I don't have a long drive to work, but as I drive I like to listen to music.  It lifts me up and creates a more worshipful atmosphere as I start my day.  Often the words are just background, even as I sing along mindlessly (being very watchful and cautious in my driving, however!).  On other occassions, a lyric or two leaps out and gets my attention.  This happened just the other day, when I knew the day would hold the potential of many distractions.

 

A young woman looked at me quizzically. "I've seen a lot of people with those marks on their forehead today," she asked. "Is it some kind of sorority hazing thing?" 

Christian History magazine has a nice piece on the history of Ash Wednesday.  My own personal take on Ash Wednesday (and the church year in general) is that such practices are helpful when filled with meaning.  It’s the lack of understanding and personal appropriation that leads to dead ritual.

Back in the late afternoon of January 12th, the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince was rocked, swayed and pummeled by a massive 7.0 earthquake.  The earthquake destroyed most of the city leaving the survivors in rubble trying to find the rest of their families, fighting for food, and sleeping in city parks.  The reports and images coming out of Haiti are graphic, tragic, and unbelievable.  There are the stories of miracles like the little boy who was rescued alive after 8 days in the rubble.  There are stories of utter pain as children lost parents and parents lost children.

February has just one holiday since Lincoln's and Washington's birthdays were combined.  And that special day devoted to love - Valentine's Day.  So men, don't forget to do something romantic for your sweetie, because she deserves it... and she probably already has something special for you.

New Year's resolutions... these words strike fear into the hearts of almost all of us as we find ourselves now approaching the first week or two of 2010.  Late in 2009, as we looked back on the previous year, we often found that we hadn't accomplished all that we had intended to do.  So we looked ahead to a fresh start in the coming year, and boldly made proclamations that "This year things will be different!"

"Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: who, being in the very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.  And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross!

- Paul, to the church in Philippi  (Philippians 2:5-8)

There is an old Peanuts cartoon strip in which one of the little girls is sharing her philosophy of Christmas and she says, "Christmas is a time for kindness and joy and a time when we forgive each other."  In the next frame, Charlie Brown responds and says, "Why just at Christmas?  Why can't we be kind and forgiving all through the year?"  The girl looks at Charlie Brown and says, "What are you, some kind of religious fanatic?"

I’ve got a confession to make. I celebrate Hanukkah…and I’m not Jewish! For some reason, I’ve always been fascinated with this biblical holiday. Maybe it’s because Jesus celebrated it himself. (See John 10:22-23) Maybe it’s because I find that Hanukkah helps prepare me for a deeper celebration of Christmas. In fact, I’d like to be bold enough to suggest that if more Christians celebrated Hanukkah then perhaps we’d have an easier time keeping Christ in Christmas during the holiday season this year!

We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.  Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.  For in this hope we were saved.  But hope that is seen is no hope at all.  Who hopes for what he already has?  But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.  - Romans 8:22-25 (NIV)

Unless you have been hiding under a rock somewhere, you have certainly noticed that "Merry Christmas" has in many cases been supplanted with the innocuous "Happy Holidays."  The logic is we don't want to offend anyone who may have different religious beliefs...or no beliefs at all.

Sleepless nights and tired Days.

“It’s your turn to get up with her.”

Unexpected expenses and drained bank accounts.

“We needed what?!”

Screaming fits and an anticipated evening of peaceful respite lost.

“She’s ready to eat again?”

A growing pile of laundry and wearied bodies.

“But we just changed her diaper!”

The birth of a child changes everything.

 

With November comes the beginning of the holiday season—Thanksgiving meals, Advent candles, Christmas decorating and shopping—really a fun time of the year.

As we begin this holiday season let’s determine not to miss the deeper, richer, fuller meaning. Let’s not let the season pass without entering into ALL that it means.

