So I really have to admit, I just don’t understand this whole “political correctness” thing in regards to the traditional Christmas greeting. For 30 years I lived in a world of non-Christians who cheerfully celebrated this holiday with open arms. Nobody I knew really professed any great faith, but we all looked forward to this time of year, giving and accepting gifts, and enjoying the time off from school and from work.

We often wonder as kids that,  if I’m obedient to my parents, if I actually do what they tell me to do – if I take their advice, am I really leading my own life? Am I making my own decisions? And it’s a hard question. And ultimately we rebel because we want to be able to show that we can do our own thing. We believe that doing our own thing means just doing everything the hard way. Tragically though, when we get through it we find that our parents were right. We didn’t realize that our parents had already gone through those same things. They tried to tell us, but…

We so often believe that if we could only say the right thing, we could change others’ hearts,  minds, or attitudes. How arrogant we are! Did not Jesus walk the earth? Did he not speak the words of truth to everyone? If, then, his direct words of love and truth did not always affect a change, why are we so convinced that our words can do more? This is true for us whether we are sharing the gospel with a non-Christian or trying to convince a loved-one of our position, regardless of how “right” we believe we are, or what truth we are attempting to communicate. Today we are challenged…

Let me start by sharing an observation. And that’s that children seek not independence, but “the freedom to act according to emotion without fear of consequence.” As adults, given the gifts of increasing responsibility, we know that independence is a great responsibility. As adults, not as children in grown-up bodies, we understand that we have established “the responsibility to act in accordance with the law with fear and consequence.” Yay Independence! Some days, we’d really rather someone just told us what to do for awhile . . . Still, it is often difficult to understand that independence is not the requirement to handle all your problems on your own, or…

You know, it was recently suggested that the terms “ministry” and “mission” meant very specific things, and should be regarded in separate and specific ways. Ministry was deemed to be focused on service to Christians, while mission was focused on service to those outside the church (e.g. “the mission field”). And, while I may concede to this concept at its surface, based on the context of the original argument, I cannot accept this clear-cut definition in real-world application. A cursory examination of the use of the term minister reveals, beyond the instance of an official designated as “a person authorized to conduct religious worship; member of the clergy; pastor”, a…

In reading some comments recently in Rick Warren’s re-tooled book, A Purpose Driven Life, I was pointed to a time in the prophet Hezekiah’s life when God withdrew from his presence so that Hezekiah was forced to contend with it on his own, to test his character and his faith. “He succeeded in everything he undertook. But when envoys were sent by the rulers of Babylon to ask him about the miraculous sign that had occurred in the land, God left him to test him and to know everything that was in his heart.” Chronicles 32:30-31 And once again, God highlights my own relationship with him, and shows me how it’s okay…