Author: Addis Andy

There are perennial issues for pastors and those in church ministry. One of those is “What do you do with Halloween?”

The question is always loaded and either comes from the perspective of “You better not do anything with it you punk pastor or you’re going straight to hell!” or “You’re not one of THOSE churches that hate kids and fun stuff, are you?”

Not kidding, those have been real conversations over the years.

The church where I pastor does not celebrate Halloween, but we do a bang up job of a community-wide fall festival. And, before both sides of the debate start labeling me a compromiser, take a chill pill and find some satisfaction in knowing that I don’t agree with either of you.

There… is everyone happy?

I think there is a third place between pharisaical legalism and cultural domination… I like to think that place is called the Gospel.

But, since this is a perennial issue, I have already written on this issue (about 6 years ago) and decided to repost. Hope its helpful, and know that I love you no matter what side of the debate you are on.

I’m just thankful you are a thinking, wrestling believer!

ORIGINALLY POSTED OCTOBER 2008

It’s that time of year again. Yes, one of the scariest times of the year. When people from all over gasp in horror, and shriek out the ghoulish question… “Is ok to celebrate Halloween, to trick or treat?”

The answer: No. if you dress your children up as ballerinas, or Star Wars Jedis you are going straight to hell, do not pass go, do not collect $200 dollars.

That was the trick (aka: a joke), now are you ready for the treat?

As a pastor I get asked the Halloween question a lot, but I am always amazed that I don’t get asked the question about the other holidays. That’s why I was glad to get this question from my friend AJ on FACEBOOK:

Why do we celebrate ‘Halloween’ and how much of it has anything to do with religious, social and/or cultural (if any) rituals; how much of it should be practiced and what should be avoided based on today’s ‘trick-or-treat’ experiences (including negative impacts [if any]).

Why do we celebrate ‘Christmas’ and what is the essence of this occasion in respect to again; religious, social and/or cultural (if any) rituals; what should it be preached as; what should be the basic preaching in such occasions.

Good stuff… let’s give it a shot.

The big issue is, we want to have fun, but we don’t want to be pagan. So, we’re constantly asking ourselves questions like: are Christmas trees ok? Do Easter eggs have anything to do with Jesus? Is it wrong for me to offer human sacrifice to the ancient god Molech? (yes, no and YEEEESSS!)

The truth is almost every holiday on our calendar has pagan links to some degree because of something called syncretism.

Syncretism is a planned, or unplanned, combining of two into one, usually for the purpose of eventual absorption. In other words, over the years (thousands of years to be less than precise) Christianity encountered numerous pagan belief systems and there were some serious conflicts in thought and philosophy.

As Christianity became the dominant global force and absorbed those cultures and pagan systems, many of their beliefs/holidays were synchronized into the Christian calendar as well. Thus, syncretism:

Christmas: An absorption of a pagan seasonal change celebration of the winter solstice. Almost every ‘traditional’ holiday element of this festive season has a pagan root that the church reworked to have a Jesus meaning: the Christmas tree, the Yule log, candy canes, etc.

Easter: An absorption of pagan fertility festivals replaced with the imagery of a reborn/resurrected Jesus. Since this holiday was replacing fertility celebrations it’s no wonder we continue to see fertility symbols associated with it like rabbits and eggs in the Spring time!

Halloween: An absorption of a pagan day of the dead created by Celtic people about 2000 years ago, converted by the church nearly 800 years ago to be a day to honor the memory of the saints and martyrs. October 31 being All Hallows Eve (pagan) and November 1 being All Saints Day (Christian). The costumes, trick and treating and decorating are all throw backs to the original pagan celebration.

The truth is that almost every holiday we have is a syncretistic expression of something pagan turned Christian.

At first, the believer might be horrified and stopped dead in their tracks by this information. Your first thought might be to go the route of my best friend back in grade school.

