Most people really don’t enjoy life; they endure it. Their lives are filled with anxiety, stress and pressure and there’s very little joy. The Christmas season is the most stressful time of the year. We worry about presents, finances, etc. I want us to look at a strategy for dealing with seasonal stress.

PHILIPPIANS 4:6

6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.  NLT

STEP ONE: WORRY ABOUT NOTHING

Worry is assuming responsibility that God never intended  you to have. Worry is worthless. It cannot change the past or control the future. It is an incredible waste of energy.  Some people are born worriers; they have the ability to find a problem in every solution. Worry is not natural, it is something you learn; you have to practice to get good at it. If it is learned, it can also be unlearned. In order to relieve stress, live one day at a time.

STEP TWO: PRAY ABOUT EVERYTHING

Paul is saying, don’t panic – pray. If those people who say “I don’t have time to pray” would spend their time praying instead of worrying, they’d have a whole lot less to worry about. God is interested in everything in your life. Prayer is a tremendous release of pressure. A life insurance company did a study. They learned that people who attend church once a week live on average 5.7 years longer. Why? Perhaps, people who attend church every week are more likely to pray than to worry. There is no problem too big for God’s power or too small for God’s concern.

STEP THREE: THANK GOD FOR ALL THINGS

Ungrateful people also tend to be unhappy people. Nothing ever satisfies them, it’s never good enough. We have so much that we take for granted. Develop the attitude of gratitude and watch the stress level in your life go down. It gets your eyes off the problem and on the many things we have to be grateful for. There is always something to be grateful for.

PHILIPPIANS 4:8

8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.  NLT

STEP FOUR: THINK ABOUT THE RIGHT THINGS

To reduce stress in your life, you must change the way you think. You have been given by God the freedom to choose what you think about. Many people are allowing all kinds of garbage into their minds. What you think affects the way you feel; the way you feel affects the way you act. Guard your mind. Keep your mind on the right things. If the thought is not right, true, pure, lovely, etc., don’t allow it to get into your mind because it’s going to create stress. Whatever I think about, is what I am becoming.

People are looking everywhere for peace of mind. They try pills, fads, therapy, alcohol, stress reduction seminars and books – anything to give just a little peace of mind. God’s peace is a gift to you. It is a gift that cannot be explained, duplicated, fabricated or understood. God will guard your mind and heart when you have a relationship with Jesus Christ and trust Him. Instead of worrying about everything, you pray about everything. You thank God for all things and keep your mind on the right things.

Pastor Tony Guadagnino

Christian Love Fellowship Church

“Eloquent silence often is better than eloquent speech.”

– Leo Rosten’s Treasury of Jewish Quotations

“If a word be worth one sheckel, silence is worth two.”

–Talmud: Megillah, 18a

Last night in the mall, they  happened to be playing one of the most famous of Christmas songs. It was called “The Sounds of Silence.” No, that  was Paul Simon. This one was called “Silent Night.”

The truth is that silence is talked about in Scripture. “There is a time for every purpose under heaven” and you had better believe that there is a time for silence. The other day, I was watching two workers set up a long ladder to do some painting. As one of them was climbing the ladder, the other suddenly called out, “Be careful” and the one on the ladder looked down and darned-near fell off the ladder. That was a time that silence would have been the wise call. But later, on his way back down, his companion yelled out, “Be careful” and it was a good thing because he had left a can of paint in the middle of one of the rungs on his way up the ladder.

There is a time to call out. But, there is also a time for silence. It seems people have forgotten about the importance of silence. Perhaps modern technology has been partially to blame. If you have been to a funeral lately, you know that we have to announce for people to turn off their cell phones. And I’m sure you’ve heard those phones ring at movies and concerts and, I would not be surprised if you have heard them go off in the midst of your Minister’s sermon.

I was officiating at a wedding the other day and, in the middle of this incredible ceremony where two people bind their hearts and souls together in the gift of love, the groom’s phone rang … and do you know what? He actually took the call.

