Things to do before the Holidays

Usually my post here are spiritual in nature and hopefully make you think about Christ, but this one is just plain random. Here is a list of things to do before the holidays. Now these things may be physically done or done in thought, but any red blooded American will do these before the holidays.

1. buy presents: this is no brainer. we will all buy presents for people we love or people we know, but just don't want to feel guilty about not getting them somethings at the next Christmas party.

2. Christmas parties- Each and everyone of us will go to a Christmas party, whether we are popular or not, and enjoy a good ole fashion game of dirty Santa, sweets to fill our cavities with, and enough egg nog to make a cow sick.

3. Egg nog- this is a new one to my life. Egg nog was not bought or consumed growing up in my house, but over the last couple of years it has become quite an enjoyable treat around the holiday season.

4. Christmas music- Christmas music is a lot like oysters... it is an acquired taste. Also Christmas music is like a bad scary movie... no matter what channel you tune your radio to... you cannot escape it. It is impossible to not hear one Christmas song over the Christmas season.

5. Christmas movies- If you love sappy inspirational movies about how life is so much better at Christmas time or a moral lesson being learned about the importance of family and contentment... then look no further than the Christmas holidays. We all will sit down at least once this year to a glass of egg nog and its a wonderful life or a movie like it.

These are just a few of the things we will do over the Christmas season. Whether you like these duties or not, the magic, or the lack thereof, of Christmas will suck you into these 5 holiday traditions of Christmas. Merry Christmas and enjoy the egg nog.

The Sabbath

Rest is something we want, but can never seem to get enough of. We take vacations to rest and we come back from our vacation just as tired as when left. We take the students to a concert Friday, out to a movie Saturday, and get up and take them to lunch Sunday. We stay so busy doing ministry that sometimes we forget to follow the fourth commandment, “Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.” The awesome thing about God is He has given us permission to rest. He has given us permission to spend time with our families, to go to sleep, and enjoy a good book. What we must do is make sure that we find a day to get away from the students and enjoy a Sabbath. “How?” There are two things we need to consider about rest. (1) God has shown us how to rest and (2) God has commanded us to rest.

The example God has given us for rest is found in Genesis 2:2-3. “ By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.” If God saw it important to cease from work then how much more so for us to find a day to cease from work? Not only has God shown us how to rest, He has also commanded us to rest.

As mention earlier, Exodus 20:8 tells us to remember the Sabbath day. The Lord as He was given these commands to Moses saw fit to include the concept of rest into the Law for the Israelites. This should help us to see how important rest is to God. He put it on the same tablets as not worshiping any other gods and not murdering. As Christians, sometimes we find it easy to obey those, but much harder to rest from our work.

God has given us permission to rest from work. That means we need to cease from doing activity and recharge our life’s battery. I have a friend that loves playing guitar, but every so often he takes a month or two off from playing guitar. When he begins to practice again, he seems to be better than when he stopped. How did he get better without practicing? It wasn’t that he somehow slept on a music book and osmosis made him better. He just had time to process all that he was learning and when he returned back to playing the guitar he was refreshed. When we have a recharged battery, often times, it allows us to think more clearly and creatively in the work we are doing. I encourage you to take a day each week to rest from your day to day schedule and be still and know that He is God.

Christmas Lights and Amazement

"Stop! son don't put the Christmas lights into your mouth!" The joys of having a nine month old. I have never been much of a Christmas person, but my wife has. She loves the lights and music. I guess our son also loves the lights and music as well. What is interesting about Christmas with a baby is the wonder and amazement he has towards everything we find familiar. As he was looking and trying to gnaw on the Christmas lights, I found myself sort of jealous that what he was seeing with fresh new eyes I saw as same ole same ole. The wonder a child has towards the lights and wonder of Christmas should be the same wonder I have toward the Savior that came on that day. Often times as I enter into worship or devotion time with Jesus I find my mind wondering to what's for lunch? or did Mississippi State win the football game? Distractions cloud my vision and dampen my passion for the Savior who came to this earth to seek and save the lost. It then hits me in the face, The wonder of Christ has just become another thing on my to do list. This Christmas, I encourage you not to lose sight of the wonder and mystery of our Savior. Don't take for granted His love, His death, and His grace. Merry Christmas and be amazed once again like a child at the lights and wonder of Christmas.