Gifts of Christmas

What is on your list to give this Christmas? The other day the radio station was advertising a chance to win a box of the latest toys. Each year there are many new toys and gadgets that are marketed in such a way that you are almost made to feel empty without them. It is like our lives will not be whole without this latest "stuff". But the truth is our lives are empty because we lack the timeless gifts of love, joy, and peace. I want to give more love to those around me. It strikes me as a simple idea, but while we want more love we actually withhold it from those we care so much about. I long to live a generous life.
This Christmas, may we all give the gifts that lead to wholeness not emptiness. Jesus came in love for all humanity that peace might be known and that joy would be a reality to us all.

Incarnational Christmas

I have been reading the Christmas passages again this year and just love them. They are so refreshing and take me back to special moments with my family. My dad always read the Christmas story to the family before we would open all the gifts.
Jesus came into the world as a fragile baby. He came in a vulnerable way to live a life of subversive love. Jesus came as God in flesh. God incarnate. To reveal the Father.
As I once again consider the story of the Christ child, I am challenged again to live in an incarnational way in the world that God has placed me in.

Oh Holy God
Fill Us With Your Glory

Oh Holy God
Incarnate Yourself Anew

Oh Holy God
Descend to Us We Pray

Oh Holy God
This Christmas Day

The Hardwork of Being Refined...

In our lives we are always going through moments that can change us... I have been reading several books lately and portions in each book have spoken to the ways that God shapes his children. I am amazed at the amount of time that God spends making his people the people that he wants them to be. God is so patient with me!
I only wish that I were more receptive...
I mean God takes precision care to shape all the areas of my life. The rough edges must come off... even though it may hurt! God really does long to make me into something new. He does desire that your life and my life would be formed after his heart... That the character of our lives would take on the character of Christ thus forming us into the most useful vessels possible...
I only wish that I were more receptive...
I know that if I am not careful I can go through the times of refining without being open or even aware of the Spirit's work... There is a short verse in Jeremiah chapter six that is kind of behind all of this... and it says that the "refining was in vain..." wow! Now that is not what I want to be the story of my life. If God longs to take me to a new place in my journey with him, then I want to be sure and receive it... It has occurred to me that refining is painful and challenging... The Holy Scripture tells us that God's mercies are new every morning...
And I only wish that I were more receptive... How about you?

Being Naked

No one likes to be naked. At least very few people. I guess unless you are a porn star or a prostitute, and then if you ask them, more than likely deep down they don't really like it either. They arevjust trying to make a dollar... but they have cheapened what it means. The truth is, none of us want to be bare naked in front of the crowd in life. It seems that we just want to cover up and close ourselves off to others. We spend our days covering up with clothes, titles, and positions trying to posture our life in way that seems all good and important. All of us want other people to think good of us.
But it did not start out this way... "The man and his wife were both naked and felt no shame." Genesis 2:25
More on this later...

Craving Clarity

We long for and crave clarity in our lives. We want to know where the pieces of the puzzle are. I am not sure that we need this at all, in fact the mysteries of this life drive me closer to the Lord.
They serve as reminder that I am limited and in need of God's wisdom. I know that I must depend on Christ to lead me, my marriage, and the ministry. If I knew it all, I would not live in a state of dependence on Him.
Daniel knew this when he prayed for God to make known to him the mysteries of his times. We too should go before the Lord and pray that he wold give us the answer to the mysteries that we experience in this life.
"...but there is a God who reveals mysteries" Daniel 2:28

May we all live in expectancy of what God can do.

The Way of Gratitude

Can you believe that it is November? It is hard to believe that the year has moved on so quickly. I love the this time of the year. The cooler weather is so refreshing. Thanksgiving is just around the corner. I can hardly believe that it will be here in a little over three weeks from now.
I wonder... "Am I a grateful person?" "Do I truly understand all that I have been blessed with?" I personally feel that I take so much for granted. I know that I have so much to be thankful for.

my wife...
a simple smile...
a full handshake...
a cup of coffee...
the cool breeze...
a stable job...
infectious laughter...
a good work out...
great friends...
passion...
And the list could go on and on...

Now how about in your life? Stop and think about all that you have been blessed with. Be captured for a moment with the blessings that you have been granted by the gracious hand of our God.