Christmas trip

Yesterday evening my wife and I returned home from Austin, Texas where we had spent a few days visiting our son and grandson. We don't get to see them as often as we would like, but we always try to make it down there a few days before Christmas. We enjoyed some great Texas bar-b-que at Terry Black's famous bar-b-que restaurant. We go there every time we are in Austin because it is some of the best bar-b-que I've ever eaten. We go shopping and do some other things, but mostly we just hang together as family.

I often think back to previous Christmases when I was younger. Extended families got together which meant there were plenty of cousins to play with. Later, after Faye and I married, we spent part of Christmas Eve with her eight brothers and sisters and all their kids. Her brother had a nice pole barn which we cleaned up and used for the get-together. He and I would go out into the woods and cut down a large cedar tree and take it to the barn. It was so big we had to pull it behind a tractor. When we put it up we tied the top to the rafters to make sure it didn't tip over. Tables were set up, and a big feed was enjoyed by all. Afterwards, there were lot of presents to unwrap. We would then leave there and go to my parents for a much smaller celebration.

I cherish those memories because it's not possible to repeat them today. My wife's remaining siblings got together last Saturday, and my brothers and sisters will get together the Saturday after Christmas. Many members of the family won't attend because they live too far away. Just like our recent trip to Austin, we were not able to see two of our grandchildren because one is in school in Pennsylvania and another one works in Maryland. You adjust, but it's not the same as the memories I have from my childhood.

Life happens, and change is inevitable, but many Christmas traditions remain. Churches will present Christmas programs, choirs will sing anthems, live nativity scenes will demonstrate to the world what that first Christmas might have been like. Churches will see increased attendance this coming Sunday.

But, most important of all, Christmas will happen. We will be reminded that because of this babe born in a manger, there is hope in the world. Despite everything happening, we have hope because the Son of God came to earth as a babe lying in a manger. Joy is available to all who believe in Him despite the junk that may be happening in their lives. Lives can be transformed because because over 2,000 years ago a Jewish child was born in a little, insignificant village in Israel who just happened to be the Son of God.

My prayer for each of you who reads this blog is that you have experienced the transforming power of Jesus Christ in your life. You do not have to live with the guilt you feel over the things you have done wrong in your life. You do not have to live with a fear of death because you do not know what eternity holds. This Christmas season is the perfect time to ask Jesus Christ into your life to be your Lord and Savior. Allow Him to cleanse you of every wrongdoing in your life. Experience the freedom of knowing that your sins are forgiven and the joy that comes knowing that you are part of the family of God. If you do this, I can guarantee this will be the greatest Christmas you will ever experience.  

Christmas travel

 We left Monday morning to visit our son and his family in Austin, Texas. As always, we had a great time. While having a wonderful lunch of barbequed brisket, as you can only get in Texas, I got a notice that our flight for Thursday morning had been canceled. With the weather storm approaching I wasn't entirely surprised but was hopeful that the timing of our flights would keep us ahead of the storms. My son helped me schedule another flight for Friday morning, but he was certain that flight would also be canceled. He began to search for another flight on a different airline.

We found American Airlines had flights that would return us to Louisville, KY where our car was parked at the airport so we quickly booked it. We had little time to rush to the airport to catch the plane but managed to make it. Unfortunately, although we had booked seats together, when we printed our boarding passes my wife and I were on opposite ends of the plane. We flew into Charlotte and had about 10 minutes before our next plane began boarding. Although it was only a 50 minute flight from Charlotte to Louisville, there as a medical emergency on the plane. Fortunately, there were medical people traveling and they were able to attend to the emergency. We finally made it home about 2:00 AM.

Obviously, the back-up flight I had booked would have been canceled, and we likely would have been stuck in Austin until probably Monday at least before we could have found a flight out. Or, as we are now seeing on the news, it might have been much later. Our original flight was on Southwest, and we now know they are having serious problems. As much as we disliked missing out on one more evening with our son we made the smart move to catch a flight out ahead of the storm. Thousands of people are now stranded in airports and unlikely to be home for Christmas.

Southwest has given us refunds for the canceled flight and the one we canceled. Our next two trips to Austin are now paid for. American Airlines was wonderful in accommodating us and the other passengers on the flights we took with them. I know airlines get a lot of criticism, but I have to congratulate them based on our experience this week.