The month of November ends with the national holiday of Thanksgiving.  It was originally celebrated as a religious observance to give thanks to God for his bountiful blessings.  The first Thanksgiving is traditionally traced back to the Plymouth Plantation in 1621 when the Pilgrims gathered to give thanks to God for bringing them through a harsh winter and providing a plentiful harvest.  From Preisdent Washington to President Lincoln, various presidents, off and on, declared a day of thanksgiving.  From Lincoln on, every president declared a special day of thanksgiving until 1941 when Congress declared the fourth Thursday of November as the national day of Thanksgiving.  Over the years, Thanksgiving has passed from being a religious observance of thanksgiving to God to a secular holiday of overeating.

Autumn, with the changing of colors and the changing of weather, with the harvest of crops and the decorations of pumpkins and cornstalks, autumn is a wonderful time of the year.  For some reason autumn causes my thoughts to always return to my boyhood years.  As I drive down the road and see the colorful trees I am transported back to the school play ground where I enjoyed games of football, tag and kickball.  I am reminded of my grandmother's house where we gathered for a full weekend of Thanksgiving with family and friends.

Bright flashing lights and colors, mesmerizing music, and animated characters captivated me when I saw a video game for the first time as a child, and I was hooked.

"She keeps repeating it over and over again.  we've been back to this shelter at least five times.  It has been weeks now since we started all of this," the woman told the volunteer at the animal shelter.

"What is it she keeps asking for?" she asked.

"Puppy size!"

As we approach the month of November we look toward the completion of our year-long journey through the Bible.  I am so proud of those of you who stuck with us along the way.  Some of the passages were somewhat tedious and maybe we can't remember everything we read.  Recently the following story was forwarded to me.

It is the story of an old man who lived on a farm in the mountains of eastern Kentucky with his young grandson.  Each morning, Grandpa was up early sitting at the kitchen table reading from his old worn-out Bible.  His grandson who wanted to be just like him tried to imitate him in any way that he could.

Over a recent past weekend, our family traveled to Ravenna, Ohio, for my grandmother's 90th birthday party.  Grandma moved into an assisted living community this year, and so our family took over the recreation area for a few hours on Saturday afternoon.  Grandma was embarrassed at all the attention, but she was thankful fro all of the years to watch her family grow and mature.  Grandma has 4 children, 11 grandchildren and 26 great-grandchildren.  At one point Grandma looked around and said, "How'd we get so big?"

I am very excited that a few weeks ago, a whole host of folks signed up to "practice the presence of God" for a hundred days.  That's right up until Christmas Eve.  Now, if you haven't been able to be with us in body, you can still join us in spirit.  It is making a refreshing difference in our lives.

You have seen them on TV, in movies, and I know a number of you have even been confronted by them. They look like machines designed for torture and in the beginning they feel like they are serving that very purpose. I’m talking about those machines you meet in health spas and fitness centers. When advertised they are always used by people with glorious bodies that bare little resemblance to our bodies, at least my body.

 

A very close ministerial colleague of mine told me of a time recently when he was with some friends on a leisure outing, and somehow they felt compelled to bring their newborn baby with them!  You would have thought the Queen of England was in their midst.  My friend related to me how the baby was never in want for someone to hold or to talk to her.  The baby was rocked, sung to and played with all evening.  She was held close and loved on; folks walked her around, introducing her to the world, and others protected her while she slept.  That certainly was one loved-on baby!

It's really very simple.  As Christians we are to be God-lovers and fruit-bearers.  That's all.  The application, however, the living out of those words seems easier said than done.

Have you noticed? Our world is shrinking! The world used to seem so huge. People who lived in far away lands seemed, well, far away! But not anymore! With cable news, cell phones, the internet, YouTube, email and Facebook, our world is shrinking right before our eyes. There’s a lot of truth to that old Disney song, “It’s A Small World After All.” Today we can interact and stay connected with people all over the world in real time.

I had one of those Mondays this week.  It started with a trip to the dentist's office.  One of my fillings was about to pop out, so I had to see him about it.  Even though I have a great dentist, I never enjoy receiving shots of Novocain.  Even though I don't feel it, the sound of the drill grinding at my tooth makes me wince.

