Eyes wide open or blinders in place.

     Looking back over the past year reveals that we survived the year!  For some that is monumental while for others survival is not enough.  I survived because Jesus isn't done with me yet here on planet earth.  While I long to go home and be with Jesus; I know that there is a reason I wake each morning and draw breath.  I'm blessed beyond measure and so are many that I know whether they admit it or not.  My job, should I choose to accept it, is to go forth and share my blessed life with others.  Sounds simple.  Why do I make it so difficult?  Perhaps the answer to that comes within the opening title.  If we choose to have our eyes wide open we are responsible for what they see.  What we see therefore directs us to what Jesus wants us to think, say and do.  Bare minimum there are so many different areas where prayer can be the focus.  The other choice is to have blinders on.  Blinders, for those of you who don't know, are on the sides of the bridle on a horse that force the animal to only be able to look forward.  Focus on only what is actually in front of them.  When we put blinders on we fall into trouble by choosing to not see the world Jesus has brought us into for his ministry. 
     When I survey my year will I find that I had my eyes wide open or did I have my blinders on.  Both were and are every day a choice that each of us makes.  We can't as Christians deny our choices.  We can see the world from a blinders on view and only see what we want to see.  Like when we are stopped in traffic and someone is holding a sign asking for help.  Do we stare straight ahead or do we look them in the eye?  Do we practice selective seeing, hearing and doing so that we aren't inconvenienced?  With blinders firmly in place we leave our place of worship and become, once again, part of the world around us.  No different from anyone else we leave no mark on the people we interact with and our witness cannot be seen or felt.  Simply saying to someone "be blessed" is empty unless we are desiring that they really be blessed.  For that we need to take off our blinders.  Removing them we see the greater world from Jesus' point of view.  He sees those who are in need and brings you and I to them to be the blessing.  This past year I failed many times at this.  This coming year will bring more of the same unless I take off my blinders.
     Having one's eyes wide open is dangerous.  For the Christian having our eyes wide open means we see the world from Christ's point of view.  Instead of people engaged in different sin, he sees them as his creation.  Precious and wonderful creatures needing the saving love and grace of Jesus.  Jesus doesn't dismiss the sin; he loves the sinner.  When we have our eyes wide open we too need to stop seeing the sin and see the sinner.  They are no different than us except they may not know Jesus.  Your sin and my sin and their sin is all sin.  Your forgiveness opened your eyes to the love of God.  In order for others to see the love of God YOU and I must have our lives wide open as well.  Nothing hidden.  Do we really look around our closets and say, "I have to many things."  Do we look at our pantry and say the same thing?  How many times have we thrown things away rather than give them to someone to use?  With our eyes wide open we need to see that people are not to be thrown away.  Didn't see that coming.  Do we give away our faith?  Yes, it's nice to give away possessions and to bless others less fortunate.  The rubber meets the road when we give away our faith in such a manner that people desperately want whatever it is you have!  You have the gift of life!  Won't you give it away to those who don't? 
     Eyes wide open or blinders in place...both are  your choice today and every day. 

Do you consider yourself a believer?

     I've asked myself that question many times since I first gave my life to Jesus in October of 1971.  The answer has been and is always, "Yes!"  My life before Jesus and after Jesus is so drastically different.  Changes that have taken place, failures and successes, sin and forgiveness, and other daily activities in the life of Steve all are combined in the nuisance's of that question.  Though we can be saved by placing our faith and lives in Jesus, we often act like we are not believers at all.  It's all I can do sometimes to get out of bed before I'm feeling defeated because of all the work that still needs to be done in my life.  Maybe you feel the same way.  All too often I listen to those little voices in my head (notice not my heart) that tell me that once again I've failed to leave any evidence that I'm a believer at all!  What does it take for me to profess my faith AND to live it?  Why do I spend more time falling down than I do standing up?  If I can't stand for Christ what good is my faith?  Yes, I wrestle with these questions just like many Christians.  Yet, I am a believer.
     The Bible tells us that Satan and his demons are all believers as well.  They are just not in a saved position and will spend eternity in hell.  I can believe that I am believer and yet not believe at all.  Here is what I mean.  If I am raised in a church, gone through confirmation, become a member, married a Christian, go to church every time the doors are open and am a functioning part of the body of believers; I may still not be a believer.  Living on one's parents or grandparents faith doesn't make it our faith.  Acting like a Christian doesn't make me one.  Saying words with my mind but not my heart doesn't convince anyone by myself of what I'm saying.  The devil can quote Scripture better than me.  What chance do I have.  Am I a believer and what does a believer really look like.  Romans tells us that faith is connected with what we do not see.  John the Baptist hadn't seen Jesus yet he preached repentance for sins and baptized people who professed faith.  David went up against Goliath with a slingshot and some stones.  Paul walked boldly for Christ even as he had previously walked boldly against Christ.  The annals of history are full of those who professed faith and were believers. 
     Yet, the question remains.  Do you consider yourself a believer?  Being a believer isn't determined by what you do for the community, church or even for Christ.  Being a believer isn't determined by what you preach or even prophesy.  Being a believer isn't determined by your heritage.  Being a believer isn't even linked to church attendance.  Personally I'm tired of those espousing their being a believer while they belong to gangs, spend the paycheck on drugs and alcohol on the way home, abandon their responsibilities as parents and other neglectful areas of their lives.  People must be tired of me as well.  "Practice what you preach!"  Nope, that doesn't constitute a believer as well.  There are lots of pastors out there who preach repentance when they themselves aren't repentant.  Mongers of attention and money/possessions are certainly not showing evidence of being believers.  Many will say in that day they were believers and yet their names aren't written in the Book of Life. 
     That's the answer.  Is your name written in the Book of Life?  Will you hear, "Well done thou good and faithful servant."?  Does the God of the universe acknowledge you are saved?  Mankind cannot do any of those things.  Being a church member doesn't save you and doing good deeds anyone can do.  When we come to the end of ourselves all we are left with is the decision to die to self and to have Christ live through us.  That's what a believer does...regardless the cost...regardless the mission given...regardless what the populace says...regardless what the world believes.  Believers have surrendered to God and are living for him as He designs, where he designs and how he designs.  What has he called the believer to do?  Spread the gospel.  Tell people about Jesus.  Make disciples of all mankind.  Feed the hungry.  Seek out the lost.  Care for the orphan and widow.  Allowing Jesus to be all that people see in you.  Do you consider yourself a believer?

What rhymes with rain?

     For the Pacific Northwest rain is what winter is all about.  For the Christian we have many other "rain" related associations.  For instance, God rains down his blessings upon us "so much so that we cannot contain them."  Of course a lot of Christians don't live like they believe this most of the time.  That includes me.  I don't like that part about me.  There is nowhere in the world I'd rather live with the blessings that freedom is rained down upon me.  I'm free to write this blog (even offend some) and you are free to respond to what I write.  Neither your freedom nor mine infringes upon the other.  We may take offense or stand in agreement; but we are still free to write or speak our minds.  I'm free to tell people about Jesus and have been blessed with the ability to read the Bible so I know what God's truth is all about.  Mind you, I discover new revelations in the Bible every day as I read it every day.  There is another freedom.  I can learn to read, write and can also possess a Bible in my language to read every day.  Another form of rain from the Lord as he wants us to know him and love him.  That gives us the freedom to accept his love and (you guessed it) rain that love on those around us.  When we think of what rhymes with grain, think gain!
     Some of you reading may be having rain in the form of snow, sleet or hail.  In the midst of commute traffic this may not seem like much of a blessing.  Yet, symbolically, snow reminds us that Jesus' blood (red) washes us whiter than snow.  So often we see those around us in shades of gray to black.  We see the worst and despite the freedom to do so, we are wrong.  We don't know the heart and struggles of those around us.  Because of this we jump to the conclusion (another freedom) that they somehow are worse off than we are.  Maybe they see your shades of gray?  Because we are believers we are told that there will be trials and that we will be persecuted.  Because we are living for Jesus the trials and persecution are his and yet somehow we feel that we need to carry them personally in spite of his raining down upon us the blessings of heaven so much so that we cannot contain them.  When thinking of the rhymes of rain with other words we need to try "again" to let God be our reason for living.  Wait!  There's another freedom!  Maybe "freedom" should rhyme with rain.
     We know that the rain, snow, sleet, hail all are there to refresh the earth.  The water sinks into our aquifers after filtration by layers of dirt, rock and sand making it ready for us to consume, feed our animals and crops, and to return to the form of rain. Cycles of this have been ongoing since the Creation.  Sometimes we don't have rain when we want it and sometimes we have to much rain when we don't want the rain.  So we complain.  We wonder why we left Egypt in the first place.  The cycle of Heaven isn't the cycle of earth.  We try to make the two the same but that isn't how it works.  In order for us to have the blessings of heaven rain down upon us we need to see our world from God's eyes.  Where rain helps one area, that same rain wreaks havoc on other areas.  The rain of the Pacific Northwest would create almost endless flash floods in the more desert areas of the country.  The dry that makes life good in Tucson, Arizona would decimate our area and destroy any and all crops.  One man's rain is another man's disaster.  Yet we look upon our neighbor and think, "Why can't I be blessed like so and so?"  They may well ask the same question about us.  The truth is we are all blessed according to our NEEDS and not our WANTS.  I want sunshine and warmth.  I need rain and renewal.  In Jesus I get both.  So the rhyme is we shouldn't "complain" about the "rain."

