How He Loves

How He Loves Us Video

Oh, how He loves us so,
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all

I've thought a lot the last few days about how much God must love us.
I mean...to send his son to live amongst us, to be one of us, and to face pain and sorrow like us is just amazing.

To come down and make Himself vulnerable in the form of a child just leaves me in awe. 

Yesterday, we celebrated the coming of the greatest gift ever given.  We celebrated the greatest the only real gift that truly has "no strings attached." 

Thing is, our celebration should not stop.  Christmas is not really over. 


In the Christian calendar, Christmas is not officially over until January 5th, but for many folks, Christmas is already ending.  In the next couple of days the trees will come down and the decorations will be put away.
The wrapping paper will be thrown away, the house cleaned up and relatives will leave.

For the most part, Christmas will begin to fade in our minds.  In 6 months, many of you will not even be able to say what gifts you received this year.  

But as Christians, Christmas should not be over...it should be just beginning.

Jesus came down on earth in the form of a little child to show His great love for US!  Christmas begins with us taking Christ out to others.  Christmas continues with us giving the gift of Love's Pure Light to others. 

Today is still Christmas...what are you doing to still celebrate?  Are you still in the Christmas Spirit?  You might still be today, but how about tomorrow?  Or the next day?  Or January 5th?  Will Christmas still be on your mind? 

Will others be able to still see Christmas Light shining in you? 

Merry Christmas!!!

I'm taking the day off from blogging and spending it with my family!  :-) 
Hope that is okay with you! 

Love's Pure Light

Silent Night

The above link is to a video by Sixpence None the Richer (as well as Dan Haseltine from Jars of Clay).

I think it is a very cool video for one of my favorite Christmas songs.  I like this song because the song was written and intended for guitar.  I also like it for the beautiful harmonies that can be found.  But ultimately, I love the words.  I especially love the 3rd verse.

Silent Night, Holy Night
Son of God, Love's pure light. 
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth. 

I Love it..."Love's pure light."  I love thinking about the light that Jesus brings to the world.  I love thinking about the light that Jesus brings to ME! 

I love the part of the Christmas Eve services, when we all lift our candles high, belting out the 3rd verse of "Silent Night."

I love the peacefulness of that moment.  I love the reverence of that moment.

I don't know if it is the "Calm before the storm" or what, but I just love that moment.  I always feel the presence of God in a very strong way in that part of the service. 

However, what I feel stronger than anything else, is the calling to take that light out unto the world.  The message of the Gospel is clear and it is clear that we as Christians are given the task of sharing the light of Christ. 

As our campus Pastor, Andrea Smith, said at the Christmas Eve Eve service...The manger has a mission. 

We have a mission. 

We celebrate Christmas with our families tomorrow, but our mission for the year also starts tomorrow.

Christmas doesn't end tomorrow, it just begins.

It begins with us sharing the light of Christ with others.
It begins with us being the hands and feet of Christ.
It begins with dropping the label of "Christian" and we start "Being" a Christian.
It begins when we stop just going to church and we start Being the church.

It begins with You. 

Love's pure light comes tonight for YOU!
Are you going to hide that light? 
Are you going to let it fade and just go back to "life as normal" next week?

Love's pure light comes tonight for You!

What are you going to do with that gift?

Rush of Fools

Peace, Be Still

PEACE BE STILL - By Rush Of Fools
Come to Me, you who are weak
Let My strength be yours tonight
Come and rest, let My love be your bed
Let My heart be yours tonight

Peace be still, Peace be still
Please be still and know that I am God
and know that I am God

Come empty cup, let Me fill you up
I'll descend on you like a dove tonight
Lift your head, let your eyes fall into Mine
Let your fear subside tonight

Peace be still, Peace be still
Please be still and know that I am God
and know that I am God

Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Peace be still, Peace be still
Please be still and know that I am God
and know that I am God

It's not necessarily a "Christmas" song, but it is a song that has very much been in my thoughts this Christmas. 
Fact is, over the next few weeks, I'll probably more have free time than I will most other times of the year.
I won't be at the church as much, I'll have time to sit and just relax some. 
You won't have to be at school.  You won't have to go to work.  You will have days that you may not even get out of your pajamas. 

There may be a few days here and there that are crazy busy with family coming in town or just spending time with your own family.  But for most of us, we'll have some time to just relax.

And yet, this always seems to be the time of year that I get "off track" with my daily quiet times, prayers, scripture reading and devotionals.  Seems kind of odd that I'll have more "free time" and yet, I'll spend less time with God. 

I doubt I am alone though.  I imagine you are likely right there with me on this one. 
It's so easy to get caught up in the business of Christmas day to forget to go to the one that we are celebrating in the first place.
It's easy to just continue to lounge in our pajamas, playing games and watching tv, and not spend time in prayer and study.

For some of you, prayer and study time may not be a regular part of your life anyway. 

I encourage you to take some time the next few weeks to really "Please be still and know that He is God." 
It's amazing how this could change your Christmas experience.  How cool would it be if as a family, first thing you did on Christmas day was not opening gifts, but turning to God for a family prayer?

How cool would it be if instead of jumping right into presents, you read the Christmas story as a family. 

How shocking would it be if your parents said it was time to open gifts and you said "no, lets wait a while, I need to spend some time with God first." 

I know I'm sounding a little "Churchy" right now, but this isn't about church...this is about Christ being number one in your life. 
This isn't "acting like a good Christian", this is having a real relationship with God. 
This isn't about just going through the motions, but really making Christ a member of your family and not just someone to add into the family when it is convenient. 

Whether it is one of those "Super busy days", one of those "extremely lazy days", or just something in between...Please take time to be still and know that He is God.  Set aside time, schedule time to focus on nothing but God. 

Part of why I thought of this song, was a different "Rush of Fools" song was on the other day while I was sitting in traffic by the church.  I thought about the name of the band "Rush of Fools" and just laughed.

I looked around at all the stressed out faces.
I looked around to see all the folks that are in so much of a hurry that logic and traffic laws didn't apply to them.
I looked at the near by shopping center, with folks scurrying around to buy last minute presents.

And I just thought...we really are a bunch of "fools" rushing around.  We are so busy to mesh with expectations during the holidays, that we forget why we have this holiday in the first place.

How foolish is it of us to just hurry through the holidays, wearing ourselves out...only to forget to be still and know that He is God.
How foolish is it for us to forget what it's all about during the holidays.

We are a "Rush of Fools"...

But we don't have to continue to be.
Peace be still,
Please be still.
And KNOW that He is God!

Merry Christmas, Merry xmas, Happy Holidays?

So each year the debate over whether or not we as Christians should say Merry Christmas, Merry xmas or Happy Holidays.

Some believe that "Merry Christmas" is the only way Christians should greet others during Advent.  Saying that we need to keep the Christ in CHRISTmas. 

Some think that saying "Merry Xmas" is okay, others think it is sacrilegious...taking the "Christ" out of Christmas.

Others think that "Happy Holidays" is appropriate, while yet others think that saying that is also taking the "Christ" out of Christmas. 

Well, you know what...it really doesn't matter.  Merry Christmas is great, if that is what you want to say then go for it.
Is "Merry Xmas" sacrilegious?  Absolutely not.  X is the Greek alphabet letter Chi... and is used as a symbol for Christ.

Happy Holidays?  Well...the root of the word is "happy Holy-days"...still a reference to the religious side of the Christmas season. 

However, whether you agree with me or not...here is what really matters.

I don't think Jesus really cares how we phrase our "Holiday greetings". 
I really don't.  You may disagree with me, but what I really believe is that Jesus just does not care. 

There are folks that have likely misused the phrase "Merry Christmas" and there are folks that have used the phrase with great intention.

There are folks that have likely used "Merry xmas" as a way of taking Christ out of the picture, and there are folks that use the phrase with great intention...trying to keep Christ in Christmas.

There are folks that have used the phrase "Happy Holidays" to take Christ out of Christmas, and there are folks that have used it with great intention as well. 

Truth is, Jesus is more concerned about your actions.  Especially if they do not line up with your speech.

If you are angered when someone doesn't use the phrase "Merry Christmas", then in my opinion, showing that anger is not exactly showing a Christ like attitude. 
If you say "Merry Christmas", but treat the employee at Wal-Mart badly, because you are not getting what you want...well then, you have taken "Christ" out of Christmas with your actions anyway.

If you say "happy holidays" but have extreme road rage...well, You have taken the Christ out of Christmas with your actions anyway. 

If you say "Merry xmas", and then turn around and gossip about your friends, co-workers or even family members...well then, You have taken the "Christ" out of Christmas with your actions anyway. 

It doesn't matter as Christians what we say, if our actions do not match up with our words. 
Christianity is an attitude, not a not a title.
It is a verb, not a noun. 

