At a staff meeting last week, the Superintendent asked each one of us to fill in the blank with our word: new year, new _____. This past November, Lance and I spent the weekend in Savannah planning for 2018 and decided our word of the year would be “gratitude”, so it was easy to fill in the blank. Talking about resolutions can begin to feel cliché, but I still love being able to reflect on the prior year and start fresh, turning the calendar to January, and creating new rhythms and goals. A few days after the staff meeting, another Director stopped by my office to deliver an article, The Gratitude Effect. Gratitude has always been a part of God’s plan (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, Psalm 107:1, Ephesians 5:20), but I always appreciate when science catches up with Him. The article highlights how we can “tap into feelings of gratitude to change the region in the medial pre-frontal cortex, an area in the frontal lobe where the two hemispheres meet.” It is now widely accepted in academia that the mindset of “being thankful” is healthy for the soul, mind, and body - as well as the workplace! Research from the Harvard Business Review supports that “a shift to practices of gratitude and mindfulness leads to a positive, nurturing and caring culture.” That’s incredible - you can change your culture and environment just by being more grateful. I haven’t always been mindful about gratitude, but a few years ago I attended the Global Leadership Summit and heard one of the speakers, Shawn Achor present The Happiness Advantage. As an author, he unpacks the psychology, rigorous research, neuroscience, and management studies behind the reprogramming of our brains to become more positive (which Paul already phrased in Romans 12:1-2). I’ve also had the privilege of hearing Dr. Caroline Leaf, a Neuroscientist, discuss the ability of the brain to change physical properties through our thoughts. Additional scientific research shows that gratitude can improve sleep, protect from illness, motivate exercise, enhance romance, and boost happiness. And now it is being accepted as a way to make you a more effective and productive employee! The list goes on and on. In my previous life, I was a researcher of brain chemistry and knew about how powerful regenerating the brain is, but I had not connected the thankfulness to the science. This fascinated me and led me to do my own research, launching the Happiness 180 campaign in 2016 for our food service program. There are 180 days in the school calendar, and I thought it was the perfect opportunity to introduce 180 days of positivity and thanksgiving for a 180-degree shift in our minds and culture. One of my favorite (and most challenging) verses is Philippians 4:6-7:

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

It is so easy to spend all of our time focused on the things that are going wrong, all of the things that need to be fixed, and to be steadily analyzing how to make improvements (especially for a perfectionist and realist like me. Yes, I said realist and not pessimist- big difference!) But it is SO important for us to be intentional, to look for the positive, and to point out the good. So, I tested all of this science on myself with the Happiness 180 campaign last year and committed to sharing something new I was thankful for with my entire staff - every day of the school year. I actually had some of my very best friends refer to me as an optimist on several occasions, which was a BIG win for me! And, all of the schools who actively participated in the challenge experienced significant improvements, an overall happier workplace, AND a more positive culture. I can honestly say the kitchens that are happiest are also the most efficient and productive because amazingly, by focusing on the good, they actually are a better team. Lance and I decided “gratitude” was our word for 2018 and we were going to take the time every day to verbalize what we were thankful for, jotting it down in a journal we can look back on throughout the year. Too many days fly by without reflection of what was good and how God worked. We are determined to not let them go by un-noticed with the excuse of being too tired and too stressed. We both have way too much going on in our brains (in two totally different arenas) so it is hard to catch up. This way, we make sure we can at least share the highlights and create a healthier rhythm of thankfulness for Addi Grace. The Gratitude Effect: a prescription for many ailments. Test it yourself.

Even though we celebrated Monday, today is Martin Luther King’s birthday. If he were still alive today, it would be his 89th birthday and April will be the 50th anniversary of his death. For reasons that are probably obvious, Dr. King isn’t someone I spent a great deal of time studying growing up. Just an effect of me, nor my family, having to deal with inequality. But as I’ve grown older, I’ve found a much deeper appreciation of who Dr. King was as an activist, father, and pastor. Around his birthday each year, social media is flooded with many of his inspirational quotes. The most amazing part to me is how relevant most of his quotes are today, 50+ years after he spoke them. This one in particular caught my attention this week:

“We must rapidly begin the shift from a ‘thing-oriented’ society to a ‘person-oriented’ society. When machines & computers, profit motives, and prosperity rights are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered.”

