Christmas has become so commercial with everyone often trying to “keep up with the Jones’” it can feel very overwhelming. Trying to do last minute shopping and the hustle and bustle can sure get to us in the end.

            The first Christmas was not without its overwhelming features. Imagine a young virgin girl being told she was going to be with child, not only just any child, but the very Son of God. Talk about overwhelming! I think about things today that the Lord calls me to do, and I feel overwhelmed but nothing like the responsibility of raising God’s child. I think, any of us if we are honest, might not have received the news quite as well as young Mary. Her response was one of obedience and surrender. Where often times my response to God is, “What? Wait a second…I don’t know if…You really mean me?” Whereas in my life I’ve been guilty of balking on God, Mary was guilty in simply believing in God.

            May we this Christmas be reminded that the reason for the season is the reality that God became human to become our Savior, and the vehicle in which He used to accomplish this great task began with a young virgin girl, who said, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be done to me according to your word.” (Matthew 1:38) If only our responses to God were more like Mary’s response. We must remember it is a privilege to serve the Lord of the Universe and for Him to choose us to do any task for Him is a grand opportunity.

Recently, over the Thanksgiving holidays my family and I took a trip to Junction, Texas where we celebrated Thanksgiving. My wife and I hunted while my parents stayed around the cabin. It was a great time of refreshment and fun. Our phones wouldn’t work, a blessing indeed, and there was no TV, and it was a time of detoxing from the busyness of life. The week after we came back, after experiencing this technological detox, I realized how much day to day life has become dependent on these things, and I’m by far not a techie. It’s like an alcoholic realizing how much they spend on drinking once they stop. 

            It is easy to get caught up in the world of busyness, and sadly the holiday season should slow us down yet for so many it speeds us up. The holidays become a dread to many trying to get everything so perfect for company and family and the fun seems to seep away. Let’s take a second to reconsider what really matters. It’s not the perfect dessert or if the house is spotless, it’s about appreciating what really matters in life and what makes life worth living. My prayer for all of us is to detox from all the distractions in life and remember the important things such as faith and family. We need to appreciate the failures that have taught lessons this past year, and be grateful for the forgiveness God’s grace grants each one of us if we ask for it. We have so much to be thankful particularly in the gift of God’s one and only Son, Jesus. May He be the focus of our family this season!

Psalm 118

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;

His faithful love endures forever.

This past Friday night the 41^st President of the United States, George H.W. Bush, took his final breath of life a little after 10 p.m. in Houston, Texas. I saw an interview over the weekend with the President’s longtime friend and tennis partner James Baker who served in many prominent positions of government, including his Secretary of State, that when he stopped by to visit the President on Friday morning, Mr. Bush said, “Hey, Bake, where we going today?”. Mr. Baker replied, “Well, jefe, we’re going to heaven.” The President replied, “Good, That’s where I want to go.” Baker said he didn’t realize before the day was over that his longtime friend would indeed be in heaven.

            This brings up a wonderful thought to consider. When you look at the long list of things accomplishments on President George H.W. Bush’s resume it is astonishing. From businessman, graduate of Yale, CIA, VP to President Reagan and then President himself, anyone would have to conclude this is a life that has seen and served a lot with great success. Yet, all the accomplishments in the world can’t prevent one from having to face the question of eternity. From the poorest to the richest, from the biggest sinner to the biggest winner, we all must face the question of our eternity. My prayer is that we all have the same wish as the 41^st President of the United States when speaking of heaven, “Good. That’s where I want to go.” There is a way to know for sure that we have eternal life, and that is through the only gate Heaven has, Jesus Christ.

1 John 4:12-13 HCSB

The one who has the Son has life. The one who doesn’t have the Son of God does not have life. I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.

The other day I referred in a talk which I was giving that the mission of the Christian is to stop evil with love through the gateway of forgiveness. I tried to make the point using the illustration of dominoes lined up in a row, and that when tipped over each domino takes out the next innocent one next to it not the domino that initiated the fall.