I never knew why, but every time we had a birthday party, Christmas party, Halloween party, or any celebration he had to leave the room. He was Jehovah’s Witness and there was no partying for them (yet, somehow he always ended up getting some really cool, big toy for no reason in late December… guess even JW’s have some cool grandparents).

But, avoidance, that’s not the answer.

Christmas may have originally celebrated the alignment of the planets, BUT NOW it’s about the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ. So, wrap those materialistic presents, stick them under that pagan tree and sing those secular songs, baby. Just remember the reason for the season.

Easter may have originally celebrated a fertility festival, BUT NOW it’s about the resurrection of Jesus Christ. So, pet a bunny, find and egg and sing at the top of your lungs, “JESUS is Lord.”

Halloween may have originally been about death and fear, BUT NOW it’s about new life and sacrifice for the believer. So eat some candy, put on a fun costume, and… eat some more candy.

Syncretism had two purposes, a negative and a positive.

The negative was to wipe out the pagan influence that was drawing people away from a loving God and cover over its effects with the Good News and message of Jesus Christ. Replacing it’s old ways and patterns with the news ways and patterns of Christianity for these converted pagans. It was a way to make their conversion and spiritual transition as smooth as possible by adding Christianity to their lives wherever possible.

The positive was even more exciting. In every culture and religion it seems there had been glimpses of what God had been doing in Christ’s redemption story even before they heard about it. Foreshadowing, tremors, future echoes of the Christ story that would prepare that people group to hear and recognize the message of Jesus and the cross when it came to them.

In one culture the Epic of Gilgamesh tells of global flood as God punishes a corrupt world, in another the blood sacrifice of a bull is splashed on worshipers and they sing “by the blood we are made clean,” and on and on. In these cultures, syncretism does not cover over their expressions of worship, but shows them what they have been looking for all along. The process of syncretism aligns their faith with the Jesus story.

It finishes the journey they had begun.

Which brings us back to the beginning: “Is ok to celebrate Halloween, to trick or treat?”

Well it’s not ok to celebrate a 2000 year old Celtic day of the dead, but it is ok to celebrate an 800 year old Christian tradition of honoring the saints and the martyrs.

The key is in answering this question: will we celebrate these holidays with care?

• Talk about the meaning of this holiday (or any holiday) with our family
• Participate in traditions that honor Christ and not the ones that honor His enemy
• Make this a holiday that draws us closer to God and not one that draws us closer to commercialism, the occult or anything else wierdolicious

Use the holiday like our Christian ancestors did. It may be pagan in nature, but take it back in Jesus’ name, ascribe a meaning to it that honors our God, and celebrate in a way that brings life to the Body!

Here is some practical advice, not legalistic standards, just some thoughts the way we apply them at our house:

1. We decorate for the season with fall colors, harvest themes, pumpkins and such, but avoid witches, skeletons and the occult
2. We enjoy costumes like boxers, hippies, Dirk Nowitzki (if you have to ask, I won’t explain), but won’t do the scary, gory or inappropriate
3. We even carve pumpkins, but will usually carve a cross as the image and then talk about Jesus being the light of the world as we put the candle inside
4. We simply use our heads to have fun, but keep things on the Godly side of the fence

With all that being said, if you live in the Hutchinson area, let me invite you to our faith community’s Fall Festival this Friday night from 5-9 pm at the State Fairgrounds (these are the right time for 2014, just FYI).

We call it a Fall Festival because we don’t believe in that Halloween garbage… Just kidding, just kidding!

Today is one of the saddest days of the year for me.  While the date on the calendar changes each year, this day always comes.

It’s the last day of camp.

For nearly 20 years I have done multiple weeks of camp every summer. From as few as three to as many as 12 weeks in one summer, children’s camp, student camp, family camp… I don’t care. I love camp.

And, this summer is no exception as I have had the privilege of speaking to a couple thousand campers.

Very often my family comes with me, but when they don’t I do miss them terribly. Still, from the beginning they’ve always been behind my “over-camped” tendencies.

What makes camp so amazing? Well, let’s first define what it isn’t.

Everyone has a weakness.

