Merry Christmas!

I remember growing up in Arkansas… Christmas morning was an event at our house.  We would get up early and open some presents… and it never failed.  The one toy that I wanted to play with most had to wait because it was missing batteries.  Those three words:  “batteries not included” were so heartbreaking.  We’d dig through the junk drawer and would inevitably come up empty.  The disappointment was very real… after all, a toy with no power is just a piece of plastic.  But put those cells in… and you’ve got a remote controlled car that could race down the driveway!     

As I sit and think about Christmas… and more specifically, Christ as a baby… I wonder how many thought that God’s plan didn’t include batteries.  After all, how could the Savior of the world be so meek… so tiny… so seemingly powerless?  How would this little baby rise up to be king?  How could this small boy from this tiny insignificant city overthrow the Roman government and restore God’s people?  But the people missed it.  God’s Christmas plan… His rescue mission… was powerful beyond measure.  Jesus Christ, the most significant human being to ever walk this planet… was mighty.  Even as a tiny baby, His mere presence changed the course of history.  At the mention of His name, kings kneeled… wise men gathered gifts… and prophecies were fulfilled.   God knew exactly what His earth needed… a Savior… a loving, serving, giving, sustaining, providing, merciful, power source that would allow repentant people to have a relationship with their Creator. 

So spend part of your Christmas season thanking God for the majesty and power of His Son… thank Him for His provision and His presence in your life.    He is all that you need… all you could ever want… all powerful… all-knowing… and everywhere at one time.  He is the Alpha and Omega… the Beginning and the End… He is Almighty Lord and Everlasting Savior.  Jesus is glorious… and His love for you knows no bounds.  You are His masterpiece… and your presence on this planet is purposeful and specific.  Never forget that.  You matter.  How do you know?  Because over two-thousand years ago, God sent His Son… as a baby.    And that baby would one day grow up to sacrifice Himself on a cross and be resurrected three days later…  

For you.   For your eternity.   

Christ did that so you could live power-filled lives… confident that you don’t have to do it all on your own.   Hold your heads up … pray and give thanks… and this Christmas, celebrate the greatest gift this world has ever known.   

Greatness

I read a story of a man who played the violin in the Washington DC subway.   On this particular cold and blustery morning, very few people noticed the man on the platform… playing skillfully on his instrument.  They were scurrying to make their next train… looking over their newspapers… pressing their faces close to their phones while they checked Twitter.  After a little while, a lady stopped and placed a one dollar tip in his violin case.   But the recognitions were few and far between.  After about 45 minutes of playing, the man had made $32.00.   After finishing his last piece, to the deafening silence of no applause, the man placed his violin back in its case and headed home. 

What the people passing didn’t know… this was Joshua Bell.  Violin virtuoso.  One of the most talented players in the world.  In fact, just two days before, Joshua had played to a sold-out concert crowd in Boston… where the average ticket price exceeded $100.  

Sometimes greatness is right in front of us and if we aren’t careful, we’ll miss it.  

For many of us at Christmas, the same thing can happen to us.  We can miss the Greatness that this season is all about.  Busyness, family, and the rush of getting everything done can cause us to be blinded to the real meaning of that special night.   The night where Mary and Joseph walked the streets looking for a place to rest… and the innkeeper turned them away to the caves…   The night when angels prepared to sing, shepherds stared into the starry sky in anticipation, and God smiled knowing that His plan for salvation was about to be unveiled.  It was the night when greatness and perfection lay waiting as a human child in the womb of a young virgin… eager to open His beautiful eyes in a world desperate for His presence.  

Greatness was about to appear to the world.  Yet many would miss it.   To some it was just another night… just another star in the sky… just another young boy.  

To some it was just another birthday.   

This Christmas… don’t miss it.  Don’t allow the busyness to get in the way of the beauty of His birth.   Don’t miss the chance to worship Him… giving your greatest gifts to Him… sharing His story with those that might otherwise walk on by.  He is the greatest single human being ever born… and, at the same time, every bit God.   His knowledge is as vast as the sands on the beach… and His compassion is unequalled.   He IS God.  He is greatness personified.   He is our Savior.   Let’s celebrate knowing that He was born with the ultimate purpose….  saving the world!

Travel Light

In 2007, England’s Queen Elizabeth II decided to make a short 6-day visit to the United States.   While most people would pack a couple of suitcases… the queen travelled much heavier.  In fact, it was estimated that her gear weighed in at two to three tons!    What could she possibly have brought that weighed so much?  The list included clothes, a diamond tiara, her gowns, her crown, gifts, paperwork, and up to 50 pairs of white gloves.  In addition, her personal affects included several framed photos of her family, her favorite tea and teapot, large quantities of favorite brand of water, and special medicines that she required.  Planning and packing took eight months.  

All for a six day visit. 

