A Christmas Message.....by the numbers

You can find Christmas messages everywhere now. That's why I wanted to go in a little different direction. I wanted to give a different, but still very encouraging note for us to consider this Christmas season. A Christmas message, by the numbers.

On 'Black Friday', Americans spent 11.4 billion dollars in that one day. Add another 1.25 billion for 'Cyber Monday'. That's billion with a B, for just two days. Did anyone shop at American Eagle? American eagle CEO Robert Hanson will make roughly 8.9 million this year. I wonder how much of your purchase goes straight to his pocket?

Newt Gingrich raises $125,000 daily for his presidential campaign. Daily. House Republicans and Democrats have collected 100.8 million as of October for the coming elections. My point is that there is a lot of money out there.

So, let me ask a question. Why are 25% of the children in America living in poverty? 25%. One out of every four. Next time you see a group of kids getting on a bus, or playing in the play ground, count how many of them may go home and have nothing to eat. One, two, three, poor. One, two, three, poor.

Now, I didn't write this to make anyone feel bad. It was written to encourage you to give. God gave....His only Son....that we may have - joy, peace, forgiveness, happiness, eternal life.....

I want to encourage you to develop a giving spirit. It's a spirit in God's on image. Sometimes we want, but we may never receive. So, one may feel that God let them down. Or someone may believe in God, but not all that stuff about Jesus and abundance and what the Bible says. I want you know that God is who He says He is. And, that our God is a good, giving and loving God.

But remember- Christ says...."give, and it will be given to you." (Luke 6:27-38. the Rules of Christian living) You give, and then God gives to you. Maybe sometimes we never get, because we never give. e are not 'in tune' with God because we don't have a giving spirit. The spirit of God is a giving spirit.

Try it. It feels good to give. It's fun. Sometimes a little scary, but fun. I guess that's why we spend billions on presents to give to those we love. Only now, let's try giving to those in need. They may never know who gave to them, but the 'thank you' will come your God the creator.

Get to know God's generosity, through your generosity. Getting to know God will be the best relationship you will ever make. Try giving this season, it's the best way to experience Christ in Christmas.

A moment with God......Thank God He's at the mall

"In all things, be thankful"................God

Someone told me they would love to be thankful, but they don't have time right now. "Don't you know man, this is the time of the year to eat, watch football and shop... with a vengeance." "Damn the Christmas Spirit, it's a 42" HDTV 3D back lit with remote, for 1/2 off. And you must have one or you will die..... or something." Even if you don't need it, it's such a good price you must buy it. Sorry the sweater doesn't fit and you live in Mexico, but for that price...........

Shopping is an Olympic event don't you know. I'm not surprised at all by the mace story. Fine? Jail? So what....got the deal! Next time maybe a taser. It's more personal. You can get the same deals over the Internet, but then you would miss the head to head, (mano/mano) competition.

"Be still, and know that I am God"...........God

Ah, peace, harmony and joy. "Yea, I'll get some maybe after Christmas", I'm told. "Or, maybe after I return the sweater". "Cause now it's wrapping, lights competition, decorations, more shopping, baking---no buy it pre-made, and a million other things, season".

I forgot that being busy means that you're important. Multitasking is a great source of pride nowadays. Shop, talk on the phone, check coupons, mobile banking and texting all at the same time certainly is most impressive, I must say. Does one train for that? Oh, please don't call or text me from the 'john' and I'll do the same favor for you.

"Be still and know that I am God"..............God
(Not... be unsure, no doubt, no questions, be still and know.)

Slow down. Enjoy choosing a gift for someone you care about. Yes, we do recognize the thought and love that is put into a gift...........more than the price.

Slow down. Enjoy time with friends and family. The sweater will fade. Its shape will change over the years. Your shape shape will change over the years also. The sweater will be long gone but the time spent with those you love will be with you forever.

"I will provide for all your needs"................God

Certainly I can go to the mall and find hundreds of things I want. But, really nothing that I need. Food? I got some in the kitchen. Clothes? A bunch stuffed in the closet. Love? Yes, surrounded by my family. Yea, my needs.... all covered.

So, I think I'll take some time to be thankful. Maybe a moment to be quiet with God. Stop asking Him for this and that. Stop telling Him things He already knows. Maybe just a moment to be quiet and let Him tell me about His love. How He has my back, and takes care of my needs. How He has all things covered. Maybe a quiet moment where I'll end with just a simple......."thanks God".

Anybody else got a moment for God?

Why do bad things happen?

I have been behind on my writing due to life's unforeseen circumstances. A marvelous surprise is unforeseen, but yet we know the use of this phrase means something unpleasant happened. I had cancer. It was quickly diagnosed and surgically removed. I continue now with regularly scheduled tests to ensure that it can be quickly treated if it returns.