Not that it's over, but the day is gone.

     Anyone else feel the ache of Christmas being done?  The anticlimactic days after the holiday?  We load so much energy into Christmas and other holidays that we collapse the days following.  The high stress level we carried into the day dispenses and we are left exhausted and lethargic.  When clean up and putting away the Christmas stuff away is done we are left with an emptiness that hovers over us for days, weeks, or even months.  All this is evidence that we have made Christmas about everything but Jesus.  Yes, we sang the carols, went to church, sent the cards and wished everyone well; but we failed to keep the central focus on Jesus.  It is Jesus that we are to carry within us every day of the year.  Everyday should be Christmas and Easter all rolled into one with a splash of Pentecost thrown in for power!  The "day after" is not the end of the Christmas season anymore than putting away the Christmas plates is a sign of our last supper!  We may have gifts that remind us of Christmas day and they may linger.  We may even find ourselves reflecting on those gifts and the giver from time to time.  Even the ugly sweater!  Why do we forget to remember that the day is not gone?
     As much as I try, peer pressure makes me take down my Christmas lights outside and inside year after year.  I usually can get away with leaving them up until the end of January but not much beyond then.  I've had neighbors who weren't believers leave their Christmas lights up year round only to learn later that the lights were a signal to those who wanted to buy drugs!  I'm amazed at how intensely we approach Christmas; often beginning in late summer and then abruptly ending on Christmas day!  It's like a huge force compelling us to rush, buy, overlook, and forget.  Our world is consumed with the sale that is currently taking place, the need to compose menu's and the arrival of out of town friends and relatives.  Instead of pointing to Jesus we end up pointing all to ourselves, what we have accomplished and what we can afford.  It's an ugly truth.  Jesus encountered that mentality in the temple.  He saw what was going on.  He took the time to braid a whip. He chased the money changers out of the temple with righteous anger.  Would he have done that to us in our shopping, our travelling, our eating and opening of presents?  Jesus chased the money changers out of the temple because they failed to see the temple as holy.  Would Jesus chase us out of our homes because we failed to see the day as a holy celebration of His birth?
     It's not over.  The day is not gone.  Facing the choice of being apathetic or being engrossed in the love for Christ, I'd choose the love for Christ over gifts, food and relatives/friends.  How about you?  What are you going to do today, tomorrow or the next day to celebrate Christmas every day?  What are you going to do today, tomorrow and the next day to celebrate Easter ever day.  The story isn't just about the birth.  The story isn't just about the life.  The story isn't just about the death.  Jesus is the story!  It's all about Him.  When we put the holiday above Him, we commit idolatry.  We can call it other things to make us feel good about our actions but it's idolatry.  The day is not gone.  We have that gift today and perhaps tomorrow.  We have the gift of Jesus every day we are allowed to wake up on the right side of the grass.  Can you and I find a way to give the gift of Jesus everyday to those around us who are perishing?  If we cannot, we are telling the world the wrong story.  It's not over and the day isn't gone. 

The world outside is frightful, but with Jesus is delightful!

     I'm sitting here in my recliner, dog at my feet, had a cup of coffee, read my Bible, and not a worry in my world.  I'll have to engage reality soon and see that there are wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes, weather taking ugly turns, natural disasters, and a host of other very real events taking place even though I'm unaware.  The implications are huge though.  For me to believe I am safe only lends me to be vulnerable to the enemy.  Satan goes about the land seeking whom he may devour.  That's all of us who believe that Jesus is the Son of God and worship him only.  The prayers of the saints are what helps us stay safe.  I imagine a huge wall around where I live that is protected with angels on every side, under and over, keeping me and mine safe.  It's not that I'm paranoid, it's that God loves me so much that he takes this step to protect me.  The world outside is frightful.  You cannot turn on the news or read a newspaper without being overwhelmed with what is going on "out there." 
     Well, you can turn a blind eye or your back on what's happening.  Dulling your senses makes you able to see that what is going on happens to "other" people and not you.  Denial is an element of all of our lives that only we can give life to.  You may think that what you believe is the truth.  Convincing others is an entirely different matter.  Denial says that the "symptoms" of our worlds actions and inaction's are the problem.  Denial would help you succumb to the lie that others buy as well.  All is well.  There is peace on the horizon.  Goodness is abounding everywhere.  Really?  The world outside is frightful.  Yet, we who believe don't take it seriously.  Maybe it's because we don't believe it can happen to us, to our families or to our friends.  Maybe we are deceived into believing that there is nothing we can do to make things different.  Perhaps you, like so many, look for "someone else" to do what needs to be done, to say what needs to be said, and to be a champion for those who are in need of a champion.  Maybe the world in here is frightful as well.  All it takes for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing.  After all, "It's not my job."
     The image that everything is rosy with Jesus is to say we have arrived.  "Look at what I project my world to be like!"  I'd rather not.  I'd rather look at what needs there are around you and I and attend to them.  "Even as you have done it to the least of these, you have done it to me."  We often take that statement to address the "good" we do to those around us.  The opposite is true as well.  "Even as you have NOT done it to the least of these, you have NOT done it to me."  The weather outside is frightful, but with Jesus is delightful.  Do you make a difference in the world around you?  Will anyone be able to look back and say that your life made a difference?  I would hope so.  But, I don't know about your life.  I only know about mine.  I've been the one who has done God's will and also gone against God's will.  I've helped and harmed.  I've neglected the needs of others and fulfilled the needs of others.  I've been both part of that world that is frightful as well as that part that is delightful.  I've failed and I've succeeded.  Looking back is good only if you intend to use the memory to not make the same mistake twice.  If you are looking back and dwelling then you aren't moving forward. 
     The truth is YOU and I are who make the world around us frightful or delightful.  It's not someone else's job.  It's our job.  It's our calling.  It's our sharing Jesus to the world through our thoughts, words, and deeds.  Don't forget your prayers as well.  Being prayerful is not just about asking a blessing on what we eat.  Telling people to be well and happy but doing nothing results in nothing.  Wishful thinking isn't for those who call themselves followers of the Son of God.  The world outside really is frightful.  What are you going to do about it?  Life with Jesus is really delightful.  Are you going to share it?  It's all about the choices that YOU and I make. 

Sat to much, ate to much, thankful very much!

     Holidays like Christmas are marked with food, friends and frolic.  Okay, maybe no frolic.  There are of course the gifts given and received as well.  Most of the really important gifts are centered around love of the giver to the given and remain great memories long after the gifts have served their usefulness.  As the Bible says, "Love endures forever."  It's true even if we don't believe we are loved.  That's the thing about gifts; we interpret them as temporary while all the while they are permanent.  We remember the giver and THEN the gift reinforces the giver, not the gift.  It's like that with the love of God as well.  We remember that He is there and lose track of some of what he has done.  We remember the love and the act of love only when we remember where the love came from.  Full circle...just like remembering the wonderful food we have had when we walk into the kitchen.  Blessings by association if you will. 
     When we discuss the goodness of a holiday there inevitably are certain foods that click and some that don't.  For instance, turkey at Thanksgiving and ham at Easter.  The choice of seating goes the same way.  Couch or recliner?  Recliner of course!  Christmas is a bit more complicated.  For some it's turkey, and for some it's ham and then for others it's beef roast.  But there are few people who choose other than the recliner when it comes time to rest.  The Israelites were given choices as well.  They could love or love manna.  Hmmm...  While they rested in their tents in the desert without recliners they feasted on manna every day and day after day.  All the holidays were centered around manna made by mom's old fashioned recipe.  You can bet they remember to this day the days of manna and more.  What ties the memories together is the God who not only provided the manna but also the rest in the desert, mountains, river beds and etc... 
     Besides the wonderful food of dinner, there were the snacks, snacks and cookies and more snacks; there were if course the gifts.  I'm not talking about the gift I received thought they were plentiful, thoughtful and useful.  I'm talking about the gifts given that brought back memories of gifts I had given over the year (not nearly as much as I was able).  Emptying my closet (partially) 4 times over the past year and taking my clothes, shoes, jackets, shirts, and other items to locations where homeless hung out was a wonderful experience.  Giving out of my excess to those who do not have has a humbling effect on a person.  It's one thing to give to a local charity or to a place where they resell your stuff for nominal prices.  It's quite another thing to look a man in the eye and give him what he doesn't have at all.  I don't need 10 jackets or 20 pairs of pants much less 40 plus shirts.  I don't need 8 pairs of shoes and certainly can part with gloves, scarfs and stocking caps.  Knowing that someone will use them daily is satisfying.  Giving them to someone who can give me a tax deduction is selfish giving.  Don't do it.
     At the end of my Christmas day I was left full, rested, and stuffed.  Yet the day wasn't done.  The receiving and giving wasn't over.  I still needed to remember the Giver of the Gift that I was most thankful for.  So, out in my backyard, in the light of the full moon (won't happen again for another 19 years), I looked at the stars and remembered a star long ago that led wise men to the baby Jesus.  That gift from God was, is and will forever be my best gift for which all I can muster to give back is my life.  God bless each and everyone who reads these blogs.  His gift is forever.

