Out of the Dark

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Growing up, I was sure a monster lived in the dark recesses of my closet…yet in the day time he seemed to be nowhere in sight.

Walking out to the car in a dimly lit parking lot late at night sends a flash of fear deep into the heart of even the most stalwart of office managers…but walking to the car for lunch break is no problem.

The faithful dental assistant who shows up before the sun to “open up” feels the icy clutches of the dark office reaching out at her…yet the moment a co-worker shows up the fear dissipates.

No one likes being alone in the dark.

Yet imagine living in an inescapable darkness. Perpetual ink black darkness always surrounds you. What terror! The Bible tells us this is what it was like before Jesus Christ came. All of humanity was forced to live  in darkness on the border of the “valley of death” (Matthew 4:16).

Sounds pretty bad…BUT…when Jesus came they saw a great light!

The beauty of the story of Jesus is that he came to free us from the fear of darkness. He brought hope into hopelessness. Peace into turmoil. Light into darkness.

I have been rescued from the fear of darkness..have you?

People around us are still afraid of the dark. They fear the darkness in their heart. They question their existence. They desperately fear that what’s in the closet is about to jump out and overwhelm them. They need to hear that Jesus came to bring them out of the dark. That Jesus is a great light, able to bring peace, hope, and life.

Jesus brought light into the darkness…..how are we helping people see the light?

He Has Come

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Christmas is a vivid reminder to the world that Jesus did in fact come.

Jesus, having the ability to meet our deepest need and hearing the command of God, came down to earth and took on human form. He became flesh and “moved into the neighborhood”.

Having heard the call of God and having acted in obedience Jesus went on to secure for the world the opportunity to relationship with God the Father.

This Christmas as you exchange gifts, spend time with family and reflect on another year gone by may you also consider the profound truth that Jesus came.

And as you reflect may you come to see that this action of Christ’s coming is not just something to be admired by His followers but something to be emulated. We, who are children of God, are called to enter into this same world that Jesus entered in order to bring the same hope Jesus himself brought. This hope is the truth that “the world might be saved through Jesus”.

My prayer for all you this Christmas is that you would rediscover Jesus as the one who came and the one who sends. That this Christmas you would not only find Jesus but take Jesus to a world the Father still desperately loves.

Merry Christmas!

 

5 Flicks That Make My Christmas Merry

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#1: It’s A Wonderful Life

Me and Jimmie always seem to spend time together wrapping Christmas presents on Christmas eve. This has to be my favorite.

 

 

 

 

#2: National Lampoons Christmas Vacation

It never fails to make me laugh and come on…who wouldn’t want to be a part of the jelly of the month club!

 

 

 

#3: A Christmas Story

It helps that I grew up in Cleveland where the film takes place. “You’ll shoot your eye out!”

 

 

 

#4: Christmas With the Cranks

Newer…but hilarious! An all star cast with a surprisingly powerful message of what Christmas is all about at the end.

 

 

 

#5: Home Alone

Another classic Christmas movie. Who can’t love this one. “Merry Christmas ya filthy animal….and a happy new year”

What are your top 5 Christmas movies?

Sizzle, Pop and Swagger

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Sometimes I fear that Jesus would have been voted off his own reality television show.

Jesus was never really concerned with popularity. Am I?

Jesus did not call his disciples to popularity he called them to die. This is the heart of discipleship. To be a disciple is to be a follower. To follow Jesus means to take the path of suffering and death. “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.” (Luke 9:23)

How do you make the concept of death and suffering pop? How do we make these ideas sizzle? Do inmates on death row have swagger?

We live in a culture that worships success. It is said that if something is to be “successful” it must “sell itself. But death does not sell itself. It cannot. We cannot make the life of Christ into something sexy. Something attractive for attractions sake. No. The first thing the would be follower of Jesus Christ is confronted with is the absolute and total command of Jesus Christ to die to everything but Jesus Himself.

The call to discipleship is a lonely call. Is a hard call. Is an absurd call. It’s the call to die. So will you follow Jesus when it’s not that popular? Will you follow him to the cross? Will you continue to live out, in the mundane and difficult moments of life, the calling of Jesus. Will you follow him even without the accolades?

Jesus is not looking for a marketing team, for men and women who can make Christianity sizzle. He is looking for followers who are willing to die in order to experience life to the fullest.

Community Questions:

Why is it hard to follow Jesus in walking away from the crowds rather than embracing them?

What does it mean to bear our cross (death) daily in the context and comfort of America?

Body AND Soul

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God is profoundly interested in what you do with your body!

The very first commands God gave to Adam and Eve had everything to do with their bodies. I find it fascinating that God did not say something like: “have a great daily quiet time” or “don’t forget to pray before every meal”. Rather, God said, “I gave you the gift of sexuality…use it well!” and “get your hands dirty in the garden!” (Genesis 1:26-28).

God wants followers who are committed with body AND soul. It simply will not do if you only commit your heart to Jesus. He wants both body and soul because the two are inextricably connected. What is primarily physical is also spiritual. What is primarily spiritual is also physical.

Think about it. Is there such a thing as truly “spiritual” prayer? Prayer that does not engage any part of our body…at all…ever? Is there such a thing as truly “spiritual” worship? Or isn’t it true that we engage our voice, our hands, and so many other parts of our body in worship.

So reverse it, is there such a thing as purely physical eating? or sleeping? I think it’s easier for us to think so. But the truth is, if we follow God, these physical activities have a spiritual component as well. What and how we eat says something about our relationship with God. How much or little rest we take says something about how much we trust God to provide.

God wants us to submit our bodies to him in service, not just our hearts. Have you given Him both?

Thoughts to consider:

How do we serve God through what and how we eat?

What do we reveal about our relationship with God by how much or little rest we get?

What are some warning signs that we have made our bodies into idols in place of God instead of vessels to be used by God?