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Getting back to the heart of God

12/31/2013

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Against the flesh, the traitor within, a warrior uses discipline. We have a two-dimensional version of this now, which we call a "quiet time." But most men have a hard time sustaining any sort of devotional life because it has no vital connection to recovering and protecting their strength; it feels about as important as flossing. 


But if you saw your life as a great battle and you knew you needed time with God for your very survival, you would do it. Maybe not perfectly—nobody ever does and that's not the point anyway—but you would have a reason to seek him. We give a halfhearted attempt at the spiritual disciplines when the only reason we have is that we "ought" to. But we'll find a way to make it work when we are convinced we're history if we don't.

Time with God each day is not about academic study or getting through a certain amount of Scripture or any of that. It's about connecting with God. We've got to keep those lines of communication open, so use whatever helps. Sometimes I'll listen to music; other times I'll read Scripture or a passage from a book; often I will journal; maybe I'll go for a run; then there are days when all I need is silence and solitude and the rising sun. 



The point is simply to do whatever brings me back to my heart and the heart of God.

The discipline, by the way, is never the point. The whole point of a "devotional life" is connecting with God. This is our primary antidote to the counterfeits the world holds out to us.



This post taken from the book, Wild At Heart by John Eldredge


BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.


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Teaching your kids about sexuality

12/30/2013

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Young children are naked and unashamed, quite often literally. They are fascinated with their bodies—who has what, why one child is a girl and another a boy.  They have observations to share and questions to ask.  Young children are ready to be primed, through needed conversation, for what it means to experience themselves as sexual beings who will one day be capable of sexual intimacy as faithful disciples of Jesus Christ.

Awkwardness often silences this conversation before it can begin.  The vocabulary is off-putting.  Do you use anatomical terminology for physical identification or slang terms?  What if you introduce the words penis and vulva to your young children and they actual use them in public?  The conversation is emotional.  Many parents had no conversation with their own parents, or a bad one they do not care to repeat.  Reality  is our young children will not be young forever.  They will grow up to be men and women with a capacity and desire for sexual intimacy.  A conversation is needed to prepare them well.   So how do we begin?

Choose Your Terms - It is important to decide the language for the conversation. Anatomical terminology models normalcy and encourages open communication.  A boy has a penis and scrotum.  A girl has a vulva and vagina. This reality is as normal as our having legs and arms.  Anatomical terms encourage communication with caregivers, grandparents, doctors, and others who need to understand your child.  Slang terms may be more comfortable, but may also lead to confusion of identification because there are so many.  Choose your terms thoughtfully and purposefully because names have meaning and purpose.

Seek Out Support - Few parents have good models for this conversation.  Support is available through books and articles.  Before They Ask is a great resource for parents.  The series God’s Design for Sex is a wonderful read for parents and families.  Want face-to-face support?  Form a group of parents in your church who are committed to raising children who are naked and unashamed with the prayer that they will use their body to the glory of God.  Do you have questions? Maybe we can help.  Above all, pray for knowledge and wisdom.  God will equip a willing spirit for the task.

Start Where You Are - No one is ever ready for the full-blown conversation, but no one ever has to have “the full-blown conversation” at once if you make human sexuality an ongoing conversation, a natural part of life.  We began with naming genitalia when our sons were just babies.  You are in the middle of changing a diaper and your daughter touches her vulva.  You simply name the body part she is in contact with, just like you would say “nose” when she grabs your nose.  By the time she can ask questions, the conversation is already underway.  Maybe you are potty training—perfect.  Name his body parts used in the process as you encourage and instruct your little one.  Are your children past all that?  Get an age appropriate book to introduce the conversation.  God’s Design for Sex offers The Story of Me and Before I was Born.  Maybe you are pregnant or someone you know is.  That is another great way to begin the conversation with your child.

Embrace the Questions - Your son finds a tampon or pad, and asks, “What’s this?”  No need to re-direct or distract.  Simply name the item in question.  If your child is curious and asks for further explanation, briefly explain. “God made a special place in mommy’s body to grow a baby.  Every month, a home is ready just in case a baby needs it.  If there is no baby for the home, then the home is not needed.  The home falls apart and leaves my body.  This catches the home.”

