Rejoicing

Monday, December 23, 2013

Are you ready for Christmas?

'Tis the season when everyone is asking my son, "Are you ready for Santa to come?" I don't mind, we enjoy the festivities. However, we have a much more significant reason for celebrating, and now I pose this question to you on the eve of Christmas Eve, "Are you ready for Jesus to come?" I am so glad He did!

"For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given..."
Isaiah 9:6

That first Christmas may have been much like the holiday you are experiencing right now! Consider all the hustle and bustle of activity as the family prepares to travel a long distance by uncomfortable means. Consider the cramped accommodations put upon them unexpectedly upon their arrival. Consider the financial burden of new government taxes while bringing a child into the world. Consider the appearance of uninvited guests who are less than presentable. Consider the anger and jealousy among the leaders stimulated by the announcement of His birth. Sounds like it could be the plot of a modern holiday movie!

"And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn."
Luke 2:7

Drama was no stranger in the events of Jesus' birth, and I imagine you feel a lot of that same drama in your own holiday. But in the midst of all the distractions, remember the Jesus gives a peace that cannot be taken away and cannot be explained. You can only discover it by trying it, and you can try it by simply believing and confessing. That peace should be the highlight of our experiences during this season!

"If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."
Romans 10:9

Following Jesus Christ is a lifelong journey! If you have begun that journey already, I pray that you will continue to give up to Christ moment by moment, day by day. If you have never begun that journey, I pray you will soon give up to Christ and allow Him to lead you moment by moment, day by day.

"But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!"
Galatians 5:22-23

We celebrate in many ways - decorating, giving, receiving, eating, singing - to name a few, but there is only one reason and that is to remember that God sent His Son, Jesus Christ because He loves us more that we can ever understand!

"For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life."
John 3:16

Merry Christmas to you! And may the light of Jesus Christ overflow in and around you! Happy birthday, Jesus!

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Celebrating Easter


Last Christmas our family celebrated Advent, and for the whole month of December we spent time daily focusing on the birth of Christ as the holiday approached. We enjoyed the experience so much I have created a similar calendar of activities and scriptures to use this month to help us celebrate Easter.

This is based on a 28 day calendar for Easter (four weeks leading up to the holiday). There are four memory verses, one for each week. There are 28 daily scripture readings that I would encourage you to read as a family, we do ours at dinner. There are 16 spring themed mandalas (you will need to repeat 12 of them) that you can color and use to decorate a Cross or hang on an Easter tree, along with a full color page for Easter Sunday.

I pray that this season you would take time to ponder the question about what you believe about Jesus, what His life means as part of our world history and what His redemption can mean for your life both now and eternally.

Monday, February 25, 2013

Miracle of Life

Today as I was out running errands I passed a church marquee that read, "You can't be good enough to get into Heaven, you must be born again!"

My mind began circling around the idea of being "born again" into Heaven and this thought occurred to me, people have no problem understanding the fact that you have to be born first to live on this Earth. You don't ever introduce yourself to a new friend and ask, "So, how do you believe you got to this Earth?" We don't ponder various theories of how people arrive here on Earth. Even the biggest sceptic doesn't walk around saying, "There are many ways you can get to Earth, there is no one true way." They don't say it because they would sound crazy...everyone knows there is only one way to get to Earth. You are conceived by a man and a woman, you are nurtured in a womb and ultimately you are delivered from that womb.

Let's think about the word "delivered" for a moment. When we think about being delivered it usually means we are escaping something painful or seeking something more meaningful. We talk about people in history being delivered out of captivity. Now think about being delivered into Heaven - you leave behind the suffering of being separated from God and you enter into the most meaningful relationship you will ever experience, a personal relationship with God!

Why is it so hard to understand that there is only one way to get to Heaven? And that the path to Heaven involves being born? You are born onto the Earth, why couldn't you be born into Heaven?

Our spirit is conceived by God, and during our life here on Earth He is nurturing us in hopes that one day our spirit will be delivered into His kingdom. I have never seen a documentary on the birth of the spirit, but that birth is just as miraculous as being born of the flesh! Ask anyone who has ever been delivered from sin and separation from God! Like our lives are forever changed by being born of the flesh when we leave our mother's womb, once we are born of the spirit we are never the same again! The difference in a person's life after they are born again is not forced upon them, the changes are as natural as the changes an infant experiences as they learn to breath and cry. Have you experienced the awesome wonder of being born of the spirit?

Friday, February 22, 2013

Stewardship, pass it on...


I just calculated that if my kids start working at age 15 and invest $35 each week until age 65 (at 6% return) they could retire on $500k. If they make the same contribution starting at age 35, the total would drop to $136k. Or, if they contribute that same amount starting at age 5, the total goes up to $918k! This is just an example of the impact money management can have over a lifetime.