I think this holiday season, our actions are going to speak a lot louder than the "greeting" we use. 

To quote Oliver Goldsmith, "You can preach a better sermon with your life than with your lips."

This holiday season, lets go out and preach the best sermon of our lives!

Letters from War

Not sure why I've thought about it more today than other days, but I just keep thinking about all of the soldiers that will not make it home for Christmas this year. 
I've been thinking about all of the soldiers that are in other countries, far from home that are missing their families.
I've been thinking about all of the soldiers that are on a base in the USA that will not make it home for Christmas.

I have 2 brothers that serve in the military.  One is in Fort Hood, Texas and one is in Afghanistan.  Both Cary and Brian have spent time in Afghanistan, missing out on time with family.  However, I know my family is not the only family that is separated from our loved ones this holiday. 

This holiday season, I encourage you to pray for the soldiers that are away from families this year.  I encourage you to pray for anyone that is serving in any capacity, that is separated from their families this holiday season.

This has always been a song that just kind of "tears at my heart."  As you watch this youtube video, think of soldiers that you know, or families you know that are missing loved ones and pray for them.  

Letters from War

Better than a Hallelujah

Myrrh...Now this really is a great gift for a child! 
"Myrrh is mine, its bitter perfume
Breathes of life of gathering gloom
Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying
Sealed in the stone-cold tomb."

That's the way the song goes, but imagine singing this to your child as a bed time lullaby.  What kind of dreams do you think that would bring about! 
"Sorrowing, signing, bleeding dying, sealed in the stone-cold tomb."  Wow. 

It may not be a gift for a child, but it is a gift for a king.  It was a gift with lots of significance and foreshadowing for us as Christians.

We know now, that God just coming to earth in human form was not the end of the story.  We know that Jesus had to suffer and die for us to be free.  We know that Jesus conquered death by rising from the dead. 

However, imagine what Mary and Joseph must have thought when the gift of Myrrh was placed before Jesus.  I cannot imagine it was a very uplifting experience.  I have a feeling it probably put a damper on their day.

As we enter this holiday season, many of us are receiving "Myrrh" from other folks.  We are receiving things that are bringing us down, or experiencing things that are bringing us down.
It may be that one of your parents have lost a job and Christmas will just be different this year.
It may be that you have lost a job. 
It may be your first Christmas without a loved one.
It may be your first Christmas in a new town, where you just feel all alone.
It may be a Christmas where you are staring death in the face...either yourself or with a loved one.

Whatever it is, there is something for each of us that is not really "lifting us up" this Christmas season. 

However, even through our suffering, we can still worship God.

Even in the midst of your heartache and low point this holiday season, there is reason to worship God. 

My favorite bible verse is James 1:2-6
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.  If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.  But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind."

Consider it pure joy...I doubt may of us get excited when we face hard times.  I highly doubt any of us consider it "pure joy" when we face hard times. 
I also do not believe that God "gives us cancer" or "takes away our jobs/homes", etc.  But I do believe that God is just waiting for us to come to Him for wisdom and guidance on how to handle tough situations.  I believe God is just waiting to comfort us.  I love the part in James where it says "God, who gives generously to all without finding fault."  Even if you have been doubting God or questioning God.  God is still ready to give generously.
Even if you have just not really been paying attention to God, God is still waiting to give generously.
Even if you have blamed God for your hard time, God is just waiting to give generously.

Myrrh is not a great gift to get.  Being reminded of our mortality, being reminding of our troubles, is never a "feel good" gift.  However, we can turn our struggles into worship.  We can turn to God in these times and just simply say "I need you." 

There is a song that came out recently that I just love the lyrics to.  Amy Grant's "Better than a Hallelujah" is a beautiful song, but I think the message in the lyrics are even better.

God loves a lullaby, In a mothers tears in the dead of night, Better than a Hallelujah sometimes.
God loves a drunkards cry, The soldiers plea not to let him die, Better than a Hallelujah sometimes.

We pour out our miseries God just hears a melody
Beautiful the mess we are The honest cries of breaking hearts
Are better than a Hallelujah

The woman holding on for life, The dying man giving up the fight, Are better than a Hallelujah sometimes
The tears of shame for what's been done, The silence when the words won't come, Are better than a Hallelujah sometimes.

We pour out our miseries God just hears a melody
Beautiful the mess we are The honest cries of breaking hearts
Are better than a Hallelujah

Better than a church bell ringing, Better than a choir singing out,singing out.

We pour out our miseries God just hears a melody
Beautiful the mess we are The honest cries of breaking hearts
Are better than a Hallelujah


I love the lyrics to this song.  I love the message.

If Myrrh is the gift you seem to be focused on the most this Christmas, give it over to God. 
I do believe that it will be "Better than a Hallelujah" to God. 

All that Glitters is Gold...

A second gift the Magi brought was Gold.  I'm sure Mary and Joseph were not overly upset about that gift, but it still just seems to be an odd gift to give to a child. 
We all know that gold, along with the other two gifts are gifts given to show "kingship."  The Magi gave gifts to recognize that Jesus is King, that Jesus is Lord.  They gave gifts that signified they were there to worship Jesus as King! 

Frankincense often represents prayer as we talked about a few days ago.  Gold represents "value".

When talking about worship with the confirmation students, I often define Worship as "assigning value to something or giving something our time."  When we assign value to something, we say that is is worthy of our time. 
If you want to know what you really worship in your life, look to see what takes up lots of your time. 
What do you assign value to?  Where does your time go?

Facebook?  I'm sure that is one thing for many of us.  Facebook consumes many hours for lots of folks.
We spend time "Stalking" our friends, our acquaintances and even folks on our friends list we really don't remember who they are. 
We spend time playing games on facebook, watering crops that do not exist, winning money that will never actually show up in our bank accounts or just trying to beat a friends score to build our self-esteem. 
We take quizzes that let us know what Harry Potter character we are like, what greek god would be our parent, or what celebrity we are most compatible with. 

Facebook is worshiped by lots and lots of folks. 

For many folks...It's work that takes up the majority of their time.
For many folks...It's TV.  It's watching Glee, American Idol or Dancing with the stars. 

For many folks...it's a sports team or playing a sport.  If you look at my life, you could argue I worship the Tarheels and Panthers. 

What is it for you?  Where is your "Gold" going?  Where is your money being spent?  Where is your time being spent? 

Part of what keeps many folks from really taking Christians serious is when they see what Christians are really worshiping. 

Do your actions show that God is the center of your worship? 

We interupt our regularly scheduled program...

...to bring you this entertaining video!


If I was smarter and less tired, I would actually put the video here, instead of just a link, but it is a really great video.

I'll continue with the "gifts" tomorrow, but tonight I'm just too tired to think enough tonight to make any sense! 

This video makes me wonder what it would be like if Mary's story would have happened today. 

It is interesting to think about how social media could have/would have changed the birth story. 
Just click on the link below!

The Nativity - Digital Story

Here Kid, Just What You Always Wanted...

Frankincense...really?  You are going to give that to a child?  Here kid, have some perfume...Just what you've always wanted.
And Myrrh?  Seriously, you are going to give a kid a spice used to bury people.  That's real inspiring. 
Gold?  Now you really have to be kidding.  That kid is just going to use it as a building block.  He won't realize its any different than the wooden blocks laying around.  What kid really knows the value of a block of Gold? 

Even as a kid listening to the Christmas story being read in church, I remember thinking..."Really, those are some stupid gifts."  What 2 year old wants perfume?  Heck, what 2 year old knows what perfume is?  What kid really needs an embalming spice?  That's like going to a parent and handing them an orange prison jump suit.  "Well, your kid's going to be in prison one day, I just wanted to be the first to give him a gift!"  I mean really, you are going to give a gift that is representative of death?  Way to inspire hope in the parents!
And Gold...I'm sure the parents didn't mind this one, but still, such an odd gift for a 2 year old. 
But the gifts have a deeper meaning.  The next few days, we are going to look at each of the gifts individually and see what they have they mean for us today!

Today, we are going to start with Frankincense. 
Like gold and myrrh, Frankincense was a gift usually given to a King.  The Magi came to worship a King.  I wonder if they were surprised by the fact that the king they came to worship was only 2 years old.  I imagine it shocked them a bit, but they still left their gifts for the child. 

Frankincense was usually used as a perfume, but was also used as incense. 
As we hear in the traditional Christmas song, "Frankincense to offer have I, incense owns a deity nigh, prayer and praising, all men are raising, Worship Him God most high."
Frankincense in many traditions is a symbol of prayer.  We Three Kings refers to this prayer and praising as well. 

When I think about my prayers, I notice often times that I leave out the "praising" part of it.
Oh I'm really good at the asking part of prayer.  The selfish side of "God fix this" or "God I need this or that."  I'm really good at focusing on my needs and wants in my prayers, but I often forget the praising and worship part of prayer. 