Remember the Goal - The goal is not to name genitalia or be experts in human sexuality, but rather to encourage your children to live as they were created, naked and unashamed, with the hope that they will use their bodies throughout their lives to the glory of God.  If you want this for your child, but experience emotions of discomfort or shame in regards to human sexuality, sort through your own emotions so you might be free to guide your child into the truth with love.  This may be accomplished by an honest conversation with your spouse or, if you are single, a close friend.  You might choose to work with a trained counselor.  Whatever support or resources are involved, the goal remains the same—to know that we were created male and female, and God says it is good.

Prayer - Lord, grant us wisdom and courage to help our children claim the goodness of Your creation as male and female.  May we raise children in the truth of your design, so that they may be free from sexual shame and confusion.  Help us begin this needed conversation, so that it will continue from generation to generation bringing purity to Your children and glory to Your name.  Amen.



This post was taken from the Seedbed blog, by E. Martin.  For the original post, go to:  http://seedbed.com/feed/a-much-needed-conversation-how-to-teach-your-kids-about-sexuality/


BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.



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Sunday Meditation

12/29/2013

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. . . the tender mercy of our God,
by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death
to guide our feet into the path of peace


Many of us grew up expecting bad things. Some of us learned to expect physical abuse. As a result we may find ourselves covering our heads to ward off a blow when someone is offering a hug. Others of us learned to expect to be neglected. As a result we may experience confusion or fear when someone shows an interest in getting to know us. Expectations which are formed early in life are difficult for us to change. It is not an easy thing to allow ourselves to hope when our hopes have been disappointed over and over again in the past.

Learning to hope, however, means opening ourselves to the possibility that the future may be different from what we have known in the past. To hope is to allow ourselves to anticipate the possibility of good things. Hope is the expectation of good. It is the ability to look for the rising of the sun, while sitting in the predawn darkness.

Our hope for the future is rooted in a conviction about God's character. It is because of God's tender mercies that we find it possible to hope. Because of God's character -- tender and full of mercy -- the sun will rise. We can anticipate good things because God is a good and loving God.

I know what it is like to live in darkness, Lord.
My house has been built in the shadow of death.
God of mercy, heal me.
God of tenderness, give light.
Build in me a capacity for hope.
Rise on my darkness, Lord.
Guide my feet out of the paths of fear
and into the path of peace.


Amen.

Copyright Dale and Juanita Ryan
National Association for Christian Recovery



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Time to be honest

12/28/2013

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I was surfing the web today when I came across something very interesting. A pastor in Virginia used one of my blog posts in her church newsletter. You can see the church newsletter here. It was written based on my blog entitled “The Truth About My Church (And Others)” .

In this letter, she adds a portion that I would like to respond to publicly. It is a great question and one that needs exploring. It is a question about the role of openness and honesty in the pastoral position. Basically, the pastor wants to know the result of such openness. Allow me to respond through an example.

Today was an incredible day at my church. It was an informal service in which everything was simplified. We had a good crowd there, sang a capella Christmas songs, experienced communion, and most notably heard many spontaneous testimonies. These testimonies were amazing and depicted the reality of God’s saving grace, healing power, and His general faithfulness despite our circumstances. We heard testimonies of people being delivered from addiction, and saved from certain destruction. We also heard about struggles currently happening in the lives of some. These struggles were articulated to gain support and accountability for the strugglers growth in the faith.

As a pastor, I can stand up in front of my congregation all day and tell them what they ought to do. As author Calvin Miller says in his book called “Preaching: The Art of Narrative Exposition”….a preacher, in some cases, is a “veteran sinner that tells amateur sinners what they ought not to do.” I don’t adhere to the fullness of that statement, but I understand the concept and agree with the heart behind it. If I think for one moment that I am somehow more elite than everyone else then my testimony is not beneficial.

Studying to be a pastor, I started out thinking that church growth and encouraging people into involvement was based in production, staging, and talent. What I have found through experience is that churches grow in depth and number when the leadership and attenders are authentic, honest, and caring. No matter the style of music or the way the preacher delivers his or her message, people generally want to feel welcome, they want to know that the faith they are observing is real to those who follow and they want to know that they matter to the community.

When we are real about our imperfections; we will see growth. We may have a fear that people will run for the hills, but if we truly believe that God is real and active than no amount of marketing or false fronts will surpass His blessing in our lives.

These are the types of things that get me up in the morning.



This post was written by Rev DeCrastos.  For the original post, go to:  http://other-words.net/2013/12/22/time-to-be-honest/



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Do you practice sin in your life? - part two

12/27/2013

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The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Yesterday, we discussed the first part of this section of this scripture.  Today, we will finish.  Let God's Holy Spirit speak to you about your life.