So today I am proposing a new custom for Jewish wedding ceremonies and for all other faith’s weddings as well. I am proposing that at the end of the ceremony we don’t just break a glass. I think that a cell phone should be stomped on as well.

Let it be a reminder that there are times they should stop listening to and conversing with others and simply take time to listen to and talk to our spouse. Otherwise, your marriage will be like the glass. It will be broken and unable to be put back together.

There is a time for silence … Silence is golden!

Shalom My Friends,

Rabbi Craig H. Ezring

Rabbi Ezring is a Hospice Chaplain and Member of the National Association of Jewish Chaplains. He also provides Professional Pastoral Care Services to a number of health centers in Broward County.

As I mentioned in a previous “Clergy Corner,” I grew up in a small town in the northern part of New York, very close to the border with Canada.  The town was in the middle of the Adirondack Park, on a lake, and surrounded by mountains. Not mountains like Colorado, but mountains just the same.

November was always one of my favorite months.  It’s well into the school year so you’re already over the shock of going back to school after a long summer break.  All the trees have turned and the mountains are filled with beautiful colors of brown, orange and red, and, soon, if not already, the leaves start to fall.

The first snowfall of the year is something very special.  You know it’s coming and you can’t wait until that first morning when you wake up to find everything covered in white.  It is such a beautiful sight.  Everything looks so clean and pure. It’s almost like a fresh start.

November also has Thanksgiving.  I love thanksgiving.  What does thanksgiving mean to you? Family, food, football or a short vacation from work and school?  Thanksgiving means a lot of things to a lot of people.  For me, it’s the combination of several different things. The change in the leaves, signifying change in life; snow, telling me that we can change and that there is forgiveness; family, because we will be getting together; and, of course, Thanksgiving, a time to reflect on all God has done for us.

Ephesians 5:20 says, “Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  Giving thanks, especially in the midst of some of the difficult times many are going through, is difficult. Maybe it’s because of our perspective. The Bible teaches that without a proper relationship with God, we cannot have a proper perspective.  Gratitude and Grace come from the same root word.  If I’m thankful for what I’ve been given and for what God has done for me, then that will be reflected in my living a gracious life and giving grace to others.

Think and Thank are also from the same root word.  If we sit for a moment and think about all that God has done for us, sending His Son to die on the cross to provide a way of salvation, preparing a place in Heaven for all of those who put their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and daily providing for our needs.  I think we sometimes forget that God never promised to provide for our wants, but only for our needs.

Let’s take time to THINK about all God had done for us, then THANK Him for His provision.  This will provide us with a heart of GRATITUDE, which will produce a GRACIOUS attitude.

Editor’s Note: As we savor our recent Thanksgiving time with family and friends, let us remember to give thanks all year long.

Deron Peterson is is the Senior Pastor at First Baptist Church of Deerfield Beach.

L’Chu N’Ranena from the Book of Psalms begins with “Let us sing unto G-d.” But, it does not say to sing the Blues. No, it says that we should “sing unto G-d in joy.”

What an interesting thing to be commanded to feel joy. What if you are not feeling so happy? What if you have been having a bad day, a bad week or a bad year?

Well, I guess we need to read further because the next part of the Psalm tells us how to lift our spirits. It tells us to approach G-d with praise and Thanksgiving. You heard me right, we are to approach not with a list of requests each of which remind us of what we feel we lack, but rather with a list of the things that we have.

So here we are with the Great American Festival of Thanksgiving and I would ask each of you to think of what you are thankful for. I know many people will sit with family and friends to a scrumptious turkey dinner and they will go around the table and each will get an opportunity to say that they are thankful for this or that, but what of those who can’t seem to think of anything to be thankful for?

Well, if nothing else, on Thanksgiving Day, at least, be thankful that you are not a TURKEY!

