Thursday, December 24, 2009

The Government Gives A Tax Increase For Christmas

Merry Christmas! Its Christmas Eve and the US Government appears to have passed legislation on Healthcare. Inevitably, this legislation is going to mean a tax increase for someone, somewhere. Legislation like this doesn't make money, it costs money, and well, someone is going to have to pay for it. Guess who it is? Y-O-U. So, tomorrow morning when you wake up, go ahead and thank your senator for the gift. But, kind of like when your kids buy you something for Christmas, you get the gift from them, but you pay for it also.

As I'm sitting here writing this blog, I can't help but think of the political times of 2000 years ago on the first Christmas. People back then want to be delivered from the political establishment of the time. They wanted a savior from their political oppression. The hope was that God would send someone to reestablish the throne of the King of Israel and rule. As the prophets had foretold- that 'the government will rest on his shoulders'.

When Jesus was born, I believe that was the excitement of His birth for some, because their mindset was that his arrival meant deliverance from political oppression. As time went on, and He lived his life, it became clear that the deliverance that He provided, was not from the political regimes in the form of an overthrow of the government.

The deliverance that Jesus provided was to reconcile man to God, and to provide us with the guidance to overthrow the government through our lifestyle of love and peace.

Who Jesus was and is was not who the people wanted him to be. They wanted something different. This Christmas, I'm sure that there are still people today that want Jesus to be something different to them than what He actually is- a Savior from our sins.

Here's the deal- there are many people out there that seem to believe that Jesus came as Santy Clause to hand out gifts to the good girls and boys, and coal (Hell) to all the bad girls and boys. They spend their days attempting to impress and court the big gift giver in the sky, believing that God sent His son Jesus to come and be our spiritual butler- to give us what we want when we want it. This is not the case.

Yes, God does answer prayer. Yes Jesus came to make our lives more abundant. But the celebration that we have today that commemorates His birth is largely centered around one primary mission- God sent His son into the world to pay the penalty of the sins of humanity so that we could have relationship with God once again.

That's the meaning of Christmas. No trees. No lights. No figgy pudding. God sent a Savior for us, so that we could spend eternity with Him.

Thank you God for sending us your Son. Today we thank you for that gift. We receive Him as our King and allow his government to rule our lives.

Merry Christmas

Matt

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

The Gauntlet of Fire- Wal-Mart Christmas Week

If you are a glutton for pain and punishment- I'd like to make a recommendation- go to a retail store anytime between now and 10pm Thursday. It seems as though everyone in North America has waited until the final 48 hours of shopping time, to go and get some Christmas presents.

I can't blame them. Some people don't get paid til the end, or don't have time til the end, or some people just procrastinate. Whatever it is, they are out there in droves.

We live by a walmart- I shop there. I know, its a big massive retailer that takes out the little guy and is ruining America. I'd go get socks and light bulbs at the 'local guy' but the only 'local guy' around me is Walgreens, Rite-Aid, Fred Meyer, or Costco, so I'm kinda stuck here. I gotta get what I need.

Last night I needed something for today, so I decided to head out there to get it with my Father in law. Now, I'm an optimist, I had some visions of what it may be like inside of the store, with three fourths of the town there shopping. I had seen that commercial on TV that showed WalMart having all those check stands open, so I figured it would be okay.(FYI- 70% of checkstands closed).

Then reality hit- as I was pulling into the parking lot, parking farther from the door than I had ever parked, it hit me. It is going to be an absolute zoo in there.

There were a few emotional options that I could choose before going into the store-

a. Get annoyed, angry, and frustrated with the sea of ungrateful consumers snarling at their fellow man while buying presents to celebrate the birth of our Savior.

b. Decide BEFORE I went into the store to laugh it off and realize that it was just going to busy and take a while to get through there.

I chose b. What's the nugget? I'm sure you're already seeing it. We all have the capacity when going into situations to choose our attitude BEFORE we go into it. To take a moment to think about what we are doing, where we are going, and how it is going to effect us.

When we choose our attitude before the situation, we have the ability to better enjoy our selves, have less stress, and get less angry.

Is there a situation that you need to choose your attitude before you go into it? A family celebration or work issue that is coming up? Choose your attitude before and you will find that things go a whole lot better.

Be blessed

matt

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

I Was In The Army With a Bear Hunter

I was stationed in Egypt for a year when I was in the US Army. While stationed there, I met a bunch of people. One of the guys that I met while I was there was a guy who was in my unit named John.

