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Emmanuel (God with us)

My wife and I were privileged nearly six years ago to have twins, a boy and a girl. We found out seven weeks into my wife’s pregnancy that they were twins. It came as a pleasant yet complete surprise! Now we had to prepare ourselves for the eventuality of two babies in the household instead of just one. Two car seats, two stroller seats, double the diapers, the onesies…you get the picture. Eventually when they were born and we brought them home we were prepared thanks in-part to a church baby shower and family! We were blessed to have their support and found that we certainly needed the help along the way! But you the amazing thing about twins regardless if they are identical or fraternal (ours are fraternal)? They do everything together! Our twins are inseparable when it comes to play time and even bed time. Most nights, even if I have placed them in their own beds, I will go into their room and find them fast asleep together in the same bed. They need each other, they are inseparable, and we are blessed by their love and care for each other.

“One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” (Proverbs 18:24)
The notion that God is with us, is staggering. God. Is. With. Us!!! Imagine it for a second, the God of the universe right beside us, fairly insignificant, human being. Yet God loves us so much that Emmanuel is within us, before us, behind us and beside us. It blows my mind! My twins are inseparable. They are lost when one of them becomes sick, which happens from time to time. But the thrive and exist by knowing that their genetic twin is right beside them in this life. I wonder how we would be if we too thrived and existed knowing every moment of every day that God, Emmanuel was right beside us each step of the way? Would the words that we choose be different? Would our confidence levels be any different? Would we treat other people…differently?

God sent His Son into the world – Light into Darkness, so that we could see and be different! God is with us, not just during Christmas but every day of every year that we live on this little blue ball located in His created universe. God. IS. With. Us! If that doesn’t blow you away, nothing will. He is closer than any brother or sister. He wants to be a part of your life. Will you make that step in acknowledging Him today, if you haven’t already? If you have taken that step, perhaps it’s time to reconnect with Emmanuel. Perhaps it’s time to utter the words: “I need Thee oh I need Thee, every hour I need Thee, O bless me now my Savior I come to Thee.”

Emmanuel , God is with us…He is with YOU today!

-Just a thought.

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“The Lord has gum and the Shepherds are making S’mores with their socks!”

My favorite misunderstood Christmas lyric for any carol or song this time of year is:  “Joy to the world, the Lord has GUM!”  That’s right Gum!  I’m not sure if it’s Big Red or Spearmint or even Hubba Bubba…but apparently the Lord has gum.   I don’t know about you but when ever someone is around and me they open up a new package of gum, I always ask for a piece.  If the Lord has gum, then I want some!

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Another humorous song that I use to sing as a child is:  “While Shepherd wash their socks by night!”  I always envisioned them huddling around an open fire, the smell of burning wood in the air slowly ascending into the sky and instead of making s’mores they have these giant sticks with already washed socks strapped to them and they are attempting to dry them without burning them.  Steam is hissing and and also quickly giving chase to the smell of the burning wood as the shepherds regale themselves of shepherding stories and emergency rescues gone wrong (insert scary campfire stories here).

You know, you just have to possess a little bit of humor this time of year.  Especially when in traffic or in front of impatient Christmas shoppers intent of running you over!  I hope that we don’t lose our humor in the midst of our celebratory second glass of eggnog and a guilt-ridden nibble of another frosted Christmas sugar cookie.

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Go wash some socks with the Shepherds, and don’t forget to ask the Lord for a piece of His gum!

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A Righteous Brother (and Sister)

Zechariah was in the temple performing his duties as a priest. It was his turn as it was chosen by lots from within his group of priest. It was a sacred honor to perform these responsibilities, yet year after yearI would imagine the responsibility would become mundane or at the very least repetitive. Yet Zechariah was there when it was his turn, but something on this day would change the course of his forever. An angel appeared before him. Can you imagine for a moment working away at your job and then suddenly “poof” someone of the glowing kind is standing in front of you? I’m pretty sure we would all jump with fright and our hearts might pound a little harder in our chests. Zechariah was certainly no different. He was going along in his day and then suddenly he is jolted from his thoughts when the angel appears.