That’s important to remember no matter how strong your defenses are up front. Every life has a back door, and it’s usually just a screen door.

King Hezekiah, known as one of the ‘good’ kings, was the leader of God’s people during the dominating reign of the violent, powerful and merciless Assyrian empire. He was leading God’s people through a tumultuous time and even brought spiritual reforms to the land in the midst of chaotic geo-political upheaval.

He really was a good king.

In fact, when Assyria knocked on the door to let Israel know they were next in line for destruction, Good King Hezekiah displayed the kind of leadership I could only dream about for our day.

In Isaiah 36, we see the official envoy of Assyria come to publicly threaten God’s people:

• He calls King Hezekiah a deceptive leader
• He declares any earthly political alliances Israel had as useless
• He threatens violence and death
• He described their starvation by saying they will eat their own dung and drink their own urine
• Worst of all, he mocks their God, “¹⁸ Beware lest Hezekiah mislead you by saying, “The Lord will deliver us.” Has any of the gods of the nations delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria? ¹⁹ Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Have they delivered Samaria out of my hand? ²⁰ Who among all the gods of these lands have delivered their lands out of my hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?’ ”

This is some serious smack talk!

But, Good King Hezekiah is up to the task. Instead of overreacting, instead of crumbling in fear, instead of responding in a reactionary way, this king tears his clothes (a sign of mourning) and runs straight to the house of God and pleads with the Almighty, trusting in Him more than this king’s own resources, wealth, or even himself.

In fact, in Isaiah 37 the Good King said, “⁴ It may be that the Lord your God will hear the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to mock the living God, and will rebuke the words that the Lord your God has heard; therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left.’ ” 

That’s good leadership right there.

But, just a little while latter, Hezekiah is deathly ill when the Lord spares him and heals him of his disease. Following his miraculous recovery the king of another nation, Babylon, sends a prince to him with congratulations and a gift concerning the miraculous healing.

Hezekiah responds to this diplomatic ploy with a very unkingly response. He gave this foreign dignitary an all-access pass to his kingdom showing him their treasury, their arsenal and all the nation’s storehouses.

Great googley moogley! The Babylonians couldn’t have gotten that kind of intel with an elaborate spy network and satellite surveillance, but the king just gave it up to them.

Isaiah steps in (Isaiah 38) and tells the king he has made a mistake. He tells him that the Babylonians will one day own everything they have seen and even the king’s own sons will be taken away into their captivity and made to be servant eunuchs for the household of Babylon someday.

Here is the punch line, King Hezekiah responds to Isaiah’s prophecy with these words: “⁸ Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord that you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “There will be peace and security in my days.””

How selfish and short sighted is that? Let me translate Good King Hezekiah’s response, “Sure, my kids and grandkids will be turned into mutilated slaves and my nation completely plundered… but not till I’m gone.”

How in the world did a good, strong, Godly king willing to go toe to toe with a violent world super power with his God as his only ally and resource turn into this?

The enemy found the backdoor to his life.

Assyria pushed from the front, but Babylon slipped around back with flattery and pride.

This was the weakness in the king’s character. His ego being stroked opened him up to weakness and corrupted his character, dismantled his choices and devastated his future.

I don’t know what your backdoor is, but everyone has one: pride, fear, sexual temptation, greed, doubt, anger, hurt, control… whatever it is, don’t forget to guard the backdoor.

Tear your clothes, cry out to God and depend on Him in your greatest places of weakness, for when you are weak, He is strong.

I should’ve thrown these shoes away.

There’s a lot of things I should’ve done… Like mow the yard today, put more in savings this month and eaten a well-balanced breakfast fortified with vitamins, minerals and nutrients… but, I didn’t.

Even though these shoes have reached the pinnacle of ‘nastiness,’ I do have some valid reasons for keeping them around.

First, I wear size 18… go ahead and get the giggling out of your system. I’ve heard it all… Sasquatch, Bigfoot, Yeti, you must have a good understanding, you’d be a foot taller if you weren’t turned under… which one is that, The Nina, The Pinta or the Santa Maria?

