Part of Our Christmas Celebration

When Hannah was younger she told me that she wanted to be a 'cooker'. At first I thought that meant a chef, but after some interrogation I realized that she wanted to be a baker! (Now she wants to be a teacher.)

Here is a shot of Hannah displaying the birthday cake that she and Jennie made for Jesus on Christmas eve. Hannah decorated the cake!

The cake was part of our celebration/remembrance of Jesus leaving heaven and coming to earth as a baby for our benefit.

The Bible says that Jesus ...

'... came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name ...' (John 1: 11-12)

Lessons From Clark W. Griswold - Episode 4 - Fried Pussycat

One of the great characters in the movie Christmas Vacation (not for the kids) is the elderly and absent minded Aunt who comes to visit the Griswolds on Christmas Eve. Clark's confused aunt arrives at the reunion bearing gifts, but instead of bringing gold, frankincense, and myrrh she's wrapped a jello mold in one box and her cat in another.

The cat, another agent in the plot to ruin Clark's perfectly planned Christmas, gets a hold of the Christmas tree lights and starts chewing on the plugged in cord. Since cat saliva is a conductor of electricity the critter goes up in a cloud of smoke and the evidence is burned into the carpet, garnished with toasted cat fur. Clark's cousin Eddie sums up the tragedy when, with a smirk on his face, he says 'that's one fried pussycat'.

During the closing credits of Christmas Vacation you don't see the disclaimer 'no cats were harmed in the filming of this movie'. I attribute this to the fact that Christmas Vacation is an older move, filmed prior to the advent of today's animal sensitivity.

The smoking carpet reminds me of a conversation that I had several years ago with a junior high student. She was expressing anger at the use of lab animals for testing during the development of prescription drugs. It amazes me how many folks I meet who are 'softies' for animals, speak passionately about their protection, and yet never express any concern about the thousands of abortions that are performed in this country every year.

The Bible says that mankind is special. We are 'created in the image of God' and are given dominion and stewardship over God's creation. The great variety of animals created by God are a testament to His majesty and sense of humor. But it is humans that God has pursued a relationship with, since the beginning of time. Secular intellectuals try to diminish human significance, but the Bible lifts mankind up.

In a prayer written by David, recorded in the Bible, David reflects on the bounty of God's thoughts about us. David says: 'How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand. When I awake, I am still with You.' The hound of heaven loves us, and because we are human, and created in His image, he has a strong love commitment to us. That is why He invites us to into a relationship with Him, so that we can live with Him forever.

Lessons From Clark W. Griswold - Episode 3

In the movie, Christmas Vacation (not for the kids), Clark's extended family reunion is crashed by his obnoxious cousin. The cousin, Eddie, arrives at Clark's house in a beat up old RV with his wife and two small children. Eddie and his family will be staying at Clark's over Christmas but Clark comes to realize that due to Eddie's poor handling of finances no Christmas gifts are prepared for the children on Christmas day.

The soft hearted Clark graciously approaches Eddie for permission to purchase Christmas gifts for the kids. Eddie feigns surprise but then pulls out of his pocket a 'wish list' for his kids, having fully anticipated his cousin's generosity. To top it all off, Eddie says 'and get yourself something really niiiiccee'. The viewer can't help but chuckle at the absurdity of Eddie's proposal, panhandling a relative to purchase a Christmas gift for that relative funded by the relative but 'from' the panhandler!

I recently read a comment in a news magazine where the conservative political movement was prophetically criticised. The critic stated that the natural result of a conservative political philosophy would be selfishness. I can't help but wonder if American liberalism doesn't have the same net effect. The redistribution of wealth from the affluent to the poor isn't generosity. It's kind of like Eddie's Christmas gift to Clark, an act of liberal giving funded by someone else!

That's why the message of Christ is so powerful. Jesus came down to earth and He preached INDIVIDUAL generosity. He said 'give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you'.

He then allowed Himself to be arrested, beaten, and crucified on our behalf. Jesus lived out, by his voluntary death, what He preached, because by dying on the cross in our place, He took on the punishment that we deserve! The hound of heaven only asks that we turn our back on sin and turn our lives over to Christ.

C'mon Guys - It's Time To Give Taco Bell A Second Chance!