My wife and I were home for Christmas. Due to the road conditions our daughter and her family were not able to be here for Christmas, but everyone is safe. We want to thank God for providing us with a flight out ahead of the winter storm, and we want to pray for those who are stuck in airports and bus terminals unable to get home. We ask that you pray as well for those who need shelter in this horrific winter storm.

Merry Christmas

 I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas on my last blog before the holiday. As I look back on the past year it has been one with many challenges and many victories. As we go into the Christmas season I am thankful for the Child for whom we celebrate this holiday. I can truthfully say that without Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior I could not have survived the past 40+ plus years since I invited Him into my life.

For the first 27 years of my life I lived for myself. I spent four years in the Navy, was married and had two children during that time. Life was good in many ways...until it wasn't. As I hit a major roadblock in my life I realized that I needed the faith I once knew in my early childhood but had turned away from. As the pressures of that time intensified it drove me to my knees one day in our home where I asked Jesus Christ to become my Lord and Savior. My life has never been the same!

A few years later I became the pastor of a church, and this year I celebrated 40 years as an ordained minister. I have served as a pastor, a denominational minister and an Intentional Pastor of two churches. During that time I have spent time in both the valleys of life and the mountaintops, but not once has God ever left me. He has allowed me to publish 10 books and lead conferences and speak at seminars for many denominations across the US and Canada. I have enjoyed opportunities I never thought possible while growing up on dairy farms in southern Indiana.

As He promised in the Bible, he has forgiven me of every sin, and there have been many. He has saved me and assured me when this life ends I will be with Him for all eternity. I have many more years behind me now than I have before me so that is a promise I receive gladly.

My prayer for everyone reading this post is that you know the Savior as I do. I pray that you have invited Him into your life as your Lord and Savior and received the gift of eternal life that only He can give. Frankly, if you've not experienced that for yourself, you really cannot celebrate Christmas as you should.

Let me ask you the most important question you will ever be asked. Do you know for certain that if you were to die today that you would go to heaven? Please don't answer with "I hope so," or "I think so." This is too important to not be absolutely certain. The follow-up question is "If you were to die today and God was to ask you why He should let you into heaven, what would your answer be?" Many would point to their church membership, their good deeds, their baptism or confirmation, or many other things they have done, but these would all be wrong answers. The only right response to that question is that you have received Jesus Christ into your life as your Lord and Savior. 

My final question: Have you done that? Your answer to this questions will determine your eternity so it's vital that you get it right. I invite anyone who may have questions or doubts about this to contact me. 

My prayer for each of you is that you and your family have a very Merry Christmas and a blessed 2022!

What will your church DO in 2020?

I've been away from posting on this site for a couple of weeks. There was a lot going on before Christmas so I took a little break. My wife and I did travel to Austin, TX to visit our son and his family for Christmas and then returned home to host our daughter and her family Christmas day at our house. It was great spending those days with family.

This was the 53rd Christmas Faye and I have been together. I spent some time reminiscing previous Christmases. As a young married couple our first Christmas was interesting and a lot of fun. The next four Christmases I was in the Navy. We were fortunate that we were able to be together for each of those. Little ones came along and that changed our Christmas activities a little, and over the years family members left us which made future Christmases different as well. As different as each Christmas was, each were special in their own way. We are a very blessed couple and give God all the praise!

Many of my friends have posted stories and pictures of Christmas activities in their churches. A lot of work went into many of them, and I'm sure each of them were a blessing to their congregations and others in the communities.

But, now it's time to think about 2020 if you haven't already. For me, the most important question at this time is what will your church DO in 2020? I believe the world is looking for the church to be actively involved in impacting the world for good. We have a message of hope to give to the world and that message must not only proclaimed but demonstrated as well. It is not enough to stand behind a pulpit and preach the Gospel; we must be out in the streets living the Gospel. Jesus never invited people to come to a building for an hour each week to sing a couple of songs and hear a three-part sermon. He challenged His disciples to be engaged in people's lives. That hour each week can be important if it allows us to worship and be equipped for the week of ministry before us, but it must not be seen as the totality of our Christian experience.

What needs exist in your community that your church can address? Once again this year I've read where churches paid off thousands of dollars of medical bills for people in their communities. I've never pastored a church that had the financial ability to do something like that, and chances are your church could not do that either. But, it can do something.

