I would like to wish everybody a Merry Christmas! Allow the Grace of the Season to wash over you over these next twelve days, and resist the stress. May this be a blessed time for you and your family!
So Many Things To Do, So Little Time (Christmas Eve Edition)
It is here.
It has come like the kid playing hide-and-seek who has just finished counting, and has begun the search for those hiding, proclaiming, “ready or not, here I come!”
“Oh no, I never finished putting the decorations up!”
“I’ve got to get to the mall and finish my Christmas shopping.”
“This house is a mess, I have to get it clean!”
“Those presents aren’t going to wrap themselves.”
“There is so much to do, and I have so little time to accomplish it!”
These thoughts are the thoughts of a frantic person that has probably procrastinated on getting their Christmas tasks completed, and is now stressing out over their inability to complete the task list. This person is me. Maybe I am continuing the procrastination by taking time to write this blog, since I have not written any since the month began. (Another thing on the list that got pushed to the side.)
This stress level is proof positive that I have failed to keep perspective on the season. A season that started so promising, as we got the tree up the week after Thanksgiving. My son’s help was fantastic, as he made sure the candy canes were placed perfectly, and all of his favorite ornaments were in the same place. This was fun and helped me focus on the fact that I have been blessed with a marvelous 3-year-old, and watching the Christmas excitement in his eyes has been marvelous.
However, that was where the peace and time to just be in the season started to fade, as one thing led to another, and stress and to do lists began to take over. I don’t think it is unique to the time around Christmas, but it seems to be amplified by the fact that there is one day where everything happens, and judging by the way stores look the week after x-mas, the season ends, off to the next holiday.
Well here I am, trying to gain more perspective. This season is about the eager anticipation of the coming of the savior of the world: A savior who has come to us first as a vulnerable baby, a savior that remains with us to guide us through the Holy Spirit, and a savior who promised to come again! It isn’t about lists or calendars, it is about breathing in deep the breath of God, and allowing our hearts to let go of hustle and bustle, and rest in the fact that the Creator of the Universe loves you, and provides more joys, more presents, and more love than any man in a Red Suit.
So I wish you all a Merry Christmas, let us celebrate, and I encourage you to take a deep breath today!
Thankfulness
Happy Day After Thanksgiving!
Many people like to refer to this day as “Black Friday”, because of all the shopping that goes on, and stores go into “the black” for the year, but I really wish we would just focus on the things that we have to be thankful for this year.
I am thankful for my family, for the friends that are so close that they are family, and for the people that have impacted my life in special ways. I am thankful for a job, and a roof over my head. I am thankful for all sorts of provision that has guided and guarded me in the past year. I am thankful that I live in this country, and I am free to speak my mind, and free to move, and free from many of the world’s vulnerabilities. Most of all, I am thankful that I have a relationship with a loving God that loves me more than I will ever know.
I appreciate Advent as we enter after thanksgiving. Let us prepare for the arrival of the King of Kings, by being thankful that the Lord of Lords has given us so much for which to be thankful. Let us think about those things as we enter into this season.
Happy Birthday
Three years ago, I became a father to a little boy, therefore I want to wish him a very happy birthday! As I woke up this morning I listened to him singing, “Happy Birthday”, and I was overjoyed, as I joined in. I asked him about his birthday, and what he was going to do, and he responded with “party” and “presents”.
Today there is a party, as today we celebrate and mark the passage of a year, and we remember that we all have been blessed by his life. We celebrate also by giving gifts, where we further are blessed by watching the exuberant joy that he exudes by the prospect of all of the fun he is going to have with his new toys.
I am blessed, and on this day as we mark another year, and we give presents, I am reminded that the one, triune God, gives us greater gifts. My son is a wonderful blessing that reminds me on a daily basis that God loved me enough to give me life, and he loved me enough to grant me the responsibility of being a parent. Thank you, I will try and worship you through this day, seeking to glorify You by being the best dad I can through the power of the Holy Spirit!
Big Game Friday!
The overcast weather reminds me of living in Berkeley, chilly, but not cold. It’s shorts and sweatshirt weather! I love it! It couldn’t happen on a better day either, it is Big Game Friday! (Is he talking about sports?) Yes it is a football game, but on the UC Berkeley and stanfurd campuses, this is more than just a game. This game embodies the rivalry between the two prestigious institutions of higher learning. Every year the two teams compete for “The Axe”.
I can’t speak about the mood on “the farm”, but the Berkeley campus is buzzing during the week, as many of the Fall Athletic teams schedule their games with stanfurd during Big Game week and they have their own nicknames, Big Spike, Big Splash, Big (fill-in-the-blank). With so many of the teams they measure the success or failure of their season based on the results from these games.
Similarly, as academic institutions, the programs care about where they are ranked overall, but they especially care about where they are ranked with respect to one another. The competition drives each other to achieve more and become better than they were. The competition helps each side from falling into complacent behaviors. Thus in that way, rivalry helps make each other than we might have been.
There are unhealthy aspects to rivalry as well. I admit I have been involved in a few situations where property damage occurred, and I have not always been the greatest witness to the transforming power of Christ during times when the Bears were facing off against the cardinal. In such instances, rivalry brings us down to our lowest level and we spew the ugliest parts of ourselves to bring the other down.
Hopefully, we can accentuate the best parts of rivalry, and minimize the effects of worst parts.
