Christmas for You…….

This will be the first Christmas since my wife and I have been married (for 34 glorious years) that we are both unemployed. It’s kind of odd when you think about it, that presents will have no significance for us this year since we won’t be getting each other any. A Christmas tree with no presents under it, things could be much much worse. Unfortunately we have eroded the meaning of Christmas too often to, “how much was your take” Don’t you just get a kick out of watching someone’s face when they spy out a price tag someone forgot to remove, hilarious. However, just the opposite took place with the baby in the manger. Christmas for Him was about giving up His take.

We both have been praying more often and pondering many things right now, which is a great thing. We discussed the other day after a trip to a homeless shelter how easy it would be for “people like us to end up there”. What kind of Christmas do homeless people have? The Shepherds on the night of Jesus’ birth didn’t win the power ball jackpot and all of sudden fall into a bunch of dough, yet they rejoiced over the mini messiah in the manger. Christmas for them was about worshipping the new born King.

Even though there is no money coming in right now for us, God has stilled blessed us enough that we have money to give away at the end of the year. This usually happens every year and brings us great joy. The three wise men (I just had to write that to make some of you upset) traveled very far and made many sacrifices not to get something, but to give something to the future King of the Universe. Christmas for them meant giving not receiving.

My granddaughter and I are forgoing finishing up the story Black Beauty for this month and concentrating instead on Christmas books which we bring out once a year with our decorations. The really good books always end up connecting to the true meaning of Christmas at the end. The reason for Christmas which most of us realize is the Christ Child.

So as I get into a conversation with the brown eyes of a three year old boring down on me in all seriousness about what grandpa can get her for Christmas she ponders this Jesus child and thinks of her little brother who is four months old. She thinks to herself “no big deal grandpa” if Jesus is just like my brother. But she knows better as we both listen to her little heart speak during prayers at lunch in amazement. Christmas for my grandchildren will someday be more meaningful and majestic as they comprehend who this little baby really is.

Are we looking forward to this time of year? Some of might not be because it just means more busyness in our already maxed out schedules. You can literally be Christmas activitied to death. Church activities, TV Christmas specials, Christmas concerts, parties with coworkers, open houses to attend, oh and don’t forget the guys shopping for our wives on Christmas Eve. Many of you just collapsed on the couch just thinking about all that activity? So how do we all catch our breath and take some serious “time” to “ponder” this thing we call Christmas? We will have to be intentional and not feel guilty about saying n-o. How do you spend some time by yourself, clear your mind, climb up into your Father’s arms and ask Him, “Why did you send your son down to earth for us?” After we ask that question, don’t say anything else, just listen for a really long time! Christmas for us should be about listening to our Father talk to us about this baby!

Please No More Simplistic Sunday Answers

You walk into church and a person greets you with the typical, “how are you doing”? Sometimes I feel like they don’t want to know how I am doing unless I give the patented Sunday morning simplistic answer, “just fine”.  The reason I believe this is the case is because most often I don’t have that patented answer, some days even on Sundays I am not fine at all. I recently replied to that question with, I am not good at all, I am really hurting today”. The person got rid of me as fast as they could, I believe they saw leprosy forming on my limbs, he’s unclean, he’s unclean. Prove my theory right or wrong this Sunday when someone asks, “how you doing”, don’t give them the Sunday morning simplistic answer.

This phenomena isn’t just a Sunday morning church peculiarity. As most of you know I am in between assignments from God right now seeking His guidance and listening for His voice. The common response from most that talk with me is, “God has something better for you”. I believe their response is sincere, but not quite Biblically sound.  It could be as someone pointed out to me that, “they just don’t know what else to say and want the best for you”, I get that, and I am very thankful. In reality God might not have anything “better” for me in mind. He promises it will be better but that guarantee is only when I go HOME to live with HIM.

