Realistic expectations

Image courtesy of wizard909 at sxc.hu/profile/wizard909

I was walking through Wal-mart the other night, and knew it must’ve been near New Year’s Eve.  I’m not talking about seeing aisles of party favors, goofy 2011 sun-glasses, and confetti.  I’m talking about seeing all the home exercise equipment.  Rows of it, stacks of it – all covered with images of ripped guys and yoga-toned girls.  It’s that time again…

I try not to get caught up in the “resolution” cycle of setting dozens of goals everyone (including myself) knows I’ll never reach.  However, I do take the time to reflect on the previous year, and set some goals for the upcoming year.  I don’t mean the “I’m going to go to the gym everyday in 2011” type of goals.  I mean things like, “I want to improve my prayer life with my wife and kids in 2011.”

With that in mind, I’ve set a few goals, how about you?

Here’s some of mine (the more spiritual ones, obviously.  You probably don’t care about my cholesterol, do you?)

• Read the Bible twice
• Study one Old Testament book in-depth
• Develop a systematic prayer guide for concerns in my church family
• Pray more with my wife and kids
• Start a family worship time in my home

Now like I said, these are realistic expectations that I think I can handle.  These are areas I know I need to grow as a Christian.  How about you?  Have you reflected over the past year and considered where you’ve grown and where you need to grow more?

If you have a desire to make Bible reading a part of 2011 (and I hope you do), check out crewebaptist.com/biblereading for a couple of reading plans I’ve developed over the last year or so.  The plan I’ll be starting out with can be found at the Chronological Bible Blog, and is a one-year plan that takes you through the Bible chronologically, so you get a good sense of the timeline of the Bible.  (I’d recommend this only if you’ve read through the entire Bible before.)  I started tonight, reading the first two days, and will read two days worth each day so as to complete the plan in six months.  When I’m nearing the end of that, I’ll begin looking for another plan that I can use.  I’m considering the M’Cheyne reading plan, but again, sped up to a six month plan.

I hope you’ll spend some time reflecting on what God is doing in your life and take this time when we break out the new calendars to strengthen some spiritual habits.

The Most Ironic Prayer in the Bible

I was listening to a sermon by my old pastor, Lew Bennett, on the FBC Bassett Podcast today.  Pastor Lew mentioned something that I never caught before:

The Most Ironic Prayer in the Bible.

He was preaching on Elijah’s depression from 1 Kings 19.  He mentioned the irony of Elijah’s prayer in vv. 3-5.  Elijah’s depression was so bad that he not only wished he was dead, he actually prayed that God would kill him!  Now, we know that God did not grant his request.  Rather, He encouraged him and gave him many more years of powerful ministry.  But, fast forward a few years to 2 Kings 2.

Enter the irony…

In this well-known scene, Elijah is taken up into God’s presence in a chariot of fire.

So, as it turns out, God did the exact opposite of Elijah’s request.  Elijah prayed to die that day, and in the end, Elijah never died! Now, Pastor Lew’s main point was about winning the bout with depression, and I’d recommend you listen to the sermon.  But this point wouldn’t let me go.

How often do we pray out of desperation and ask God for something that is way off target?  We look at our present situation with our finite vision and knowledge and we cry out to God with some request that is all wrong for us.  God looks at our whole life all at once with His infinite vision and knowledge and gives us what He knows to be best.

You’ve probably heard the old adage about God’s three answers to prayer: yes, no, and maybe.  This is so true!  Sometimes we ask things of God that are all wrong for us.  What if God had granted Elijah’s request that day and killed him?  Think of all the ministry Elijah would’ve missed, the great works of God, and in the end, he would’ve missed escaping death itself!

Brother or sister, do not lose hope in the midst of difficulty.  Do not assume that just because things are bad now, they won’t ever improve.  Know that God’s wisdom far outreaches our own, and He knows what is best for us, even when we’re at our worst.  Pray in faith and hope that God will bring you through the trial, the pain, or the loss.

Do not pray in hopeless desperation, but rather, pray in faith, knowing that God listens and God cares.

Originally at Words of Reason

Keeping the Christ in X-mas

I’ve already seen the first assault on “Xmas” for the holiday season, so I thought I’d take some time to explain a few things about Xmas and keeping Christ at the center of it all.

(Update: This post has quickly generated the most traffic on my site in it’s short history. I know this is because of the hot-button nature of the topic.  Let me preface this post by saying that it is not intended to be arrogant, condescending, or rude. If any part of it appears that way, I apologize because that is not my intent. My point is not actually about history, words and letters, though this article does deal with all three. My true point is to get the attention off the bickering and quibbling about words and phrases so we can all put it back on Jesus, where it belongs this season. Lastly, I humbly submit that much of the harsher statements made in this article are as a result of my own soul-searching, not pointed outward at others. My prayer is that the Church will look inward and repent of it’s own sins of neglect, greed, and pride; then look outward at a broken, fallen world that needs to hear about God’s glory and salvation through Jesus.  Let the Spirit speak where He may.)