Those of you who read my column regularly know that I love to dance. I even help teach beginning students in the Adult Education Program. In recent classes, we had a wonderful couple, newly married, and, watching them, I saw in their every action, their every glance at one another, that they were filled with joy; they were so thankful that they had found each other. They know that there are many people who go through life without ever finding that special match that lights them up like the brightest of Shabbat Candles.

We recently read about the first matchmaker in the Bible. His name was Eliezer, the trusted servant of Abraham who was sent on a mission to find a wife for Abraham’s son, Isaac. He could have gone looking for the wealthiest woman in the land, but he chose to look for someone who was kind, caring and gentle. Okay, it didn’t hurt that she also happened to be gorgeous. But remember, the woman he chose was kind and caring before she ever met her husband.

If you are not married yet, if you are looking for a partner in life, I would urge you to start being kinder and more caring right here, right now; it just might lead you to your bashert.

My new friends from dance class know this well. They both spend their days collecting food for those who are hungry. They have blessed so many others and G-d has indeed blessed them and they are ever-so-thankful.

May you each learn to be thankful, not just for what you have, but for what you can give.

If you would like to share in the joy of my newlywed friends, and, as we will all have a feast on Thanksgiving, consider giving some food or a donation to “Boca Helping Hands” at the Remillard Family Resource Center in Boca Raton. www.bocahelpinghands.org. Or you may choose to give to any of the other fine organizations that help feed the hungry, and may I be the first to say, “THANKS!”

Shalom My Friends,

Rabbi Craig H. Ezring

Rabbi Ezring is a Hospice Chaplain and Member of the National Association of Jewish Chaplains. He also provides Professional Pastoral Care Services to a number of health centers in Broward County.

Here is a little Thanksgiving history for you. Don’t worry there will not be a test. In 1789, following a proclamation issued by President George Washington, America celebrated its first Day of Thanksgiving to God under its new constitution. That same year, the Protestant Episcopal Church, of which President Washington was a member, announced that the first Thursday in November would become its regular day for giving thanks “unless another day is appointed by the civil authorities.” Yet, despite these early national proclamations, official Thanksgiving observances usually occurred only at the state level. Much of the credit, for the adoption of an annual national Thanksgiving Day may be attributed to Mrs. Sarah Joseph Hale, the editor of Godey’s Lady’s Book. For 30 years, she promoted the idea of a national Thanksgiving Day, contacting president after president until President Abraham Lincoln responded in 1863 by setting aside the last Thursday of November as a national Day of Thanksgiving. Over the next 75 years, presidents followed Lincoln’s precedent, annually declaring a national Thanksgiving Day. Then, in 1941, Congress permanently established the fourth Thursday of each November as a national holiday.

PSALM 100:4-5

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name.

5 For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation.  NLT

To be thankful means to be full of gratitude and appreciation. Ephesians 5:20 says, “Give thanks always for all things.” Why are we to always be grateful?  Because God is good and His love, mercy and His Word endures and lives forever. And it also lives in us.

PSALM 107:1-2

1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.

2 Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out! Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies.  NLT

1 CORINTHIANS 15:57-58

57 But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.  NLT

Our life should show that we are thankful and grateful. You must be willing to be grateful because then the things you do will reflect how you really feel and show what is truly in your heart. Thankfulness is an attitude. It is a condition of the heart. What kind of condition is your heart in, not just this Thanksgiving, but year-round?

As we commemorate Thanksgiving this year, I hope you will retain the original gratefulness to God displayed by the Pilgrims and many other founding fathers, and remember that it is to those early and courageous Pilgrims that we owe not only the traditional Thanksgiving holiday, but also the concepts of self-government, the “hard-work” ethic, self-reliant communities and devout religious faith. Along with all the commotion, companionship and cooking, take time to give thanks and praise to God and to the special people in your life.

Pastor Tony Guadagnino

Christian Love Fellowship Church

It wasn’t all that long ago that the Major League Baseball Season came to an end. Baseball isn’t just the Great American Pastime. Baseball has always had a special place in the heart and soul of The Jewish People.

