Get rid of your Elf on the Shelf!

Yes, we are one of those families that participate in the craziness that is the "Elf on the Shelf." At first it was entertaining to see the boys run around the house looking for Randy the Elf. We would even admit that it was entertaining on some weird level to watch the boys freak out when we pretended like we were going to pick Randy up and move him. We have woke up in a panic praying the boys didn't wake up before us all because we forgot to move the elf the night before. And yes, we've been those parents that had to make up some excuse for why the elf didn't move the night before. If we had small kids again, say 2-6 years old, I'd gladly do it all over again just to see the joy in their eyes. But I have to admit that I'm glad my two are aging out of the Elf phase, although I don't believe Misty is as happy as I am. I'm just glad that we will soon be getting rid of our Elf on the Shelf.

For some people they don't need to wait for their kids to grow up to get rid of their elf. They need to do it right now. You heard me right. Some people need to get rid of their elf right now and not use it again. Here's my reasoning on making such a claim. Your elf on the shelf is like most everything else in life, it's a tool to help teach and train your children. If the only use you have for having an elf on the shelf is to get your kids to behave and have some fun during the month of December, then you're missing a great opportunity to teach your kids about the real reason for Christmas. As parents we should take every opportunity we can to point our children towards God (Deuteronomy 6:7). We should use every day opportunities, like riding down the road or sitting down for a meal, to teach them valuable lessons about faith. With Christmas being solely about the birth of Jesus as the Savior of the world, how can we not use a silly game like Elf on the Shelf to point our children towards the true meaning of Christmas. I know some will say you shouldn't mix the secular views of Christmas and the

traditional religious view of Christmas. To them I'd say, "Why not?" How can we not use something that has so captivated the hearts and minds of our children to point out the reason we celebrate Christmas. If we don't use it from time to time to point to Jesus as the focus of Christmas, then we miss a great teaching opportunity. Plus we make the sole focus of Christmas about getting gifts because they've been good. I think the easiest way to put it is this. If you aren't willing to use your elf to lead your kids just a little closer to Christ, then you need to get rid of your Elf on the Shelf.


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Christmas in view of the Cross

My grandmother gave Misty and I a crystal nativity set the year before we were married. Misty has kept it boxed up for 13 years for fear our boys would break it. This year it is displayed on a table in our living room. The other day I started towards bed and noticed something lying on the manger in that crystal nativity set. It was a little cross necklace Cooper had showed me earlier that evening. Before he went to bed, Cooper had laid the cross across the feet of the baby Jesus lying in the manger. I snapped a picture of it and thought to myself how powerful an image this 8 year old had created without even knowing it.

It is amazing to consider Christmas in view of the cross. The thought that this young child we celebrate at Christmas would die a torturous, suffocating death is hard to grasp while singing "Away in a Manger." But we view these events from our limited, finite, and temporal positions. The Advent, or coming, of Christ that we celebrate with hymns, plays, and gift giving was not the start of God's plan of salvation for mankind. His plan didn't even start in the moments after Eve ate the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. It started in eternity past. That plan always existed in the mind of God because, being omniscient, He knew He would create man and that man would fall into sin and need a savior. Since a savior was needed a child was born in Bethlehem and placed in a manger, some 5 miles from the place where His arms would be stretched out and nailed to a cross 33 years later.

Since Jesus is God we know that He has always known that He would be the sacrifice for mankind. He knew it before mankind was ever created. Can you imagine the thoughts as the divine, all-knowing part of Jesus knew the cross was coming and watched as people were crucified by the Romans? Can you imagine the thoughts as the fleshly, life-saving desires flooded His heart and mind as He grew into adulthood? These thoughts are hard to reconcile with our celebrations of the baby lying in the manger.

When we celebrate Christmas, we are really celebrating the beginning of the end of Christ's life here on earth. I'm not suggesting that Christmas should take on some morbid or somber tone. But the birth of that Child should be celebrated with joy since God loved us so much that He sent His Son to die in our place (John 3:16). But as we celebrate, as we give gifts, and as we sing hymns, we need to remember the price this "Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger" paid for you and I. It should bring all the more joy and peace into our lives as we celebrate the arrival of the One who is called "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29, NIV).

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Watch out for the cow pie!