Isn’t it interesting that every account of an Angel visitation or proclamation the people are told by the angels “do not be afraid!” I kind of find that humorous because the Angels almost seem to just show up suddenly and it would certainly shock anyone idly standing there. You’d think perhaps they would ring a bell or have some sort of entrance music…but they just go “poof” and they are there…ok I digress… Zechariah is afraid and he’s so afraid that he falls on his face before the angel Gabriel. An priest of The Lord is shocked when an angel of God appears before him. Let that sink in for a moment. Zechariah wasn’t just a follower of God, he was a priest of God. He had studied the very words of God, he had memorized the Tenach, he was educated on its messages and prophesies. Yet Zechariah was shocked when God’s messenger appears before him. Why? Why would a priest be shocked?

I think we place religious leaders too highly upon these pedestals sometimes. After all, Zechariah was first a man and then because of his education was a priest. Natural instinct took over and his response was…normal. But why Zechariah and Elizabeth? Why did God choose them? Yes I understand the lineage issue, but besides this “blood” connection why them? They were old, they had put the possibilities of being parents to rest long ago. Their hope had died as they aged and grew too old to be parents. Why them? I think within this story there is a single sentence that tells us everything that we need to know about why God chose them: “And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of The Lord.” (Luke 1:6)

They were righteous and walked blamelessly! It had been over four hundred years since a prophet of The Lord or the word of The Lord lived among them. That’s a serious spiritual drought, yet here we have two individuals who were righteous and their walk was blameless. This speaks volumes as to why God chose them, and it should also be a clear indicator as to the kind of people God wants to use to spread His message to the world.

Can we say in all honesty today that we are righteous people? Can we honestly say that our walk is blameless? Are living our lives as God has required of us? The story of Zechariah and Elizabeth is paramount to the story of Christ’s birth. Without the voice crying out in the wilderness who prepared the way of The Lord we would have unfulfilled prophesy. John the Baptist was divinely appointed to do what he did, but so were his parents as those who would train him correctly and be examples of godly lives.

How is your walk today? How is this set-apart relationship that God has placed you in?
May it be our prayer and mission to live righteously before our God each moment of each day.

-Just a thought for today.

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Deserters and Grumblers

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John 6:61-69 (NIV)
“Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you? What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him.”  From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”

Jesus’ words are stuck in my head, “You do not want to leave too, do you?“.  I envision Jesus looking at Simon Peter with drawn face of sadness  and a heavy heart as the dust cloud of the deserters slowly cleared the air.  People Jesus had spent time with, people with whom He had invested Himself in, they were gone and would never return to the fold.  They were AWOL and some where in the minds of the disciples perhaps there was this lingering decision whether or not to follow them.  Many who had heard Jesus teach that day had trouble swallowing the teaching.  They wrestled over His words, which led to the dispersal of some.

Still today, there are those in our churches who come listening for the sweetness of the Word, but run quickly away when its truth finally sinks in.  Pastors are also included in this group.  Every person who encounters the truth of Jesus must face this, and He looks at each of us as the dust is slowly clearing and says, “You do not want to leave too, do you?”  Some of us hesitate, many wishing to walk away also.  Dare I say that there have been days, in which I’m ashamed to admit that I have wrestled over His truths also.  But read again the words of Simon Peter and imagine yourself saying these words to Jesus as well, “”Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”   Can such certainty come from your heart today?  Do you have this assurance in your walk with Him?  It doesn’t matter if you are preaching to a congregation of 5 or 500, is His truth still on your lips, in your words and in your heart today?

Some will walk away from your church because they simply cannot fully commit to Him.  It is just as tragic as the day it happened to Jesus so long ago.  Some, who have been in the pews for years, may one day come to this conclusion as well.  Others, perhaps the light will come on and they will experience a deeper sense of Christ as they take such steps to a deeper faith in Him.  But it matters little whether people hate you and the consistency of Christ in you, remember what Jesus Himself said to his disciples; “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.” (John 15:18)  Be consistent in your faith!  Be persistent in the need for others to receive this faith as well!  Be unrelenting in this love of Christ, even when it comes at the cost of friendships, loved ones, and even fellow pew dwellers.  Don’t be haughty or prideful either with His truths.  Don’t lord it over anyone or feel as if you are better than anyone either.  Remember Christ wants servants to love and to shine, not tyrants and judgmental hypocrites.