The church spends too much time talking about the problems that exist in our society today and too little time doing something about them. I want to challenge every church to prayerfully consider what it might DO to make a difference in people's lives. Let's be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ throughout this new year. Let us find ways to show people the love of God for them, and in so doing, earn the right to tell them about Jesus Christ. If we will do this, when we come to this time next year I bet things will look different both in our churches and in our communities.

Charlie Brown's Christmas

We watched Charlie Brown's Christmas last night. Even though I've seen it dozens of times it still makes me laugh and warms my heart. Like many of us, Charlie Brown is tired of the commercialization of Christmas, but it seems there is little he can do about it. It's not until Linus explains the true meaning of Christmas can Charlie Brown escape the holiday blues.

With Linus telling the biblical account of the birth of Jesus Christ I'm surprised this classic Christmas special is still being shown. I'll be even more surprised if someone doesn't condemn it as offensive or politically incorrect. In recent weeks we've seen Veggie Tales condemned as racist and dangerous to children due to the fact that the vegetables are various colors. Here's a news flash to the California college students who issued the condemnation: Vegetables are different colors! We've also seen radio stations stop playing Baby, It's Cold Outside because a handful of listeners found the song sexist. The book series 50 Shades of Grey has sold over 100 million copies, and this 1944 song has been declared sexist! We live in a strange world.

My prayer is that, like Charlie Brown, many will find the true meaning of Christmas to be encouraging. The holidays are always a difficult time for some people. It is a very stressful time with lots to do. The holidays also triggers painful memories for some people. We need to be aware that not everyone will have a wonderful Christmas season and find ways to come alongside those who might be hurting to offer comfort and love.

This is a time for churches to be especially aware of people who struggle during the Christmas season. It's easy to get caught up in our Christmas pageants and programs and forget that some people are alone and hurting. There is often much talk in churches during the holiday seasons about families, but let's remember that not everyone has a family to be with during the season.

The birth of Jesus Christ should bring hope to all people. Born in humble circumstances His birth was first announced to shepherds watching over their flocks in the field. This may not mean much until one learns that shepherds were not the most respected people in that society. This reminds us that Christ came for all people. No person, regardless of their situation, is excluded from the love, the hope and the acceptance He came to offer. Let's make sure that message gets out this Christmas season.

The gift of forgiveness

It was much easier to buy gifts for our children when they were smaller. As adults, we often struggle to know what to get them, and they tell us it's even harder for them to know what to give us. Most of us have that one person that's hard to buy for at Christmas.

Perhaps for someone on our Christmas list the greatest gift we could give them is the gift of forgiveness. I wonder if you paused when you read that as someone's name went through your mind. Chances are the next thought that entered your mind was that they don't deserve forgiveness. You're probably right, but then again, we didn't deserve God's forgiveness, either.

One of the most challenging verses in the Bible is Matthew 6: 14-15: "For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."

The reason this passage is so hard for some people is that they have not come to grips with how much God loves them. We forget how much we have been forgiven. God sent His Son to earth to make it possible for our sins to be forgiven so we could be reconciled to Him. Now, He asks us to forgive others their sins against us so we can be reconciled to one another.

But, Dennis, that's tough! Yes, it is. Some of us have deep wounds caused by other people, and it's hard to forgive those who have wounded us. However, this is exactly what we are called to do.

What a special gift it would be if you could honestly forgive someone who had deeply hurt you. Not only would it be a gift to the one you forgave, it would be a wonderful gift to give yourself. Just think how freeing it would be to not have to carry that anger and pain any longer. The gift of forgiveness to someone who has hurt you might be the best gift you will give this Christmas season.

The greatest gift

"For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given." These words from Isaiah 9: 6 have been on my mind a lot during this Advent season. Notice the difference. A child was born, and we celebrate His birth during this season. But, a Son was given. Jesus didn't come into existence at the time of His birth in Bethlehem. He has existed throughout all eternity as part of the eternal Godhead. But, on the night which we celebrate as Christmas He was born into this world to live as one of us and to eventually give His life that we might experience the grace of God through which our sins could be forgiven and we could live with Him through all eternity.

As one reads the Isaiah passage the mind is immediately drawn to John 3: 16, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." Again, we find God giving His Son so that we might have everlasting life.

During this time of the year we decorate trees, hang lights, prepare wonderful meals, and fret over purchasing just the right gift for each person on our list. Few people spend much time thinking about what this season is really about. If we did, we would realize that God has already given each of us the perfect gift of all, His own Son, and through His Son each of us can know what it means to live free from the guilt and pain of sin and know what it means to walk with God for now and forever.

