May your Christmas be full of His peace and love!

Copyright Bright Media 2009

It’s Christmas week! How are you doing? Are you enjoying the season? Are you frazzled and stressed about all the things that “must” be done? Maybe your heart is dreading the emptiness of waking up on Christmas morning without a loved one. Maybe you’re experiencing a mixture of all three! Christmas brings out a myriad of emotions… it makes me tired just thinking about it! Here are some ideas to help you navigate the week:

• Don’t neglect your daily time with the Lord. It’s easy for me to crowd God out during this week. How crazy is that? Christmas is supposed to be about celebrating our Savior’s birth and yet I pass Him by on my way to Christmas parties, Christmas baking and Christmas wrapping… hmmm…something is wrong with that picture.
• During your daily conversations with Him, ask God what He wants you to do that day and what things you can cross off the list. I’m continually amazed by the things He encourages me to do and the things He says aren’t necessary. Filling this week with His priorities will give you a daily list that’s actually doable and memories that will be priceless!
• Ask the Lord if there are lonely people He wants you to encourage or ask to join you for Christmas. Even if you are lonely yourself, ask Him to give you the strength to reach out to someone else. The enemy of our souls works overtime to isolate God’s people during Christmas. Helping others is a Christmas blessing to everyone involved and he knows it.

Martha Stewart’s daughter wrote about Christmas in her house growing up. Her mom may be the queen of the “perfect” Christmas, but the memories she has of those celebrations sound full of bitterness and regret. Perfect decorations, perfect food and perfectly wrapped gifts don’t make a perfect Christmas. However, a mom who pursues the peace of Jesus rather than the perfect Christmas will give her children the gift of Christmas memories they’ll cherish for a lifetime.

The Word gave life to everything that was created, and His life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. John 1:4-5 NLT

We did it! In my last blog I told you about the unexpected gift my family received. On Tuesday the kids and I went to Panera Bread to give someone else an unexpected gift!

We prayed in the car, went inside, ordered a snack for ourselves and purchased a gift card. Sitting at a table with a view of the cash register we signed the gift card: From someone who wants you to know God loves you. I asked the employee at the register to give the card to the 2nd or 3rd person who comes in and let him/her know it’s a gift to help pay for their order. I emphasized that we didn’t want the person to know who gave the card. The girl at the register was surprised and confused, but said she would love to do it.

The kids and I enjoyed our snack while they did homework and we waited to see who God wanted to receive the gift. I have to tell you, it did not go according to plan! We never saw the girl give the card to anyone. Maybe her manager told her not to give it away. Maybe she didn’t want to do it while we were there. Maybe she wanted it for herself… We talked about it and decided to leave without asking her.

Although the result was disappointing, it provided a wonderful “teachable moment”! We talked about the fact that God calls us to be faithful to do what He asks us to do and leave the results to Him. He is in control of the gift He asked us to give and He will make sure it gets into the right hands.  It may be that the employee is the one God wanted to bless!  Sometimes He lets us see the results and sometimes He doesn’t but either way, we can be sure the gift is not wasted!

Teaching our children to give to others without trying to control how God uses the gift will free them to become generous givers for a lifetime!

I’m going to do it with my children after school today and I can’t wait! It started back in July…

We had breakfast plans with friends at one of our favorite restaurants. Finances were extremely tight and I woke up in the middle of the night worried about spending the little money we had on a luxury like eating out. Laying in the dark I talked with the Lord about it. “How are we going to pay for breakfast and cover the other expenses of the day? Should we call our friends and cancel?” There was no voice from Heaven, but I did have a quiet sense that He would take care of it and that we were to go to breakfast.

The next morning I debated, ‘Should I just order coffee and keep the bill down?’ Again, the quiet voice spoke to my heart, ‘I said, “Go to breakfast” not “coffee”!’ I gave in and ordered what my taste buds had been dreaming of, a Vern’s cinnamon roll, 2 eggs and coffee.

I’m still in awe of what happened next. The waitress came to tell us that a man had just paid our bill! We couldn’t believe it! An anonymous person (or couple) paid for all eight of us! To this day we have no idea who the gift giver was, but we will never forget the lessons learned.

• I was willing to settle for coffee when God wanted to give me one of the best cinnamon rolls in America! When God tells us to trust Him we can be sure He has a plan for providing what we need. I would’ve missed out on His blessing if I ignored His voice and only ordered coffee.
• Our kids saw God provide in a unique and totally unexpected way. I wish you could’ve seen the look on their faces! They’ve seen Him provide for our needs many times, but this gift was simply because He loves us and wants to give us good gifts. It reinforced the reality that God is a Personal God and He is intimately involved in our life.