9.  Fits of rage (wrath) - The Greek word thumos is used throughout the New Testament to picture a person who is literally boiling with anger about something.  Although the person tries to restrain his anger by shoving it down deeper into his soul, it intermittently flares up.  When that happens, this person is like a volcano that suddenly blow it top, scorching everything within its reach as it hurls its load of deadly molten lava on the entire surrounding landscape.

10.  Selfish ambition (strife) - The Greek word eritheia describes a self-seeking ambition that is more concerned about itself and the fulfillment of its own wants, desires, and pleasures that it is in meeting the same needs in others.  When eritheia is working in someone's life, it means that a person's principle concern is to take care of himself and to get what he wants.  He is so bent on getting what he wants that he is willing to do anything, say anything, or sacrifice any standard, rule, or relationship to achieve his goals.  Because this self-consumed, self-focused attitude is engrossed with its own desires and ambitions, it is blinded to the desires and ambitions of other people.

11.  Dissensions - The Greek word dichostasia means to stand apart, as one who rebels and steps away from someone to whom he should have been loyal.  Thus the word "dissension" gives the impression of disloyalty.  It is the ultimate act of defiance or disloyalty to an established authority.

12.  Factions - The Greek word hairesis carries the idea of a group of people who adheres to the same doctrine or who ardently follow the same leader and are sectarian.  The adherents of a sect are usually limited in their scope and closed to outsiders, staying primarily to themselves.  In New Testament times, these groups were considered to be unauthorized because they were not submitted to the authority of the church leadership.  In today's contemporary language, we would call them "cliques" -  a group of people who believe or conduct themselves as if they are exclusive.

13.  Envy - The Greek word phthonos implies a deeply felt grudge because someone possess what a person wishes was his own.  Because this person has a chip on his shoulder, he begrudges what the other person possesses and is covetous of that person's belongings, accomplishments, relationships, or titles in life.  Every time he see that other person, he inwardly seethes about his success.  He deeply resents that person's blessing and tries to figure out a way to seize it away from the person he envies in order to make it his own.

14.  Drunkenness - The Greek word methe refers to strong drink or to drunkenness.  The consumption of wine for the sake of intoxication was common in the first century due to many pagan religions that employed wine as a part of their religious practices.  A drunken state suppressed the mind's ability to think correctly and releases the flesh to fully express itself.  The believers in the first century were trying to walk free from the power of their flesh.  The last thing they needed was to drink wine, inhibit their ability to think correctly, revive their flesh, and then do things that were sinful or damaging!  That is why Paul urged them to leave wine alone!

15.  Orgies - The Greek word komoi describes a person who can't bear the thought of boredom and therefore constantly seems forms of amusement or entertainment.  This person is actually afraid of being bored, so he constantly contemplates what he can do next to have fun or be entertained.  The word komoi can refer to a person who endlessly eats at parties or who seeks constant laughter and hilarity.  Although there is nothing wrong with laughter, this person is consumed with the need for comedy, light moments, fun, pleasure, entertainment, or constant eating.  He lives for his next meal, the next restaurant, the next movie, the next vacation.

16.  and the like - Paul ends this list with this Greek phrase, which alerts us to the fact that this list of the works of the flesh is not comprehensive; it is just the beginning of the works of the flesh!  Many more examples of works of the flesh could be added to the list, but Paul uses these as examples of how the flesh behaves, ending the list once he has sufficiently made the point to his readers.  

If you routinely do these things as a matter of lifestyle, I believe you need to go to God and ask Him to tell you the truth about your spiritual status!  

You cannot afford to make a mistake about this eternal question!!


This entry and yesterday's entry are taken from the book, Sparkling Gems From the Greek by R. Renner

BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.

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Do you practice sin in your life? - part one

12/26/2013

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The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Let's break this down, go over each word.  Let God's Holy Spirit speak to you about your lifestyle:


1.  Sexual immorality - some translations call this adultery.  The Greek word porneia describes any sexual relationship that occurs outside the sanctified boundaries of marriage.

2.  Impurity - The Greek word here means "uncleanness."  This refers to lewd or unclean thoughts that eventually produce lewd of unclean actions.  It strongly suggests that these actions begin in the the mind as unclean thoughts before they manifest themselves as unclean deeds.


