Fake News vs. The Best News!

Did you know that not all "news" is true? There’s been a lot of coverage lately about “fake news” — a rumor or accusation, sometimes sponsored by someone with a political agenda (wow, imagine that?) and then spread by people who assume without checking that it’s true, because it fits their

God's Humility and Why We Need It

I can hear someone saying already, "hey, what do you mean God is humble?" Yet, that's what scripture tells us, including about the birth of our Savior. The 'great contradiction' is where God, the eternal and non-physical ruler of the universe, was born into human flesh with

He's My King!

I'm continuing to read in various media reports online about protests against the newly-elected President of the United States, Mr. Donald Trump. Individuals and groups are using the slogan "Not My President" in their anger against our new leader. But I'm not here to talk politics -- I'm here to lift our eyes to a higher plane, to who our real Leader is. Hint: we're getting ready to celebrate his birth soon!

Jesus -- his name means "one who saves" -- was born in a little backwater

Jesus and Inconvenience

This month, The Lovely Joanne is wearing a dress every single day. Now, us guys don't think about that much, but in December, the cold wind has a way of, let's say, swooping in under a dress and cooling you off in ways you didn't really want. Besides that, finding a different dress for each day and the right accessories with it (again, guys, not our normal thought process) can be

Impossible?

Mary woke up early, reflecting on her memory of the angel coming to her the day before to announce she would bear the child named Jesus. So what was she to do now? Her family, unbelieving, would reject her, and so would Joseph. But she had heard the angel say "nothing is impossible for God" and she had responded with "Here

And He's Coming Back, Too: Advent #2

Advent isn't just about Jesus' first coming. He said over and over in different ways that he is returning. What will that mean for humanity? For each one of us? For the "dead in Christ" and all our relatives who have died in the past? Here's a half-a-thumbnail sketch:

We Are His Kids -- Advent #1

Advent is the time the Christian church celebrates the coming of our Savior. The basic story is that the Son of God willingly took our flesh into his own Person, becoming God-and-human, so he could experience our own lives just like us, live without any sin and willingly give himself, out of

Follow Jesus and Die (to Self)

Jesus told his followers something really shocking: "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me." (Luke (9:23). And in Luke 14:27, the saying is in reverse: "And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you

Come, Let Us Adore Him

The busyness of Advent and Christmas season is over. We start the new year by putting away the decorations, writing thank-you cards, and focusing on the routine of life. But wait -- we sure don't want to lose out on the lasting lessons of the season, do we?  I think not. One of the main lessons of Christmas, I believe, is

Advent truths

A newsletter pointed me to this poem by Daniel Berrigan, a Jesuit priest. These statements contrast what we think, or perhaps despair of, with the truth of God's word about the Word of God. The daily concerns of Jesus' day are remarkably similar to the situation today, aren't they? But we can be glad for something: the worries about our doom are seen as less than real in the light of the reality of Christ! He came to set it all straight, and truly he did, even if we don't see it often enough. Let's spend a little more time in Advent before we rush off to the New Year: 

http://www.journeywithjesus.net/PoemsAndPrayers/Daniel_Berrigan_Advent_Credo.shtml

The Glory of God

"So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son" (John 1:14).

 

Moses asked to see God's glory, and he did get

Silent Night, Holy Night

This was written by a friend of ours and shared with us, and with her permission I'm sharing with you. I hope you enjoy it!

~ ~ Silent Night, Holy Night ~ ~
Whether your Christmas Eve will be noisy and filled with fun or having a more quiet but meaningful gathering with special people, whether it will be awkward or sad or even silent and alone, it can be a Holy Night.
I see Holy as meaning

Home for the Holidays

The Lovely Joanne and I are finally back in our house after four months to the day of renovations and six months to the day from the original damages. We've learned a lot this year from the experience! As we reflect on the story of Jesus' birth, I'm struck once again by the Son of God, the second Person of the Trinity, coming to live in a 'home' of human flesh. Giving up the perks of perfection and peace in heaven, he entered our chaotic and threatened

He's Been Here Already (a rerun from 2009)

Christians are waiting for the return of Jesus to rule the nations. That's completely legitimate, because He said He was coming back. But "back" means He's already been here once. And both of those points are the message of the traditional four weeks of Advent -- that the Son of God visited us once, and that He's returning. ("Advent" means "arrival," as we see in the name "Seventh-Day Adventists" who emphasize the Second Coming.)