By his own admission, he told me that he thought he was funny looking. Not really overly obscure looking, but to him, he thought that he was a bit different to others. His torso was longer than his legs, so he walked a bit different. He talked through his teeth. His voice was kind of squeaky, and didn't sound so pleasing to your ears.

I remember we were sitting outside talking and he was telling me about how he would go on vacation by himself all the time. He told me that he didn't have alot of friends, so when it came time to go on leave, he would just go by himself and have some adventure without any friends.

He explained to me that when he was on vacation by himself that he would take on the persona or life story of someone interesting every time he would be somewhere. One time, when on vacation, he would told people that his full time job was a bear hunting expedition leader in Alaska. That it was his job to take people out and go hunt bear.

As we were sitting there talking, I asked him why he did that and he explained it to me. "You know Matt, I'm a funny looking guy with a squeaky voice who talks through his teeth" he said. "I'm a guy in the Army with a really uninteresting job. Who wants to hang out with that guy? Everyone wants to hang out with a bear hunter". The reason that John took on another persona was that he didn't like who he was and he wanted people to like him.

I can identify with that. I want people to like me, and at times throughout my life, I've done or said things that I normally wouldn't do, thinking that it would make people like me. Wearing certain clothes, saying certain things, going places I normally wouldn't go, and doing things I normally wouldn't do. Basically doing whatever it took to get them to like me. I didn't tell people I was a bear hunter, but I wasn't true to myself, that's for sure.

Here's what I found out though- usually, the people who liked me the most were the ones who liked me when I was being myself, not someone who I thought they wanted me to be. People can sniff out when people are not being themselves, and when they do, they don't like it.

Are you true to yourself? Do you try to be someone who you are not to try and impress someone? Do you compromise what you are to get people to like you?

Here's what the Bible says- that I am fearfully and wonderfully made. God made me the way he wanted to make me for a reason. I may not look like everyone else, sound like everyone else, or be like everyone else, but that has to be for a reason, because that's the way God made me.

Be yourself today. Don't try to be who people want you to be, but the person that God created you to be. You might sound funny, look funny and walk differently, but that's who you are.

You don't have to be a bear hunter to get people to like you.

Blessings
Matt

Friday, December 18, 2009

Do You Live In The Happiest State? (List Incl.)

Well, it looks like my wife has been right all along. Apparently the sunnier states in America are higher on the list of happiest states. She has always said that its gloomy up here in Washington state, and according to this list, she appears to be right.

You can view the article about it here.

Here was the top 10

1. Louisiana- Even after Hurricane Katrina?
2. Hawaii- I guess pineapples and beaches can't even get you the top spot.
3. Florida- The land of football and Disneyworld.
4. Tennessee- What's in Tennessee? Graceland and Country Music?
5. Arizona- One of the current worst housing markets and tons of retirees.
6. South Carolina- The "hey, at least we're not North Carolina" state.
7. Mississippi- The state that we all loved to spell as kids.
8. Montana- The twelve people that live there were excited to make the list.
9. Alabama- Ever since Forrest Gump they've all been happy, especially in Greenbough.
10. Maine- I think its because they are so far away from everyone.

Here's what was surprising to me that didn't make the list- California- I thought all that money and fame brought happiness? And also no Texas? I thought that everything is bigger in Texas, but not the happy people.

I was most surprised to see that Louisiana is the happiest state. Even with all of that turmoil that Hurricane Katrina brought. What that tells me is that through adversity and destruction, you can still come out of it and still be happy.

It brings me to think about my own life- how happy am I? What is my happiness connected to? Is it connected to my family, stuff, my job? If all of those things are going well, does that mean that I will be happy?

The big question is- does happiness depend on something external, or something internal. Can I choose happiness despite my circumstances?

Here's the Victory Blog nugget for the day- You don't have to live in Louisiana to be happy today, or any day for that matter. You can be happy any day of your life if you decide to be happy. No matter what may come your way, or what you are going through you can choose to be happy.

I realize that this is a concept that may be hard to grasp for some people who have lived their lives believing that circumstance determines happiness. The truth is that happiness is a decision, its not a by-product of surroundings.

God has created us all with a mind that has the ability to choose happiness. To choose contentment. To choose to focus on the blessings that are not of this world but are of the heavens. The blessings that you cannot touch and the happiness that cannot be bought. The happiness that can only be found in God alone.