This evening I got together with my friend Rus for a trip to Starbucks for a hot beverage and dessert. We got tossed out of the coffee joint at 9:30 p.m. and needed to find a spot to finish part two of our conversation. So we drove by the Taco Bell across the parking lot and noticed that they had late hours. We went in for unlimited soda, nachos smothered with junk, and the possibility of being able to hang out for awhile.

A few weeks ago there was an E. coli outbreak that is believed to have stemmed from lettuce served at Taco Bell restaurants in four northeastern states. According to Taco Bell's website the CDC reported that the contamination of the lettuce "likely occurred before reaching the restaurants". Taco Bell has discarded the food in the affected restaurants and they have been re-sanitized.

Rus and I had a great visit this evening in the Taco Bell where we hung out. The service was prompt, the help friendly, and the snack was a good value. The manager on duty, Eddie, stopped by our table several times for some genial conversation. He was a friendly guy and Rus and I enjoyed the banter. If you've stayed away from Taco Bell for awhile because of the E. coli incident, give them a second chance. You can feed a family of four there for under ten bucks!

Records of the life of Jesus found in the Bible are riddled with accounts of forgiveness, repentance, and second chances. Jesus was criticised by the religious establishment of His day because He hung around with and had dinner with known sinners. Notorious sinners, like Saul of Tarsus and the woman caught in adultery, were later used by God because they had been given a second chance. If you're a sinner in need of a second chance, consider Christ's gracious, open arms. He stands at the door of your life knocking. Won't you pray for forgiveness and ask Christ into your life?

Lessons From Clark W. Griswold - Episode 2 - The Allure of Sin

At the beginning of the Christmas classic, 'Christmas Vacation' (not for the kids), Clark Griswold encounters an obnoxious driver and experiences a bit of road rage. The protagonists are having fun with Clark until he gives them the 'one finger salute', then things get serious. Clark's 'revenge' nearly kills his whole family.

The human foibles present in Christmas Vacation are common to all of us, and, as stated in episode 1, I think that's the appeal of the movie. We can relate to the retaliation via obscene gesture, perfectionism, revenge, over spending, anger, lust, and pride depicted in the movie. It's these human shortcomings that stand between us and the holy, perfect God who created us.

Our reactionary sin stands in contrast to our Creator, who is holy and won't allow sin into His presence. And yet our ability to understand the holiness of God and to realize how we suffer in comparison, is the first step in having a relationship with Him and obtaining His forgiveness. The truth is, we need Jesus, and until we have Him, we are lost! The hound of heaven sent His Son to mend that broken relationship.

Lessons From Clark W. Griswold - Episode 1

One of my favorite Christmas movies, 'Christmas Vacation' (not for the kids), tells the story of Clark Griswold's attempt to create the perfect family Christmas reunion. In one of the movie's subplots Clark sets out to decorate the exterior of the house with Christmas lights. Subconsciously he's getting out of the house to avoid his obnoxious, visiting, extended family members. Deep down inside, though, he wants a beautifully decorated house to enhance their Christmas experience.

The resulting, gaudily decorated house requires Clark's town to fire up the back up nuclear generator in order to supply enough power to feed the thousands of lights.

Clark's noble effort is undermined because he is unaware of a single switch that is holding back power from the lights. His house is covered in lights, but he can't get them to illuminate! Clark loses his temper in front of his family members when he lets out his frustration by beating the crap out of the plastic Santa and reindeer in his front yard.

Eventually the challenge is overcome and the entire family communes in the front yard to enjoy the display. Clark's father-in-law mentions that 'the little tiny lights aren't blinking', but Clark graciously responds with 'I know that Art and thank you for noticing'. Nothing will spoil Clark's victory!

Plausibility is the appeal of Christmas Vacation. When you watch Clark's temper tantrum or notice his desire to please his family members, you can probably relate to a similar experience in your own life. Some of us are 'pleasers'. Some of us are always trying to please someone. Some of us work hard at pleasing God.

Ironically, the Bible says that we please God by trusting Him. It says '... without faith it is impossible to please Him (God) , for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him'. You will never be able to live a life good enough to be pleasing to God, your only hope is to begin trusting Him. You've got to put all of your faith in Jesus, that His voluntary death on the cross, in our place, gives us the ability to have a relationship with the hound of heaven.

Question of the Day - Are you trying to please God or have you put your trust in Him?

(Share your answer by clicking 'comments' below.)

