1.8 BILLION Dollars!

This week someone in Arkansas hit the jackpot in the second largest lottery in US history. To receive the astronomical sum of $1.8 billion, they would have to take payments over 30 years. A one-time cash payment would amount to about $500 million after taxes are paid. I confess that those numbers captured my attention for a while as I dreamt about the possibilities that kind of wealth would create in my life. But …

It was not long before my sanity returned and I also realized that even that kind of money would never make my life more meaningful or make a pathway to eternal life.

All of us, especially those of us nearer life’s sunset, think about who we really are and why we exist on this planet. Some desperately try to outrun or ignore the nagging question – “does my life count for anything meaningful?” – by traveling, partying, or working long hours chasing only God knows what.

The wisdom of Jesus guides me. He counsels that “life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”  (Luke 12) In other words we are much more than our titles, our stuff, our home, or the car we drive! In another sermon He told us to “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”  (Matthew 6) “Set your focus,” He says, “on God’s rule of life, which is about loving Him and others above all else.”

We don’t have to be rich to love extravagantly! We can know genuine joy and contentment in our daily lives IF we will let go of our need to control everything and become humble people who serve God and others eagerly and without need for thanks or recognition.

Let me speak very personally by way of illustration of the importance of letting Him lead and choosing faith.

In early 2013 my late wife developed ovarian cancer, and we knew that apart from a miracle her days on this earth were numbered. The news was devastating and instantly turned everything upside down for both of us. She reeled under the double blows of emotional stress and physical suffering. As I faced a future that would take my love and my partner of 41 years from me, I was broken, truly crushed.

But we chose the way of faith while we coped with the unexplainable.

Those 20 months that we travelled that hard road with her proved to be some of the richest in terms of spiritual life and relationship. We wept and trusting our Father. We loved each other deeply, forgetting petty differences over which we once bickered.

Perhaps that sounds stupid or unreasonable to you, but I assure you it is the complete truth. Am I glad Bev developed terminal cancer? Of course not! However, I am glad that in the awful we found a way to live lovingly and, in that love, found some serenity.

When she died on December 29, I was once again faced with a choice – to walk by faith or rage at the seeming unfairness of life. By the grace of God, I chose Him – and a decade later I can say that I am whole and hopeful. Once again, I am not denying the reality of grief or those days when loneliness is crushing, but there are peace, hope, and joy.

Here at the end of 2025 if you are thinking about life and meaning, let me offer simple words of direction –Don’t fantasize about $1.8 Billion!

LOVE GOD.
LOVE OTHERS.
SERVE FAITHFULLY.
LIVE FULLY EACH DAY.

Life’s mysteries will never find full explanation this side of Heaven.
Your every longing will never find complete satisfaction in this world.
There will be people who fail you in ways you could not even imagine until it happens.
Disappointment will find you.

God loves you in all of that. He offers serenity and hope. He gives the gift of joy to those willing to receive it without precondition.

So, let’s head into 2026 with the desire to find life to the full in Christ Jesus. Can I get an Amen?

Here is a word from the Word.
“Never let loyalty and kindness leave you!
Tie them around your neck as a reminder.
Write them deep within your heart.

Then you will find favor with both God and people,
and you will earn a good reputation.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.

Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom.
Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil.
Then you will have healing for your body
and strength for your bones.

 Honor the Lord with your wealth
and with the best part of everything you produce.
Then he will fill your barns with grain,
and your vats will overflow with good wine.”
(Proverbs 3)

Lord let it so. Amen.

Happy New Year!

__________________

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Morning Prayer 50

 

Abba, in the still of the morning I’m waiting … on You.  Quiet my mind and heart by the Presence of the Spirit. Speak “peace” to the thoughts that blow through the corridors of my mind making me anxious about so many things.

How I praise You that I am called a ‘child of God.’  

 This is my confession - Galatians 4:5-7 “God sent (Jesus) to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.”  Oh, what joy!

