Musings for the New Year

2015 is fading fast.

If you had a great year, the time probably flew by.

If you didn't, you probably can't wait for the year to finish up.

Either way, we humans have an interesting relationship with time. And year's end offers a chance to reflect and look ahead. Here's some meanderings, for what they may (or may not) be worth.

Don't take anyone's advice (including mine) as the "gospel" truth.

The best advice comes from experience. But that, in itself, is a distillation of another person's experience. It may be wise. It may not. 

I'm not saying don't take anyone's advice, I'm only saying don't take it without thinking about the source and what they're actually saying.

Look for the silver lining behind the clouds.

Life is full of ups and downs. No one gets through life completely pain free. However, that doesn't mean that you should walk around being anxious all the time. 

One of my favorite Bible scriptures is from Philippians 4.6; the verse that begins: "Be anxious for nothing..." Feel free to check it out for a great, practical way to handle anxiety.

Nurture your sense of humor.

Related to point #2 above. It's grace from God to be able to see the ironies in life and smile at them. 

Truly it is. And the older you get (full disclosure: I am now a senior citizen), you'll find that the value of a sense of humor grows.

Sometimes a situation is so befuddling that it can stop you in your tracks. And sometimes the only way to get out of the middle of the road before life hits you is to jump to the side and laugh. 

As a sidenote, I'm thoroughly convinced that having a sense of humor is linked to creativity. Speaking of which...

Exercise your creativity regularly.

It's why God made you the unique person that you are! 

Being creative can be hard work. But it's ultimately rewarding. It can also be a lot of fun expressing the creative force that God put inside you.

Make an effort to explore your spiritual side.

As human beings, we all have a spirit. It's the deepest part of who we are. When our spirit isn't integrated with our emotional (as in emotions) and mental (as in our mind) sides, life quickly can become skewed. Finally...

Stay grounded in God.

When all is said and done, no one knows you better.  If it's true that God is the ultimate source of love and wisdom, doesn't it make sense to stay close to the source?

Happy 2016!

Photo Credit: www.wcsio.org

A Christmas Message: When all isn't calm or bright

In a few (short) days it will be Christmas.

Followers of God's Son commemorate God Incarnate. Emmanuel. God coming to earth to dwell with us.

But with Christmas come expectations. 

Sometimes, despite what Christmas carols may tell us, everything isn't calm and bright.

We expect family gatherings to go well. We expect work-related activities to wind down to a successful conclusion as we get ready to close the books on 2015. We expect holiday-themed activities to come off without a hitch.

Of course, in the middle of all the preparation and logistical challenges, life happens. 

And life being what it is, nothing is ever perfect this side of heaven.

So disappointment inevitably sets in. 

You may be experiencing intense homesickness at your first Christmas spent away from home.

You may be experiencing the frustration a single-parent (or two parents together) feel having limited financial resources in the middle of  the most consumer-driven season of the year.

You may be experiencing major challenges with co-workers at the workplace.

Irony of ironies, church members themselves may be trying to prop you up by offering quotes from the Bible to encourage you. But your heart may be too heavy to hear the hope behind the words.

If that's your situation, the last thing God wants you to do is deny how you're feeling about it.

God isn't in the business of squelching your feelings. 

(For proof, just read through the Book of Psalms. They are filled with all sorts of emotions).

It's fine to go to God with frustration, heartache, depression or anything else.

We don't have to pretend we're happy before we enter into God's presence.

We don't have to wait until we feel like it to go to God with whatever emotional pain we may have.

In fact, the whole idea of God becoming incarnate was to make it easier for us to relate to God. 

And how can you relate to someone who always expects you to be upbeat and happy when life isn't always that way? (Remember God's Son wept first at the tomb of Lazarus before resurrecting him).

It's a wonderful relief to know that no matter what we may be going through emotionally, God's big enough to take it. 

Remember when you were little and you skinned your knee and ran crying to your parents? They held you and let you know it was going to be ok. As you rested in their arms, you gradually felt better. 

Well, God wants you to know (even if your own parents couldn't comfort you) that God's arms are big enough to hold you and whatever it is you're going through. Even if you can't quite trust God fully, you can let God know and let trust and hope begin to be built up again.