When it comes to big shoe, or Big foot, jokes I promise you… There’s nothing I haven’t heard. And elevators, they are completely awkward… everybody looks down and then they look at you.

So, on that fact alone, it’s hard for me to get rid of a pair of shoes. Size 18 shoes in any style are just not that easy to come by.

In complete honesty though, that has nothing to do with why I have held onto these particular shoes.

I wore these shoes last year on a trip to Haiti. It was a trip I shared with my oldest son, and we went to work with children from a school with a feeding program and to share the gospel through a ministry called Restore Haiti.

I’ve been to several places around the world on “mission” trips. I’ve been in places where I was not allowed to reveal my identity in Asia because of danger to the missionaries on the ground and even myself.

I preached the gospel in an open air church on the continent of Europe where my Christian belief was definitively in the minority… less than .01% of the population.

I have worked with students who are overprivileged in an under resourced area in a resort style ministry of the Caribbean.

But, none of my travels or ministry opportunities prepared me for that stint in Haiti.

I had never seen poverty like that. I have never seen such a devastated infrastructure even years after their major earthquake. I had never walked where they filmed the commercials of the hungry children.

It was devastating.

One of the things I remember clearly was the dirty congestion that reached out from the urban areas even to the rural. The walk to Trash Beach, named that because there was more trash than beach. The continuous litter that connected the shacks that many called home. And, the smell… can’t really describe it… it has to be experienced.

One night on that trip we were told we would have a special experience getting to do what many Hatians never get to do, eat out at a restaurant.

We dressed up, and headed “downtown” with 15 of us pressed into an open truck bed.

It was a great night! Good food, lots of laughs, picture taking, some dancing (hold your horses, it was Baptist approved dancing), and a much appreciated break from the hustle and bustle of that oppressively hot, constantly dirty, never-stop moving trip we called our mission.

Just before we left the restaurant that night it began to pour, I don’t mean drizzle, I mean frog strangler, gully washer, downpour.

We all ran out into the street to try and jump up in the bed of the truck. It was a good uphill mile and a half trip back to where we we’re staying.

As I was helping students climb into the bed of the truck the water was rushing downhill was a little over ankle deep. The filth of those city streets, the trash that had been lining the pathways we walked and all the things that I would intentionally step around were now clinging to my legs and submerged feet in that Hatian flood.

It was grotesque. It was unhealthy. It was beautifully brutal… Brutifal.

These were the shoes I was wearing that night. I can’t get rid of them.

They look horrible, they smell worse and I am absolutely positive that they somewhere have the ebola virus within them.

But, every time I wear them I remember how blessed I am, the importance of the mission, and to pray for those who live in that place every day.

Isaiah 52:7 says,

“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.””

This is the season when many of God’s faithful go “on mission.”
You won’t have to be on Facebook very long to see a team of teenagers trying to raise funds via the car wash to go on mission.

You’ve probably already received a letter from a distant relative who’s in college trying to raise support, whether financial or prayer, for a trip overseas.

And, in your church there’s no doubt been talk of summer mission projects, trips and missionaries.

Everybody has the opportunity to get involved in sharing the gospel and sending the hands and feet of our Savior to places where Jesus needs to be.

You may not be able to hop a plane this summer and find yourself in East Asia, southern Africa or a Caribbean jungle for two months, but you can make it happen. Here are your options:

Pray
Give
Go

Pray -not just in general, you need to find someone’s name, a specific trip and begin praying for them passionately right now. Pray for them before they go as they raise money, prepare spiritually and take the trip. Consider yourself a part of their prayer team and understand that you are just as valuable as someone on the ground as you are interceding for them every day until they get home, maybe even after!

Give -some can give a little, others can give a lot, but everything counts! Maybe you need to have a garage sale on their behalf, or you do a car wash in your neighborhood to give all the proceeds to them for the trip. Maybe, you should talk to your family about making your vacation two days shorter so that you can give all the money that you would spend on those two days for that mission trip. There’s 1000 ways to go about it, but these things don’t happen for free. You should give.