3.  Debauchery - The Greek word here describes "excess."  It primarily refers to the excessive consumption of food or wild, undisciplined living that is especially marked by unbridled sex.


4.  Idolatry - The Greek word eidoloatria depicts the worship of idols, or simply put, "idolatry."  The act of idolatry transpires when an individual gives his complete, undivided attention, devotion, passion, love or commitment to a person, project of object rather than God.  When something other than God takes first place in a person's mind, he has entered, at least to a measure, in the the sin of idolatry.


5.  Witchcraft - The word "witchcraft" is from the Greek word pharmakeia, the Greek work for medicines or drugs that inhibit a person's personality or changes his behavior.  We would call these mind-altering drugs. The Greek work pharmakeia is where we get the words pharmaceuticals and the word pharmacy.  This word was used in connection with sorcery, magic, or witchcraft.  However, for our purposes in today's world, the word "witchcraft" describes the flesh's attempts to avoid being confronted and changed.


6.  Hatred - The Greek word echthra pictures people who cannot get along with each other.  They have deep issues with each other, holding resentments, grievances, complaints, and grudges that go way back in time and have very deep roots.  Something occurred  along the way that caused one or both of them to be offended.  Instead of letting it go, they are divided, hostile, and fiercely opposed to each other.  They are antagonistic, aggressive, and harsh.  They hate each other.  They have a grudge and are determined to hold on to their offense.


7.  Discord - The Greek word eris depicts a bitterly mean spirit that is so consumed with its own self-interests and self-ambitions that it would rather split and divide than admit it is wrong or to give an inch to its opponent!  This is exactly why churches end up divided and families frequently dissolve.  Most of the issues that bring such division are not important. Nevertheless, division occurs because the flesh simply hates to surrender, to admit that it's wrong, to let someone else be right, or to compromise.  Flesh would rather blow all issues out of proportion and wreak havoc than to let someone else have his way!


8.  Jealousy - The Greek word zelos is used in a negative sense to depict a person who is upset because someone else achieved more or received more; therefore, the first person is jealous, envious, resentful, and filled with ill will for that other person who received the blessing he wanted.  As a result of not getting what he desired, this person is irritated, infuriated, irate, annoyed, provoked, and fuming that the other person did get it!  In short, you could say that this person is really incensed and ticked off!



Tomorrow, we will finish with this section of scripture.


This entry and tomorrow's entry are taken from the book, Sparkling Gems From the Greek by Rick Renner

BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.



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The Meaning of Christmas

12/25/2013

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The real St. Nicholas:  A Christmas Eve Sermon

12/24/2013

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The little seaside town of Demre, in Turkey, isn’t exactly the North Pole. It rarely snows there. Palm trees and orange groves dot the landscape. You won’t hear sleigh bells here, just the sound of the Muslim call to prayer from the minarets of the town mosques. No reindeer live here, and elves are extremely rare. NORAD won’t paying much attention to Demre this Christmas Eve, and most folks wrapping presents to put under the tree won’t give it a thought, either. In fact, virtually no one living in Demre celebrates Christmas, and yet this little town is the second most important town in the world next to Bethlehem when it comes to Christmas

See, Demre is the hometown of the original Saint Nicholas, who was born near there sometime in the late third century AD. There’s an old 8th century Church of St. Nicholas there that once housed the saint’s bones, and even though it is only active as a church one day a year (St. Nicholas Day, December 6), tourists come from around the world to see the birthplace of the one most of them know as Santa Claus.

Of course, the town of Demre cashes in on these interested tourists. You can buy Santa Claus-themed merchandise here that’s as plentiful as any you’d find in, say, Santa Claus, Indiana—everything from key chains, to icons, to Santa earrings.

If you traveled to Demre between 1981 and 2000, you would have seen a statue of Saint Nicholas dressed as Father Christmas—a figure in a hooded robe carrying a sack of toys and surrounded by children. In 2000, Russian sculptor Gregory Pototsky presented Demre with a bronze statue of an Eastern Orthodox Saint Nicholas, dressed in the vestments of a Christian bishop and standing atop a globe. The statue stood prominently right in the middle of the town square, which was unusual for a country that is nearly 100% Muslim.

Five years later, the town replaced this statue with one of an American style Santa Claus with a bell in his right hand, making him look like an overly zealous Salvation Army ringer. The plaster of Paris statue was designed to appeal to international tourists by making Santa more recognizable—more like the image of Santa developed by Coca Cola in the early 20th century—a Santa that’s less a religious figure and more the patron saint of consumerism.