I was often guilty of this simplistic Sunday morning response as well. “I will pray for you”, was a common phrase that slipped off my tongue faster than the national debt climbs.  Prayer is powerful if one does it, which often times I didn’t and at the same time Matt 25:31-46 speaks to me that more than a Christian cliché is needed. Talking with that person who is emotionally spent, physically overwhelmed with dark circles under their eyes from a lack of sleep, and spiritually as dry as a desert because their 19 year old son has just committed suicide, I am sorry, “I will pray for you just doesn’t cut it”. So how do we overcome acedia in our lives and move past being the barriers of these Sunday morning simplistic sayings?  

Can we see in our minds eye that the best solution to this problem is that we will have to invest in other people’s lives just like Jesus did. We might have come to tears because of the overwhelming need someone has in their lives, just like Christ did. We might have to reach into our pocket books and help in concrete ways, just like Christ did. Our homes might need to be used for something other than our weekly meals and TV viewing. We might actually have to start caring about others more than we care about ourselves and our own needs.  We might have to cancel our own pity party when we realize how pitiful it really is compared to someone else’s situation. Tough stuff for all of us, including me, but being engaged and ready to act is what the body of Christ should be about.  Start today by swearing off anymore Simplistic Sunday Morning Answers, Amen!

Numbness No More

The recent shooting and killings at the naval ship yard
(http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/09/16/20522196-gunman-kills-at-least-12-at-washington-navy-yard-gathering-weapons-along-the-way?lite) has re-energized the dialogue on gun violence. We have long talked about the effects of TV violence on children, but what about the effect on adults? (http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/9523930/tv-violence-problem) Many people who oppose “Christians” voicing their negative opinions about too much violence will often times point out how violent the Bible is. Therefore, what gives us the right to speak up about such atrocities? One thing we can all say with certainty is that the acts and severity of violence has been ratcheted up beyond belief (http://www.infowars.com/11examples-of-the-escalating-crime-and-violence-that-are-plaguing-communities-across-america). In Gen. 6:11 the Bible states, “Now the earth had become corrupt in God’s sight and it was filled with violence.”  Have we become more numb to violence once again?

Jesus predicted that the end of time would be "as the days of Noah where" (Matt. 24:37-39). Though the earth will be filled with wickedness and violence, mankind will be preoccupied. Maybe this preoccupation is our way of keeping jaded about the frequency and severity of violence? We might not even want to face the definition of violence: Violence is "the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person, or against a group or community, which either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, maldevelopment, or deprivation." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violence)

I don’t want to regress to being quoted as a dooms day prophet but the world we live in is not getting less violent. I can remember being in a funk for about a month after the Sandy Hook school shootings. My heart was more than sick, thinking about elementary students lying dead in pools of blood where once vibrant conversations, curiousness about the future, and the talk about possibly being the next president of the United States took place. At the same time if I let every single act of violence in the world preoccupy my every thought, I would end up in a mental institution surely contemplating suicide. Why? Because maybe most of us hate this violence so much yet we can do so little to stop what started (sin) in the garden long ago.

But God's people will not be numb to the wickedness: they will "sigh and cry over all the abominations" (Ezk. 9:4). Violence should be a stark reminder of how a lost and dying world needs a Savior. Violence should pierce our hearts and shock our minds into the reality of how diabolical Satan is. Violence should also help us realize that with every act of violence there are victims who need the lifesaving blood of Christ.

May God grant us Christ's tender heart so that the wickedness and violence of the world will never become our “new normal!" 

Never Disarmed

My father lives in CA and has an alarm system in his home.  When I go to visit him I have to disarm the system when I head out to the gym in the morning to get my work out in before he is up. The female computer generated voice actually says “disarmed.” It is a bit comical however, because my Dad tells me he can’t hear the alarm anyway. One of the benefits of maturing, is the world becomes a quieter place. 

The word “protection” just brought into your mind many different images. A policeman, a solider, a shield, McAfee software, seat belts (not so much, shame on you), locks on a door, or an alarm system. We seek protection because we feel there may be a threat to us personally. That threat could be physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual. We seek and want protection because we don’t want any harm to come to us or those that we love. 