Choose happiness today. Regardless of where you live.

Blessings
matt

Thursday, December 17, 2009

The Blog Block Monster Attacks Again

Its happened once again. It doesn't happen too often, but for some reason this morning I have a bit of "blog-block". My good friend Chad will probably call me this morning and bust my chops about it and say that writing a blog about not having anything to write about is not writing a blog. Whatever Chad. You're more than welcome for a guest appearance of writing this blog if you think you can hack it.

I'm not sure why the block this morning. I'm not overly concerned with much. I know that Christmas is about a week away, the in-laws are coming Monday, I'm officiating a wedding Saturday, we've got a big Christmas eve service coming up. Not really sure here, but there might be a bit on my mind.

I was thinking about writing about forgiveness since that's what I preached about last night, but that's a pretty deep subject that I don't think I could tackle in a few paragraphs. I was going to write about a guy from Pittsburgh who robbed a bank wearing a Steelers sweatshirt that I thought was rather fitting. For a moment today may have been a blog about my dreams of snow for next week that clearly aren't going to materialise.

Here's a blog nugget for you today however so small- smile as much as you can today. More often than you think you should. You will find that people in stores and such will look at you funny because you do it so much, but that's okay. I do it all the time and people think I'm a weirdo, but the people that do receive it receive it well.

You can be an ambassador of Christmas joy over the next 7 days.

Be blessed. Throw me some grace. Love to all.

Matt

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

I Got Honked At Again Yesterday

It happened again. I got honked at yesterday.

I was coming from Maple Valley late afternoon yesterday after meeting a guy to sell him something I had put on craigslist (old subwoofer). I was in the SUV with the kids, and had just got done with the meeting.

Our new SUV is slick, but with a few slight issues. One of which is that when you close the rear door, if you don't slam it, the sensor tells you that it is open, and the lights stay on in the cab. Its frustrating, because you usually don't realize that it isn't fully closed until you are driving and the things beeps at you. Then you have to pull over, and open and close the back real hard to get it to close.

So I'm driving, and I'm about to turn into this business (turn signal on), and then I decide to go one more driveway to this car wash and pull into there.

That's when it happened. This Ford F150 lays out the horn on me- hoooooooooooonnnnnnkkkkkkkk. It must have lasted at least 3 seconds.

My first reply? "whatever dude, looks like your horn works". So I pull into the car wash, hop out, re-close the back, and I'm on my way.

That's when it happened. Traffic was so that within about 3 minutes, I was now behind the guy that honked at me. This is so rare that this happens. How often are you immediately behind the person that just honked at you? I was excited.

Payback. I was warming up my arm for a full blast fest on this guy. So sweet. So perfect. So wonderful. Such a great opportunity to get back at someone who just honked at me.

Then that little voice of the Holy Spirit started nagging at me. Man, I hate it when that happens. I had this great plan for honk revenge and the spirit of the Lord has to march in and start convicting me with all these Bible verses about turning the other cheek, and considering it pure joy when you face trials of many kinds. It was quite annoying.

So what did I do? Ab-so-lute-ly nothing. Nada. I pulled up behind the guy at the light and asked the kids what flavored Icees they wanted from the AMPM. Was it easy? No. Truth be told even a few hours after the incident I still wanted to go back and honk at that guy. Get him back. Make him feel like I felt. Rub it in his face. Honk at him longer and louder.

Can I get a witness?

Here's the deal- we all get hurt. We all get messed with, and the natural response is revenge. But that's not God's ideal. God's ideal is for us to allow him to avenge. Him to take care of it. Him to settle the score.

I'm waiting to see if the big horn from the sky is going to vindicate me. I'm not sure when or if he will, but that's the part of being a Christian that I still seem to be learning 19 years after becoming a follower of Christ. Knowing that he settles my scores, not me.

Is there something you need to let go? A vindication that you need to let him handle? Let it go today. Give it up. Its not easy to do, but its the right thing to do.

Be blessed
matt

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Its 10am. Why Not Have A Drink?

Today is my wife's birthday. I wont tell you how old she is today, but she's nudging up towards the big four O pretty fast. We're about to give her a couple of her presents before she starts the day, but I wanted to write the blog before we do.

The phenomenon of celebrating the day of our birth is quite humorous to me at times. Some people don't really worry that much about it, while others take it very seriously and make a huge deal out of it. I've seen both ends of the spectrum.