So, which one of these is the real Saint Nicholas? What picture emerges when we cut through all the legend and commercialism? If Demre is confused, then we are certainly no less so. On Christmas Eve, millions of people will recite famous Clement Moore poem “A Visit from Saint Nicholas” (aka The Night Before Christmas) as a bedtime story for anxious children all tucked in their beds, with visions of X-boxes and iPods dancing in their heads. Well, there’s a very different story that needs to be told—a story of a man whose whole life was focused on following the one born in a manger.

The story begins around the year 260AD in the little village of Patara, just a few miles from the town of Demre (which was called Myra at the time). The apostle Paul had passed through Myra 200 years before as a prisoner on his way to Rome  and he very likely preached there. A Christian church was planted in Myra sometime after Paul’s visit, and was still in place when Nicholas was born.

Nicholas’ parents were Christians, and as a child he heard the stories of the Bible—he sang the Psalms in worship and heard the good news about Jesus—the stories of his birth in Bethlehem, his teaching and healing, his death on a cross and his resurrection from the dead. The church would have met in a large home and not a separate building, and Nicholas would have heard the Scriptures read by the elders and shared in holy communion there each week. Sometimes the church would meet in the town graveyard to remind themselves of the promise of Easter and the resurrection.

This is not church as we experience it tonight, however. Being a Christian in Nicholas’ day would have been a dangerous proposition. Just a few years before he was born, several members of the church in Myra were put to death by Roman authorities for refusing to make sacrifices to the Roman gods. Nicholas’ family would have reminded him of this danger, but they would also remind him that suffering persecution was, as Peter put it, a chance to “participate in the sufferings of Christ” (1 Peter 4:13).

Nicholas’ name in Greek meant “victory for the people,” and from the very beginning he seemed to look and act like a saint. He had a strong moral compass and avoided all the usual temptations of young people in Roman society—temptations of money, sex, and grabbing for political power. According to his 8th century biographer, Michael the Archimandrite, “He never strayed far from the church and, like a nest to a dove the church was to him a refreshment and a comfort. His mind was illuminated by the teachings, and day by day he grew towards a pure and gentle compassion.”

When Nicholas was a teenager, tragedy struck when both his parents died in an epidemic of plague that swept through the region of Lycia in the mid-third century. Nicholas was left alone, but not without help. His parents had apparently been wealthy, probably merchants who plied their trade through the ships coming in and out of the port of Myra. So they left Nicholas with a large inheritance of money to do with as he pleased. Can you imagine being a teenager with that kind of cash?

Well, rather than take the usual route of squandering the money, Nicholas relied on the faith he had received and, according to Michael, “he asked God that he might dispose of his life and his assets in accordance with [God’s] will. He would have remembered the words of Jesus about wealth—about giving to those in need and holding money loosely. He would have certainly recalled Jesus words to a rich young man who was likely in Nicholas’ very situation: “Go sell your possessions and give to the poor,” Jesus had said to the rich man, “and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come follow me” (Matthew 19:21).

It was customary in Roman society for people to take care of their own families, but not to worry about anyone else. The early Christians shocked Roman sensibilities when they insisted on caring for anyone in need—including societal outcasts like prisoners, widows, and orphans. Nicholas took Jesus’ call seriously, which led him to the first and most famous act of his life.

In Patara there was a once-wealthy man who had lost everything. People didn’t have savings accounts or retirement plans, so a lost ship of merchandise or a bad crop could completely ruin a small family. The man had three daughters, and he became so desperate that he resolved to sell each of them one by one into slavery, which, at the time, often meant sex slavery. The problem was that no one would marry these girls because of their poverty and the father’s inability to provide a dowry, so selling the daughters was the only option left—a common practice in the Roman world.

Nicholas heard of the family’s plight. One night, he took some of the gold his parents had left him, tied it in a small sack, and threw it through the open window of the family’s home. Some accounts say he actually threw the sack down the chimney and the gold landed in the girls’ stockings, which were hung by the fire to dry, though those are likely later additions. Michael describes what happened next:

“When daylight came, the man got up from bed and found in the middle of the house a pile of money. He could not hold back his tears…He gave thanks to God but also tried to understand the meaning of this good
fortune. Deciding to accept the gift as if it had been given by God, the father of the girls took the serendipitously found gold and noticed that the sum corresponded to the amount of money needed for a dowry. Without delay, he adorned the bridal chamber of his oldest daughter. And so his life once again became good, full of joy and peace of mind, thanks to the intervention of the holy Nicholas who had created a way for his daughter to marry.”