We as sinful people often do the very same thing. When someone does us wrong we often take it out on innocent ones around us, then they do the same, then others do the same, and so falls the dominoes of life except they are not dominoes but people. Evil works in this way. The only way to stop the dominoes from being tipped over is if either they were far enough apart that the one falling couldn’t touch the next one or to have a domino with enough strength to withstand the attack from the previous domino. In regards to people, no one can isolate themselves never to be hurt from people because the fact is so many of us hurt ourselves, and the only way to withstand the attacks of evil from others is through love and forgiveness. Now some may say, what about retaliation? That only means you would start your own evil “domino fall” in a new direction, but wouldn’t actually stop the dominoes from falling. The only way we can stop the dominoes of evil from falling forward beyond our lives are to forgive the ones in love who in our past. To let go and let God handle all that, and by doing so stop the forward motion of evil so that freedom is the result.

Romans 12:17-18 NLT

 ¹⁷ Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. ¹⁸ Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.

Here are some questions to ask yourself this Thanksgiving holiday: Are you grateful? Would others see you as a grateful person? What makes you grateful in your life? What keeps you from being more grateful in your life? Does gratitude impact your happiness?

            Each one of us has so many reasons to be thankful not just for this holiday but for everyday of our lives. I realize I take so much for granted in my own life, and it’s good to stop and confess that periodically. I once heard if the devil can’t make you bad, he will make you busy. That sure can be the case these days with so many things fighting for our attention.

            Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, starts out with an attitude of gratitude in how much he thanked God every time he remembered them because of their partnership with him in spreading the Good News of Jesus. He had such a love and joy for the people in Philippi that it produced a gratefulness within him. Consider this: To have gratitude there must be a reason in combination with a relationship. We must be grateful for something and also grateful to something. What are you grateful for? But more importantly who are you grateful to?

Philippians 1:3-5

³ Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. ⁴ Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, ⁵ for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now.

This past weekend was Veteran’s Day. A time to recognize and celebrate what so many have offered in service and sacrifice to all of us in this great nation. We honor the soldiers of our country because of the risks each one signs up for to honor and protect the freedoms that so many in our country take for granted each day. I hope each veteran was honored by all this past weekend.

            As Christians we are also called to be soldiers of the cross. Our mission is of another battlefield where we also fight for freedom, but one of an eternal order.  To be a veteran one must be dedicated to the cause for which he or she is willing to fight and ultimately be willing to lay down their life for, and each soldier of the cross of Christ must be dedicated in the same way to the cause of our King, the Lord Jesus.  I think of one particular veteran of the cause and cross of Christ, the Apostle Paul. He stated at the end of his life that he fought the good fight and finished the race. He recognized the cause for love is in its own way a fight. Not in means of typical warfare, but one of submission to the King through acts of kindness, patience, compassion, forgiveness and love which do not always come so naturally to us. The fight is not without for the Christian so much as it is a war raging from within. May we fight the good fight of love each day until He calls us home in Heaven or until He returns in glory.

2 Timothy 4:7-8 NLT

⁷ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. ⁸ And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing. ^[1]

^[1] Tyndale House Publishers. (2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (2 Ti 4:7–8). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.

Have you ever heard someone say, “Man, that hit me like a ton of bricks!”? The death of a loved one, someone prominent in the community, a public figure, etc. can hit us just in the same way. Death is the final absolute of this life that each of us must face. Death is a reminder, an awful reminder, of the brevity and mortality of life. As I write this article, I am also preparing a funeral message to be given tomorrow which makes my thoughts fresh on the subject. Here are few words that come to mind this morning.

 First of all, the word Brevity comes to mind. Life is short and the older we get the shorter life gets. As Gus McCrae once stated in Lonesome Dove, “Life is short. Shorter for some than others.” We never know how long or short our lives will be. We must live with contrasts everyday realizing that today can bring so much promise and adventure, but it also may be the last day you get out of your bed.

