Yesterday, during a conversation with a dear friend here in Redding, California, we talked a bit about lives transformed.  He observed that, having met me and talked with me when I first arrived in Redding, back in July, he would never have guessed that I was anything but happy and fulfilled.  Truth be told, I informed him, I was “happy” on the outside, but pretty hollow inside.  My passions in life, of which I had many, were not where they needed to be.  That all changed in Redding, thankfully, and I’m a different man today.  All I had taken for granted, I now cherish, while all the things I “thought” I loved have taken their rightful place (either gone, forever, or refined).  I suppose my message to all of you reading this, during this season, is that I urge all of you to take stock of your lives.  Are your passions where they should be?  Is there someone out there you may have taken for granted for far too long?  I’m pretty sure you know the answer to those questions, given a little thought.  What you do with that truth is up to you!