The Magi came to worship and praise.  No where in the story do we hear them making petitions to the Christ child.  In Matthew 2 we are told that they "bowed down and worshiped Him.  Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts." 
They simply worshiped the Christ child.

This Christmas season, what are your prayers centered around? 
Are you asking God that you receive a certain Christmas present? 
Are you asking God for healing?
Are you asking God for guidance?
Are you asking God for comfort?

None of these things are bad prayers.  These are things God wants us to bring to Him, BUT...Prayer is also about praising!  How much of your prayer time is simply spent praising God for who God is?  How much of your prayer time is spent counting your blessings?  How much of your prayer time is really spent on God and in worship?

If you are anything like me, you'd probably say very little time is spent in worship of God.  It all seems to be me focused. 
One thing I've learned in life is the more time I spend focusing on myself, I become more unhappy, rather than happier. 
When I spend time focusing on others and focusing on God, I am usually at my happiest. 

I encourage you the next nine days before Christmas...in your prayer time, spend very little time focusing on yourself.  Spend the majority of your prayer time counting your blessings and thanking God for gifting those to you.   I think you'll be surprised at how different and fulfilling your prayer time will become!

How to be a Wise Guy

I love nativities.  I love collecting them.  I love seeing them.  I love seeing different versions and interpretations of them. 

Marko, a youth ministry professional has a blog that he listed some of the 20 worst nativities ever. 
It's entertaining... you can look at those here. ( http://whyismarko.com/2010/top-20-worst-nativity-sets/ )

Nativity sets always have Mary, Joseph and Jesus, but one thing I tend to notice is that the next characters in a nativity scene are usually the Magi.

Amy tends to laugh at me when I set out Nativity sets.  I think its funny that the magi likely didn't show up for several years, but they are always included in the nativity sets.  So I set the magi on the other side of the room.  They came from afar, so I place them afar. 

Even though I place them far away as a joke, I think part of me does that because the magi just never seem to fit the story to me.  They are foreigners to the story and they give awfully odd gifts to a child. 
It also seems that the traditional way we talk about them is off base.
We talk like they showed up the night of Jesus' birth, which isn't likely.
Though we refer to them as "kings", they were likely astrologers. 
We always say there were 3 of them, due to the 3 gifts, but in reality, we have no idea how many of them there were. 

We just seem to be off base when we talk about the Magi, but I think we can still learn from these "wise guys."

The Magi came from the east, seeking out the "one who was born to be king of the Jews." Hearing that these Magi were poking around, Herod sends for them and he sets these guys up.  King Herod sends these guys to find Jesus so that he may also go "worship" Jesus.  Herod's only real motives were to kill Jesus.  Herod did not want competition to his throne and there was too much grumbling about this Jesus kid. 
The Magi follow the star from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, find the Christ child, worship him and offer him some very strange presents. 

And here is the part of the story that always gets me... "And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route."

Its a short verse in Matthew Chapter 2.  It is often looked over as well, but the Magi did a gutsy thing.  They did not obey Herod's orders.  Now they were not from Jerusalem and were not under Herod's "reign."  However, they were from a foreign land and probably stuck out like a sore thumb.  To not return to Herod would have been a dangerous move.  However, these guys followed what they thought was to be right. 

Herod was a powerful man and he was mad, so he ordered all the young male children under 2 years of age to be killed. 

It seems like an odd passage and you may be wondering what in the world I get out of it. 
But I think about how as a Christian, I often feel like a foreigner in a strange land.  I often feel like folks do not understand my actions as a Christian and think I waste my time doing what I do. 

Too often I/we fall into the pressure to conform to what the world wants/expects of us.  Our culture seems to thrive on conforming.  Companies are always trying to market what is cool, trying to appeal to our conformist attitudes.  If we were not so drawn to "blend in" with everyone else, then this marketing would be a big waste of money. 

To me, what made the Magi "Wise men" is not their ability to follow the stars, but their faith and trust to not conform to what Herod wanted, even when it maybe meant they were in danger. 

Christmas season is a time when companies are definitely trying to market "Conforming."  Businesses try to bank on Christmas all of the time.  Its easy to see that when Christmas stuff starts hitting the stores just after Halloween. 

How are you conforming with what the "World" expects of you this Christmas season?  Are you doing anything to stand out and stand up for the true meaning of Christmas?  Are you focusing on the business side of Christmas, or the HOLYday (holiday) part of Christmas?  Are you conforming this Christmas and blending in with the world, or are you standing out for Jesus this Christmas, even when its not the popular thing to do?

You can be a STAR!

Matthew 2: 9-10
"After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.  When they saw the star, they were overjoyed."

When I was younger, the whole idea of the star leading the Magi to Jesus fascinated me.  I thought it was the coolest thing that a bright star was over the Jesus, and was placed just perfectly for the Magi to be able to come directly to Jesus.  That must have been one bright star!  I always wondered why in the world no one else seemed to notice the star or follow it.  It just seemed odd that these three men from afar followed the star, but none of the local people are mentioned seeing the star and coming to see Jesus.  The shepherds came to see Jesus, but they were told by angels and were told their sign was finding a baby in a manger!

I was even more amazed about the star when I found out years later that the Magi likely did not show up to see Jesus until he was about 2 years old or so.
So that star shown for likely 2 years.  How amazing and cool was that to have this bright star in the sky, leading folks to Jesus.

Now I think about that star, I think about the Magi coming from a far away place to meet Jesus and I wonder where we fit in that story.

Years after that star shown over Jesus, and led the Magi to Him, Jesus stood on a mount and shared one of the greatest sermons ever spoken.
In the the 5th chapter of Matthew, Jesus says "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.  Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way. let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

We are the star.  Our purpose here on earth is to be a light that brings others to Jesus.  Our purpose is to be that star that shines, and makes folks want to see who this Jesus person is.

This holiday season, we need to be a star.  Not a star in the worldly sense, we need to be a star for Jesus Christ.

I recently got an email that helps bring home the difference between the 2 stars.
In effect, the email gave a quiz. 
Here were the questions:

1. Name the 5 wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America contest.
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer prize.
5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.
6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.

Some of you may have done okay with this quiz...chances are, without googles help, most of us don't do very good at this quiz at all.   These folks would be/have been "Stars" in the worldly sense.  Most of us put a good bit of time focusing on these "Stars", and yet, they are gone from our minds.  They didn't make a lasting impression on us.

Here is the 2nd quiz the email offered:

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.
6. Name half a dozen heroes whose stories have inspired you.

As the email points out, this list was likely easier for you.  I know it was for me.

We spend a lot of time on this earth trying to be a star.  We spend a lot of time trying to gain fame in the worldly sense.
I spent lots of time in middle school praying to be the star of the football, wrestling and track teams.  In high school that shifted to praying to be the star of the soccer, swim and tennis teams. 
In college, it was trying to be a rock star.  Traveling around and performing with "Skaerf", the band I was in.

And yet, all of that has faded away.  Lots of time and hours spent on things that are no longer a part of my life.  True, many of those sports and experiences have helped shape me into who I am.
However, I feel like my work in the church, leading youth to Jesus is what defines me.  It is who I am.  It is what will make a difference in the long run.  Being able to juggle a soccer ball is cool, but being able to talk to someone about Jesus is eternal.  Being the star that leads someone to Jesus can make changes in the world that are still being talked about 100 years from now.

We are all called to be a star for Jesus, but many of us focus more time on being a star for the world.

I encourage you this Christmas season to focus on being a star for Jesus instead of a star for this world.

Soccer, football, dance, running, etc. is all fun now, but one day your body will no longer be able to do these things.  But your faith will still be with you.

Playing an instrument is a great joy, but one day your fingers will not be nimble enough to press the keys or hold the drum sticks.  But your faith will still be with you.



Worldly stars will fade, no matter how great it feels in the moment, it will fade.

Are you focusing on being a star for the world, or are you focusing on being a star for Jesus?

The Golden Wrapping Paper

Sorry this is late and short tonight!  I'm a little tired from a busy weekend!  Enjoy the following story.  It has always been one of my favorite stories to read around Christmas!


THE GOLD WRAPPING PAPER - An Inspiring Christmas Story

Once upon a time, a man punished his five-year-old daughter for using up the family’s only roll of expensive gold wrapping paper before Christmas.

Money was tight, so he became even more upset when on Christmas Eve, he saw that the child had used the expensive gold paper to decorate a large shoebox she had put under the Christmas tree.

Nevertheless, the next morning the little girl, filled with excitement, brought the gift box to her father and said, "This is for you, Daddy!"

As he opened the box, the father was embarrassed by his earlier overreaction, now regretting how he had punished her.

