react differently

We get a good amount of Christmas cards each year, and I’m sure you do too. So far, in our Christmas card collection at home, there’s one that is winning the “best picture award.” I’ve created award categories, which are “best picture,” “most original greeting,” and “best layout.” I love to see people’s creativity and of course, more importantly, how much their kids have grown and have changed.

In creating these cherished cards, you might desire to outdo last year’s card. Or, if you’re anything like me, your competitive side takes over and you desire to have the best card around. When people receive your card, you may hope that it is magnetized to the top of refrigerators, being most admired, winning all three award categories (okay, maybe it’s only in my head!). Each year we strive to improve our cards, with a different greeting, maybe a touch of Scripture, or an extra picture in the layout, etc.

There are many things in life that do not stay the same. As human beings, we are constantly changing physically, emotionally, and even mentally. We add new members to our families, loved ones pass away, we get promotions or lose a job, we or people we know get sick, etc. But during this time of the year, one thing is for sure and unchanging: the Christmas narrative. God’s Word hasn’t and will never change. The Gospels of Matthew and Luke have wonderfully described the events leading to Jesus’ birth. We can close our eyes and picture the Nativity Scene, with Jesus being born in a manger to the Virgin Mary. It is the same narrative that we heard about last Christmas, and the year before that, and the year before that.... Well, you get the picture: It will never change.

In the midst of changes that we can’t control, one change we can control is our reaction to the Christmas story. There are four different people or groups of people who encountered baby Jesus for the first time, and all four reacted differently. God’s word says in Luke, chapter two, verse twenty-eight, “[Simeon] took him in his arms and praised God...” Ten verses later, Anna “gave thanks to God.” Previous to these accounts, in verse twenty, the shepherds “returned [to tending their flock] glorifying and praising God.” Lastly, in Matthew, chapter two, verses eleven and twelve, the Magi travel to see the king of the Jews; they bowed, worshipped, and presented gifts.

The good news that Jesus Christ was born in a manger, in the little town of Bethlehem, surrounded by the Magi, shepherds, angels, a bright star above, some animals in the backdrop, and the awe by his parents, demands a reaction from us. It’s not just another Christmas card. Maybe this year will be different. Maybe it will cause a reaction of uncontrollable praise. Maybe it will cause you to tear up. Maybe it will ignite thankfulness in your heart. Maybe it will cause you to glorify God for sending His Son. Why? Because Jesus was born so that we can be saved from our sins. Will this unchanging story make you react differently this year?

Mercy is not an easy game to play.

Grace. Mercy. Undeserved favor. Kindness given when one deserves wrath. It's value is beyond the world's precious stones, but how come people don't value it as much?

This question echoes in my head this week: Why can't people see, understand, appreciate the value or worth of God's grace? I mean seriously, if someone came up to me and said, look all those nasty thoughts, my evil devices, my tendency to think ill of someone, the words that come out of my mouth, or you fill in the blank................... and then this person says I'm going to erase all those marks next to your name, yeah I guess my first tendency would be "well now, what do I have to do for you?"

But for me, I would sincerely ask, "why?" In our world it doesn't make sense, because we think we have to work for it to receive it. The answer to why: because God loves us. Seriously, there has to be more to it. Nope. And yes it seems like I'm having a conversation with my own words. I'm trying to wrap my mind around it. So because He loves me, He gives me an opportunity for a clean slate, a righteousness, sins not counted against me. I MEAN CMON! I can't get off that easy! Grace, an undeserved justice for my sin. Interesting. Beyond interesting, mind boggling, begs the question, what's my response? Cheesy I know, but crying comes to heart.

A lady calls (who knows we have $25 gift cards to grocery stores for the needy) asking for another one. She comes by and I hand her the card. It's probably the 3rd or 4th card I've given her, since she's learned that I have them. Today I decided to say "bring a receipt back to show me what you bought." I didn't know what I was thinking, my cynical side kicked in. Wouldn't grace suggest to give without conditions? Without comments? Without reservations of what she will do with the card?

It seems like I just answered the boundaries of grace. Yeah, that's it, it doesn't have any. Love encompasses all of it. (More cheese) It makes me want to run the streets, yelling like a madman of this amazing thing I know. Maybe I should stand on a busy street, holding the sign up, not the world's going to end, but that God loves you, you, you, you, you, you, and you, and you. I don't know what I'm doing staying inside this office. Seriously, why can't people understand this grace?

A crosswalk is a stairway to heaven.