We do not live in an ideal world. Friends are not as friendly as they should be. Neighbors are not as neighborly as they could be. And enemies are not as easily reconciled as we wish they would be. Bad things happen to good people and good people are not as good as we might imagine. When sin entered the world it forever set in motion the need for protection from others and from ourselves. The problem with protection in my mind is that at times it seems very elusive. How many times have we prayed for protection and God seems to be silent. Where is the hit man with his 44 magnum pointed at our enemies? 


In Psalm 27:1,7-9 the Bible says, "The Lord is my light and my salvation whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life of whom shall I be afraid? Hear my voice when I call, Lord; be merciful to me and answer me. My heart says of you, "Seek his face!" Your face, Lord, I will seek. Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, God my Savior." I am sure we can all relate to David’s plea to our heavenly Father for protection. 

The Bible gives us mental images of God as our strong tower, our shield, our deliverer, our shelter in the time of storm(s), all powerful, our defender, and our protector. He is God, so why does it seem sometimes that He is not protecting us. It might be because we are seeking and can only comprehend a physical presence of God. Some of us have witnessed angels miraculously stepping in and helping us although this is not an everyday occurrence.  It could be we need an audible voice from God telling us He will protect us and that would give us reassurance He is there. I think it is natural in our human thinking to believe God is only protecting us if there is a physical presence we can see or hear, fortunately that is not all of the Biblical truth on this subject.

Many would feel unprotected if that was the case. It does boil down to trusting God. Do we believe that He is God and we can trust Him totally? He says he will never leave us or forsake us. He says He always has what is best for us in mind. He says in His final words before He ascends into Heaven that He will be with us always. He will never be “disarmed” for us. So even though we don’t think He is protecting us because we have languished in this pain past our threshold, or things don’t turn out the way we anticipated, in other words not a positive ending in our minds, He is there!

That does not mean that we don’t keep asking for His protection. Asking God for his protection is not a pleasantry we can take lightly but a necessity we must take seriously. When we signed on the dotted line to fight in this spiritual war 24/7 we  demanded His protection. Without it we will lose the battle, but never the war. Do not hide your face from me, Oh God, protect me from . . . .   

Abundant Grace

We have all been there, driving by or walking by someone who is in need of assistance. (http://www.buzzle.com/articles/homeless-people.html) The first questions and thoughts that often pop into our minds when our eyes meet is, “Do I give them money or not? Do I give them a gift card or not? Maybe they are just taking advantage of me. Or maybe they truly do have a “legitimate” need that I can help with.”

Our church helps serve a meal for the residents at the Churches United for the Homeless (http://www.churches-united.org)  on every 5th Sunday. I have joined them one time in preparing the meal and it was a great experience for me. At the same time I was overwhelmed by the need. It was the only time in my life that I was at a loss for words when someone asked me to pray before the meal was served. The homeless are just one group of people who need assistance in our country and the world. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homelessness_in_the_United_States) But then I had the thought, “How many people in our own churches have physical, emotional, or spiritual needs as well?” 

The impression made on me that evening motivated my wife and I to send the organization a financial gift shortly afterwards.  However, I don’t believe I was even close to the spirit of the following verses we find in  Acts 4:33-35: "God's grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold  them, brought the money from the sales  and put it at the apostle's feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need." Who is “anyone in need?” I am sure most of your churches and your personal benevolent guidelines try to explain who “anyone in need” is.

Do we apply those verses in our lives?  How many people do we know who are in need? If someone we have contact with could not pay their rent, would we drain our savings to meet the need? If someone in our small group wrecked their car, would we give them ours? Would we send a check to a ministry that helps the less fortunate in our world? Would we really dare to view our things as our “neighbor’s” things as well? If we did incorporate this view it might lead to more friendships with others and especially those who are less fortunate not only physically but emotionally as well. Nelson Mandela said in his book, The Long Walk to Freedom, “There is little favorable to be said about poverty, but it was often an incubator of true friendship.” I will be the first to admit that my attitude needs an adjustment in this area. In this rich country we live in we probably don’t expose ourselves enough to those who are in need.

