“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

 –Romans 12:2

Christmas time is one of my favorite times of the year. I really enjoy all of the decorations and lights that people put up in, around, or on their houses and trees. But one of the best parts of the Christmas season are the Christmas movies that start showing on TV. You’ve got The Christmas Story, It’s a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34^th Street, Santa Clause, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Home Alone Christmas, The Muppet Christmas Carol, and one of my favorites… Elf!

Last night as we were meeting for youth group we started doing and Elf study. That just means that I get to watch movies in my office while I prepare for leading the study. But yesterday we watched the first half an hour of the movie and got into a discussion about how Buddy the elf doesn’t fit in wherever he is. When he is living with the elves in the North Pole he is different. He is tall and out of place because he is human and not an elf. He doesn’t do things as fast as the elves but he does have their Christmas spirit. Then when he goes to find his dad in New York we see that he doesn’t fit in again. He is dressed unusually and is very cheerful. He wants people to be happy and make sure that things get done the right way for Santa’s arrival the next day.

The beginning of Buddy’s story sounds a lot like our lives as Christians here on earth. We don’t always fit in or belong because we don’t have the same beliefs or ideals that everyone else around us have. Sometimes we even get brought down or ridiculed because of those things. But that’s okay. In Romans 12 it talks about how we are not to conform to this world. Now does that mean that we can’t go to baseball games, or eat hot dogs because that is something of this world? No, because God created all of those things. In Genesis 1 we read about how God created the world and everything in it and called it all good. So the things of this world aren’t necessarily bad. It is when we start making those things of this world, like money and fame, more important in our lives than God and what He has done for us.

Unfortunately Christmas is a time where we all get sucked into that idea. We get focused on making sure that all of our Christmas presents are bought for others, and that our tree looks the best it can. We focus on making sure we get our meals cooked for everyone who is coming over, or we don’t even take the time to acknowledge the Christmas season because we put our jobs and our careers ahead of everything else that’s going on. Thankfully, there is nothing that can get in the way of what God has done for us. He has set us apart from this world and chosen us to be His vessels to take the message of Jesus’ birth to all of creation. We are the ones who are different here on earth and get to share that message in our everyday lives by living and caring for others. Just like Buddy spreading the Christmas spirit, we get to share the good news of God’s love throughout our neighborhoods and everywhere we go!

Question of the day: Where can we share the message of Jesus Birth today?

“The real end of prayer is not so much to get this or that single desire granted, as to put human life into full and joyful conformity with the will of God.” –Charles Bent

“Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.” –Acts 13:3

            What are some of the things that you think about during your day? For me it starts out with if I want to shower or not in the morning, then what to eat, FIND COFFEE, what I have to get done at work today, then eating again, and then usually more about work, and then about all of the things that I have or don’t have to do that night. Then what happens? You go to bed and sleep. Hopefully. If you don’t sleep then what are you doing? You are probably thinking about the things that you need to remember or get done the next day at work or at home or for the kids. Now let me ask you another question. How often do you think about your hands? Yep, those things at the ends of your arms with the fingers on them. I bet the only time you really think about your hands is when they aren’t working right. When you have pain in your fingers or you broke it when you fell. Maybe arthritis is setting in and that causes your hands to be stiff and painful not letting you get things done you wished you could.

            As I did my personal devotion this morning one of the verses mentioned hands and it got me thinking. What are some of the amazing things you can do with your hands? Well first of all I can type this jumble of words in case anyone needs to kill some time and hear about Jesus. Some other things that you can do with your hands are write, lift, grab, shake, pray, praise, twist, work, design, and drink your coffee! Hands are pretty amazing things if you really start thinking about it.

            Some of the words that describe what we can do with our hands are words like handy, handcraft, handshake, handpick, and handsome! Okay being handsome isn’t necessarily something you do with your hands but it had the word hand in it and I couldn’t resist because let’s be honest. We are all handsome people! Anyway, another thing it got me thinking about were things that Jesus did with His hands. He prayed, blessed, healed, and taught along with many other things. He used His hands to help others in their time of need and faithlessness. The cool thing is that we can do the same thing because we are the hands (and feet…) of Jesus! We get to use our hands and abilities to show others the love Christ has for them.

            So what does that look like for you? How do you get to be the hands and feet of Jesus to others? Is it through your job? Your friendships? Your smile to the crabby check out person at the store? Being the hands and feet of Jesus doesn’t necessarily mean you have to use your hands to show people who Jesus is but sometimes it will involve it. I can think of many friends and people who are wonderful examples of Christ to others who do very demanding jobs with their hands. Plumbers, fire system inspectors, child care workers, engineers, etc. Hands can come in pretty hand…y. What makes us able to do all of these things and be the hands and feet of Jesus?