As cliche as this sounds, my life flashed before my eyes. I had one of those experiences where I literally almost died, and I'm not exaggerating, cause usually at this point some may find this experience common and click to another page. As I took my afternoon walk to get coffee, I started crossing the street, where it was my right of way. It wasn't one of those jay walking moments either. It was green light for the way I was walking, so I could technically feel safe as I cross the street. Well, one car was at the light making a left, so it was waiting until traffic was clear to make it. That car wasn't the issue. It was the car behind it. Odd thing was I saw this happening in slow motion. The red Camry behind pulls out with no blinker turns into the crosswalk. At this point I was half-way into the crosswalk. I yell, "Yo," where an initial leap into safety was taken, the car still coming,(and I'm not on the side walk yet) one more time, "yo" while in mid-air, loud enough to hopefully drown out the rap music in his stereo. Now this is the best part. The guy has the nerve to stop the car, look at me, throw his hand at me, yells at me, and drives off. In which I immediately start yelling, "that's my fault almost getting ran over by you." Two ladies on the side walking comment, "wow, that was really close." And continue to walk by, without asking if I'm ok. Seriously??!! Yes, I'm fine ladies.

This is what interests me about this experience, I wonder if that was happening to someone I knew would I have the instinct/reaction to get them to safety. I hope I do. I hope my love for them to live trumps my safety. I wonder if the car was any closer would I leap and save a complete stranger? And in doing so I die. Amazingly, Christ loves me that he dies for me even though he knows, at times I'm going to be cowardly, a liar, and a wretched sinner. I was shaking from the whole thing. I can't even remotely understand the anguish that Christ had as he was about to face the cross. It makes my crosswalk story look like a chump compared to the cross.

I hate what if days...

What if I wasn't a minister? What if I never responded to the call? What if I never went to seminary? What if I pursued to see where design would lead me? There are some days more often than I want, I question that. And yes I shouldn't. But then I'm human, some would say I'm entitled to question it. Some would say you make your own destiny (Prince of Persia). Some would say God's got it laid out for you. I like this way better, but then what if I really don't like it? Am I being selfish? Am I being disobedient to question God's will? If God provides for us the bestest thing ever of eternal life and the gift of salvation on the cross, wouldn't I want to follow what He has planned for me? The tension is we're selfish. We want to do the things we want to do and often we rationalize our way out of the things God wants us to do.

Where do we go from this dilemma? Try something different? Take some time off? Sulk and whine about it? Become a bum? Avoid doing work, wait I think I'm at that point. A step closer to being a bum. Isn't there something wrong when the one thing that led me to do this is not burning as high anymore? That's why Mike Yaconnelli is right...

"The absence of passion results in a grim pallor over our lives, the absence of highs and lows. When there is no passion we live our lives in the smoky fog of sameness. Life loses its distinctions and we no longer see the nuances, the tiny differences. We no longer feel our feelings. They become dull and insensitive. Life without passion is life without texture, contrast, and depth. We walk through life trancelike, going through the motions of living, emotionless, getting through each day, getting by, ending our lives lost and directionless, busy doing something that turns out to be nothing, focusing on what doesn't matter, missing what does."

gray vs. glossy brown

The color gray sometimes bothers me. Of course not fashionably. But it annoys me when you look at the biggest thing in the environment and it's gray. The color makes everything monotone. The color of the leaves as they change to the crazy reds, oranges, yellows, browns, have to compete against the gray. The gray affects my mood, my efficiency, and ultimately it conflicts with my pursuit of joy. It definitely plays a factor, to see a never ending color of gray rather than that calm blue intersected with whites.

Lucky for me, I'm in a room full of brown-glossy paneling, literally. No wonder I never get anything done. Red carpet, brown shelves that look like the wall, at least the books bring some color to the room. Furniture that was considered comfortable in the 60s. A ceiling where counting the dots would take up the day. At least I will be efficient at something. I step into my office and I feel like I just walked into 1975. I've come to realize my joy is affected tremendously by color. Maybe Feng Shui was right, I need a color that spruces up my life. Amazing how a color makes the world of a difference. No wonder I turn all the music off while driving now, too many colors that engage me.

Motor City

This picture probably says it all regarding Detroit. As one person said it, "it seems like I'm in some kind of Zombieland (after his drive through the city)." Tamar and I had the opportunity to stay with some great friends in the heart of the city. They've planted a church there and are doing some great ministry for the Lord. We took a drive in my friend's 72 Buick Skylark, hoping to see an abandoned Buick like this one. He had seen it earlier and wanted to show it to me. The family who owns it was hesitant to show me because if they uncovered people may see it and steal it. Fear is evident in safety of lives. Fear triumphs trusting people. There's a cloud of fear encompassing the city.

Much like this car, there are hundreds and thousands of abandonment everywhere: cars, buildings, houses, etc. It was gloom to drive through. Detroit is a city that's crying in pain from the sixties. So my heart goes out to Eric and Keltie, Eric and Sarah, and Leon and Rebecca. "Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." My hope and prayer is that Mack Ave Community Church be that beacon of hope and light to a city crying. Then I came home to a community where I can sleep with my door unlocked. There's something wrong with that.

