Christmas Celebration

The Christmas season always brings a flood of memories along with it, memories of family gatherings, hot chocolate, snooping for presents with my big brother, and of course, lots of cookies for Santa. However, over the last few weeks, I’ve noticed that many families and many children will build their own memories similar to these. Children will sneak into Mom and Dad’s room, looking for presents. Mom’s and Grandma’s will don their trusty aprons to bring a feast to their families. However, I’ve come to see firsthand a very sobering thought I’ve known for many years. Many of these families, families I have come to know and love over the past year, will make fun and lasting memories to reminisce over in the years to come. Yet, amidst the presents, hot chocolate, and letters to Santa, something is missing.

Christ.

Too often, amidst the hustle of finding the perfect gifts for our own loved ones, we often forget the myriads of families all around us who completely miss the celebration of Christmas. Yes, they have presents, a beautiful tree, and lots of fun memories to make, but they don’t have Christ. They don’t know or realize the weight and importance of celebration in worshipping this King. Thousands of children will awaken tomorrow with excitement bursting from their eyes as they drag Mom and Dad out of bed to open presents. But, they will not celebrate Christmas.

The incarnation of the almighty, holy, and powerful God is something we take far too lightly. I know this, because too many families would cease to celebrate Christmas if the tree disappeared, the scrumptious holiday smells turned into cold, leftover pizza, or if no family came to surround them with love and appreciation. Now, we see more of the Christmas Joseph, Mary, and the shepards experienced. No tree. No twinkling lights. No holiday treats. No support from family. Just the odor of animals, the scratch of hay, and the exhaustion of a long and grueling journey.

Here, we find rejoicing, celebration, and worship. Here we find the Savior and the hope of the gospel, the hope for you, and the hope of the myriads of family who won’t truly celebrate Christmas tomorrow. Here we find the incarnate Christ, born as a babe in order to live a sinless life and to take on the full wrath of God for the sin of me and of you. No matter what decorations, family, or presents are opened tomorrow, I pray that you truly celebrate and worship the Incarnate King and that you share His gift with others! 

Merry Christmas!

Skeletons

This Halloween has me thinking a lot about skeletons. I tutor local kids in the area (one of the many hats I wear) and many of them have fun Halloween decorations in their yard for this festive season. I’m often met by bats, pumpkins, and yes, lots of skeletons each time I walk their driveways. If your like me, you probably walk or drive past these decorations each and every year without a second thought.

However, as believers, I wonder how many times we walk or drive by skeletons each and every day without a second thought. There are myriads of lost people that we come into contact with each and every day. Skeletons. These men and women meet us at our local gas station, serve us at a restaurant, check us out at our grocery store, or walk past us during our morning workout. Each and every day we are surrounded by skeletons, and sometimes we find ourselves paying more attention to the decorations of our neighbor’s house than our neighbor’s soul.

I hope that this evening and throughout your week, you will take the time to see the skeletons around you. Look into the eyes of someone who desperately needs to hear and believe the good news of the gospel, and boldly and humbly share the love and forgiveness that you enjoy each and every day. This Halloween, turn your porch lights on for the one time a year that non believers knock on your door and begin conversations that lead to intentional friendships that point them to the only One who truly gives life!

How Great is Your Love?

1 John 3:18

Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

This week the topic of love has been at the forefront of my mind. Recently, I attended a conference where one of the speakers spoke on this topic as it relates to pastors. “Those who love much are hurt much,” he said. “If you love little you are hurt little, but then you don’t love at all.” I am so grateful for those closest in my life who demonstrate such selfless love. Rather than loving in word, they love in action. They love deeply, truly, and more times than not, painfully, knowing with absolute guarantee that their hearts will be ripped to shreds because of it.

Two months ago I took a familiar trip to visit my older brother and his sweet family. I was so excited to spend time with my brother and sister-in-law, excited to open my arms and heart to my niece and nephew, to be showered with wet and slobbery kisses, and to play with dolls, paint fingernails, and rock a crying baby boy at 3 in the morning. My family is so precious and I am so blessed to be part of their lives.