The first week of Advent wraps up the entire year of Christian teaching and celebration, by telling us of that blessed, joyful return of our Savior to the world. Typically, the message of that day in song and sermon and prayer gives us reasons to lift up our eyes in hope of His return, and to be encouraged as we continue to work with Him on the earth now.

But of course, Jesus couldn't return unless He'd been here once already. The next three weeks of Advent teach us some of the many lessons of the first coming. Those include the fact that humanity needed His sacrifice for sin. But Jesus didn't just come here to die -- He, as the Son of God and the Son of Man, perfectly joined God with humanity for the first time. Because He did that, He healed the breach that was opened up in Eden and continued on to that time. All of the angels were waiting for that new beginning, and they celebrated at His birth (Luke 2:8-14) just like they had at the creation (Job 38:7).

Hebrews 9:26-28 gives us both ends of the Advent season when it says this: "But now, once for all time, he has appeared at the end of the age to remove sin by his own death as a sacrifice. And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, so also Christ died once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him."

Do you have goose bumps yet? I do, every time I think about the magnificent, all-inclusive scope of that passage. He's been here once; He dealt decisively with our separation from God; and He's coming back to finalize what He started a long, long time ago. I've got every reason that I can think of to celebrate. How about joining me?

Too Much Trouble?

Life has its share of trouble. Illness, injury, natural disasters, even something as simple as tangled fishing line, can make us wish life was simpler. I've told friends that the last few years have been hard on The Lovely Joanne, as she has experienced some kind of disaster every summer, and we want next year off! But what if God had been put off by the amount of trouble

Extreme Personal Makeover

Our cats are an interesting study in selfishness.  There's not much sharing between Haley and Susie, just a me-first, outta-my-way animal instinct.  Unfortunately, that is how I often feel too.  Yesterday, The Wonderful Joanne and I had what we call a "meaningful discussion."  I thought she was pressuring me into purchasing something, and reacted strongly with why I didn't think it was a good idea.  When I finally said I was sorry, it was mostly by complaining about the way I thought she had treated me.  Only later did I realize that I had simply defended myself again.  So this morning, another apology was in order, a real one this time.

See, the problem is not that we don't know what to do, it's that we are so filled with self-seeking that we don't let love -- outward-flowing, other-centered giving without seeking a return -- guide us first. This gets back to what I've been writing and speaking about lately:  that the Triune God had determined before time began (before we are 'good enough' to deserve his love) to adopt us into his circle of love and self-giving (Eph. 1:3-11, etc); and although he loves us right now, right where we are, he is determined not to leave us in our self-created pain.  So he sent his Son, whom we celebrate during Advent and Christmas for coming into the world, not only to pay for our sins but to give us a Person to love and follow.

"Following Jesus" is a daily walk of seeing ourselves, seeing Jesus, and admitting where we don't measure up to him.  Then surrendering (it sounds simple but it's one of the hardest things we can do) surrendering this part of us that demands gratification so Jesus can give us rest, peace and assurance from himself instead.

What are some of those me-first, outta-my-way human instincts? Paul writes in Galatians 5:19-21, "When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God."  Our sins -- these and many more -- are forgiven in Christ, but God is on a campaign to renovate our inner selves, at the deepest level.  To restore us to what humans were at Creation, and to what we all are, in reality, because we are now "in Christ." 

"Following Jesus" includes being led by his Spirit to have his inner desires: "So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves...the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires...Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives" (Gal. 5:16,17,25). That's how the surrender thing works.