That's God's Christmas present to every one of us!

Photo Credit: www.theguardian.com

2015's Greatest Hits: 5 Most Popular Posts

We've got just about a couple of weeks left to go in this year. And as the year winds down, I thought it'd be fun to take a look at the top five posts I've written - in terms of reader response.

I tend to write on faith and spiritual matters, and these five picks certainly echo that theme. In fact, that's the only thing they have in common. Five different subjects (the power of forgiveness, my take on the "end times," Advent, the anniversary of 9/11, and the Syrian refugee crisis).


I would like to thank fellow bloggers who motivated me to write a few of these pieces (Kris Vallotton, Al Andrews Addie Zierman and Stephen Jones) . They are mentioned below, with links to what they've written in the full version of each. I would also like to thank Sarah Bessey for the idea of posting a compilation of favorites!

The powerful grace of forgiveness

Today is the day after Thanksgiving and as I was scrolling around Twitter, I found that Stephen Jones tweeted out a link to a post by Al Andrews about the grace found in forgiveness.

Andrews uses two excellent examples in his writing. Both involving baseball. Both involving major mistakes that cost a team dearly.

You can read Andrews' thought-provoking post here.

It got me to thinking, what is it about our Western culture that makes it so difficult to forgive someone when they make a mistake?

It's not like we've never made one, right?

Witness Jesus' handling of the Pharisees who were about to stone a woman to death. He cut them to the quick by saying, "Let the one who has no sin toss the first stone." 

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The end of the world. Or not.

Recently Kris Vallotton gave his take on the "end times," inviting others to add or respond to his list.

Kris' invitation motivated me to revisit the subject of eschatology. What follows are my own thoughts:

1. God knows the exact end time, so I don't have to. 

2. There's a good reason that God took that pressure off me. There's enough to consider in everyday life without wondering when the world is going to end. 

3. My relationship with God should drive how I act and respond to life, not what I happen to believe about the timeline for earth's demise. 

4. If the exact date of the end of the world were so important, then God would have revealed it to us and not relied on a human being's interpretation. (There's a reason why every doom's day cult has ended very badly.)

5. We human beings can easily get side-tracked into considering things that ultimately aren't of much consequence.

To sum up, I think the point to consider isn't when will the world end, but where will we be spending eternity once our own life is over.

Isn't that what truly matters?

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Advent: Slowing down on purpose

This Sunday is the beginning of Advent.

It's a season of preparation. Of expectation. Of contemplation.

Each season, I make an effort to make the weeks before Christmas meaningful. Most often, I fail.

But after reading Addie Zierman's great post with an idea for creating an Advent journal, as well as offering several books to help, I'm motivated to try again.

Here's my own thoughts on handling Advent:

1. Slow down, on purpose.

Sometimes we're encouraged to slow down. Take in easy. Smell the roses, One day at a time. Be in the moment.

I'm not discouraging any of these actions. But sometimes I think they miss the point, which is: To slow down in order to come to a sharper focus.

Being purposeful isn't the same as being aware.

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9/11: When Church Moved Into the Street

Today is the anniversary of 9/11.

One of my most vivid memories has to do with a decision I made shortly after that horrible day. I decided to move back to New York and get involved with Metro Ministries (now called Metro World Child).

New York City had been my home for eight years before heading back to the Midwest. So, I wanted to do something hands-on by joining Metro Ministries, helping them in their outreach to kids.

During our internship, which began the February after 9/11, one of the first things we did was visit Ground Zero, which was still an active site. 24 hours a day relief workers were continuing to sort through the rubble, searching for the remains of those who had perished.

There were gigantic flood lights around the enormous hole that had been the World Trade Center Towers, giving it a very eerie feel. And around the iron gate of St. Paul's Church there were hundreds of memorials taped up. St. Paul's was close to Ground Zero and the Church opened its doors to relief workers. 

People from all over New York came there and put up "Have You Seen?" flyers along with impromptu memorials (which ran the range from children's drawings of their missing family members to teddy bears). 

It was evidence of the emotional turmoil that still bled from a gigantic spiritual wound. 

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Weren't we all once spiritual refugees?