So I answer a question again today that I have been answering for many years. It answers the 'why' questions of life. Why do bad things happen to good people? Or, why do people get cancer?

The answer is really quite simple. There is cancer in this world. Cancer does not care if you are rich or poor, 'good' or bad, young or old. There is cancer in this life. Our bodies and our lives are not immune to the bad things of life. So, our bodies may get cancer. Why one and not another? Cancer does not discriminate.It's just like that.

Why would God allow this to happen? Why little kids born with cancer. Needing bone marrow transplants, chemo, losing their delicate little hair and growing up in a hospital unit?

Sadly, this sometimes just life. It is not Heaven. In heaven, there is no cancer. No illness. Children are healthy, safe ad play all day. They run, jump and do all the things kids do. We all do that in heaven. Run and play. No old age. No arthritis, sickness, worries, no debilities nor inequities. We rejoice, celebrate and feast all day long. Every day. Forever with our creator. (Luke 14).

Why won't God do anything? For those children, for cancer, terrorists, killers, war, crime.........

Well, God did do something for us. He created Heaven. And, He sent Jesus Christ to show us the way from earth to heaven. (John 14) Christ's death, was the exchange for our life, in heaven. He died for us, so we don't. We simply pass from here to our real home in Heaven.

His continued presence in my life makes unforeseen circumstances inconvenient, but not devastating. Cancer did not steal my joy. Its' threat does not overwhelm me. Christ gives me peace and comfort, hope and joy. I continue to have fun, laugh, love my family and richly enjoy my life.

This is what God does. He did this for me. Not because I'm special, nor because I'm 'good'. God does this because He is good. (Matt 19) He will do this for you! Allow God to bring peace, hope, love and joy to your life. Ask him to come into your life today.

Does God really expect me to be Holy?

Does God really want me to be perfect? Absolutely perfect? Without sin? Holy? Jesus calls for us to 'be ye perfect'. Then the Bible also tells us that he who says he is without sin is a liar. The Bible never contradicts itself. It is one perfect flow of a cohesive message from start to finish. So either Christ is frustrating me with His commands to be what I cannot, or I am missing something.

Through many years and faith and struggle, I finally see what I was previously missing. It was Grace. The simple love, patience and grace of my God.

Look at the description of Asa in 1 Kings 15:14. "Although he did not remove all the high places, Asa's heart was perfect towards the Lord all his life" In other words, although he did not eliminate all sins, Asa was holy (perfect). His performance wasn't perfect (sinless, blameless), his devotion to God was. So, being holy does not mean a perfect life. Only Christ displayed a perfect performance or, lived a perfect life. Only He knew no sin.

Asa's devotion to God was perfect. He was surrendered to God and determined to obey Him to the full extent of his own awareness. In 2nd Chronicles, we see King Amaziah living as a man of outstanding moral behavior, but not living with a perfect heart, or devotion to God. He was living for his own self justification, pride and self benefit. He wanted to look good to others.

Asa was determined to live for God daily, in all areas of his life. This is a relationship. Not a religion. Not a set of rules. A relationship with the living God. Paul reflects this in the New Testament as he states "I die daily to Christ".

We learn in Romans that now that we are born again (or just plain Christians), there is no way we should ever go on living in sin. For the wages of sin is death. Eternal death. The solution to perfect living is to commit daily to Christ. Christ's promise is to be with us and in us. By this, God gives us what we lack on our own. Living a holy life is not about trying harder, our greater self discipline. It is not about living only by rules and self righteousness. It is a matter of allowing the Spirit to work through us.

By accepting Christ and the gift of His spirit, we change the center of our lives from ourselves. Away from our selfish ambitious own desires of pride, wealth, abundance of things, and the general 'me, myself and I' attitude. The Spirit helps us fix our lives on Christ so that we become holy and blameless in His sight. This power unleashed is us, frees us from self serving, self pleasing attitudes that are never satisfied.  Their hold on us fades as we become alive to forgiveness, peace, love, kindness and a grateful attitude towards Christ. We are given a new life that we find more comforting, more gratifying and satisfying and more exciting than ever before. (Don't mock it until you have lived it !)We live not a perfectly performing self, but a self perfectly devoted to Christ. This is not self control, but God control.

It is a wonderful life, making it possible to live, as Ephesians tells us, as "God's masterpiece". Start in a relationship with Christ today. Or, continue to strengthen your friendship with Christ daily. He will never let you down.

Do you expect to find Jesus today?

Mary had been at the cross. She had seen His beaten body. His blood soaked face from a thorny crown. Nailed to a cross to die, she watched the slow agony to the end. She saw Him dead, wrapped and layed in a tomb of death.