Do we pray to God - grant us success at work, in business, and with our money so that we can help those around us? According to Jeff Manion, “the chief inhibitor to generosity isn't greed; it’s fear. A person asks if I support a Compassion International child at $30 a month, will I have enough for me?” Let’s not be afraid to be generous. God does supply all our needs. Let’s step out in faith and overcome acedia in this area of our lives.  The next time you see a person in need step out of your comfort zone and do something you have never done before. 

Pinch an Inch

What is your BMI? No, it is not your Bahamas Mission Inventory. It is your Body Mass Index and you can calculate it here: www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/obesity/BMI/bmicalc.htm If you haven’t noticed lately the number of people that are overweight in our society and in the church has increased drastically. www.medicinenet.com/obesity_weight_loss/article.htm  At the next potluck at your church try performing a simple experiment. Observe the first 10 people that go through the food line, and determine how many are overweight? Maybe we think that over eating is Biblical. Jesus ate everywhere He went when He did ministry. He also walked (exercise) everywhere He went as well. How is our exercise frequency these days?

The battle with eating too much food and the wrong types of food is real and daily. We have even created TV shows about this hot topic. I know I personally struggle in this area of my life. It takes a lot of self-discipline to first of all curb our appetites and also eat healthy foods. The question is not “Why are we overeating?” It is “Why we are using food to cope” in our lives. Being overweight is just a symptom of the real issue that lies in our hearts. 

We are all familiar with the Bible text from I Cor. 6:19-20 on this topic. http://carm.org/christianity/sermons/1-corinthians-619-20-your-body-his-temple Our bodies are created by God, it is His temple in which the Holy Spirit resides. So taking care of our bodies is a stewardship issue. We have all heard of managing our time, talents, and treasures. I always include a fourth ‘T’ (temple) in my management plan.  Psalm 139:14 says, "I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made." With proper self-discipline and maintenance these biological temples that God gave us may provide 80 plus years of service. So not only will we be able to serve our King longer, we will also be able to spend more years with those we love including our grand kids, which has become another positive motivator for me. 

If we neglect proper exercise and nutrition for our bodies, all that God has planned for us may elude us. This is even more of a challenge in the “go out to eat” culture we live in. Take courage, it is a daily battle of stewardship in which God wants to assist us with victory. Keep in mind no diets actually work. What we need to do to overcome acedia is change our lifestyles. We also need to show care for kids or grandkids that are in our care. One in three young people today are obese www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/nutrition/pdf/facts.pdf.  If we want to leave a healthy legacy we have to set a good example for them to follow.  

Dirt Under Your Nails

Our last frost date to plant outside in my part of the country is May 21^st but most people try and get some root or cool crops planted by Mother’s Day. My wife and I planted about 75% of this season’s veggie garden in our square foot garden boxes just after Mother’s Day last month. I have always loved gardening and getting a little dirt under my nails. However, my 3 year old granddaughter is a bit squeamish about playing in the dirt. She likes to keep her painted nails nice and clean. Why it took us so long to leave row gardening for this marvelous, miraculous method is all about being stuck in tradition. Yuck, this reminds me of the church sometimes.

Jesus told a parable in Mark 4:4-8: "As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. but when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.”

Scattering the Gospel is sometimes very hard and frustrating work. At times it might seem easier for us to get bit by a shark while surfing (if we did surf) rather than another no show by someone we wanted to share the Gospel with. Or this has been the umpteenth time this week someone not only rejected His words but told us to get lost as well. I am afraid we (me too) are tempted to just keep our polished finger nails as far away from the dirt as we possibly can, especially if the quality of the dirt is the “least of these."