But unknown to all of us, another sweet baby boy joined our mix the same weekend I did. Matt and Chrissi opened their home to baby Colton, a precious and exhausted 7 month old in foster care. He came hungry, sick, and with nothing but the clothes on his back. I remember the excitement and love we had for this baby boy having never met him. I can still feel the uncontrollable and contagious joy my brother and sister-in-law shared for the opportunity to care for this needing child. It didn’t matter that they had two small children, it didn’t matter that there was little to no room for another baby in a house smaller than my apartment. No matter the tighter space, sleepless nights, or life with two babies and a 3 year old, they welcomed him without hesitation.

The next few months shared their moments of challenging days and long nights, but baby Colton knew love. He was showered with affection and prayer. He grew stronger, healthier, and more precious with each passing day. He was loved to distraction not only with words, but action. This week, as I spoke to my brother, I had the sweet chance to say goodbye to this little boy who captured my heart months before. He was returning to his young mother and older brother who finally found a home to care for all three of them. While I rejoice in his reunion to his family and know he will continued to be showered with prayer, my heart aches for the family he knew for these past few months.

Those who love much hurt much.

Knowing full well that this baby boy could not stay, that his time with my brother and sister-in-law was only temporary, they opened their hearts and loved deeply. While the pain is still fresh and the silence is haunting, Matt and Chrissi demonstrate to me and countless others unconditional love put to action, especially knowing that pain will come. They are pillars of strength, sustained by their Great God to love selflessly, unconditionally, and without hesitation or concern for themselves.

How much do you hurt? How much are you willing to be hurt, to experience pain, frustration, anger, disappointment? Sometimes we fool ourselves to believing that the lack of pain in our lives is a good thing, building walls to protect ourselves from the harshness of the world. However, in doing so, we only cage ourselves, never experiencing the full love and joy that God expects and relishes for us to enjoy. I pray that you love much this week. Love in action. Love in truth. Love as your Heavenly Father has loved you and take comfort when pain comes, knowing that love abounds all the more. Those who love much will be hurt much. But they love much!

Falling into Opportunity

     It's Fall! I'm so excited to finally enjoying one of my favorite seasons. I love to walk outside and feel the cool gusts of wind against my cheeks, to finally pull out my MANY sweaters that have been tucked away for months, and to see apple cider at the grocery store again. This season is one of the most beautiful and definitively one my favorite times of the year, especially living on the East cost. This season makes me do silly things like ordering way too many lattes at Starbucks in one weekend, buying cute little pumpkins just because, or daydreaming about lazy days in the park instead of memorizing Greek vocabulary.
     But, Fall is also a wonderful time of refreshment and encouragement. Lately, I've noticed different opportunities throughout day to day life that I usually ignore or I'm to busy to take the time to notice. Listening to a friend's struggles over that Starbucks latte or meeting a precious lady from Rwanda who is not a believer-these are opportunities more worth my time than any schedule I keep. Fall has a way of making me slow down a bit and look, really look at the world around me, breathing it in rather than brushing it off. So as you buy your pumpkin lattes or enjoy hiking through the myriad of colorful leaves, take the time to find opportunity, to seek it out, and engage those around you with Christ honoring, compassionate, and gospel centered conversations. 

Whispers of Truth

I've thought a lot recently about responses, the good, the bad, and the surprising. In a thousand different moments we all react to situations differently, some more amiably than others. Anyone who lives and works with people knows that while we cannot control the intentions of others, we can control the reactions we have towards them. 

The other night a bumped into a recent acquaintance whose name I had trouble remembering. (I have no problems remembering it now.) While not discussing anything important in particular, I made a general complaint which I thought was small and maybe even a little bit justified to which I received a surprising response that was both judgmental and true. And while, yes, I am still a little annoyed with this practical stranger for judging my life at the time, particularly because they were right and I hate being wrong, I admire their reaction to my black mood and thoughtless complaint. They could have ignored it or brushed it off, but instead they addressed the issue with honesty, even if it wasn't something I wanted to hear. 

So, I guess my rambling on really comes down to this; consider closely the reactions that surround you as you walk throughout the many moments of your day, both the responses that you give and the ones given to you. Perhaps the things you don't want to hear from people who know very little about you are the exact truths that you need to hear. On the other hand, you may need to speak up when you know the response you will receive is not welcoming. Don't be afraid of honesty, either in giving or receiving. The response may not always be to your liking, but the truth behind it speaks volumes louder than you may presume. 