I remember one time that Crystal and I were out to breakfast at that restaurant down at Pike's Place Market where Tom Hanks had breakfast in Sleepless in Seattle. We were sitting by the window having omelets, and were near the bar. As we were enjoying ourselves, we couldn't help but overhear this guy on his cell phone in the bar.

He was calling everyone he knew to tell them it was his birthday, he was at the bar having some drinks (at 10am), and wanted everyone to come down and join him. After all, it was his birthday.

To be honest, it was quite painful to listen to. It was clear from hearing our end of the conversation that not many, or close to no one was coming down to this bar on this morning to come have some drinks with this guy and celebrate his birthday. Pretty sad.

Here's what I think was going on though- it was a day for this guy to feel special when every other day of the year he didn't feel special. Every other day of the year he was just a normal day, but this day it was all about him and he wanted everyone to join in with celebrating him. He wanted to have at least one day when he could feel special.

I think we can all identify with that guy. Don't we all want to feel special? Don't we all want people to pay attention to us and love on us? Its normal to want to feel special in a world full of people. To have one day that is about us.

But here's what I think that guy and a lot of people forget- we are special. Every day. Not just one day a year. Why? Because we can celebrate our day of birth every day because the fact that we are alive means that God has a purpose for our lives.

When we remember that it was God who created us and brought us into this world, we are reminded of our intrinsic value and how much he loves us. When we remember that, we can feel special every day, not just our birthday.

So, Happy Birthday Crystal, and Happy Birthday to you!

Be blessed
matt

Friday, December 11, 2009

What's That HUM? Come ON! Can I get some help?

I'm a bassaholic. What do I mean? I love the rumble and boom of a good woofer. I've been that way since Jr. High. I know, its dorky, but honestly, I could care less what people think. For some people its loud exhaust, or loud guitar. I've met people that get excited about scrap booking shears, and counter top mixers. Everyone has their thing. Mine- bass. Deep rumbling bass.

I used to satisfy that need with my two 12 inch woofers I had in the back of my sedan. Most people didn't know I had King Kong in the trunk. They just figured me for a mild-mannered pastor. Alas, when I was rolling down the freeway I would be booming!

Since we got rid of the sedan, I've had to satisfy my cravings elsewhere and have now turned to my home theatre system. I just built a new sub woofer for it, and hooked it up this week. I was sooooo excited, until when I plugged it in, I got a really loud hum coming from it. Come to find out, it appears I have some sort of ground loop problem or something within my system. I wont bore you with the details, but will say this- something I wanted to work that I envisioned a certain way isn't working as I had expected.

Sound familiar? Haven't you had that same issue with something? You hope and dream about how something is going to work and when it doesn't, you're a bit frustrated.

Here's the odd part for me- usually I get pretty amped up about this stuff (pun intended). It typically annoys me to no end to want to get something to work and then it doesn't. Here's what I'm trying with my current debacle. I'm not taking it that seriously. Why? because in the grand scheme of things, it really doesn't matter.

Sure. i want things around me to work and to go well, but here's what I am realizing little by little in this thing called life. I can CHOOSE how I am going to RESPOND. I don't have to get mad, or frustrated, or upset. Yes, I'm going to continue to try and fix whatever I can, but I'm not going to let it consume me. I'm just going to roll with it and allow it to take its course.

Here's my prayer for today- "Lord, help me to grow. Help me to be a more patient person. Father, when things happen in my life that I cannot control, help me to stay calm and honor you with my actions. It wont be easy, but help me through your power and peace. Amen".

That's where I'm at today. If that's you, then go ahead and borrow it. We will see how it goes.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Thursday, December 10, 2009

I'm Going to Eat Donuts for Every Meal and Sleep In

Most of you know by now, I have a love of donuts. A deep passionate love for the frosted fried leavened bread of heaven. I could honestly eat donuts every single day. Sometimes twice a day.

There is this donut shop in Auburn that I drive by frequently, and when I do, its a battle within my mind to not go in there. To be honest, there are times when I go out of my way to drive by it to have the excuse that "I just happened to be in the area". Lets be honest, whats the harm of an occasional fritter or twist?

The longer I live the more I realize that there is a constant war within my body and mind between doing what I should do, and doing what I want to do. The Apostle Paul wrote about this in the book of Romans when he said, "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do".

What do I mean? I don't really want to eat donuts everyday. I know that they are not good for me. They don't benefit my health all that much and I really don't need the extra calories.