In these days when we remember Jesus’ birth and Isaiah’s declaration that He is the “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Prince of Peace” – I pray to know You anew in these ways.

Let my soul be filled with the supernatural serenity that comes from the Spirit’s Presence, the security that flows from faith, and the wisdom only known in Your counsel. And, let me be a source of peace, hope, and wisdom in the world in which I live today, I pray.

Let Light overcome darkness – in me and through me in my world.

In the Holy Name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

The BEST of Christmas

Christmas is JOY! The lights, the familiar songs, the decorations everywhere, the excitement of kids, gatherings of friends and family … it can all add up to a great close to the year -- except that it doesn’t for some. There are some choices to be made that will shape the holiday; that will certainly influence the way that you feel on 12/26!

How do we lay a foundation for joy?

First of all, deal with your expectations of Christmas!
It's just a day. No, I'm not Ebenezer Scrooge. I am as excited as I can be about seeing friends and family, heading to the beautiful Christmas Eve service, swapping old stories, and doing the “holiday stuff” however I must remember that when the party's over, life will resume. Christmas will not magically turn all the wrong into right, fix everything that is broken or disappointing.

If we put unrealistic expectations on Christmas day, the 26th will dawn with disappointment. Better to simply enjoy life as it unfolds and thank God for the serendipitous moments that find you. If you overload the day with lofty expectations, even one disappointment can obscure a hundred blessings.

Second, keep the focus where it belongs.
This is Jesus' birthday party. If we get trapped by a misplaced emphasis on the external stuff of Christmas and, in the process of getting our various 'to-do' lists checked off, we will live right through the holiday and miss the meaning.

It's a 'Holy day' primarily. Yep, Americans made it into a festival of consumption... too much food, too much fun, too much spending. The fat guy in a red suit, as fun as he can be, has sadly hidden the real message about the Babe in the manger for millions of people. Don't get me wrong! I like Santa Claus. The jolly old man is a myth that captivates me even now.

Who doesn't yearn for somebody to magically bring happiness, if even for a day, to all the kids of the world? But, even more, there is Wonder in the story of God giving the Gift of Himself to a broken world, changing sinners to saints, bringing alienated sons and daughters of God back home!

Third, be wise - financially, emotionally, spiritually.
Holidays always create stress.
Old family issues can bubble up to the surface as we rub shoulders with people that we do not see the rest of the year.
Obligations at home, work, and church pile up in over-crowded schedules creating exhaustion.
Most of us will feel some need to try to settle old debts or to balance the scales, especially the emotional ones.

There is a heart that beats in each of us that longs for love, and we'll try almost anything to feel the magic. Parties can set us up for mistakes. So, we will need insight, gentleness, and courage to navigate our way through these challenges successfully. If we don't, we may well wake up on the 26th missing the joy, with an aching head and a maxxed out credit card.

Finally, keep LOVE in focus.
Put people first. That is, after all, the meaning of Christmas! "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it." (John 3:16-17, NLT)

The Spirit of God is here, near, right now. Pray to be in a place where He can touch your life with Light. Set times of prayer and contemplation at regular intervals, moments when your soul can breathe in the Breath of God.

... And you will surely know more joy on the 26th!

Merry Christmas and thank you for letting me share thoughts with you throughout this year.  

__________________

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Come on home!

The run-up to Christmas stirs up the mental sediment for many of us. Memories float up into consciousness of seasons past, loves lost, joys once known for many of us. The sentimental songs of the Season create dreams that are not really grounded in reality. And, for millions, the feeling of being unloved creeps up. And, too, our mistakes, misses, and sins can take hold of us, accompanied by a sense of worthlessness!

While I was thinking about people I know who are struggling with loss this year, an old Gospel song came to me –
“That God should love a sinner such as I,
should yearn to change my sorrow into bliss,
nor rest till He had planned to bring me nigh—
how wonderful is love like this!

Such love, such wondrous love,
That God should love a sinner such as I,
How wonderful is love like this.”

