Tis the Season to be Greedy

     I must admit, I LOVE the Christmas season. I enjoy almost every single moment of it. Seriously, I like the traffic and the crowds and the bustle and the busyness. The decorations that cover the majority of flat surfaces in our house bring me an annual comfort. I find seeing families back together as loved ones return from out of state schools or jobs so heartwarming. Watching little children's eyes light up with joy when they see the dancing reflections that candles can make and the glow of a Christmas tree, reminds me of the little girl that busyness and expanded knowledge of culture has hidden away inside me. 
     Most importantly, I love how Christmas brings about an opportunity to share the Gospel. I was at a store the other day that had prominently displayed their imported Nativity sets. This trio of a mother, daughter, and son came in behind me and were exploring everything by eagerly poking and prodding a variety of delicate ornaments and household items. Then they saw the display. Most of the nativities were hand carved and hidden away in little white boxes so that a flood of color greeted you when you opened one. I think the little girl pulled a small set open first. She squealed with delight, "Look Mommy! A Nativity! Aw, look at the baby Jesus!" The three crowded around and examined the whole grouping while her mother retold them the Christmas story. 
     I really don't know if the family was religious or not, but the point is, Jesus's story was being told. What other super popular holiday does that? 

I must admit however, there is one thing I don't like about Christmas. That thing is the greediness. 

No, I'm not talking about both adults and children wanting presents. I'm talking about people not wanting to give presents. 

I think what set me off was probably the millionth promoted article I've seen that explained how to buy "cheap" presents for others. This begs the question, why should people want to buy cheap presents? Obvious answer of course: because people are short on cash. Yeah. Really? I doubt it. I know very few people who are truly honestly suffering because of the economy or a small income. 

See, I've noticed that the people who complain the loudest about having the least amount of money are usually the ones spending the most on themselves. They really do have a basically equal amount of value as the rest of us, but it is just in a different form that they stopped appreciating because they already want the next thing. 

I'm not saying being wise with money is a bad idea. Wasting money to buy tons of really invaluable presents for people who don't even want them isn't what I'm promoting. I'm just questioning why we feel the need to buy less expensive things for others while we're willing to splurge on ourselves. 

Gift giving has gotten a bad reputation lately. Critics have accused it as an action that promotes materialism. I suggest that not giving gifts promotes personal materialism in the name of concern for other's wellbeing. 

Honestly, I buy a lot for myself but I can't remember what the last thing I bought for myself. I just know it was probably overpriced and meant I didn't have the money to give something to someone else instead. So I wasted that which could have gone to others on something I can't remember that I mostly likely didn't need.

I have to ask, why worry so much about trying to get "affordable" gifts for a loved one when you could be getting excited about how to best personalize, pick out, and/or buy something for that person? Simply spend less on yourself and more on others. 

Back to the materialism thing. Ok, I understand. We in America don't really "need" anything. Well then, spend less money on yourself, spend less money on your rich friends, and more money here: https://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/Giving/gift_catalog?pc=013710

1 John 3:17 "But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?"

Sunburns and Glow Sticks

      I just got back a couple days ago from our church's family camp. We stayed on the west side of Lake Tahoe where we all shared a lovely campsite and spent each morning and evening singing praise songs, telling jokes, listening to sermons or hearing testimonies. I relished this time of fellowship, growth and flat out fun. Until the sunburn hit.
   
     The day before our family left for home, our church group drove around to Sand Harbor and when we arrived I obstinately refused to put any sun screen on my legs, insisting to my mother that they "never" burned. What rubbish. I spent the whole day running around "tanning" with my friends, taking a nap on the beach and almost bashing my head in while exploring the lake's slippery (and highly reflective) rock formations. By the time we headed back to camp I felt like Katniss Everdeen: The Girl On FIRE. And I mean that in the most unpoetic way possible. My legs were in flaming agony. I have a pretty high tolerance for pain but when my mom tried to put green Aloe goo on my legs I writhed about uncontrollably. Lesson learned: don't ignore your mom's warnings. More on what I learned about that later. Needless to say, the sun humbled me.

     

That evening, as I simmered miserably in a reclining beach chair near our campfire, our camp neighbors bustled over hoping to get down to the business of marshmallow roasting. When I say neighbors I want to emphasize the pluralness of the word. The family roosting next to us consisted of a mother, father and nine children. Upon discovering my condition, the small fry crowded around me and patted me gently and offered to sit on my lap if that would make me feel better. One of the younger girls asked me if it hurt to which I responded, "Yes." Sunburns make me succinct. Looking up at me with big blue eyes the size of saucers, she replied hopefully, "Well maybe it will be all done in the morning!" Whatever parts of me the sun had left intact melted instantly in the blaze of cuteness.