God Uses People - Kay's Empty Cube - Episode 3

It was about 10 years ago that I walked into my new job. I remember the uncomfortable feeling. I was going to be the sole business analyst on a relatively large mainframe software development team. I didn't really even know what a business analyst was and if I would be accepted by the techies who were likely disappointed that I wouldn't be helping out with the pager rotation.

During my initial orientation to the team I was introduced to a very strong 'techie' named Kay. Kay was stuck with the job of giving me a crash course on the mainframe, how to navigate the developers work bench, etc. Kay was an unusual personality in the mainframe development world because of her gracious personality and her willingness to kindly help and serve anyone who needed assistance. The beneficiaries of her help were her teammates and those outside of her team who had questions about her application.

Kay was greatly loved by all of the sane people that I know. She cared for and served people and I know at times that this Christlike attitude may not have propelled her career, as she deserved. But in the end Kay modeled Jesus' attitude and behavior and was obedient to God's desire that we all be gracious to others. In my book, this makes her one of the most successful people I know. Kay retired this month and I will greatly miss interacting with her at work, whether in person or via instant messaging.

Kay modeled the graciousness of Christ who was and is the perfect example of a servant. Christ's sacrificial death on the cross was the ultimate act of servanthood. The hound of heaven sent Jesus to earth to pay the penalty for our sin, in our place. By taking our sin on Himself, he removed the barrier that stands between us and God and now we can have a relationship with Him, if we would only open our lives to Him!

Lessons From Shoe Box Land - Episode 2

Last week I walked into the Operation Christmas Child processing center to begin a four hour shift of wading through the hundreds of thousands of shoe boxes filled with gifts destined for poor children around the globe. We would spend the evening inspecting and cartonizing the gift boxes in preparation for their flight overseas. Hundreds of volunteers were present, working feverishly.

When I saw the sign in sheet my eyes scanned the list of volunteers and the expected duration of their shifts. I was amazed to see that most volunteers had worked eight hours and some as many as ten! Satan took this opportunity to whisper words of condemnation into my ear. 'Only four hours? How lazy are you? That shows how serious you are about sacrificial giving!'

Satan used the opportunity to try to discourage me. He used a weapon that had been successful in the past, the flawed idea that God's love for us is conditional and is based on our performance.

The truth of the matter is that God's love for us is NOT conditional. The hound of heaven loved us so much that He sent His Son to die in our place, in spite of our sin. The Bible says that 'God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us'. (Romans 5:8) Jesus stands at our door and knocks. He is always hoping that we will open the door of our lives to Him.

Lessons From Shoe Box Land - Episode 1

There was a husband and wife who, one Christmas, packed up a shoe box filled with toys and donated it to an international charitable organization who brought the shoe box to poor children in war torn countries around the world. Assembling this gift helped fill the void of being childless for so many years.

Weeks later all the orphans were incredibly excited about the arrival of the Christmas gift shoe boxes from the United States, all of the orphans, that is, except one. As one of the shoe boxes was presented to the young boy he angrily pushed it away. 'I know that the one thing I want most is not in there', he said. What he wanted most was a mom and dad.

The wise volunteer worker grabbed the box and sat in front of the child. He opened it up and started thumbing through the toys inside, showing them to the child. He then pulled out a letter and read it out loud. The letter was from a nice American couple. They spoke a little about themselves, including the fact that for some reason God had allowed them to be childless. The letter included a return address.

A correspondence began, between the couple and the child, that in a few years would lead to their adoption of this young boy and his relocation to the United States.

I first heard this true story about a week ago while crating up hundreds of gift shoe boxes on their way to Columbia, South America at the Operation Christmas Child processing center. The hound of heaven loves us so much that he is willing to do, what may seem impossible to us, in order to execute His plan of redemption and salvation.

It is a miracle that the holy Creator of the universe is willing to look past our sins and call us His children, if we are simply willing to pray to Him and say: 'I'm a sinner, please forgive me, I believe that your death on the cross was sufficient to restore my broken relationship with You. I give You my life.'

God Uses People - Miss Teressa - Episode 2

My kids love our family friend, who we call Miss Teressa (pictured with cowboy hat). Whenever she sees them she has a big smile, hugs them, and says 'here are my boys' or 'here is my Hannah'. She is one of those people that I think every human should have, a personal cheerleader.

Miss Teressa loves my children and ministers to other children who have disabilities. Her vehicle is a horseback riding program, called 'Kids Rein', which she uses to stimulate and develop children with special needs.