Desertions will take place, grumblers will come and go, but remain faithful to Him and declare as Simon Peter once did, “”Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”

-Just an encouraging thought for you today…keep on fighting the good fight!

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My Interview with Nelson Mandela (What I would have liked to ask)

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You know those hypothetical conversations?  Those moments when you imagine what you would say, how you would feel, and how you might interact?  I imagine myself having the distinct honor of interviewing Nelson Mandela, Madiba himself.  Yesterday he passed away at the age of 95.  Twenty seven of those years he lived in prison because of his stand against apartheid.  

I imagine myself being able to sit down with this great and humble man and just taking in his presence.  You know how that is?  When you are in the room with a person who is famous and you just don’t have the right words to express how much they have meant to you, how they have impacted your life, and you are better for having known just a little bit about them…yeah that’s the emotion I have as I enter the room where Nelson Mandela is sitting.  He looks out the window as I find my seat.  Light catches his irises and there is a deep sense of knowing, a deep sense of wisdom.  I’m not placing Madiba on a pedestal here, I just have a deep respect for this man who brokered freedom for the majority of South Africa.  He had his flaws, the ANC party certainly wasn’t above death threats and bombings, but the man, not the party sits before me.  

I have some notes scribbled down on a small spiraled note book in my hand.  I have to clear my throat in order to work up the strength to ask my first round of questions.  I feel immensely intimidated.  Despite his humility, I feel as if I am unworthy to have this opportunity to talk with him.  How does one act in the presence of greatness?  Again, one who has endured so much and accomplished much more, how does one find the adequate words to speak to such a person?   He smiles a reassuring smile, one that encourages me and without words says “It is alright, I understand.”  

In my mind we have a conversation, he is gentle and soft spoken, yet behind his words he is as strong as a lion in the veld.  We laugh together as the tension breaks…and I shed some tears in his re-telling of history.  In my mind this interview reshapes my understanding of South Africa.  In my mind my childhood as a missionary kid in South Africa is altered.  I didn’t fathom the severity of apartheid rule until just now…I knew it to be horrific and wrong as  a child yet never understood its severity.  

But now as unity is prayed for, as we all mourn in Madiba’s passing…a great man has passed from the shadow of this earth and in his wake we are left hoping that tomorrow will be better because of his impact on our yesterdays.  Sleep well Madiba, I pray one day to be able to sit down with you in Eternity and finally have that interview that I have rehearsed in my mind.  Words cannot express how deeply you have impacted me, nor the vacancy your passing has left in the lives of South Africa and others around the world.   

“I have walked that long road to freedom. I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the way. But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb. I have taken a moment here to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me, to look back on the distance I have come. But I can only rest for a moment, for with freedom come responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk is not ended.” ― Nelson Mandela

 

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An Army Engaged in Battle!

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I was having a conversation with a person the other day about what I do (I’m a pastor/officer with The Salvation Army).  In the midst of our conversation she told me that recently The Salvation Army was featured on a trivia show.  They were the answer to this question:  What is the only Army in the world that has never fought a battle.  This revelation kind of caught me off guard.  Of course I understood the connotation – a physical battle, but I thought to myself in a very real, practical/spiritual sense how wrong they truly were.  The Salvation Army was formed for just the purpose of engaging an enemy that has ravaged this wretched world since the fall of Adam and Eve.  We are at War!!  The public may not know this, but we are engaged in the front lines of spiritual warfare every day.  Sometimes I fear perhaps even some of our Soldiers and (dare I say) Officers don’t know this.   

We must continue to be an Army that is engaged in this battle daily!  Do falter or to fall is not an option!  Ephesians 6:12 says this:  “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.“

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There is a very real spiritual adversary that holds many sinners captive still today.  Many people are bound by all kinds of addictions, perversions and entanglements that they cannot break.  Who can save them?  We alone certainly do not possess the strength, nor the power to free them, but girded with the full armor of God, this Army of Salvation can still be vital and effective!   We never stand alone in the midst of the fray, we carry the banner of Christ with us and the Holy Spirit is our ammunition and power!  