And now He takes me to His heart – a son;
He asks me not to fill a servant's place.
The far-off country wand'rings all are done;
wide open are His arms of grace!”  - (C. Bishop)

Those lines are based on a parable Jesus told which I love to re-tell and have done so hundreds of times. It comes from Luke's Gospel, 15, and is often called the story of the Prodigal Son, though I prefer to the title – “The Waiting Father.”

The young man lost his sense, lost his way, lost his fortune, and lost his love for family! He was in terrible shape, to all appearance beyond hope. His life had hit the bottom. Here he was, a good Jewish boy taking care of pigs, broke and alone. There in his desperation the memory of the Father's house pulled at his heart. He decided-"I will go home to my father!"  

Jesus tells us that this man thought he was unloved but hoped to make a deal just to be near the old home place. “Dad, I’ve been a real fool, unworthy. Can I just work for you?”  He expected what he deserved. He received what he did not dream was possible. 
“So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long distance away, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him." (Luke 15:20, NLT)  There it is – the story of every person.

When I repeat that story my voice often fills with emotion because those words are an expression of a love so rich and frequently ignored.

We took the life God invested in us, went off to do our own thing, then hoped that we could make a deal with God to regain His favor. But, He will not play that game. Instead, “immense in mercy” He reaches out to us, fully forgiving, loving, and brings us back into His family.  The Enemy of God whispers the Lie to lost ones - "God does not care for you.  He's abandoned the search.   You're abandoned, alone - and you're so lost, you can never go home!"  Don't believe it!  The Waiting Father and the Searching Spirit are looking for the lost.   The love of heaven beckons us to turn toward home and guides us back to the Way. 

John overflows with amazement when he explains-  “God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.”  (1 John 4:9-10)

Christian, have you wandered? Are you wondering if love is possible? Does your heart ache to know real care? Start with the restorative, healing, hopeful love of God shown in Christ Jesus. "Go home today!"  Pray a simple of prayer asking God to help you to know His love, to forgive you for wandering away, and then let HIS EMBRACE OF GRACE hold your heart.

Here's a word from the Word - Read it prayerfully, carefully. Rejoice in the wonder of the amazing grace that found you!   “Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God.
All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.

But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)”  (Ephesians 2:1-5)

The Father’s love is deep and wide. Live in it and I pray the JOY of Jesus will fill your life.

__________________

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Morning Prayer 49

Abba, a blanket of snow and chill winds are evidence of the wintry season, a time when death descends on this part of the world. Wintry cold is offset by the promise of Springtime, that there will be renewal of the earth, warming by the Sun’s rays.

My heart feels a kind of chill as I see the struggle with sin and death that is all around. Men crazed by hatred kill. Politicians drunk with power and puffed up with pride threaten the poor and the weak and send armies that lay waste to cities and people’s livelihoods. Mighty angels of Heaven do battle with the demons of Hell. Spirit of God, turn their hearts to life.

And yes, Abba, I confess that I, too, am tempted by my own weaknesses to abandon the warmth of Your great care to chase my own whims. I trust the seal of the Spirit that keeps me close to Your heart.

Father, I pray the words of Ezekiel, asking that our love for You will be renewed by the winds of the Spirit blowing over us. “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.” (36:25)

This Advent renews our hope in the Savior Who came to bring life and in the King who will come to reign in peace. Oh, the wonder of it all.

In Jesus’ Holy Name, Amen.

Out of control?

One of the themes of my Advent musings is the humility of Christ Jesus. That the Magnificent God of Heaven would choose to become an ordinary baby, delivered among animals in the lowliest of places, live as a laborer, and subject Himself to ‘death, even death on a cross’ is a wonder.

Hebrews tells us that He was willing to “declare Your name to My brethren;
In the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You.”  (2.13) Yes, He calls us His brothers and sisters! What love, what humility.

It is a call to us, so well-trained in protecting our rights and insisting on being comfortable, to change our ways. We must be willing to release life, to be 'out of control,' a scary proposition to most of us.

