Christmas Amusings

So less than a week before Christmas, and I find myself thinking of the last few such holidays.

A couple of years ago that I woke up on Christmas morning, but instead of unwrapping gifts, I unwrapped my intestines. That is, I got down on my knees and bowed before the porcelain god and puked, yakked or whatever your favorite term may be right in the toilet. (Don't worry, this isn't a lesson in not worshipping false gods, because the porcelain god is not worth the effort, trust me.)

In some ways I was like Ebenezer Scrooge, visited by the ghosts of Christmas breakfast, lunch and dinner past. And when I was through, I was changed because if any man ever wanted to keep his Christmas ham well, it was me.

Well, by the time the next Christmas rolled around, I no longer gave that dreadful experience much thought. But my daughter did. She mentioned it on Christmas Eve, concerned that Daddy not be sick this Christmas. I assured her I would not be (then thought carefully before I ate anything else, lest I be made a liar) and the holiday proceeded as it should have.

But the point was well-made. For all the hoopla and the hype that surrounds Christmas, it's easy to take the entire celebration for granted. As a matter of fact, we may sometimes make ourselves sick on all the sweets that accompany the season both literally and figuratively -- i.e.: shopping, Santa, pageants and presents.

But what we really need to do is appreciate the gift of it simply being Christmas -- the chance to celebrate Jesus' birthday, to celebrate his gift to us and to reciprocate by giving Him the gift of our lives. No tree necessary, no lights required, just us and God.

Because there's nothing greater than his presence being in us -- even if our last meal is not!

The Social Network

In this age of new technology and information overload, it sometimes seems like the Gospel story is stuck in a time capsule. ... If you want your dose of old-time religion, go dig it up from under that tree out back.

But that's not how Jesus shared the most important message in the Universe, and it shouldn't be how we do things either. Jesus showed up where the people were from that first miracle at the wedding in Cana to the woman at the well to the triumphal entry. And he presented his message with a twist, so much so that the church elders of the day (i.e. - Pharisees and Sadducees) wanted to choke the life out of him ... literally. He taught the Scriptures, but in a personal way. He presented salvation, often with a parable or allegory.

Well, in their own way, that's what the folks in charge of The Natwivity are doing. They are using the social network of Twitter to re-tell the Christmas Story. Not the one with the Red Ryder BB gun and the kid with his tongue stuck to the flag pole, but the original Christmas Story of Mary and Joseph, the shepherds and the wise men, and don't forget ol' Herod.

Even if you're not a Twitterer, just visit this link to ready what is being done. The most recent tweets are at the top, so scroll all the way down the page if you want to start at the beginning.

The story is being told from the viewpoint of the various characters, tweet by tweet. It's creative, it's fresh and it's a tale 2,000 years old that doesn't sound like it. Who says evangelism has to be boring?

A Song for Christmas

One of my guilty pleasures in the month of December is hauling out those Christmas CDs, or downloads, and enjoying some cheesy, schmaltzy and moving tunes.

The song for which I posted the video below -- Hero, by Abandon -- doesn't quite fit the classic Christmas song mode. Well, as you will see, it seems a bit more Easter. But when I listen, I hear Christmas.

I hear the Christmas spirit in Jesus' every move. We needed a hero, a Savior, and he's the only one that fit the bill. Giving of oneself is Christmas in a nutshell.

Back to the Rock

After the last week, I know I could use something more fun, and I'll assume that's true of you the faithful reader as well.

So I embedded this YouTube video of the classic Christian rock band Petra, performing on the Beat the System tour, which would eventually become the Captured in Time and Space video/live album. This was before CDs and DVDs you know?

Watching lead singer Greg X. Volz reminded me of the time, a few years after this, while he was touring solo, that he was the feature act at youth camp. One year at youth camp, we got this fresh new act with their first album out called DC Talk. Another year, it was the legendary Volz doing the solo struggle.

Well, Volz was good, as you might expect, though nobody was dancing like they were with DC Talk -- 'round, round, spinning round, round.'

But I have always remembered less about his music and more about him playing frisbee football with us ... He might have had a second career there!

Anyway, in case you haven't heard, Greg X. Volz, Bob Hartman, Louie Weaver, Mark Kelly and John Lawry have reunited, are releasing a CD, going on tour and doing a live TBN show on Nov. 20.

The disc -- Back to the Rock -- are newly recorded versions of classic Petra songs with two new ones mixed in. The track listing is as follows: Adonai, Angel of Light, Back To The Rock, Bema Seat, Clean, Godpleaser, Grave Robber, Let Everything That Hath Breath (PraiseThe Lord), More Power To Ya, Rose Colored Stained Glass Windows, Too Big To Fail, Second Wind. So enjoy the nostalgia.

Freak out

Remember when you were a kid, and you tried to wrap your mind around the idea of forever? Come on, admit it, I know I wasn't the only one who found trying to grasp that idea simply ended up making you freak out.