She returned later expecting death. Yet she was confused, shocked and frightened. The lifeless body was not in the grave site. He met her and even spoke to her. Expecting the worse (what can be worse than death), she didn't recognize her beloved friend and Master. When he became revealed to her, the tears of sorrow, confusion and fear turned to joy. The absolute worst situation and circumstance was instantly made better than could ever be expected. Her expectectation was of finality- of the end. But, the reality was life. A vibrant new beginning of victory.

Two men on the road home. Stuck in what had happened. Stuck in the circumstance of the past. Trapped in their expections of the future. Same old, same old. Back to the humdrum of life. They too, joined by a Christ they did not recognize. Christ, in their present and future, was dead to them. Yet again, when Christ was revealed to them, the circumstance turned to joy. Excitement. They immediately changed their direction. Their lives turned 180 degrees.

How often we get stuck in the past. Stuck in our own dead expectations of the future. Heads down and feet gragging. We get so sure of the worse of our circustances and so fearful and anxious of our future. We return over and over to our humdrum routines. We just go through the motions of life. What dreams have died in you? What is holding back the joy of your future?

Christ was alive in the garden. Alive on the road of daily life. And, He is alive today. We still so often fail to recognize Christ, alive right beside us in Spirit. He will never abandon you. He promises that when you pray, He will listen. Christ doesn't just add days to your life, He adds life to your days.

If you follow Him, He will be the Master of your circumstance. He has power over all things. What you see as failure, He can make alive. What you imagine as a dead end, He can turn into success and victory. For God says "I know the plans I have for you, and they are plans for good, not for disaster." With God, all things are possible to you. God has good gifts that He wants you to enjoy. If we only trust Him.

Let Christ lay out the path for your life. Pray His angels will help keep you on His path, so His blessings can overtake you. I  urge you to trust Christ today. Pray to Him to be Master of your life and trust Him as your friend. He will never fail you.

(see Ephisians and Timothy to know that He has good gifts He wants you to enjoy)

daily disciple

Worries?............Hell no.

There seems to be new debate on the concept and significance of hell. Not so much on whether it exists, but rather on what it is like or not like. The arguments appear to be really on the matter of a physical location and graphic description of this place, as well as who is going to be there. Who is there seems to be more important, and many are quite certain they have a pretty good list going.

None of this really concerns me much. My focus is just to make sure that I'm not going there in the first place. That may sound selfish, but if I, or anyone else, keeps their efforts in obtaining heaven, there is no worry at all about hell. It becomes quite insignificant.

Recently I have heard the old argument of "I don't want to serve a God who sends people to Hell." Well, let me reassure you that God does not send anyone to Hell. Our eternal destination is our own choosing. We have the choice. If you read Matt. 3:15-17, you will see the word everyone. God sent His son Jesus so everyone may be saved. This includes me, and you too.

So, our concern is just getting into the His Kingdom of Heaven. The starting point is getting into the Kingdom of God, which is here and now. However, it is a little more complex than simply "knowing" Christ. This is a favorite Christian line. "Do you know Christ?" Or, "he or she knows Christ." In a recent survey, 83% of Americans would answer yes to that question. However, one of the most significant questions the Bible asks is, does Christ know you. In Matt. 7:21, we are knocking on the door of Heaven seeking to get in, and out of the despair around us. When Christ opens the door, his comment is "I don't know you." We lament that we have been in His church, called His name and ate His supper, but He does not know us.

We have to ask ourselves why do I know Christ, but He doesn't know me? No our work will not get us into Heaven. But if know and trust Christ, won't we be working with Him? It's amazing that so many believe in Christ, but don't believe what He says. At least that's what it looks like. We live our lives like He doesn't even exist. Christianity is not a set of rules. When asked what we must do to enter Heaven, Christ replies to love God and love our neighbor. Do we love our neighbor?

This does not have to be so hard for us. It simple means to consider their circumstances and to try and help those in need. To try and put their needs before our own. We have to make sure that we are trying to be a positive and encouraging person. We are to spread kindness. We are to offer a helping hand. To give what we can in terms of money, or time. An encouraging word. A smile. Keeping a harsh remark to ourselves, instead of letting it fly. Just simple things. Trying means that we will not be perfect. That's ok. God understands that. But, He does expect us to be trying. He calls us to be coworkers with Him. He promises to help us in our generosity. He will be our strength in our encouragement. And, when we look out for others, He promises to take care of our needs. Doesn't that sound good? God taking care of your needs, right here and right now.

Therefore, our acceptance of Christ, and our commitment to Him, to follow what He asks us to do in lives, leads us to Heaven. No worries and no concerns of Hell. Stick with God. Skip to the end of the Book. He wins and so do you.