Like a lot of other people, I've been following the Syrian refugee crisis.

Some countries have closed their doors. Others seem more hospitable.

A nephew of mine recently said, that in the history of immigration, it's either a "pull or push" situation. That is, something in the country of origin has gotten so intolerable that it forces a person to leave; or else another country has something so alluring that it motivates a person to come.

Either way there is a leaving of what's familiar, of what's considered normal in order to be pushed or pulled to go someplace else.

While this is happening, of course, there are all sorts of opinions being given. Politics aside, it comes down to if other countries are willing to open their doors or shut them. Most recently there have been hundreds if not thousands of voices lifted up offering opinions one way or the other. 

And it got me to thinking, on it's simplest level, weren't we all once spiritual refugees? 

That is, from a faith perspective, weren't we once "lost?" Weren't we strangers in a strange land? Didn't our descendants spend 40 years wandering in the desert as refugees after escaping from Egypt - ironically only a hop-and-a-skip from Syria?

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Social Justice from a faith-based point of view

In a recent blog Kris Vallotton asked: "How has history undermined the value of human life?"

While he makes some interesting points, I think he's asking the wrong question.

For instance, Vallotton uses the examples of industrialization and the development of the Women's Movement to make a point that we have consistently devalued human life.

But there's a bigger picture happening here.

In the United States, the use of child labor went hand-in-hand with twelve hour workdays. Greed on the part of factory owners eventually led to the development of unions. The union movement stopped the almost universal (in the US) 12 hour, six day a week work schedule. And eventually child labor laws were passed to protect the rights of children.

Unfortunately, the gross mistreatment of children didn't begin with industrialization. Partly due to the over-emphasis on making a profit. While Western culture has made great strides in its treatment of children, sex trafficking, and other forms of human exploitation of children still remain in the United States and across the world.

So I would suggest that a more appropriate question to ask is: Why do we, as humans, continue to put such an unhealthy emphasis on material things?

There's a movie playing now called Suffragette. It chronicles the women's rights movement in England.

In response to an oppressive male-driven society in the early 20th century, brave women in England fought for the right to vote and to have a say in the lives they lived.

Vallotton says that several decades later, the Woman's Liberation movement in the United States resulted in the further devaluation of human life. I would say that whenever we act to protect the rights of any group, we are protecting the rights of us all.

Jesus lived within a culture where women had little say in how they lived, and had no say in their material well-being. When a husband died, a widow was basically left defenseless and unless she remarried quickly, was left without resources. (There's a very good reason why several scriptures speak to God defending the widow and the orphan).

Jesus' treatment of women was a radical departure because he treated them as equal human beings.

How do you view the intervention of Jesus as a group of male religious leaders were getting ready to stone a woman to death because she was supposedly caught in the act of adultery? (John 8.1)

Keep in mind this was happening within the courtyard of the temple in Jerusalem, a very public place. This would be the rough equivalent of Jesus standing between this group of men and the woman on the sidewalk in front of St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City. 

Jesus said to the men, "Let the one who is without sin cast the first stone."

One by one, they dropped their stones and left.

Then Jesus turned to the woman and asked her. "Where are your accusers? Has no one condemned you?" (John 8.10).

The woman pointed out they were gone.  Jesus told her he didn't condemn her either. He then encouraged her to go and sin no more.

While women in Western culture have made significant strides since the time of Jesus, gender inequality still exists. 

People in power are usually very reluctant to give it up. Greed again comes into the picture, along with fear and ignorance.

I think Vallotton might better ask: How do we combat greed, fear and ignorance within a Christian perspective? 

I very much admire Vallotton for bringing up the subject of justice. And I'm not disagreeing with what he has to say. But I am, like him, encouraging us all to go a bit deeper in our handling of the subject.

Please feel free to share your thoughts regarding creative ways that we can help alleviate social injustice in our community.

Photo Credit. www.crupressgreen.com

Advent and overcoming apathy

There was a blog post recently by Angie Hong calling for an active Advent.

Somehow combining the best of two worlds - contemplation, reflection and preparation, with social engagement. 

I loved it.