The centrality of humility in our relationship with the Lord is abundantly clear in the Word.

Jesus spoke to the need with this paradoxical statement - "whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18:4, NIV) Paul urges us to "Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love." (Ephesians 4:2, NIV)
James does not qualify the command - "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up." (James 4:10, NIV)
Peter, likewise, directs us to "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time." (1 Peter 5:6, NIV)

Humility is an indispensable trait in the character of the godly.

From Genesis to the Revelation, we find humility presented as an indispensable quality of the godly. What a foreign concept to most of us! “I want it my way!” we say without a twinge of conscience. We dissolve relationships, throw our garbage over the fence to spite our neighbor, and insult one another on social media and think – “That’s normal behavior.” It is NOT in the life of the disciple of Jesus.

Humility is the fertile soil in which peace with others flourishes.
It dissipates anger.
It facilitates forgiveness.
It raises up the wounded and broken, viewing people as being worthy of respect.

Humility allows us to strengthen our relationship with God bringing us to bended knee and open heart before Him. (By the way, prayer is truly enriched by actually kneeling before God in humility and few do it anymore.)

Some confuse humility with a lack of healthy self-esteem. Truly, those who have learned to be humble are those who understand that genuine self-esteem is rooted in faith that takes hold of God’s amazing grace and love.

Humility relieves us of anxiety because the humble has no need to pursue the ‘success’ image that is entrenched in American lore and society. The humble person is set free from the slavery that comes from trying to find worth and acceptance by pleasing others. They do not need to dance better, buy bigger, or spend money on fashion to impress.

Isaiah reminds us that "The eyes of the arrogant man will be humbled and the pride of men brought low; the Lord alone will be exalted in that day. The Lord Almighty has a day in store for all the proud and lofty, for all that is exalted (and they will be humbled)." (Isaiah 2:11-12, NIV) One of John’s themes in the Revelation is the judgment that will come to the prideful of the world when the Lord calls them to account.

Like all evidence of the Spirit’s life, humility is both a gift of God and something we must cultivate. Do you want to become humble?

First step is to acknowledge Christ as Lord. Not just once, but daily. (Try kneeling in prayer!) Confess, aloud, “You are Lord!” in your morning prayer. Almost every day, among the first thoughts in mind is a prayer – “Lord, this is your day, I am your servant. May You be honored by my thought, word, and action.”  (Sin being what it is, I fall short of that aspiration too frequently!)

Second step is honest confession of need, of sin, of reliance on His grace and goodness. I am a Christian for over a half-century, have preached the Word for 4 decades, but I am still a child before my Father; absolutely dependent on the Holy Spirit moment by moment. That is not weakness, that is humility. Without the life of the Spirit actively working in me as I yield myself to Him, I cannot please God. Nor, my friend, can you.

You ARE capable of living for Christ Jesus and being humble. This character quality grows from daily dependence, real prayer, learning the Truth of the Word, and in close communion with other Christians. Refuse to be deceived by pride, attempting a ‘self-centered’ Christianity. That phrase is an oxymoron, an impossibility.

If you pray for humility to be created in your life, prepare for struggle! And then, bow your head, open your heart, and learn to lean, like a child, on the complete sufficiency of the Father.

Here is a word from the Word. "For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength." (Philippians 4:13, NLT) Do you believe that? Now, humbly live it.

__________________

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Come and see!

Thinking about the story of Christ’s birth while looking at the beautiful Nativity set in our church, I focused on an improbable group that came to that manger – the shepherds. Shepherds of that era do not really belong in such a scene, or do they? They were men who slept in the fields, who did not enjoy regular meals at home; theirs was a menial job. Tending sheep kept them from going to synagogue and observing the Judean ritual of Sabbath. They generally were not a ‘holy’ lot!

