As individuals begin to finish up their Christmas shopping, a sense of relief enters their soul. Sure, there’s still wrapping gifts, but the hard part is over, along with the long lines and maniac drivers fighting over the last good parking spot. Maybe this is the reason good tidings appeared in the air today over Delaware.
Although I may never know why, I’m glad that the spirit of Christmas has arrived. Faces were of good cheer, conversation pleasant and the mood around the office made me proud to be an American. While its hard to emphasize the good in others, its important not to let a praiseworthy moment go by without a mention. As I walked out the door for a 5 day break, the concept of rest and relaxation is a refreshing thought, at a perfect time in the year.
There was no baby in a manger or magi coming from afar, yet an angelic presence seemed to shine through, transforming a tired and weary staff. Like an island of misfit toys, the hope of Christmas breathed a new spirit within the hearts of those present. Or perhaps I have awoken from a slumber, having my eyes opened for the first time in months. Regardless of the reason, may you embrace the final days leading up to Christmas as the Holy Spirit stirs hearts and minds to display good tiding in the air. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!
Seinfeld was one of the first sitcoms to mock Christmas, establishing Festivus for the rest of us. Meanwhile, Jewish holidays weren’t exempt as Saturday Night Live, known as SNL, created their own version of Hanukkah sung by Adam Sandler. At one point in American culture, certain topics were taboo, to avoid offensive language. However, a growing trend has erased the line eliminating boundaries, opening up every religion to verbal attacks except for Islam.
When you subtract the presents, songs and exchange of gifts, what else remains? Sure, there are decorations, lights and manger scenes, but is Jesus still Lord of this holiday? Or has the good news of a Messiah been X-out by cards too cheap to print the reason for masses across the country and throughout the world? As I look around the roads, shopping malls and desolate streets, cheers of good news is a rare sound. Rather, complaining, gripes and moodiness fill the air, opening the door for another Christ-less season.
If political correctness continues to be a guiding light for Americans, I’m afraid the days of Christmas may soon be over. In a recent interview, Christian singer Chris Tomlin vowed he’d go to jail if celebrating Christmas ever became illegal. For those who think, “that would never happen here,” don’t be so sure. For whenever a nation curses Israel or harms their ability to remain free, God promises to curse those countries that don’t stand with God’s chosen people. In the Silent Nights that remain, may the Holy Spirit touch your heart, persuading you to invite Jesus back into your home, neighborhood and perhaps local schools. If not, Christmas will be another day for the homeless and orphans, waiting for a brighter day.
Over the years, countless songs have expressed the ideal manner in which to regift Jesus to a lost and dying world, Luke 19:10. Camp fire songs like “Pass It On” convey how a little spark from the love of God can produce a spiritual fire within another human being. Hymns such as “Be Not Afraid” supplies a message of hope for those who follow Jesus, promising rest for weary souls. Modern lyrics from hits like “If We Are the Body” by Casting Crowns questions why acts of believers in Christ aren’t consistent with the words of Scripture, Romans 12:4-5.
The concept of regifting refers to giving or handing down something that you don’t need anything or find appealing. Unfortunately, this mentality influences who we love, for how long and the extent to which faith is displayed. Consequently, innocent bystanders are confused by inconsistencies within the church and by those who claim to be Christmas worshipers. Thus, poor examples of regifting Jesus will leave many at home this holiday season.
If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, then the quality of regifting Jesus lies within your heart. Philippians 2:4 suggests that wounded individuals might need to heal before they can begin to successfully impact others for the good. Whatever your current condition is, may you look to the Lord for strength, Philippians 4:13. During these weak moments in life, may the power of the Holy Spirit empower you to regift Jesus in a genuine and loving manner.
When you stop for a moment and take a look at what’s really going on in the world around us, its head scratching. Students killing or sleeping with teachers? The glorification of abortion, giving woman who are pregnant the legal right to destroy human life? Lying as a religious practice to deceive curious minds about to realize the truth? Copy cat school shootings, seeking 15 minutes of fame? Nudity on public television and in prime time?
The only logical explanation for these bizarre acts is a growing phenomena, known as situational ethics. Instead of maintaining a set of moral absolutes, where there is a clear distinction between right and wrong, situations are now giving individuals other rational choices. Thus, in the heat of the moment or deep within the context of your trial, good excuses for sin can be made. Dictionary’s refer to situational ethics as a system that evaluates acts in the context of their circumstances rather than by a set of moral standards.
This concept is nothing new as Jesus indirectly mentions it during a famous sermon found in Matthew 5:21-26. Referencing the 6th commandment, the Lord chooses the word murder, not kill. Thus, in war, killing is acceptable since the situation dictates a kill or be killed mentality. When war breaks out between nations, right and wrong is turned upside down. How then can someone know what is right or what can individuals rely on for a moral compass?
In his book Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis devotes an entire chapter entitled Some Objections. Lewis talks about the Law of Human Nature which states “human beings have a curious idea that they ought to behave in a certain manner guided by their conscience, but despite these inclinations to do the right thing, they do not follow this law, breaking it through deviating behavior. Beside war, the herd instinct, self-preservation and motherly love steers people to take drastic measures based upon the extant of the storm or situation.
