Elf on the Shelf and the naughty list

“Traditions are there for a reason: to provide us with guilt when we don’t do them correctly.”  Kelly Wickham

  Since my children are all adults, there are “new” traditions with Christmas with which I’m completely unfamiliar. One that sprang up in recent years is the Elf on the Shelf. It developed from the 2005 children's picture book by Carol Aebersold and her daughter Chanda Bell. The book tells a Christmas-themed story, written in rhyme, that explains how Santa Claus knows who’s naughty and who’s nice. It describes elves visiting children between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve, after which they return to the North Pole until the next holiday season. The Elf on the Shelf comes in a keepsake box with a picture book and a small soft toy elf.

  The elf shows up at your house and keeps an eye on your children to ensure that they’re “good.” He reports back to Santa every night then comes back to your house and hides somewhere new where he can watch the kids. Children are taught that Santa is watching them through his minions so that they will behave. Parents randomly hide the elf in different places, to keep the kids on their toes. It’s a fun challenge to find the elf and when they spy the elf, it reminds them that they’re always being watched and had better be good…or it’s lumps of coal for Christmas.

  One Canadian mother thinks that this is a horrible idea, and probably akin to child abuse. Suzanne Beaumont is on a one woman crusade, encouraging parents to ditch this holiday tradition in favor of something with a more positive message. She believes that Elf on the Shelf sends a message to kids that they’re under constant surveillance by Santa and his pointy-eared minions. After reading the book, she felt “really disturbed” and felt something must be done to counter the tradition, so she came up with a new, more positive twist: What if the elf actually taught them something? What if his role was to be the example and give them an opportunity to practice kindness, compassion and gratitude? So she brought the elf home and gave him a new moniker, “Kindness the Elf” and explained to her daughter that the elf’s purpose was to bring kindness to them during the holidays and to encourage her to be good for goodness’ sake, not out of fear of punishment. Her daughter wakes up every morning and heads straight for the mailbox. That's where she finds instructions from Kindness the Elf telling her what positive things she should do that day.

  Now before you decide that I’m the Grinch, there’s nothing wrong with a little make-believe and fantasy. Christmas should be fun, particularly for children. Personally, I think folk like Ms. Beaumont have probably had a bit too much egg nog. And while we chose to not teach our children about Santa Claus, we were committed to making Christmas a lot of fun for our threesome. So if you want to teach your children that there’s a Santa, or Elf on the Shelf, or the Tooth Fairy, that’s a parental choice.

  Elf on the Shelf opens the window for a vital biblical truth. While most adults are far too “sophisticated” to believe someone is always watching, He is. His name is God. It’s what theologians call “omniscience.” That simply means that God is all-knowing; that He encompasses all knowledge of the universe past, present, and future. In the beginning, God created the world and everything in it, including knowledge. In other words – God knows everything. Not only does He know everything, Proverbs 15:3 says that God sees everything. “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.”

  And that’s my big problem. Since God knows everything, there really is a “naughty list,” and my name is on it (probably at the top) and so is yours. And what’s worse, I can’t ever be good enough to get my name off the list. As Romans 3:10 says, “None is righteous, no not one.”

  Santa, Elf on the Shelf, the Austrian Krampus, the Dutch Zwarte Piet (Black Peter) the German Knecht Ruprecht, to name a few…all have one thing in common – the Law. But Jesus came to bring us the Gospel (Good News). The most important truth that you need to know and teach your children and grandchildren is the distinction between and the Law and the Gospel. God is not another Santa Claus. 

  While we’re absolutely incapable of ever being good enough to receive anything but coal in our stockings, the only hope for goodness is only found in the only One capable of absolute perfection. His name is Jesus.

  Most of the world believes in some sort of Santa Claus and it’s not just at Christmas. It’s 24/7, 365 days a year. It’s the lie of “do good and you’ll be accepted by God and will receive good things. Do bad and you’ll be punished.” It’s the Law, it’s Karma…it’s even typical parenting. But the true message of Christmas is about the Gospel! Thank God for the Gospel! Thank God for the incarnation of His Son who came to earth to save us from this filthy mess into which we’ve gotten ourselves! As the angel said to Joseph, “you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). And later as the angel announced to the  shepherds, “Unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11).

  We can be free! We no longer live have to live under this burden of guilt and sin, but now can live in the freedom of Christ. That’s what Christmas is really about. We no longer have to live within the confines of the Law. The Holy Spirit was not left to look over our shoulder to make sure that we’re being good enough for God. Jesus didn’t come for those who were good enough and He certainly didn’t come to rat us out. The Son Of God humbled Himself in His incarnation into the restricted form of a human body, lived a sinless life, and then willingly hung on a tree to die for those who deserved not only coal but much worse. He did this all knowing that you and I could never be good enough to appease the Father. We could never earn a righteousness of our own so God’s gift to us was the righteousness of His Son wrapped up in a blood-stained, tragic death, which culminated in a cry of “It is finished.” That cry, “It is finished” declared once for all Jesus’ annihilation of the naughty and nice list. With that cry that He stuffed Santa down the chimney and shoved that Elf off the shelf so that we could be free…free for all eternity.

  Mercy means withholding judgment and punishment that we fully deserve. After mercy, grace is giving us blessing, goodness and Heaven too…none of which we deserve. It’s all a free gift, God’s Christmas gift to us. Have you accepted God’s gift for forgiveness and salvation? 