It seems that if its not donuts, its something else. There always seems to be a struggle between what I know is best for me and what I want to do. I want to sleep, I know I should get up. I want to watch TV, I know I should read my Bible. I want to spend time alone, I should spend some time with my kids. I want to eat a bag of cookies, I should be eating a bag of vegetables. I don't want to help that person and be inconvenienced. Its a constant never ending struggle to stay on the side of the 'shoulds' instead of the side of the 'wants'.

Here's the reality- I can't live my life as a selfish, sleeping in, TV watching, loner who eats donuts every meal. Its not beneficial for me or anyone else. I must choose to do the right thing and keep moving towards things that are better for me, not worse for me.

Do you struggle with doing the things that you know you should be doing? Ask God today to empower you to be a person to make good decisions that move you in the direction that He wants for you that help you get closer to His ideal for your life.

You will find that when you allow Him into your life he will help empower you to be a person that doesn't give in to every selfish whim or un-beneficial desire. He will help you to be a person who makes good decisions, reaches goals and accomplishes great things for His kingdom.

Make good decisions today.

Be blessed
matt

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

I'm Buying Crystal a Fire Extinguisher or a Vacuum (video clip included)

I'm not the best gift giver in the world. I know it. I don't know why, but I just can't wrap my mind around what is the best gift to give to someone. Most of my gift ideas are either way too expensive, or way too practical. I can't seem to find that happy medium in the middle.

I found a news story today that I think I just might go with for this season- the head of FEMA suggests that for Christmas gifts we should buy our loved ones something practical for disaster preparedness. I'm all for it. Nothing says "The Savior of the World has come to us" like a collapsible ladder in case of a fire. You can read the article here

What's the big deal with gifts anyway? I don't understand how a gift became the shining example of how much you love or care for someone. Sure, its nice to give someone something, but I don't think that its the culmination of a loving relationship.

Here's another idea- how about a dual bag vacuum? There is a great video of a Man who did this. You can watch it here.

I love my wife. Tremendously. The reality is that I would buy her everything in the world if I could. I just don't like the expectation of "as we honor the arrival of the Christ child" that we have to buy a gift that shows how much we love someone. I love my wife everyday.

Here's my rant for the day- we need to spend more time loving people not trying to buy them gifts to show them that we love them. We show people we love them every time we see them by how we speak, interact and serve them. You have a choice to show the people around you how much you love them every day. It doesn't have to happen on the morning of December 25th.

I would think that most people would appreciate people being a loving person, not trying to act loving by buying them something to make up for their social shortcoming throughout the year.

Go and love on someone today. When we love each other, we honor God. Look them in the eyes and tell them that you appreciate them. Love them for who they are, not for what they do for you, or what they give you. What you will find is that more than often people will appreciate your love more than your gifts. Then when you do give them a gift it will be an extension of your love, not your attempt to be loving.

Be Blessed today.
matt

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Do You Need An Excuse to Eat Pizza?

I love pizza. Most people do. There was this great pizza place by my house when I was a kid called Pizza and Pipes that we used to go to all the time. It had good cheap pizza and a huge pipe organ that you could listen to while you were eating your pizza. My sister and my brother both worked there at different times, but now its been replaced by a Blockbuster video store. How sad.

Well, that love of pizza continues into my adult life. I have 3 places that I eat pizza from on a regular basis, one of which is Papa Johns pizza. Personally, I think that PJ is that greatest chain pizza that you can buy. That garlic sauce that comes with it is succulent. Its a bit more expensive than other pizzas, but man is it sure good.

About a week a week ago, in Lakewood Washington, a man walked into a coffee shop and killed four police officers at point blank range. Its been a pretty devastating blow to the communities around here. Those deaths affected many families and in response, tonight and tomorrow, in the Puget Sound Region, the Papa Johns in the continues of King, Pierce and Kitsap are having a fundraiser. Those 42 Papa Johns have agreed to donate one hundred percent of the profits from the sales of those two nights to benefit the families of the slain officers.

How great is that? Way to go Papa Johns! As if I needed another excuse to eat pizza. Seriously though, I wanted to pass this on to you readers in the Puget Sound region so that you would know to go and eat some pizza tonight or tomorrow.

I understand that some of you blog readers outside the region may feel a bit short-changed by this regionally specific blog today. Do not let your hearts be trouble. The Victory Blog will be back in full swing tomorrow. Use today as an opportunity to reflect on the Goodness of God. The ways that He blesses you and the love that He brings.