            It’s because Jesus used His hands And feet to show us what real love looked like. He prayed, blessed, and healed, but He also carried a cross, and took nails in those hands and feet to pay for all of the times that we are a handful. He handpicked and handcrafted every person and cared about them enough to willingly take on all of our sins so we can be examples to others of that love and forgiveness that He shares with us. So next time you are using your hands remember the important role that Jesus’ hands played in your redemption story.

Question for the day: How will your hands show Jesus’ love to someone else today?

“As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.” –Audrey Hepburn 

“And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.” –Philippians 4:19-20

          Does God really care about my individual life? Does He really have the time to show me His plan for my life? Why do we think there is a God if we can’t understand what He is doing?

           

Have you ever thought about or wondered any of these questions before? For some I know it is a daily struggle. To wonder if God is even there and if He is, why would He care about me? For others it might not be so difficult. The questions might be something more like:

Are you there God? What is your plan for my life? Why can’t I figure it out?

Whatever the case may be I am willing to bet that every one of you have doubted either the existence of God or His plan for your life. I know that I have. Fairly recently too! Back in June I finished my DCE (Director of Christian Education) Internship, and for me that internship did not turn into a full time position like it did for some of my classmates. So my wife and I moved back home with my parents and started looking for retail jobs while we waited for a Call.( That is when a church is looking to fill a staff position and they think that God is working through them to offer that position to someone.) So we start looking for retail jobs so that we can save up some money and be ready to move when the Call comes.

Not more than a couple of weeks went by and my wife found a job and I am in the interview process with a church. Everything seems to be going to plan for us. We had gotten a little time off to be with family and friends at home and now the job possibility was there. Well needless to say that interview did not turn into a Call and the waiting process continued and continued and continued. Over the next 3 months I went through a couple more interviews all of which did not turn out to be the position that God wanted me to have and I started to wonder if He was still getting to His plan or if I had missed it and couldn’t figure out something that He had already told me. I was becoming more and more frustrated because through this whole experience I was filling out other retail job applications like it was my job and not once did I get a phone call or email asking to interview for any of them. I had filled out nearly 20 applications and nothing had come through.

            I’m sure that some of you have experienced the same thing and know just how frustrating that is. But isn’t it always that when you are getting the most frustrated or upset that God steps in and shows His plan for your life? That’s what happened for me. Nearly 4 months later I interviewed with my current church, and all of the doors God had seemed to close before were flying open. The Call came, my wife got offered a job, someone offered us a place to live while we got adjusted to our new surroundings, and then we found an apartment (which is a story for another time).

            Sometimes we get bogged down with the plan that we have for our own lives. We have our five year plan all laid out and want everything to go according to our plan. But that’s not usually how life works is it? Something comes up and causes us to rethink or rework our plan. It causes us frustrations beyond belief because we want to be in control of our lives. We want to know that we can make it on our own without help from our parents, earthly or heavenly. Thankfully God knows. He has planned how our lives are going to be used to show His plan and His mercy to others. Whatever situation you are in now, look for the hand of God. How might He be using you right now to show someone else that He cares for them or showing you that He cares for you? How might He be meeting your needs without you knowing it?

Don’t worry. He’s got you.

Question for the day: How has God been showing you He cares for and has a plan for your life recently?

                               

“God meets daily needs daily. Not weekly or annually. He will give you what you need when it is needed.” –Max Lucado

TFTD: “I have been crucified with Christ.  It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” –Galatians 2:20

As I sit here in my office this morning admiring the beautiful snow that is coming down, I am reminiscing about last night’s events. My wife and I were given the opportunity to go to a church/school in inner city Minneapolis and help other members of our congregation serve a Thanksgiving meal to the members and families of that church and school. We have only lived in the Twin Cities area for almost two weeks and so this was our first opportunity to see what the inner city area was like. What an experience it was for us! We met and talked to people from all different walks of life. Some were teachers of the school, some were families of the school, and they all had different stories to tell. But the one thing that I noticed most about our experience there was that there were a lot of happy people. Everyone who was there to serve the meal and help clean up all seemed really happy and I think I know why.

            All of these people were serving others. Most of them had taken time out of their hurried lives and schedules to come and show many underprivileged families what it means to be taken care of. It didn’t seem to matter what was happening in their lives or how stressed and tired they were, there were smiles, laughs, and many conversations that produced this happiness. Now as I think about it, it seems a little strange that people would give up their time and offer their services to do jobs that people try and avoid on a regular basis. I know that in my time in high school I did everything I could to avoid working a janitorial or food service job but last night, no matter what the job, people were pitching in and helping with smiles to go around.

            That’s really weird isn’t it? I mean isn’t the American dream fall into a category of being prosperous and climbing the work ladder as fast as possible? Then why does it seem that some of those people who are working and living the American dream just aren’t happy or maybe are extremely upset about the things that are happening in their lives? Look at who their focus is on. It isn’t on the other people in the office or even on the job itself. It is on them and how quickly and successfully they can achieve something. Then look at our experience last night. Lots of people doing food service and janitorial jobs, but they had a different focus. It was on those who they were doing it for.