Today, these factors have blinded innocent hearts, naive minds and desperate souls from looking beyond the here and now. With tomorrow hard to reach for many, ethics don’t seem that important as surviving today is the goal. In John 18:33-38, a governor called Pilate called for a private meeting with Jesus. In his heart, Pilate knew Jesus was innocent. In fact, his own wife had a dream telling her to warn her husband about Jesus. Although the clear response was in view, the situation urged Pilate’s own sinful nature to do the wrong thing.
Life is like years of trial and error. I’ve spent 44 years getting it wrong day after day. Yeah, the easy thing to do is blame the situation or the hand you’ve been dealt by God. However, the temple within you expects more, 1 Corinthians 6:12-20. May the God above your situation take you to a better place this Christmas season. Reach out to the One who can so you the way, John 14:6.
As Christmas Day approaches, thinking about God; make that slowing down to consider the Lord is a difficult task. Pondering what presents you are going to buy, how much each will cost and when you will make take to find them all can be exhausting. Thus, tithing back to God or offering your talents to the church often get’s lost in the holiday rush.
While reading the Bible recently, traces of giving back to God are interspersed within the Pentateuch, another name for the first 5 books of the Old Testament. In the back of my mind, I want to give 10 % or the first portion of my paycheck back to God, yet a lack of a faith is preventing me from experiencing supernatural blessings. If only I would trust God to provide daily bread, then the storehouses of heaven might open.
Perhaps this is why the apostle Paul wrote, “the things I don’t want to do I do, but those I hate I do, ” Romans 7:15. This invisible force field prevents genuine believers from a spiritual breakthrough. Alone, on my own strength, I am hopeless, destined for failure, Romans 3:23. However, by grace, through faith, stands a God of second, third and fourth chances, Ephesians 2:8-10. May this promise catapult you to new heights as you remember to give God what is rightfully His, your first fruits, Romans 7:4.
Beginning December 1st, I will only witness the sun on Sunday’s over the next 3 weeks leading up to Christmas. As the peak shopping season has commenced, I am planning to spend 18 of the next 21 days at work, from sunup to sundown. Since my shift starts at 7am and goes until 5:30 pm, the sun doesn’t rise before I arrive and has set well before my ride home. While there are plenty of lights inside, for now making enough money to survive is of vital importance.
At least for one month, I can relate to the schedule Moses kept during Israel’s 40 year trek in the wilderness, prior to experiencing the promised land, Exodus 18:13-14. That is until Jethro, a concerned father in law, intervened, providing Moses with a plan to elevate his stress level. Although I will miss several opportunities for fun in the sun, the bigger picture is etched in my mind. Despite the exhaustion and pain my body will endure, a large paycheck will make Christmas that much more merrier, knowing I will have the funds to pay off most of our bills.
As a child, I went to sleep every night listening to Here Comes the Sun by the Beattles off their Abbey Road album. Before the days of itunes, mp3 players, CD’s and cassettes, all I had was a hand me down record player with an 8 track deck. It wasn’t much, but I treasured this possession, taking good care of it for nearly 20 years until I could afford to buy a new stereo. Thus, I had a tradition, when the sun set and my lights went out, I maneuvered the needle just in the right place, listened to the dust, occasionally making a skipping sound and feel asleep dreaming of another day of the sun rising over the ocean. In this Christmas season, may the sun shine bright on your life and family.
According to a 2012 article at The Week Magazine, Friedhelm Hillebrand is credited with the initial concept of texting. In 1984 Hillebrand recognized most of the information he wanted to convey could be condensed to 160 characters, serving as the limit for early text messages. Eight years later, Neil Papworth sent a good friend the first SMS message to express “Merry Christmas.” Since this pioneer revolutionized the way people communicate 21 years ago, society has never been the same.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkpWk8FJsys
Today, young people prefer to use their fingers than pick up the phone. In fact, to avoid confrontation, adults now use Facebook, texting or Twitter to replace face to face encounters. Though texting is a convenient and efficient means of communication, it should be no way replace one on one conversations. God designed human beings to be relational creatures, interacting with one another. However, I am afraid that future technology will continue to disconnect individuals from forming permanent meaningful lasting relationships.
Like most Monday mornings, I drove to Star Bucks to meet a close friend and former colleague. While not every conversation is life altering, there is something special about sharing your burdens, good news and relating past events to current situations. Pouring out my soul and spilling my guts has established a tight bond of fellowship, rare in the fast paced life style on the East Coast. If you ever feel like you’re missing something, void of a missing ingredient, its probably because you don’t have enough one on one conversations. Reach out today to a friend from the past or present, making room on your calender, to connect with another soul one on one.
Regardless of how intelligent or talented you are, everyone goes through periods of slumps, where you are not as productive as usual. The baseball player can’t get buy a hit. The running back can’t seem to hold on to the ball anymore. The jump shooter turns into a brick layer and the goalie treats each opponent like its Christmas. Likewise, the doctor struggles to diagnose a cold, the engineer wrestles to find a quick solution and the teacher babbles away period after period. When these circumstances find you, what’s the missing answer, ingredient or piece to your dilemma?