Yesterday afternoon Dru, Cooper, a teenager from church, and myself went to feed our cows. Rather than driving the tractor all over creation we drove to one of our farms and loaded two round bales of hay in my truck and headed to another farm to feed the cows. We pulled into the pasture to pull the hay off the truck and I had pulled up to a most inconvenient spot without knowing it. When the other three started to get out on their side of the truck there was a huge pile of cow manure beside the truck. It didn't help matters any that I had hit it with my truck and made it spread out. They were able to get out of the truck relatively safely. That is until it was Dru's turn to jump over this cow pie. When he jumped out of the open door of the truck he made the mistake of jumping downhill. After landing safely beyond the massive cow pie Dru fell victim to Newton's first law of motion and his momentum caused him to go face first towards the ground...and you guessed it, another cow pie. Dru was fortunate not to get a face full of cow manure (because from my perspective I thought he had). He stood up, dusted himself off, laughed it off, and no one was the wiser as to how close he came to a major disaster!

Our spiritual lives are often the filled with the same type of pitfalls and problems. We try to avoid those problems that seem so huge in front of us and by avoiding that one we end up nearly "eating it" on the next problem that we don't see. We have to be very careful spiritually because those problems, temptations and pitfalls that we face are as common as a cow pie in a cow pasture. For those that have never been on a farm that means you have to watch where you step. Those temptations and problems can be handled carefully if we have guidance from One who can truly help us. God knows the troubles we face in life. He sees the struggles that we have. He is more than willing to help us deal with our problems or help us to avoid them all together. We just have to ask Him to help us and then follow His lead. See, if my sons had told me about the cow pie yesterday, I would have told them the right way to avoid it was to get out of the truck on my side where there wasn't one. All we have to do is seek God's help and follow His directions and He will gladly help His children.

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Should I encourage my child's belief in Santa Claus?

Here is a confession from a grown man, husband, and father of two boys. Are you ready for it? I believe in Santa Claus. There I said it. It feels good to get that off my chest. Want to know why? There are two reasons really. First, we have a saying in my family that has been passed down from my parents (primarily my mom) and that will be passed down to my boys when they are old enough to understand. The saying is "If you don't believe in Santa there won't be any presents at my house on Christmas morning." So when my boys ask me if I believe in Santa, I am quick to tell them of my belief in the jolly old elf. Call me greedy, childish, materialistic, immature, or what have you, but if you ask me if I believe in Santa I'll tell you I believe. Do I think my parents would leave me out of the gift giving if I said I didn't believe? Probably not. But if I ruined the magic of Santa for their grandkids they might! The second reason is because I don't believe there is any harm in it.

Now understand my second reason to be coming from experience rather than education. My training is in business and theology, not in psychology. That being said, I know some people who from their child's earliest years have never encouraged belief in Santa for their own personal reasons. But like most people, I grew up in a house that celebrated Christmas with cookies and milk left for this guy that would come and leave presents in our living room. And like those that grew up in homes where Santa was allowed, I grew up to be a relatively well adjusted adult (no comments please). So what harm is done to us by allowing us to believe in the fanciful? What harm is there to be on the blind side of belief in a man giving gifts, giant rabbits leaving candy, or a fairy that trades money for molars? In this man's opinion absolutely nothing. Psychologically speaking I don't think there is. When was the last time you met someone with real life issues because they believed in Santa as a kid. Theologically speaking I think it can be helpful.

If nothing else I want my boys to grow up and allow their belief in Santa to help them frame their view of their faith in God. I know that is a stretch for some but hear me out. When my boys are older I want them to have as comprehensive a view as possible of their faith in God. I want them to fully realize this idea that God gave us the greatest gift ever on that first Christmas morning, not because He had to, but because He wanted to. There were no strings attached. There was no reason that He had to give us Christ, but He willingly gave Christ to us at His own personal cost. I believe encouraging belief in Santa (a benevolent man, who gives gifts at his own expense, and with no strings attached) will only help my kids more fully understand the true meaning of Christmas and God's gift of salvation through Christ. Call it simple minded. Call it what you will. But that's just the thought of a man who believes in Santa and hopes his kids will always believe as well.

Reasons for Thanksgiving

With Thanksgiving on Thursday, the thoughts of most people have turned to those things for which they are thankful. Yesterday our message at North Catawba Baptist Church was on the Reasons for Thanksgiving from Psalm 100:4-5. I want to share those reasons in hopes of encouraging you to, as the Psalmist puts it, "give thanks to him and praise his name." 