Worship at the EA's 2009 National Convocation in Louisville, Kentucky was simply amazing.  Built around Convocation's theme, "To Whom Shall We Go?" worship times helped usher attendees to a closer reliance on Jesus.  Experience the power of worship at Convocation again through these segments of YouTube video filmed during evening worship on Saturday, September 19, 2009...

Rev. Bill Miller, President of the Evangelical Association's Board of Directors presented the keynote message during Sunday morning worship at the EA's 2009 National Convocation in Louisville, Kentucky on September 20, 2009.  His message was entitled, "Mother, Uncle, Father" based  on John 6:60-71. 

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.  Do not let your hearts be troubled, and to not let them be afraid."  (John14:27, NRSV)

Someone once said that if you speak to the pain in people's lives, you will never lack for an audience.  How true that is!  Much of the pain in our lives is do to our troubled hearts, our lack of peace.  Peace is something we all crave, isn't it?

Growing up I always treasured the month of August.  I remember the days of getting up earlier and staying up later in hopes to get the most out of the final month of summer vacation.  Each day was special and precious to me as I hoped to make lasting memories and tried to ward off the eventual school year.  Each August as a kid, I would spend one day at an amusement park riding large roller coasters.  We now enter into the month of August.  It's time to get on the roller coaster.

“If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is” is an old expression that carries a lot of truth to it. But then there are promises that sound to good to be true that are true…at least on the surface. In this latter group everything promised is received, however, it’s in the first that the real bugaboo lies.

 

This past month we saw the death of several very famous people.  We call them celebrities.  Some were very respected and some were simply pop-culture icons.  The rich and famous were present at their public funerals; and in their comments, we would hear, "he or she was religious" or "he or she was very spiritual."  There are many people today who are "religious."  They attend church and do religious things but do not have a personal relationship with Jesus.  What is the difference between being simply "religious" and truly knowing Jesus?

The heart of a servant... How precious the heart is to God.  The person with the true servant's heart will always be trying to find ways to serve: their friends and neighbors, their church, those in need, their God.  As servants of Jesus Christ, we are expected to take what God has invested in us and invest into the lives of others.

"And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit."  (Ephesians 5:18)

These instructions to the Early Church in Ephesus apply to us today.  Just as if Paul penned these words on a Hallmark card, wrote your name on the envelope and had it delivered to your door and placed into your hand, so, to, is the letter to the Ephesians written to you.

"Mere change is not growth.  Growth is the synthesis of change and continuity, and where there is no continuity there is no growth."  - C.S. Lewis

I think I've gained some new insight into God's amazing love.  I know He loves us, and wants the best for us - He wants us to be in an eternal faithful obedient relationship with Him in glory everlasting.  I know that in the process of maturing, after giving us life, God sets us free - to make choices of our own in living on earth.  And I believe God watches over us, wanting us to make appropriate choices, giving advice along the way - through His Word, through His presence, through His Son.  Yet, He allows us to make those choices - we set the course of our life by the choices and decisions we make.

I don’t know about you, but I like to watch commercials on TV. Most people I know flip channels as soon as a commercial comes on. I don’t. I find commercials interesting…even amusing at times. How else would you discover the drying power of Sham-wow, the cleaning power of Tide, or that eating Taco Bell helps you “think outside the bun.”

I don’t have to tell you of the tremendous number of so called “reality” shows there are on television this year. Actually, there are probably more than I even know, and you can believe that there are more coming. If you add these to the game shows, which are in a sense also reality shows, the number boggles the mind.

Michael Jackson has died. What an extraordinary, yet, extraordinarily tragic life. From what I've read and heard over the years, Michael Jackson was a generous, sensitive, incredibly talented person who was surrounded by the opulence of his own success but a person who was ever dissatisfied. He was man on a mission, a mission to remake his life.

Great expectations. No, I'm not thinking about the book. I'm thinking about the concept, the idea. Very few of us have gone too long without having had a "great expectation" of some sort.