A Christmas Story, author unknown

In September 1960, I woke up one morning with six hungry babies and just 75 cents in my pocket. Their father was gone. The boys ranged from three months to seven years; their sister was two. Their Dad had never been much more than a presence they feared. Whenever they heard his tires crunch on the gravel driveway they would scramble to hide under their beds.
He did manage to leave $15 a week to buy groceries. Now that he had decided to leave, there would be no more beatings, but no food either. If there was a welfare system in effect in southern Indiana at that time, I certainly knew nothing about it. I scrubbed the kids until they looked brand new and then put on my best homemade dress, loaded them into the rusty old 51 Chevy and drove off to find a job.
The seven of us went to every factory, store and restaurant in our small town. No luck. The kids stayed crammed into the car and tried to be quiet while I tried to convince whoever would listen that I was willing to learn or do anything. I had to have a job. Still no luck. The last place we went to, just a few miles out of town was an old Root Beer Barrel drive-in that had been converted to a truck stop. It was called the Big Wheel.
An old lady named Granny owned the place and she peeked out of the window from time to time at all those kids. She needed someone on the graveyard shift, 11 at night until seven in the morning. She paid 65 cents an hour, and I could start that night. I raced home and called the teenager down the street that baby-sat for people.
I bargained with her to come and sleep on my sofa for a dollar a night. She could arrive with her pajamas on and the kids would already be asleep. This seemed like a good arrangement to her, so we made a deal. That night when the little ones and I knelt to say our prayers, we all thanked God for finding Mommy a job. And so I started at the Big Wheel.
When I got home in the mornings I woke the baby-sitter up and sent her home with one dollar of my tip money-- fully half of what I averaged every night. As the weeks went by, heating bills added a strain to my meager wage. The tires on the old Chevy had the consistency of penny balloons and began to leak. I had to fill them with air on the way to work and again every morning before I could go home.
One bleak fall morning, I dragged myself to the car to go home and found four tires in the back seat. New tires! There was no note, no nothing, just those beautiful brand new tires. Had angels taken up residence in Indiana I wondered? I made a deal with the local service station. In exchange for his mounting the new tires, I would clean up his office. I remember it took me a lot longer to scrub his floor than it did for him to do the tires.
I was now working six nights instead of five and it still wasn't enough. Christmas was coming and I knew there would be no money for toys for the kids. I found a can of red paint and started repairing and painting some old toys - then hid them in the basement so there would be something for Santa to deliver on Christmas morning. Clothes were a worry too. I was sewing patches on top of patches on the boy’s pants and soon they would be too far gone to repair.
On Christmas Eve the usual customers were drinking coffee in the Big Wheel. There were the truckers, Les, Frank, and Jim, and a state trooper named Joe. A few musicians were hanging around after a gig at the Legion and were dropping nickels in the pinball machine. The regulars all just sat around and talked through the wee hours of the morning and then left to get home before the sun came up.
When it was time for me to go home at seven o'clock on Christmas morning, to my amazement, my old battered Chevy was filled full to the top with boxes of all shapes and sizes. I quickly opened the driver's side door, crawled inside and kneeled in the front facing the back seat. Reaching back, I pulled off the lid of the top box. Inside was a whole case of little blue jeans, sizes 2-10! I looked inside another box: It was full of shirts to go with the jeans.
Then I peeked inside some of the osther boxes. There was candy and nuts and bananas and bags of groceries. There was an enormous ham for baking, and canned vegetables and potatoes. There was pudding and Jell-O and cookies, pie filling and flour. There was a whole bag of laundry supplies and cleaning items. And there were five toy trucks and one beautiful little doll. As I drove back through empty streets as the sun slowly rose on most amazing Christmas Day of my life, I was sobbing with gratitude. And I will never forget the joy on the faces of my little ones that precious morning.
Yes, there were angels in Indiana that long-ago December. And they all hung out at the Big Wheel truck stop.
Father, I ask you to bless our friends, relatives reading this story right now. Show them a new revelation of your love and power or let them be the ones bringing love and joy in someone else’s life. Amen.

Twas The Night Before Jesus Came

'Twas The Night Before Jesus Came'

written by Unknown Author

'Twas the night before Jesus came and all through the house
Not a creature was praying, not one in the house.
Their Bibles were lain on the shelf without care
In hopes that Jesus would not come there. 
The children were dressing to crawl into bed.
Not once ever kneeling or bowing a head.
And Mom in her rocker with baby on her lap
Was watching the Late Show while I took a nap.
When out of the East there arose such a clatter.
I sprang to my feet to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash!
When what to my wondering eyes should appear
But angels proclaiming that Jesus was here.
With a light like the sun sending forth a bright ray
I knew in a moment this must be THE DAY!
The light of His face made me cover my head
It was Jesus! returning just like He had said.
And though I possessed worldly wisdom and wealth,
I cried when I saw Him in spite of myself.
In the Book of Life which He held in His hand
Was written the name of every saved man.
He spoke not a word as He searched for my name;
When He said "it's not here" my head hung in shame.
The people whose names had been written with love
He gathered to take to His Father above.
With those who were ready He rose without a sound.
While all the rest were left standing around.
I fell to my knees, but it was too late;
I had waited too long and thus sealed my fate.
I stood and I cried as they rose out of sight;
Oh, if only I had been ready tonight.
In the words of this poem the meaning is clear;
The coming of Jesus is drawing near.
There's only one life and when comes the last call
We'll find that the Bible was true after all!

The Christmas miracle is you!

     We often think that the Christmas miracle is Jesus.  That would be true if we didn't know that Jesus was there all along.  The Lord of all creation was ALWAYS the Lord of all creation.  The miracle is that He created not only the earth and all that is within it but He also created the miracle that is you!  In the Psalm we read that we were there before the foundation of the world with God and that we were formed in our mother's wombs by the very hand of God.  We are told that He knew and knows everything we will think, say and do before we were even birthed.  The Word tells us that no matter what we think, say and do that the love of God will never fail, will never exclude and will never deny anyone access to that love.  Yet, we miss the point.  We are convinced by the father of lies, Satan, that we are not a miracle.  We are told to focus on how we have failed, fallen, and faltered in our faith thus denying the glory of God in our lives.  We are the Christmas miracle as we proclaim and demonstrate the love of God through our lives with every breath we take.
     Don't get me wrong, we do need to remember the life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.  For without Christ there is no means by which  mankind may be saved.  History not remembered is doomed to be repeated.  The whole of the Christmas story is one of the culmination of history.  The crescendo of the Christmas story from Genesis through Revelation is a increasing thunderous roar that the Lord of all creation was, is and is to come!  Do you feel it?  Can you feel it?  Where are you?  Are you standing on your feet yelling for the winning team?  Your proclamation of the love of God is only as deep as the love you have for Him in you.  If you cannot see the love of God in yourself, Christian, then you are most certainly not able to see the love of Christ in others. The paradox is exposed when we realize that we are able to love others only when we realize that we have no love to give.  It's then that we see that abandonment of our old man or the past is taking past that we find ourselves with something to give away.  Not just popcorn in a movie though.  Rather, we have the very gift of eternal life to give towards and to others. 
     Living like the Christmas miracle is as difficult as we make it.  We need to believe that we are a miracle from God in order to present to the world the miracle that is within us and that we are.  Do you really believe that you are a miracle?  Do you really believe that you have the choice to display to the world the Love of God?  Then act like it, think like it, speak like it.  Don't let the constrictions of the past or the restrictions of those around you take away the love of God that Jesus gave his life for.  We cannot put this in our calendars to do list scheduled for this or that time.  We cannot depend upon others  to daily remind us of this Christmas miracle that is you, that is I, or that is for the Christian family.  The evidence of the miracle is YOU!  It is the YOU that tells the world without words that you have the joy, hope and grace of God.  Do you?  I hope so.  The Christmas miracle is you!
     