The only part of the whole blog piece that I didn't necessarily agree with was the statement: "Isn't that the true definition of hate? To just not care?" Hong offered the example of the Black Friday march along Chicago's Magnificent Mile, in response to the shooting of Laquan McDonald. Many of the shoppers caught in the protest were anything but sympathetic.

Hong was using some of the remarks of the shoppers to support her statement about hate.

Unfortunately, I'd have to go with Webster's definition of hate, which is: "Intense hostility and aversion, usually deriving from fear, anger, or sense of injury. [A] habitual emotional attitude of distaste, coupled with sustained ill will."

I say unfortunately, because, if the shoppers' response to the demonstration was actually hate, then you could begin to do something about it. You could try to convince them.

However, I'd have to say what the shoppers demonstrated was more akin to apathy, which is defined as: "Lack of interest or concern." 

The main emotions that the shoppers expressed were annoyance and frustration that the march along Michigan Avenue got in the way of their holiday shopping. They seemed to be completely oblivious to the reason for the demonstration. 

Apathy can be twice as deadly as hate.

Remember the last time you tried to engage someone who truly didn't care? How did it go?

You can't shame someone into caring.

On the other hand, I admire and appreciate Hong's invitation to take the Advent season to reflect and then act. To somehow take the longing for the Savior to allow the Savior's love to influence how we act towards others. To see Jesus in the refugee, the outcast, the exploited, the forgotten. And do something about it.

Hong offers a wonderfully poignant invitation to us. "Let your observance of Advent lead to Jesus-centered action. And let your Jesus-centered action lead you to long for the coming of the Light of the World."

Hong is inviting us to take a deeper look at ourselves. And a good look at the Savior of the World born in a manager. To experience the power of God Incarnate, dwelling among us. 

We really don't need to look any further for motivation.

We can use this season of Advent to regain perspective, to see social injustice from God's point of view, and become active.

I encourage us all, myself included, to consider Angie Hong's blog post and take her advice.

Photo Credit: www.tpctacoma.org

The Ghost of Christmas Present

Sometimes we have to face what something isn't in order to remember what it is.

For instance, we're in the second week of Advent. Traditionally a season of preparation for Christmas.

I recently read a great blog by Amy Poole. She writes about being away from home for Christmas for the first time.

Amy makes the point that,  "I forgot one crucial fact: Christmas is not about me. Christmas isn’t about my comfort or packed holiday agenda, it’s not about the lights I see, the decorations I display, or the songs I sing. No, Christmas is about remembering my Savior who came over 2,000 years ago to offer the gift of grace, forgiveness and hope."

In the spirit of the Advent season, I'd like to offer some thoughts regarding what Christmas isn't and what it is.

Christmas isn't:

1. About doing stuff. 

Ironically, even though our Western Culture is mostly post-Christian and secular, there is still a lot of pressure to do things during the Christmas season. However, it's all that tangential doing that quite often gets in the way of spending time meditating on the meaning behind Christmas.

When we slow down and make room for God, God's Son fills us with love, peace and patience.

2. About buying things.

The gifts that God's Son gave us turn out to be free, in terms of monetary compensation. There're priceless. Redemption, salvation, relationship, unconditional love. All of it is at no charge. All we have to do is admit we're sinners and ask for forgiveness. 

The most precious thing we can have is relationship with God's Son. There are tons of spiritual benefits to that relationship that also come free of charge.

3. About keeping a bunch of social engagements.

There is absolutely nothing wrong about getting together with friends and family! 

But if we make socializing the high point of the Christmas season it's bound to be stressful and a letdown. Because no other relationship or friends can replace having God's Son at the center of our life. 

The most important social engagement we can keep is spending time with the One who saved us in the first place.

Christmas is:

1. Being reconciled.

God's Son came to us as a baby. Sharing his birthplace with some animals and a few shepherds. He was (and is) God incarnate. Emmanuel. God living with us. The baby lying in a manger began a process of reconciliation that brought the human race spiritually back from the dead.

2. Being loved.

The reconciliation wouldn't have happened without the crucifixion. That act took massive amounts of love. The apostle John wrote, "There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends." (John 13.15). 

Because God's Son lay down His life for us, we can know, without question, that we are loved, unconditionally and eternally. 