Go – maybe not today, and maybe not tomorrow, but at some point in the future you need to begin asking the Lord for an opportunity to go! Let Him guide you to the place, and let Him outline a time. Believe it or not, you have beautiful feet, they just need to get on the right mountain.

You can trust me, when it comes to feet… I’m an expert.

Don’t wait, the summer mission trip season will pass you by quickly and you need to get involved now, praying, giving where you can and thinking about when you might go.

If you just don’t know where to start and would like someone to pray for, or would like a legitimate mission to be able to give to… Send me an email (andy@crosseyedlife.com), I’ll be glad to connect you with those who are heading out in the next few weeks.

Pray. Give. Go.

Maybe someday you’ll have a pair of shoes you just can’t throw away.

Ever felt like you missed something? Seems to be a constant for me, and yesterday was one of those days.

Our little community of Hutchinson, Ks, has received some regional, if not national, news attention for a high speed chase that went right through the middle of our sleepy little rural metropolis.

Mutliple branches of law enforcement, with lights flashing and sirens blaring, screamed up and down the street I call my driveway.

The fugutive ditched the car in an alley and fled on foot, and started a foot race through private homes! Just like Jason Bourne, right?

It all ended up in a big cuff and stuff bust just down from my house that you could see pretty easily standing on the corner of my property… I would assume.

I can’t tell you for sure… because… well… to tell you the truth… I was napping.

Seriously!?!

The first truly exciting thing to happen in this town and I slept through it!

When I snorted myself awake and grabbed my phone I saw FaceBook posts from neighbors with strings of comments about the spectacle taking place just outside my door.

I found breaking news links from the local paper, and browsed through missed text messages from family and friends asking “What’s going on at your place?”

Oops. Missed that one.

How can you sleep through something like that? It’s amazing. It’s hard to believe. It’s just wrong.

Sleeping through important things is a warning in Scripture:

Proverbs 6:9
How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep?

Matthew 25:12-13
But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

Romans 13
Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.

Whether its a warning against laziness, a preparation for the apocalypse, or a wake up call to salvation, God’s word is clear: Don’t sleep this life away.

Be aware of opportunities to be the hands and feet of Christ around you.

Be a watchman on the wall to change the world in Jesus name.

Be in the battle, and don’t let life slip by without being a part of the excitement, the drama, the passion, the calling, the mission, the ministry!

We sleep our lives away at jobs we hate, with hobbies that mean nothing and in front of screens that are modern day shrines to idols.

Wake up you sleeper! God has a plan and you’re in it. Get off the couch, abandon the pew… pick a shield, draw your sword and let’s do this!

Math is hard.

I know math is easier for some than others, but at some level everybody must admit, math is hard.

Some fall off at trigonometry, others with calculus, and some algebra. For me, saying I fall off at algebra is a stretch. I capped out somewhere near fractions.

My kids lost some of their innocence in the sixth grade. I stopped appearing to be the all-knowing, ever-flowing fountain of knowledge when they brought home math homework.

We needed a tutor two nights each week. One night for them, and one for me.

Math is hard.

Still, there is one lesson from the math universe I’ve never forgotten; the quest for the one common denominator.

A common denominator is defined, as found on the ironically named mathisfun.com website, “denominators (or the bottom number in a fraction) in two or more fractions that are common, or the same.”

I remember grueling hours of scrawling down numbers, erasing them and trying to find that one common denominator.

Finding the one common denominator meant you had simplified the equation and were seeing it as clearly as you possibly could.

This is a skill I wish we could use outside the world of math.

If we’re honest with ourselves, we might discover that one common denominator that keeps turning up in so many aspects of our lives.

As a pastor of more than 20 years, and an observer of life and all its ups and downs, I think I can clearly say that most people who have multiple problems… actually don’t.

