Merry Christmas

From my family to yours, have a very Merry Christmas. May the peace of God fill you with joy in knowing you have been given a Savior. "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior who is Christ the Lord".

"You've Been Gifted"

What would happen if a group of people decided to try to bring back the Spirit of Christmas with 10,000 spontaneous acts of generosity in the month of December? I really had no idea when I had Lisa Kibler order 10,000 "You've Been Gifted" cards. The cards are pretty simple and just explain that at Hudson Community Chapel we believe the greatest gift ever given was Jesus and the gift we are giving now is just a reminder of the generosity of God. The idea was for everyone in church to take a couple of cards and move out into the community looking for people to give something to. It has been a blast to hear the stories that come back. I just received this...
"One of God's angels gifted me today. She didn't know how much it meant and
was needed. Please say thanks to your congregation and to the "angel" at
Walmart last Friday."

How cool! I have been receiving stuff like that all week. But I have also been receiving emails from the gifters and not just the giftees. How about these?

"Joe, just 'Gifted' a frail, sweet old woman at the grocery a few minutes
ago. What pleasure was in her face. I think that it took her the several
minutes walking to her car to digest what just happened. She walked back
in to bring her cart and thanked me more and gave the most precious hug
ever. This is so much fun, so very rewarding and the best Christmas gift
for me this year. I feel guilty for the joy that this brings me. I know I
am getting far more doing this than anyone is getting from the free gifts.
It is almost addicting. :)"

or

"Joe, I have traditionally had a difficult time around the holidays due to
what we as a culture have done with this most sacred celebration. I want
you to know I have not felt such joy in a long time. I have had sooo much
fun doing spontaneous and sometimes anonymous gifting acts. I have felt like
old Ebenezer on Christmas day....this has been one of my best Christmas's
ever."

or

"God really used the gifting to impact my family. My parents were stunned
when I asked the server for the check of the young couple across from us
in the restaurant. Church for my folks is more of a social place where they
have great friendships. I have witnessed to them for years about having a
relationship with Christ and being born-again and those cards opened up a
door to share God's truth with them. I had to hold back the tears in the
restaurant when I realized once again that His ways are not our ways and
He calls us to obedience."

One of the best was a text I received from a young man who is a server in a restaurant. He said a fellow server who happens to be a Muslim asked him if he attended Hudson Community Chapel. He said yes. She then told him that someone had picked up the check for another table and handed her the card to present since they wanted to be anonymous. She said she had never seen anything like that and thought it was awesome.

When I introduced the gifting cards I think I just wanted us all to get in the giving spirit. I thought it would bring some joy to those who were the recipients of spontaneous generosity. Leave it to God to soften the hearts of long time family members, make someone feel guilty for the joy she gets in giving, and create a curiosity in the heart of a Muslim about a God who would give His Son.

God is always surprising me. It is a great game God and I play. Whenever I think I have a good idea he takes it and changes it just enough so I realize whose idea it was in the first place. Don't miss out on what God is doing this season. Merry Christmas.

Two Pleasures

I was reading C.S.Lewis last night. That guy can write. He was writing about pleasure. There are at least a couple of different pleasures we enjoy. One is need pleasure. That is what we enjoy when we are really thirsty and someone hands us a cold glass of water. The other is appreciative pleasure. That is what happens when we are walking along perfectly content and then smell a wood fire coming from a chimney and we are struck with a simple and profound pleasure. I think when I am walking and the smoke of a chimney hits me I always smile. There is some kind of childhood yearning that wells up inside of me. Anyway, these are two kinds of pleasure. It made me think of my relationship with God. I think of the psalmist who writes,"As the deer pants for the water so my soul longeth after you, O Lord". I feel that way quite a bit. That is need and while my physical thirst can be slaked by a tall glass of water my longing for God will never be completely satisfied in this life or the next. I was made to be dependant on God. But my relationship with God needs to also include the other pleasure- the appreciative pleasure. I want to be captured by the beauty and power and glory of God. There must be times when I am walking and the pleasure of His Presence thrills me and even surprises me. So, I am not going to be content to just be a one pleasure guy. I think God knows I need Him. I want God to know that there is a deeper pleasure He gives me. Maybe it is what I see with my daughter and her new born son. Right now Liam needs her and that is all he feels. It is enough for her to be needed and she understands his need as love. But there will come a time when it will be nice when Liam does more than just need his Mom. It will be a time when he starts to run out the door and then stops and comes back and looks his mom in the eye and says," Thanks Mom. I love you and I think you are the most beautiful mom in the world". And my daughter's heart will melt. That is the way I want God to feel today as I turn around and tell Him not just how much I need Him but how I do love Him.