I suspect it started way back before anyone ever heard of Abner Doubleday. In fact, it started way back in Biblical Times. Why else do you think that G-d chose to start the Torah with the words, “In the Big Inning?”

Come to think of it, why else would G-d tell one of the Patriarchs to make a sacrifice …

And, even though the ancients may have lived in a Patriarchal society, even the women got into the game because every Purim we read about Queen Esther throwing a ball. And if throwing a ball was good enough for the Queen, then maybe Polo shouldn’t be the sport of Kings. Maybe they should try playing some baseball.

It was just a couple of weeks ago that we read Parsha Lech Lecha. In this Chapter of the Bible, G-d has picked the roster. He has chosen the starting line-up and, he has decided that Abram should, “Go  fourth.”

In baseball, the one who bats fourth is lovingly referred to as the “Clean-Up Hitter.” This is the player who is statistically most likely to do something that enables all the other runners on base to make it home … and, as Dorothy said in The Wizard of Oz, “There’s no place like home.”

Most of you reading this column have your home down here in sunny South Florida. But I suspect that many of you are not aware that we, just like Abram, and just like the clean-up hitter, were recently called “fourth.”

Unfortunately, the fourth we were called was not about heading to Canaan, nor was it about bringing others home. Then again, maybe it was about bringing others home if you are talking about the heavens as your final home; because it seems that we of our beloved Sunshine State were just listed as the fourth worst drivers in the Country … and I am not talking about a drive out on the golf range. A clearinghouse for car insurance information put us fourth in a research study that took into play things like traffic fatalities, citations and arrests; and we did not score so well.

In baseball, even if the clean-up hitter hits a homerun, he can’t bring anyone else home unless someone before him gets on base, which brings us to the first batter, the lead-off man.

And again, sadly, we, the drivers of Sunny Florida do indeed lead-off. We come in first in the rankings in the number of traffic citations issued and, talk about semi-pros, we are pretty close to No. 1 in, surprise of surprises,  careless drivers. So I guess I better stop keying this into my computer, put my coffee down and stop talking on my cell phone until I get off the road …

So ladies and gentleman of South Florida, were you paying attention?

We came in fourth, but we can do better. Let’s clean up our roads. Help others make it home … and may the Great Umpire in the Sky be by our side in our driving, in our going fourth, and may He bring all of us home safely.

Shalom My Friends,

Rabbi Craig H. Ezring

Rabbi Ezring is a Hospice Chaplain and Member of the National Association of Jewish Chaplains. He also provides Professional Pastoral Care Services to a number of health centers in Broward County.

It was just one year ago, Oct. 26, 2010, that Joseph Stein passed away. He was the man who took a short story written by Sholom Aleichem and turned it into both the stage and screen production of Fiddler on the Roof.

“If I were a rich man…”

Ah, to be rich… How many of us haven’t wondered what it would be like? How many of us haven’t thought, if only we had money… all our problems would disappear, we could do whatever we wanted, we wouldn’t have a worry in the world?

But now, rich is not enough… you have to be mega-rich. If you’re wondering what mega-rich is, I took a very non-scientific poll.

Most people I asked came up with a number between $12 and $17 million in order to be considered mega-rich.

Many said, “What’s a million dollars these days?” Well, I can tell you this… it’s a lot more than many of us will ever have. And most said they would not feel fully secure with $2 or $3 million in the bank (or tucked inside their mattress for that matter).

I recently worked with some people that I strongly suspect are in the category of the super wealthy and, oddly enough, even though they needed care (24-hour care at that), they either felt that they could not afford it, or they simply did not want to part with their money. One, who is in his 90s, even said that he needed to save his money for his old age.

So let me ask you, how much is enough? How much money would it take to make you happy?

The other day I dealt with the children of an extremely wealthy woman. She had died and they were fighting over the estate. It seems their mother had the nerve to divide everything equally between them. But each wanted more; each wanted a greater share.

