1,000 Years of Christmas

Today is the day after Christmas. There is a certain let down after all he joyous hooplah.

Though, the great thing is until New Year's the Christian station plays Christmas music.

Why don't we listen to this awesome music all year sound? The message is still needed all year around. Don't you see how even hearing music with hope puts people in a whole different frame of mind?

Then, it hit me, what would happen if we did have that sort of attitude all year long? Peace on earth goodwill towards man was the mindset being shared. You can't tell me that our world is hungry for positive messages instead of all the junk we are daily bombarded with. Can you see what effect a year long Christmas could do to the world?

Okay, stick with me. This one is a little more out of the box.

In the Bible it states that to God a day is as a thousand years and a thousand years is as a day. When The Lord Jesus returns to rule as king it is called, "The Day of The Lord." He actually rules for a period of 1,000 years. Are the wheels turning in your head yet? What if that day was a very long day that The Lord chose to heal the world?

What day of the week would it be? How about a specific day of the year? What is the most wonderful time of the year? What if He made that day Christmas Day? Wow, imagine Christmas Day lasting 1,000 years. What would that do to the population of the world? There would be joy, hopeful and meaningful music in the air, an attitude of giving, and compassion flowing.

Why not? Jesus could come back on His birthday. I am sure whatever day he chooses the Christmas attitude will reach every heart anyway. I was so excited to share this idea that I couldn't rest until I penned it. We have a hope that spreads the Christmas spirit anywhere we go. Maybe the concept is what we need celebrate daily to start with. You may not have to sing a Christmas carol daily but if you want to the world needs to hear it whether they realize it or not.

Fa la la la la la la laaaah.   

Does Daniel Have Your Back?

“Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.”

2 Corinthians 5:5

         Grace is everywhere especially when it’s just in from of our eyes and we miss it. This is a reminder to me that God has everything covered in our lives even the times when we face plant it.

         You have probably heard of a king called Nebuchadnezzar. He was one of the most powerful emperors that ever lived. He ruled Babylon, which at its heyday basically ruled over everything and everyone.

         Needless to say pride got to him and he was full of his big boy self. God humbled the man and Nebby lost his sanity for a time. He lived as a mindless animal for what they Bible says was seven times. That may have been seasons or years. The point is he lost his kingdom for an extended period of time.

         Now it says at the end of his judgment his mind returned to him, he gave God the glory, and his kingdom was restored to him. It was miracles all around because at that time if you were unfit the serve I am sure there was a line up of royalty ready to snag the crown.

         So, I am not a theologian or a Bible scholar so I can pose this opinion. Way back before, Nebby set up a Godly man named Daniel to help run his kingdom. He was so responsible that things ran smooth and effortless under Daniel’s hand.  I wonder if God set up Daniel because he knew that Nebuchadnezzar would be humbled. The Lord set up another who would cover his reign while he learned whom the try King of Kings was.

         I think that God has it all covered. He knows when things go bad and He has a plan for that. If we are out of it for a while in order to grow or be corrected, He will provide the resources and the personnel to get the job done. Nothing, even running the world, is a task that God hasn’t already planned to be a lesson in faith.

         It’s just amazing to think that all things do work together to those who love God and are called according to His purpose.  It is my hope that these times of getting off track are just the redirecting of the plans God has for the hearts of men and women.

          

The Great Russian Experiment

“Bow and sword and battle I will abolish from the land, so that all might lie down in safety.”

                                                               Hosea 2:18

         Recently, I was in an international gathering of young people. They were from all over the world with so many stories to tell. I listened in as a young Russian man was discussing the wonderful city and the accomplishment of their hard work. I then I was reminded about what the Russian people had gone through.

         The Russians had a godly heritage so many years ago. There are so many buildings and artifacts that speak of a faith that endured. They had leaders who spoke of God upholding their nation and asking for His hand in their lives. They had hope in the living God.

         But things changed. God was cast out in the Russian culture. The powers that be decided that God was not relevant and it was by their hand that things would be accomplished. Maybe they felt that life was unfair God was too long in laying down justice. They humanized their society by removing all religious references and undertones. They put their hope in themselves alone.

         What did that do for the Russian people? You tell me. It is a depressed and sad place. It is a struggle to survive and strong people are being worn down until they are discouraged. That discouragement for many has produced apathy and hard hearts. They have gone back and forth trying to make a name for themselves, trying to accomplish something of significance so they will be remembered. They have to boast on themselves because God is no longer the drive behind what they do. There is an emptiness that has to be filled with something but it isn’t working.

         This is what some want for our country? They think God is irrelevant and that He isn’t doing what we think He should for our country. Get rid of religion, the opium of the people, and we will be free. Somehow of another God and His people are the cause of all of our troubles, so why not get rid of the problem? People are getting bitter and frustrated because things haven’t gotten better. “Where is God”, they might be saying, “and why hasn’t He fixed our problems, now?”

         Are we not seeing that we have a perfect example of what NOT to do? I pray that we will end up being the very thing we don’t want to be: a people without hope, freedom, and purpose. Without God nothing is possible. You can have hope in hope but what is that? You can have change but change to what?

There has to be a center to focus on. There is only One upon whom we can rely. It’s not a just a good man with good intentions. With God all things are possible. He can cease the problems and the struggles. Well, He uses these to help us grow and overcome. Without God we are without hope, truth, and love.