So how must we begin?  We begin on our knees in penitence before the Almighty!  We seek His power, His guidance, and His direction.  Only when we have been thoroughly equipped through our conversations with the Father can we then get up and fight on.  Without these necessary daily, even moment by moment conversations with the Father we will not continue to stand against the father of lies.  

Dear fellow Christ-followers and Soldiers of the Army, we cannot simply wear the uniform and pretend to be engaged, we must actively fight for the salvation of other lost souls in our communities and even in our own homes!  Without active soldiers and officers who are willing to fight and willing to boldly stand up, this cause will surely falter and fail.  We don’t need casual partakers or bench warmers, but we need active participants who will stand in the gap for the hurting, the tired, the poor, the wretched and the lost!  This battle for the lost is not over!  It certainly did not end when our Founders were promoted to glory, nor will it end when we grow old and one day meet Jesus face to face!  But in the here and now, in our small corners of the world, there is still a battle cry to be heard!  There is still a fight to be waged!  There is still lost souls to be saved!  Who will go?  Who will serve?  Who will fight on and answer the cries of the broken and the shattered?  May we all hear the cries, but more importantly, may we all hear God’s calling for us to take our stands and to reach out a helping hand to poor souls still drowning in the depths of sin.  

I’m reminded of this Battle Song: 

#718 in the Red Song Book –

Fight the good fight with all thy might,

Christ is thy strength, and Christ thy right;

Lay hold on life, and it shall be

Thy joy and crown eternally.

Run the straight race through God’s good grace

 

2.

Run the straight race through God’s good grace,

Lift up thine eyes and seek his face;

Life with its way before us lies,

Christ is the path, and Christ the prize.

Cast care aside, lean on thy guide

 

3.

Cast care aside, lean on thy guide,

His boundless mercy will provide;

Lean, and the trusting soul shall prove

Christ is thy life, and Christ thy love.

Faint not, nor fear, his arms are near

 

4.

Faint not, nor fear, his arms are near,

He changeth not, and thou art dear;

Only believe, and thou shalt see

That Christ is all in all to thee.

John Samuel Bewley Monsell (1811-75)

 

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Thanksgiving Contest Winners Announced:

Okay, the delay is now over, and with bated breath I am pleased to announce our first annual Thanksgiving Creative arts contest winners!  All three winners will receive a bag of Starbucks coffee!   I am sure all of you have been anxiously, collectively, nail-bitingly holding your breath for this announcement, so without further adieu:  Here are the contest winners and below please find their submissions, which they so kindly and thoughtfully submitted.  They are not in any specific order or placement, but rather as I chose them.  Thank you all for participating in this first annual event, there will certainly be more to come so stay tuned!  

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1) Rebecca Tekautz

“Give Thanks” 

Give Thanks

 

My friend begins singing Christmas carols and the shopping mall is a cacophony of twinkling lights, Santa, and gift displays. It is October.

 

“Respect the turkey!” I say firmly to my friend and to the world in general. I have a rule: No Christmas music until the day after Thanksgiving. I am not a scrooge. I am not anti-Christmas. I am simply pro-Thanksgiving.  I cringe as I watch the spectacle of Christmas encroach upon the season of thanks.

 

I am not the first to note the contradiction in the biggest shopping day of the year coming immediately after the day we give thanks for what we already have. Or that our eagerness for the best deals is resulting in more and more stores opening their doors on Thanksgiving day. We’re turning Thanksgiving into “Thanks, I’ll take it!”

 

The breath we take to give thanks is being suffocated by our cry for more. We are creatures of infinite want. There is always more. More to accomplish, more to do, more to have.

 

Thanks requires stopping, becoming still and noticing that which we already have. But we are much more comfortable in moving, seeking, finding the new and the better. It’s no wonder, in a culture that spends billions and billions of dollars annually in advertising to show us the latest “new and better,” that we easily buy into the lie that more will make us happy. It is the hallmark of advertising: This is it. This is what you have been searching for. This is the thing that will fill the void at last. 

 

Our searching is spilling into our season of stopping. Stopping to take a breath, to look around at the blessings we have, recognizing that enough is already here. More stuff will not fill up the void. More stuff is only a distraction from our deepest need. Finite things can never fill the space that was meant for an infinite love.