Consider, when we think we have multiple problems, what if we actually have a single problem multiplying itself in our life. A common denominator that is affecting everything else:

•  “There are no good men anymore,” she said.
•  “Every boss I’ve ever worked for is an idiot,” he said.
• “All my teachers are against me,” the student said.
•  “Every friend I’ve ever had has stabbed me in the back,” they said.
• “No one in this town can drive,” said everyone at some point.

If you look closely, you may be able to reduce the above scenarios down to their common denominator. For example, it’s not very likely that every teacher you’ve ever had has been out to get you. But, the one common denominator in every classroom you have been in… well, there’s no easy way to say it, is you.

Without a doubt, I have seen myself as the one common denominator again and again. When my kids are irritating, my wife misses the point and everyone at the church just doesn’t understand… I probably need to reduce the equation.

For whatever reason, it’s me again. The one common denominator.

If you suspect you may be the one common denominator, one way to turn it around is to remember Romans 12:13, “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.”

Cut the world around you a little slack, and make sure you hold yourself accountable for things like humility, courtesy and respect.

Wake up every morning remembering that we are all sinners, lost without the grace of Jesus and needing to be transformed by His resurrection power.

You can’t do anything about the world around you, but you can confess your sinfulness, you can surrender to the Savior and you can take care of at least one thing… one common denominator.

Today has been marked by a little bit of panic.

Nothing overt, no obvious danger, just something in the air. And, I know what it is…

I’ve already caught myself staring into space, catching my breath and grinding my teeth.

You see, today my youngest son becomes a teenager, but that alone is not really the source of the feeling.

Some tell me that I should really be concerned, having two teenagers in the house is going to be a war. I don’t think I agree.

I’ve been warned to hold on tightly because time will go so fast I’ll miss it. Well, making the most of every opportunity is wise, but I don’t think that’s my worry.

Moms tell me with tear-filled eyes that you’ll never get your babies back. They mourn over the loss of a baby to cuddle with… believe me, that’s not my problem.

Dads tell me I should get a second job, because the amount of food that’s going to be consumed will break the bank. Actually, I kind of believe that one a little.

With all of the good, bad and ugly advice that you are given, unsolicited I might add, as a parent… it’s sometimes hard to filter out what should be held onto versus what should be tossed.

However, on this occasion, I’m pretty sure I know the source of my consternation.

I am not longing for bygone days, wishing that Noah and Nathan were just entering kindergarten again so I could relive those precious moment years. Been there, done it, have the t-shirt.

I am not overwhelmed with fears that time will slip by so quickly I’ll miss something. We’re taking lots of pictures.

I am not suffering from stress due to the costs of raising a teenager and setting them in the world on their own. I know how to use the words “Get a job.”

I am not struggling under the weight of a horrific culture, unseen peer pressures, inevitable empty nest, or any other thing that gets blogged on a regular basis.

In fact, my “fear” isn’t even really a fear at all. It’s an adrenaline shot.

If you’ve ever known that moment right before a fight, you know when you’re squaring off in the parking lot and staring each other down… that’s the feeling.

But, it’s not squaring up against my sons, but with them!

I have spent the last decade and a half hovering over them, protecting them, leveling a path before them. And today, I do not mourn the transition that they are going through.

My boys have become young men, both of them now. And many of the battles that will be fought now, I will no longer fight for them, I will fight with them.

Where I had been standing between them and the things that might do them harm, now we will stand back to back fighting for what we believe and standing up together.

With two boys that are now young men I am moving in a new direction of fighting ‘for’ my family, to fighting ‘from’ my family.

I know they’re not completely mature, and there is still growth to come… but, my boys are now men. And, that jittery feeling I have is one of anticipation.

The battle lines are drawn, and the conflict is clear. No longer do my boys need to hide behind their father, but side-by-side, swords drawn in the strength of the Lord has given them it’s time for them to become the warriors and the men I know they are.

I am more than proud to call these boys, young men.

I am honored to share my last name with them.

And I am itchin’ to hit the battlefield with them.