“X” is the first letter of “Christ” in Greek (spelled ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ). it was a common abbreviation for “Christ” in the early church, and “XS” and “XOS” (ΧΣ and ΧΟΣ) were common abbreviations for “Christ” in the Greek New Testament .  Using “X” as an abbreviation for “Christ” is an ancient practice of the Church.  Before the cross became the popular Christian symbol it is today, the Chi Rho was the predominant symbol for the faith.  The Chi Rho (pictured above), is a symbol which combines the chi and rho (X and P), which are the first two letters of “Christ” in Greek (ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ).

Writing Xmas is NOT taking Christ out of Christmas.

Taking Christ out of Christmas looks more like people trampling each other for bargains the day after Thanksgiving.  Taking Christ out of Christmas looks more like a December calendar so full of “holiday” events that we neglect the gathering together with other believers to worship Christ.  Taking Christ out of Christmas looks more like going into debt to buy things people don’t need with money you don’t have, while people around the world are starving.

As I’ve said on this blog before, anyone can copy and paste a statement that cries out about “keeping Christ in Christmas.”  I challenge you to actually do so, in more than just your spelling.  How about setting a December schedule that keeps Christ in Christmas?  How about spending money that keeps Christ in Christmas?  How about living a life from January through November that is radically changed by the fact that Christ came to earth, lived a sinless life, died in your place, was buried, and rose again three days later?

Here’s some ideas to keep Christ in Xmas this year:

• Make it a point of being in town for each Sunday in the Advent season in order to gather with brothers and sisters in Christ to worship Him
• When putting out the Nativity scene as you decorate, talk with your kids about what each piece is and what the Bible says about them (Why is Jesus in a manger?  What are the wise men holding?  Why is there a shepherd there?)
• Buy something for a family in need (World Vision’s Gift Catalog is a great place to start here)
• Invite a family who doesn’t go to church to come with you and your family to the Christmas Eve service
• Tell someone about the good news of Christ’s death in our place to save us from sin

Whatever creative ways you come up with, just don’t relegate your faith to a simple bumper sticker declaration or copy and paste confession about keeping Christ in Christmas.  James warned us, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”  Don’t complain to Wal-mart that they aren’t keeping Christ in Christmas, they aren’t the church!  If you are a follower of Christ, then it’s up to you to keep Christ at the center of this season.

One last thing: don’t copy and paste this as your status update, just keep the Christ in Xmas with your actions!

(One more update: a friend of mine, Jared, has written a post on this same general topic, but with a much more mission-minded focus. I highly recommend you read his take http://jbyas.com/2011/12/05/why-i-say-xmas/)

Book Review: Misconception

I recently joined the christianaudio Reviewers Program.  My first audiobook was Misconception by Paul & Shannon Morell.  This was an emotional true story of two families and their experience with a fertility clinic mix-up.  It is told in first-person from the perspective of Shannon, whose frozen embryo was implanted into the wrong woman.

This book is in no way a treatise on the human-from-conception view of life, though it touches on the topic.  Instead, this book focuses on the story of two families’ experiences with pregnancy via in vitro fertilization.  It is a narrative, not a defense.

In many ways, this book felt like a catharsis for Shannon; a chance for her to get out all of the penned-up thoughts and emotions from her ordeal.  At times, there were details and stories told that were not essential to the overall timeline of events, but give depth to Shannon’s feelings.   Especially since I experienced this as an audio book, it sometimes felt as though I was on a long phone call with Shannon after asking her, “So what happened with your baby?”  Taken in this vein, and giving an understanding ear, I was absorbed into the story.  I rode the roller coaster with her.

Tavia Gilbert did a fantastic job of narrating, lending full emotion when appropriate, and even sounding as perplexed as Shannon must have felt at times.  I highly recommend this book, especially in audio format, and especially to anyone dealing with fertility issues of any kind, past or present.

It’s the little things…

Psalm 127

¹ Unless the LORD builds the house,
its builders labor in vain.
Unless the LORD watches over the city,
the watchmen stand guard in vain.

² In vain you rise early
and stay up late,
toiling for food to eat—
for he grants sleep to those he loves.

³ Sons are a heritage from the LORD,
children a reward from him.

⁴ Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
are sons born in one’s youth.