So, what can we give Him in return this holiday season? There is really only one gift that God wants from us, and that's us. Our entire being. In Romans 12: 1 we read that God wants us to "present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God..." He wants us to love Him and receive Him as Lord and Savior of our lives. He wants to come into our lives in such a way that our lives are totally and completely transformed.

Some of us will make New Year's resolutions to change things we don't like about ourselves. Many of us struggle with so many things in our lives that weigh us down and keeps us from being the persons we want to be. We promise ourselves that we'll do better, but we find ourselves falling back into old patterns. Some may have even given up and have decided that they are condemned to live lives of defeat and pain and shame.

No one has to live that way. God gave His Son so that none of us have to live such lives. Invite Him into your life. Receive His gift this Christmas season and find true freedom in your life. If you will do that you will have a very Merry Christmas!

Turn lemons into lemonade

Several years ago our small church invested in new sound equipment. We had it professionally installed, and it was working great. At least we were no longer picking up the trucker CB radios as they went down the highway about a mile away! A few weeks later someone broke into the church and stole the equipment.

We reported it to the police and to our insurance company. Someone from the local paper heard about the theft and contacted me for an interview.This was a great human interest story about a small, rural church that had its new sound system stolen just a few weeks before Christmas. It made the front page of our hometown newspaper.

A few days later I was contacted by a television station in Louisville, Kentucky who wanted to interview me for their news program. The reporter came to our church, interviewed me, and a day or so later our church was on their news broadcast.

One of the questions that was asked was how this theft would affect our Christmas. My response was that our sound system had been stolen, but no one could steal Christmas. We would proceed with our usual Christmas plans. I remained very positive throughout the interview

The insurance company quickly got us a check to replace the sound system and we were able to have it installed before our Christmas program. What was really amazing was what happened a few days later. I received a call from a security company who had seen the story on the news and offered to install a security system in our church at no cost. It turned out to be a great system!

In January the sheriff's office called to tell me they thought they had located our sound system. A local farmer had been walking along a hill on his farm and saw a bunch of equipment that had been thrown over the hill from the road. I took one of our church leaders to the sheriff's office and we were able to identify it as our equipment that had been stolen. Evidently, between the local paper and the Louisville news story the equipment was too hot to keep so the thieves tossed it.

Having our new sound system stolen was a real downer. My first reaction was disbelief which quickly turned to anger. However, remaining angry wasn't going to solve anything. Our congregation was understandably upset as well so it became important for me to lead us in getting our focus back in a positive direction. I was very proud of our church at how quickly we were able to do that. As a result, we not only got the system replaced in time for our Christmas program we got a new security system as well, but ever more importantly, we had the opportunity to grow deeper in our faith and have a positive witness to our community.

Time with family

One of the articles I'm linking to today on twitter discusses the importance of a pastor protecting family time during the Christmas season.  It's an important post, and I hope you'll read it, because it can be a challenge for a pastor to spend needed time with family during the holidays, and especially Christmas.

I came across the article today just a few hours after returning home from a visit with my son and his family in Pennsylvania.  My wife and I went there to celebrate Christmas with them.  When one has children living in different parts of the country one has the opportunity to celebrate Christmas several times during the month of December!  It's always too short when we visit, but we had a great time sharing stories and gifts.  But, for some pastors the Christmas season can be a frustrating time for both the pastor and the family.

Most churches have several special events planned during the Advent season, and many of them, if not all, expect pastoral participation or at least attendance.  Between small group parties, Christmas programs, Christmas Eve services, practices, and a myriad of other special events a pastor can find it difficult to be home creating the special memories he or she wants to make with their own family.

Pastoring a small church throughout my pastoral ministry I was not as involved in special programs as many pastors I know.  Our church did not have a Christmas Eve service, and, frankly, I would have resisted one if anyone had brought it up.  I know that this can be a special time in a church, but I also know that Christmas Eve was already a busy, and special, time in both my wife's and my family.  We were already stretched thin going to her family's Christmas Eve get-together early and then rushing to my family's gathering.  We never spent enough time at either to satisfy either family!  I can't imagine what would have happened if we had a church service that evening as well.