During the past election year, we heard a lot about "Change You Can Believe In."  However, when we really thing about it, most of us really don't like change. Most of us will also admit that the older we get the less we like change happening.

...The lastest buzz on the internet.  Recently I went online to see what all of the hubbub was about.  Millions already are communicating to one another on moment by moment basis as to what they are doing in 140 characters or less.  This can be done on computers or telephones and is based on the assumption that other people care about the trivial things that you do in your life.

Not so long ago I was looking for some photographs that I have had ever since I was a child. I can't even remember why I suddenly wanted to see them, but I did, and it irked me that no matter where I looked, they weren't there.

When Peter was directed by the Spirit to go to Caesarea where he would enounter a gentile named Cornelius, he was being asked to model the incarnational style of our God who sent Jesus into the world as a human (See Acts 10).  Instead of making Cornelius come to Jerusalem (where it was assumed by the Jewish religious establishment that anyone and everyone who wanted to encounter God must come), Peter was told by God to go to where Cornelius was - his city and even his home.  Jews were strictly forbidden from entering the homes of gentiles and no self-respecting, God-fearing Jew - even a Christian one - would expect God to direct them in such an unorthodox and unconventional way.

Easter blessings!  The resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ is a true blessing of life, and a sure sign of God's love for each and every person on earth!

Wanting more of what we already possess is a character trait upon which our entire consumerist society is built. It seems there is no end to the things we want more of and, of course, the first and most fundamental is more money. Even billionaires want more of it, though to what end I can't imagine, unless it is simply a way of keeping score.

The small boat was rocking back and forth in the windy Sea of Galilee.  The disciples were beginning to fear that the boat might capsize.  Somewhere between 3 AM and 6 AM Jesus went out to them, walking on the water. The disciples spotted his ghostly figure walking on the water and they cried out in fear.  Jesus' response: "Take courage!  It is I.  Don't be afraid." (Matthew 14:22-33)  Easier said than done.  When was the last time you saw someone walking on water?

I am  the resurrection and the life.  (John 11:28)

"He is dead.  Our hope is destroyed."  Jesus' friends sat in the dark room, remembering His words and His works, especially His last day, that sad Friday.

 

"When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him along with the criminals - one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." (Luke 23:33-34)

Those words... I can't get them out of my head. Those words... they haunt me. They confuse me. They awaken me. They make my heart pound. They give me life! They are the words of ultimate love. "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."

Greetings in the Name of our Lord Jesus...And here's a story with a "holiday" message.

The days are getting longer.  Something in our body clock says to us, "spring is coming!"  It does seem like the early church fathers meeting in Nicaea in AD 325 could have come up with a more exciting name for the season beginning on Ash Wednesday, February 25, and ending on the night before Easter. 

 

The tornado that hit Oklahoma February 10th had the audacity to hit our daughter's home in Edmond.  They were not home at the time, so they were safe, and all of their animals survived, and as she said, "The rest of the stuff is just that - 'stuff.'"

What I found interesting was my attitude toward the storm.  Although I knew that there was damage around the state I was only appropiately concerned for the safety of the people involved.  But when I heard my daughter and her family were involved I was suddely angry that a storm would dare harm my family!  And on my birthday!  Now we had to cancel the party!

 

Lent has both thrilled me and perplexed me.  I have been thrilled with Lent from the standpoint that it challenges us to evaluate our spiritual disciplines of Bible study, prayer, fellowship, worship and service in order to tone-up the muscles of faith.  That's the good part!  What shepherd would not rejoice at the prospects of the sheep "working-out" in order to draw closer to Christ?!  That thrill, however, has been offset by the perplexing practice of discarding those very disciplines faster than the smell of jelly beans fade from our breath.

"When you were dead in your sins...God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins...that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away nailing it to the cross."    Colossians 2:13-14

 

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.-John 15.13

 

At the end of this month (25 February is Ash Wednesday), we will enter the season of Lent once again.