But when he opened the shoebox, he found it was empty and again his anger flared. "Don't you know, young lady,” he said harshly, “when you give someone a present there's supposed to be something inside the package!"

The little girl looked up at him with sad tears rolling from her eyes and whispered: "Daddy, it's not empty. I blew kisses into it until it was all full."

The father was crushed. He fell on his knees and put his arms around his precious little girl. He begged her to forgive him for his unnecessary anger.

In a very real sense, each of us as human beings have been given an invisible golden box filled with unconditional love and kisses from our children, family, friends and God.

There is no more precious possession anyone could hold.

It's kind of a cheesy story, but I always think... "What would I really think if every single gift I opened this Christmas was an empty box"?

Its a cute heart warming story, but would I really be happy if I got no "Real" gifts?  

Would you be happy if you had no "Real" gifts?

Would you really be happy if you didn't get a single gift this Christmas?  

Even if we do not open a single gift this Christmas, we have already been given the greatest Christmas present possible in the form of a little baby 2000+ years ago. 

Gear Junky

If I only had a bigger house, I would be happier.
If I only had a better cell phone, I'd be happier.
I cannot live without that outfit.
I need a bigger i-Pod, mine is full and doesn't have enough space.
If only my car were newer, I'd certainly be happier and safer.
If I just made more money, I could finally pay off some of this debt and then I could really give to God.
If I just had a computer...If I just had a mac...if I just had a laptop...if I just had an i-Pad.
If at just had a better budget at work...
If I just my own room...
If I just had more supporting parents...
If I was an only child...
If I just had...

We are a culture of bigger and better.
It is not enough to just have a cell phone, we have to have the latest greatest.  Problem is, the latest greatest changes about ever month...so we are always longing to have a new phone.
Our homes never seem big enough to hold all of our stuff...rather than throwing out the useless stuff we never use or even throwing out the useful stuff we simply just don't need...we just buy a bigger home.  So we can collect more stuff, to need a bigger home in a few years.
Our cars never seem good enough...
We never seem to have enough money...
There are always new little toys and trinkets that we just "Have to Have"!
We are a culture that thrives on bigger and better.  We are a culture that thrives on collecting things.
I once saw a shirt that said "He who has the most toys wins." 
We thrive on bigger and better.

I must admit, I fall into this trap more than many folks realize.
I'm a gear junky. 
If I've played a sport...I have the gear.
I have my own bowling ball...
I have a tennis bag that holds multiple rackets and even a ball hopper to pick up the 50 tennis balls I have.
I have football gear, basketball gear, even still have shin guards from playing soccer.
I have roller hockey gear...
I have ice hockey gear...
I have frisbee golf discs, ultimate frisbee discs and even a carrying bag for my frisbee golf disc...
I have a PFD (life jacket), helmet and paddle for whitewater rafting or canoeing...
I have a backpacking backpack and backpacking gear...
I have rock climbing gear...
I have enough camping gear and tents to take a small army out for a week...
I have enough tools to run my own construction company...
We won't even get into the number of instruments I have...

But the truth is, I am a gear junky.  Sadly, I could just keep listing gear that I have. 
I make up all kinds of great excuses as to why I need the stuff too.  I'm convincing as well. 
I mean, I need to have extra disc golf disc, what if I took a youth with me that didn't have any disc at all.
And we go rock climbing and whitewater rafting with the youth at least once a year or so.
And I HAVE to have ice hockey gear, I mean, I play about once every 5 years or so. 
And my tools...I mean, they do get used for 3 weeks on the mission trips in the summer. 

I'm making fun of myself, but it is a problem that many of us have.  We feel like, to really be happy, we just need this one thing.

It is a dangerous slippery slope.  The problem is, there will always be something greater out there.  There will always be something better out there. 
We'll always replace that one "thing" that we know we have to have to make us happy, with another "thing" that we have to have to make us happy. 
We often get to focused on what we do not have, and do not focus enough on what we do have.

Truth is, God can use us no matter what we have.
We would still have amazing youth mission trips even if I had no tools to bring.  Because people change people, not the tools.
Our youth ice skating trips would go just as well, if I had to pay the 6 dollars to rent skates.  Because people change people, not ice skates.

I think you catch my drift.  We all make excuses and think we cannot serve God because we need just that one thing. 

If this Holiday season, we would focus on Jesus, instead of all the things we don't have...I promise you that you will be happier than you have ever been before.
Some of you, your list would look a lot different...it wouldn't have any material things on the list.
Your list may be more like this...
If I only had different parents...
If my little brother would just quite annoying me...
If I was just 10 pounds lighter...
If my hair was just a different color...
If I just had friends that understood me...
If we would of just stayed home, instead of moving to this stupid town...

Whatever it may be, we all feel like there is something that is missing...something that if we could just change, our life would be better. 

I look at the Christmas story and realize that they had nothing Mary and Joseph probably thought they "had to have" to bring the Son of God. 
They were in a stall with dirty animals.
They didn't even have a bed to put Jesus in, they laid him in a feeding trough.
They were miles from home, with no doctor to help bring Jesus into the world.
Their first visitors were smelly shepherds.
Their other visitors (even though they probably didn't get there for a few years) were magi that brought stupid gifts for a child.  (Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh...we'll talk more about those in a few days)
I'm sure that this is not what Mary and Joseph imagined.
I'm sure if you asked them what they "had to have" to bring the Son of God into the world, none of that would have been on the list. 

But the focus of Jesus birth was not to be on what they had, the focus was to be on Jesus.  When they focused on Jesus, nothing else seemed to matter.

I've said it a thousand times while working with youth at church...When we focus on ourselves, we get in trouble.
When we focus on Jesus, things all seem to start falling into place.  That doesn't mean that everything in our lives are perfect, but some of those bumps in the road just don't seem as important. 
Find the JOY of this holiday season.  It is a cheesy expression, but one that helps me remember the "order" I should have in my life.
Jesus Others Yourself

If that truly was the way I ordered my life, I'd likely not feel the need to be a gear junky. 

THe Secret of the Gifts

The Secret of the Gifts
by Paul Flucke
The story has been told for centuries now -- how Gaspar,
 Melchior and Balthasar brought gifts to the newborn king. Ah, you
 say, everyone knows. They brought gold, frankincense and myrrh.
  So it has been told.
But the story is incomplete. Listen to the rest. You shall 
learn the secret of the gifts.
Those who watched saw the first of the three visitors pause 
at the door: Gaspar, a wealthy man with a cloak of fine velvet,
 trimmed in flawless fur. They could not see that it was the Angel
 Gabriel, guarding the holy place, before whom Gaspar stopped.
"All who enter must bring a gift," Gabriel told Gaspar.
Struggling to lift a finely wrought box, Gaspar said, "I have 
brought bars of the finest gold."
"Your gift," Gabriel said, "must be something of the essence 
of yourself, something precious to your soul."
"Such have I brought," Gaspar said.
But as he kneeled to lay his gold before the child, he 
stopped and stood erect. In his outstretched hand lay not gold, but a hammer. Its scarred and blackened head was larger than a man's
 fist; its handle, of sinewy wood, as long as a man's forearm. Gaspar
 stammered, dumbfounded.
The angel said softly, "What you hold in your hands is the 
hammer of your greed, used to pound wealth from those who labor
 so that you may live in luxury, to build a mansion for yourself while
 others dwell in hovels."
Gaspar bowed his head in shame and turned to leave. But
 Gabriel blocked the way: "No, you have not offered your gift."
"Give this?" Gaspar blurted in horror. "Not to a king!"
"This is why you came," Gabriel said. "You cannot take it 
back. It's too heavy. Leave it here or it will destroy you."
"Why, the child cannot lift it," Gaspar protested.
"He is the only one who can," replied the angel.
Next to step to the door was Melchior, the scholar with the 
length of his beard and furrows of his brow to be speak the wisdom 
of age. He, too, paused before the door.
"What have you brought?" asked Gabriel.
"Frankincense, the fragrance of hidden lands and bygone
 days," Melchior replied.
"Your gift," cautioned Gabriel, "must be something precious
 to your soul."
Melchior stood breathless, kneeling reverently down to
 draw from beneath his robe a silver flask. But the vessel in his hand 
was not silver at all. It was common clay, tough and stained.  
Aghast, he pulled the stopper from its mouth and sniffed the
 contents.
"This is vinegar!" Melchior snarled.
"You have brought what you are made of," Gabriel said.
"Bitterness. The soured wine of a life turned grim with jealousy and 
hate; carried within too long, the memory of old hurts, hoarded
 resentments, and smoldering anger. You have sought knowledge,
 but filled your life with poison."
Melchior's shoulders drooped. Turning his face away, he 
fumbled to hide the earthen jar. Gabriel touched Melchior's arm:
"Wait, you must leave your gift."
Melchior sighed with pain deep from within. "But this is vile
 stuff," he protested. "What if the child should touch it to his lips?"
"You must leave that worry to heaven," Gabriel replied.
"There is use even for vinegar."
One more visitor strode forward: Balthasar, the leader of 
many legions and scourge of walled cities. He grasped a
brass-bound box.
"I bring myrrh," he said, "the most precious booty of my
boldest conquest. Many have fought and died for such as this, the
 essence of a most rare herb."
"But is it the essence of yourself?" Gabriel asked.
The soldier shuffled forward, bowing his head near the
 ground and releasing his grip on the handle of the box. But what he 
lay before the baby's feet was his own spear.
"It cannot be!" he whispered hoarsely. "Some enemy has
 cast a spell."
"That is more true than you know," Gabriel said from
 behind. "A thousand enemies have cast their spell on you and 
turned your soul into a spear. Living only to conquer, you have
 been conquered. Each battle you win leads only to another."
Balthasar grasped the weapon and turned to the door. "I
 cannot leave this."
"Are you sure?" Gabriel asked.
"But here?" the warrior whispered. "He is but a child. The
 spear could pierce his flesh."
"That fear you must leave to heaven," Gabriel replied.
What of the gifts, you ask -- the hammer, vinegar and spear.
  Another story tells how they were seen once more, years later, on a
lonely hill outside Jerusalem. But do not worry. That is a burden 
heaven itself took care of as only heaven can.