30

Time is crucial in a world when we want things instantly. Focus is necessary when we're distracted by so many things. Desire to endure is important when things mound up on our "to do list." Turning 30 is odd. It makes you wonder "am I living life to the fullest?" I hate cliches. But why are they so true? I need to make a priority to tackle the life long goals. You never know when God calls, societal jargon, nothing is really unique anymore.

What holds us back to do the things we always wanted to do? Is it just the mere idea that we have these goals? Or do we actually want to sky dive, travel, or personally go to a World Cup? They cost money. I want to experience for the sake of experiencing them and to know that I did them.

Withdrawals.

It's been two days and I'm already in withdrawal. It's amazing how much time I've wasted on Facebook. I 'deactivated' my account, in a sense I deactivated my involvement in the social circles. I don't know what bothers me more, the fact that I can't know what others are doing, or that they don't know what I'm doing. For some reason it made me feel 'cared or loved.'

The bitter reality is as I'm taking day 2 on, I was spending too much time on it. It sounds so cliche, but so true. It's amazing I've had more time to do other things, like actually concentrate on work. I've committed to not coming back till the World Cup starts. 5 weeks to go. It will be rough. But I will endure. The irony is we will endure from all kinds of things.

Bring on the challenge.

Beyond the brick walls.

In my life I've lived near many cities. Providence is up in the ranking of one of the coolest cities. Occasionally in the mailbox, we get this orange slip telling us to go and pick something up from the post office. It annoys me, because usually it's not something really important. Most of the time its mail that has bounced back. However I still have to make my way down to the center of city and pick up whatever that was undeliverable. About a 15 minute walk from the church to post office, through the center of this magnificent brick filled city.

Today I had the chance to go again. Luckily it's a nice day. It's amazing what you can experience outside the walls of the church. I had my headphones on, so I walked in my own world, but as I walked by some random people, I wondered where they were going or coming from? Why were they sitting on benches in the park? Why the girl insisted to smoke right outside her office building where it says to not smoke? Then I thought to myself, I chose to have headphones on, I chose to not talk to anyone as I strolled, I chose to not hear anything from anyone, I chose to remain not known.

Today being the day after Easter, I was bewildered that I chose to remain to myself after knowing and even preaching about the resurrection yesterday. The disciples didn't go back to their regular routine after they saw the resurrected Christ. They got to work spreading about Christ. And here I was leaving the confines and 'safe haven' of church and remaining to my own world. Very similar to other weekly Mondays, the day after church we're back to our own worlds, with our headphones on, wanting to remain unknown. Where's my work mindset? Gosh, Jesus has been resurrected, enough said. People I came across on my stroll, should at least hear it, if they didn't hear it yesterday. My boldness has turned into shyness? Beyond the brick walls of our church exists the world that needs to hear past the white colored headphones that Jesus has been resurrected. Imagine the impact I could have had if I just opened my mouth to the hundreds of people I saw walk pass me. Some maybe homeless, some sojourning through the Ocean state, and maybe some 'lost.'

making food while hungry.

I never thought I would be able to cook. Living in an ethnocentric world, the man never did anything or even ventured to go into the kitchen. However, I began my adventure by looking into the fridge and pantry.

Started with some chicken sausage, chopped onions, zucchini, and a can of diced tomatoes. Again my eyes looked through what we had and started throwing some things together. As that was being sauteed on the pan with some olive oil, I threw in some red pepper from Aleppo, salt, and of course it's significant other pepper. Added a middle eastern touch of cumin and garlic, and half a lemon squeezed for some more flavor.

The flavors were great. The juices of the sausage and the veggies blended so well. The spices of course brought the heat but it was pleasant to eat.

I was in a zone that I've never experienced.

zero three. zero eight. two zero one zero.

This is a whole new world for me.

I'm not the greatest writer.

So my descriptions may not be best by words but maybe through word pictures or through the lens.

An insignificant encounter that may be significant.

As I was sitting on an uncomfortable wooden stool, getting my phone fixed at Apple, an elderly man sat down next to me. He had an ipod still in the case. His tie matched his shirt. His teeth weren't the best things to look at. Very tall. As we sat, I waited for the techie to help me out, he waited to be oriented into the world of Apple. We started chatting.

Why not ask, because for some reason it looked like he was a newbie at the whole Apple experience, "Is that your first ipod?" "Yes." After the small talk of why I'm there-why he's there, etc. It actually felt like we were at a doctor's office. Anyway we began chatting about our professions, at the end of it he shared, "we have to take time to smell the flowers." Something that I remembered from a few years back, which I used to say and think.

I hope as you journey in life, you take time to smell the roses with the people around you.