⁵ Blessed is the man
whose quiver is full of them.
They will not be put to shame
when they contend with their enemies in the gate.

So technically my birthday is tomorrow, but my wife and kids wanted me to get the most out of my present, so they sprung it on me this morning!  I opened the bag my oldest son gave me and found a picture of him in a frame he made.  This has become a bit of a tradition with my kids, but this one was different.  The frame (made of fun foam) was decorated with goombas, koopa troopers, and of course the Mario Brothers.  It gets better.

My wife had devised Mario and Luigi costumes for my boys.  I was laughing so hard and enjoying the creativity that I never saw it coming.  I opened the bag from my wife, and there was Super Mario Bros. Wii!  We’d been talking about getting this game for months.  I’m thrilled to get the game, but even more thrilled/impressed with my wife’s incredible creativity.  Long after I’ve beaten the game, I will still have these pictures to make me smile and laugh, and hope that not too much of my geek gene was passed onto the boys.

My kids truly are a blessing from the Lord.  I never knew how much a kid could impact a grown man until these two came along.  I am incredibly thankful for my wife, Keelie, and my little monkey and big ox, AKA Luigi and Mario.  My prayer is that I will live up to the ideal of Psalm 71, and faithfully declare God’s love to the next generation, starting with my own children, teaching them that God loves them even more than I do.  God help me reach this goal!

Psalm 71

¹⁵ My mouth will tell of your righteousness,
of your salvation all day long,
though I know not its measure.

¹⁶ I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, O Sovereign LORD;
I will proclaim your righteousness, yours alone.

¹⁷ Since my youth, O God, you have taught me,
and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.

¹⁸ Even when I am old and gray,
do not forsake me, O God,
till I declare your power to the next generation,
your might to all who are to come.

We’re Christians, we feed people.

In his Ethics course at SEBTS, Dr. Mark Liederbach once made the comment, “We’re Christians, we feed people.”  It struck me with its simplicity and truth.  Each year, my youth and I get an opportunity to put that into practice on a huge scale.

This weekend, May 14-15, 2010 my youth group and several others will be coming together for 30 Hour Famine.  We will be identifying with tens of thousands of children all over the world by going with food for 30 hours.  We do this to raise awareness (including our own) of the 26,000 children who die every day of starvation and preventable disease, and to raise money to help feed them.

If you can be a part of the solution, please visit my online fundraising page and give whatever you can.  Every dollar received will feed a child for one day, so if you can give just $1 for every hour of the Famine, you will feed a child for a month.  More than that, thanks to a matching grant, your money will go further than it ever has.  This year we have a 10:1 match!  That means for ever dollar you give, you will help feed 11 children for one day!  Please consider a donation, no matter how small.  Just think, $5 – the cost of a cheap lunch – can feed a child for almost two months!

Book Review: The Money Answer Book by Dave Ramsey

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Your finances aren’t the problem… you are.

That might be how I’d sum up the message of Dave Ramsey’s newest book, The Money Answer Book.  Dave is a no-nonsense kind of advisor, and starts out with his key premise: “Personal finance is 80 percent behavior and 20 percent head knowledge!”  This is the foundation of all the advice that will follow in this concise, easy-reading resource.  This book is designed to be a quick and easy guide to some not-so-easy questions.  Whereas his previous books laid out general concepts, this newest addition seeks to answer specific questions, with bite-sized, easy to digest answers.

This is my first Ramsey book, and I was consistently impressed with his values.  He’s up front about his belief that the Bible is his foundation for his financial principles.  Dave places a high value on family, stressing the need for spouses to work together and agree on financial issues and teaching good financial values to their kids.  Dave hammers home the idea that hard work is the solution to financial trouble.  He has no magic bullet, and he is a true realist.  Overall, he’s like that uncle or ball coach that’ll tell you the hard truth your parents tried to tell you, but you’ll listen to him!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Ctrl+Z: Whatever happened, happened

*image courtesy of thesaint at stock.xchng

I was thinking today about mistakes.  I hate mistakes, especially the ones you just can’t fix.  For example, I was in downtown Richmond this afternoon and unwittingly parked illegally.  It was a “No Parking Zone,” but only from 4-6pm.  I saw the sign, thought I was out of the tow zone, and even backed up one parking meter to get further away from that scowling white sign with its slashy circle of scorn.  Alas, I was apparently in the tow zone, and it was 4:15.

Of course.

Now, there’s no going back.  I have no defense.  There’s no wiggle room, there’s no making up for it, there’s no making it all go away.  Instead, sixty of my hard-earned dollars will be painting a bench somewhere downtown or helping to pay some civil servants salary, probably the one who wrote my ticket.

Thankfully, we have the universal reset button: Ctrl+Z.