Snow, dogs and balls to chase

     There I was sitting in my recliner minding my own business when I noticed out the window snow falling.  The first snow of the season for me.  I did what any rational male with two dogs would do; I took them outside so they could play fetch in the snow.  My idea of fun and theirs was obviously miles apart.  They didn't like the snow.  The thrown balls were fetched...by me.  So, we went back inside.  I decided to give it another shot with a place where they could retreat to after retrieving said balls.  No luck.  I retrieved them again and gave up.  I enjoyed my coffee and a warm fire from inside my home looking out the window at the snow while the dogs slept at my feet.  Now isn't that a pretty picture?!  Having been born in Montana and raised in North Dakota I've had my share of snow.  I don't seem to tire of the first snowfall though.  It's somewhat magical and yet enchanting at the same time.  Unlike rain, which pounds on the skylights, snow "falls" softly; gliding to the ground settling where it may until it melts.  If it snows long enough you begin to see a whiteness applied to everything around you.  The snow didn't last long and by 3 PM it had stopped snowing and there was no trace that it had ever fallen in the first place.
     As I was thinking about the snow (took most of my day), my mind was taken to another place and time in my life.  The newness of the snow and the purity of it's whiteness reminded me of that first moment after I had received the forgiveness of God and the redemption of my soul.  That first love so new and innocent that I didn't know what to do but stay in a state of awe and amazement.  Perhaps you have that first memory as well.  The grace of God falling on you suddenly, softly, succinctly and with purpose.  That grace blanketing your history and covering all that which was forgiven.  Unlike here on earth, the grace of God doesn't melt away like the first, second or even third snow.  Once blanketed with the grace and love of God, the memory and experience never goes away.  So, why do I fight the process?  Why do I struggle with letting the grace and love remain only to make it gray with the dirt of this world?  When I do let the dirt of this world land on the grace of God I see only my footprints.  Kind of like yesterday with the snow.  Until I stepped on the snowy grass there were no footprints.  But there was the covering of snow symbolic of the covering of Grace.  The footprint wasn't visible because I was looking at my footprints.  When I take my eyes off God and his grace and love, I'm left with only my footprints...in the dirty grayish snow of my life.
      Maybe the memory of that first love was just what I needed yesterday.  Maybe the snow falling touched that part of my soul that hadn't been touched in a while.  Not that God didn't want to touch my soul because he did and does.  Rather, it was because I thought I could do life on my own.  I didn't let Jesus carry me.  Sometimes I wonder about my lack of common sense when it comes to the simple faith in the love and grace I overlook in order to placate my perceived needs.  When that happens, the covering doesn't disappear.  When that happens, God just doesn't go away.  When that happens, he blessings don't stop.  When that happens there is a separation between a God who loved, lived, died an rose from the dead so that I could live too.  Every no and then I need the reminder of the amazing grace and love of God.  Yesterday that reminder came in the first snow.  The dogs and the balls they didn't chase are part of the picture but aren't THE picture.  God's blessing of love and grace be to you today.

Just what was I thinking?

     That's the question many of us ask of ourselves after we have made a commitment to be or do or say something for someone else.  My son was 6 when he came up to me all excited after I arrived home from work. He excitedly told me that he was going to play soccer.  I told him that was great and encouraged him.  He then said that it was even better than that and then told me I was coaching.  Coaching?  I'd never played a minute of soccer, watched a minute of soccer, or even thought about going to a match...ever!  Doing what any father would do under those circumstances I asked my wife, "What did you do?  What does it mean that I'm coaching soccer for Jeremy?"  She explained that without a coach there would be kids without a team and hence unable to play.  So, I went to the books (yes actual books), watched some soccer on TV and then off to coach a team of 15 6 year olds!  What could go wrong?  What DIDN'T go wrong!  There were parents there who had kids who were obviously previous players.  The parents knew more than I knew!  But, we played, won some and lost some, and had a lot of fun.  I'm thinking that despite my schedule, school, parenting and other activities that I did pretty good.
     Years later (he's in 8th grade now) Jeremy comes home to announce that he is playing JV football and that he signed me up for assistant coach.  "It's just in case the real coach doesn't show up."  Really!?  I have never played, watched or involved myself in football other than to know that it was the sole focus of so many men around me.  So I showed up at the first practice and asked, "Where is the coach?"  "Oh, he's going to be a little late."  Right!  The last 5 minutes of a hour practice with a coach who didn't know anything and now he shows up.  Just in time to rescue the kids from all my ideas of how soccer intertwined with football.  I didn't realize and wasn't told that the primary job of the coach is to not show up and to be late to practices and games.  The assistant coach was supposed to take care of all of that.  In the first game I put our quarterback in to play defensive line!  What are you doing and why are you doing it?  Those are the thoughts that raced through my mind.  We made it through our season with me now not only head coach but only coach.  Seems like the head coach couldn't be bothered.
     My life has been marked with events where I walked away thinking "Just what was I thinking?" Whether it was sports with the kids, school projects that that mean old teacher gave me a B on, or just my own self made dilemmas, I managed to muddle through events in my life that I never dreamed I would be able to do.  Parenting and marriage follow in that same vein.  Parenting is something one does as it goes along.  It's important to note that small or large decisions put ourselves in places where we are left thinking about what we were thinking.  Doubt comes from inside but is fed from the outside.  "You ought to leave that to someone who's done it before."  "You can't do that."  "You will just look like a fool doing that."  You've probably heard these or something similar in your world.  Don't let it get you down.  No one can do everything.  BUT everyone can do something even if it's outside your comfort zone.  We don't have to create the mantel that becomes our lives as it develops naturally by the efforts of others.  That creator is the school of hard knocks.  It's the goof you make that actually makes another's life for the day.  If we remain in communion with God he will bring us to a place where we can explore what we can and cannot do.  He will do all of this without our needing to be an expert at anything.  He who begins a good work in us will bring it to fruition.

Awkward moments in history

     I don't know about you but I've had my share (and then some) of awkward moments in my life.  Some have been simple while others have been complex.  Sometimes the moment came and went without my catching it until later leaving me feeling foolish.  When we wake up in the morning (or the beginning of our day) we don't sit back and contemplate all the possibilities of awkward moments that might come upon us.  The awkward moment may have been that first time you built up the courage to let someone know that you liked them.  Maybe it was the very first time you met her/his family?  That time when you were beginning a new job and didn't know how to do something and were afraid to ask.  Awkwardness is all around us.  We associate awkwardness with youth, inexperience and lack of confidence.  Our willingness to take a chance, make the move, or step over that boundary for the first time inhibiting our whole being.  Society places many expectation on us that we never ask for.  In place of those expectations we put on fears, inadequacies and failures.  The more we fail the greater the risk for the "next time" we come into that situation.  Confidence is a much needed element in our beings in order for us to move through and past the awkward moments. 
     Mary and Joseph come to mind as being in an awkward place in life with the center of their lives caught up by the Son of God, Jesus whom they were charged with parenting.  First Mary was much younger than Joseph.  Then the pregnant out of wedlock element gets thrown into the mix.  Finally there is the birth of the God of creation being born in a manager in a barn underneath or behind a bar. Herod trying to find the challenger to his authority and the killing of innocent babies ushers in resentment that this one baby, the Son of God, could cause so much pain for so many in such a hideous way.  Yes, awkward, is a good word to describe the while birth, death and resurrection of Jesus.  Coupled with the expectations of man and the disappointment of man; Jesus was an awkward inconvenience for the lives of all in society.  As we engage this Christmas season awkwardness is, for the most part, gone.  We've become very comfortable with the story and the lessons (they are different) as they have been repeated for thousands of years.  Familiarity with awkwardness has lent a mediocre response to such an important awkward beginning.
     Awkwardness today comes in the wake of "political correctness", "inclusivity", and a major push to not offend anyone in light of our choice to be disciples of Jesus.  Christianity should not be an awkward moment in time or years of living amongst the unbelieving.  Christianity should be natural for us who claim Jesus as Savior.  THAT should create a situation where others who don't know Him are awkward.  We have all kinds of awkward relationships in the world based on hate, sex, love and music (part of a much longer list).  Being a Christian and living as a Christians in a non-Christian world should, for those who believe, not be an awkward situation.  Our faith should be the hallmark of someone who knows who they are, what they stand for, and maintain a commitment to follow Jesus.  Instead many are awkward in their faith failing to tell others the hope that is within them.  fear has incapacitated many and even rendered some ineffective to the point where one wonders whether they had faith in Jesus in the first place.  What does your life show?  How do you live?  Where is your confidence found?  Is your faith unshakable and set in the Rock? 

When nature tells a story.