Today my kids and I are going to a local pastry hangout and asking the Lord to show us who needs a gift from Him, through us. We’re so excited! I’ll tell you how it goes!

What about you? How are you giving gifts of God’s love this Christmas?

For God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16  NLT

My daughter spilled the beans about Santa. She was in 2nd grade and a group of girls were huddled on the playground talking (rapidly) about their Christmas wish lists. One friend giggled her excitement about Santa’s visit on Christmas Eve. My daughter felt she needed to set her straight.

“You know that Santa’s not real.” She announced with stern authority.
“Yes he is!”
“No he’s not!”
“Yes—.” You get the idea. Her friend had the last word, however. Just as the recess bell rang she said, “Rush Limbaugh says that anyone who doesn’t believe in Santa is stupid!”

When I picked her up after school my daughter blurted out the story and asked, “I’m not stupid. You said Santa isn’t real. He isn’t is he?”

What do you do about the ‘Santa’ thing in your house? It was a tough one for us. We like the fun and excitement of the Santa stories and the anticipation of his coming. However, we were deeply concerned about two issues. First, we didn’t want the message of Christ’s birth to get lost. Second, we didn’t want to lie to our children.

It’s tempting to get rid of Santa altogether for fear of watering down the Christmas message, but we decided to enjoy the traditions of Santa and use them to point our kids to Jesus. We talked about the first Santa, St. Nicholas. God used him to help needy and hurting children. (Did you know he went to jail for standing firm in his faith?)  We talked about the fact that if Santa were real, he would probably be one of the first to bow at the manger and give his heart to Jesus.

We chose not to lie to our kids about Santa. We didn’t want them to ever doubt that their parents tell them the truth, especially about important matters like Santa and Christmas. We decided that, when they asked if Santa is real, we would tell them the truth, “No, Santa isn’t a real person, but we have a fun time pretending. Daddy pretends to be Santa when everyone is asleep. We can still pretend.” We kept on pretending… ash footprints on the hearth, cookie crumbs left on Santa’s plate, and presents mysteriously appearing under the tree.

My kids are teenagers now. Their faith in Jesus is strong and their love for Christmas overflows. Weaving Santa into the celebration has equipped them to use the Santa traditions to point people to the real hero of Christmas Christ the Savior of the world. An extra bonus: many happy Christmas memories!!
“The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of darkness, a light will shine.” Isaiah 9:2 NLT

HGTV’s “Property Brothers” show clients how to achieve their dream home and stay within their budget. Here’s how it works:

• Reality check. The brothers take clients to see a house that qualifies as their dream home and then let them know the price. Sticker shock!
• The brothers show them fixer upper homes that are affordable but in desperate need of renovation. The clients are disgusted with the fixer uppers and doubtful any could become their dream home.
• Clients see renovation plans for 2 houses that stay within the budget and then choose the one they want to buy. The renovation brother then takes over and works his magic.
• The end result is an amazing house!

Watching the dilapidated houses become dream homes is inspiring. Walls are torn down; hardwood floors replace smelly, stained carpets; kitchens and bathrooms are transformed; alarming safety issues are fixed, and “wish list” items are installed. Almost makes me want to find a fixer upper myself… oh that’s right—we did! Only we didn’t have the property brothers around to help us finish the job!

Does your life ever feel like the dilapidated house? There are days when I’m so painfully aware of the mistakes and failures of my life that all I see is a broken house no one would want to live in. The property brothers can’t fix it, but Jesus can!

The adventure of life is watching Jesus tear down walls that imprison us, rip out the smelly stains of sin that enslave us, and transform us from the inside out—giving us wings to soar!! The process is sometimes painful and letting Him have control of the renovation can be scary, but He promises that the result is a life of joy on earth and dream homes built just for us in heaven!

We all have a choice to make. We can focus on the renovations that need to happen in our lives, or we can focus on the One who does the renovating. One choice leads to depression, hopelessness and failure. The other leads to joy, hope, freedom and success.

Today I’m going to focus on the loving, faithful, merciful, all-powerful Renovator of my soul. Will you join me?

For we are God’s masterpiece.  He created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:10  NLT

Thank you to all the men and women in our military who fight to protect our homes and our country. A special thank you to our veterans including my Dad, Uncle Chuck, Cousin Paul and many more. We are forever in your debt.

The National Emergency Broadcasting system test went off with…well, a number of hitches! Some people had to listen to Lady Gaga sing, while others heard only mumbo jumbo (no, they aren’t the same thing), and then there were those who never heard anything at all. Yes, there were glitches but that’s what testing is for! If the Emergency Broadcast Signal was sent out due to a real emergency I imagine most of us would jump to action and get the word to everyone!