When our children got older, those extended family gatherings were replaced with our own gathering.  Again, those became times when we created some wonderful Christmas memories.  Now that our children are even older and living in different parts of the country we need several days in December just to celebrate Christmas with them and our grandchildren.  If we had church responsibilities for various Christmas activities it would really complicate things.

Church leaders need to look into the amount of time demands that are placed on their pastors and/or staff during the Christmas season and make sure that it doesn't create problems with their families.  Pastors need to protect time with their families.  That may mean that you can't make every Sunday school class Christmas party or it may require you to cut back on some other pastoral activities.  Some of the richest family memories we have are centered around things we did as a family during the Christmas season.  There will come a time when such memories will become very important to you and your family.  Make sure you take the time to make them.

More than ever we need to remember the reason for Christmas

For the past few days my wife and I have been visiting our son and his family near Philadelphia.  It was our Christmas with them.  We exhanged presents, ate some great meals, and really enjoyed being with each other.  In view of the horrible tragedy in Connecticut, my time with our grandchildren was even more special than usual.  As I looked each one in the face I could not imagine the pain I would feel if for some reason they were not here.  Like most Americans I have prayed for the families and close friends who have been impacted by this horrible event.  I listened as President Obama spoke to the nation, and then to the people in Newtown, Connecticut and felt that he has never spoken more eloquently.  I pray that the people most impacted by this event received the comfort and encouragement his words were intended to convey.

Like so many, I can't make any sense out of this tragedy.  The killer evidently left no note so we don't know what motivated him to commit such a horrible crime against so many innocent people.  Perhaps as the investigation continues we'll learn more about his reasons for his actions, if there are any reasons. 

A second challenge is determining what we as a nation needs to do to prevent this from happening in the future.  Of course, there are renewed calls for stricter gun laws, and even some lawmakers who have opposed such laws in the past are announcing they are rethinking their position.  That is understandable in light of the events of the past weekend, but my fear is that stricter gun laws really won't do anything to make people safer.  They may give people the appearance that they are safer, but the fact is such laws will do little to make our lives safer.  The problem with gun laws is that the people who promote them forget that evil people don't care about such laws.  Such laws penalize law-abiding people and do nothing to to deter those people bent on harming others.  Do I believe the average American needs an automatic weapon?  No, but how many hundreds of thousands of these weapons already exist, and how difficult will it be for a criminal to obtain one?  Will the passing of any law change that?  Very doubtful.  Therefore, how will such laws make our lives any more secure?

It could be argued that stricter gun laws would at least be a deterrant to someone who wanted to harm others.  Timothy McVeigh killed and injured hundreds of people with a bomb made out of fertilizer.  On 9/11 terrorists killed thousands of people with planes they secured by the use of box cutters.  Guns are not needed by someone determined to inflict pain and death on others.

The fact is that the one thing that so many do not want to recognize is that evil exists in the world.  We live in a time when people want to argue that there is no absolute right and wrong, but such people are hard pressed to defend that position when something happens such as the killing of innocent children.  Evil does exist, and there are evil people in the world today who seek to harm others, and they will do their best to carry out their plans by whatever way they can find whether that is with a gun, a knife, a ball bat, a box cutter, or bags of fertilizer.  No law can address evil no matter how much we might wish otherwise.

Only one thing can conquer evil, and that brings us to the message of Christmas.  Jesus Christ came to overcome the evil that exists in the world and in the hearts of mankind.  Born in a simple manger he was eventually crucified on a cross to offer all mankind the transformation that we all need.  No law can transform the heart and soul of a human being.  Laws can only attempt to regulate the sinful nature that we are all born with, and as we see all too often they fail at such regulation.  Only Christ can change a person's heart and transform evil into good.

This is a message that has been removed from the public square in the past few years.  We've eliminated Christmas programs in our school or at least replaced them with holiday programs.  Companies order their employees to say "Happy holidays" rather than "Merry Christmas" so as not to offend their customers.  Nativity scenes have been removed from government grounds.  Christian values and teachings are ridiculed and mocked in much of the media today.  I could go on listing the assault on Christianity, but all we are left with now is the hope that more laws will somehow address evil when we all know they can't.  Today, more than ever we need to remember the reason for Christmas.  Christ came to offer the things we need more than ever: hope, peace, love, forgiveness, and transformation.  If we can help even one person receive these this Christmas season we will have given him or her the greatest gift they will ever receive.