You've not arrived yet at perfection, and neither have I.  But let's be encouraged:  we are on the journey with Jesus, and he is the one who not only knows the way, he IS the way (John 14:1-10) and he has shown us that way.  Will you follow him with me?

He's Been Here Already

Christians are waiting for the return of Jesus to rule the nations. That's completely legitimate, because He said He was coming back. But "back" means He's already been here once. And both of those points are the message of the traditional four weeks of Advent -- that the Son of God visited us once, and that He's returning. ("Advent" means "arrival," as we see in the name "Seventh-Day Adventists" who emphasize the Second Coming.)

The first week of Advent wraps up the entire year of Christian teaching and celebration, by telling us of that blessed, joyful return of our Savior to the world. Typically, the message of that day in song and sermon and prayer gives us reasons to lift up our eyes in hope of His return, and to be encouraged as we continue to work with Him on the earth now.

But of course, Jesus couldn't return unless He'd been here once already. The next three weeks of Advent teach us some of the many lessons of the first coming. Those include the fact that humanity needed His sacrifice for sin. But Jesus didn't just come here to die -- He, as the Son of God and the Son of Man, perfectly joined God with humanity for the first time. Because He did that, He healed the breach that was opened up in Eden and continued on to that time. All of the angels were waiting for that new beginning, and they celebrated at His birth (Luke 2:8-14) just like they had at the creation (Job 38:7).

Hebrews 9:26-28 gives us both ends of the Advent season when it says this: "But now, once for all time, he has appeared at the end of the age to remove sin by his own death as a sacrifice. And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, so also Christ died once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him."

Do you have goose bumps yet? I do, every time I think about the magnificent, all-inclusive scope of that passage. He's been here once; He dealt decisively with our separation from God; and He's coming back to finalize what He started a long, long time ago. I've got every reason that I can think of to celebrate. How about joining me?

Peace

After a lot of hubbub and trips back and forth, we’ve got all our furniture and boxes inside our new house, and it’s mostly in the right rooms. We’re starting to feel settled in, and it’s really peaceful here. A lot of people would pay good money to live in this kind of peace, but the question is, would they really appreciate it?

Peace is elusive to people, even individually. Between people, and between groups and nations, peace is almost impossible to achieve. (When’s the last time you saw a news headline claiming ‘Peace Breaks Out’?)

But peace is exactly what God intends for us. Inner peace, peace between us and God, and as a result, peace between people. That’s what he wanted for us in the first place, and it was our own fault that we didn’t accept it. Our first parents, Adam and Eve, had a face-to-face friendship with God, but they decided they would rather make their own choices without his help. They turned away from him, and in trying to make their own decisions, their minds became tormented with the loneliness of their existence without their Creator. Their children and grandchildren invented their own ‘gods’ who only resembled themselves with all their own faults magnified – not their true loving, living Father at all. So their minds continually tried to resolve their self-made conflict, turning it over and over and inventing new, flawed realities to live in. (Romans 3:9-20.)

Sounds nasty? Well, it is. Human life without a loving Creator is no life at all. But God is far too loving to leave us in the lurch. He sent his Son to bridge that gap, and to create peace for us (Eph. 2:11-22).

During Advent, we celebrate the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6), the Son of God who was God-With-Us, Immanuel. He came without our asking, rescuing people who didn’t deserve it, and was killed without reason to wipe out the guilt of even those who killed him. He brought peace to our tormented souls by taking all that pain and separation on himself, and created an unbreakable bridge between us and the Father. He gives us the peace of his own mind, the Holy Spirit who lives in us because of our faith in the Son (Romans 5:1, 8:6, 14:17, 15:13, etc). He himself is the Plan of God (2 Tim. 1:9-10).

“Give peace a chance?” Amen, so we should! So if you’re not feeling peaceful, then it’s time to surrender – for the first time ever, or once again – all your conflicts and inner turmoil to the One who has already resolved it for you and is waiting for you to accept it. If you know someone who is full of that turmoil, then maybe you can introduce him or her to that Prince of Peace. It’s the best gift you could give a loved one, now or anytime.