     It's been raining for many days off and mostly on.  So much so that tiny hills of earth are appearing on my lawn.  The earthworm is making it's way to the surface above the saturated soil so that it doesn't drown.  For the earthworm it's a lose-lose situation.  Stay underground and die (only to be eaten by the moles that infest our yards) or come to the surface and be eaten by hungry birds.  Neither death can they avoid.  Such is their dilemma.  Gophers are weather predictors.  When they begin to plug their holes you know rain is coming.  They will unplug the holes when the storm is over.  My dog isn't putting on much of a thick coat this fall.  It's a sign that we won't be having a bad or lengthy winter.  Some birds that are normally safe in the south are staying around.  Just another sign that winter won't be difficult.  Several of my trees and bushes are budding out when they should be hibernating.  My Rhodys have bloomed twice and are struggling to bloom a third time and it's December.  Nature tells a story.  Sometimes the story mystifies us.  In the Bible we find many Scripture references to nature and the signs.  There will be increases of earthquakes and foul weather signifying the process of the end times.  What does nature tell you?
     I've been confused when there were no clouds and bright sunshine with raindrops falling on me.  Where did they come from?  I have woken to find daylight actually dark and foreboding forcing me to turn on my headlights to light my way.  Growing up on the farm we planted spring crops and then found them covered with snow.  So it is with nature.  The weather forecasters have the chance of being right 50% of the time (or less) and actually get paid for that low success rate.  In the Pacific Northwest we say "If you don't like the weather just wait 15 minutes and it will change."  Indeed, the weather changes all the time.  Revelation talks about these signs of nature as the pangs of birth of the new and with that comes death of the old.  We are told that there will be a "new" heaven and a "new" earth.  There will be 1000 years of peace but only after the Rapture and the Battle of Armageddon.  Change will be across the board.  There is also a warning to all in nature.
     Jesus tells us that this and that will  happen and yet the end will not come.  There will be wars and rumors of wars and yet the end will not come.  Child will be turned against parent and parent against child and yet the end will not come.  No one knows the day or the hour of when Jesus will return and take his people home.  So much time has passed since Jesus walked on earth amongst us that people don't believe in the signs that he would be coming back.  At first the early church looked longingly for the return of Jesus to deliver them from their world.  That didn't happen.  People have been setting dates and times based on nature, world evens and even Scripture only to be fooled into believing that the end will be here.  The wave of wanting the return of Christ comes over and over as unwise men proclaim their unwise truths.  No one knows that day and time except the Father.  What we are supposed to be doing is the Lords will on a day by day basis.  He can come at any time.  When Jesus was born, walked on earth, died and rose again over 600 prophecies of the Old Testament were fulfilled.  There are prophecies that have been fulfilled since that time but still the end hasn't come.  Why?
     God would like all men to be saved so he tarries in his return.  Maybe it's you?  Maybe it's a friend or relative that doesn't know Jesus.  We just don't know.  What we do know is that regardless of the distraction of life going on all around us that Jesus wants us to keep on doing his will until he does return.  Nature has been telling the story for ages and yet the end hasn't come.  Don't find yourself in the position where you do nothing because you perceive nothing being done to hasten the Kingdom of God.  There is an urgency with which nature unleashes herself upon the earth.  There should be an urgency with mankind to spread the Gospel while he tarries.  You and I don't know the day or the hour of Jesus' return.  Let's be found doing what he wants us to do instead of sitting on our butts and doing nothing.  And yet the end hasn't come. 

Making it up as I go along.

     That's what a lot of us do as we approach the holiday season that should be joyous and uplifting.  While the majority of civilization puts forth the happy face, those who suffer from depression, anxiety and other maladies fight just to get out of bed.  For them taking each day as they go is sometimes the best that they can do.  I would imagine that many of those who Jesus healed were in much the same boat.  People can only have faith that a miracle is coming their way for so long before that hope begins to wane.  Who we are when no one is looking tells the story for most of us.  It would be helpful if the world understood.  They often not only don't understand but are in denial over their own issues.  Jesus is the reason for the season!  Yes, that's true.  Being true doesn't necessarily make for a happy and fulfilled holiday for some.  Expectations seem to rise beginning in November and suddenly dropping off the 2nd of January.  The emotional roller coaster of the holidays take their toll.  Turning the holiday into a good time for all means being real. 
     For many years I wrestled with my issues and put on that "happy face" bearing my load all alone.  I didn't realize that people noticed that load but never said anything.  It's not easy to be in the quandary of not wanting to kill someone else's holiday with what's going on inside of you.  When I began to tell those I trusted what was going on inside of me the doors with some opened while the doors with others were slammed shut.  Today I know who I can be vulnerable to and who I cannot.  Today there is celebration in my heart that is honest and engaging.  The baby Jesus was God vulnerable to the world he was born into.  God knows my vulnerability.  There is no temptation in my world that God doesn't know and feel.  While shepherds may have watched their flocks by night in Bethlehem, sometimes we need to just understand the angels stand watch over us as well every day and every night. 
     The Christmas holiday is about Jesus and the salvation he ushered into this fallen world.  It's not about getting gold toed socks or computers.  Nor is it about giving the same.  What is the salvation you can give each other?  Can you take a moment or two and just REALLY listen to the other person.  That might be the greatest gift.  Maybe you can pause your hectic life long enough to bring grace and mercy to someone you know or maybe even someone you don't know.  Fifty thousand service men and women are homeless and won't have a place to go much less celebrate the Christmas holiday.  Hundreds of thousands of service men and women won't be going home for Christmas and there won't be any semblance to an atmosphere of the freedom we have to not only celebrate Christmas but also to worship the King who was a baby.  As important as family is, we narrow the definition to much and exclude so many.  Perhaps this Christmas we can give the gift of hospitality, caring, empathy, love and hope to those around us.  They don't require special wrapping and display for the world to see.  They just require an outstretched hand extending from grateful hearts.
     I don't know where this Christmas holiday will take me.  I hope it will be where God wants me to go and witness of his love and grace that a baby long ago brought to a world in a manger in a barn amongst the animals.  Remember the child this Christmas and let the Holy Spirit be the guide of your gifts to the family around you.  Be that present to the stranger among you and perhaps you will be someone's angel. 

Cleaned up the yard yesterday.

     We all need to do cleaning up of our yards, garages, houses and even our lives.  We are funny in that we clean up that area we expect our guests would be going to but leave other areas a mess and just close the door.  Never mind that we know what is in "that room".  We believe that areas of our lives are off limits.  Some definitely should be.  I cleaned up all of the branches blown down in the last wind storm.  There were a lot!  I even cleaned up my neighbors front yard of branches blown down from my trees.  It seemed like the right thing to do.  I know he would have told me to never mind and that it's all about living in the country.  He's a good neighbor and I want it to stay that way so I cleaned them up anyway.  I didn't stop with the piles scattered around the yard.  I took them to the burn pile in the back of my property.  There they will stay until next spring/summer when I burn the pile.  The yards look like the storm never happened and I'm pleased with their appearances.  Any of my guests would see the yards and never know the mess they were.
     Guests come to my house on a fairly regular basis.  Some are friends and some are relatives.  Occasionally, repair people come to do what I'm unable to or don't know how to do.  The friends get the house as it's lived in.  Nothing done but to have the coffee on and pillows on the couch.  Relatives fall into a different category.  They get the family room, kitchen and main bathroom cleaned version.  Obviously there is an image that needs to be kept up.  Family get togethers fall into the next category.  Within that category the yards are cleaned up, the driveway cleared and the walk to the house is swept.  The foyer and living room are cleaned and no clutter.  The house has been thoroughly cleaned and the beds made to boot.  The kitchen is cleaned and dishes cleaned and put away. Basically the house is spotless.  To the last category of cleaning add Bibles dusted off and on display for the Bible study or Home Group.  It's no wonder no one knows what anyone really stands for anymore with so many different standards.
     For the Christian (all of the above happen in their homes as well) there is one more room that needs to be addressed.  That would be the room of our heart.  We pretend that our external lives are different than our internal life.  Our hearts are like a  mansion with many room.  We have doors on those rooms and there are only handles on the inside of the door.  Jesus is invited into our home and lives there if we have accepted Him as the Lord and Savior in our life.  Like all Christians, I too have rooms where the doors are closed and I haven't let him in out of embarrassment, shame, or parts of my old life that I haven't been willing to let go of.  You too?  I'm glad I'm not alone.  What are we to do?  Facing the truth is a good place.  Even though Jesus is a gentleman he doesn't go anywhere uninvited.  Don't be deceived, Jesus knows what is in every room of our heart.  He knows what we think, say and do.  He knows our "secret" sins as well.  Yet, Jesus loves us as no one loves us.  He doesn't demand we clean the house.  He would be happy if we did.  We know we would be happier if we cleaned the rooms as well.  It's difficult keeping so many rooms dirty with their doors closed.  Satan uses them to distract us from a full and happy life. 
     We know what we need to do.  We choose to either do it or to not do it.  It's always our choice. 

There's no explaining it away!