I had spent the previous days traipsing around with this gang rediscovering my love of "playing Indians", cooking hearty stews of moss and tree bark all while escaping the *gasp* boooyyysss, who circled our forest kitchen on bicycles obviously plotting grand schemes against us. I miss being 8. This family clustered around me at chapel time and pleaded for piggy back rides in the afternoons. After dark they cuddled into their fuzzy jackets, sipping hot chocolate and begging for "jussstt ONE more!" s'more. Never once did I see a serious fight break out between them while they eagerly jumped to perform any task their parents requested of them. I found them irresistible. Apparently, others did not. 

I don't want to point fingers here, but at least 6 different people asked me if someone paid me to play with the kids. This doesn't include all those who assumed they were my younger siblings who I was obligated to take care of. At first I found this slightly amusing. Then it seemed a little strange and finally it started bothering me. No one, no one thought that I might simply enjoy spending time with those younger than me. 

"At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, 'Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?' And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, 'Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. [...] See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven [...] So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish." -Matthew 18:1-6, 10, 14. 

"But Jesus called them to him, saying, 'Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it." -Luke 18:16-17

 I'm not a Bible expert and I don't claim to be. But it does seem to me that 1: God really cares about children; and 2: We can learn some things from them. How much do you expect to learn from kids if you'll only hang out with them when you're getting paid? (May I point out that that money has no eternal value.) I started thinking about learning from children and began to wonder, "Well, what DID I learn from them?" Once I thought about it, I found too many things to count. But I'll try.  

1. They gave me unlimited compassion. Over the week I suffered from both back pain and the sunburn. No matter what was going on the kids always wanted to help in any way they knew how. All the adults and teenagers I knew, excluding my amazing mother, only laughed at or criticized me. When is the last time I gave someone some compassion without a measure of judgement? Unfortunately, I can't remember. 
2. They were unreservedly generous. Eagerly, the offered me food, water, a chair out of the way of smoke, a more comfy chair, a larger chair, even more chocolate and anything else they had on hand. I usually give people things expecting at least some kind of "Thank you" in return instead of selflessly seeking the comfort of others. 
3. They lived in innocent exuberance. One night, a neighboring woman offered each child a glow stick to play with in the dark. They were so excited. Compared to their shining eyes, the sticks seemed dim. They couldn't stop saying thank you, inquiring who had what color and developing hide and seek games with the toys. God has given me a LOT of things in life. Come to think of it, He has given me EVERYTHING in life including life itself. I don't live with the wildly jubilant gratitude that these children do. If those kids could get overjoyed for hours about a short lived plastic stick that emits a small amount of light then I can certainly muster up a little gladness that my Redeemer lives, death has been defeated, I am a child of God, the Holy Spirit lives within me, etc... Its kinda pathetic that I actually can go through a day without once praising God while I gripe about how boring my life is. 

So yeah. 

Try for a day to look at the world through the eyes of a child. You never know what you might see. 

"Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. " -Ephesians 4:32 - 5:1-2 

 

Convert-Mongering

     Lest my previous post be criticized for preaching a health wealth gospel (literally, the title is "Sick"), I'm gonna broaden my analogy. Making it fatter you might say. In many purists attempts to tear down what they call "carrot to horse" evangelism, they have forgotten that we are called to share not judgement and wrath but the good news. "for 'All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.' And this word is the good news that was preached to you," 1 Peter 1:24-25 (emphasis added.) I have a great deal of respect for said purists. They have sacrificed much for the gospel. But the news, despite these men's morbid recounts of martyrdom and suffering, is truly good.

Now I do agree that witnessing is not about bargaining people into becoming Christians. Salvation does not make life a taffy pull, a free ride or a shopping spree. I can guarantee you that. The first year after I became a Christian was the hardest of my life. But it was my first joyful one. 

     Kelly Clarkson has revived her career, such as it was, with Stronger, (that still comes short of Breakaway.) She sings out in the chorus, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger." There is some truth in that. Many people cling to Jeremiah 29:11 but in their minds "For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope" becomes the appealing "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the generous loving Father, plans for government protection, peace, comfort and not for anything uncomfortable, to give you a wealthy career and a cushy retirement." This is a self serving interpretation, that does not match up with Scripture. "Welfare" in other versions is translated "good" and God's idea of "good" is you becoming more Christlike.

Many point to persecution and suffering, saying "See! The Christian life is sad, hard and unhappy." Yet I would say that they should instead turn to James 1: 2-4. "Count it all joy, my brothers when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing" 

This is God's idea of good plans and delivering you from evil. Our job is not to deny the reality of the responsibilities being a Christian being, but to get a godly perspective of that reality. 

