I once read an article that stated “We know more than I do.” The article has stuck with me not just because of its odd title, rather because of its simple point. Each one of us has an amount of knowledge we bring to a group. In a Church you may know more about things than I do and I may know more about some things than you do. Then end equation is that together we know more than any individual can know alone. One of the beautiful parts of Church is the pooled knowledge we have together.

With that said, I learned something from a Church member this week. I sat talking to a man and he told me about how he liked to treasure hunt. My ears perked up because I spend most Fridays out somewhere with my metal detecting looking for some treasure from days long past. Then he went on to explain what he meant. There is a lot of junk in the world. There are a lot of voices speaking ugly and negative words. There are way more discouraging thoughts being shared than positive ones. He learned from a preacher years ago that everyday you need to go treasure hunting. You need to be intentionally looking for the positive and encouraging words that build us up. Find those things in your life and treasure them up in your heart.

I love the idea. I am now not only spending my days off treasuring hunting, but everyday. A word properly spoken can bring great joy so may my mouth be filled with them and my ears be attentive to them. I hope and pray that the weeks ahead are full of treasure for you.

Last night I started a new series of lessons for our teenagers entitled “Christmas at the Movies.” We are going to talk about “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas” and “A Charlie Brown Christmas” in the coming weeks, but last night we started with the movie “Elf.” About 90% of the teens in attendance raised their hand affirming they had seen the movie. If you have seen it then you know it is an off beat film with a far-fetched idea of a human boy raised by elves at the north pole until he finds out the truth at age 30. He then sets out on an adventure to find his real father and find his place in this world. It is a theme that resonates with teens and I thought it was a good place to start. Over the past 2 weeks I have watched all or part of the movie 4 times. I took extensive notes and did a Google search for what other people had said about it. I put together a pretty good list of ideas to talk about but landed on the topic of joy.

Joy is that attitude or emotion of great delight caused by something exceptionally good. Buddy the Elf has joy because he is associated with Christmas, the most wonderful day of the year. He loves to spread Christmas cheer during the holiday season. I believe as Christians we have more reason to be joyful than Buddy will ever know. We do not just see this time of year as an opportunity to give and be happy, Christians see this time of year we celebrate the birth of our Savior. The journey of grace in my life started in a manger over 2,000 years ago. God’s exceptionally good work began in a manger, then reached to a cross and finally into my life. The angels told the shepherds that the message of baby Jesus was one of great joy for all the people.

Buddy the Elf has a problem though. He, like many of us, has a number of kill joys in his life. We are surrounded by events and people who are constantly tearing away at the joy we have in Jesus. I especially think this is true at Christmas. It is easy to get on this roller coaster of emotions with every passing event of the holiday season. I didn’t share this info last night with the teens but it has been on my mind so I want to offer a couple quick thoughts to help this be the most joyous holiday ever.

1. Lower Your Expectations. You do not have to be Martha Stewart in your decorating and Rachel Ray in the kitchen. You do not have to have a Clark Grisswold light display that outdoes everyone in Whoville. Food will not always turn out. People will give lousy gifts. Your decorations will not be the best. That’s okay. The more we lower our expectations the more we can be surprised when things do turn out well.

2. Enjoy. Step back and enjoy each moment. You do not have to take pictures or videos of everything. Just sit and watch. You can even wait to open your gifts while watching other people open theirs first. Take time to live in the moment.

3. Rest. You do not have to do everything this holiday season. In fact, let me teach you a powerful word: “No.” You do not have to volunteer to do everything and be everywhere. You do not have to shop till you drop. You can tell people no and enjoy a quiet evening with your family drinking hot chocolate and watching “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

4. Plan. I believe that most people are on overload at Christmas because they fail to have a plan. Do you have a day set aside to rest? Do you have any plans for a date night with your spouse? Do you have plans for worship? Set down and look at your calendar and make some plans to do things that will grow your joy.

5. Pray. Everyday ask God to be with you this holiday season. Trust that He will take care of everything. Rest in the hands of His powerful plan. Ask God to make each day a blessing for His kingdom and for your life.

These are some simple tips I have used in my life. I know it is not an exhaustive list so maybe you have something to add. I do know that God wants us to be filled with joy as His followers. For most of us, we need to think through how that can happen in our lives, especially during the holidays. May God bless you and I hope this is a day you enjoy.

Yesterday I blogged about the idea that it is important how we celebrate Christmas. As Christians we believe “Jesus is the reason for the season” but I see many people who act quite differently. So – how do we keep Christ in Christmas? Here are some ideas I have collected.

1. Read the Christmas story out loud as a family. Read Matthew 1:18-2:12 or Luke 1:26-38 & 2:1-20 (or both) together as a family. Have the father or grandfather read it or maybe go the other way and have the kids read it. Keep this story a bigger part of Christmas than “The Night before Christmas”

2. Have a Birthday Party for Jesus. This is usually a big hit with small kids. One Church I know has a big program for kids on the afternoon of Christmas Eve to do this. I know of another family that does this first thing on Christmas morning.

