Living Unfiltered for God

It startles me to think of how many Christmas Eves I've experienced in my life. My how the years pass by quickly. There are different kinds of Christmas Eves... Joyous ones, sad ones, those that cause us to be tentative. Our circumstances and situations have a lot to say about our feelings on this night. But one thing never changes - the reason we are celebrating - the birthday of our Savior. Like so much and everything else, circumstances change, our feelings change, our situations may be in constant Flux, but Jesus - He stays the same. Our loving, grace-filled, hope-instilling Savior... He NEVER changes. We can always count on Him to be exactly what He has always been and ever will be. Our Savior. Those two words: But, Jesus. What is on your heart tonight that can be soothed by those two words? "Lord, my finances are a mess." But, Jesus. "Father, I'm worried about my child's salvation and future." But, Jesus. "Lord, my parent is in very ill health...

While reading one of the Advent devotionals through the YouVersion Bible app this morning, I came across this commentary… Luke 2 says that when the angels told the shepherds the Good News about Jesus’ birth, they “hurried off” to find Him. Instead of waiting around and letting doubt creep in, they responded immediately. This took great faith! Certainly, they wanted to meet Jesus, but they also had earthly concerns. What would they do with their flock? Should they tell their families first? Were they dressed appropriately? Were simple shepherds really worthy of meeting the King of Kings? They didn’t let any of the questions we might have asked in the same situation keep them from quickly responding to God. I immediately thought, what a great example of living unfiltered for God! It is this kind of behavior that I have been trying to practice myself and encourage in this space for a while now. How amazing was it that these shepherds heeded the call, no questions asked? It makes ...

In recent years, there has been a lot of controversy about whether we should say, “Merry Christmas” or, “Happy Holidays” this time of year. Unfortunately, like so many things these days, it has become a divisive, political issue. Let me say from the outset, I’m solidly in the “Merry Christmas” camp. That said, I recognize that, at least from a purely religious standpoint, it does not apply to everyone. I have Jewish friends for whom, “Happy Hanukkah” would be more appropriate. But, also non-believing friends who, while they may not be followers of Jesus, still celebrate Christmas in its secular form (if that can really be a thing.) And of course, many others that fall across the spectrum. I’d like to offer here, though, a different way to think about all of this. Will you give me a few more minutes? Sitting in church this morning, as our Pastor was talking about Jesus being the fulfillment of certain Old Testament prophecies, I was struck with the following thought, “ Don’t just s...

Christmas Eve. Perhaps my favorite day of the year. The culmination of all of the busy preparations for the joyous arrival of Christmas, tomorrow. The excitement of what the morning will bring! As a child, I remember falling asleep on Christmas Eve with thoughts of what might be waiting under the tree. As an adult, I can't wait to watch our kids and grandchildren as they discover what awaits them! (And, of course, I still look forward to what might be awaiting me, as well!)  This morning as I was thinking about these things, sipping my coffee on our back porch before the sun came up, the song Silent Night was looping in my brain, providing the soundtrack for my thoughts. One line kept striking me - one that I've never given much more than a passing thought before, "Sleep in Heavenly Peace." In the context of the song, it's referring to the Baby Jesus, sleeping in heavenly peace, right after His Birth. It made me ask the question... What does it mean for us to ...

Here we are, eight days away from Christmas. The last full weekend before the holiday. There will no doubt be much shopping done in the next couple of days. Lots of other holiday activities, as well. Even in our household, my wife and I will be off in different directions this morning, participating in some of those activities. My prayer this morning though, is that with all of the hustle and bustle, we remember why we're celebrating. I'm probably thinking along these lines because I've found that I've lost sight of it myself, at times, over the last couple of weeks. One quick example... Our family has a cookie decorating party every year. Over the years it has grown to become our big Christmas get-together before the holiday itself. Family and friends gather, we share a meal and then get to the serious (yes, to some it is!) business of decorating Christmas cookies. The party was last Saturday. On Sunday afternoon I went into the Grocery store and I had this strang...

Today, we are going to finish our discussion of St. Francis of Assisi's Peace Prayer. The last few posts have been spent looking at how it would look if we actually lived our lives they way he suggests in the first half of this prayer. What would it look like if we actually sowed things like love, pardon (forgiveness), faith, hope, light and joy into the world and the lives of those around us? We decided it would take looking like we're living life counter-culturally; living in a way that is not necessarily the norm for today's society. Today we will look at the second half of the prayer. To me, the unasked question that is begged is, " What are you seeking? " O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive,  it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,  and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. As I read t...

I have had several conversations with people lately about how it seems to be harder than usual for them to get into the "Christmas Spirit" this year. We've speculated about why that might be - but my focus here is not going to be on those thoughts and ideas. What I'd like to do is spend some time looking at how we might go about making it easier for those around us to find that Christmas Spirit - and maybe even hold on to it year-round. One of my favorite prayer/poems is the Peace Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi: Lord, make me an instrument of your peace: where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.  O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive,...

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 ...

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,  ...

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,...

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...