Merry Christmas! While I am writing these words, stockings are being hung by our chimneys with care, and children are doing everything possible to move from the “naughty” list to the “nice” list. As always, though, there is a deep, abiding reason for this season that goes beyond gift-giving and family get-togethers. Christ, the Savior, is born!
First Snow
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Tara and I come from Indiana, where we often were left merely dreaming of a white Christmas. More common was the muddy or occasionally green(!) Christmas. But with last weekend’s snowfall firmly in place, we seem to be set on the most traditional of courses this season. Why does the weather seem to affect our experience of this Christmas season? Continue reading
Celebrating Birthdays
‘Tis the season… to celebrate birthdays. We are in the season of Advent, in which we celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. As if that were not enough reason for me to celebrate, today (which will have passed by the time you read this) happens to be my thirty-first birthday. If you will humor me, then, I will try not to draw too strong of a comparison between the two birthday boys.
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Moving Away from God
In a perfect world, I would be writing about the joys and challenges of Thanksgiving, since that is the holiday of the week. But this is not a perfect world, and I ran across an article this week that describes something quite significant for us. Are you concerned by the absence of young people from churches? Have you ever wondered why “Young Doubters Exit the Church” in great numbers today? The magazine “Christianity Today” recently published an article by Drew Dyck asking that very question.
Hunting Season
As many of you know, Tara and I are new to the area, and we are just beginning to learn what mid-November is like in central Michigan. We are used to hearing gunshots in inner-city Indianapolis, but now we are hearing gunshots with a different purpose. Regardless of how you feel about hunting animals, I hope we can all agree that this use of gunpower is preferable to the alternative!
Time Changes
This past weekend, we experienced our annual blessing of an extra hour – perhaps for sleep! – as we turned our clocks back because of the end of Daylight Saving Time. It’s the yearly payback for that less pleasurable experience in the spring, when we set our clocks ahead and consequently show up an hour late for church on Sunday! But have you ever stopped to think about the significance of this time change?
Thoughts on Election Day
Today is Election Day in the United States. Politically speaking, many people have been looking forward to (or dreading) this day for several months. I have just a few comments to make about today’s significance from a more spiritual perspective:
Absolute Truth
I just received and read my copy of the current “Communion together” newsletter (Nov/Dec 2010). First, take a few minutes to read the article by Jen Carney on being “Missionaries in Our Own Community.” Her words are right on the money – missions work begins in our own neighborhood. It’s good stuff.
Second, I’d like to comment about Jim Lyon’s article on “Absolute Truth and the Word of God.” This article reminds us of some important points, such as the fact that the Bible contains the truths of God. But the notion of absolute truth is, I believe, more complicated than the article suggests. Here’s what I mean:
Being Shaped by the Lord
One of the books on my “reading-in-progress” shelf is “Confessions” by Saint Augustine, a Christian writer who lived in the fourth and fifth centuries, some 1600 years ago. In this book, he gives his autobiography and describes how he ultimately came to faith in Christ. The section I read today gave me some food for thought, and I’d like to share that with you.
Silence before the Lord
If you were in church with us last Sunday, you know that I’ve been battling a cold for the past several days. I had something of a voice on Sunday, but by the following day, my entire voice was gone. Have you ever had that experience – where you can whisper, but not much more comes out? Well, as the day wore on, I began to think about just how “noisy” I usually am – especially before the Lord.