Yes, the “undo” feature started as a handy ability on word processing that has now spread to nearly every program I encounter.  Accidentally delete a paragraph?  Undo!  Accidentally delete the pictures of your kid’s first birthday?  Ctrl+Z!  It’s truly an amazing function, and has become so ubiquitous that sometimes it’s hard to remember that it only works on computers.

I’ve often wished that life had an undo function.  I’ve wished that I could simply stroke a few keys and find myself five minutes in the past, or maybe a whole day, with the chance to do it all over again.  Like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day, I’d know how I failed the try before, and could do it again and again until I got things juuust right.

Until Google/Apple/Facebook/Skynet/Big Brother finds a way to implement an actual undo button for life, or we all find ourselves sucked into/uploaded into the cloud, we have to live with our analog mistakes.  Now, this is a biblical blog (biblog? no, sorry, that’s dumb), so you might think this is where I pull out the Jesus card like this…

Jesus is the Eternal Undo Button!

But, you’d be wrong.  And that’s ok, because you’re good enough, you’re smart enough, and darn it people like you.

No, that’s not the point I’m going to make.  Ok, that’s half true.  Jesus does take away your guilty standing as a rebel against the King of the Universe, don’t get me wrong.  But that doesn’t necessarily mean a cosmic “undo” for all those who believe.  Sometimes, there are long-lasting effects of sin in your life that simply won’t go away.  (Note I used “won’t” not “can’t.”)

It goes like this…

When you put your faith and trust in Jesus, a few things could happen: God could remove all traces of a particular sin in your life, including guilty standing, temptation to repeat, and negative consequences. Or, God could remove the guilt of your sin but not the consequences of your sin.  You see, the guilt part is integral to salvation.  In fact, it’s what you’re believing when you put your trust in Jesus: that He can and will forgive you of your sins and restore your right standing before God if you will believe.

The other stuff, is not as sure.  I’m sure you know or have heard of someone who came to Jesus and immediately put down their drugs, promiscuity, Disney movies, and all other forms of evil in their lives without ever looking back.  They experienced no withdraw symptoms, never had a second thought, and could march right back into the bar/strip club/theme park without fear of relapse.  Praise God, He is still at work and does mighty things for the glory of His Name!

However, sometimes God chooses, for reasons we don’t know, to not deliver someone as radically and instantaneously.  I would argue that this is the norm.  God gives us the words of Paul to put off the old self and put on the new (Ephesians 4:22-23).  Therefore, we are urged to work together with God through the power of the Holy Spirit to strive towards obedience in this particular area.

Also, sometimes the consequences of our sin will not be removed.  God has built into the fabric of the universe a cause and effect system that goes beyond physics.  What we plant is what we will harvest (Galatians 6:7-9).  This is the biblical counter to “what goes around comes around” or karma.  The difference is that God can override this, and it doesn’t apply to our eternal state if we are in Christ.  What it does apply to is our life in the here and now.

Lead a promiscuous life and you might end up with a disease.  God can heal you of that, but it’s neither a guarantee nor the norm.  God may bless you with a wonderful marriage down the road with a pure and holy sex life, but you may not ever get certain images out of your head.  Murder someone, and God can and will forgive you for your sin.  That doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t go to jail.  Lie through all your B.C. years, and people might have a hard time believing you when get all truthful on them.

Just because we’re Christians doesn’t mean that we’re somehow exempt from the real world.  There are still consequences to our actions.  God may choose to supernaturally override the norm, but don’t count on it in every case.  We don’t have an “undo” button for life, and this is the only shot we get on this earth.  We will be judged for what we do here, and there will be no going back.

Whatever happened, happened.

F-R-E-E that’s spells free!

image courtesy of Billy over at stock.xchng

I love free stuff.  Do you love free stuff?

I thought so.

Well, get yer keester on over to Christian Audio and sign up for your free audio book of the month!  This month (April 2010) features Stuff Christians Like by Jonathan Acuff, which I plan to do a review of later on. I would’ve included the review in this post, but I haven’t written one yet and don’t want you to miss out on the opportunity to laugh until it hurts!  So, expect a review of not only this book, but also of Dave Ramsey’s The Money Answer Book, coming soon!

Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V, and the downfall of original thought

So, my baby sister gave me a gentle kick in the pants the other day to get back to my writing.  I decided to put down some thoughts that have been floating through my head for a few months.  We’ll see what comes of it I suppose…

Not since the invention of the printing press has the rate of transfer of information increased so rapidly.  A new invention, perhaps ahead of its time, revolutionized the way we think, the way we create, the way we share.

It’s not the one you’re thinking of, it’s the other one…