Today is the day that some of us celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.  And today is the day that some just enjoy another holiday.  It is also a day which some try their best to ignore because they feel it is a pagan holiday or one for only those bigoted, intolerant people known as Christians.

Whatever your view, and I am sure there are some others, it is still Christmas day.  Whether you try to change it by refusing to say Merry Christmas or just ignore it, you simply cannot change the fact that a little over two thousand years ago, God took it on Himself to become one of us in the person of Jesus.  Submitting Himself to the indignity of being birthed the same bloody, nasty, helpless way that you and I were born.

If a king or a presidents or even a CEO’s son was being born today, they would be surrounded by the best of facilities and personnel, ready to attend to that special new baby.  A clean, sterile environment, cutting edge technology and only the finest doctors would be in order because of the VIP status of the newborn child.

But the King of Kings, the Lord of Glory, the Alpha and Omega, the very Creator of all came to us and was born in the cold of night, surrounded only by a stable of dirty, smelly stable animals.  Nothing clean and nothing warm except the loving arms of Mary were there for this baby who was God.

He came to be among us, to feel what we feel, to experience what we experience.  And it seems He decided to do all of this on the lowest, most common level.  Why?

He did this because He wanted to truly have a relationship with us.  He did all of this because He loves us and He wanted us back.  I am humbled just imagining it all.

I asked you what you enjoyed most of all about this holiday a couple of days ago.  There is no wrong answer to this because it is purely subjective.  And as some noted, it seems to change from year to year based on a number of things.  Family, age, level of spirituality, all of these must affect our answer.  I know for me it seems to change every year as I grow in Christ.

This year, I would have to say that the best part of Christmas is the fellowship opportunities.  As I have said a few times lately, I have a growing hunger for relationships and fellowship with those others in the Kingdom of God.  I believe it must be a sign of maturity in the faith and a necessary component of Kingdom advancement.  We do not spread the gospel or make disciples by being alone.

A lot of people, me included, have looked at Christmas in America and have knocked it and bemoaned the passing of the true celebration of Christ’s birth.  I still see all of the commercialization of this sacred holiday and am saddened by it.  But I must admit that I am not as upset as I have been in the past.  The Holy Spirit has directed me to some things that I want to share.

Christmas is becoming more and more commercial and secular.  But as I look around, I see something that I did not notice before.  That is that love is more evident at this time of year than any other.

People reach out to those in need.  Shoebox ministries to needy kids, the inevitable ringing bell and red kettle in front of Wal-Mart, families being bought food and gifts for the holiday, pleasant attitudes and well wishes in business establishments, and other small and large things that we can see going on around us, if we’ll take the time to notice.  Even the greeting of Happy Holidays, although upsetting to some, is better than the nothing we get all the rest of the year.

And all of this is being done by more than just Christians.  I have been wished a Merry Christmas by some that I can’t even imagine in a church.

I am naturally skeptical and probably a little pessimistic.  But this year, I have been awakened to the fact that there is still some good in this world; and some good people.  It just seems that after a full year of self-centered attitudes, most people let it go for a little while in December and are filled with at least some love for one another.

It has to be because of what the holiday really stands for.

As I said earlier, a little over two thousand years ago, the very epitome of true love stepped off the throne and entered into creation.  A baby named Jesus came to fulfill a rescue mission.

The wonder of it all still fills the air to this day.

I hope that you all have a really wonderful, very merry, Christmas!

Love you all

Tags: America, Believe, Christians, Church, Creation, Creator, Fellowship, God, Good, Holy Spirit, Hope, Jesus Christ, King, king of kings, Kingdom, lord of glory, Love, Merry Christmas, pagan holiday, Relationships

Okay.  It is December.  It is probably the busiest month of the year.  The month when most people try to see family, shop for gifts, throw and attend party after party, decorate the yard, the house and the tree, and so on and so on.  It is an exhausting month of celebration but not often celebration of who it is supposed to be about.

Please don’t forget Christ as you go about the hustle and bustle of this season.

But it is Tuesday so I hope you can spend a few minutes here also.  I have held this topic for a few weeks because it has, I believe, the potential to get controversial.  But then again, I’ve thought that before and was wrong.

I was reading some comments on the internet a few weeks ago and someone made the following statement.

But I am an American. I am a Christian. I have a duty to God and Country.