But there they are, at a most holy moment. These men responded with faith to the angelic announcement of the Messiah’s birth. "And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people." (Luke 2:9-10, NKJV)

"So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger." (Luke 2:15-16, NKJV)

That choice to leave their sheep and go to the manger brought that little group of ruffians into the Story of the ages.

Friend, are there those who have told you or implied that you are not worthy of God or His goodness? Does some memory of failure or rejection tempt you to conclude that you cannot really stand in the Presence of Jesus - too bad, too sinful, too old, too sick, too poor? Consider this. Another announcement and invitation recorded in the book of Acts extends an offer to us.

About 33 years after the events in Bethlehem, the Spirit was poured out in Jerusalem at Pentecost, the birth of Christ’s Church. Peter preached a powerful message, concluding with these words: “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”  (Acts 2)

It is an invitation to us – those who “are afar off.”

How will YOU respond? People have lots of reasons (excuses) for not responding to God’s invitation to come to Jesus. No one is “too anything” to be beyond His love and grace.

Jesus Christ is’ good news of great joy that will be for all the people.’   Jesus found men, ordinary men fishermen, laborers, and said, “Come, follow Me.” They, too, dropped what they were doing. "At once they left their nets and followed him." (Matthew 4:20, NIV) He changed them into spiritual giants who changed the world!

Are you a captive of fear, believing the lie that God does not care about you?
Are you tangled in the troubles of life, convinced by circumstances that you are outside of the circle of God’s grace?

Take the way of the shepherds.
Come running!
Don’t stop at the Manger.
Continue to the Cross where love spilled forgiveness,
then move to the Empty Tomb that assures us of our final victory over sin, death, and Hell.

The word from the Word comes to us in the inspired work of Isaiah -
“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy, and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.
Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?

Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David." (Isaiah 55:1-3, NIV)
"Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near." (Isaiah 55:6, NIV)

Let faith make this the best Christmas ever, a discovery of life and Light found in the greatest Gift- Jesus Christ. Come and see!

______________

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But, they laughed!

When God asks us to believe, to trust Him, in our faith we risk looking ridiculous.

Remember when Moses led the people of Israel out of Egypt and a few days later found himself up against the Red Sea with the chariots and horsemen of the Egyptian army coming to reclaim their slaves? To any reasonable person, it looked like the thing was over, dead, and done! The super-power of that era had a disorganized bunch of former slaves trapped against an impassable body of water.

So, what was Moses to do? Negotiate the best settlement possible? Fall on his sword and let the Egyptians kill him in retribution for the rebellion? Run off into the night and save his own skin? Each of those solutions had some merit, but here is what really happened –
“Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground.” (Exodus 14:15-17) The act was utterly ridiculous. I have a feeling that some of the people expressed real scorn, but he did it and we have the miracle of their deliverance as well as the destruction of the army!

Even the Perfect Man, Jesus, felt the scorn of those who did not believe, who found His complete faith a thing to be mocked. One day He was asked to go to the home of Jairus, a respected leader, whose daughter had died. When He got there, He was met with “reality.” The mourners were already there doing the rituals of grief common in the day.

Jesus ‘saw’ a different fact, informed by obedience to His Father and HE said, “Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep.” But they laughed at him.”  (Matthew 9:24) Based on the evidence, His assertion was ridiculous, except for a greater reality! Matthew goes on to tell us that He dismissed the mockers, those who only saw ‘reality.’  Then, “He went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up.”

If we choose to walk with God, we will find ourselves the objects of ridicule, not because we actually try to be weird or offensive, but because faith collides so often with what is seen and known with natural senses.

How dumb does it seem to ‘turn the other cheek’ to that person who takes advantage of us?
How can we possibly forgive those who offend us 77 times, in other words, without limit?
How silly is it to pass up riches on earth to ‘store up treasure in Heaven?’
How can we actually think it is great to serve, to give up our life, to gain eternal reward?

Yet, each of those things are choices Jesus tells us are the values of the person who claims to be His follower!