But not all royalty travels with such fanfare.  Over 2000 years ago, a little child entered the world that would forever change it.  He would grow up, heal the sick, raise the dead, teach the masses about God’s love, serve those He created, allow Himself to be crucified, and resurrect back to glorious life.  All while maintaining very few possessions, keeping a selectively small circle of close confidantes, and having a low profile.   Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, came out of Heaven that Christmas morning…  not weighed down with stuff… but burdened with the sins of the world.   In a couple of days we will celebrate Christ’s royal arrival… and as we observe Christmas.. let us never forget that Jesus travelled light for a reason.   It was so that He could spend His time intentionally… not worried about bringing everything with him… but making sure He didn’t leave without us.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Words

The other day I read that as a pane of glass breaks, the cracks travel faster than three thousand miles per hour down the length of the glass.  Hard to believe anything could cause that much damage so quickly...  As I was thinking about this piece of trivia, one thing came to mind that might be comparable...

Our words.   What we say can cause widespread destruction in very little time.  A sarcastic response... a jab.. or maybe it’s more directed pain.  Maybe it’s bringing up the past or a hurtful memory... perhaps it’s tearing someone apart just because we seek revenge.  Whatever the circumstance, words can wound deeply.  

Scripture tells us in Ephesians 4 that we shouldn’t let any unwholesome talk come out of our mouths.  Any.  Why?  Because as much as we might want to, once words come out... they can’t go back in.  The person is hurt...the relationship over...the damage done.   God-honoring speech is a conscious choice... and no matter what a person’s background, environment, upbringing, or influences are...they can still decide to honor Christ with their words.  This Christmas, make the choice to spread holiday cheer…. one God-honoring conversation at a time.  

Keep Going

Mary Fasano’s parents pulled her out of eighth grade so she could work in a cotton mill in Rhode Island. Fifty-five years later, she made a major decision. She decided that she was going to go back to school to complete her education. At 71, she completed her coursework and received her high school diploma… but she wasn’t done yet! She signed up for Harvard University’s extension program and took one class at a time. Week after week, she drove the twenty miles to the school… and did so for seventeen years! In June of 2003, Mary Fasano graduated from Harvard at the age of 89.

Many called her crazy.

Many would have told her that her dream was impossible.

But what they forgot…? Something is impossible ONLY until it is accomplished.

It’s Christmas, 2015. What have you spent this past year thinking is impossible. A marriage on the rocks? A wayward child? A job situation? An empty bank account? Have you gone from hope to helpless… figuring that it’s just easier to give in and give up than give it over to God?

Mary Fasano lived her life by this truth from Matthew 19:26 “For nothing is impossible with God”

Today you may be facing something that nobody else believes in but you. It’s a mountain that’s never been climbed… and achievement the world’s never seen… a way of doing something that’s never been done. Be bold. Read that verse above over and over until it weaves its way into the fabric of your heart. You have been created for greatness… and your greatest competition is the status quo. The odds of success mean nothing when you have God on your side. He sets the odds. He gets you through. And He will equip you with everything you need to push onward. Seize the day. Take your dreams back from the critics because someday you will be dancing in victory while the doubters stand silent.

Make this holiday season different. Believe again. Believe in the God who loves you more than you can imagine and is working things out behind the scenes with your best interest in mind. Never give up. Don’t quit. Believe in the impossible again. God can and will come through with the best possible solution for your situation.

You can do this. Keep going.

Merry Christmas.

Winning An Argument?

A man from Berlin, Germany was desperate to bring peace to his marriage.   He was quoted as saying “My wife never lets me get a word in edgeways.  So I crank up the siren and let it rip for a few minutes.  It works every time.  Afterwards, it’s real quiet again.”  The siren?  An old air raid siren that he used to stun his wife into submission.  He had it mounted on his roof... and when he felt she was talking too much... he cranked it up.  Before long, the 73 year old man lost his siren.. and so much more...

During my time in ministry, I’ve talked to hundreds of couples... and while none have used air raid sirens to silence the other... people have done many things to win arguments or be heard.  The Bible tells us that they are missing the point.  The goal of a relationship isn’t to have the loudest voice or to keep the other person quiet.  Healthy and Godly couples work diligently at submitting... competing not to win... but to out-serve the other.  Ephesians 5 tells us that we are to do so out of reverence for Christ!   Remember the point isn’t to be right... the point is to be understood.  Want to win?  Make the choice... siren or servant?  It can make all the difference in the world.  

Does God Make Deals?

Old Joe was driving down the street.  He was late for a very important meeting and couldn’t find a place to park his car.  He looked up to Heaven and said, “God, take pity on me.  If you find me a parking space, I will go to church every Sunday for the rest of my life.”  Miraculously, a parking space appeared.  Joe looked up again and said, “Never mind.  I found one!”

You’ve probably seen it before... “God I’ll do this... if you just do that...” We beg, plead, and do our best to make a deal with the Creator of the universe.  When you think about it... God doesn’t need anything that we can offer.  He made it all and He owns it all.  He doesn’t jump at our command... He doesn’t have a price tag... and His favor toward us is because He is good not because we have earned it.  God simply wants our praise.  Not due to Him having a big ego... but because He deserves it.   Tempted to try to strike a deal with God?  Instead... thank Him for what you already have and praise Him for giving you the opportunity to manage it for a while.