My friends, there is a crisis going on right now. Our Lord is sending out daily Emergency Broadcasts but most of us are tuning out. I’m not talking about the national debt, the housing debacle or the unemployment disaster. As serious as these challenges are, they’re bumps in the road compared to a far more deadly crisis. It’s our warped view of God that has led to a crisis of faith and this crisis of faith is at the root of every other crisis we face.

How?

It takes faith to refuse to go into debt and trust God to provide when the funds aren’t there.

It takes faith to stand against the giants; faith in a God who is more powerful than our strongest enemy; faith in a God whose plan is better than ours.

It takes faith to follow His plan, regardless of the cost and inconvenience; faith that trusts in God’s sovereignty even when all seems hopeless.

Faith empowers us to give more than we receive because we trust God will provide.

Faith gives courage to stand up for what is holy and right because we trust in a Holy and Righteous God. (I wish the men who knew about the Penn State coach abusing a little boy would’ve had that kind of faith.)

Faith cultivates a love that befuddles the world because it’s birthed from God’s love; a love that is unconditional and uncompromising.

This may surprise you, but I don’t think the answer to God’s Emergency Broadcast is to strive for more faith. If faith is our goal we will fail. The solution is to seek to know God better every day. Faith is all about trust.

You and I can’t trust someone we don’t know. The more we know God, the more we will trust Him and the more our actions will reflect our faith. The more our actions reflect our faith, the more hope there is for our children and the country we call home.

Lindsay Lohan made the news again. My heart breaks for this mixed up young woman. She violated her parole and was sentenced to 30 days in jail. The judge made it clear that Lindsay, whose disregard for the law has not gone unnoticed, is on a short leash. If she does not report to the jail at the appointed time she faces 300 days in jail.

Unfortunately, the system isn’t helping her.  Here’s the reality, due to jail over crowding California automatically reduces sentences dramatically. In the end, Lindsay may spend less than a day in jail. I wonder if she was laughing at the judge when she walked out of the courtroom.

The flip side of the issue occurs as well. Innocent people are given harsh sentences while the guilty go free. Every day our children watch as the consequences for bad behavior are swept under the carpet and we wonder why immoral behavior is epidemic.

The term “social justice” adds to the confusion. What started out as a movement to help the helpless has become an umbrella term for anyone who feels disenfranchised for any reason. Social justice is helping a little girl escape a brothel, not ensuring that the poor can buy a soda or go out to eat at a restaurant. My kids don’t get sodas and we rarely go out to eat (fast food or otherwise) because we can’t afford it. Social justice should seek to provide clean water, basic food and opportunity to those who want to rise out of poverty. Soda and fast food are luxuries, not necessities for survival.

How do we teach our kids about justice when every day they see it mocked, abused and watered down? We point them to the Author of Justice. The judge who handed Lindsay Lohan her sentence has limited authority to enforce it. God, however, is not limited in His ability to ensure justice because His unlimited power cannot be thwarted…not even in California! God’s justice is perfect because He is perfect (Holy). His omniscience (all knowing) ensures the innocent are never found guilty. His Mercy and Grace through Jesus ensures the penalty is paid and those who accept His payment are not condemned…only God can execute justice like that!

How many nights a year do children from your neighborhood (and beyond!) knock on your door, hold out their hands and receive whatever you put in them? Each year Halloween provides an opportunity many of us crave the other 364 days of the year…a chance to make a difference in the life of a child who has never seen the inside of a church or heard about Jesus (except as a swear word).

A mom recently told me her story about a Halloween night when she was in grade school…

Decked out in their costumes, she and two friends went trick or treating by themselves. House after house they yelled, “Trick or Treat” and held out their bags for the bounty. One house, however, was different. The smiling face that answered the door gave them more than just candy. Into the bag went something for their sweet tooth and something sweet for their soul.

The trio stopped at the bottom of the driveway and looked at the gospel booklet in dismay. Her friends threw it in the yard, but she couldn’t do it. She dropped the booklet back in her bag and forgot about it.

Later that night she dumped her candy bag onto her bed and spotted the booklet. Curious, she picked it up and read it. The truth of the Gospel of Jesus pierced her young heart and she accepted Him as her Lord and Savior right then and there.

The family who handed out the booklets may have been discouraged to find the discarded ones in the yard the next morning. It’s so easy to feel like our efforts aren’t making a difference. If they only knew the difference it did make in the life of one little girl! They may not meet her until Heaven, but what an incredible introduction it will be!

Dear friends, don’t let the enemy have control of this night. Give the precious souls who come to your door a warm smile, a generous amount of candy and a booklet that tells them about Jesus. It’s not too late! Your local Bible Bookstore will have some. Tonight you could be God’s instrument to change a life that may have no other way to hear about Jesus!