I am excited that I get to go up to Berkeley this weekend and watch the Big Game this year. I will root on the Mighty Golden Bears to pull off an upset. Go Bears!
Is he still talking about sports?
I realize that much of the time, when I look for a sermon illustration, my default is usually in the world of sports. This is probably because most of my free time is spent following or watching some form of athletic endeavor. This isn’t understood by everyone, nor is it even remotely a universal experience. In fact I remember many times when I was younger my grandmother would ask me why I was always sitting watching basketball or football or SportsCenter, and I could only respond, “I like sports!”
However, there is a lot more to life than sports, and especially in a group of diverse interests, going to the sports well again and again is ill advised. In order to reach the largest number of people, a more accessible illustration is probably the better option. It’s not that I will never use “the sports”, but I know I will work hard to find an alternative connection point. I think that is what God requires of me. Teach the Word, and teach it in the most accessible manner possible!
No Electricity
It is hard to imagine what it would be like with no electricity. Shortly after I woke up this morning, the power company shut off the power to make upgrades, replace hardware, something…
I never realized how much in my morning routine is dependent on electricity. If only I could ensure that I was as reliant upon God in the morning, I am sure that I would be better off each day. We take so many things for granted that can be taken away, but God doesn’t leave us or forsake us.
Maybe I should have plugged into the Almighty rather than find a Starbucks for its wifi so I can send this blog.
Picture Day
Today was picture day. My son went in very dashing with his hair styled, thanks to mom. This is a moment that gets captured in time, a moment that we can look back and see him forever just as he was a week before he turns three. It is a time of excitement, because it is another picture, which serves as a reminder that God is blessing my life. As I walk down the hall, this new picture will serve as an important reminder that God is good!
My earliest memory of picture day was sometime in elementary school, probably 3rd or 4th Grade, and I was simply excited to get the comb they handed out to everyone to make sure our hair was alright. Other than the comb, there wasn’t really any excitement behind the day. However, now as I look back at the pictures on my parents’ wall I am reminded that I am important, I am loved, and I come from somewhere. This is a reminder that God’s provision for me is not only in the immediate past and future, but I have a history that I can look back upon to see that God has loved me through my family.
Similarly, in the Old Testament, we hear of the building of altars. These were their pictures, reminders that God watched over them, helped them out, and/or saved them from trouble. They could go back and look at these sites and recall how God helped them out. No matter what, GOD loved them! God loves you too!
Happy Veterans’ Day 2010
I am proud to thank all of those who have put so much on the line. I am thankful that men and women have willingly signed up for our armed forces. I am thankful for generations past, that have laid their lives on the line so that we can walk in freedom. I am thankful for so many who have sought the greater gain of society above their own personal gain. To all men and women who have answered the call of service, I freely grant you my sincerest gratitude.
I pray for the day when these brave souls no longer have to put their lives in danger. I pray for their safety today. I pray a blessing upon all of their families, and I thank them for their sacrifices as well. Let us all take a moment to pray for those who have given us so much, and those who continue to give.
Illness Ignored
I am just getting over an illness that I could not understand, nor could I kick it until I decided that I needed to change the way I was living to allow my body to fight it properly. I went about my day, working and playing as if nothing was wrong, staying up late, eating whatever sounded good to me at the time, and not paying any mind that my stomach was upset, and living in this manner aggravated the symptoms, and I felt worse. Eventually, I got tired of feeling sick, and realized that if I wanted to get better, I would have to alter the way I was living, and maybe even go see a doctor. (Strangely enough, even at 31 years of age, I still have an uneasy feeling about going to see the doctor.) Eventually, I stopped eating whatever, and went on a diet of foods that were easy on the stomach, I went to bed earlier, I rested when I could, and I gave my body a fighting chance against whatever the bug that was attacking my system. Now, I feel better, and am taking it easy, sort of.
I missed the opportunity to truly enjoy spending time with my son, because I wanted to be able to just fight through this sickness. Because I fought taking a step back, I ended up going through the motions in our play and not fully engaging in the way I want to engage him. If I just would have taken a day to allow my body to rest, I’m not saying it would have been better immediately, but I wouldn’t have just been “blah” in the precious time he and I had together.
Many things in life are like this illness. Whether it is our habits, routines, addictions, lust, sloth, our current emotional state, mental health, physical health, any number of vices, or our lack of spiritual well-being, all of these can contribute to our illness. This illness affects the type of person we are with our loved ones, it affects our ability to work, and eventually it breaks down our physical, emotional, and spiritual bodies, until we are defined by our illness. It starts with something manageable, with something that doesn’t rule us, but because we convince ourselves that we can control it, we lose control without ever knowing when we have reached that tipping point.
So many things get in the way of being the best us! Whether it is something that happens to us, or something we do to ourselves or others, we are susceptible to contracting this illness. When it eventually hits us, and it will hit us, what is our response going to be? Are we going to try to just live our lives as if we are in control of the symptoms? This is our pride surfacing. Most All of the time, we have an out. We need a doctor to guide us through the maze, to help protect us from ourselves. We are not able to do this on our own. A change needs to happen, and Jesus is here for us, so let’s not ignore the fact that He chose to dine with us, not the scribes and pharisees. (Mark 2:16-17, Matthew 9:11-13)
We are all sick, don’t ignore it, dine with the Physician tonight.
Elpis and Shalom 