I've always enjoyed this story, despite knowing that it is simply a fabrication of the story.  We do not know for sure that the magi were kings.  We do not even know for sure that there were three of them.  The one thing we do know is the gifts that they brought. 

I just love the point of this story though?

Like the kings in the story, we all bring a gift to the table.  We all bring a gift to God.
Also like the kings in the story, we try to make our gifts to appear to be something they are not.  We try to put on a front to the world. 
My question is simple today...


What is the essence of the gift that you are bringing to God? 
No matter what that gift is, God can use it.  God does not ask for us to bring perfection to the table.
God does not ask for us to put up a front to the world, to appear holier and better than we are.

God simply ask for us to bring who we truly are to the table, and God promises to use that for good.

No matter how bad you think you are, no matter how ashamed you are of your life...God can use you.  God wants to use you.

What is the essence of your gift this holiday season?  Are you putting on a front for God, or are you really giving who you are to God?

Great Expectations

One thing I think has changed for teenagers today, as opposed to teenagers when I was growing up, is the growing expectations.

It is not good enough to just get into college, you have to get into the best college.  You have to get every scholarship possible.
If you are not in the top 5% of your class, you failed.
It's not enough to just be on the soccer team, you have to be the star.  Soccer is your ticket to fame.  It is your ticket to college.
You are expected to be involved in clubs at school, band, dance team, excel at school, involved in Church, play sports at school, play on challenge teams outside of school and its not enough to just be involved with them, you need to be the leader of each of these things.

Some of you may not feel the pressure, but our culture puts it there.  Our schools put the pressure there.  Our parents put the pressure there.  Heck, often I put the pressure there.  Most of us are mean well, we just want to see you succeed.  But the pressure to succeed and excel is higher than ever.  The pressure to have a jam packed schedule is greater than ever.

However, when I think of the pressure another young couple faced, I just can't imagine how they handled it.
Imagine being told you are responsible for raising God's son.
Imagine what Mary must have thought for 9 months while carrying Jesus.
Mary was told Jesus would reign on a throne forever, but I think she probably had to worry about Jesus as a little baby.
Imagine changing diapers of the son of God.
Imagine seeing the son of God struggle to walk, falling time and time again.
Imagine Jesus coming to Mary with the bumps and bruises that come with being a toddler.
I think that each time Jesus fell, had a bump or bruise, or struggled in anyway, Mary probably had a "I've messed up the son of God."

Imagine the pressure Mary and Joseph must have felt.

I'm sure that Mary and Joseph probably irritated other parents as well. It was probably difficult for them to not come across as arrogant at times.

When Jesus was "lost" at the age of 12, think about what was likely going through Mary's head. "Great, I've lost the son of God, I've really screwed up now."

Whatever kind of pressure you are facing in your life, you are not alone.
I believe one reason God chose to send Jesus in the form of a baby is so that we could all really relate.  We know that Jesus faced the same problems we faced as a child.  Jesus likely didn't come out walking and talking.  He had to learn those things just as we did.  Jesus didn't come out changing his own diaper, He had to rely on Mary and Joseph to do so.  Jesus didn't come out getting himself dressed, He had to rely on Joseph and Mary.
Jesus went through the same pressures of being a teenager that I did, that you go through now.

Jesus may not of had to worry about college, sports, scholarships or any of the things that teens face today.  But Jesus had the weight of the world on His shoulders.

No matter what you are going through.  No matter what pressure you feel.  Jesus understands.  Jesus has been there.  And Jesus is just waiting, longing to talk to you about it.

YOU ARE GOD'S PRIORITY

"Never allow someone to be your priority while allowing yourself to be their option."  

That was a Facebook status of Sara Richart, one of our college students earlier this week.  
My first reaction was YES, that is great.  

Working with youth, I often see them totally giving themselves to someone who simply just does not return the attention.  They do anything they can to fit into a group that simply just does not want them around.  They focus totally on someone of the opposite sex that simply just does not feel the same way.

Often, I feel like I do that same thing myself.  I feel like I give an awful lot of time to folks that simply just are not interested.  
You make phone calls, send emails, send facebook messages, go to sporting events and band concerts...and yet, some youth just are not interested in coming to the youth program.  Its frustrating.  It feels like a waste of time sometimes. 


For many of us, this may feel like our lives.  
Our priority is our children, and we are our children's option.
Our priority is our boss, and we are our bosses option.
Our priority is our teachers, and we feel we are just their option.
Our priority is our friends, and yet, often we are just our friends option.
Our priority is our boyfriend or girlfriend, and still sometimes, we are just their option.


We give and give and give...just to feel taken advantage of and forgotten.


"Never allow someone to be your priority while allowing yourself to be their option."  
That really just resonated with me.


And then, I guess as I sat there and thought about it longer, the Holy Spirit wanted me to learn a little something.  (I think the Holy Spirit always wants me to learn something, I just fail to listen sometimes)


The thought that went through my head... "God does that for me all the time."
Ouch.  
How often do I simply make God an option in my life, when I am always God's priority.  


I have a shirt that reads "God Loves You, But I'm His Favorite".
When people give me the "but God doesn't have favorites," I usually reply, "But God's so amazing that He loves us ALL like we are His favorite."
We are always God's priority.


Yesterday I talked about the many ways we clearly do not make God our priority.  
I stepped on a lot of toes...I've heard from quite a few folks who I guess felt the need to defend themselves. 
I heard from several folks thanking me for stepping on their toes.  


Regardless of which category you fall into, I just keep thinking about the phrase "I am God's priority."


I'm not usually one for cheesy things, but say that out loud to yourself... "I am God's priority."


Do you believe that?  Do you REALLY believe that?


I know several of my posts have not necessarily been overly positive.  Many of them are intended to "Call folks out."  Many are intended to push us each to go deeper in our relationship with God.  Many are intended to push us to make "Church" a verb instead of a "Noun".


Despite those blogs that may seem negative, I hope you hear the over arching theme that is really what Christmas is all about...Redemption.  Grace.  A 2nd Chance.


Jesus came in human form so that we would not be defined by our mistakes.  Jesus came in human form so we would have a chance to be more than our mistakes, more than our sins.  


Jesus came to offer grace.


No matter what you have done, no matter what mistakes you have made, no matter how many times you have unintentionally told Jesus there was no room in your heart for Him; you get a second chance.


Grace is extended.  


Ultimately, that is the Christmas message.

Are you going to continue to make God an option in your life or are you going to begin to make God a priority.


I can promise you, you are already God's priority!

Put on your steel toed boots, I may be stepping on your toes

I apologize in advance of this post.  Chances are I am going to say something that hits a little too close to home.  Many of you may even be sitting there going, but Kevin, you don't walk the talk here either.  Truth is, you would be right; but the last week or so, every time I've sat down to type this daily blog, this post kept coming to mind.  This topic keeps coming to mind.  I know it is a message I need to hear and I know it is a message that we all need to hear.  So let me proceed to stepping on some toes!

Excuses come easy for most of us.  It's easy to justify being the innkeeper that turns away our neighbor.

"Our house really is too small to welcome others in."
"I have family coming in town."
"That guy would just spend my money on alcohol anyway."
"I can't be late for school." "I can't be late for work." 
"If I was late for work, I'd lose my job and then wouldn't be able to help anyone." 