Seeing what an effect the gift had had on the family, Nicholas returned two more nights and tossed two more anonymous bags of gold through the open window for the other two daughters. The third time, the father of the girls was waiting in the dark to see who was committing these acts of lavish generosity. When the third bag of gold hit the floor, the man ran outside and found Nicholas and said to him, “If it were not for your goodness, which was stirred up by our Lord Jesus Christ, I have long since consigned my life to ruin and shame.” Nicholas swore the man to secrecy about what he had done, and yet, who could not tell this story eventually?

It’s difficult to express the uniqueness of this act in Nicholas’ time. In those days, in a culture of patronage, anonymous giving simply was not done. Usually, if a wealthy benefactor helped someone, the receiver would be obligated for life (kind of like the Godfather – someday you will do a service for me…). What Nicholas did was completely novel and it had a tremendous impact on the Christian communities who first heard the story. It became the story that identified Nicholas and made him one of the most popular saints in Christian history.

Notice that there’s nothing really magical about this story—no reindeer, no toys, no taking into account who is naughty or nice. It’s simply an act of sacrificial kindness toward someone in need—quite a different story than the one we celebrate in our Christmas specials and shopping malls. Santa Claus, as we know him, is the product of retailers who use him to sell their wares to those who can afford to stack presents under the tree that most of us don’t really need. The real Saint Nicholas was the product of a relationship with Christ, who gave everything away for those who had nothing. No one can do what the magical Santa does. Everyone can do what Nicholas did.

The story doesn’t stop there, however. Nicholas went on to participate in some of the most important events in Christian history. While Nicholas was still a young man, a great persecution of Christians took place under the Roman emperor Diocletian, who needed a scapegoat for the Empire’s precarious economic situation. Nicholas may have been studying for the priesthood when a crisis occurred there in Myra—every bishop (or overseer) of the church there had been imprisoned or killed, one after the other. One night in the year 295, the senior bishops of the area gathered to pray through the night for God to lead them to the person they could ordain as the next bishop of Myra. One of the bishops received a vision, where God told him to go with the others to the house of God and wait there for the first person to walk through the door in the morning. His name will be Nicholas.

Sure enough, Nicholas was the first to cross the threshold of the church that morning. Nicholas became one of the youngest bishops ever in the church—about the same age as Jesus when he started his public ministry. The bishop was both a man of the people and a man of God, executing the ministries of the church in the example of Christ. Nicholas fit the bill perfectly, and while being ordained a bishop was a huge honor for someone so young, it would not be easy.

No sooner had Nicholas been ordained as bishop than he was arrested on religious charges, imprisoned without trial, and was beaten and tortured. A common torture dealt to Christian prisoners was to blind their right eyes and cut the sinews of their left ankles. Nicholas born the scars of holding to his faith, even though he escaped becoming a martyr. For the majority of his tenure as Bishop of Myra, Christians were a hated minority, a target for angry mobs and the whims of the emperor. Still, Nicholas was steadfast in his ministry with the people, despite the scars he carried in his
own body.

When the emperor Constantine took over in the early 4th century, Christianity went almost overnight from being a persecuted minority to the religion of the empire. He called together a great council to standardize the church’s doctrines and Nicholas was part of the 300 or so bishops who gathered for the discussion and debate. It must have been a sight—a gathering of old bishops, many of them missing eyes and limping, some missing limbs—looking more like a gathering of pirates than a collection of religious leaders. The debates were intense, the major question being whether Jesus was
actually God in the flesh, the same substance as God, or only a being “like” God. Nicholas believed what John’s Gospel said about Jesus, that Jesus, the Word was with God and was God—the Word that became flesh and dwelt among us.

He argued fiercely for this biblical position and, according to some sources, even slapped the heretic bishop Arius across the face in a fit of righteous rage. Gonna find out who’s naughty or nice! He apologized, of course, but his zeal for Christ was always evident.