If anything, the advancement of technology has only accelerated our course towards a “thing-oriented” society. It is thrown at us from every angle. Every advertisement we consume, whether it be via TV or online, was created to convince us to invest our resources into some THING. It’s rare you see a billboard asking us to invest in people. That doesn’t bring money in the door. If Dr. King thought this was a problem in 1964, I wonder what he would say today. I’m a firm believer in the power of social media. You probably wouldn’t be reading this blog today without it. But there are also innumerable studies that show how social media and our content consumption has affected the depth of our relationships. We have more contact with more people, but our relationships tend to be a mile wide and an inch deep. What Dr. King is advocating is not abandoning “things”, but investing in people. As was true for most of Dr. King’s ideas, this concept came from the teachings of Jesus. Sure, Jesus had inch-deep relationships, but the Bible is also clear that Jesus invested deeply in people. The most profound parts of Jesus’s life came in close encounters. Niccodemus, Lazarus, the blind men on the road to Jericho, the woman at the well, etc. All personal encounters initiated by Jesus. Jesus also invested most deeply in his disciples. 12 men who He spent the bulk of his time with. He would teach to the masses and then give further clarification and direction specifically to his disciples. Of those 12 disciples, Jesus invested even more deeply in three, Peter, James & John. My point is that as time goes on, we will have more and more opportunities to invest in things. It’s the easy thing to do and what society encourages us to do. I ask you to buck the trend. Relationships matter. People matter. Jesus set the example. Take a step back and look at WHO you can invest in, not what.

This year my parents decided to plan a ski trip to Keystone, Colorado rather than wrestle through the process of finding the right Christmas gift. What they didn't realize was that Keystone was the right opportunity to get away and experience the perfect gift. It’s hard for me to express my feelings without getting emotional (sounds cliche right?). If you know me at all, I’m a wreck when it comes to emotional moments! I’m the guy who tears up at movie trailers. I relate to the relationships I have and the significance of how it has impacted my life! I know it’s silly, but I can literally picture so many AMAZING things that I’ve experienced, OR WANT TO EXPERIENCE, that it brings a flood of tears. I’ll never forget the moment in The Patriot when Mel Gibson is preparing to leave for war. He gives his bride a bold kiss and then turns to his daughter. She won't even entertain the time of day for him, and he visibly wrestles with the decision to pick her up and hug her or leave her alone. He saddles his horse and prepares to ride off. Fractions of a second later his daughter calls out, “Papa don’t leave!” and my heart is on the floor (this happened long before we adopted Addi Grace). The emotion! The heartfelt desire to be close to the ones we love! What I realized on this trip to Keystone is the fact that I have been blessed to have a close relationship to the man who has most influenced my life, and I have the privilege of continuing his legacy. Don’t get me wrong, John Jones has plenty of years left, but the perspective of legacy has taken a different toll. Our time is short, and our opportunities are few. What we decide to do with them will ultimately determine the legacy we leave behind for others. I believe I have many of the best years in front of me, but I am not the one who has predetermined those years! I have an audio recording of 1 hour 32 minutes and 20 seconds discussing life, pursuits, happiness, significance, AND a confidence in an eternal relationship with Christ on the heels of a trip to Colorado. I don’t know what 2018 has in store for you - I don’t, but I pray you end up with an hour and a half of significance with someone you WANT to leave a legacy for! - James 4:14

Happy New Year, friends! Today is officially my first day back to work after a week full of Christmas celebrations and new year prep. As much as I love to decorate for Christmas early (November 11th this year, to be exact), I think it’s safe to say I love getting an early start on taking them down even more. By 5pm on Christmas day, I am antsy to start stripping away all the extra layers of clutter in my home in preparation for a fresh start to the new year. It doesn’t just end with garland and lights - every drawer, every closet, and every cabinet gets the de-clutter treatment. Year after year, I ask myself, “How do I accumulate this much junk in one year? Didn’t I just clean these closets and cabinets last year at this same time?" It’s amazing how much disorder 365 days of build up can create! And then, as I was dragging out the 4 millionth trash bag to the donate pile, it hit me: in the same way we clean and purge the things in our home to start fresh with motivation for the new year, we have to do the same within ourselves. Don’t get me wrong, the quest for a settled and uncluttered soul has been top priority and topic of study for the past five years for me. This was not a new revelation - that "donate" pile was just a tangible representation of creating order and room in my home for rest that I knew needed to be done (AGAIN) in my soul. ‬‬ I want to hold on to the good and eternal things and clear out the clutter. I want to maintain order and daily routines and disciplines that will keep me from being in the same place next year in my home and in my my soul - to let each morning feel like a new year, like anything is possible - a fresh start! So, my goal for 2018: say no to more things and yes to more important things. Easy enough, right?! No to the 47 string art projects and yes to the handprints and "Mommy, I love you" cards. No to another evening of commitments and yes to a night at home. No to another episode of Fuller House and yes to reading a book or meaningful conversations. “Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you.” ‭‭1 John‬ ‭2:15‬ ‭NLT If I’m not alone in this, I would encourage you to look into the books below! And if this is just me, thank you in advance for holding me accountable this year. Cheers! Present Over Perfect - Shauna Nequeist The Best Yes - Lisa Teurkurst For The Love - Jen Hatmaker Grace, Not Perfection & A Simplified Life - Emily Ley Rhythms of Grace - Kerri Weems Cultivate What Matters - Lara Casey

