Christmas

Christmas is all about Christ. We share gifts in remembrance of God's greatest gift to us. Jesus the Christ. This was God's plan of forgiveness for us.

How good do you have to be to get into Heaven? Better than the next guy? Good enough to you? This makes everyone a god. Judging others and judging themselves. However God is the judge. By what measure does HE judge? It is not by how often you have been in church or how much you give or don't give for that matter. You are judged on the basis on of your relationship and acceptance of Jesus Christ. Christ must be your savior.

Christianity is the only religion that has Jesus, who died in our place, for our sins. By myself, I can never be "good enough". I will still make mistakes and still have things that I can never erase from my life. But, I do have Jesus. God forgives me not by my work, but by the work of Jesus. When God asks who should pay for my errors in life, Jesus answers that HE has already paid for me. My forgiveness, from my savior.

I don't have to rely on myself to "earn" forgiveness. I rest in assurance that Jesus has earned it for me. Jesus was real. No doubt that all of history records Him and His acts. History records His words. Not just in the bible, but in many books written by historians from that time and time forward. Even now, Jesus is real. He moves today through the hearts of many, and the miracles that many have recounted. He is real in my heart, giving strength, assurance and forgiveness.

 Especially at this time of the season, do not miss out on the greatest gift of all, free to you. The gift of Christ, given to you, freely from God.

To Halloween or not to Halloween...........................That is the question.

Many Christians take a pretty hard stance against Halloween.

Does its origin date to pagan customs, or to Christian customs of sharing food and children going door to door to exchange food for prayers? Did it take a poor turn during the Reformation? Is it 'worshiping' the dead or spirits, or prayers and remembrance of 'All Saints'? Is it similar to Christmas and Santa..........or is that a whole different debate all its own that we should share later?

Or is it just fun dressing up in costumes and getting candy? Basically folks, it's just fun dressing up in costumes and getting candy.

Many of us grew up watching "I Dream of Jennie" and "Bewitched". I would have loved to make something appear out of nothing. Hey, we watched "Bugs Bunny" smash "Daffy's" head and he'd return in the next cartoon unscathed. How about the poor"Coyote"? Superheros, magic, "Harry Potter". All fun. Kids know it's not real. We knew it wasn't real. It's not about exposing kids to these kinds of shows, or to Halloween, it's about exposing them to Christ.

You can't make evolution disappear. But you can find God in science, if you know God. Folks, this is about exposing kids to God. Being grounded in your faith and sharing that within your family. If you are not 'worshiping demons' then Halloween is about dressing up and eating candy. If you are Christian, you can still enjoy Christmas, the tree, and even Santa. But you know it's about Christ.

The Bible teaches moderation (not abstinence- see Timothy), Kindness, Sharing, Faith AND not judging others. Don't turn people off to Christ, with your 'religious' beliefs.

So, lighten up. If you don't want to participate in Halloween, then don't. But my participation does not make me some how less of a Christian. I can be a Christian, even wearing a Spiderman costume for a few hours. Spiderman is pretty cool. God is great. Love, laugh, share and be kind to others, even your enemies (or those you disagree with).

Halloween, go for it, just in moderation.

Hey, chill out!

To rebuke means to simply express disapproval. In Biblical terms there is a meaning of 'to silence' that comes with the authority of the individual doing the rebuking. Our authority comes from Christ.

Often our picture of rebuking is the pastor with great animation, sweating and loudly rebuking and praying. However, the intensity is really not necessary.

The Bible tells us not to fear, not to dismay, as in Isaiah. Jesus further tells us to calm down and have no fear, no worries. Jesus is telling us to 'chill out'. Some advice that we all can use, including me from time to time.

Our advice from Christ, is to relax. When tempted by Satan, Jesus simply, and calmly, tells Satan to get away from me (Matt 4). We are to stand firm in our faith (in Christ). We don't need to shout at the Devil, but simply resist and the Devil will flee us. Satan is the one that runs away. We are advised to put on the full armor of God and then.................stand. No fight, no struggle, just stand...in faith.

So the next time worry, or trouble, or temptation attacks you....just stand. Be calm. Tell it to go away. Know that Christ is with you always. And, let His peace be your peace. Smile, don't worry and 'chill out'....in Christ. Have a blessed day!

Christmas or Holiday?

     Now that we start the Christmas season, or holiday season for others, the debate starts of putting out nativity scenes, saying merry Christmas or happy holidays, and the start of billboards welcoming atheism. (The constitution dictates to keep the government out of faith, not faith out of the government. Read it, it is full of faith statements, and congress still starts every session with prayer.)

     Let me start by saying that I am not offended by anyone's lack of religion. My wife and I are really not bold about professing religion. We are bold about our relationship with Jesus. There are too many debates and factions and much too much focus on religion, especially in Christianity. Early Christians simply were Christians. They followed Christ. Their group was called the way, the way of Christ. The Christian belief is simply that man can do nothing to earn his way into Heaven, but that God made his way to Heaven through the Savior Jesus, the Christ. It is my relationship with Christ that I will be bold about.

     Christ was also pretty bold. He cleared the temple, he ate with sinners, walked with lepers, celebrated instead of fasting and 'working' on the Sabbath.

     He was also totally unconcerned about popularity. He told his disciples that since He was hated they would be hated. He told them if they went to a town and were rejected, simply leave. Not try harder, not do a miracle to convince them, just walk away. He was rejected in his own town and after raising Lazarus from the dead some were convinced that he needed to be killed, and Lazarus too. (John)

     So I am not offended by anyone's lack of religion. I am not offended by anyone's different religion. I am tolerant and welcome of other beliefs.

