Living Unfiltered for God

As this year comes to a close, I hope you take a little time to look back and reflect on what the Lord has done in your life these last 12 months. Something I started doing a few years ago was to record in my journal, what I viewed as the "highlights" from the previous year. It serves two purposes... First, it allows me that time to work my way through the year, remembering what took place, and seeing how God was at work in all of the situations and events that stand out. Sometimes, you need the benefit of a little time passing to fully appreciate what took place and how His hand was active. The second thing this exercise does is to create a "permanent" record of what God has done in your life. If you journal on a regular basis, you probably have most of these important events already written down, as they happened. However, the beauty of looking back is that you have that additional time to see what else God may have done and how else He may have used that sit...

Christmas is just about upon us! In fact , as I post this,  if you happen to be reading this in New Zealand it's already Christmas morning! As this will be my final Advent post, I wanted to take a few minutes to talk about something that will probably be a big part of your Christmas Day... giving and receiving. It's important to have our hearts in the right place when it comes to giving. As Paul tells us,  " Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. " ( 2 Cor 9:7 ) This verse is often used in churches when it comes time for offerings and pledges. At Christmas, though, I think it is appropriate to remind ourselves of this as we exchange presents. I remember as a child, we would take turns opening gifts. We would each open one present at a time. It was hard to stay focused when one of my sisters was opening something. I was more concerned with what my next gift ...

Earlier this month my wife and I watched one of those sentimental Christmas movies; this particular one was about Christmas trees. Part of the premise was that each Christmas tree has a story. As I'm sitting here enjoying our tree this morning, it got me thinking - what story would our tree tell? I guess this thought actually started yesterday afternoon when I watched a man, who had just purchased a tree, carry it to his his truck and place it in the back. As I watched him drive off, for some reason I was wondering what kind of fate lay ahead for that tree? Was he bringing it back for his family? Were young children going to be sitting around it in a few days? Or maybe the man lived alone and it was going to be his sole Christmas decoration? Perhaps he was even purchasing it for someone else, who otherwise wouldn't have a tree? Regardless of the scenario, that tree was going to have a story. So back to the tree I'm looking at now. Or, just as importantly, the tree ...

Earlier this month we talked about waiting... Waiting for Christmas to come and waiting to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I wanted to take a little more time though, to talk about how we should wait and what it is we are waiting for... David spoke a lot of waiting. You can find this theme in many of the Psalms.  I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope. I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. ( Psalm 130:5-6 ) For David, waiting seemed to be almost a physical act. The way he describes the process of waiting, it's almost like it's something palpable. And he waited with hope. Hope is such an important aspect of waiting. Without hope, waiting isn't something positive, it turns to something more related to fear, or dread. With hope, though, there is promise. Something to look forward to; something we are earnestly desiring - much like Christma...

I'd like to focus today's post on what originally motivated me to start this blog in the first place. The concept of living "unfiltered" for God. This idea that we constantly stay in tune with what God is speaking to us through the Holy Spirit and what we are supposed to do with that information. Often, the situation occurs when we feel this prompting to do something - that me be a bit out if our comfort zone - and we have to decide whether to be obedient to that voice, or not. The words of Jesus that have become the guiding verse for all of this to me are recorded in Luke: “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” ( Luke 11:28 ) Jesus says tells us, if we do what God says, we will be blessed. Of course, we have to hear what He is saying first, which implies that we have to be listening. Sometimes we hear Him during times of prayer, other times thoughts just "pop in our heads". Regardless of how He speaks to us, we need to b...

As we enter into this last week or so before Christmas, as the hustle and bustle will no doubt become faster and busier, let us not lose sight of the reason that God sent Jesus for us. 4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. ( Titus 3:4-7 ) Along with Jesus came the "kindness and love" of God. Those are probably not the first two words that come to mind when thinking about society today. But they should be our goal. Jesus told us that these were the most important things we should do! When the Pharisees were "testing" Jesus, they asked him which was the greatest commandment. He responded,  ...

If I were to ask you what percentage of Americans believe that Jesus was born of a virgin, what would you say? Would you be optimistic and say nearly 100%? Or would you be pessimistic and say something like, less than half, or 50%? What number would make you feel "good" about our country?  The actual number, or at least the one determined by a new Pew Research study , is 73%. Roughly three out four individuals believe this part of the Christmas story. Does that surprise you? Does that number encourage you or discourage you? Or does it motivate you? When I first saw this yesterday I thought, " Wow, that's great! That's a lot higher than I thought it would be! " But then I thought about it for a minute... We live in arguably the most Christian nation in the world and there are still one in four folks that don't believe in a core, foundational belief of the Christian faith. When you dig into the numbers (which, of course I did given that's what...