However, I have seen that some of the seed will take root. Some will multiply. And that group of hungry souls, will make all the pain, all the rejection, and all the dirt under our finger nails well worth the trouble of sharing the story of Jesus and how He changed our lives. This won’t happen by accident, because after one plants the seed there has to be a lot of watering before the Holy Spirit produces the fruit.

Now watering that is a different story with my granddaughter. She loves watering to garden! We purchased a little watering can for her and she will water anything and everything with exuberant enthusiasm. Could it be that relationship (watering) is the reward for planting the seed. Working that soil of those we have developed relationships with could be a lifelong process. We must use all the creative juices (the different watering and fertilizing methods of sustaining and deepening relationships) that we have and that the Holy Spirit gives us (new relationship sustaining ideas).

They (the ones God created for us to reach) are always worth it no matter how much dirt we get under our nails. May glances at our nails from time to time be a constant reminder of the lack of or abundance of dirt that are under those nails. So go plant some seeds and get those nails really dirty!

10:02

 The alarm went off at 10:02 am the other day on my cell phone and my wife asked me what that was for. 10:02 could be a reminder to me that the Yankee baseball game is 2 hours and 58 minutes away from starting on a day with a 1:00 pm business man special starting time. 10:02 could be my alarm alerting me to get my mid-morning yogurt snack. Or it could be the 10:02 Amtrak passenger train to Yuma.

Luke 10:2 states,  "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." We need to ask the Lord of the Harvest to “send out workers.” So 10:02 is a reminder to me that this verse has become one of my daily prayers. I encourage you to make this one of your daily prayers. Set your watch or phone for 10:02 (am or pm depending on your biological clock) every day to remind you of the Luke 10:02 prayer. So why should we be silencing our minds and turning our attention to God during this time frame? 

The problem is not the harvest; the harvest is ready.  I often tell church planters that they are very privileged to be called to a ministry where we aren’t going to run out of potential customers. What a blessing!  The two biggest delays in most church planting projects (in any church planting organization) are: there aren’t enough qualified individuals to plant churches and not enough financial resources to plant churches. 

So if the harvest is ready what is the problem? It's the workers. It’s us. We need to get to work and put making disciples that make disciples at the fore front of our minds and therefore our habits. I am ashamed at how many churches and how many of us have lost our way and haven’t done this in quite some time. Alan Hirsch warns, that if we fail at this point (discipleship) then we fail in all the others. Dallas Willard calls “non-discipleship” the elephant in the church. 

If we are going to overcome acedia we need to get to work. We need to ask God to get others to work. “We need to become like a kid in a small town parade who throws candy with two-fisted fury. We need to spread the gospel everywhere we go and with everyone we meet.” ~ Kevin Harney, Reckless Faith: Embracing A Life Without Limits. If you like this I know you will start a new 10:02 habit.

Would You Clean A Latrine?

In my quite time this year one of the devotional tools I am using is a book called A World of Wonders by Doug Batchelor. It is a fascinating book chalked full of some of the most interesting stories, facts, and figures that one can imagine. The following is an adaptation from Day 49 in this devotional book. 

On the morning of Sept. 17, 1862 (during the Battle of Antietam which was one of the bloodiest battles and turning point in the Civil War) a Union commander named Colonel Hays ordered his men to the firing line before sunrise with no breakfast. I can’t imagine a morning without breakfast; breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. By afternoon the men were exhausted and famished. 

A 19 year old mess sergeant by the name of Billy heard about this predicament and took pity on the hungry men and loaded up a wagon with buckets of coffee and all the food the wagon could carry. Then he drove the wagon into the front lines under fire. The soldiers sent up a cheer for their new hero Billy. They hurriedly scarfed down the food and headed back to fight the advancing Confederates with renewed strength and vigor. 


When Colonel Hays (Rutherford B. Hayes who became the 19th President of the United States) heard about Billy’s heroic actions he recommended Billy (who was William McKinley who became the 25th President of the United States) be promoted to the rank of second lieutenant.  