I could go on and on.  We have lots of excuses.  Many of them are actually valid.  Many of them make total sense.  However, our "inn keeper hearts" often have a deeper root.  Our reason for not helping someone often is a symptom of a much bigger issue.

The bigger issue is often us saying, "Jesus, there is no room for you in my heart."
Now you may be thinking that you never really actually say that.  Those words may have never crossed your lips.  Those words likely have never even come to your mind.

But our actions speak differently. 

When we wake up on Sunday morning and decide we need sleep more than we need to go to worship...We are saying "Jesus, there is no room for you in my heart."

When we decide that skipping out on small group to do homework...We are saying "Jesus, there is no room for you in my heart."

When are stuck in traffic, haven't moved in 30 minutes and we are cussing every car that cuts in front of us or does something dumb...We are saying, "Jesus, there is no room for you in my heart."

When we decide that sleep is more important than our daily time with God...We are saying, "Jesus, there is no room for you in my heart."

When we decide that watching TV is more important that our daily time with God...We are saying, "Jesus, there is no room for you in my heart."

When we decide that going to tailgate at the Panthers game is more important that going to church...We are saying, "Jesus, there is no room for you in my heart."

When we decide that playing soccer, baseball, hockey, etc. is more important than coming to church...We are saying, "Jesus, there is no room for you in my heart."

When we decide that the traffic is too much of an inconvenience for us to come to church on Sunday or Wednesday...We are saying, "Jesus, there is no room for you in my heart."

When we are too lazy to go to the gym and take care of the bodies that God has gifted to us...We are saying, "Jesus, there is no room for you in my heart."

Should I go on?  Have I stepped on your toes enough yet?  I'm not sure God is quite done stepping on my toes yet...so I'll go on.

When we decide that "necessities" like cable, blackberry service, nicer cars, i-Pods, i-Pads, i-Phones, fancy clothes, expensive hair cuts, (this list really could go on forever), etc. are more important that putting money in the offering plate on Sunday morning...We are saying, "Jesus, there is no room for you in my heart."

When we decide that our "image" is more important than serving God...We are saying, "Jesus, there is no room for you in my heart."

When we decide that working longer hours to pay for the aforementioned "necessities" is more important that going to church...We are saying, "Jesus, there is no room for you in my heart."

When we decide to skip a youth program because our "friends" aren't going to be there...We are saying, "Jesus, there is no room for you in my heart."

Sorry...just a few more toes to get.  Mine aren't quite hurting enough yet.

When we decide that family vacations are more important than mission trips or serving others...We are saying, "Jesus, there is no room for you in my heart."

When we keep silent when we see others being picked on...We are saying, "Jesus, there is no room for you in my heart."

When we feel just "too uncomfortable" to stop and talk to the homeless man begging for money...We are saying, "Jesus, there is no room for you in my heart."

When we have our schedules so full that there is not really time for much of anything...We are saying, "Jesus, there is no room for you in my heart."

Truth is, I could go on and on and on and on...but I think you are catching my drift.
Whether we admit it or not, we all prioritize our lives.  Too often, God gets what is left of us, and not everything that we are.  Too often, we fit God in where it is convenient instead of making God first.

I cannot tell you how many times I have heard while working in the church, "but my child has to go to this, we are trying to teach them that you follow through with your commitments."

I understand that feeling, I do.  I played lots of sports, I was in the band, and I was in scouts.  I got good grades so I could get into college.  I was in clubs, I had a job...I did lots of the things that fill our schedules.

True, lots of those things made me who I am today, but just about all of those things are no longer a part of my life.  God is though.  I hope that when I am a parent, that I teach my children that they follow through with their commitments as well.  However, I hope the number one thing I teach them to commit to is their faith. 

Sunday soccer is important...and often expensive, but God is going with you to college, and soccer is most likely not.

All of those "when we" statements above are important.  You can make great arguments as to why they are important and necessary.  However, God is the one thing that is always going to be with us.

Friends will one day be gone, one day we will not have the physical body able to do the sports, one day our minds will not be as sharp as they used to be, family members will one day be gone...this world is temporary.

The one thing that is eternal is our relationship with God.

We may never intentionally tell God that there is no room in the "inn" of our hearts for Jesus, but our actions often say it very clearly.

Sometimes there are guest in our homes that simply just stay too long.  Sometimes we have to kindly ask them to leave.

What is it that is taking up too much space in your heart to leave room for Jesus?

Phew, Glad I wasn't that guy

Growing up, every time I heard the Christmas story told, I almost always had the same thought.  "Phew, glad I wasn't the inn keeper that had to tell Mary and Joseph there wasn't room for them."

Can you imagine having to tell a man and his very pregnant wife that you have no room for them...But you can stay out back where the animals are.

I just imagine that by the time Mary and Joseph got there to ask if there was a room, the Inn keeper had to answer that question a hundred times and had probably turned a ton of folks away.  I imagine his "I have a room in the back where the animals are tied up" was probably a sarcastic rhetorical response.  I wonder what his face was like when Joseph said "we'll take it." 

Now of course, that is just how I imagine the story.  Who knows, he could have offered the manger because he was really trying to get them a room some how, some way.  Luke 2 just tells us that "she wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn." 
The biblical account of this part of the story really doesn't mention an innkeeper, it says nothing about animals being present at Jesus' birth; all of those things are things that we have added to the story over the years. 

But just imagine for a second what it must have been like to be the innkeeper when he found out that the Son of God was born in the barn behind his little hotel.  He had the Son of God come to his inn, and he turned him away, he sarcastically put them in a feeding trough. 

Can you feel the guilt this man must have felt. 
I'm so glad that I was not that inn keeper.  I'm so glad that I didn't turn God's son away and leave him in the cold.  I'm so glad that I don't have to carry that guilt.

Well, that was until about 10 years ago when I read Matthew 25: 31-46 during my daily devotional around Christmas a few years ago. 
I had read the Luke Christmas story the day before and had once again thought, "Man, I'm glad I wasn't the innkeeper. That guy really did blow it."

But then the very next day I read Jesus' words in Matthew 25... "For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, i needed clothes and you did not clothe me, i was sick and in prison and you did not look after me...I tell you the truth, whatever you did not for one of the least of these, you did not do for me."

Ouch.  Turns out I am the innkeeper after all.  Almost daily, I miss opportunities to reach out and welcome "Jesus" into my life.  I turn "Jesus" away, sometimes with a sarcastic remark and a frustration of being bothered when I'm in a hurry.

Turns out we are all innkeeper in one way or another.

This holiday season, are you acting like the innkeeper, ignoring the "least of these"?  Ignoring "Jesus"?

Try to pay attention to the opportunities God may be providing you this holiday season to welcome folks into your life.
Try to pay attention to the opportunities God may be giving you to help someone.

If you are unsure of what those opportunities are, seek out someone that desperately needs Jesus in their life. 

We've all been innkeepers one way or another in the past, but God's grace is extended, giving us the opportunity for redemption, giving us the chance to welcome Jesus.  No matter how many times we've turned away Jesus in the past, it is never too late to welcome Him in!

Just keep Walking, Just keep Walking...

I don't know about you, but traveling wears me out.
I love having places to go, and things to do, but I hate the traveling it takes to get there.
It doesn't help that recently I have not had the best luck with traveling.

On my trip to Michigan this summer, I was supposed to drive from Wilmington to Raleigh and then fly from Raleigh to Milwaukee to Grand Rapids. 
My trip went more like this...and this is the short version! :-)