     You're sitting class one moment listening intently when suddenly you are rocked awake by your own snoring.  Everyone has stopped what they were doing and the instructor is looking at you intently.  "Glad you could join us Mr. Hawley.  Is there anything you would like to share with us?"  Pregnant pause...   "If not, can I continue for the sake of others who are here to learn?"  That's a rhetorical questions in case you didn't notice.  I'm beyond embarrassed and needing to slink out of the class and get a strong cup of coffee.  There is nothing I could have said that would have made the situation any better.  Never mind that I had just worked a 10 hour shift, didn't get dinner, and was there listening to a class on modern basket weaving in order to fulfill a requirement I would never use.  Sometimes, sometimes, it's just better to either crawl into a hole or go back to sleep.  Invisible problems also come into play.  Take for instance the day I pulled into my bank parking lot and parked my truck with it's handicapped license plate in the handicapped slot.  Before I could even close my window and get out a woman on the sidewalk accosted me saying, "You sure don't look handicapped."  I got out of the truck and showed her the license plate, my disabled card and still she was of the mind that I had no business parking there.  There's no explaining it away to some people; especially those who have already made up their minds.
     When it comes to excuses, any excuse will do.  People generally don't believe our excuses anyway.  Being a retired cop I've learned a trick or two when being pulled over by the officer who thought I was speeding.  When he approached my car I said, "I did it."  He said, "What?"  I repeated myself confessing my sin.  Now he had the choice.  He could do what I thought he might do, give me a ticket, or he could warn me, or he could send me on my way after chewing me out.  Making no excuse for my infraction wasn't what he expected to hear.  However, it was the truth.  Making excuses for our choices to disobey is sin.  Why compound the problem?  Well, that's what human being like to do.  Never mind leaving the equation simple with a simple solution.  Never mind ownership of our actions and inaction's.  Never mind that we are a fallen creation that needs to be corrected and redirected.  I had no excuse.  He didn't give me the ticket though I deserved it.  I could have told him I was late for my kids ballgame, my wife had hurt herself, or whatever else I chose to come up with.  None of them would excuse my choice to disobey.  My choice was selfish and inexcusable as a Christian.  There's no explaining things away if you want your testimony to remain intact.
     After Martin Luther came to his mentor time after time for absolution for his petty sins, the mentor, growing tired of the numerous interruptions to his day, told Martin to "Go and sin boldly!" and to then come back for absolution.  Two factors come into play with this example.  First, Martin was being very sensitive to the Spirit and didn't want to grieve the Holy Spirit by his sin getting in the way of their relationship.  Secondly his mentor was not wanting to deal with the depth of remorse Martin was feeling for sin.  Sounds like many of our churches today.  If you don't like your behavior labelled as sin, find another group of people who, like you, don't want to give up their sin and don't want to come up with an explanation of why their sin is okay.  Take for example the church today.  We condone sin after sin, let that sin destroy the unity of the believers and take the church into a world where sin is okay.  IF you and I READ our Bible, we will find what is expected of us.  That's all we're responsible for.  It's really quite simple.  God wants us to be perfect like he is (Matthew 6:33).  That's something we cannot explain away.  Should we engage the process of our own we will fail.  We need the Holy Spirit to guide our understanding and application for that which we have been called out of the world and into the kingdom of God.  That's something you don't need to explain away.

In my absence...

Bear The Burden

Author: Byron Pulsifer, © 2012
We cannot always be a rock to ourselves where we can deal effectively with all pain or sorrow. Sometimes, it is much wiser to appeal to a good friend where you can find solace and understanding. It isn't always easy to open up to another person but speaking about issues of concern will help you to get ill feelings, or experiences out into the light instead of trying to bottle then up and not to admit that you hurt.

No Even Road
And, at the same time, you may also have occasion to be called upon to help bear the burden of a tragic or upsetting life event. In each person's life, there are many issues, trials and tribulations that just cannot be avoided no matter how hard one tries to keep on an even track. And, it is all of these occasions that we can help or can lend an empathetic ear.

Do Not Refuse Helping
Everyone who leads a wholesome life, a life that is dedicated to the law of Christ will find hundreds of situations that call for their assistance. It is not a matter of picking and choosing either. To be alive within the word of God means that there is no one that you refuse or one that is not worthy of your attention, help or blessings.

No matter, though, how much you really believe, there is no perfect life just as there is no perfect servant. This means that you must acknowledge your shortcomings and set your goal to be better, to be more accepting of others concerns over and above your own tribulations. To give is more rewarding in the long run for he who gives also receives the bounty of being able to lend a comforting hand.

Bear not the burden alone for you will be forever comforted within the word of God and by those who are with you as you walk the path towards enlightenment.

Family Issues and Love
Some recent events keep these words alive. It all has to do with my mother-in-law who is in the process of selling her home so she can afford to move into an independent living environment closer to more of her family members. She has, unfortunately, been experiencing more and more memory issues but part of these issues are a direct result of her inability to motivate herself to get out of the house and engage in community activities where she would be kept busy and therefore more mind active.

We Should Never Abandon
She has a loving family around her more than willing to help her through this adjustment period, which is one of the major support mechanisms that a lot of elderly people do not have. She does not have to try and do all those necessary things alone; she does not have to struggle with cleaning up her home and getting it prepared for selling. Life is a challenge when there is no one to help but thankfully she does. This little account is all to say that there are many elderly people in your own community who desperately need someone who cares; someone who will help ease the burden when age and frailty loom too large. All it takes is a little of your time and a little of your own inner strength to pass it on to those who would be more than grateful for your assistance. Share wit the elderly even some gift and that could be as simple as a ride to church each Sunday; a little gift that God is with them as they sit with you through prayer.

Needs and Guidance Everywhere
And, if you doubt that there are many, many people who need you to accept their burden along with them, just walk down any street, go into any community center, or any home for abused women and you will find all you need to extend your warmth and caring to.

"Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ".
Galatians 6:2
"Better to lose count while naming your blessings than to lose your blessings to counting your troubles.
Maltbie D. Babcock  

One size fits all

     That's what clothes manufacturers want you to believe.  "Will it fit me?"  "Yes, of course, one size fits everyone."  So you order the item (or buy it as they don't have a fitting room) and when the item arrives you quickly assess that it won't fit your little sister much less you!  That's how it goes.  Now it costs more to return than to keep.  It becomes a gift for someone down the road that lies in your closet forgotten until you move 3 years later.  The same is true for "unisex" clothing.  Guess what?  I'm not shaped like a woman and few women are shaped like me.  I agree that I look well in pink but not that style. I'm missing certain physical features that women possess.  Our world has been moving in this direction for centuries.  Lose the individuality and merge with everyone else.  It's not only with clothing that we see this trend.  We see that same mentality moving across religious lines.  It's been going on since the fall and will continue until the judgement.  Anytime we try to change the design of God we find ourselves in the position of "inclusive" and "tolerant" thinking that wasn't intended and shouldn't be.
     The question was posed on Face Book the other day asking "Why are there so many different denominations?"  I could have passed on answering but that's against my nature.  So I explained that selfish men and women didn't want to believe a certain way and added to or subtracted from the design God put forth for the church.  When they did this they "took" liberty to decide that their way of believing and worshipping was better/superior to others setting them apart to found a new group or denomination.  That's why we have over 200 different Baptist beliefs within that denomination.  The addition of or subtraction from the Gospel is sin.  The book of Revelation tells us that anyone who subtracts from the Word will be erased from the Book of Life.  One size doesn't fit all.  Galatians tells us that anyone who adds to or subtracts from the Word will have added to them the curses contained in the Word.  Seeking to find a church that fits what you want is wrong.  Churches changing the Gospel to attract more people (and their money) are wrong.  Denominations that make okay something the Bible says is not okay are wrong. 
     The key here is learning that there is only ONE thing that fits all.  That would, of course, be the grace of God through Jesus.  HOWEVER, that grace is ONLY found in one name, the name of Jesus.  The conditions of obtaining that grace is acknowledging that we have been all about one size fitting all in our lives.  We've lived according to our interpretation of the Word and of the manipulation of the Word to OUR wants instead of living according the His wants.  We must have faith and believe that he is God of all of our lives in order to be saved.  It is a one size fits all if we choose to reject our life of sin and accept the grace of God.  He knows no age, size, race, sex when he looks at us.  He sees his creation in need of the love of the Father through the Son and continually allowing the residence of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  One size fits all in the world of grace has no room for other beliefs, selfish interpretation that includes sin, and  blatant disobedience for the sake of selfishness.  I've been guilty of all.  God in his gracefulness has, upon my repentance, forgiven me.  He is the great "I am" declared through out history.  He will always be the great "I am".  There is no other God.  Period. 

People don't care about how much you know...