The stories of Nicholas’ Christian deeds of justice and compassion are myriad. When back in Myra, he heard of some men who were falsely accused of a crime and were about to be beheaded. He advocated on their behalf and, acting as their advocate, got them acquitted because of his reputation as an honest bishop. For this reason, the saint who would be Santa Claus became the patron saint of prisoners.  In another instance, Nicholas went to the emperor to plead the case of his people who were under an undue burden of taxes, and got them lowered. There are lots of stories like this concerning Nicholas’ passion for his people. Every one of them reveals that he lived up to his name, “victory for the people.”

When Nicholas died some time in the 330s, he was buried in Myra, but relic seekers managed to take his bones to various places around the world, meaning only parts of Santa Claus actually made it all over the world! Today, most of his remains rest in Bari, Italy, where anthropologists recently constructed what his face might have looked like—not a bit like our Santa Claus, but the same kind of face as the people he served.

There are lots of stories about Saint Nicholas, some of which are true, most of which are the fanciful distortions of legend. Our version of Santa Claus is actually a Scandinavian legend loosely based on the real Saint Nicholas, but many generations removed from the real thing. I don’t know about you, but I find the real story to be the most compelling—the story of a Christmas life, one lived not just once a year, but all the time. A life that is willing to sacrifice, to suffer, to give oneself fully to the work of Christ. It’s a giving life more than a receiving life. It’s the kind of life that Jesus himself would live and invites us to follow him in living ourselves.

Paul’s letter to Titus describes that kind of Christmas life. “For the grace of God has appeared,” says Paul. The Word of God became flesh in the form of a baby in a manger, the one who came to save us all. This grace, this gift of God is about “training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright and godly.” We don’t merely celebrate the gift of God at Christmas. Like Nicholas, we go out and make that gift a reality. We renounce dependence on the collection of stuff, the indulgence of ourselves and, instead, live lives that are worthy of Christ. Paul goes on to say that Christ will return again—a second Advent—and when he returns, what will he find us doing? Will we be sitting on piles of presents, or will we be silently and secretly changing the lives of people who are in desperate need?

Indeed, says Paul, that’s what the gift of Jesus is all about. “He it is who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds.” We are not simply to “be good for goodness sake,” but for the sake of Christ, whose goodness changes the world.

Zealous for good deeds! You want the spirit of Christmas? That’s it. It’s not about us. Christmas is not your birthday. It’s about being zealous to do what Christ has done—not just during the holiday season, but every day. Can we retrain ourselves to move away from consumption and toward generosity? Can we sacrifice a few more toys so that someone who is desperate
can survive? Can we stand up for those who are broken, imprisoned, poor, and marginalized? Can we focus on “victory for the people” over poverty, sin, and death? Rather than teaching your kids to be good because Santa is coming or there’s some “elf on the shelf” watching their every move (a holiday version of extortion? But I digress…), teach them the way of Jesus and the example of the real St. Nicholas—to be good for the sake of Christ. That’s a real Christmas life, my friends. Anything else is just a caricature.

What if we made it a goal to represent this Saint Nicholas with our giving to Christ? What if, instead of entering the fray at the mall, we all decided to try and help lift one family out of poverty? What if instead of spending all our time visiting relatives we chose instead to visit someone in prison, or spent time talking to that homeless man on the street? I’m guessing that Christmas would start to feel a lot different—and maybe even honor the Christ child more than any sale or full stocking ever could.

In 2008, the town of Myra replaced the Coca Cola Santa with yet another statue—this one of a Saint Nicholas with Turkish features—a trimmed beard, a patterned jacket, a round Seljuk styled cap or boerk, and he carries on his shoulders not a sack of goodies, but a young child—children were the beneficiaries of many of his acts of kindness. Behind him appears a slightly older boy dressed in a simple tunic. He looks like a common man—someone just like us, someone who could be fully devoted to Christ. We can do extraordinary things if we devote our lives to the manger born King. On Christmas, we just don’t celebrate a holiday, we remember the invitation of Christ, who wants to be born in us—to change us so that we can join him in changing the world for the sake of his kingdom. 


Will you follow him?

As you get ready for bed on Christmas Eve, I hope you will remember the story of this Saint Nicholas—the story of one who gave his life completely to Christ. And then, may you begin living his style of Christmas life every day!