            So where does this strange happiness and attitude come from? Well Christ of course. In Galatians 2 it talks about how we were crucified with Christ and now it is no longer us who are living but Christ living and loving through us. That is where it comes from. This unexplainable joy that we get from serving others and doing good from others is the Holy Spirit living and working through our lives. So what does that mean for you and me? Well it means that if you are unhappy you should quit your job and go find a McDonalds that needs another janitor. JUST KIDDING! It might mean that you need to look at your job a little differently. Is there a way that you can look at your job as a service to others and find joy knowing that you are helping someone accomplish or gain something and you want nothing in return for it? Give it a try and see how Christ changes your attitude towards those around you. I bet you’ll be pleasantly surprised!

Question for the day: Is there a way that you can look at your job as a service to others and find joy knowing that you are helping someone accomplish or gain something and you want nothing in return for it?

“The best feeling of happiness is when you’re happy because you’ve made someone else happy.”

 –Anonymous

TFTD: “For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.” -1 Corinthians 4:15

About 4 months off and some great changes to my life I am happy to be posting again this morning from MY desk! I am now a full time Director of Christian Education (DCE) and am very excited to be starting ministry in the Twin Cities. So hopefully I will be more frequent about my posting moving forward. Anyway… enough about me. Let’s get to some Jesus!

I don’t know if you were like me and spent last night at home watching The Voice, Scorpion, and Castle under a blanket because it has been abnormally cold for this time of year, or if you were out and about running errands and trying to keep up with the tasks of everyday life, but I’m sure that at some point you heard the news that a verdict came in Ferguson Missouri about the altercation between a police officer and a young man which resulted in the young man’s death. The verdict stated that the police officer was found not guilty on 5 different counts of intentional or unintentional murder. This story has been tough to deal with for many people and kind of hits home for me because I have many friends from the greater St. Louis area, some of which have been trying to help the people of that area deal with and understand the anger and the frustrations of everything that has happened. As a result of the verdict last night, and even before then, there have been a lot of protests, most of which have been peaceful but some that have caused a lot of damage.

So why do I bring this up and make another post about something that we have already been inundated with since early August? Well, it’s because we can all relate to this story. It seems that those who are the most upset about this event feel that way because they think someone has been wronged and that there were no consequences for what happened. I understand that the last statement is a generalization but hang with me please. When it comes down to it, isn’t that why we all get angry? No matter the situation we feel that we or someone we know has been wronged and that appropriate actions have not been taken to right that wrong. Now there is a big difference between what has happened in Ferguson and our general anger. Please know that I understand that difference, but what if God dealt with us the same way we deal with our anger and feelings of injustice and frustration? Life would be a little bit different wouldn’t it?

If God got angry with us for all of the times that we sin and make mistakes, and gave us our just punishment for those actions there would be no human race. We are a people who, because of what happened in the Garden of Eden, are sinful and screw up on a regular basis. We do our best to do things right and in the proper manors but it doesn’t always work. Sometimes our actions, well intended or not, end up causing pain to those who are around us. But that’s where God comes in. He didn’t deal with us according to our actions or intentions. He dealt with us in a loving and kind manor. He had every right to be angry with us and destroy the world and everyone in it. But He didn’t. He had mercy on us. He saw that we are people whose actions and intentions often fail us and then decided to send His only son to the cross to pay for those things that we did so that we could live with Him forever. He didn’t do that because He was angry with us. He did it because He loves us.

So when it comes to tough situations that we see happening around the world and in our own lives let’s remember that the grace and forgiveness that we have been given. Let’s let our anger cause riots and uproars, but let those uproars and riots be of grace and forgiveness and see how it changes our lives and attitudes.

Question for the day: In what situations can you overcome your anger with grace and forgiveness today?

“Do the best you can with what you have, and God will take what you’ve done and pass it on.”

-Zig Ziglar 

“² At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. ³ The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group ⁴ and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. ⁵ In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” ⁶ They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. ⁷ When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” ⁸ Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. ⁹ At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. ¹⁰ Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” ¹¹ “No one, sir,” she said.

“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.””