It wasn't that there was anything all that horrible about forever. Most of the time, it was on the heels of a church discussion about living forever in heaven. Sounds good, but when you can't grasp something, that means you're not in control, hence the freak out.

A lot of years have passed, and you and I both probably found ourselves with little time to contemplate such mysterious ideas as forever. But that doesn't mean the things we do contemplate don't bring about the inevitable feelings that we're not in control.


The outgoing bills are more than the income ... freak out.

The tasks at work take more time than the 40 hours you are allotted ... freak out.

Seeking health care requires choosing an option with no guarantees of success ... freak out.

That's where I find myself this week, and not for the first time. I'm sure you can relate. But the one command I just can't find in the Bible is: Thou shalt freak out.

No, it's the complete opposite. The exact phrase "do not be afraid" appears approximately 70 times in the Bible, so I wouldn't call that a license to freak out.

Instead, Proverbs 3:5 offers a simple concise alternative: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding."

And Matthew 6:33-34: "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

Ahhh, guess that means trying to figure out forever will have to wait until eternity.

Walking Dead: Getting rid of the zombies

Zombies are suddenly popular again, though they've got some catching up to do with the recent spate of vampire books, movies and TV shows.

Most recently, the new show "The Walking Dead" -- based on a comic book series -- is a story of an apocalyptic event where zombies suddenly take over the United States. As usual, that means mindless, flesh-eating, back-from-the-dead creatures who must be shot or beaten in the head to be stopped.


So what in the world does that have to do with this blog?

Well, as I was watching the premiere episode of this new show, it occurred to me the spiritual parallels that can be drawn from the world of zombies -- and I'm not just talking about zombies being rooted in voodoo.

In "The Walking Dead" the show's central character, a sheriff's deputy, is injured in a shootout on the job and enters the hospital in a coma. When he awakes, it's zombie apocalypse. He is searching for his family and friends, anyone still living and breathing.

It kind of reminded me of a Noah or an Abraham in the Old Testament, people who suddenly found themselves surrounded by bushels of sinners and non-believers.

And that's what really stood out -- sin. Sin makes us all the walking dead. It makes us selfish, mindless of anyone but ourselves. And sin craves the taste of human flesh -- kind of like 1 John 2:16:

"For everything in the world — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life — comes not from the Father but from the world."

And if sin even takes one little bite out of us, it can destroy us -- just as one bite from a zombie infects the previously uninfected.

However, the spiritual cure is less dire than a bullet to the brain. Instead we must fill our mind, yea, even our heart with the Word of God -- after all, it is sharper than a two-edged sword as Hebrews 4:12 says:

"For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."

So take heed of the zombies that surround you and the zombie-like infection sin can bring, and give it a beating with the Bible.

Finding the blog ... and forgiveness, Part II

Well, apparently I took so long finding forgiveness, that I lost my way back to this blog at some point as well.

Hope you'll forgive me!

When last I left whatever readers may be left out there, I was talking about expressions of forgiveness, particularly as it related to others.

To shift gears a bit here, lo these many months later, I think that it may be even more difficult to forgive ourselves.

See, when we forgive others, the job is made easier in knowing that it is they that are guilty of wrong doing.

But when it's us that is the transgressor -- dare I say more plainly sinner? -- things are different. We may ask God for forgiveness, we may ask others for forgiveness, but always lurking in the backs of our minds and the corners of our hearts, is that guilt. Guilt that tells us, 'Look what you did, look what you are capable of, look at what you might do again.'

So how do we get past that? How do we find the peace that sometimes eludes us when our head hits the pillow at night?

Let's look at the example of Peter. Simon Peter, the rock upon whom Christ built his church, likely had a far more difficult time forgiving himself after Jesus' death than anyone outside the home of Pontius Pilate. Denying someone three times will do that to you, you know?



But in John 21, we read how Jesus "reinstated" Peter, or you might say, how Jesus helped Peter forgive himself. Staring in verse 15 and continuing to verse 17:

"When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, 'Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?'
'Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you.'
Jesus said, 'Feed my lambs.'

Again Jesus said, 'Simon son of John, do you truly love me?'
He answered, 'Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.'
Jesus said, 'Take care of my sheep.'

The third time he said to him, 'Simon son of John, do you love me?'
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, 'Do you love me?' He said, 'Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.'
Jesus said, 'Feed my sheep ...'"

So how did this episode help Peter transform himself from a disappointed fool to a faithful follower?

First, Jesus asked Peter to affirm his commitment, three times over. When you realize you're committed to something, it's hard to let past failures slow you down.

Second, Jesus gave Peter responsibility. Feed my lambs, take care of my sheep, feed my sheep. There's no better way to get over what you didn't do than to focus on what you will do.

Third, Jesus never brought up the past. Psalm 103:12 says "as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us." Peter was already forgiven in Jesus' eyes, he just needed to be reminded that if God was over it, then he could be too.

Think it over and come back soon. I won't wait another three months to post again!