God invites us to ‘walk with the Spirit’ listening to a drum that those who lack spiritual insight cannot hear. In so doing, we will face laughter, regarded as fools for Christ. Paul wrote to the Corinthian church, one where there were sophisticates who mocked his simple Gospel. He told them, “Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become “fools” so that you may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness.” 

When the ‘wise’ ones pointed out Paul’s suffering as evidence of his apparent failure, his reply is sarcastic, acknowledging the very real pain he had endured. “For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like those condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to human beings. We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored; we are dishonored! To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless.”  (1 Corinthians 4)

He concludes with an appeal to them to consider the way of faith, to let God lead them rather than just ‘common sense’ or human reality.

This, too, is our call. It is not that we discard all reality or counsel. We live in this world and need to pay attention to the laws of gravity, the best advice for health, to pay our bills, and meet our obligations of work and productivity. BUT, at the very same time, we become people with eyes that see beyond time, who are led by the Spirit, shaped by the wisdom of the Scripture, and kept in the counsel of the godly.

Are you willing to risk ridicule for God’s sake?
He will lead you to life to the full and ultimately to the reward of eternity.

Here is a word from the Word. May this Psalm inspire us to greater obedience.
“Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked,
or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers.

But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night.
They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season.
Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.

But not the wicked!
They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind.
They will be condemned at the time of judgment.
Sinners will have no place among the godly.

For the Lord watches over the path of the godly,
but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.” – Psalm 1 NLT

Now let’s walk with God!

______________

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What’s Your Story?

I love a great story! Last night at our church our pastor urged us to tell our stories of hope, healing, and experiencing the love of God. He referred us to Luke 8, where we learn that Jesus healed a man whose life was a wreck, to say the least. When he was restored and whole, Jesus told him - “Go back to your family and tell them everything God has done for you.” 

Taking our cue from that message, several of us shared snippets of our life journey, reflecting on the goodness of the Lord and hopefully many were blessed.

Thanksgiving offers a unique opportunity to share our stories. Americans will travel to join with friends and family for the feast. The conversations will likely start out with chats about the weather, football teams, and then as we grow comfortable, we will move on to our personal tales. Some will be the often-told stories, family legends really, that make us laugh and cry. Some will be about heroic achievements. Others will bring up embarrassing memories of accidents, spills, and scrapes with the law.

Most of stories will have been told before and will be told again. It’s what we humans do. Our stories will make us laugh and cry, but they are more than entertaining.

Stories define and explain us.

The more of your story I know, the better I understand who you are. Authentic stories, told without embellishment or editing, will reveal the triumphs and failures, the hits and misses, of life. Being able to talk about who we were, who we are, and who we hope to become is part of growing emotionally and spiritually. The power of story is amazing. When a person is loved enough to know they can tell their whole story, they can find redemption, forgiveness, hope, and change that flows from the inside out. That is why 12 step recovery groups like Alcoholics Anonymous create safe places for people to tell their real story, not the “fake news” that perpetuates a lie about life. The truth is liberating, but leaves us vulnerable, so we need a loving place to tell it.

The best churches are those that are a loving place full of authentic people who are finding the way through daily life with God’s grace and the love of His Church not a place where everybody is putting on their best face and concealing their humanity! In a place that is filled with love and acceptance through Christ, one generation passes along the stories that encourage the next. One person who has found God’s grace and restoration gives hope to another. Yes, this is the power of STORY.

Sometimes we want to change our story, concealing the ugly parts or magnifying the moments of success. That’s an ancient sin called – Pride! It makes hypocrites of us. Jesus urges us to be authentic; our ‘yes’ a simple ‘yes;’ our ‘no’ a simple ‘no!’  Like the man whose eyes He healed we need only say “I once was blind, now I see.’  (John 9)

So, what’s your story?

Have you written a fiction about yourself that has enslaved you?
Have you believed a lie that somebody told you, a falsehood that controls you to this day?
Jesus says that He, the Truth, will free us to live- fully, richly, and joyfully – people who are saved from our sins, sealed by the Spirit, and living for His purposes. There is no better story to be written!