The children were so busy fighting with one another that I took it upon myself to call the Private Duty Aide and thank her for the way she had cared for the deceased so angelically in her final years on this Earth.

She thanked me for the call and, before I hung up, she said, “Rabbi, did you hear what she did?” I asked what, and she told me, “Rabbi, I can’t believe it, she left me a lot of money. Rabbi, I never expected it and I have never had so much money at one time in my entire life.”

I can assure you that to the children it is not a big amount (if it were, I suspect they would contact a lawyer)… but while they are busy fighting over their inheritance and filled with hate, anger, and jealousy… the Aide is praising the memory of the woman she took care of and thanking G-d for granting her such wealth.

“Who is really rich? The one who is satisfied with their share.” (Sayings of our Fathers, 6:9).

Shalom My Friends,

Rabbi Craig H. Ezring

Rabbi Ezring is a Hospice Chaplain and Member of the National Association of Jewish Chaplains. He also provides Professional Pastoral Care Services to a number of health centers in Broward County.

Since 1992, the month of October has been Clergy Appreciation Month. It is designed for us to encourage and thank the religious leaders in our lives. We should let our Pastors know that we love and support them. Also, let them know why we appreciate their hard work and labor of love. We tend to always hear about all the Ministers that mess up or make a mistake, but we don’t hear much at all about all the good things that are happening in churches across the country. Pastors are saving lives, helping families, feeding the poor, and helping hurting people with God’s help. The scriptures I have here are ones that we really need to take to heart. We need to listen to all of God’s Word.

HEBREWS 13:7

7 Remember your leaders who taught you the word of God. Think of all the good that has come from their lives, and follow the example of their faith.

NLT

The Ministry provided by Pastors and their families is very unique. God has chosen them to watch over His children and take care of the spiritual well-being of their congregation.

1 THESSALONIANS 5:12-13

12 Dear brothers and sisters, honor those who are your leaders in the Lord’s work. They work hard among you and give you spiritual guidance.

13 Show them great respect and wholehearted love because of their work. And live peacefully with each other.

NLT

When a Pastor becomes worn down and worn out, the very souls of his flock are at risk.  Pastors and their families live under unbelievable stress and strain. Their lives are played out in a glass house, with the whole congregation and the public scrutinizing their every move. They are expected to have model families, to be wonderful people, to always be on hand, to never have problems, and to have all the answers we need to keep our own lives on track. These are impractical expectations to place on anyone; yet most of us are let down when a pastor becomes overwhelmed, seems sad, lets us down, or totally burns out.  That is why God teaches us to recognize His servants.

1 TIMOTHY 5:17

17 Elders who do their work well should be respected and paid well, especially those who work hard at both preaching and teaching.

NLT

The good news is that we can make a difference! Clergy Appreciation Month is one way we can return the favor and encourage our spiritual leaders and let them know that we care about them. There are four easy ways to help your pastors and their families feel appreciated: (1) Buy them a card. (2) Bless them with a gift card to a restaurant, movie theatre or department store. (3) Share with them, in writing, how much they have blessed you and your family. (4) Encourage others to do the same.

Show appreciation and honor your Pastor and his family this year. It will encourage them more than you ever may realize.

Pastor Tony Guadagnino

Christian Love Fellowship Church

A man ventured off on a quest to seek out the most fabled of all Seers. The journey was a difficult trek and took a good deal of time, but the man did not give up. And one day, he finally came across the “Great One,” the Seer of all Seers … the Sage of all Sages … the Wisest of the Wise.

“Great Seer, how does one become wise?”

The Seer answered, “From making good choices.”

“But Great Seer, how does one learn to make good choices?”

The Seer patiently answered, “Through experience.”

“But Great Seer, how does one gain experience?”

To which the Seer replied, “Through bad choices.”