When do you start listening to Christmas music in your house? That's usually a question that has a definite answer. in our home, it's typically the Friday after Thanksgiving - that's the day that we usually break out the Christmas music and start. I must confess though, this year I started a little earlier. I had a CD or two in my car going before Thanksgiving. For some reason, I was anxious to get an early start! One of the great things about Christmas music, especially if you are Christian, is that singing about Christ becomes "mainstream"! Sure there are lots of Christmas carols that really have nothing to do with Christ, but many of them do. And in regards to those that do, I have a couple a couple of questions for you... Do you really listen to the words? Do you really think about the lyrics that you are singing? Have you thought about the power of what we are proclaiming when we sing some of these songs? One of my favorites is "O Holy Night...

One of the wonderful things about this time of year is hearing stories about about how people have helped out strangers, folks they don't know but who are struggling, with gifts or their time or other help of some sort. The Christian radio station we listen to has a program called " The Fish Christmas Wish " that gives people an opportunity to help someone or some family in need this time of year. They will sometimes share the stories on the radio, occasionally even the recording of the conversation when they let the individual know what someone is going to do to help them. I will confess that on more than one occasion I have been in tears listening to these stories as I drive in my car.  What makes these stories great, in part, is the way it motivates you to want to help someone else. They make you want to "get in on" that spirit of giving and of helping out. I truly believe that if you are fortunate enough not to have a need like this, then you are in a ...

Believe it or not, there are less than three weeks left in the year 2014. I don't know where the time goes - the years seem to go by more and more quickly the older I get. (I know there's a "math explanation" to that, but I'll spare you!) As we approach the end of the year though, I think it's important that we finish strong. Whether it's work or school, we should strive to finish the year off well; with momentum to carry into next year.  That sounds good, but with Christmas coming and all the extra festivities often taking place, the tendency is more to just kind of coast to the end instead of pushing hard. The apostle Paul writes about this idea in several places, often using the analogy of running a race: "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize?  Run in such a way as to get the prize." ( 1 Cor 9:24 ).  Having taken up running in the last couple of years, I've come to better understand hi...

One of the things that makes Christmas such a special time of year, at least for me anyway, is that it is a very nostalgic and sentimental time. For many people, Christmas was such a big deal when they were a child that for the rest of their lives, they remember certain things from childhood Christmases. One of the reasons it's easier to remember is because of Christmas traditions. Most families have certain things that they do every year as part of their celebration. Because it's done every year, it makes it easier to recall when you get older and it makes you sentimental - remembering "the good old days". I have fond memories of several things that our family did at Christmas when I was a child. On Christmas Eve, my dad would always read the "Christmas story" to us from the Bible. After all of the other Christmas Eve festivities were over, right before we would go to bed, he would read Luke 2:1-20 . When I was really little, it seemed to take forever,...

Angels play a very important part in the whole Christmas story. It was the angel Gabriel who visited Mary to let her know she would be the mother of Jesus ( Luke 1:26-38 ). It was also an "angel of the Lord" that appeared to Joseph that explained that God was behind his fiance's pregnancy ( Matt. 1:20-21 ).  The concept of angels has always been very interesting to me. The writer of Hebrews says, "Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?" ( Heb. 1:14 ) Frankly, this has never been much help to me in understanding who angels are and what their purpose is. I have though, over the years, come up with my own kind of interpretation and understanding of angels and their purpose. I don't know how theologically sound it is, but it helps me. I truly believe that god still sends angels into our world as "ministering spirits". I think sometimes they may appear in a dream (like the angel did with Joseph) ...

As we mentioned the other day, as much as this is a joyful time of year, it seems that difficulties and stress have a way of attacking us in a special kind of way in the days leading up to Christmas. I tend to view much of life through the lens of spiritual warfare, so this makes sense to me. What other time of year, besides Easter, is the focus so much on Jesus and what He has meant to our world? Of course the enemy wants to attack us now! Of course he wants us to take our eyes off of what's important and try to make us focus on what's wrong with the world and even our lives. One of my favorite accounts from the old testament is in 2 Chronicles:20 . Word had come to Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, that they were about to be attacked by a huge army. He was about to be in a situation that, in his own strength, there would be nothing he could do.  What he could do though, was pray. And so he did, in a very public way for all to hear. And at  the end of the prayer, he s...