Mountaintop Clarity

      It continually amazes me how a weekend away from the general path of life always tends to provide a little perspective. This weekend I enjoyed an amazing trip in the mountains with some lovely ladies from my church. As I was driving up the winding path (carefully because mountains scare the heck out of me), the beautiful spring foliage of the mountain enveloped me and blocking my view from the world beyond it. Without any apparent idea where I was going, I followed the path further along. Then just when I am sure that my gps has lied to me yet again and I am forever lost with no one to ever find me, a break in the trees reveals the most breathtaking and majestic view that captures you and refuses to let go. Time stills for just a moment and every random thought evaporates. Just for a few moments I pulled to the side of the road and stood in wonder of a majesty and grandeur larger than I can ever imagine. In those few moments clarity washed over me, a clarity of my smallness in a world of breathtaking wonder made possible only by the One true Creator.

        It reminded me of so much of what I see in the way people, myself included, live life. We travel along a path of winding trails, blending in with the scenery and almost forgetting our destination in the first place. We carefully turn the corner immersed in our own troubles, anxieties, or fears that we almost miss the view. Too scared to take our eyes from the road ahead, we continue in false reality that the surrounding trees are the best part of the journey. Had we only kept our eyes focused upon the curve ahead we would have missed the splendor of a world so much larger and purposeful than we can ever imagine, a world of grand elegance and promise that seems inconceivable. Instead of turning to breathe in the beauty around us, we drive forward as many others before us have done, towards a destination that we can no longer find, or worse, believe it isn’t there in the first place.

        I loved a recent quote that one of my professors referred to in class. “Life is a pilgrimage,” he said, “not a journey. A journey implies that you don’t know the ending. A pilgrimage, however, has a clear and discernable destination.” Whether you just came through one of those curves, see it ahead, or are currently in its centripetal gravity, don’t forget this truth. You have a clear and discernable destination. As a believer in Christ, you are part of a much greater destination than your own, joining our great and majestic Creator on mission as part of His grand story throughout redemptive history. You fit into a greater purpose of His plan than you could ever dream for yourself. Why then do we so often live in practical atheism, focusing more on the rocks and trees than the canvas of God’s larger plan? Rather than basking in the sunlight of His glory, we hide in the shadows and shield our eyes. We live day in and day out as if God is not there in the way we respond to fears, tragedy, stress, or brokenness. Rather than trusting in our faithful Creator, we instead react as anyone who believes there is no God. I hope to challenge you to take a few moments today to look for the majestic beauty of God’s purposes rather than focusing on the details that distort your view. He is a Creator worthy of our affections, our trust, and our devotion. Don’t live today as if there is no God. Trust in His purposes and plan and walk boldly on this pilgrimage, knowing the hope and glory of your destination. 

Possibility

          The change of seasons seems to always bring a change of attitude as well. Call me a sap or a hopeless romantic, but I have always loved the metaphor of seasons compared to the seasons of life; my favorites being fall and spring. Besides the beautiful weather and a chance to break out the flip-flops, these times in the year always remind me of transitions. Summer and winter are always the solid seasons, plunging to the extremes of smoldering heat or a cold that takes your breath away. But, fall and spring are the in between seasons. Those that flirt with what will come next, begging you to embrace the limbo before the extreme sets in upon you.

Usually, my English geek gene kicks in about now and I search for a word to help describe my aim or goal for the season. Last fall, my word was intentionality. When my world was drastically changing around me, full of new adventure and excitement I held onto the idea of being intentional, of embracing the unfamiliar around me and diving head first into a journey that continues to catch me by surprise.

 Now, as I breathe in the spring air and soak in the morning sunlight, the only word that comes to mind is possibility. Yes, it may be cheesy, but I love the idea of new possibility, of discovering something new or maybe just seeing something for the first time that perhaps you’ve “looked” at for years. Don’t get me wrong, the idea of being vulnerable isn’t something I usually run towards. But, I usually find that some of the best parts of a season come when you open yourself up to a possibility.

So as spring settles upon you and you break out the flip flops, fishing poles, golf clubs, or whatever else you love to do in the spring, I wonder if maybe you’ll join me in a season of possibility. What dream have you laid aside for something else that crowded in around you? What relationship have you put off, friend or otherwise, because life told you that possibility wasn’t worth the effort? What new adventure are you ready to embark on? What new road do you secretly want to walk, but haven’t let yourself enjoy the possibility of taking the first step? I hope this season you will consider the possibility of what can be and have the courage to take that first step with me in a new season, flip flops in hand!