Luke 16:10 says, "He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much."  It is often used to measure the potential of a person becoming a future leader. Though the duties in front of us today may not seem great and often times even mundane  if we perform them faithfully it will soon become apparent to those around us that we can be trusted with greater things. And even if we're never given earthly recognition for our efforts, Paul reminds us that whatever we do, we should "do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men" (Col. 3:23). 

If we do that we can be confident that we’ll hear our Commander say, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord.” (Matthew 25:21) 

RETURN CUSTOMERS

    I have often mentioned to our church planters that if God is gracious enough to bring people to your church, you better find the best ways possible to keep them coming back for more. Outreach Magazine (which I highly recommend for anyone interested in making disciples) recently published the results of why visitors return to your church. This list was compiled by accumulating over 10 years of information from “Mystery Visitors” that attended various churches and then wrote a report for Outreach Magazine. Here are the results:

• Visitors return to your church because you post clear signage on your campus. 
• Visitors return to your church because you provide a good parking experience. 
• Visitors return to your church because you are aware and eliminate sensory problems (smells on your campus).
• Visitors return to your church because you were friendly, sincere and genuine.
• Visitors return to your church because your Children’s Ministry area is clean and secure.
• Visitors return to your church because the sermons relate to their lives.
• Visitors return to your church because of your church has an outward focus. 
• Visitors return to your church because you consider how the unchurched perceive what you say. 
• Visitors return to your church because your church is diverse.

    There you have it, how would you evaluate your church? All of these “Mystery Visitors” gave each church they visited a letter grade, what would you grade out at? Maybe a better way of determining how many “return customers” a church get is to measure its retention rate. What is the percentage of first time, second time, and third time guests that return to your church?  If we don’t get “return customers” we will eventually go out of business. The only way the unchurched can eventually start the journey with Jesus is to return to hear the Story!

Strangers In A Strange Land

Have you ever felt like a stranger in a strange land? I am sure if you have been on a mission trip to a foreign land you might have experienced that type of feeling. Sometimes when I watch the national news I imagine myself living in some of the foreign countries they are reporting about. It would be quite different than living at home. Do you think a person that is unchurched and visits a church would feel like a stranger in a strange land? What do you think makes a person feel like a stranger in a strange land?

There are many reasons why we could feel like we are strangers in a strange land. We could be unfamiliar with the customs and living conditions of the new surroundings. There might be language barriers that prevent us from communicating. Maybe the dress code in this strange land is quite foreign to us. The laws and moral codes could be different than what we are accustomed to. The practicing religions could cause us to be very uncomfortable.

Why do you think the scriptures ask us no fewer than 36 times to love the stranger. Ex. 23:9 states, "You shall not oppress the stranger, for you know the feelings of the stranger, having yourselves been strangers in the land of Egypt." You were strangers once, and were mistreated, therefore do not do to others what had been done to your forefathers. In Deut. 10: 17-19 the Bible says, "For the Lord your God is God supreme and Lord supreme, the great and mighty, and the awesome God who.... befriends the stranger, providing him with food and clothing. You must befriend the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt."  

Why do you think God commands us to “love the stranger”? I believe feeling like a stranger is probably one of the most uncomfortable emotions a person wants to or has to endure. Just think about a time you personally felt like a stranger. Did you feel unaccepted? Did you feel uncomfortable? Did you feel threatened? Did you feel a little sick to your stomach? Did you feel unloved? I couldn't imagine any of us enjoying being a stranger if some of the above were symptoms of this label.

I know that people who attend church for the first time do feel like strangers in a strange land! All you have to do is ask them what they feel like; it will be eye opening and give you a better understanding about what it takes to be a missionary in the culture you live in. Take God’s word to heart and just love them. What does love look like in practical terms to that stranger in your church? And how does that love in your church make that stranger feel. If it’s God’s love they won’t feel like strangers in a strange land, but members of a family who feel right at home.