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
Thursday, December 24, 2009
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
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
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
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
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
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