And Their Number Multiplied Daily

I got a comment immediately when I posted last night. It was a curious comment and I was a little puzzled by it. I had a pretty good idea what it meant, so, just to investigate, I followed the link back to the commenter's blog site. Although you could do the same, I don't recommend that you do!

I guess I'm just glad that there are more Christians talking about this kind of stuff on blogger and other such sites. I'm glad we can be iron sharpening iron. I'm glad we can encourage each other, lift each other up in our virtual community, and make unbelievers question. Even if it's only to question why on earth we Christians waste our time talking about this stupid stuff. Some people waste their time with their heads in toilets. I prefer to use mine in other ways. And as I do, I only pray that someone else like §å®å[¦]*&*TreeNaH comes along and stays long enough to see a little light.

Have a Yourself a Generic Little Christmas

Tonight we had the pure parental pleasure of watching our daughter sing in a children's choir for the Governor's Carolighting. What a beautiful experience for her. She even had an ETV camera zoom in really close! The service was beautiful, the music exceptional. It was an inspiring way to launch into the Christmas season.... until the Governor started speaking.

We are fortunate in our state to have a "Christian" governor. He acknowledged at the start of his speech that Christmas truly belongs to the Christians. How sad when he had to continue on struggling to find pertinence for those who "do not hold to the Christian origins of the season". He decided that Christmas offers two positive opportunities for "non-Christians".

First of all, according to our governor, Christmas provides an opportunity for people to practice traditions and experience "togetherness". He related warm memories of his mother reading T'was the Night Before Christmas to him and his siblings. Next, he offered that non-christians could experience a new appreciation for others through gift giving and cited the example of a self-absorbed teen who ponders what his little brother might truly like for Christmas.

How sad that we offer to others a false "meaning" of Christmas during this sacred season in attempt to include them without imposing our "beliefs" on them. How sad that others can only know a portion of the joy we experience as Christians through the true meaning of Christmas. How wonderful that others could experience a full, guilt-free, abundant life in communion with the One true God of the universe, if only we would stop trying to not offend them. What if this Christmas we offered everyone on our gift list Jesus. It just might be the very best Christmas ever!

Being Real

It used to be I'd wait in the car during Molly's dance lesson, using the time to catch up on Bible study or Oswald. Since the time change it's been too dark so I've been sitting in the tiny lobby at the desk. Last week I got distracted by some older girls from an earlier class discussing why they weren't dancing with the junior company. I was impressed to hear them say that because they were Christians, they refused to dance for the company because they were required, as company members, to dance in the annual production of Dracula. I encouraged them and told them about Patty Graham and Lauren LoPresto who have a worship dance company open to the public.

This week, I was desperately needing some time alone with my studies when a grandmother (whom I see every week but don't interact with much) brought her dinner to the desk and began questioning me about what I was doing. (It's a very small desk... getting smaller).

How do you wrap up 9 weeks of incredible study on revival for a total stranger? How do you tell them that life is not life, but rather death, without an intimate relationship with God?

She told me that she was raised Catholic and that the whole concept of a personal relationship with Jesus was a fairly new concept- something that has only been "pushed" for, say, the past 15-20 years. She said that she learned many of the concepts I was mentioning (honesty, humility, repentance, holiness, grace, obedience, clear conscience, and forgiveness)in catechism. I told her I understood about catechism because I had gone through it as well (although not raised Catholic). I shared with her that all catechism taught me was that there was a holy God to be feared but nothing of His interest in me personally. Sure, He wanted to redeem mankind but He probably had no clue that I even existed. I shared with her that I really had no use for that kind of religion (or God, for that matter). She looked a little shocked that I would be so bold (or maybe disrespectful) to toss out religion like that but I meant it. She asked me where I went to church.

I don't know if she saw any Jesus in me or not. I hope so. She said, "Nice meeting you," when I left. All I know is that when I see her again I hope we'll talk more about this "new" concept of a personal God and relationship with Him. I've never really been able to talk freely about a truely intimate relationship with Him to other people, mainly because only recently has He become more than just an aquaintence. It wasn't until He rescued me from the pits of despair and held my hand as He walked through the really scary, yucky stuff of life that He became "real" to me. And now I'm "real" to Him as well....and you know what happens when you're "real", don't you?

I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. John 10:28