3. Being centered on others.

The rush of the holidays offers the perfect storm of activities to test our need to be in control. 

But Christmas also offers a golden opportunity to look for ways to bless those around us. We can choose to slow down, stay focused on God's Son, get filled with God's unconditional love and give it away.

Looking for the perfect Christmas present? How about sharing God's love?!

Photo Credit: www.evandolive.com

The Second Amendment & perfect love

There has been much written this year about the series of mass killings in the United States.

But not much mention has been made of the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution, which includes a section about a citizen's right to bear arms.

In 1990, then-Chief Supreme Court Justice Warren Burger had something to say about the subject. (That's his photo on top of this blog.) He wrote in Parade Magazine on January 14 of that year, stating that the primary purpose of bearing arms, when the 2nd Amendment was ratified in 1788, was so state militias could arm themselves.

Back then, there wasn't much of a national army, so the need for state militias to "bear arms" was well understood. From Chief Justice Burger's point of view, this was the primary intent of the 2nd Amendment.

He was writing, 25 years ago, in response to our country's horrible record of killings by firearms, especially compared to the rest of the world.

Not to mention, from a strictly Constitutional standpoint, there seems to be little evidence of support for an all-encompassing right to bear arms.

Here are a few questions for us to consider:

1. How does the rest of the world view the United States' inability to deal with this issue?

2. Why is there a need for high-powered automatic weapons, including assault rifles in the homes of ordinary citizens?

3. What are these sorts of weapons protecting us from?

4. Why is there such strong resistance to more stringent regulation of these sorts of weapons?

Here's something the New York Times editorial board recently wrote.

The bottom line of this issue of the right to bear arms is that we, as a nation, seem to be responding in fear.

And from a Judeo-Christian standpoint, it might do us good to remember that fear-motivated actions aren't from God.

In fact, the apostle John wrote, "Perfect love casts out fear" (1 John 4.18).

While this may seem a bit simplistic on the surface, it's also extremely profound and based solidly on the life of God's Son.

None of us, including myself, can say that we've attained the perfect love that John writes about.

However, I have to believe that it's the continual reaching towards this goal that ultimately makes a difference in daily living.

What do you think?

If you're interested in how Australia handles gun regulation, look here.

Photo Credit: www.kids.britianica.com

The difference between knowledge and wisdom

Have you ever considered wisdom?

What it is and where it comes from? And how to get it?

The book of Proverbs notes that fear of God is the beginning of knowledge (Prov. 1.7).
So the source of wisdom is God, and all wisdom is grounded in a fear (reverence, acknowledgment) of God.

That is true wisdom.

But, where do we get it?

Amazingly enough the apostle James writes that we can ask God for it! (James 1.5). 

James goes on to encourage us that when we ask we can expect God to give wisdom "liberally and without reproach." So we know that God not only is the source of wisdom, but God is ready and willing to freely give it to all who ask.

James also writes: “If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom.” (James 3.13)

There is an expectation then, that wisdom will influence the way we live and how we act. People should be able to tell that we have wisdom because of our actions.

In Western culture, many people believe that academic (factual) knowledge equals wisdom. But that’s simply not true. There is a difference between knowledge and wisdom.

There is also a predisposition nowadays to rely on others as sources of wisdom instead of seeking it for ourselves. Oftentimes the “others” who are relied upon are celebrities who, more often than not, have no idea of what they are talking about. 

In the end, each of us is responsible for our own thoughts. 

That’s why Paul wrote to the Corinthians (and us) to "take every thought captive." (2 Corn. 10.5.) He was encouraging followers of God's Son to pay attention to what they are thinking. To not blindly accept every thought that came into their heads.

It is easy to be led astray when we rely on popular culture to guide us in making moral decisions.

Oftentimes opinions given in response to current events may seem to the point and relevant. Especially in regards to making promises towards corrective action. But just as often, those same words prove to be empty as promises are broken.

On the other hand, God's word (which includes God's wisdom) does not return empty, but it accomplishes its purpose. (Is. 55.11).

In a world that is a breeding ground for confusion, it's comforting to know where real wisdom lies!

What do you think? Where is your source of wisdom?

Photo Credit: www.workingwomenoffaith.com