Their mother and I have taught them the Scriptures as best we can. We have modeled out a life of faith to the best degree that we know how. And with everything that we could, we have trained them up in the way they should go.

I know we’ve made plenty of mistakes, but we’ve given them our absolute best.

Now it’s time…

Happy birthday Nathan.

Welcome to the fight Noah.

Let’s do this…

Psalm 119:9 “How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.”

Had a great time meeting with fellow pastors this morning for coffee, and the concept of extremes came up. Extremes in belief, extremes in politics and extremes and culture.

Later this weekend millions of people will tune in to the Super Bowl. There will be millions who are rooting for Denver, and probably an equal amount of millions rooting for Seattle.

But, no doubt, there will be millions upon millions watching who are just there because they love football and the game! Their team didn’t make the cut this year, but there still fans of the game and it’s going to be a big day.

Last night the State of the Union address was given. Not nearly as many, but still, millions tuned in.

There were fans lining up on the Republican side, and fans lined up on the Democratic side.

There will always be people who are going to side with their “team”no matter what the results are. But, where the people who are just rooting for the game?

Are we so blinded by politics, animosity and conspiracy (on either side of the line) that we have forgotten how to root for America?

I’m a conservative, I know what I believe, and I know what I’d like to have happen. But, before I would ever call myself Republican/Democrat/libertarian/tea partier… I’m an American.

I do not like where we are as a country, and I don’t think I like where we are going.

But, because I love America and the freedoms I’m afforded by living here, I refuse to play the part that I have been assigned.

I don’t want to support this agenda and I don’t want to tear down that agenda. I want to cheer for… the game!

I am Pro America, and even though I believe what I believe strongly I want to secure my freedoms and religious liberties by preserving the same things for others.

So, in view of the coming midterm elections and the craziness that is cable news… might I suggest that we quit picking teams and blindly following whatever agenda is set before us.

Know what you believe, stand for what you believe and root for America. I think that’s the underdog in this game…

I absolutely love the Christmas season, the Christmas story, Christmas cookies… I just love Christmas.

I love Santa, reindeers and claymation movies, but they are all a distant second to my absolute favorite part of Christmas… The story of Jesus.

I am a bible believing, theologically fundamental Christian. I know that doesn’t make me popular in some camps, but that’s okay. I am not a fundamental Christian because I want to believe in Christmas, I believe in Christmas because I am, at my core, a follower of Jesus Christ.

Despite the fact that I grew up with a loving mother who would do anything in the world for me, I did not grow up in a bible believing home. It just wasn’t a part of who we were.

My decision to follow Christ is a reflection of understandings that I came to as a young adult and followed through in my adult life. And, one of the reasons I was able to come to those conclusions was the fact that ancient prophecies were actually fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ.

Many people know the major prophecies as in Micah (Chapter 5) who predicted that the Savior would be born in Bethlehem. Or, Isaiah (Chapter 9) who the told us a virgin should be with child and we should call his name Immanuel.

But, just as an encouragement to my fellow believers who want to enjoy the season, but also see their faith strengthened, has anyone ever told you the Christmas story exists in another Old Testament book of prophecy written hundreds of years before Christ called Jeremiah?

Let me show you what I’m talking about. Jeremiah was known as the weeping prophet because he had the horrible task of telling the nation of Israel their rebellion would cause them to go into a period of discipline. The country would be torn apart and life would be miserable.

But, he told them to have hope for the future and faith in their God. That their Father had promised he would make things right. After our sin had separated us from God, He would return and restore us.

Here was the first sign he was going to make things right:

Jeremiah 33:10 “Thus says the Lord: In this place of which you say, ‘It is a waste without man or beast,’ in the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem that are desolate, without man or inhabitant or beast, there shall be heard again 11 the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voices of those who sing, as they bring thank offerings to the house of the Lord:  ‘Give thanks to the Lord of hosts, for the Lord is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!’ For I will restore the fortunes of the land as at first, says the Lord.”