     ...until they know how much you care.  I could stop there but I've a whole page to write on!  Bear with me.  We all know the starting statement is true.  Well most people do.  While I was a mental health counselor there were 2 groups of people who came into my office.  The first were the ones who cared more about status.  They would see my Masters diploma from Notre Dame on the wall and comment on that prestigious college.  They didn't know that the Notre Dame that most people think of was famous for football.  I'm sure scholastic were important as well.  The Notre Dame I attended was in Belmont, CA and used to be a private women's college.  They had excellent programs and equally excellent instructors.  But they weren't famous for sports.  The second group came into my office and didn't even see my diplomas on the walls.  They usually began with "I need help."  Most of my clients came from the second group.  When I had sought counseling for myself I always went with the counselors who were from the second group.  It's just safer and more productive that way.
     There are constraints on caring that sometimes clash with our Christian belief and perspective.  How can the same Jesus who healed, preached, and cared also be the same Jesus that braided a whip (that took some time) and chased the money changers and idolaters out of the temple with righteous anger?  Yet, both were caring in essence.  The first was caring for people in their situation, condition and need.  The second was caring about keeping spiritual relationships in right perspective.  Both are necessary.  Often the Christian has those backwards.  We find ourselves condemning people for who they are and for being in the situation they are in but are bigots, biased and hypocritical about our own faith.  Caring has become something we do for ourselves and condemning is what we do for others.  Forgetting that we, before we receive Jesus, are condemned, we play god in the lives of others delivering anything but a caring love of Jesus message.
     The ability of people to truly care for God and others is innate in every one of us.  Some have that care buried deep within themselves and ending up not caring at all for anyone but themselves.  Some people care so much for others that they don't care about themselves and become enslaved in a vicious cycle of codependency.  While the former is all about narcissism, the later is all about meeting needs at any cost for personal identity.  Neither of these options are Christian.  The Bible is clear and Jesus states himself (see the red print) that there are only two commands for the believer.  The first is to "love the Lord God with all your heart, soul and mind."  and the second is "love your neighbor as you love yourself."  When we take these two commands into consideration we are confronted with two dilemmas.  The first is whether we really love God with our WHOLE being or not.  The second is whether we love in such a selfish way that our neighbor feels loved for (cared for) so much that they see Jesus in you.  They are both contingent upon each other.  IF we love God with all of our being, we will by that nature care with the heart of God towards all mankind.  IF we love others in such a way that shows unselfish love (like Christ did on the cross) then we aren't concerned with out needs and distracted from our doing what Christ commanded:  Love one another.
     People don't care about how much you know until they know how much you care.  That's the question, isn't it?  Other people's perception about the ability of Christians to truly care by the love Christ has given to us.  We can argue, wrestle, rationalize, and justify all we want.  In the end, we will either hear the words "well done thou faithful servant" or we won't.  Those are the only two choices.  Nothing in between and everything about being a servant. 

Cheaters will cheat

     I cheat on my diet, my exercise, and other elements of life.  I, unfortunately, love chocolate and a double Snickers is a HUGE temptation.  I also love food in general and need to fight the battle to make myself cook and eat healthy food.  I cheat on my exercise and make excuses for myself when I do so.  I lust after really nice muscle cars and trucks.  They can turn my head in less than 3 seconds!  Whatever the cost, we choose to cheat.  Yes, I'm talking about all of us.  People cheat on relationships, cheat at work, cheat on the road (yes, going through that gas station to avoid a stop light is cheating), cheat on their taxes, school projects, and many other things.  People cheat.  Some of us cheat on purpose.  For some, cheating is situational.  Most cheat hoping to never be caught.  Sneaking that cigarette while you "walk" around the block, having that second $6.00 coffee when you promised you wouldn't have more than one, leaving work 15 minutes early because you believe that it will save you from the traffic mess.  All of these are just examples.  You know who you are, know where you cheat, and know how to rationalize and justify your cheating.
     I once told a congregation that I could tell them who was planning on sinning (another word for cheating) that day.  I told them that all I had to do was to go out into the parking lot and look for vehicles with radar detectors.  Yep, if you have one then you intend on breaking the speed limit.  What can we do about us cheating?  For beginners we can call it what it is.  It's sin.  James 4:17 (he was the step brother to Jesus) says: "If you know what is right to do and don't do it, you sin."  Conversely, if you know what is wrong to do and don't do it, you remain righteous.  Paul puts the cap on the argument:  "Those things I know I should do, I do not.  And those things I know I should not do, I do.  Wretched man that I am."  That's me!  Cheaters never win and winners never cheat.  We've all heard that one.  Yet, we go through our lives and if we aren't caught, we cheat.  Some of us have rationalized that if we only entertain the thought we are okay.  Nope.  Jesus tells us that if we think it in our minds and meditate upon it in our hearts that it's the same thing as doing it.  If we lust after a woman we have already committed adultery.  That's what he said. 
     The issue isn't about cheating though.  The issue is about the status of our heart.  If our heart is right with God we have a huge chance of not cheating.  If we add reading the Scripture on a regular and ongoing basis; that margin shoots up.  If we cap our day with being in a continual state of prayer the increase is even greater.  NO ONE, not one, can be perfect.  Sorry but that includes you and I.  It includes your children and parents.  This encompasses the whole of humanity.  NO ONE escapes the sin that so entangles us with the world.  Somewhere, sometime even the most righteous will cheat.  Doing everything we can (see previous paragraph) does help.  What we are left with is accepting the grace Christ offers us for our cheating.  So, the final item to put in your arsenal is asking for forgiveness and beginning anew...ever day and sometimes moment by moment.  Cheating is our addiction.  Seeing what we can get away with while at the same time knowing we cannot get away with anything before the loving eyes of our Savior.  When we cheat we step away from God.  When we repent we step back to God.  Cheaters will cheat.

Life wasn't fair, isn't fair and never will be fair.

     Just once it would be nice to see fairness meted out to everyone at the same time.  That, of course, is up to each of us.  As long as we are looking for fairness for ourselves we will not be that concerned about fairness for others.  I've lived a long, hard but very good life.  I've created more problems and hurt more people than I care to admit.  We can all blame someone or something for our current situation.  Whether we were abused, neglected, rejected or even abandoned, there are others who have had it worse. Should you have had it well in life, there are those who have had it better.  There is among Christians a false belief that we deserve this or that just because we are Christian.  The only thing we Christians deserve is eternity in hell.  Jesus changed all that though and we can enjoy eternity in heaven instead.  We didn't earn it.  We didn't buy it.  We didn't inherit it.  We didn't barter for it.  Heaven was gifted to us by God himself through his Son Jesus.  All Jesus asks us to do is be selfish one last time.  He wants us to take something precious and at personal cost for the very salvation of our souls. 
      If life was fair; what would it look like?  For he who has no shoes, shoes for everyone would be fair.  For she who has no food, food for everyone would be fair.  For those living on the streets, housing for all would be fair.  For those with no Christmas presents, everyone having a single Christmas present would be fair.  But life isn't fair is it?  Far from it.  Each of these circumstances have two players.  The first player is the one who is without.  The second is the one with.  We each, every day, fall into one of these categories.  You and I are what determine is fair.  I used to have 3 wardrobes in my closet.  Clothes for when I gained weight, clothes for now and clothes that I probably would never fit in again!  Several years ago I was standing in front of my packed closet and decided that I wasn't being fair.  I had plenty that wasn't being used for one reason or another. So, I took it upon myself to eliminate not only the too big and too small but also the extra clothes, shoes and jackets that fit me at that time.  I reduced my closet by 2/3 and had several large bags full to give away.  I didn't bring them to a used clothing place.  Nor did I donate them to an agency to disperse. I took them to a homeless encampment I knew of.  I looked into the eyes of those who were way beyond thankful and felt that I was being fair.  In return I knew God had been more than fair with me.  I've continued this practice 2-3 times a year and feel blessed blessing others.
     Coming to the conclusion that life isn't fair is easy.  Being okay with that thought isn't easy at all for me.  Why isn't life fair?  Why did this happen to him/her?  How come he/she died and so and so lived?  You know the questions as well as I do.  Day to day living is engulfed with the unfair elements of a world fallen in sin.  In order for fairness to reign, one needs to be fair without the thought that life would be fair for them.  That's the example that Jesus showed us in his life, death and resurrection. Because of his being more than fair with us, we are blessed with the chance to live eternally with him.  We long for that day when that will happen.  In the meantime, today we need to practice fairness to others.  I'm not talking about being fair with Christians or business associates or even clients. I'm talking about being fair with everyone who comes and goes in our life on a daily basis.  We do that for our pets, children (most of the time) and family; why won't we do it for everyone?  Because we are biased.  I sit back in my recliner, watch the news and cheer when the bad guy gets what he deserves.  You do it too.  Fairness is tested when we exercise fairness with everyone who comes and goes in our lives. 
     In order to have true fairness for the days to come in our lives there needs to be a consistent surrender to what God wants us to do every moment of every day.  I fail here every day.  I see, hear and know when I'm supposed to be fair and am selfish instead.  Not letting that person into traffic because I was there first, not holding the elevator for that fellow employee you can't stand, demanding your "rights" and a host of other choices take us out of the battle Jesus intends to win.  By the way, he has won that battle already.  He still wants us to continue the battle for souls here on earth.  Your and my life is the only Gospel message some will hear.  How are you living?  Do you reflect Jesus or self.  It's our choice but lives depend upon that choice.  I've made many decisions to be selfish instead of sharing Christ to others.  That wasn't isn't and never will be fair. 