They went on to expand on this to say what they had to about the topic at hand, which I can’t remember, but I could not forget it so I saved it.  I am referring just to the statement above that is in bold text.  It bothers me on some level.

• What do you think about the statement?

• Do you believe it is a truthful statement?

• What is this idea of duty and do I have a duty to these two entities?

• Do I have a duty to anything or anyone else?

What do you think?

Love you all.

Tags: America, Believe, celebration, Christ, December, God, Hope, Lie, Love, season, town hall, Truth

I want to just say it is time to refocus on the tasks we seem to have been ignoring.  Disciple making.  Kingdom advancement.  Taking out strongholds.  Being ambassadors. 

Whatever you might think about the current state of the world, this country, the economy, unemployment, the election results, etc., we have a mission.  That mission is about things that are eternal and as such have eternal consequences.  For you, for me, and especially for those we should be reaching. 

Dan has some great thoughts on his blog as usual.  I have borrowed some quotes and suggest you go here and read the whole post.

“The only “Change We Can Believe In” is Jesus Christ.”

“…a nation right with God only comes about through the transformation of human lives by Jesus Christ.”

“If we truly want change, God-honoring change, then it begins in our own hearts…”

These thoughts line up with my own and I have been trying to say some of these same things.  Thanks Dan for the cohesive display of some valuable truth.

Love you all

Tags: ambassadors, Believe, Election, eternal consequences, God, Jesus Christ, King, Kingdom, Lie, Love, Thanks, world

Tomorrow, some of the people in this country will vote.  Whatever candidate wins will bring about a new direction.  He will be placed in office by the ones who bought into his rhetoric the most.  Whoever has motivated the most people to follow his empty promises will win. 

I have not tried to use my space here to push any agenda except the agenda of Christ.  I sincerely do not believe that any political party has His agenda in mind.  And that is okay.  Jesus knew the worldly kingdoms would never seek to merge with the Godly Kingdom.  Instead, He warned repeatedly about the danger of trying to merge His Kingdom with the worlds. 

I do not think that any politician on the national scene is concerned in the least about the things of God.  I wish this was not so.  And I wish the people of God would realize the seriousness of forsaking our mission, which is personal, and relying on government to do it for us. 

Being absorbed with “self” is nothing new.  It was there in the beginning.  But it just seems to be so much more powerful today.  Is there anyone out there concerned with the destination of lost souls?  Is there anyone out there concerned with fulfilling our mission of making disciples?  Is there anyone willing to sacrifice on a personal level instead of relying on government?

I don’t know if I am doing enough.  I surely don’t know if you are.  I am tired of sounding so pessimistic and it feels like all I write is words of warning. 

I watched the people of God for so many years to see the faults, the hypocrisy, and the reliance on anything other than God.  I am now one with you in this great Kingdom.  And I see it as great only because of our King, not because of us. 

I know that almost every election is looked at as the one that is the most important of all time.  This one is shaping up to be that one, for real.  We are either going to vote in a man who will not really get anything done, or we will vote in a man that could take this country further down the path to destruction.  You decide who’s who. 

The pessimism is not my heart though.  I am optimistic because I know to whom I have given my life.  I have given it to Jesus Christ, my King.  No matter what happens in this nation, in this world, I know my destination.  I am safe, secure and will be taken care of. 

My heart grieves though for those that are deceived.  Those that do think they are voting in a change for the better.  I do not pretend to be prophetic but, I will say this, no matter who is elected tomorrow it will not be for the better. 

Do not rely on this world, or its leaders, or its policies, or its agendas for your joy and peace.  Become a citizen of the only eternal Kingdom.  Then you will have peace.

So, as far as tomorrow goes, vote if you want.  Then let God have it.  If enough are aligned with His precepts and principles, He will work it all out the way it needs to be.  After you vote, let it go.  Don’t give in to letting it become the obsession for the day.  Whoever gets the most votes will win and after you are done voting, you have no more say in the matter. 

So why not give the rest of the day to God and go talk about Jesus to someone rather than talking about Obama or McCain.

Love you all

Tags: Beginning, Believe, candidate, Election, God, Government, Hypocrisy, Jesus Christ, King, Kingdom, Lie, Life, Love, Personal, Power, rhetoric, Self, Sin, Vote, War, warning, Work, world