This is my absolute favorite time of year! I love the smells in the air, the lights, and decorations. I love holiday parties, hot cocoa, and yummy homemade goodies. I love extra time with family and friends - and I love that it gets a little bit colder (even in Florida!), which means I can wear my boots and jackets. While my husband loves this time of year for Jesus and my Christmas morning cinnamon rolls (which he discussed in last week’s Wednesday Wisdom), for me, Jesus and chocolate balls make this season most special! Christmas is not complete without chocolate balls. My favorite family tradition. The Little family makes them every year, and they are SO DELICIOUS. I have 2 for breakfast with milk (it’s just like a peanut butter and chocolate granola bar right?!) and 2 before bed every day, all season long. For those of you who don’t know, my husband is the chef of the family. I am a very good sous chef and love to help in the kitchen, but I cannot throw something together like he can. It drives me crazy! He can make something out of nothing, it is never the same, and his version of a recipe is in pinches, dashes, and handfuls. I, however, love to bake - it is a science with a recipe that you HAVE to follow. The ingredient amounts and order of the steps are essential for success. I am a scientist by training and love details – I’ll read a recipe over and over again before I start just to be sure (one of the reasons the chocolate balls always turn out perfectly). I pride myself on being detail-oriented and a great planner. Every step of every day is carefully crafted for the most efficient and most effective day possible. BUT this is also my biggest downfall. Particularly in this season, this fault comes to an ugly head if I let it. I admit I am absolutely 100% Martha! Any other Martha’s out there sympathize with me?! Jesus, don’t you see ALL the things I am doing while Mary is just hanging out and being LAZY!!!! Accomplishing nothing off the to-do list! If you are unfamiliar with the story of Mary & Martha, read it here. Jesus speaks to Martha in Luke 10:41-42 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one.[a] Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” The NLT translation says Martha was “upset over all these details!” Can you imagine if Jesus stopped by for a visit?! My problem is the same as Martha’s. Too often, I get caught up in all the planning and preparation and never stop to be still and be present. Too often, I let small details and perfection interfere with what matters most - God and people - the only two things that will last forever. I can carefully plan and execute a recipe or a strategy beautifully - and still miss it all. Christmas is all about Jesus: a time we stop to celebrate the birth of our Savior. It is not about the parties and the presents and the jolly old man in a red suit. We HAVE to stop all the madness! For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And He will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 (NLT) Jesus came to earth not only to save us from our sin but to be our Prince of Peace! How many of us could use a little more peace in our lives during the craziness of the holiday season?  Our lives are too busy and too crowded to resemble anything close to peace. And even worse, we see busyness as a badge of honor. Kara, at The Journey Church, recently preached on this very subject and hit the nail on the head when she said, “If Satan can’t make you bad, he will make you busy doing things that don’t matter.” This is EXACTLY his tactic for keeping me distracted from what matters most and keeping me from fulfilling the plan God has for me. But Jesus says, Martha, Martha, you are worried about too much! Martha, only one thing is needed, Mary has discovered it and it will not be taken away from her. It’s all about Jesus. Stop. Slow down. Listen. Be still. Come to me. Focus on what matters most. It’s all about people and relationships, not things. Fix your eyes on me! Martha had become distracted by all the details and had taken her eyes off of Jesus. We truly are all just as busy as we choose to be. We are in complete control of where we fix our thoughts and what we say yes to. Jesus, help us to keep our eyes on you and away from all the distractions of this world and of the holidays. Help us all to be a little more “Mary” this season. Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 (NLT) 3 You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Isaiah 26:3 (NLT)