Thunder, lightening, and rain, oh my!

     I was sitting here in my recliner about to start my day when out of the corner of my eye I saw a flash of lightening.  This was followed by a slow rumbling which built to a spectacular crash of thunder and more lightening!  Wow!  God's display of nature is incredible should we like this kind of thing.  It's terrifying for those who don't.  Fear is the factor that determines the difference between awe and pleasure versus scary and uneasy feelings.  My perspective is more along the lines of awe and pleasure.  Love, love, love a good thunder and lightening storm!  The more thunder and lightening, the better.  I could do without the torrential rains though.  It was dark outside when the lightening hit which accentuated the clap of thunder and the flashes of lightening.  Some of my enjoyment was lost when I needed to calm down my dog.  Dogs (and cats I suppose) don't like thunder and lightening.  Our world is filled with things that get our attention.  Thunder and lightening are just two of them.  Wars and rumors of wars are another. 
     There are battles going on around the world even as I am typing this blog.  Some are small skirmishes while others are raging battles with many deaths.  Even those who feel they can be uninvolved are involved whether they like it or not.  The outcome of these battles affects all of us forever.  Nations have risen and fallen by wars since the beginning of time.  They will, according to Revelation, do the same in the future.  At least until the return of Jesus.  Those who believe and have surrendered their lives to Jesus will go to be with Him. Those who have not will be left here for the end times and more wars and death and destruction.  The severity of the end times will be way beyond the thunder and lightening that scares so many.  There will be no end to the storm created by Satan when he fell from heaven with his angels.  The culmination of the war has already been determined and it's not good for many.  Thunder, lightening and rain, oh my!
     The first flash of lightening this morning came and went so quickly that at first I felt maybe I was imagining the lightening.  The thunder following closely behind told me I had seen correctly.  As if putting an exclamation point on the lightening, God put the thunder clap in place to finish the statement.  The signs of the times have been there all along.  In the short life and ministry of Jesus here on earth 600 prophecies from the Old Testament were fulfilled.  Over the past 2000 years prophecies have continued to be fulfilled.  I'm not talking about things said by some fly by night TV preacher who ends up asking for money.  I'm talking about genuine bonafide fulfillment of prophecies written about centuries before they came true.  Believing that these prophecies will be fulfilled is the hope of believers everywhere.  Yet, we act like they won't come true.  The urgency of the thunder, lightening and rain does not mirror the need for all to hear the Gospel.  The saved don't care about the perishing...just as it was in the days of Jesus' ministry on earth.  We have simply lived a life of "it's not going to happen" so long that we've become unconcerned. 
     This storm this morning will pass.  It will leave embedded in my mind the wonder of God and his creation.  The storm will also be an awakening of some to what power there is in the storm.  What's to be discovered is the power of the peace in the midst of and after the storm.  We all choose what we want in our lives and the lives of those we care about.  I can comfort those who wish to receive comfort.  To those who cling to fear I can only offer comfort.  The same goes with spiritual reality of either accepting or rejecting Jesus.  God has offered.  What have you chosen?

Today forecast: rain, rain, rain!

     People react differently than I sometimes think they will.  Went through a drive through and the young woman almost immediately told me in very excited tones that she loves the rain!  I don't hate the rain like I don't hate snow.  One of  my children doesn't like sunshine.  Go figure!  He loves it when it's overcast and doesn't see winter as gloomy.  There are a lot of people who try to beat the weather by travelling south for the winter and north for the summer.  The weatherman has predicted 4 more days of rain, rain, rain.  They aren't right most of the time but their predictions tend to slant our outlook on our day.  We dress accordingly to the forecast, make travel plans (and cancel them) according to the forecast.  While precision and accuracy are mandated in most lines of work, the weather people seem to get a buy.  They have a tough job predicting the weather.  Some days they just need to look out the window before they predict.
     Here in the Pacific Northwest there are no expectations of sunshine most days of fall, winter and spring.  In the Midwest there are no expectations of anything but cold and snow for most days with lots of sunshine.  The other areas of the nation have similar expectations from their weather.  Some places the wind blows a lot (think Minot, North Dakota here) while other areas have blistering heat (maybe Tucson, Arizona).  Just as the weather is diverse and changing daily and sometimes hourly, so it is within people and their lives intertwined with those around them.  For instance, there are days I want to be around people and other days when I just want to be alone.  Sometimes the forecast is for sunshine and sometimes rain in my life.  The winds of time and memories bring either one or both and there is little I can do about it.  Just like the weather I'm unpredictable in my nature.  Most people fit into this category.  We have off days and on days and days when we should have never let the cozy warmth of our beds!
     Christians are no different than other people when living their daily lives and dealing with how they feel on any given day.  Yes, we have Jesus to help us in times of need.  That does give us one up over those who don't know him.  We, however, are still subject to the rain on the earth and the rain in our souls.  Pretending everything is just peachy is not a good witness.  People need to see the real person who is a Christian in order to see the Gospel being lived out of our lives.  If all people see is the happy face then the expectation or forecast is subject to disbelief.  Likewise, people stay away from people who are always presented defeated attitudes.  The rain that fills the aquifer is necessary just as the sunshine is necessary to give plants growth.  The rain in our souls also has a positive and negative agenda.  If we can look at the rain as beneficial then the time of rain becomes a learning time.  We can see the rain as the valleys we must pass through in order to get to the mountaintop where we can bask in the sunshine. 
     In the end, we affect the forecast in our lives and the lives of those around us.  Consider this:  your actions and words can create a calm or a calm before the storm.  Simply put, when we utilize what God has given us for his purpose, we can bear up under the rain, rain, rain.  There is still sunshine above the clouds and one day it will poke through.  Your adversity is temporary and not permanent.  Look forward to getting through it rather than complaining about this moment and the next.  It's all about our choice.  Will we see past the temporary in order to focus on the eternal? 

Caught up in the moment.

     This Christmas season why don't we NOT get caught up in he moment.  Wouldn't that be nice?  No rushing, no pressure, no expectations, no commitments, no planes to catch or miles to drive and the presence of mind to breathe.  That's not going to happen.  We Christian people have a focus for the Christmas season.  That focus is the coming to earth of the Son of God for the salvation of the people from their fallen state.  That focus is on the Christmas story and all that the story entails.  For many Christians this is not the focus of our being caught up in the moment.  For many it's everything but Jesus in the manger.  As with past Christmas', this Christmas will be met with spending outside our abilities, eating like it's our last supper, and fighting over sale items.  Caught up in the moment is our choice.  We can choose the quiet birth of Christ or the madness of commercial Christmas.  However, you cannot choose both.  You and I can only serve one master.  Will it be Jesus or will it be the status quo? 
     For some the gifts under the tree (if they have one) will be homemade.  Perhaps picture frames made with old Popsicle sticks inserted with cut out pictures from last years Christmas cards.  I remember doing that very thing.  Maybe it will be a coupon book for someone that will be redeemed over the coming year for babysitting, car washing or something similar.  Maybe it will be a scarf knitted together in the secrecy of night after everyone has gone to bed.  You just don't know what will make people the happiest.  Should we get caught up in the Christmas moment what we give and get will be secondary to Jesus.  The gifts will be remembered because they had special meaning.  In this day and age of more, faster and better the remembrance is less if at all.  Watching your children preforming at church in their homemade costumes and being prompted for the lines they have never learned is precious.  Cookies homemade and fresh at the celebration afterwards is just as important. 
     Caught up in the moment means to be so mesmerized that nothing can take away that moment.  This year the competition for Christmas gifts began in July if I remember right.  The holiday of Thanksgiving was all but forgotten as stores were ramping up for Black Friday that began the week before.  Caught up in the moment of our worlds state of unrest, war, tragedies and what "might" happen changed our moments into paused time.  Worry about our safety, their safety, our children's safety and how to protect us took away any remaining peace.  Leaders who refuse to lead, politicians who fail to see beyond their bias and prejudice and people who seem intent on igniting a racial war have stolen the moment.  Caught up in all of this we have little time to dwell on the birth of the Savior of the world, Jesus.  The story of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus is overshadowed by the distraction of that moment we are all caught up in. 
     I'm choosing to be caught up in the moment honoring and celebrating the birth of Christ.  What is your choice?