 

This is a time to prepare to meet Jesus on the cross, to consider His deep love for us, and to think of how we should respond with our lives.

 

The E100 Challenge [here at St. John's Christian Church] has been great, and is has only been the first month!  Being able to read most of Genesis and the beginning of Exodus has allowed us to meet many characters that are familiar and not so familiar.

 

It has been very interesting as we've begun working through the Bible one day at a time. I pray that you have been taking advantage of this program this new year. Knowing that I can read the entire Bible in 365 days by spending just 15 minutes each day takes some of the pressure off!

 

One of the benefits is that this program is sparking discussion. Individuals are asking questions, and Sunday school classes find themselves caught up in discussion for part of their class time. Any time we are prompted to talk about and ask questions about God's Word we ought to celebrate!

 

 

This story from the internet is apparently true:

 “On Lake Isabella, east of Bakersfield, California, some folks, new to boating, were having problems. No matter how hard they tried, they couldn't get their brand new 22 ft. boat going. It was very sluggish in almost every maneuver, no matter how much power was applied. After about an hour of trying to make it go, they putted to a nearby marina, thinking someone there could tell them what was wrong.

One of the favorite Christmas hymns has a refrain that goes like this:

O come, let us adore Him! O come, let us adore Him!

O come, let us adore Him – Christ, the Lord! 

That's a great refrain, not only for the Advent/Christmas season, but for every season of the year and every season of our lives.

Advent dates back to the mid-sixth century. By the 13th century, the whole church recognized the four Sundays leading up to Christmas as a period of preparation for Christ’s coming. If Christmas was a birthday party for the Messiah, then Advent was a time to ponder the fact that that Messiah would change everything.

"When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him... and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under..." - Matthew 2:3, 16

From a purely political perspective, Herod's response to off the baby Jesus makes perfect sense. He knew, and the power brokers in Jerusalem knew, what all this potentially meant. If the Christ was among them, then the social and political world of Palestine would change and change might bring about personally undesirable results.

After coming off of an intense week of Vacation Bible School, I found myself asking the age-old question, "is doing this really worth all of the hassle?" And you may be surprised to find out that this year the answer was "no." But before you start trying to expel the demons out of your pastoral brother, let me explain myself. Let me tell you about our V.B.S. so that you can judge for yourself.

Then the king ordered...some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility—young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians...They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king’s service. – Daniel 1:3-5 NIV

A gentleman walked past a clockmaker’s store every day on his way to work. He would study the stately grandfather clock in the window for some time before continuing on his way. One day the clockmaker, who had noticed this man standing outside his shop window each morning, ventured out to strike up a conversation. “This one is a real beauty, isn’t it?” the clockmaker asked, pointing to the clock on display.

Every Sunday morning our church has, as I'm sure most churches do, a Sunday School. We also have studies going as additional opportunities for not only learning God's word, but, and perhaps more importantly, learning how to apply what we have learned to our daily Christian living.

Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men. - Luke 15:18b-19

The prodigal son was at home with his father for years. He knew his father’s love since his earliest memories. How could anyone walk away from such warmth and caring?

Luke 15:14 - "... and he began to be in need."

The parable of the prodigal has spoken mountains as of late, studying it for breakfast, studying it for prayer. It hasn’t moved any mountains for me though, not any I can see anyway.

Or has it?

Every read has produced a new treasure, a new nuance, a new angle and I wonder if Jesus intended it to do so. I wonder if he intended to speak mountains. I wonder if he intended the parable to move mountains.

I greet you in the most excellent name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for it is in His name that I accomplish much and would boast of His love for each and every one of us.

The reality of Christmas in the New Year has become the cost of "Christmas after."

Sadly, "Christmas after" often has a greater impact on us than does Jesus’ actual birth.

Concerned with what he saw as a spiritual deterioration in churches, D. L. Moody convened a special convocation. The messages he delivered during the convocation were the substance of his book, Secret Power. The book begins…