God uses all sorts of people to further His kingdom. And when God decided to develop his plan for the salvation of the world He choose to send His Son, Jesus, to live on earth ... as a person!

The Bible says: 'We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.' (1 John 4:14 15)

http://www.kidsrein.com

A Dangerous Christmas

I'll never forget the Christmas season seven years ago when my son Joshua was 3. I was sitting at work, feverishly pounding away on my computer, when my wife called. 'You'll never believe what happened', she said.

In spite of repeated 'hands off' warnings, Joshua had taken a breakable Christmas bulb off the tree and had dropped it on the brick fireplace. The bulb was in about 100 sharp pieces and my son's curiosity lead to a bloody finger and an irate wife.

This led to a firmer 'look don't touch' policy with our Christmas tree! It also led to grandma's purchase of a kids' tree with non-breakable kids' ornaments. This would be a tree that the kids could embrace ... literally.

Until we had implemented the alternate Christmas tree, Joshua was faced with the unpleasant prospect of not being able to physically bond with the Christmas tree. If he had observed the ornaments instead of playing with them, we would not have had to place a force field around the tree!

Christmas is all about God's Son coming down to earth, being born as a human baby, and taking the punishment we deserve for our sins by dying on the cross in our place. In this manner the hound of heaven sent Jesus down to earth to fix our sin problem. If we believe that Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross was sufficient to reconcile us to God, then we are His children!

Eating Spider Webs

Each morning my 8 year old daughter and I go out the back door, onto our deck, down the stairs to the yard, along the side yard, and into the car. I bring her to school each morning and then head into the office.

At the beginning of the school year this year I wondered why each morning, as soon as we got out onto the back deck, my daughter stepped aside and insisted that I go first. After 3 or 4 days my curiosity got the best of me so once in the car I asked her what was up.

Hannah explained to me that on the first few mornings that we had made our trek to the car, she walked through spider webs. The first time it was horrible. The second time she had definitely learned her lesson. After that I was to plow the way for her! I don't mind. I'm her dad and she's my cute little girl. We all would do anything for those we love.

Jesus also loves us sacrificially. He was willing to leave His heavenly kingdom and to thrust Himself into a horribly unpleasant and painful situation for us. The hound of heaven sent His only Son, Jesus, to take the sin punishment that we deserve. The Bible says: 'Christ died for our sins ... and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day...' (1 Corinthians 15:3-4) Jesus died for us so that we could be forgiven. What will your response be to His act of selflessness?

God Uses People - My Brother Goob - Episode 1

It was in rustic cabin one at Camp Tispaquin that I sat with my camp counselor and prayed to ask Jesus to come into my life. As a first grader I had no idea of the ramifications of this milestone day of faith in Christ.

But my older brother Goob (pictured right), the sports director at the camp, sure did. On my first day back home after camp he burst into my bedroom and shared his excitement about my decision for Jesus.

This began a 12 year period where the hound of heaven used my brother to teach me what it meant to have a relationship with Jesus Christ. This involved road trips where he drove and instructed me to read portions of Scripture and loving admonitions when I too closely adopted sinful behavior. But mostly it was an extended period of time when my brother just reflected the love of Christ by spending quality time with me, loving and encouraging me.

I Want My Mommy

This is me, in a tent, at age 12! I'll never forget this summer. I'd signed up for a two month mission trip. A huge bus picked me and a bunch of teenagers up in Hartford, Connecticut. They drove us down to Merritt Island, Florida for two weeks of training at a mosquito infested boot camp. I'd been away from my family for a week at the most but this was my first full summer away from home.

When I arrived at boot camp I was assigned a tent with three other teenage guys. I'll never forget that first night laying in my sleeping bag in the dark. My 'tent mates' were joking around and talking but I was nearly in tears. I wanted my mommy! I felt scared and lonely.

But I was not alone! The Bible says that the hound of heaven is with us all the time and knows us all intimately. Check out this prayer recorded in Psalms 139: 'O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, And are intimately acquainted with all my ways.'

God is interested in you and wants to have a relationship with you. He loves you but your sin stands between you and Him. Confess that sin and turn your life over to Jesus. Get to know God. He knows and loves you!

We're All Messed Up!