Basically God is saying that after everything has been deconstructed and the community has been devastated, He will once again restore the land to a place of beautiful things like weddings and families and life reborn.

Jeremiah then offers them another sign:

Jeremiah 33:12 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: In this place that is waste, without man or beast, and in all of its cities, there shall again be habitations of shepherds resting their flocks.”

Shepherding is a delicate profession. It really doesn’t take place during times of chaos, war and tragedy. There needs to be a significant amount of peace for shepherds to maintain flocks. Jeremiah is telling us that the Lord promises a time in which shepherds can watch their flocks by night once again.

He then gives a third promise of God restoring His people, and this is the big one:

Jeremiah 33:15 “In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. 16 In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely. And this is the name by which it will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’”

You got it! It doesn’t take much to figure out that this promise is about Jesus, our Savior and Messiah, and the He would come! After all the trouble the people of Jeremiah’s day would go through there was a promise that God would make it right.

Let’s get this right… The promise would be accompanied by a couple of signs. First, young married’s would again appear on the scene and family life restored. Second, there would be enough peace for shepherding to again be known in the countryside. Third, God himself would return as Savior and Messiah to bring peace on earth.

In Luke 2 we find the Christmas story. Mary and Joseph a new young couple heavy with child arrive in Bethlehem as they are starting their new family, when the time comes for the birth. Angels make the birth announcement to shepherds keeping watch over their flocks by night in the nearby countryside. Their announcement is that the Christ has been born, a Savior has been given.

And it’s easy to see… God gave us the Christmas story hundreds of years before it happened. In the Old Testament book of Jeremiah, there was a promise that He would make things right.

Merry Christmas.

Decide now so you will be ready then…

Today is a difficult day. I love the holiday season that we are in, but my desire to experience the peace and joy of Christmas is hampered by… well… reality.

A government that is less than inspiring of confidence.

Friends, very sick and scared family members.

A culture spinning out of control.

Raising teenage boys… do I need to elaborate?

As I was reading my Bible in a quiet this morning I hit a passage that did not seem to help, ever been there?

Here’s how it went down in my head:

Luke 21:10 Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.

 

“Wow… looks like a page from the teleprompter at CNN. Well, even though its going to get hinky, at least I know it is in His plan and in His hand.”

12 But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake.

 

“Say what? The world on fire isn’t bad enough? Before the main act we have to endure the warm up band “Beat on the Believers.” Can’t we just skip that part and get on to the pestilences and earthquakes… I mean if they are coming anyway, let’s just skip the persecution bit, please.”

13 This will be your opportunity to bear witness.

 

“Oh… an opportunity? I guess I forget that You can use anything Lord. When I suffer my reflex response is to get away, but You are saying I should see what I can do for You while I’m in it. I don’t know if I can. I don’t know if I’ll be able…”

14 Settle it therefore in your minds not to meditate beforehand how to answer, 15 for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict.

 

“Huh… ok. So, to be ready in the heat of the moment, I have to have this stuff settled before the fire starts. I understand Lord… help me to get ready.”

God has told us in His word… make up your mind right now, so in the chaos of the moment you won’t have to make decisions. Your mind has already been made.

• Before the marriage gets hard, decide you are in a covenant and you will not give up. Stick with it.
• Before you’re chastised for believing, decide that persecution is a part of it and don’t be surprised. Expect it.
• Before the hardship enters your private world, decide what you believe about God, who He is and how you will believe in Him. Then carry on.
• Before this culture expects to bend to it’s norms, surrender to it’s will, or acquiesce to it’s standards, decide what you believe about God’s word. Stand on it.

It’s no doubt that this world is a difficult and scary place. There is every indication that it’s not going to get any better anytime soon. But, God gives us this grace… He says, “Get ready.”

Decide now God is good, His word is true, Jesus is Lord, faith is worth the fight, His Spirit is in you, life is hard, but we’ve read the end of the book and He will win!

Despite it all and because of Jesus… Merry Christmas.