3. Sing Christian Christmas Carols Somewhere. Songs like “Joy to the World” and “Silent Night” and “Away in a Manger” tell the story of Jesus in a powerful way. Go to the home of an elderly Church member or shut-in and stand on their lawn singing about Jesus. It is usually a great experience for all.

4. Go to a Candlelight Service Somewhere. Numerous Churches have some type of program on Christmas Eve – ours is 5:30-6:30 pm. Find one that fits your schedule and attend. Take an hour to worship, pray and commune together focusing on the story of Jesus.

5. Budget. I mean this two ways. For many of us Christmas gets bigger and bigger every year. This is not because we plan to do it that way, it is usually because we have no plan to keep it from getting bigger. Budget for gifts and focus on the personal gifts rather than expensive. The second side of this is that we need to budget some amount to give to those in need. Set aside some time and money to give to someone who has a real need. Maybe that is locally, nationally or even globally with groups like World Vision and Samaritans Purse.

???? What other ideas do you have to keep Christ in Christmas? Comments are open.

This past Sunday I started a new 4 week Sunday School class on the topic of Christmas. We are going to cover the Bible story the next two weeks and finish off by talking about Christmas traditions like Santa and trees. My first session was focused on the idea of Christmas. Why do we celebrate on December 25th? Honestly, we do not know the year, the month or even the day Jesus was born. We have little details about the day Jesus came into the world and yet we celebrate it globally every year.

With every passing year people in Church leadership, like myself, have increasingly bemoaned the fact that it is becoming more and more of a commercial holiday. So I posed this thesis to my class – “How we celebrate Christmas is just as important as who we celebrate.” Jesus may be “The reason for the season” but how we display that truth is extremely significant. Let me ask you a simple question, “Would anyone know you are celebrating the birth of Jesus just by watching you this Christmas?” “What are you doing to focus your life on the incarnation of God this holiday season?”

In the book of Romans chapter 14 verses 5-6 Paul tells the Church that one man can consider every day the same and another can consider certain days special and that is just fine as long as he considers them days set aside “to the Lord.” My prayer is that this Christmas season is set aside to the Lord and that He is celebrated in all that we do.

This week I started a new sermon series based on Isaiah 9:6. This verse is a prediction of the coming messiah and is a part of the Hallelujah chorus in Handle’s Messiah. If you have not seen this video (or one of the many like it) by a High School group called the Silent Monks then take a few minutes and enjoy.

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday weekend. I thank God for saving me. And I thank God for you.

Thanks for reading, thanks for your comments and thanks for walking with me on this journey of faith.

Numbers 6:24-26
“The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”

With all the modern technology that surrounds us it seems everyone has something to say about everything … even you! It seems every decision you make will be reported on Facebook or someone will twitter about it to the world. You take the time to make something and everyone is more than willing to give you a review. Critics and comments are woven into the landscape of our lives. At times it can be a blessing and help me to see the blind spots in my life and work, but most of the time it is just a headache. In fact, many times I have allowed an unknown stranger’s comment or criticism to anger me and keep me up at night. So through the years I have come up with a short list of people who I allow to speak into my life. Maybe this will be helpful to you:

1. People Who Follow Jesus – A non-Christian does not understand my thinking or my point of view. If I know they are not a follower of Christ, anything that person has to say to me is taken very lightly.

2. People With Whom I Have a Long Term Relationship – My parents, my wife and my children can say about anything to me and I take it to heart. I have a few other friends that I listen to because they know my past and my point of view.

3. People Who Have My Best Interests at Heart – There are people in my life who I know want to see me succeed personally and professionally. They are not trying to tear me down with their words, but rather build me up.

4. People I Respect – I listen to certain preachers and professors because of their expertise. Many people do counseling on a regular basis because a counselor is trained in the ways of the mind. Some people through their study have earned the right to speak to me.

5. People With Positive Long Term Life Experience – I love to talk with people who have had a long happy Christian marriage. They give me insights on how to think and live. I am slow to listen to anyone with a few years of marriage or a divorce under their belt. I want to hear the voices of success and what they can teach me.

Who do you allow to speak into your life? Who gets to shape your thinking with their words? Through the years the group I listen to is getting smaller and smaller. I am no longer blown around by every word of criticism and critique. Maybe this will come in handy when aunt Betty has words to say about your job, your children or your life. Enjoy the season and take everything with a grain of salt 🙂

I really enjoyed this post I read over on PEOPLE OF THE SECOND CHANCE

This world needs to hear your story. It will challenge, shape, encourage, and provide shield for many who hear. We must not withhold our greatest gift to the world.

Our brokenness will always be a willing canvas for beauty. Yet for some reason, it’s still easier for us to believe in a less wondrous outcome, one that takes our negative circumstances and simply neutralizes them.

Our own stories reflect this truth. Often, we see our failures as liabilities, things to be forgotten, edited or removed all together. If it were up to us, we’d tear out every page in our story that represented the negative parts of our life. In short, our shame makes us terribly boring authors.