Sick 2

I'm a coffee lover. More of an addict really. Anything and everything coffee related I will guzzle down with the complete confidence that I will shortly turn into Cricky after Mushu twists his wings up. For some reason I can still DUI of this legal drug and for this I am very grateful to the state of California. I usually go to Peet's Coffee and Tea and order some kind of sweet sugary freddo which is the equivalent of consuming liquid fat.

Every now and then when I'm there, someone will come in and order a "green drink." Said person then haughtily saunters past all of us sinners, with an air of proud satisfaction. However, I must point out that these healthy snobs make sure no one else is looking before they choke down their beverage. Most people who purchase these drinks are dieting or doing some kind of detox.

Have you ever seen a home detox recipe? It looks like something off of Fear Factor. Basically, combine all the grossest vegetables that all decent children loath, blend them up, chug it down and be happy cause you're healthy. The few and the proud. The very few. 

The detox is an interesting process during which some fool hardy person puts himself through a kind of hell, consisting of liquid diets and intense hydration designed to cleanse the body of impurities. I don't blame the germs for leaving. If my house was flooded full of "Cabbage, Broccoli, Celery, Cucumber Delight" I'd get out too! The person inflicting them self with this appetizing regime suffers from various discomforts due to all the toxins being stirred up as they prepare to evacuate. That's what the water is for. It washes away all the bad stuff. Like a toilet. In the end, the person is much better off, for not only has he eliminated all the crud from his system, he hasn't been putting anymore bad into it either. However, the process is tiring and it feels kinda like having a mild flu. 

Is a detox good for you? Yes, it is. Is it always enjoyable? No, its not. Is being a Christian good for you? Sure as heaven, yes. Is it always enjoyable? No. 

The healing process for my spine, (see Sick 1) is similar. Having a chiropractor pull your head backwards, hold it at an odd angle and snap it sideways suddenly isn't the most comfortable thing. I'm not sure if the noise of my neck cracking or the movement bothers me most, because there isn't any real pain involved. That starts afterwards. 

Because most of my body is out of place, putting one part of me in the right place stirs everything up. My muscles don't want my rib cage to be in the right place so as my spine slowly shifts, affecting all my other bones, my muscles start to fuss. They fuss loudly. And they do most of their complaining at night when I'm trying to sleep. 

Nevertheless, none of this pain changes the fact that I am truly getting better. I can now safely walk for half an hour on a treadmill again. (Side note, if you hate running and exercising, I suggest you don't talk about it in my presence. I'm not very sympathetic at the moment since I don't have the privilege of choosing between running without pain or sitting around.) The after adjustment pain is definitely not worth it at the moment. But I'm not interested in the moment. I'm interested in being able to run again. So literally, in the long run, its completely worth it. 

There seems to be this idea that someone has to hear a perfectly presented gospel to become a Christian. I know a pastor who became a Christian because his drug addicted cousin told him that if he didn't become a Christian right then, he would go to hell. Completely inaccurate, but God works through the most lowly of us. Therefore, the "health wealth" gospel can bring people to Jesus, the convert just has some learning to do. When he discovers that life isn't perfect, that there is still school to do, still a job to go to, still family to deal with, he begins to lose his first excitement. The imfamous conversion "high" fades and the young believer wonders, is it really worth trying this hard? 

I was not thrilled to discover that getting better involved more pain, so in a sense I'm not quite as excited as I used to be. But I keep going to my doctor. Do we keep praying when life starts hurting again? Do we go to our Bibles the first time we sin again? Not often. My first reaction when something gets unusually out of place, either from my own stupid jog to the mail box or because I accidentally tripped is "I can't wait to get to my chiropractor." Not, "Oh no! He might get mad at me!" Yet is this not our attitude towards God?

Adam and Eve were kind of silly. After they ate the fruit in the garden they hid from God because they saw that they were naked, as if God hadn't seen it all along. The same with us. Just because we can see our sin doesn't mean that God suddenly sees it too. He loved us even when we couldn't see it and He loves us just as much as when we see it. Are we going to go to Him though? 

What would happen if I just stopped going to my doctor because I was embarrassed that I had hurt myself again? I'd be really dumb. I've hurt myself more and the solution is not to continue in this problem but to go and be healed so that I can keep on with my original recovery plan. The same with our sin. We must obey our Great Physician's orders and commands. Otherwise its like doing cartwheels on a bad back.

But when we do make mistakes, we can still to come to Him. In fact, we must come to Him, for whole else can aid us in our condition? Certainly not ourselves. He will not turn us away. He will not make void Jesus's payments for our doctor's visits. Have no fear, for our Doctor has compassion and we do not have to stay hurt. The following two verses show this.

"As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust." Psalm 103:13-14


"If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:8-9