometimes we fail at the big splash. But, even practicing can be fun when done with those who enjoy jumping off the diving board with us.

So, as we go about our days, may we “jolt” others into knowing that God is all around us.  May we delight in when these others notice the “splash.”  Don’t forget your beach towel. Maybe bring two…for your favorite “life-guard”. 🙂

Tomorrow’s Post: West is eastward…