Think about it. Maybe we can, not only see our nation turn around, but help those who have failed at their social experiment. God is a god of grace and second chances.

        

        

GP Avants: Life after Theodicy: What's So Funny?

GP Avants: Life after Theodicy: What's So Funny?: What's So Funny? Sarah lied “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. And then He said, “No, but you did laugh.”               ...

What's So Funny?

What's So Funny?

Sarah lied “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. And then He said, “No, but you did laugh.”

                                    Genesis 18:15

Laughter. What a concept. It can be an expression of pleasure and joy, full of hope and peace, or it can be like a slap in the face.  It is one of those gifts that we have been given that can be used or abused.

Abraham and Sarah are a case study in laughter. Think about an elderly couple finding out that they are going to get pregnant. Somehow that sounds like it constitutes a joke right there. How funny is that to think that it is even possible? Because of this news Abraham and Sarah laughed.

That is where the study in laughter begins. The angel who brought the news to her asked why she laughed? I am thinking that it wasn’t for joy or he would of just smiled. It was that smirk, that chortle or even a wheeze that comes when you think it’s all a big shame. What kind of joke is this person trying to pass off? God is going to be able to make this happen, yeah, right? I am thinking that was how it all was translated.

To be fair, God had told Abram, who would soon be renamed Abraham, the same thing a little earlier. “You will have a son in your old age.” How did Abe handle it? He did fall in his face in awe and reverence but he laughed with his face on the ground. It was not out of faith as much as it was disbelief. It was not the Father of Faith’s shining moment.

I love to laugh. I know how much of a release that is to be able to express a good belly laugh. I have heard even the medical profession dote on how much laughter is healthy and important to express. I quip (no pun intended) that my wife’s laughter was one of the factors why I fell in love with her. That’s no joke. You know when someone gets your humor. This can be a way to break the ice. A good sense of humor shares the fact that you are in fact human and can connect with real people. Pastors, in the opening lines of a sermons, are masters in that art.  

Of course timing is important in a joke. I am not talking about when to drop the punch line. I am talking more about how not to be in line for a punch. If someone who is hurting is standing near and hears two people pointing and laughing, they might take they giggling incorrectly. Picture a teacher correcting a student about their behavior. Another student is out right laughing for no other reason. That person has put themselves in a place of being suspect. Even if the joke wasn’t on the other person, the timing just really stunk at that moment. Laughter wasn’t as funny as it was intended.

So, when the tears of laughter were wiped away, and a year had passed, Isaac was born to Abraham and Sarah. Isaac is the Jewish word for laughter. Sure maybe having a baby at 90+ years was unbelievable but it happened. Maybe there was shock and then came faith. The Lord can do anything He wants when He wants. He is serious and He wasn’t pulling their leg.

The Lord was making Abraham the Father of Faith. Maybe he left Isaac’s name as a reminder that God does have a sense of humor. He wants to encourage us to believe with our full heart. The Lord wants to turn our doubts into pillars of faith. When we do see the impossible happen we can burst out in tears...in a good way. Talk about comedic timing? God knows just when to drop in the punch line and get the audience to stand to their feet.

I hope you get to catch one of His shows. He’ll be here all week, folks. Thanks for coming.

Bless US

“For there is no difference between the Jew and the Gentile-the same Lord is Lord of all and richly bless all who call on Him.”

                                                               Romans 10:12

I often wonder what the word “blessed” means. Does it mean that you have everything you need or everything you want?  Is God going to make everything better and nothing bad will cross your path? Is that what being blessed is?

Our nation has so much. We are always discussing how we are blessed or how the Lord has showered His blessings. This is true. The poorest of us has an abundance compared to many places in the world. If you put it in perspective we really don’t have any needs.

Is that a good thing NOT to need? Or is it a blessing to know that life isn’t complete without the Lord? So, having a need may be a good thing?

I have heard that there are so many people who tip the scales financially. They bank their hopes and dreams on their bank account however, some mismanage what they have been given. These folks are in debt and the comfort of money leaves them wanting more. It is weird to hear so many folks in Hollywood or the industry being up to their eyeballs in overdue bills.

Still, there are others who are considered low income or poor who make ends meet. Especially in these times that is a feat in itself. Can I just come out and say it could very well be a miracle? (My mom was in that category. There were six kids, little funds, but we always had a square meal.) They have a happy family life even its Mac N’ Cheese on the table.

So maybe being blessed isn’t something you can tabulate. It isn’t a full belly or having 419 Facebook friends. The steak dinner? The connections that will close a big deal? These really are temporary things that aren’t strong enough on their own to count us blessed.

Jesus mentioned those who were blessed were poor in spirit, meek (self-controlled) peacemakers, patient, endured trials in life, and the like. These are things that money can’t buy. It is a character thing. These traits are a sign that there is more in you than what the world can put in. It’s a sign that you are blessed because the Lord is working in you.  Whatever your circumstances are you can able to function and even thrive because you are in Jesus’s hands.

My prayer for our nation, for the US is that we don’t try an easy fix in these times. Yes, we have been given much but what are we doing with it? How will it make a difference eternally? Do we see that we are a munitions depot in a spiritual war? What are we doing to send people into their eternal destiny using the things in our hands? I think once we get the heart and motives right then we will see what being blessed really looks like.