• Stand in line for 2 hours because all the flights for my original airline was canceled.
• Get transferred to a different airline and fly out 2 hours later than originally planned.
• Flew from Raleigh to Washington, DC and then had a 4 hour lay over.
• Flew from DC to Chicago, circled Chicago for an hour and a half due to weather, get redirected to St. Louis.
• Stay on the plane in St. Louis on the tarmac for an hour and a half waiting on the new pilot.  It was 98 degrees outside and the plane had to be turned off since we had to switch pilots (our original pilot hit his maximum number of flying hours for the day). 
• Take off for Chicago and arrive in Chicago about an 2 hours after I was originally scheduled to land in Grand Rapids...and also about 30 minutes after my connecting flight left for Grand Rapids.
• Amy calls to say there is a flight on another airline on the other side of the airport.  Sprint to that side to realize it is a flight to Cedar Rapids and not Grand Rapids (Amy had been calling to try and tell me this)
• Run back across the airport to where the gate actually is and find that the plane is full
• The gate agent offers to try and rebook my for a morning flight.  He gives me 2 options, fly to Traverse City and arrive in Michigan at 10:30am or fly to Grand Rapids and arrive at around 2:30 pm.  I take the Traverse City Option
• Set up a hotel to sleep in for the night, even though at this point, I would have to be back at the airport in 5 hours.  (I had my guitar with me, so I didn't want to sleep in the airport)
• Call the shuttle for the hotel...and wait.  And wait.  And wait.  
• Shuttle finally arrives about an hour and fifteen minutes later.  
• Get to the hotel, and the key card machine is broken,so they have to key us into our rooms.
• Arrive to room and hotel agent keys me in...to find a topless lady (he had just keyed her into that room about 3 minutes earlier)
• Go to get a 2nd room and he keys me in to find that the rain had leaked through the roof and all the plaster from the ceiling had fallen onto the bed and floor.
• Get a 3rd room and he keys in to find that the room is a smoking room and the air conditioning is broken... "I'll take it."
• Get to sleep for about 30 minutes and the fire alarm goes off.  I then stand out in the rain for an hour and find out the hotel was hit by lightening and they were worried about an electrical fire.
• Finally, the let us back into the hotel, but I have to wait outside my door to get keyed into my room.
• I take all my soaking wet clothes and place them on the heater, and turn it on hoping to dry my only set of clothes out in the 45 minutes I get to sleep before the shuttle back to the airport. (my luggage was still checked somewhere)
• Shuttle back to the airport, the driver does not have toll money
• Takes an hour to get through security, but I finally get to my gate...to find my flight is delayed.
• I go to gate to ask for how long and to also ask out of curiosity where in the world my bags are.
• I find out my bags are still going to Grand Rapids, even though I am going to Traverse City.  I asked if they would transfer the bags. "Well sir, since you chose a different final destination, you are responsible for your bags." Me, "Well sir, that is a piece of information that I think last nights gate agent should have told me."
• Go back up to ask if my future brother in law and sister in law can pick up the bags for me...I'm told to "F*** off" by the gate agent.
• Finally get on the plane and get to Traverse City about 16 hours after I was supposed to arrive in Michigan.
• The next day I was finally able to get my luggage from Grand Rapids when I picked my Mom up from the airport

Like I said, that is the short version.  And it doesn't even include my traveling woes on the way home when I slept in Chicago again, despite not having an itinerary that takes me through Chicago.  

It was frustrating.  I hated it.  I was worn out.  I ended up getting Pneumonia, and I think it likely has a lot to do with this trip.

But you know what, I'd take that trip over the trip that Joseph and Mary had to take 2000 years ago.
Luke 2 tells us that Caesar Augustus calls for a census.  Unlike today, where we have folks come to our door for us to fill out the census or we fill out a form, Mary and Joseph had to go to the town of their ancestors...Bethlehem.


Luckily, they most likely would have been traveling in a caravan, but those caravans would have usually traveled 20 miles a day.  Tradition tells us that Mary road on a donkey, but scripture really just says "so Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David."  Both Mary and Joseph probably did a lot of walking.  Joseph most likely walked the whole way.

Can you imagine going to see your grandmother, cousins or other family members and having to walk the whole way?  Imagine having to start walking a week early just to get there on time, but also knowing you are going to have to walk back.  And remember, Mary was pregnant.

I wouldn't want to walk 20 miles a day, and I am a fairly healthy, somewhat in shape (rounds a shape right) young man.  My trip to Michigan wore me out, and I was flying for most of it.  When I didn't fly, I was still in my truck driving, comfortably.  I was shielded from the weather (aside from standing in the rain outside the hotel).
Just imagine how tired Mary and Joseph must have been.

Most of us are going to do some type of traveling this Christmas season.  And if you are like me, most of us will get irritable from all that traveling.

I hope as you are traveling this year, you think about Mary and Joseph, think about the trip they most likely had to endure, and be thankful.  When you sit in traffic this year, pray for the family in the car ahead of you.
When you are tired of your family from being in the car for so long, look around in the car and start praying for your family members.

Use what could be a frustration as a chance to recenter your heart and be thankful for the blessings that God has put in your life!

What do Animal, The Owl, Pepe Le Pew and Bashful have in common?

As I said in a previous post, Christmas morning was my favorite day of the year. 
I loved our Christmas traditions we had as a family.  There were times as a young kid, that I'd get worn out from the hours it would take us to unwrap gifts one at a time (Imagine, there were usually at least 7 people there, opening about 15 presents a piece...it took a while doing it one at a time)!
When we were really young, we'd all wake up early and go crawl into bed with my parents.  We'd say we were just there to "be with them" but in reality, we were doing whatever we could to wake them up and get them out of bed!

In our house, we had those old skeleton key holes.  When our parents would FINALLY get out of bed, they would let us one at a time look through the key whole to see all the presents under the tree. 

When we got a little older, my mom would try to get a jump on wrapping Christmas presents, but didn't want us to be able to tell whose gifts were whose. (Imagine adding a son-in-law and grand kid to the 5 children and 2 parents, with usually around 15 presents a piece, and I understand why she would want to get a jump on it) 
Her solution was to put "themed code names" on the presents.  The first year she used characters from the 7 dwarfs.  That year I was Bashful (quite appropriate given how shy I was as a kid).

Another year she used characters from the Muppets.  That year I was Animal (once again appropriate being a drummer).  Another year, it was Winnie the Pooh Characters and I was "The Owl"! (I would say once again appropriate given that I was the smartest of the family, but we all know that is just not true!)

Yet another year we did Looney Tunes and I was Pepe Le Pew.  I'd really just rather not comment on that one! :-)

Another unique family tradition for my family is what we call the "Grab Bag."  Each year, on Christmas Eve, at my grandmothers; folks give out gifts from the "Grab Bag".  Some of the gifts were significant given things that happened during the year, some gifts were traditions and some were just for fun.

One year, my grandfather got caught out on a sandbar at the beach when the tide came in.  He was out for quite a while before he was rescued.  So in the grab bag he got a floating raft.
Another year my brother had a "girl" on his Christmas list, so he got a "Wanna Women" Tasmanian Devil shirt.
Each year, my Great Aunt Mary would pass out the incredible mints that she would make (the greatest mints ever, I sure do miss getting those). 
The year I began to have interest in girls (and believe it or not, girls started having an interest in me), my grandfather gave me a stick to "beat the girls away" and my grandmother gave me a little black book to "keep up with all the girls." 
The grab bag was fun, it was one of my favorite family traditions and to this day, it still is one of my favorite family traditions. 

I look forward to creating new family traditions with Amy.  I hope to be able to incorporate traditions from my childhood as well as some from her childhood. 

Family traditions are great.  I love to hear about different families traditions.  I love to hear what different families do to make their holiday special and unique. 

However, families can also drive us crazy.  Some family traditions may be the source of what may drive you crazy during the holidays. 

But one thing I have learned, especially over the last few years, is that no matter how crazy your family may drive you at times, they are still YOUR family.  They are the family God has gifted to YOU.  You cannot trade them in, you cannot change them.  They are unique, they are special...and that is what makes them a gift from God. 

I know some of you may not actually be looking forward to Christmas this year because you'll have to spend time with your families.  Some of you may not have the greatest family situation.

But I encourage you to enter this holiday season taking the time to appreciate your family.  Take time to appreciate your family traditions. 

I can promise you that one day you will look back and realize that no matter how crazy your family made you, no matter how annoyed you may have been by some of the traditions at times, you will miss them.

Take the time this holiday season to tell you families how much you are thankful for them.  Tell your parents how much you appreciate the traditions they created with you.  Don't miss the opportunity.  Don't take this holiday season for granted. 

Our time here on earth is temporary.  We need to live in the moment and enjoy every gift, every blessing that God has given us.


That includes our families that we way too often take for granted!

Excuse me, did you say GOD got you pregnant....Riiiiiight.

For a minute, just put yourself in his shoes.
You are engaged to be married and you are excited for your future.
Then one day she lets you know she is pregnant.  You know the child isn't yours.
There is no way it could be yours, you have been faithful to her.  You have been faithful to your God and your religion. 
But obviously, she wasn't faithful to you, to God or to her commitment to marriage.  Shes now pregnant with some other person's baby.  And boy does she have a doozy of an excuse. 

How would you react?

This is not a hard situation for me to imagine myself in right now.  I'm engaged to be married to Amy in March.  If she came to me right now and said, "oh yeah, by the way, I'm pregnant", I would be devastated.  I would be angry.  I would be hurt. I would be livid.
In our pre-marital counseling, we have discussed what are "unforgivables" in marriage.  For me, adultery is one of them.  I've had 2 other long term relationships, both of which ended because of my girlfriend cheating on me.  It's a sore subject for me.  It's a touchy topic. 

How did Joseph react?

Matthew 1: 19 says that "Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly." 

I imagine many folks in today's culture would react in a much different way.  I have seen time and time again folks trying to make a public disgrace of the person that hurt them. 