I'm very sensitive to poison ivy. If I get within a mile of it I'm sure to be itchy within two days. They've got that stuff now that you can 'apply before exposure' but I'm too lazy to run down to the drug store to buy it. Worst of all, I can't help but scratch the stuff once I break out. I know it's a horrible thing to do. A couple of years ago I was scratching the poison ivy on my leg and ended up with an infection. My doctor was very upset and put me on antibiotics.

In some ways the way we relate to sin is different. While different folks have varying degrees of sensitivity to poison ivy, we are ALL sensitive to sin. We all face temptation and we all, at one time or another, choose a path contrary to God's will.

Much like our reaction to poison ivy, however, we all have a predisposition to do the wrong thing and scratch! That's why Jesus, when teaching his disciples about prayer, told them to pray that they would not be led into temptation. The Bible says that 'all have sinned'. It also says that at salvation that sin problem can fixed. 'If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.' (1 John 1:9)

We're all messed up! But the hound of heaven is faithful and will allow us into a relationship with Him, if we are willing to admit to our sins and ask for forgiveness.

Choices, Choices!

My kids lead a carefree and happy-go-lucky life so I got a kick out of the amount of care and time they took in picking out pumpkins from the pumpkin patch this year.

It's amazing to me how often we adults let circumstances and pressures dictate to us how we spend our time. If we would only take as much care in deciding how we spend our time as my children spent in finding the perfect pumpkin!

We so often get distracted by unimportant things. In the Bible the writer of Luke describes a visit that Jesus made to the home of some friends. One host, Martha, frantically spent all of her time preparing the meal. The other host, Mary, soaked up Jesus' company. Luke records that Mary 'was seated at the Lord's feet, listening to His word'. When Martha griped to Jesus about Mary's lack of assistance Jesus, instead, praised Mary for choosing what's best.

The hound of heaven wants nothing more than to have an intimate relationship with us. We can begin that relationship by opening up our lives to Christ.

Believe or Balony? - Time Flys! - Episode 3

At the recent Veterans Day parade in our city I especially enjoyed the parade of antique cars driving by. That was until I saw this car that reminded me of my friend Lance's car from high school. I have fond memories of cruising around in Lance's cool car. But surely it's not an antique! Antiques are the cars that my dad and grand dad drove around in. Not me! Am I already of the 'antique generation'?!

On The Table: The older you get, the faster time seems to fly.

Believe! In a prayer recorded in the Bible the writer says: 'Behold, You (God) have made my days as handbreadths, And my lifetime as nothing in Your sight; Surely every man at his best is a mere breath.' (Psalm 39: 5)

Life Hound Principle: The hound of heaven wants to have a relationship with us. We need to respond to his invitation before it's too late! The Bible says: 'Seek the LORD while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near.' (Isaiah 55:6)

Believe or Balony? - Never Safe - Episode 2

So I've got this OTHER friend. He was raised in the church. He's a good guy and sincerely tried to do everything that he was told to do by the church. And he was fairly successful at it. He was your perfect parishioner! But his church never taught about having a right relationship with God. They never taught how a person could have assurance that he is forgiven and that he is a child of God. So in spite of my friend's noble efforts he lived a life of fear and uncertainty!

On The Table: All we can do is our best. We do the best we can to follow the teachings of the church and, in the end, hopefully our good works will outweigh our bad works and God will let us into heaven. But you never can be sure.

Baloney! The Bible says: ‘And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.’ (1 John 5: 11-13)

Life Hound Principle: In prayer ask Christ to come into your life and save you. If you do, the Hound of Heaven lovingly grants you eternal life. Then you can KNOW that you have a right standing with God and will spend eternity with Him in heaven!

Believe or Balony? - Near Death - Episode 1

So this friend of mine is high up on the roof of a Habitat for Humanity house. He's nailing down shingles up near the peak when he decides to take a look over the edge down to the ground below. He realizes how high up he is and it starts to scare the crap out of him. When he tells me this story he says: 'I nearly killed myself building that house. After all that, I better make it to heaven!'

On the table: Spending eternity in heaven with God depends on your good works. If you go to church, get confirmed, get baptised, and do good works for the poor, you'll go to heaven.

Baloney! The Bible says: ‘For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.’
(Ephesians 2: 8-9)

Life Hound Principle: Because of His great love for us, God sent His Son Jesus down to earth to die on the cross as punishment for our sins. There is nothing we can do to save ourselves. We will go to heaven only if we trust that Christ's one good work on the cross was sufficient to save us.