A colleague of mine shared this story with me just before the beginning of the High Holy Day Season, and I loved the message found within this lovely parable. No matter how perfect you think you are … no matter how much wiser you think you are than someone else, I can assure you of one thing – over the course of this past year, you have made some bad choices. The question on Yom Kippur is – did you learn from those bad choices … or, will you just keep making the same mistakes over and over again in the New Year ahead?

I saw a woman at the Rehab Center the other day. I remembered her from her last stay in the facility. It wasn’t all that long ago and so, I asked her, “What are you doing back here so soon? What happened?”

She let me know that she had gotten up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and she had fallen and, from that fall, she wound up with a broken hip. I asked her about the walker that she had gone home with. She told me, “Rabbi, it was only a few steps from my bed to the bathroom and I figured I can make a few steps without any problem.”

And that is when I asked her the question that I find myself asking people so often in my Chaplaincy. I asked her, “What did you learn from this?” Sadly, she did not have an immediate answer, so, after what I considered to be an appropriate amount of time, I decided to help her. I said, “Well, hopefully you learned two things. First, you learned to follow the advice of your therapist to use your walker even if you only have a few steps to take.”

She nodded in agreement and then asked what the second thing was. My answer … “Well, you learned that falling doesn’t hurt at all … LANDING … now that’s a different story. LANDING can hurt a lot. It can even break a hip.”

And with that, I asked her one more time, “So, what did you learn from this ‘grasshopper?’”

And I loved her answer.

She said, “You’ve got to learn how to LAND before you take a FALL; better yet, don’t take a fall at all.” What a wise woman! She had learned from her mistake and, G-d willing, next time she will prove to be much wiser and use her walker … even if it is only a few steps that she wishes to take.

Shalom, my friends, and may we all be wise enough not to repeat the mistakes of the past year.

Rabbi Craig H. Ezring

Rabbi Ezring is a Hospice Chaplain and Member of the National Association of Jewish Chaplains. He also provides Professional Pastoral Care Services to a number of health centers in Broward County. 

My wife and I spent about 10 years living in Argentina.  During that time we learned a great deal about the language and culture of Argentina.  Some things we did not like, and some we did.

One of the things we absolutely love about the Argentine culture is the Argentine Asado. Some would translate that as “barbecue” but it is so much more. An Asado is an event that brings people together. It’s so much more that just preparing a meal and sitting down to eat together. We used to have Asados almost every Sunday at our house.  Our neighbors, who now are more like family, would come over at about 10 in the morning.  First myself and my friend Juan would start the fire, and while we were starting the fire, Beth and Juan’s wife, Silvia, would prepare the salad and drinks.  While the coals were getting hot, we would prepare the meat, and nothing compares to Argentine beef.  To prepare properly an Argentine Asado, it takes about 3 hours.  During that time Juan, his son Nahuel, and my son Samuel, would talk, and, through these Asados, our relationship grew from one of neighborly friendship to family. I actually refer to the Gonzales family as our Argentine family. When the meat was almost done, we would prepare the table and sit down to a feast. The conversation would continue as we ate, and then long after we were done eating, as we sat around the table, satisfied by the wonderful meal we had all prepared and enjoyed. These little events happen all over Argentina on a daily basis.  Everyone looks for any excuse to have an Asado.  My soccer team would meet twice a month for an Asado. We would say it was important to get together to talk strategy, but in the four hours we spent together, we rarely talked strategy.

Last week, my son Isaiah prayed to receive Christ.  My wife described to him that Heaven is like a big Asado, where all your friends and family sit around the table, enjoying each other’s company.  In Matthew 7:21-23 it says this, ”Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father, who is in heaven, will enter. “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.”

What I believe these verses mean is that not everyone is going to be at the big Asado.  God has given us an invitation. Matt. 11:28  says, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” The invitation is to cast your burdens on Him, and one day, sit down at a big table filled with friends and enjoy the best Asado ever.  Have you accepted the invitation?

Deron Peterson is is the Senior Pastor at First Baptist Church of Deerfield Beach.