One of the great traditions around Christmas is putting up the Christmas lights. Depending on your tastes and family traditions you may put up so many lights you can see your home from space! Or maybe you're more reserved so there are just a few lights here and there. Either way, I've always thought it interesting that this is something that we do.  The idea of putting light on Christmas trees started in the 18th century in Germany. The idea really took off though, with the discovery of electricity. Thomas Edison first used lights at Christmas as much for publicity and marketing as anything else, in 1880. Several years later, a colleague of Edison's, Edward Johnson, used the electric lights on his Christmas tree, ( more details here ). The rest, as they say, is history. Interesting history indeed, but I see something more symbolic going on. While I know that there are probably non-Christians who put up Christmas lights, one would suspect that when you drive by a ho...

The Christmas season, with all the good things that come along with it, can also become a time of stress and and anxiety.  As I write this, it is Saturday morning, my wife is cooking breakfast , we're sipping coffee  (ahh, weekends!)... and the Christmas flavored "Honey-Do" list lays beckoning! There are always things that have to get done, but it seems at Christmastime there are even more chores, duties and "must-dos". There is shopping to get done, decorations to put up, parties to clean up and prepare for, parties to attend and the list goes on. All of these are wonderful blessings! Many of them of course fall into that category of "first world problems". Jesus knew, though, that there would be times when we would become distracted; when we would have a hard time focusing on the right things. Ironically, this can be even more prominent at those times when He is close by or on His way. The visit Jesus and His disciples paid to Mary and Martha ( ...

Yesterday I had the opportunity to speak to some college students taking a class in statistics. Their professor had asked me to come in and share with them about my background and career in the area of statistics and marketing research (my day job.) I have taught classes like this myself in the past, so I was happy to spend some time with them, tell them a few stories and offer some guidance as to how to navigate some of the waters ahead of them in their schooling and future careers. I was almost taken aback at how eager they were to learn! At first I was concerned they might not be engaged, but from very early on, they started asking all sorts of questions. It was amazing to me how much they seemed to enjoy hearing from someone who had been where they are now (albeit many, many years ago!) and had to make some of the decisions they're currently working through. Afterwards, their teacher told me that she had never seen their "personal side" like she had just witnesse...

The Christmas season is typically one of joy and excitement. For many though, it can be a difficult season of pain and sorrow. For those who have lost loved ones in the previous 12 months and have to go through the holidays without them for the first time, this can be a very difficult time of year. We happen to have a number of friends, and some extended family, that are struggling to get through their first holiday season without their husband, father, wife, mother, child, etc. As a friend or family member of these folks we need to be sensitive to this in a number of ways. They may not be "feeling the Christmas spirit" the way we think they should, or even the way they have in the past. I think there are a couple of things we can do though, to walk with them through this stage of their grief. First, I think the following verses provide direction and hope for grieving folks who are trying to navigate the difficult waters that they now find themselves in: " L...

I don't know about you, but I suspect we are alike in that we don't like those moments when, for lack of a better phrase, God pulls us up short. Let me explain with an example... Yesterday I was taking care of an errand or two at lunchtime and was navigating through a parking lot. As I approached an intersection, another car came up from the other aisle on my left. I think I was there first but, feeling "charitable", I waved the lady through and she proceeded in front of me on the way to the main road. The first thought and emotion I experienced was peace and calm; something akin to, "I love doing nice things for people!". Unfortunately, it was followed immediately by, "Now, don't make me regret it!". Wow, where did that come from?! With that, God convicted me... Hard! What I heard next was, " Gee, aren't you glad my son Jesus doesn't have that attitude about you? Aren't you glad He isn't watching you and hoping th...

I remember when I was a child, the wait for Christmas seemed interminable. Especially after Thanksgiving came and went, that month or so until December 25th contained the longest weeks of the year! Now, as I've gotten older, the time goes much more quickly (as does all time!) and I want things to slow down, to be able to relish and enjoy the season for as long as possible. I think there's something instructive in the waiting, though. I think God wants to use that time to do a work in us.  Yesterday we discussed Mary, and how her obedience led to the blessing and privilege of giving birth to the Savior of the world. She waited nine months for that. Sometimes we don't have to wait that long, but other times the wait is much longer. For those of us who struggle with patience,  this isn't always an easy task. One of my favorite verses, especially regarding the idea of waiting is, " Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. " ( Psalm ...