I can relate to Joseph though, I doubt I would try to "publicly disgrace" Amy, but I would struggle with staying with her in that situation. 

But Joseph stays.  After having an Angel of the Lord appeared to him to confirm Mary's outrageous story, Joseph sticks around. 

Unfortunately, most of us have not had the luxury of having an Angel of the Lord coming directly to us.  However, I can guarantee that all of us have had a relationship broken.
We have all had someone not live up to the expectations we have had for them.

For some people, it's their parents that let them down; others it is a significant other.  Some it has been their best friend, sibling or their own child.  For some of you, it could be the church, or your pastor.  For some of you, it could even be me. 
Whoever it may be, we've all been hurt by someone.  We've all been disappointed. 

But I can promise you one thing...
This Christmas, God would love to help heal that broken relationship.  God would love to bring about healing for both you and for the person who broke your trust.

You could be on either side of the broken trust.  You may have been the one to break the trust and you may have been the one whose trust was broken.  Either way, God wants to bring about healing.


Who is it for you?  What relationship for you needs to be healed?
One of the greatest gifts you may give someone this Christmas is to go to them and let them know that you forgive them. 
Or it could be to go to them and let them know how sorry you are to have messed things up. 

I truly believe that there is likely not one person reading this right now that doesn't have at least one relationship that needs healed. 

Do not let this Christmas go by without seeking out at least one person in your life that either needs your forgiveness, or you need theirs.  

There is Just Something About Mary

Imagine this...you get to school/work one day and you see folks huddled up and whispering.
You just know there is a good piece of gossip. 
You begin to hear what is going around.  Mary, who is only 14, is pregnant.  It is not all that unusual to hear of a teenage girl getting pregnant, but this is different.  Mary is a good girl.  She doesn't seem to do anything wrong. 

But what really has people talking is that she claims to still be a virgin.  She claims that God got her pregnant. 

Would you believe her?  Would you just think she was crazy? 

What would you really think?

I often hear Christians say they think it would have been easier to believe and have faith if they were there when Jesus was alive. 
If they would have seen Jesus perform miracles, they would certainly have known he was the Son of God.
If they would have heard Jesus tell parables, they would not have been foolish enough to have a lack of faith like some of the disciples always did.
If they were a Pharisee and had seen what Jesus was doing, they surely would have changed their ways and not been so stuck on the past.

I've thought these things myself many times.  I've read through different parts of scripture and thought "how in the world could they be so blind, how could they be so stupid?".

It seems simple.  If we'd only have been around when Jesus was, things would have been easier.  Faith would be easier.  Living like Christ would be easier.

I just want to put out a word of caution.  Something I realized one day is that we know the rest of the story.  We see the end.  We know that Jesus is raised from the dead and that He offers us eternal life.  We know from the promises of scripture that Jesus IS the Son of God.  The disciples didn't have the rest of the story.  They didn't have the whole picture. 

Some parts of scripture are hard to swallow even when we know the rest of the story. 

The virgin birth is one of those stories for me. 
I must admit, if I had been present and heard Mary's story, I would have thought she was insane.  I would have thought she was just trying to cover up for sleeping with her "soon to be husband" too soon. 

Most people tend to believe that Mary was between 12-15 years of age.  Why would God choose someone so young to be responsible for birthing HIS Son?
Why would God entrust the Savior of the world to a teenager? 

What surprises me most in the story found in Luke 1, is Mary's response to the promise she was going to have God's Son...

"How will this be, since I am a virgin?"

Now, I don't know about you, but my question would have been more along the lines of...
"Are you crazy, you expect me to go out and tell people that I am pregnant and yet still a virgin?  You expect me to tell my future husband that I am pregnant, but I promise I didn't sleep with someone else?"

Now true, Mary was speaking to an Angel of the Lord, but still, she had to be scared out of her mind.
And yet, she was still faithful.  She responds to the Angel, "I am the Lord's servant, May your word to me be fulfilled".

So what do we have to learn from this story?  As crazy as the story is when you really think about it, what is God trying to teach us through this part of the Christmas story?
I think there are many lessons in this story, but two come to mind for me.
1. God is in control, so thankfully, we do not have to be
2. God can and will use anyone who is faithful.  Talent and other things the world expects us to have are not qualifications for being used by God, faithfulness is the only qualification. 

So my question to you is this: What may God be asking you to do that you have been afraid to be faithful in?
Age is not a factor to hold you back.  God continually shows in the bible that he uses people that are both too young and too old according to worldly standards.
Talent/gifts/education is not a factor - just look at the crew Jesus assembled to be his disciples and the folks God chose to build his church upon.  They were uneducated and untrained fisherman.
Your past mistakes are not a hindrance for God - just look at the lives of Paul and David.


Faithfulness is the only requirement.  What in your life have you been reluctant to be faithful to God with?
What has the Holy Spirit been nudging you to do to serve others?
What behaviors/habits has the Holy Spirit been nudging you to change?
What conversations has the Holy Spirit been nudging you to have with someone?


Are you going to look at yourself and make up reasons why you are not qualified to serve God?
Or are you going to be faithful to the Holy Spirit's calling in your life?

Christmas Lists

It has happened to all of us.  You know, that Christmas you opened gift after gift longing for that one gift that was at the top of your Christmas list. 
And yet...gift after gift, it didn't come.  
At the end of Christmas day, you are still looking under the tree hoping another present is there hiding; still looking for the only thing you really wanted for Christmas. 

For me it was a drum set.  Year after year, I would put a drum set on my Christmas list.  A year after year, it didn't show up. No matter how big a present was that I was opening, I was hoping it was some how a drum set. 
I would play tricks in my mind.
"Maybe they wrapped up drum sticks to trick me."
"Maybe it'll be a picture of a drum set that is at my grandparents house, just waiting for me to pick it up."

Christmas after Christmas, it didn't come. Looking back now, I realize that my family didn't have the room in our house or the finances to make it happen.  To be honest with you, I am thankful.  Had I gotten the drum set, I would have likely never picked up guitar in college and I'd be trying to lead worship with teenagers while sitting behind a drum set.  God has used my ability to play guitar in so many different ways during my time in youth ministry, I am thankful that I never got that drum set.  

When I look at the Christmas Story in scripture, I find a couple that waited and waited for that perfect gift.  They were both from prominent families.  This is a gift that their culture valued and would look down upon a couple if they did not have one.  In fact, not getting this gift was a grounds for divorce in this culture. 

Zachariah and Elizabeth just wanted a child.  I imagine they prayed about this for years.
Problem was, year after year, it didn't come.  Year after year, they were getting older and older, and less and less likely to have children.  Finally, in Luke 1, we see that God appeared to Zachariah to say that Zachariah's prayers had been heard, Elizabeth was going to be with child!


For many of us, we enter this holiday season, and have still not had that "one big prayer" answered by God.

Some of us pray that our parents will just understand us.
Some that God will get us into that college you are dying to go to.
For some of us it's to be better at a sport or at school.  
Some pray for a new job, healing in broken relationships, understanding from the loss of a loved one, and some just want to catch their breath and catch a break.

Some are praying to no longer feel lonely.
Some to finally be noticed by that "one" person.
Some are praying for understanding why that "one" person has changed so much and feels so distant.  
Some pray for strength to battle an addiction, strength to make a hard decision, or strength to simply get out of bed in the morning.

Some are just in need of a friend, someone that understands what they are going through. 
For some it is a list of material things we feel we need to fit in, or a list of material things we think we have to have to be happy. 

Whatever it is...we all have something in our lives that we feel is unresolved.  Something that makes us anxious.  Something that we feel we deserve and earned.

We all have relationships that need healing. 
We all have decisions we are afraid to make.
We all have problems that are yet to be dealt with, that we have no idea how to deal with.
All of us are missing something, somewhere in our lives.

One thing that is abundantly clear to me when reading the Christmas story, is that God hears our prayers.

God may not answer our prayer the way we wish or hoped, but God hears our prayers. 
Zachariah and Elizabeth longed for a baby and didn't get that gift on their own time table.  But God did answer their prayer.

I eventually got my drum set.  A family at my last church felt led to give me one.  I was shocked and I was humbled.  I was thankful.

But I realized that after getting my drum set, I just put something else on the top of my wish list.

One thing I've realized is that all those years of opening each gift, longing for a drum set, I missed many blessings in my life.  I was so focused on getting a drum set, I didn't often take the time to truly enjoy all the gifts that I was being given. 


I don't know what it is that is missing in your life, but I do know if that one thing becomes our soul focus, we really miss out on a lot of great things in our life. 

God is speaking to you.
God is blessing you.
God is answering your prayers.

Are you so focused on what you do not have this Christmas, on what you so desperately want this Christmas, that you are missing the blessings of all the things in your life that you do have?