Psalm 100:4-5 says “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. 5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations” (NIV).

In verse 4 the Psalmist tells us we should give thanks to God and praise His name. In verse 5 the Psalmist goes on to give us 3 reasons why we should give thanks. So here are those reasons to give thanks and praise to God.

God is good.

“For the Lord is good…”

What the psalmist is pointing out here is part of the character of God, part of what makes God…God. The goodness of God is part of His very essence. It is part of His very DNA. When it comes to goodness or something being good, we understand it to mean something is favorable and right, rather than bad, wrong or possibly even evil. With our understanding that God is good and what goodness entails, then we understand that in God there is nothing bad or evil. He is a holy God who loves us and shares His goodness with us. 

Many times in life we look at the difficult events in our life and we call into question where is the goodness of God in my situation. The loss of a loved one, a relationship that ends badly, a job that is downsized, and the list goes on. But just because we face a difficult circumstance here on earth or even live a life constantly filled with adversities and difficulties doesn't change the goodness of God. Ultimately it shouldn't give us a negative view of God or His goodness. What we ought to experience in those difficult times in life is a greater appreciation for God’s goodness to us. We ought to have an attitude of thankfulness to God for His goodness during those difficulties. If we see God for who He is, a loving, benevolent, good and holy God then we will be thankful for all that God does for us. Especially seeing us through those difficult times in life. Ultimately the goodness of God is a reason we should give thanks to God and praise His name. 

Another reason to give thanks and praise to God is because...

God loves you.

“His love endures forever…”

For us, one of the greatest things we receive from God and can be thankful for is His love. Like the psalmist says here in verse 5, “His love endures forever…”This is a reason to be thankful on so many levels. Think first about God’s love. God’s love for us is shown in many different ways. Through His provision, His care, His grace, His mercy and many other ways. The greatest way we've been shown God’s love was through Christ dying on the cross for all of us. Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (NIV). God showed His love to you by allowing Jesus to die on the cross while you were dead in your sins, so you could have your sins forgiven, a perfect relationship with God, and eternal life. 

But verse 5 tells us that not only does God love us, but his love endures. This shows us the staying power of God’s love. It means God doesn't love us for a short time and then discard us or give up on us. His love endures all of the mess we put ourselves through by sinning and disobeying God. His love stands the test of time and we ought to be thankful for that. 

Finally we see that this love of God that endures all of our failures, it will endure forever. There is no end to the love of God. God has loved us since before time existed and He will love us into eternity, millions and billions of years from now. It is like God says in Jeremiah 31:3 “I have loved you with an everlasting love” (NIV). The everlasting and enduring nature of that love is all the more reason to praise Him and give thanks to Him. 

Another reason to give thanks and praise to God is because...

God is faithful.

“His faithfulness continues through all generations.”

God has proven Himself faithful for thousands of years through the pages of Scripture, through the pages of church history, and ultimately in your life. His faithfulness to you is found in verses like Deuteronomy 31:8 “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." His faithfulness to His children is as enduring as His love we mentioned previously.

Notice what the psalmist says there in verse 5. He says “His faithfulness continues through all generations.” Basically the psalmist is telling us that from Adam & Eve until the final generation of people on earth God will be faithful to His people. There will never be a time when God is not faithful to you or to anyone else who’s ever lived. God’s enduring faithfulness to you is deserving of praise and thanks. 

God’s faithfulness to you in every aspect of your life deserves your thanks and praise. Consider His faithfulness to provide for you, love you, guide you, mold you, care for you, and protect you. His faithfulness through all of that and much more deserves at the least your thanks and at the most your praise. 

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5:30 AM comes early!

I recently spoke to a person who visited our church. This man said he enjoyed the service and he would be back. In the conversation the man shared that he had been looking forward to coming to visit and he had came at 5:30 AM that morning to find the church. Chalk it up to anxiety, excitement, or nerves, but the man was making sure he didn't miss worship.