Be Blessed
Matt

Friday, December 4, 2009

How To Fix Something Really Fast

We took out our Christmas stuff this week. Tree, decorations, and lights. There were quite a bit of lights in two separate boxes. Some for outside, some for inside. As I took them the boxes, I plugged them in and found out that about half of them were not working.

I'm sure you're not surprised. Somehow those strings of lights go into the box working, and then during the year, some little gnome goes up in the attic and makes them stop working. Its crazy.

It presented me a dilemma- either go and buy new lights, or try to fix the broken ones that I had. Now, I'm not sure if you've ever tried to repair a string of lights, but its no quick task. Typically it involves plugging in the set, and then taking one light bulb and going down the line swapping it out repeatedly. If you've ever done that task, you can agree is arduous and boring. The worst part is that there is no guarantee it will work.

There wasn't a lot of hope for the traditional fix from me. That sounded like a lot of work, and downright boring to spend that much time working on that. No thank you. Then I remembered this thing my brother showed me last year- this magical 'gun' that you can use to repair Christmas lights. Have you seen it? Its amazing. Basically, you unplug the light bulb and then shove that little receptacle into the gun and pull the trigger over and over.

I don't have any idea how that thing works, but somehow that little string of broken lights starts to work. The process takes all of about 2 mins, if that. It is utterly and completely amazing. Its fast, its quick, and saves a ton of money from having to buy new strings of lights.

As I was standing in my garage last night fixing these strings of lights, I couldn't help but think about the power of God. See, you need to understand me a bit- I like things to be done fast, not slow. So whether its Christmas lights or popcorn, I want it done the quickest way.

Sometimes I think that people don't realize how quickly God can fix things if they will let Him. Sure, you can go it alone and get frustrated and mad. The other option is to allow Him to do the work for you, fix it quicker and better than you ever could.

Are you trying to do things the old way with your own strength? or have you discovered the power of God in your life to be able to repair your life in a way that is powerful, magical and expedient? Believe Him today. Draw from His fixing power to light up your life. It will amaze you His ability to fix the broken things of your life if you will let him.

Be blessed
matt

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Jesus Christ Reports For Jury Duty In Birmingham

This week in Birmingham Alabama, a lady showed up for jury duty who had legally changed her name to Jesus Christ. When her name was called, it caused such a ruckus that she was released from jury duty. You can read about it by clicking here

Wow. I am amazed. For a few reasons. Seriously? A woman changed her name to Jesus Christ? Its not so much that its a woman, because I think that even if it were a man who had changed his name, I would be equally surprised. To change your name to the savior of the universe is a pretty tall order. Can you imagine how people would respond to you if you messed up just the tiniest little bit?

"Um, excuse me Jesus, but I was really expecting a little better from you".

"Yea, Jesus, would it be possible for you to show up on time for work next time?"

"You know Jesus, I've been meaning to talk to you about your attitude problem".

Or how would it sound if it were your name?

"Hello, this is Jesus Christ, may I speak to Harold please?"

"Well its a pleasure to meet you! My name is Jesus Christ, but you can just call me Jesus"

There are endless situations! If you're name was Jesus Christ, people would expect perfection from you at all times. I figure if you have the guff to change your name to the savior, you should start acting like one. Word of advice- don't change your name to Jesus Christ, it would be way to complicated.

Here's the spin though- if I were on trial, I'll tell you who I would want on my Jury, and that would definitely be Jesus Christ. Not this woman named JC, the actual King of Kings and Lord of Lords Jesus of Nazareth who is the Christ.

This is how I know that woman wasn't truly Jesus, because this is what Jesus would have done. He would have gone to the judge, and taken the penalty for the crime that person committed. Jesus would take the blame and punishment for something He didn't do. Because well, that's what Jesus did on the cross. He took the penalty for the things we did wrong.

Remind yourself of two things today-

1. You are not Jesus. Do not try to be Him. Try to be like Him. Mold your life to live as He lived, not to actually become Him. We don't need another Savior.

2. You want Jesus on your side when you're in trouble. Don't kick him off the Jury. Unless you're in Birmingham and its a lady named Jesus. More than likely that person isn't all there.

Be blessed.

Matt

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

We Put Up The Lighted Idol To The god of Materialism Last Night

I did a little gooogling about the History of the Christmas tree and there is quite a bit of controversy regarding that little green bush that we decorate every year. Some say its a pagan symbol. Some say its a Christian symbol. Some just say its a tree.