The Itch

Chlorine makes me itch. I have been swimming lately in order to mix up my work out some. On swim days I itch. One of the things that bugs me is I overscratch. I find that scratching an itch really feels good. It feels so good I continue to scratch and it is only when I quit scratching that I realize instead of an itch I now have pain. There are times when I know I am overscratching and I still do it. I do the same with eating sometimes. I am hungry so I eat but then eating feels so good I over eat. I am hoping you can relate and this isn't just a weird confession. Lately I have been wondering why. I think it is because I am not home yet. I mean the itch reminds me that something is not quite right here in this world. Don't get me wrong, right now my life is pretty great with my first grandchild and all. Did I mention I am a grandfather? So, life can be good and yet something is not quite right. It is an itch? And then even the scratching goes over the top and doesn't do the trick. There is an itch in my soul. I have a longing and if I try to scratch it with anything in this world my tendency is always to overscratch. I see it all around me. It can be people with their jobs or with money or with over the top vacations or parents way too much into their kids. Did I mention I am a grandfather? And there is the itch and the scratch and the reminder that I am not home. I was made for God and the itch in my soul will only go away when I am at last with the One for whom I was created. Until then I will be reminded with every itch of what my soul really longs for and will be grateful for a Savior who paid the price for me to find my way home.

Christmas Bringing Out the Child in Me

Christmas brings out the child in me. I guess when Christmas is at it's best it brings out the child in a lot of people. For me one of the most obvious times is when I actually buy a gift I think someone will really like. I walk around like I have a secret that is killing me. I long to give it right now...tonight. I feel like I am going to burst. So, I drop hints. There are times when I drop enough hints that I have practically described it. I guess I just can't wait for the reaction. But I wait for the fullness of time, the perfect time to give it to have maximum effect. If you have the perfect gift you really want to get the perfect reaction. I love to see the surprise, the joy, the love. It is all good to me. All this makes me wonder about God. I wonder if prophecy is just God's way of dropping hints because the gift is so good. There really are places where he pretty much describes what he is giving us. But he waited until the fullness of time, the perfect time. I think sometimes he waits for the same reaction I wait for. Every Christmas morning our family reads through the Luke 2 passage about the first great Christmas morning and then we move on to the giving and receiving of our presents for each other. I think I should wait for a few minutes and let the wonder of the Gift sink in a little more. This year I will turn my face up to heaven and tell God how amazing it all is just in case Christmas brings out the child in Him.

Remember

People forget. I don't mean we forget little things like where we put the car keys or if we fed the dog. I mean we forget big things. I read last week that a Walmart worker was trampled to death by Christmas shoppers hungry for bargains. The people complained mightily when the store was shut down because of the death. So, why were the people there again? Christmas shopping? How can we get so far away from what we are supposed to be about? I have been praying for a lot of married couples lately. They have forgotten as well. Those of us who are married stood at one time and vowed we would love in sickness and in health, for better or for worse. All of my vows were about what I promised to do as a husband. I made no demands on my wife. The whole purpose of marriage was for me to serve this one that God had given me. But slowly a marriage becomes more and more about what I get and not what I give. I am still waiting for the person who will come into my office and say how they want counseling because they are not loving for better or for worse like they promised. Every day I read some of the Old Testament and some of the New Testament. It seems that God is always calling us to remember. He tells me to remember what He has done, remember His love, remember the covenant, remember Him. I guess God knew that I am never more dangerous than when I forget. I doubt if I will ever trample anyone in a head long pursuit of the greatest bargain. I do know I have trampled those I love because I forgot the promises I made and the purpose of my marriage. I guess this is a call to remember the big things. Remember the God who loves you this Christmas, remember the people He has called you to love and serve. Remember.