What if we decided to step boldly into the reality that our weaknesses give us an unfair advantage? Have you struggled with sobriety? You have a unique opportunity to connect deeply with others who also struggle. Ever felt abandoned? You’re probably better at creating community because you know exactly what people need.

This is easier said than done.

But your story is your gift that you bring to the world. Please don’t censor it. Instead, bring it with boldness to the people that need to experience it most. The most powerful words we can say to each other is “me too.”

Last night I preached at a multi-Church thanksgiving program. I spoke about the power of words and especially the word “Thanks.” I shared something in the sermon that I did not have in my notes. It was a personal illustration that just hit me in the moment. I thought I would share it with you today.

When I began ministry I used to receive all kinds of discouraging notes. Most of them were completely anonymous and left on the back of connection cards in the space labeled for “Prayer Requests or Other Comments.” Most of them were about the way I dressed, the jokes I tried to tell, the changes I was making in worship and some were just general character attacks. It ceases to amaze me how many people have no trouble becoming a critic when it comes to Church and its leadership. Even though I never asked for people’s viewpoints they still shared them willingly while never revealing their name. The hard part was that most of them contained elements of truth. I hate wearing ties and dressing up, I did struggle with humor, I was making changes in worship and I have some huge character flaws. Because these comments contained elements of the truth I held on to them and read them over and over hoping to improve myself. Over time those words written on cards became part of my identity. Of course things were not going well in the Church, look who God had leading these people. My mind was more in tune with failure than success.

Then one day, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, I threw all of those cards away. I started a new file by taking all of the positive comments that I received – some on connection cards, some on real cards and some through email – and saving those. I put all of those cards together and when I was feeling down I would take out the box and read through those notes. I would open up my email and read all the wonderful things people had to say about my ministry. Slowly my mindset began to shift from all the negative stuff to all the positive. In fact, I am still in the ministry today because some people took the time to say something nice to me in written form.

I firmly believe that life is shaped by words as much as events. So what words have shaped your life? What words are shaping your life into the future? Maybe an even bigger question is, “How are my words shaping other people?” Maybe this week I need to be reminded to say “Thank you” to someone. Or maybe I need to tell someone how much I appreciate what they have meant to my life. I know it will not only brighten your week but it will encourage someone more than you will ever fully know. I am living proof of that.

This is my final installment for this week on having a positive influence in your life and in your world. Yesterday I listed some of the people whose life you can touch for good. I realize that many people will say, “I agree with that. Now what?” How do we impact the lives of others in a positive way? Here are some suggestions:

1. Follow God Yourself – In Deuteronomy chapter 6 verse 7-9 we have this great image of impressing God’s word on our children. The preceding verses (4-6) say that the word of God should be in our heart first. You are to love the Lord Your God before you try to impress your beliefs on another person. Now that does not mean that we have to be perfect, but that does mean that sending our children to church programs that we will not attend ourselves can prove to be worthless. Much of our influence is more “caught than taught.”

2. Volunteer for ministry – Some people, especially children, will come to Church without a strong Christian influence in their life. When you volunteer you put yourself in a position to fill that void. Giving your time to things such as being as a greeter, Sunday School teacher or youth sponsor opens the doors for greater influence.

3. Be Available – Keep time in your calendar open for other people. What would happen if we gave a specific time to other people just for influence. Josh Hunt once wrote a book in which he suggested giving your Friday nights to God. He took that night every week to open his home to teenagers, eat pizza, play games and just hang out with people of all ages. It changes his life and Church. In this process he also about to double his Sunday School class in 2 years.

4. Don’t Be in a Hurry – I struggle to do this one, but it is a great idea. I once heard a preacher of a growing Church say that one of his secrets to success was to “walk slowly through the crowds.” He knows that those 1-5 minute encounters each week could be used for God if he opened up his life to it.

5. Don’t Do Things Alone – An older minister once told me to “never do anything alone.” He was not talking about sin and temptation and having someone to help you through it which is a good idea. Instead he was saying that you can pour your life into another person in the margins of your time. A 20 minute trip to the hardware store could be an opportunity for you to take a teenager with you and talk about the world. That lunch hour could be a time to share your life with a co-worker. I always like to take someone with me when I go fishing. It is a low pressure time to talk about everything. Use your time.

6. Find Your Niche – Each one of us has our own gifts and abilities. Not everyone is gifted as a teacher or preacher. That’s okay. What are you good at? How could you use that for God? Maybe that is writing a blog like this to teach other people, maybe that is teaching some teenage girls to bake, coaching sports with a Christian attitude, or any number of other things from building, repairing, cleaning, giving to serving. God has made each of us unique and you can use your unique life and lifestyle to shape other people.

I am sure there are other ways to touch the lives of people. These are some of the most effective things I have found in my life. Maybe you can add to my list with a comment. My hope is that we will use our life to make an impact in the world for Jesus. I know that it rarely happens without some thought and effort on our part. Maybe this will get you thinking and the rest is up to you.