 

As we enter the holiday season, let’s stop and remember that this is the season of Infinite Love coming to earth. There is nothing more we need. God’s Best has already come to fill up the void. Before we get swept up in the joyful season of gift-giving, let us first stop and offer our thanks for all the gifts He has given us. Let’s not let the rushing of the wants crowd out the moments to stop and offer thanks. As Psalm 136 declares over and over, “Give thanks. . .His love endures forever!”

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2) Jeff Carter: “Sunlight in the Apple Tree” 

http://thatjeffcarterwashere.blogspot.com

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3) Kaitlin Shadle 

http://www.kaitlinshadle.com

“”Give thanks to the Lord for He is good. His love endures forever!”

 

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Re-birth from the shattered (A Poem)

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Innocently, our mystery and providence 

brakes the stranglehold upon this confidence

and as the attempt to grasp a hold of it 

we lose our grip, it slips as does our wit. 

 

And all we can reclaim are the broken bits

shattered and jagged are all that we get

we slice our fingers until they bleed 

picking up the things that we thought we’d need. 

 

Yet on our knees with all of this mess

contrite, we fight this  need to confess

yet it bites at our heels and pulls us still

discarding the shattered and hopes that will kill.

 

A light to our sight is cast in our night

it scatters our fears and increases our fight

it charges our hope, the need to be free

lifting our burdens and making us see

 

That death to the body is not death to the soul

there is a Savior who is making us whole.

We might be weak but He will be strong 

lifting our burdens, and righting the wrong.

 

Find strength dear sinner, find it today

we aren’t alone even when in this fray

Though we are broken and tattered and torn

 An eternal salvation and life is re-born!  

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Kicking in the front door

“Knock and it shall be opened.’ But does knocking mean hammering and kicking the door like a maniac?” 
― C.S. Lewis, A Grief Observed

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We pray and pray at times for God to answer our prayers the way that we want them answered.  We yearn and we groan, and at times we call God cruel secretly in our hearts because of the lack of answered prayers.  Could it be that it isn’t so much about His answer but about our asking?  I cannot be calloused here to say to a dying person that it was God’s will for you to die…of course it wasn’t.  I am not saying either that God is harsh and wishes some to perish from physical afflictions, this is not the God I serve.  We do live in a fallen and temporal world in which diseases like cancer and AIDS prevail.  God weeps with those who mourn and comforts those who hurt…it was never His doing that would create such a sad predicament of man.  

But in terms of our every day prayers, we can become like a SWAT team attempting to kick in the front door of an assailant instead of humbling petitioning before God the needs of our lives.  It isn’t about our wants, but our needs that He will provide (which are according to His riches).  But sometimes in our asking (prayer) we become more like Veruca Salt.  Do you remember the spoiled character in Roald Dahl’s book “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”?  Veruca Salt was a salty, spoiled brat who was given anything her heart desired.  This led to her downfall within the Chocolate factory, because her father could not give her something which didn’t belong to him.  Sometimes our asking prayers can seem like a spoiled little brat, I don’t mean to sound condescending because I too have asked like this.  Then when the answer doesn’t come to us the way that we wanted it, we flail on the floor and cry like a child desperately in need of  some discipline.  

How is your prayer life?  Are you approaching the throne of God with reverence and fear or are you Veruca Salt, intent on kicking down the front door if you have to?  Take an inventory of your prayer life, be mindful that God does listen to us and He will provide to those who ask in faith and that which brings glory and honor to Him.  

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Thanksgiving

It is nighttime
And we are
Speeding down the interstate
Ambers and reds
Of tail lights and house lights
Blur and whir by.
Frosted window panes
And breath that fogs up
The glass
Behind me my son
Is drawing in it
Perhaps another smiley face
But knowing him
It will end in some explosion
Tinged with violence…
Why are adolescent boys
Like that?
We just passed
Another house,
amber burning
shadows of life
Dance among the festive
Ambiance that
Permeates our drive.
We will partake in it soon
Revelers of thanksgiving,
Soaking in moments
That all too quickly flee
From our limited grasp
Far too soon.
But we are,
And will be thankful
Filled to brim with too much food
And family.
Never take this
For
Granted!

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