We put up the lighted idol to the god of materialism last night- our Christmas tree. At least, that's what some would call it. I'm not sure exactly what it is, but to us, it is a tradition that we do in our family to recognize that it is time for reflection of the season Christmas.

The pagan vs. Christian debate can be brought up in regards to many things in our society. There are some people that believe that Christians shouldn't associate with or be a part of anything that is not explicitly Christian. To them, putting up a lighted tree in their home is akin to erecting a place of worship to the god of Mammon.

Here's what I think- You can put a poster on your wall that says "Jesus is Lord" or you can erect a silver pole and perform feats of strength. What I believe matters most, is WHY you're doing it. Whats the motivation behind it? I think that it is just as easy to erroneously put a cross over your door and think that its going to protect your family, as it is to put a lighted tree in your living room and not think about what Christmas really means.

I know its early in the season, but I want to encourage you today to start to reflect about what this season truly means. I think its important because with every light, every cookie, every song, if we don't reflect or think about it, this season can be rather meaningless.

Here's what Christmas is all about- the arrival of Jesus. The child who came into this world to reconcile people to God. That's it. The arrival of Jesus is an announcement that we will eventually no longer be enemies of God.

Think about that this month. Think about how glorious it is we have a God who sent us a savior in His son Jesus. If we spend a bit more time reflecting on that this month, everything we do will have a bit more meaning, because we will be reflecting on what truly matters. Not trees, presents and snow, but the arrival of the King of Kings.

Be blessed
matt

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Back From the Break- Have I got a Story For You.

Hey- I hope you had a great break over the weekend and you took some time to reflect and be thankful for the blessings in your life. Our family took the time to drive to Idaho and spend some time with my grandparents. It was a wonderful visit.

I've never been a black Friday shopper. Its not my thing. I don't even enjoy regular shopping, so why would I subject myself to abuse on the most shopped day of the year?

Well, being the wonderful husband that I am, I agreed to go with my wife to the 'doorbuster' at Toys r Us. It opened at midnight on Thanksgiving Day. Quite early, or late depending on your point of reference. The reason we were going there, was that we wanted to buy a present for our son that was about 40 dollars cheaper during the sale.

It was Thanksgiving day, it was a toy store, and we were in Spokane Washington, so we figured that there wouldn't be anyone there. We decided to drive over near the store a bit early, grab a cup of coffee and sit in our vehicle and wait for the doors to open.

When we arrived at the store, there was a sea of people that extended farther than my eyes could see. They were all the way down the multi-store building and around the corner. Literally, there must have been over 1000 people waiting in this line. We were amazed.

We parked our vehicle and sat and looked at the line and thought, 'do we really want to go and wait in that line'? It was enormous, and the reality was that even if we waited in the line, we would not have a guarentee of getting what we wanted. Honestly, I was so surprised that there were this many people lined up in the middle of the night at a toy store.

We waited to see what was going to happen at midnight when the doors opened. What happened angered me. Right at midnight, as the line started to move, dozens of people came out from the darkness and attempted to push their way to the front of the line.

You should have heard the screams of the people in line. We were in a closed vehicle and it was loud. They were mad that these people were cutting, and so was I. I hadn't even waited in the line and I thought that it was lame what those people were doing. I can appreciate that they didn't want to wait in that line. I was right there with them. I didn't want to wait in that line either. It was long. It was cold. It looked painful.

As we sat there, we were wondering what we were going to do. Wait or go. Wait or go. I wont go into extended detail because I don't want to divulge our benevolent friends, but this is what I will say- We didn't get in that line. Didn't get out of the vehicle, and God made a way for us to get that present for our Son.

Its amazing how the Lord works to bless us. Someone called us while we were sitting there and we told them what we were doing and they went online and bought us that present for our son so we wouldn't have to wait in that line. It was so surprising. So amazing. So unexpected.

As we were driving away, I couldn't help but think of those line jumpers. I wondered if they realized that God blesses people. That you don't have to crowd someone else, or cut in a line because of fear of not getting what you want.

I know God knows where I am and what I'm doing. It was awesome to receive a tangible blessing without having to crowd a line, or wait in a line with a crowd.

Allow the Lord to bless you this season. Don't get worried. Don't get angry. Don't push to the front of the line. Put your hopes and dreams in His hands no matter how big or small and watch what he does. You'll be surprised.

Have a blessed week.
matt