Money management is an important skill at many levels... individuals, marriages, families, communities, corporations and governments. Teaching this skill is one of the most significant ways we can help our kids improve their future.

Even now I give my preschooler a bit of change each week and he has five banks where he divides the money - share, tax, retire, save, spend.

Good management of our resources, whether money, belongings, food, water, fuel, etc., is not only a practical concept, it is also a spiritual one. We are called by God from the beginning of creation to use with care and consciousness the resources we have been given. It does not happen by accident, but with intentional management.

"The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it." Genesis 2:15

Management on a more personal level is called stewardship, and it is an important piece of developing a full character of integrity. Even above being stewards of our resources, we are stewards of our souls and the souls of those around us. What does that mean? I believe it involves seeking spiritual truth, sharing what we discover, treating others with respect and being an example of virtue.

"'You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart,' declares the Lord."
Jeremiah 29:13

"The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!"
Galatians 5:22-23

Imagine that the numbers I mentioned earlier are not dollars but lives of people. How many could you impact if you start intentionally investing today?

Stewardship is a lifestyle, it demonstrates self-respect, respect for the resources we have been given and respect for those before us, around us and after us. May we strive as individuals to be good stewards with our lives, and may we motivate others who are watching.


Tuesday, February 12, 2013

What do you believe about Jesus Christ?

How can anyone get anything enjoyable or useful out of a gift if all they do is examine it from the outside? (1)

Metaphorically speaking, many people think the idea of Jesus is a pretty package, yet choose to leave it sitting all wrapped up under the tree and never open it.  They don't really have anything bad to say about Jesus, but neither do they accept His gift of reconciliation.

There is a very thoughtful argument refuting the idea that Jesus was just good, personally I think it is a thrilling concept! Jesus Christ cannot be called good without being called God - there are three possible choices here. 1) He WAS indeed who He said He was, the Son of God and our Redeemer; 2) He was LYING His pants off (which would eliminate the option of being "good"); or 3) He was simply CRAZY and didn't know what He was talking about (again, not the profile of someone you could classify as "good"). (8)

The past few years for me have held many spiritual discussions on a variety of meaningful topics. Some of these have been dialogues with other people and some merely monologues with myself. But no other topic is as relevant to our human spirituality as the discussion about Jesus.

Recently the teachings at our church have been centered around the overwhelming evidence there is in support of Bible based beliefs. (2) And if you prefer evidence provided by a more objective source, I also recently saw a convincing program produced by a national television network and hosted by an internationally renowned journalist. (3)

As I consider the fundamentals of those beliefs, especially concerning eternity, I begin to feel a tremendous burden for those who have missed the message, whether by intentionally dismissing it or by accident through ignorance or neglect.

Here is the nutshell version I like to use:
There is one God, and there are three types of relationship we have with Him. (4)
God the Father, Yahweh, created us and watches over us - He also gives us free will to do what we choose, and will ultimately judge us for our choices. The most important choice being whether we accept His gift of reconciliation through Jesus Christ. (5)
God the Son, Jesus Christ, came to show us how to live and forgive us of our sins - He left behind his royal place in Heaven to get down and dirty here on Earth, His life was the prime example we have for how to live in obedience to God the Father and in love and service to one another. Even more, He took our place in Hell even defeating the powers of Hell for our sake. He ultimately offers us reconciliation with God the Father, and He now is preparing a place for us in Heaven if we choose to accept His gift of reconciliation. (6)
God the Spirit, Holy Spirit, comes to live in our hearts and minds to comfort and guide us if we accept the gift of reconciliation through Jesus Christ. (7)

Your decision about Jesus Christ influences your relationship with God, your life here on Earth and ultimately your experience for eternity. To be reconciled with God the Father you must accept His gift of reconciliation through Jesus Christ. To receive the comfort and guidance of the Holy Spirit you must accept the gift of reconciliation through Jesus Christ. It would seem as if all of spirituality hinges on that question, what do you believe about Jesus Christ? Of course, only God is God, only He knows the hearts of people, but He has provided us with a message of reconciliation that we should not ignore and we should not keep to ourselves.

I challenge you today to make a decision about Jesus Christ - what do you believe, is He Lord, liar or lunatic? (9) Now go talk to somebody about your decision...let's keep the conversation going!

Notes:
(1) Of course, you also need to be able to tell the difference between a true gift and a prank simply disguised as a gift. (1 John 4:1-21)
(2) http://www.kineticchurch.com/teaching/ (pending, February 2013)
(3) "Back to the Beginning", ABC News, Christiane Amanpour
(4) Matthew 28:19, John 10:30, Romans 8:9, Ephesians 4:4-6
(5) Genesis 1:26, Psalm 91:11, Deuteronomy 30:19, Revelation 20:12-15
(6) John 3:16
(7) John 14:26
(8) Concept from Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis (arguement known as the trilemma)
(9) Josh McDowell