Deep within the pages of the Bible, I think I have unearthed a principle that might just be the missing link. In Acts 16:22-24, Paul, Silas and Luke find themselves in an awkward predicament, imprisoned for freeing a slave girl. Instead of arguing, bickering and complaining, somehow they are led to fulfill the words of Psalm 150. Embracing their situation, Paul and Silas begin a worship service in prison. This spirit of praise moves God to unleash a violent earthquake, likely 6.0 or higher on the Richter scale. This natural disaster opens a door for ministry, setting the scene for a spiritual breakthrough.
From a personal perspective, I think I have become too worldly to experience a Pauline like miracle. However, if I dedicated myself to fasting, prayer and worship, opportunities to share my faith would be plentiful. Like losing weight, the only remaining question is, do you have the discipline and will power to change. The apostle Paul went to extreme measures to insure a Christ-like behavior in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27. Therefore, if a slump resides in your soul, struggling to find meaning and purpose in life, why not apply Psalm 150:6. Maybe this is the only thing preventing you from getting over the hump. May this be the last piece you are searching for.
When I was a child, schools did not have many national holidays. Sure, I would miss days for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter break, but once school began in the fall, days off were few and far between. In recent days, political correctness has added several new holiday days and theme weeks for educators to shape the minds of children. Unfortunately, facts and history are being replaced by ideology, liberal philosophies and unproven theories.
As Earth Week began yesterday, Monday 22nd, going green will be shoved down the throats of all those who watch television the next 7 days. I am not saying that I am against this movement, as the days of using rivers and streams as dumping areas is disappearing. Nor are their any river fires like the 5 which occurred on the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, the last of which made national headlines in the early 1970’s. My point is that the only thing individuals can really control their own life by being good stewards of those possessions God has bestowed upon them.
Well, since the media appears to have control the annual dates of days and themes, I want to declare April 29th-May 5th, Faith Week. When I studied the Great Awakening in seminary, I was shocked by the moral decay of America in the 1790’s. Societal patterns which existed in the late 1790’s are similar to those which exist in today’s colleges and universities. Yet, when I few Christians began to meet together in a concert of prayer, another Pentecost occurred Acts 5:31. If the church rises up, united in prayer, maybe another Great Awakening is around the corner. As for now, follow in the footsteps of the apostles, 1 Thessalonians 4:1-2.
When I visit my parents over Christmas, my viewing habits usually change, watching a show that one of my sisters, mom or dad enjoys. On an evening several years ago, my older sister and I began watching an A&E marathon of Cold Case Files. Though intrigued by the technology, nothing in the first few episodes grabbed my attention. As I was about to call it a night, a quote from a detective from California blew my mind; stating emphatically, “yeah, demonic forces are behind many of the serial rapist and killers in our state!”
The context of this statement was in reference to a confession made by a serial rapist and murderer who had recently been detained by police. According to this man, when he was 13, he was seduced by a demon in a dream. After many reoccurring dreams, he began to follow a voice in his head to first rape females; then over time kill women after raping them. Instead of saying the devil made him do it, he said, “a succubus made me do!” In the awkwardness of the moment, my sister and I looked at each other thinking, I can’t believe that’s real! At the conclusion of this case, I ran down stairs, entering my parents’ computer room to prove this non-sense wrong. What I found, changed my perspective on the spiritual realm.
Like the latest State Farm Commercial, you have to be careful about the sites and sources you reference and research on the internet. Places like Wikipedia, Urban Dictionary and Occult websites can cloud your judgment as well as fill your minds with unwholesome images. The Meriam-Webster dictionary gives the most accurate account revealing Incubus as male demons who tempt woman into having sex when they sleep and Succubus as female demons who tempt men when they sleep. However, I wanted to go deeper than a definition to see if there were any case studies or real life encounters that appeared credible. In my initial search, I discovered 3 with historical documentation. My findings suggest what some law enforcement officers already believe; there is a direct correlation between demonic forces and violent crimes like rape and murder.
Over my 29 years as a Christian, its clear there are several topics considered taboo for churches to address from the pulpit. According to Dr. James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family Ministries, roughly 25 % of all pastors in America, struggle with some form of pornography. If one of these men or women tried to speak out by confessing their sin, most if not all would have their positions terminated. Thus, sexual issues like Incubus and Succubus are never mentioned, swept under the rug with all the other controversial issues. I’m not a biblical scholar nor do I claim to be one, yet it appears Incubus and Succubus fall under the category of spiritual forces of evil mentioned in Ephesians 6:12. My objective for this piece is not too promote panic each time you go to bed. Rather, I want each person to be armed with the power of God’s Word, the Bible, so that you will successfully take your thoughts captive as you sleep, 2 Corinthians 10:3-5. Remember the promise of 1 John 4:4, “Greater is He who is in you than is he who is in the world!”
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