Reflections on Sixties Child

Last night we went out with my mom to celebrate Christmas and the New Year. We started talking about her as a teenager and young adult back in the 60s and 70s. She shared with us that as a high schooler, she was actually very conservative and was a registered member of the Teens for Nixon champaign organization! Then when she went off to Purdue University, her political worldview completely changed. She became a ragging hippie protesting the Vietnam War, burning her bras, and taking part in the first Earth Day.

I remarked to her how it seemed strange that she so radically transformed in just a short time. She said that she even remembers the moment she abandoned her conservative ideals. Thinking that it was some deeply cathartic experience, I was very interested in this story. She said that early on in college, she got into a conversation with another girl in her dorm. My mom remarked to her that the war in Vietnam was necessary to the world's security. The girl simply responded, "No, it isn't." Not to be out done, my mom said, "Yes, it is." The girl again just looked her in the eye and said, "No, it isn't." And, then my mom told me something ridiculous. She said, "And, I believed her!" She said at that point she became a hippie!

What?!? That's all it took?!? I lost it right there. It cracked me up that her worldview could be so dramatically altered by the earnest beliefs of another woman. We laughed a lot.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas, everyone! We hope that all of your are enjoying your families, and most importantly having a day of rejoicing over the birth and continuing presence of Jesus. Kathi and I are spending the day at her sister's place in Wellington. That's been really enjoyable mainly due to Kathi's two young nieces. It's fun to be around kids during Christmas. Plus they just got a Wii.

I say this every year it seems, but I always want to cut through the busyness of the time to really prepare spiritually for the holiday. For the first time in a long time, I did take that time this year. It was a blessing to dwell on the present realities of the truth of the nativity. One of the best things that I did today was listen to a lot of Christmas music. Along with all of the fun secular music, I've absorbed some of the classic sacred songs that I never really stopped to listen to.

Hark! The herald angels sing
Glory to the newborn King
Peace on earth and mercy mild
God and sinner reconciled

The Cost of Getting Off the Sidelines

I've been wrestling with some pretty weighty things lately. Here's what I wrote in my journal today. Is anyone else feeling like this, or is it just me?

Right now I’m reading Garrison’s Church Planting Movements book. The movements of God’s Spirit in the world are amazing. God truly is doing something in the world that we have never seen before. He is beginning to reap a harvest that we can’t even imagine. But, for the most part I feel like I’m sitting on the sidelines. I’m so comfortable with my easy evangelical life in my safe evangelical church.

I make grand statements about how I want to give my life for Christ, but do I really understand what I’m saying? The one thing I’m learning is that these great movements of God’s Spirit are advancing at a great cost. To get off the sidelines and into the game, so to speak, would cost my reputation, my comfort, my safety, and perhaps even my life. But, isn’t that the very cost that Jesus paid? He knew that the cost was miniscule compared to the glory that was reveal in Him in the resurrection. Paul knew it too.

“But whatever was to my profit I now consider a loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish that I may gain Christ and be found in him. I want to know Christ and power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.” (Philippians 3:7-11)

Reflections on Colorado Shootings

Most of you have probably been following the news recently about the shootings at the YWAM training facility and the church in Colorado. The senselessness of the whole thing has really effected me. Apparently, the gunman had spent time at the YWAM center, and was kicked out. And, then he spent the next five years seething with anger. What kind of evil gripped this man?

What's even more staggering to me is the sacrifice of the four young people who died. At the YWAM center, the two victims were in the early 20's. They were serving God, and probably passionate about loving Jesus and other people. At the church, the two victims were teenage siblings. These deaths, especially the two from YWAM, remind me of the cost of discipleship. I don't know if we should call these people martyrs or not, but they counted their lives worth nothing compared to the greatness of knowing Jesus.

I'm becoming more and more convinced that Kathi and I are going to be called to make a similar sacrifice. I'm not expecting to be killed for my faith per se. But, I'm seeing more clearly that following Jesus means laying down your life. For us this may just look like giving up what others think of us (and believe me, this requires a kind of death), and living lives to please Him only. I'm understanding a bit more what Jesus meant when he called us to take up our cross. The Good News is that through dying (whether it's physical dying or some emotion/spiritual death) we then can know his resurrection life.

"I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection of the dead." -Philippians 3:10-11

Reflections on Winter Snow

We just had the first snow of the year in northeast Ohio. The Cleveland area ended up with more than a foot of snow, while we settled for about 4 inches. I really love winter as long as it's snowing. It's the dry, windy, bitter cold times that I don't like. Both Kathi and I are hoping that the snow will continue through the month. We can't remember the last time we had a white Christmas.