The ironic thing about this story is that from all indications the man isn't a believer in Christ. Here is a man who probably doesn't grasp the full understanding of what worship is all about and yet he wanted to make sure he didn't miss it. The sad thing is there are plenty of people who claim to be born again believers who have no interest in worshipping the God who provided them with salvation. For those who do worship God we should have the same excitement about worship that this visitor did. We should have a deep longing and desire to worship God both privately and corporately. 

If you are one who has lost that motivation for worship, I encourage you to take the first step today towards repairing your relationship with God. A good first step is to seek his forgiveness and find a church to worship in this Sunday. If you don't have a church you are currently attending come join us at North Catawba Baptist Church.  Contact me for directions or questions (828-234-6886).

Lessons from a tractor seat.

The other day I spent several hours bush hogging a part of our pasture that had grown up in weeds and briers. For those who don't know what bush hogging is, it is mowing down high weeds and small saplings with an over-sized mowing deck attached to the back of a tractor. A pasture can be transformed in a matter of hours by bush hogging. The challenge comes in when you have a pasture like ours. It has a pretty good slope to it and has small gullies in it. And there is always the occasional rock or branch that gets in the way. My time spent on the tractor is often time where I have the chance just to think. Hours of bush hogging gave me plenty of time to do just that. As I reflected on the time spent mowing down weeds, I couldn't help but see the comparison to a person's spiritual life. So here are a few lessons from a tractor seat for your walk with Christ.

Watch out for holes!
If you hit a hole or the edge of a steep gully you can do some real damage to your tractor or bush hog. You could even flip the tractor and possibly be killed. Those holes (temptations, sins, etc.) we find in our spiritual walk are ones that can do plenty of damage. They will damage our relationships, our bodies, and ultimately our witness. We need to watch out for them and avoid them with Christ's help.

Don't look back!
If you look back while bush hogging you can easily have debris thrown at you or even into your eyes. When you look back you also don't see what is coming up, like a tree branch smacking you in the face (just trust me on that one). Jesus mentions this idea of not looking back in Luke 9:62. When we take time to look back at what we leave behind to walk with Christ we are doomed to fall. Looking back can only cause us problems as we move forward. We need to continue looking and moving forward in our walk.

Don't get discouraged by slow progress!
After I had been bush hogging for about 45 minutes I felt like I wasn't making any progress. Things were progressing much slower than I wanted. By staying at it, that slow progress eventually translated into several acres cleared. We generally don't want to wait on spiritual growth, but sometimes God has to help us grow more slowly. That slower progress of growth in our life will result in a greater accomplishment in our lives. Through this growth God can strengthen our faith and ultimately bring glory to His name.

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Pack an OCC Shoebox and change a life.

In the last 9 years I've helped collect nearly 1,000 Operation Christmas Child (OCC) Shoeboxes for Samaritan's Purse. That's no exaggeration. I've helped lead the OCC Shoebox collection at the two churches I've served in since 2006. The first year I was in ministry it was basically dumped on me and I was told in October "Oh yeah, the youth pastor does the shoebox collection too." The first year I honestly didn't know what I was doing. I set a goal of 50 shoeboxes and we hit our goal. From then on I increased the total each year as we continued to meet our goals. Last year at North Catawba Baptist Church we surpassed our goal by 12 and this year raised our goal by 25. I've had the unique opportunity for several years to deliver our shoeboxes with church groups to the OCC Collection Center in Boone. By doing that I've had an opportunity to hear more in-depth about the collection process while touring the facility. All of this has combined to give me a heart for this particular ministry. When you pack an OCC Shoebox you are literally changing the life of a child somewhere in the world.

Each child that receives a shoebox also receives a presentation of the gospel in their own language. Not only do they hear the local pastor share the gospel at the community distribution, but they also receive a booklet explaining the gospel in their own language. Receiving the gifts is enough to change a child's life. Many children around the world do not have a fraction of a percent of what our children in the U.S. have in their homes. The shoebox shows these children around the world that someone loves them and more importantly that God loves them. The gospel presentation that accompanies your shoebox is more important than any toy, notepad or ball found in the box. The gospel will impact their lives and change their eternity. And that presentation is able to be given all because you packed a shoebox.

