Post-Christmas Blues?

It is now a couple days after Christmas. Things have pretty much gotten back to normal. And that, I think, is part of our problem.

Think back to the time of Jesus' birth. The shepherds most likely went back to tending their sheep. The wise me went back home. So did the angels. Even Mary and Joseph went back to a slightly normal life - life with  baby. But Jesus was new. And it was His "newness" that gave hope to the entire world.

We all lead pretty normal lives, by the world's standards. We go to school or to work. We eat breakfast, lunch and dinner. It's easy to settle back into a pre-Christmas routine. But Jesus breaks the mold of traditional thinking and sameness and challenges us to think.

There are basically two different types of people in the world. hose who have encountered Jesus and those who have not. Have YOU been changed?

Here's an example of someone who was changed in a flash. Literally.

"As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. 4 Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”

5 And he said, “Who are You, Lord?”

Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. [a]It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”

6 So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?”

Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” - Acts 9:3-6

Paul became changed. He was one man, then he met Jesus and he became changed. Have we had that life-changing encounter with Christ yet? Or are we still the same? Still following the pattern of "The World?" Make a change. Get off the bus.

Nonconformity

I read something today that made me stop and think about the way I am living my life right now. I'd like you to read it too and see what you think.

"Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. 14 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” - 1 Peter 1:13-16

What that basically says to me is, "All that stuff you were doing before you were saved? Yeah, don't do that anymore."

We humans are prone to temptation. We are also creatures of habit. When something we used to do in our past dangles itself in front of us in our present, what is our future going to look like? That depends on what we do right here and now.

How can we prepare for temptation? Take proactive steps. Does taking a drink tempt you? Get rid of the bottles in your house, don't go to bars, don't go to parties where alcohol is likely to be served. Don't go down the beer aisle at the grocery store.

Here's another helpful tip. Don't watch television, especially the commercials. Television ads are like IED's -  roadside bombs. You think you're safe then, BOOM! There it is.

Am I being too drastic? Too picky? Too idealistic? Legalistic?

I used the example of alcohol here but it really could be anything. Sexual temptation, gluttony, greed, the list is endless.

What does it mean to be holy? Set apart? From what? We are to be set apart from the world, sin and everything "the world" represents. We were made holy by the precious blood of Jesus and our faith in God. Should we be acting like it?

Every time we are tempted we should pray and get out of the situation we are in. We also should take steps to avoid temptation. We belong to Jesus, not the world.

"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will." - Romans 12:2

Ball of Confusion - The Temptations

Who Are You?

Are you tired of all the killings and the war of words about various ideologies we've been seeing lately? Talking heads, force-feeding us their opinions; testifying to the "frail minded", hoping to convince us to join the world THEY live in. We write songs and tell stories trying to express OUR feelings, only to go unnoticed, unheard or persecuted.

Who are we anyway? Who are we inside? Are we what the world has created us to be - molded and shaped by other people's opinions? We read a book and now we're changed? Or are we different than everyone else? Set apart - far from the madding crowd? Who are we anyway?

We all have our opinions of how life should be. We spend most of our lives trying to attain what we think that life should be, only to fall short. Disappointed. My generation struggled with it. The current generation struggles with it. The world, you see, has no answers. It only creates more questions.

Well, I have a question. Why are we humans never satisfied?

The Apostle Paul has the answer. He wrote these words while he was in prison, awaiting his execution. Although he once persecuted Christians, he met Jesus. After that Paul had no more questions. He KNEW!

"3I thank my God every time I remember you. 4In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

7It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. 8God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

9And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ - to the glory and praise of God.

21For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." - Philippians 1:3-11, 21

Paul KNEW who He was and WHOSE he was. The only question each of us needs to answer is, "Do we know who WE are?" Are we "in Christ" or in "the world"?

Again Paul implores us examine ourselves. To always seek out the truth, in all humility. Test everything to see whether or not is is in God's will. If things do not line up, ignore them. But if they DO line up with God's will, whether it means life or death, follow.

"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will." - Romans 12:2

Baba O'Reilly - The Who
Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol
What The World Needs Now Is Love - Jackie DeShannon

Listen To The Sound

My wife is away on vacation this week. Usually, we tend to go places together but one week out of the year we take separate vacations for a short amount of time. She goes to Door County on a shopping, hiking and reading trip. I attend Lifest, a Christian music festival - an eating, worshiping, sleep deprivation trip. Each of us is doing something we like, but something the other spouse does not.

Although I like hiking and reading, shopping is WAY down there on my list of fun things to do. On the other hand, rock music doesn't thrill my wife either. Nor does hanging around with a bunch of teenagers. So we have chosen to spend some temporary time apart, to better enjoy our times together. Does that make sense?

As I write this I am sitting in a screen tent at Lifest. The sound of a mini-generator running next door, a distant train whistle, and the constant thumping of the bass drum sound check from the main stage. Pretty quiet compared to Thursday night's Newsboys concert.

There HAVE been moments when it has been quiet too. There was one at 3:47 AM and another at 4:23AM but other than that there is always some kind of noise present.  Do you have a lot of "noise" in your life? To me noise is something you don't necessarily want to hear.

My alarm clock is "noise." The generator running next door to our tent is "noise." What about last night's speeches here at Lifest? Noise? No. More like . . . music." Tony Nolan, Michael Tate and Matthew West all gave amazing talks last night. Reminders of the sweet music of God and His Word.

So how can we get rid of all the "noise" in our lives. Several three-word combinations come to mind.

1. "Turn It Off!" - Many things can actually be turned off . . . like the annoying generator next door. I am seriously just about to get up to practice what I preach! With love of course.
2. "Drown It Out!" -Replace the "noise" with something else. I think this reason is why we see so many people walking around with headphones and ear buds in their ears. Listening to something other than what the world wants to hear.
3. "Turn It Up!" - Some people love the "noise." I am not one of them, but there ARE people who actually love the annoying "noise." And actually, they like to make the annoying noise themselves. They tend to compound the noise.
4. "Rebel Against It" -  Some people don't like the noise and let people know about it. They have their own opinion of how much "noise" there should be. Unless the ambient noise level matches their expectations, they complain and attack. They don't like things that are different than them. And they let people know about it.
5. "Rejoice In It!" - We have all had people in our lives who are rather negative. They produce a kind of "negative noise" all on their own. We could fight back in anger but what's the point? If we can find joy in the "noise" it is much easier to survive

Everyone makes their own kind of "noise." How we choose to deal with it defines who we are as a human being.

Recently, someone attacked me for what I believe. My faith was "noise" to them. So what did I do? First, I tried to convince them that my faith wasn't "noise" at all. That failed. See Point 4 above. So I chose to embrace this person's "noise" as a learning experience - a means of growth in an entire world of "noise."

We Christians are here to learn and to grow. We are often given "noise" so God can see how we handle it. When things don't go your way, what do you do? Whine and complain? Just try to ignore it? Or do you try finding the silver lining and use the "noise" to your advantage.

How we react to the struggles we have in this life define us. We can tell a lot about ourselves if we examine how we react in "noisy" situations. We need to examine ourselves and ask these question in ANY noise-filled moment in our lives:

"How is God going to use this to teach me something?"

"What can I learn from this that will help me grow in Christ?"

God's will for us is to grow into the image of His Son. We all learn and grow through experiences. If the end result of some "noise" we are encountering is that we will become more like Jesus on the other end of things, how can we do anything else other than to embrace it!

We all make "noise." Examine yourself. Is the noise YOU are making a pleasing aroma to the Lord?

"14 But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. 15 For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, 16 to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?" - 2 Corinthians 2:14-16

Listen To The Sound - Building 429