November 2018 • Tammy Hicks Jackson

November 29, 2018December 26, 2018

Christmas Wish List

It’s that time of year.

No, not Christmas . . .

(well, it is Christmas,

but that’s not what I mean).

It’s WISH LIST time.

Every year, on Thanksgiving, my mother-in-law starts a relentless quest to obtain a list of things that the members of my family. I confess that I am among the least cooperative. Mindful of my many blessings, I struggle to make a list. There’s nothing I truly need and not even much for which I have a burning, must-be-quenched desire. Faith, family, friends, health–I cannot complain!

Perhaps you are in the same predicament–struggling to find things to put on your wish list–or perhaps you identify with my mother-in-law (bless her for not getting angry with me)–struggling to find things for people on your list.

Here’s one solution: Devotionals!

November 23, 2018December 27, 2018

What are you talking about?

I have a friend. She’s such wonderful fun, adventurous, loyal and hard working. But conversations can be exhausting. Sometimes I have to just stop her and say, “WHAT are you talking about?” When we quit laughing, she will catch me up.

I get lost because I don’t comprehend a connection. Sometimes it’s my fault; I let my attention wander and miss it. Other times she doesn’t give me enough information to follow her off the conversational exit ramp. One example was the day a conversation about back roads to the beach shifted to lasagna. I didn’t know she had the discovered the “best lasagna of my life” in a chance encounter after taking a wrong turn and getting lost. It’s an important piece of information! Once she shared that, I could say, “Oh, now I get it!”

November 20, 2018December 26, 2018

A Righteous Advent

What is Advent?

Advent is a time to prepare our hearts for Christ to be born anew in us, and to recommit ourselves to following Jesus at the beginning of another Church year. Click To Tweet

Advent most commonly refers to the four Sundays prior to Christmas. Advent means a coming, and is from the Latin word adventus. In the Church, it is a time to prepare for the Nativity, or birth of Jesus Christ. The Latin word adventus is also used to translate the Greek word parousia which refers to Jesus’ second coming. Jesus’ first and second comings are integral to his purpose in coming at all, so we also prepare for his return even as we celebrate his birth. For this reason, you will find apocalyptic readings intermingled.

November 20, 2018December 27, 2018

What is a Spiritual Health and Wellness Coach?

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What is Spiritual Health and Wellness Coach

To share with you what I do (and do not do), I need to explain a little about Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. I’m neither a psychologist nor an expert in Maslow’s theory, but I find it helpful.

Who’s Maslow?

Abraham Maslow was an American psychologist (1908-1970) whose work was very different from psychologists before him. He called his work “positive psychology,” because those before him had focused on illness and abnormality while Maslow focused on creating health, wellness, and wholeness in an individual.

The Hierarchy of Needs is a visual representation of his motivational theory, first published in the 1940’s. Maslow asserted that human beings are motivated to meet our needs, and deficiencies in the the needs in the lower levels of the pyramid will inhibit our growth and movement to higher levels of the pyramid.

November 19, 2018December 26, 2018

Welcome!

Why am I not perfectly happy?

“I’m physically healthy, have a great relationship and family, and am succeeding in my career. So why am I still unhappy? Unsatisfied? Unfulfilled?”

This was the question I was asking myself several years ago. I felt like I should have been happy.

No, I should have been ecstatic.

I had it all!

And yet, when my mind tried to settle for sleep, or I let myself drift into daydream, that underlying unrest surfaced.

There is a thirst for connection, purpose, and meaning hardwired into human beings.

Through suffering and loss, pain and joy, love and mercy, I discovered that until the soul is satisfied, we will find little satisfaction in success of any kind.

“We rise by lifting others.” Albert Ingersoll

I’ve also discovered that I’m not the only one engaging in this journey. I’m willing to share what I’ve learned and walk alongside others as we discover together how to satisfy our soul’s thirst.