I’m looking forward to some stories on Thanksgiving. And I’ll tell a few myself. I hope that in them all there is a thread of faith, an echo of the love of Christ.

Take this word from the Word to heart and may you be a person full of gratitude.
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
    His faithful love endures forever.
² Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out!
    Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies.
³ For he has gathered the exiles from many lands,
    from east and west, from north and south.

⁴ Some wandered in the wilderness,
    lost and homeless.
⁵ Hungry and thirsty, they nearly died.
⁶ “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble,
    and he rescued them from their distress.
⁷ He led them straight to safety,
    to a city where they could live.
⁸ Let them praise the Lord for his great love
    and for the wonderful things he has done for them.
⁹ For he satisfies the thirsty
    and fills the hungry with good things.

--Psalm 107

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At the heart of Christmas

Christmas decorations were dragged out of storage and put up in my home a little early this year. Customarily I wait until after Thanksgiving to put up the tree and “make the Season bright.”  But I wanted to enjoy the glow of the lights, the happiness of the decorations – so, I broke the rules.

One of my customs I will not abandon is observing the season of Advent! Christian, I want to encourage you increase the JOY of Christmas by adopting an ancient tradition, marking Advent, which starts this coming Sunday, November 30. Advent is a word borrowed from Latin that means “He comes to us.”  It is a time that is both forward looking and remembering. We remember Jesus’ birth AND we anticipate the Second Coming of Christ.

The joyous festivities that surround our “Christmas” are a great break from the weary duties of life. But . . . the BEST way to celebrate is to intentionally make your way through Advent, preparing your heart and mind for the coming of the King, going again to the Word to discover God’s great Gift and why He was given.

Advent calls us back to ponder God’s loving intervention in human history, when He gave us the gift of His Son, entering a world of death and darkness, with Life and Light.

We like to deceive ourselves with the myth that we are wonderful, that we only ‘make mistakes,’ that evil is only found in isolated pockets in this world. The true assessment of our spiritual state is much more grim – succinctly stated in Romans – “everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.”  (3)  God looks over a world where people hate each with murderous intent in His Name!
He sees the cruelty of despots and tyrants.
He hears the secret conversations we have inside our own heads- where we lust, covet, and hate in secret.
He sees the prejudice, the greed, the selfishness that come so easily to us …
and He loves us anyway.

In my natural way of thinking, the story of Noah makes more sense to me than the story of Jesus! Genesis tells us that "God saw that human evil was out of control. People thought evil, imagined evil—evil, evil, evil from morning to night. God was sorry that he had made the human race in the first place; it broke his heart. God said, “I’ll get rid of my ruined creation, make a clean sweep: people, animals, snakes and bugs, birds—the works. I’m sorry I made them.”" (Genesis 6:5-7, The Message) That makes sense, doesn't it? Just destroy it and start over!

Advent reveals GRACE, promising us a merciful albeit just God who acts from a love that defies my understanding. In the coming of Jesus, our Creator stepped into this world not to destroy it but to restore it to the beauty He intends – starting with you and me.

Advent’s glorious message is summed up in this passage which says - "When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, no one is likely to die for a good person, though someone might be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners." (Romans 5:6-8, NLT) 

Our brokenness becomes the place for the display of God's beauty!
Our sinfulness provides the canvas on which He paints His picture of forgiveness.
The darkness makes His Light shine brilliantly.

Advent renews my hope - for myself, for the world that I live in.
It is not hope that springs from any human self-improvement program or some personal victory. This hope comes from the promise of Jesus Christ to make all things new.
Advent sings with joyful celebration -"He comes to make His blessings flow far as the curse is found!" 

Your online shopping for that perfect gift, those colorfully wrapped gifts, the lights strung to celebrate can never replace the JOY in the message - "Because of God’s tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace.” (Luke 1:78-79, NLT)

This is not a season for despair; He comes with hope.
This is not a season to be discouraged; He comes with deliverance.