This post was written by Bob Kaylor.  For his original post, go to:  http://bobkaylor.com/a-christmas-life-the-real-saint-nicholas-a-sermon-for-christmas-eve/

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Courage

12/23/2013

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Years ago when I was in the Army I met a very interesting fella. He was 5’8. If he put on every piece of Army gear he owned on he might weigh 150lbs. He had a skinny neck, a largish head and wore Army issue RPG glasses. He worked overnights as a lab-tech at the post hospital. He was also my battle buddy at the Army’s Primary Leadership Development Course (PLDC) at Ft. Campbell Ky. Being the hardcore ultra-hooah infantry soldier I was, I wasn’t all that excited about being assigned a lab-tech as a battle buddy, but that’s just the way it goes sometimes.

As part of the requirements of PLDC we had to have an inspection wearing our dress uniforms. The inspection would ensure that we properly knew how to make our boots and badges shiny and set our ribbons the proper distance from each other. When it came time for the inspection my buddy came by to check me and have me check him and I noticed that he was wearing a Bronze Star with a V on it. The Bronze Star is the fourth highest award that a soldier can receive. The V signified that he was awarded this for valor. I didn’t know many infantry soldiers that had Bronze Stars for valor, much less lab techs. I asked him what he did to be awarded the Bronze Star for valor. Here is what he told me.

“Before I was a lab-tech I was a combat medic. I served with an armored infantry division during the [first] Gulf War. One day we were moving through the desert when the lead Bradley was suddenly engulfed in flames. When everyone stopped we realized that the lead vehicle had driven into a minefield and hit one.”

“When we found out that the men inside were badly injured but alive me and my driver drove our armored ambulance into the minefield to help them. Our commander told us to stop because they didn’t know if this was an ambush. We didn’t stop. We just couldn’t leave them out there to die.”

“We drove up next to them and jumped from our ambulance to their Bradley. We bandaged them as best we could and called for a medevac helicopter to come and get them out. Because we were in an unmarked minefield the choppers couldn’t land so they lowered lifelines down and we pulled the injured guys out of the Bradley and onto the lifelines. After everyone was out we rejoined the rest of the company.”

I’m not sure what I was expecting, but that wasn’t it. I asked if he was afraid when he did this. His response has always stuck with me. He said, “Yeah, I was terrified. But if we hadn’t went in those guys would have died. We couldn’t just let that happen.” My battle buddy taught me two lessons I hope I never forget.

The first is that heroes don’t always look heroic. Sometimes heroes look like Captain America and other times they look like skinny 19 year old kids who are willing to risk their lives to save others.

The second is that courage is doing the right thing despite being afraid. Courage isn’t the absence of fear. In fact I would almost go so far as to say that without fear there is no courage. It doesn’t take courage to do something that you’re not afraid of. But to do what needs to be done when you are terrified, that is courage.

For further study read Joshua 1:1-9.

Why does Joshua assume the mantle of leadership over Israel?

What promises does God give him?

What does God call on him to do?



This post was written by Rev Ross.  For the original post, go to:  http://stacyjross.wordpress.com/2013/12/16/a-call-to-courage/



BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.

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Sunday Meditation

12/22/2013

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Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.   Isaiah 1:18

There are three common but unhelpful ways of dealing with our failures and sins. First, there is denial. We tell ourselves that everybody has problems, so it doesn't really matter. Nothing of any value comes from this effort to cover-up. A second unhelpful strategy is to blame others for what has happened. This can range from different versions of 'the-devil-made-me-do-it' to 'I'm just a product of my environment'. Nothing of any value comes from this effort to cover-up. Thirdly, instead of turning the emotional energy outwards in blame we can turn it against ourselves as self-loathing. We see ourselves as monsters and what we have done as unforgivable. Nothing of value comes from this effort to atone for our own sins.

God invites us to another path. God invites us to be transformed. God invites us to stop denying, blaming and catastrophisizing about our lives. In order to change and grow we need to face the reality of our actions and attitudes. We need to understand that our sins are like scarlet, like crimson. They are life-draining. Destructive. But we are forgivable. We are invited to receive forgiveness. And we are invited to change. The life-draining behaviors that we have pursued can be changed. Changed from bright red to snow white. We do not have to let denial, blame and shame lock us into destructive, hurtful patterns. We can be clean and sober. White as snow. Forgiven.

Lord, free me from denial.
The pretense is choking me to death.
Lord, free me from blame.
It's not working for me anymore.
Lord, free me from self-loathing
The shame is killing me.
Help me to face the truth.
Help me to accept your offer of forgiveness and change.
Make me white as snow.
Make me as clean and pure as new wool.


Amen.

Copyright Dale and Juanita Ryan

National Association for Christian Recovery




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