Second, the word Investment comes to mind. What are you investing your life in today? Do they have any ultimate value? Invest in eternal things where they may be enjoyed forever. Such things as relationship with God, family, your children, etc. not things that will pass away.

Finally, the word Reflection comes to mind. Each day it is a good idea to reflect over life and the day we just lived. In recovery circles Step 10 of the Twelve Steps is one of reflection and personal inventory. When is the last time you slowed down in your life to reflect. Reflect on the good things and let your mind ponder on the gifts God has given you such as the very last breath you just took. Tomorrow isn’t promised so thank God for the life he has given and the opportunity to live it.

James 4:14 NLT

¹⁴ How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.

Is it hard for you to trust? Trust can be very difficult for any of us especially if someone has abused our trust. Trust can be something that takes a while to build back up if someone has hurt us before. Yet, trust is an important part of any relationship because it allows us not to solely to depend on ourselves.

            We have to admit we can’t do it all, therefore, whether we like it or not we need others in the experience of life. When we don’t trust those who can be trusted we teach ourselves to isolate and fear begins to dominate. We also cheat ourselves from what others can offer our lives. The building of any relationship depends on our willingness to trust another. So how do we learn to trust?

            To learn to trust involves the character of those we wish to trust. Because trust involves dependence upon another we need to make sure they are trustworthy through the character they have. Inspecting a person’s character is like inspecting the legs of a chair. We do so to make sure it can be depended on when pressure is involved. Second, to build trust also involves forgiveness. We may need to forgive those who have broken our trust before to give them a second chance as God has given us a second chance. Third, trust depends on grace. God has given us grace when we broke His trust so we must give grace to others who may break our trust. Any person will fail you at some point. It is inevitable because we are humans who sin. It is not always the other persons intention to break our trust so we must also be willing to show grace as others have had to show with us. The safest One to trust is God because He has the safest character of all, gives grace when we fail, and He never sins against us. May we learn to repair trust in others as we learn to trust Him.

Psalms 56:3-4

But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you.

I praise God for what he has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid?

What can mere mortals do to me?

Have you ever seen a snake poke it’s tongue out? They are hideous creatures with forked tongues. You know who else has a forked tongue? Humans do! We often, as the old saying goes, ‘speak out of both sides of our mouth.’ We, to put it bluntly, have all been two-faced or as Scripture puts it, double-tongued.

As believers, we are to seek authenticity in our lives. We are to let our “yes be yes” and our “no be no.” We are to be people of our word like God is a God of His Word. Yet, how can we be so guilty at using our tongue to praise the Lord one moment and curse the world the next? This reveals an issue of the heart. This reveals where the person is in their integrity. We must walk as Jesus did seeking to be authentic right down to the smallest word we say because we must all give an account not just of our actions but of our words as well. “But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken.”

 (Matthew 12:36) How are you at using your tongue? May we use our words to build up, not tear down this week!

James 3:9-12

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

The word “blessed” can be translated as the word “happy.” Scripture states that happiness can be found in the company we keep or that we don’t keep. Many people are unhappy because they are taking advice from those who are not qualified to give it. It is like one alcoholic asking another alcoholic, who is active in his addiction, how to stop drinking. Who do you seek advice from in your life?

Peer pressure is a real thing to deal with not just as a student in school, but in the entirety of our lives. What company do you keep? Are you victim of peer pressure? Are you hanging around people that will make you better or worse? Will they make you grow as a person or help you to become more stagnate in your life? Scripture clearly states, “Bad company corrupts good character.” 1 Corinthians 15:33

There is something else to remember that happiness is not only found in the company you keep or don’t keep, but also in taking delight in God and His Word. God is a good God who wants to be understood by you. The more we understand our Creator the more we can enjoy and find happiness in the life He has given us. Life itself is a gift from God. The more we understand the God who gave us life, the more “blessed” or “happy” we shall be.

Psalm 1:1-2

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of

sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.