     As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Come over to eat and we give thanks to God for our meal. Sit close to us when we eat out and you may join in prays before we dine. Tell me I can't pray, and I will simply leave. (Although this has never happened.) I will boldly wear my relationship and my faith. I will not shout it at you. I will enjoy sharing it but will not force it. There is a cross in our front yard. I have several Christian tattoos you may see in the summer. And, I am ready in season and out, to share my faith in Jesus to one or many, as God places me.

     The 'season' of faith in Jesus is not just for the next 25 days. Boldly celebrate it for the next 365 days. Jesus came to give abundance and joy, not just for one day but for a lifetime.

Thanksgiving....or giving Thanks

     Although we should be giving thanks every day, today........Thanksgiving..........is our day we have set aside to give thanks. Among all the eating, celebrating and football, we should take a moment to remember all of our blessings, and simply give thanks. We should give thanks to God, for all good things come from God.

     We have created a world that is too obsessed with what we don't have. Our joy is often what we have in the cart and our hope is for what we have placed in our wish list. We are always looking for the next item to make us happy and we often end up, restless, anxious and unhappy.

     We need to be happy for what we have for there are so many who have so little. There are so many who want to eat, but have no food. So many who want for home but live in a tin box.

     As we become thankful for what we have, we need to then turn to be thankful for our God. For he so loves us. When we place first.............His concerns, He then is faithful to provide for our needs. God asks that His work sometime would come through us. If someone is hungry, can we not provide to feed them. He is not asking us to feed the whole world, but maybe just one, who is hungry. He is only asking us to share just a portion what He has provided to us.

     Then we can truly give thanks to God who gives so much to us. Please take a moment today to give thanks to God.

Our Father, we thank you for the wonderful things you have given us, the wonderful people you have placed in our lives, the love you show us through these friends and family that you have given us, and the grace and mercy through Jesus, you offer freely to us. May we recognize and thank you for the good, for you are a good and loving God. Amen

Let go..............

     Proverbs 3:5 tells us to let God be in control. Trust Him. Trust Him to help you, lead you and take you places that you can not go by yourself.

     1 Peter 5:7 tells us to cast or cares (or anxieties) to our Lord. He is loving and faithful and will protect us and fulfill our needs. Remember, He leads us to peace and safety (Psalm 23).

     But, oh how we love to hold on to those worries. We love our burdens and troubles. We love to share and compare them. We don't just discus them, we wear them as a badge, an excuse and sadly they become an anchor around our necks. We are supposed to allow our Jesus to take our burdens. If we don't, these burdens may take away our joy for life. Have you even worried to the point that life was just not fun anymore? Before you get to that point, or if you are there now, then it's time to let go.......

     Sometimes, we give those anxieties, burdens and troubles to Jesus in prayer, but we immediately take them back. We dwell on them. We think about them and how to solve them, like we are smarter and more powerful than God. We devise a plan and then think we have solved our problems. How smart we think we are.

     Well. If you are like me, then you have a made a mistake or to. A miscalculation here and there. What s the saying about our best laid plans?

     We plan our steps, but God tells us that he wants to plan our very steps, our very path of life. He wants to lead us to a place that is right for us. A place that meets our dreams and matches our gifts and talents.

     Sometimes, we just need to step back and let God take control. Let Him control the circumstances that we can't manipulate. Let Him open the door that we can't break through.

     We need to give our cares to our Lord and then step away. Step back into the comfort that our loving God now has our problems. And take comfort in the fact that He has the means, and the desire to take of them for us. He is our Shepard, our caretaker and our savior. In Jesus is our comfort.

     It's time to let go..........and let God in this prayer.............

Heavenly Father, take this burden from me and replace it with your peace. Comfort me and lead me down the path that you have established for me. Thank you for loving me and wanting to help me with my worries and give me the help that solves my troubles. In you love I now rest. This I pray in Jesus name.

Follow Who?

     The Bible tells us that God prepares our steps. He makes our path straight and that He goes before us to defeat our enemies. (Our enemies being things/people/thoughts that would cause us to stray from God, and cause us harm.)

     Jesus simple asks us to "Follow Me". So we set about following Jesus. Or, do we? We pray, and we can pray good prayers. But, it may seem that God is not with us. Or, is it we that are not with God?

     How often are we off doing simply whatever, and asking Jesus to follow us? We have to stop and consider what we are doing and where we are going. What are our motives? Far too often we are heading down our own path. We are pursuing our own goals. Too often, we are off doing "own thing". We are living just for ourselves, seeking goals that benefit only us. And when things aren't going well, we pray for Jesus to come and "fix" our situation.

     We call it prayer, but really it is just us yelling for Jesus to "get over here". We want Him to make right the situation we put ourselves in, because we know best. We want Jesus to manipulate our circumstances so that we come out on top.

     Jesus wants to manipulate us, so that every circumstance is the winning choice. He wants us to follow Him, so that everywhere we go, He has already been, and 'prepared the way' for us to follow. When this happens, we are at peace, wherever the we are. His peace has filled us. In doing so, we can share His peace, in the situation. We can show His love to the people he has put around us. Jesus is asking us to be His representative in this world. We have to stop asking what He can do for us and ask what we can do for Him.

     How can I bring hope, love and peace to this world? This is my prayer. Won't you share it with me today?

May you be blessed with peace in your heart today. 


Psalm 37, Psalm 85, Matthew 4, John 20