Let me close by sharing a story with you that I hope will encourage you to pack a shoebox and change the life of a child. I use stories during my children's sermons when promoting OCC Shoeboxes but unfortunately I can't share this one in church for fear of scaring our children. But it is a true story and a sad reality of the world we live in. This story was shared once by a Smaritan's Purse employee discussing OCC with my church group. 10 years ago OCC did a shoebox distribution in Beslan, Russia. One young man received a shoebox and the book that presents the gospel as well. Not long after the distribution the boy was headed to school and on his way out he gave his mother something to mail. He told her it was the decision card from his book and that she had to mail it today so the folks at OCC would know he had made a decision to follow Christ. That day his school was taken hostage by Chechen rebels. It was also the last time his mother ever saw him alive. During the attempted rescue of those in the school this young boy was one of the casualties. But that young boy had his life changed because someone had spent the time and the money to pack a shoebox for OCC. More importantly his eternity was changed. When you pack a shoebox you are literally changing people's lives.

I encourage you if you haven't already started to pack a shoebox do so now. Local churches are usually collecting them in October or early November. You can contact one and drop it off if your church isn't collecting them. Or better yet start a collection at your church and get your church involved in changing lives around the world.

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Are you praying for or against yourself?

In my sermon yesterday I used an example from the life of George Muller. For those who don't know who George Muller was, he ran five orphanages and cared for thousands of orphans in England during the 1800s. The interesting thing about Mr. Muller is that he never sought out financial support from anyone. He made his requests known to God (Philippians 4:6) and watched as God provided everything that was needed. The stories of God's provision are more than remarkable. Google him to read some of the stories for yourself. Muller's life was a constant reliance on God for provision. One challenging thing that I read during my preparation for that message and to use Muller's example was how Muller approached God. He didn't pray out of duty or out of some since or responsibility to pray a particular way. Muller prayed with an explicit expectation that God would answer his prayers. He made his requests to God and waited knowing God would provide what was needed.

I haven't been able to shake what I read. I couldn't help but consider whether at times we as Christians are praying for ourselves or against ourselves. I wonder how many of us pray against ourselves by praying out of habit or a sense of Christian duty, rather than praying for ourselves so we develop our relationship with the One who loves us. How often do we pray without any real expectation that God will answer our prayers? Do we pray and ask the "right" things because we know that is what God wants us to say? Or do we pour our hearts out and show God the vulnerable places in our life that no one else sees? Do we ask with a sense of urgency and a real desire to see the heart and hand of God be moved by our requests? My hope for each of us who trust in Christ is that we do not take our prayers for granted. I hope we see our prayers for what they are. A time in which we can ask the God of the Universe to move in our lives, so long as His will is satisfied. A time of expectation knowing that God hears our prayers and will respond. A time of praying for ourselves and not against ourselves.

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Only one way to make coffee.

This morning was one of those mornings where I had to have some coffee. Now I'm not one of those folks that requires coffee every morning to be able to function, but on the mornings I have it I do seem to function better. In the past couple of years since I started drinking coffee, I have found out an interesting tidbit about coffee. There is only one way to make it and that is my way. I am a creature of habit. When I find something I like, I don't tweak it I go with it. Like the old saying goes "If it isn't broken, don't fix it." Well I fix my coffee religiously the same way every time. The same amount of coffee, the same amount of water, the same amount of sugar, and the same amount of creamer. Every. Time. I've tried coffee at restaurants and they don't suit my taste. But on the mornings I fix my coffee at home, I know with great confidence what my coffee will taste like. For me there is only one way to make coffee and that is my way.

My preference on my coffee is like what we see in the Bible concerning God's will. There is only one way to do things and that is His way. Now you and I both know that this world would be much better off if we all followed God's will. But sadly it doesn't work out that way. Even the greatest of believers have those moments where they lapse in spiritual judgment and make a bad choice. It happens to all of us. Just ask Simon Peter. What we need to do is strive daily to live inside of God's will. Because He is constantly reminding us through the pages of Scripture and the prompting of the Holy Spirit in our lives that His way is the only way to do things. When we step outside of His will for our lives things go awry. Why? Because they aren't going according to the perfect plan which is God's plan. But when we focus and seek God's will daily we will find peace knowing we are following the perfect path that God has for us. All because we are doing things the only way we should. His way.

My encouragement to you today is this. If you have been headed down the wrong path, doing things your own way and are ready to get back on God's path, then do it today! Ask Him to show you the direction you need to be headed. The key is when He shows you, don't hesitate to follow it.You'll be glad you listened to Him.

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