–John 8:2-11

I know it has been a while since I have posted but something has been weighing on my mind recently that I have to get out. If you are a sports fan, specifically a football fan, then I am sure by now you have heard the story about what happened with Ray and Janay Rice. It has been all over the sports news because of the video that just came out on Monday. If not let me give you a very brief rundown of what happened. In February Ray Rice, a running back in the NFL, and his then Fiancé Janay were involved in an altercation that left Janay unconscious and having to be dragged out of an elevator. Charges were then brought against Ray for aggravated assault, he pleaded guilty and was accepted into a diversionary program for first time offenders. The people in charge of disciplinary actions in the NFL met and decide to suspend Rice for 2 games. Then on Monday (Sept. 8) a video comes out and everyone in the world saw what happened inside the elevator. Rice is let go by his organization, suspended indefinitely by the NFL, and there is an uproar about people not being honest about information that has been seen, as well as people calling for others to be fired. That is the situation at hand in a nutshell. There is way more to it that I know nothing about nor claim to know nothing about.

            I don’t know Ray or Janay Rice, but I believe that there is something that we are all forgetting when it comes to this situation: They are humans. They are now married and have a child. Their lives are no different than yours or mine except for the fact that theirs is so much more public because he is a professional athlete. Therefore every action and reaction that he or they make is worthy of being a story for everyone to hear. Now let me take a second and flip the deck. Pretend that you were a public figure, which many of us aspired to be at some point in our lives. What things in your life would come to the surface? Would it be a party that got busted while you were in high school? A ticket you got while driving? Some “scandal” that you were involved in? When I think about my life and its potential of being open to view for the public, I can only imagine how stressful that would be.

Now, what if I told you that your life is up for review? That your mistakes and shortcomings, whatever they may be, were going to be the deciding factor of your eternal salvation. It’s true, before Christ came into the world that was the reality that people had to live with. Everything that they did appeared to affect how they were going to spend their eternity. And if it weren’t for Jesus that is the reality that we would be living with today as well. When it came to judgment day our good would be weighed against our bad and that bad would win out. BUT (and this is a very important but) God loves us and created us to be in relationship with Him. And because He loves us that much He sent Christ into the world to do what no one else could do. To live a perfect life and to pay for all of eternity’s “bad” so that we could live with Him forever.

In chapter 8 of John we have another perfect example of love. The Pharisees came to Jesus and were telling Him that they had caught a woman in the act of adultery and that the law says she should be stoned to death. Jesus acknowledges them and says “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” No body throws a stone, and then Jesus turns to the woman and says “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?… Then neither do I condemn you…Go now and leave your life of sin.” That folks is forgiveness. Forgiveness that comes from God in the midst of our mess and something that we forget to extend to others. I think it is something that Ray Rice and everyone involved in this situation needs to hear. Now let me be clear:

 I DO NOT think what he did is acceptable, but I do think that it is forgivable.

God uses our disappointments, our hurts, and our mistakes to show us what true love and forgiveness are and I hope that the Rice family can see that amidst the mess.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, there are so many terrible things that happen in our society today that are bad. So many things that leave us scarred and hurt. Today especially we remember all of those victims and perpetrators of the 9/11 attacks so many years ago, and we also remember the Rice family and everyone else involved in the situation. Please remind them that You are love and that Your forgiveness is ultimately what matters. You are the only one who can make beauty from this pain and we ask that you give your hand of comfort to any and all who need it today and every day. Amen.

Question for Reflection:

            Does God’s forgiveness change how we look at mistakes or shortcomings people make?

“Disappointment, defeat, and despair are the tools God uses to show us the way.” ― Paulo Coelho

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer, and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” –Philippians 4:6

May Day May Day!! You might think I am on a ship that is in trouble but that is not the case. Today is May first! So happy May to everyone. Have you ever wondered how many doorbells get rung and baskets left all across the nation, and maybe even the world today? Thousands? Hundreds of thousands? Maybe even Millions? I also wonder how many people are aware that today is also National Day of Prayer. I didn't know until high school that there was even such a day. We would meet at the flag pole and say a couple of prayers for our school, and our nation. It was a really neat experience but how much thought do people give to prayers? How intentional are people about taking time in their lives to sit down and pray, not only when things are hard but at all points of their lives? Is prayer even important?

            When we look into scripture we see that prayer was all over. In the Old Testament there were all sorts of prayers. Moses, Abraham, King David, and the prophets were in relationship with God and prayed on a regular basis. Even the people of the Old Testament would bring sacrifices in prayer to God. In the New Testament we see Jesus teach His disciples how to pray, and we see He Himself take time away from everything that is going on to pray. How about you? How much time do you spend praying? How much thought do you put into your prayers or are they just recitations of things you have been saying for a long time? A lot of times we fall into the trap of wanting my will to be done. We end up praying for things to work out the way we want them to happen and forget that we really need to remember that it Thy or His will that will be done. He knows our needs and our wants, our joys and our pains, and our strengths and weaknesses. So in our prayers, let’s take some time to think about what we are saying, mean what we are saying, and remember that it’s Thy will not my will.

“Prayer is the key of the morning and the bolt of the evening.” –Mahatma Gandhi

“Never forget the three powerful resources you have available to you: love, prayer, and forgiveness.” –H. Jackson Brown Jr.