It’s Advent! (Latin – He comes to us!)

Join the angels and sing -
“Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King.”
Let ev'ry heart prepare him room,
And heav'n and nature sing.”

If your church does not provide a guide for daily inspiration through Advent, here is one I suggest. https://davidjeremiah.blog/a-red-letter-christmas-advent-devotional/

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Video of this blog

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Who needs a god?

In the last decade, here in these United States affiliation with a Christian church of any type has steeply declined from about 78% to 60%. This notable shift created a group called “Religiously unaffiliated adults” – people who are either atheists, agnostics, or “nothing in particular” often referred to as “Nones” and numbers about 30% of American adults today.

Various reasons for this decline in religious practice exist, but none is more widespread than the conviction, brought on by scientific explanations of life’s mysteries, the ability to understand the laws of nature, medicine, and psychology. This causes many to think that that they have no need for God or a god. Actually, this is not a new philosophy.

Friedrich Nietzsche, in 1882, wrote about the “death of God” in Europe. He did not actually mean that God had died, but rather that humanity was outgrowing the need for A Supreme Being. Thus, he concluded that the belief in the Christian God that had shaped the culture of that continent was dying.  

He birthed the idea of "Superman" (or Übermensch in his native German).  He suggested that by overthrowing “God” we could begin a process of self-discovery, create new values, and rise to new heights of accomplishment, driven by the "will to power."  Humanity no longer needed to bow to the will of God. The best of us were those who could achieve great accomplishments with intellect and determination.

The violent spasms that shook the world in the 20th century and the bleak secularism that grips much of Europe now can be traced to the death of vital faith in a living God. I fear that America has headed down that same path, replacing God with Self, with no good result to be seen. Radical individualism and pursuit of our own happiness at any cost leads to a society that is sickened by Selfishness.

Yes, science may explain the ‘how’ of the world, but our discovery processes cannot explain the ‘why.’ I understand the mechanism of conception that brought me to life, but that tells me nothing about why I am here, or why I even ask the question – ‘Why?’

Is it enough to simply say that we exist? Shakespeare’s Macbeth said, “Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more. It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” Is this the truth about us?

If we accept that “God is dead,” then in fact we have no greater purpose than survival of our genetic strain and a few years of pleasure. Our lives can achieve a sort of frail nobility only by tasting the delights of our senses and preparing the world for the next generation. By contrast, Christ offers us eternity, calling us to true nobility through love, the supreme law; and invites us to worship of a God Who cares for us as a Father, waiting to welcome us home.

Which Vision shapes your life?

I am convinced that an honest inquiry about the world in which we live will not lead us to superstition, but it will humble us enough to consider that God exists.

The wonder of the cell, billions of them form our bodies, are stupendous!
The beauty of the Universe, vast and yet to be fully explained by the most brilliant minds among us, is stunning.
The power of love to move us, to draw us into relationship, to great sacrifice remains a mystery.

To me, it requires greater faith to believe that such amazing things emerged by chance from chaos that it does to accept that there is a Designer of it all. To acknowledge that there is an Intelligence making the universe exist as we know it does not automatically make a person a Christian, of course. But, if one accepts that there is a God, then it would follow that we should want to know Who God is.

And for me, the story unfolded in the Bible reveals Him, Lord of the Universe who further revealed Himself as my Savior in the coming of Jesus Christ. Far from diminishing our lives, this story gives meaning and purpose to us. Like all good things, the Story can be misused to oppress and misunderstood in ways that darken understanding. But, where the Spirit is allowed to make the Story live, humanity is richer.

God is not dead. He lives. And I, for one, love Him and I am thankful that He has chosen to make Himself known to me.

Here’s a word from the Word. Meditate on this, asking that the Spirit will make the written Word into Living Truth in your mind and heart.

Ephesians 1:17-18
I keep asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.
Ephesians 3:14-19

When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit.  Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.
And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.”

Amen

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Video of this blog

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