  This Christmas rest in Him, rest in His goodness and not your own. And please, give your children the greatest gift they’ll ever receive – the grace that tells them that they have a Savior who loves them and has come to rescue them from the crushing news that they will never be good enough. 

Looking for quality used Christian books and other types of books at prices lower than even Amazon. Check out our family's online used bookstore at resurrectedreads.com or visit our store at the Waterford Unique Antique Market at 209 North Milwaukee Street in Waterford, WI -- 262.534.3500. 

Missing Mom!

“It is more important to influence people than to impress them.” 

                                                                       Adrian Rogers

  She was the quiet, steady one. It wasn’t that she was shy, it was more that before she spoke, she wanted to make sure that she really had something to say. Her humility probably had a lot to do with it too. She was never one to seek the limelight. As much as she could, she dodged it. It was her love for Jesus and others that often brought her into the light, never her desire for the spotlight.

  Heaven grew a little richer for me this past week. Tuesday morning Mom Cummins closed her eyes on this earth and woke up in Glory! Somehow I have the feeling, though the Bible doesn’t tell us, that Dad Cummins was waiting for her to get Home by the gates.

  I first met Mary Cummins (Mom) when she was already in the second half of life. She and Dad Cummins moved to Atlanta, when he became the pastor of my church. Periodically, I’d visit in their home but I never really got to know her until I was in high school. Their home became one of my places of sanity as my real Dad’s addictions spiraled more and more out of control. It was a safe haven! No one was threatening to hurt or kill me.

  Eventually, I convinced my father to send me away to high school when I was fifteen to Wisconsin. I wasn’t sure that my path and the Cummins’ path would ever cross again. But then Dad Cummins took a church in LaCrosse, Wisconsin just as I was beginning my freshman year of college at Maranatha in Watertown…and he invited me to come up on weekends to work in the church with him…the rest is history.

  So here’s a couple that has essentially raised their family. Four out of their five daughters were in adulthood. They’re on the cusp of being empty nesters but they invite this “kid” who’s training for the ministry yet he has lots of baggage to come and live with them.

  I didn’t know anything about being part of a family, at least not a normal one. Essentially, I’d been on my own since I was ten, when my real Mom was killed in a car wreck. At first, it was during the summers and weekends. Later, it would be more. Mom Cummins touched my life in so many ways. Dad Cummins and I were close but there was a special bond between Mom and I, one that I was sometimes oblivious to. I feel inadequate to even put it into words.

  What first drew me to Mom was her casualness. There just wasn’t much that rocked her boat. She had a way making you feel at ease and didn’t make you look stupid. That was huge for me! I’d been shamed and demeaned most of my early years. To be accepted and not feel like I was an idiot was like being in Paradise.

  Then, she was consistently consistent. She just didn’t have bad days. Always steady, always the same. Always with a smile. Always ready to welcome who ever stopped by. Always in her Bible and praying for others. Always ready to serve. For me, she was super woman!

  And I loved her laugh. She had a sweet giggle. She even had it to the very end. She’d surprise you because she was mischievous and you didn’t expect it. For example, when I’d come home on weekends, I’d drink a lot of milk. She had it in a special pitcher in the refrigerator but one week it had gone sour. Knowing that I’d be home soon, she left it. I didn’t realize that it was bad until I’d taken my first big gulp…and she just cackled.

  I’d never met someone so creative, thrifty and hardworking. She made her own granola, graham crackers, ketchup, etc. There wasn’t much Mom wouldn’t try and couldn’t do. She was quite a seamstress and even made underwear (Thankfully not mine!). She just didn’t seem to know how to sit down, and even then her hands would be working. Her therapy was gardening. Woe be to the poor sap who she hooked into helping “for a bit” in the garden. It was more like a month of hard labor. Even those decades younger than her couldn’t keep up with her. She’d work circles around you. You’d be spent but she was like the Energizer Bunny, still going and going and going.   

  I’ve always felt that I was a bit hard to surprise but Mom Cummins continually surprised me. One winter a group of us went snow skiing from the church and Mom went along…and she loved it. She consistently surprised me with her silence. If she didn’t like something, she wouldn’t criticize or complain, she’d get very quiet and just look down.  

  My junior year of Bible college, I went through a very dark valley of doubt. That’s not a good thing for someone training for the ministry. I wasn’t sure what I believed, if the Bible was true, or if there was even a God. I was living with them but was in a constant state of an agitated soul. To make matters worse, jobs were very scarce…so I had nothing to occupy me and more importantly, to occupy my mind.

  Finally, I bailed. I left Dad and Mom a note and hitchhiked to Texas to find a job on the oil rigs. When I’d call home, even though I’d deeply hurt them, though I’d disappointed them and wasn’t their biological son, they begged me to come home. Most people would have washed their hands but not Dad and Mom. Dad would urge me to come home, telling me that Mom was so worried about me that she couldn’t sleep.

  The clouds in my soul still hadn’t cleared but finally I did. I didn’t know how she’d respond when I came to the door. I’ll never forget it. I know a bit what the Prodigal must have felt. Though I’d caused her such heartache – it was total acceptance, forgiveness and unconditional love.

  Jane didn’t meet my biological family until the day before we got married but she met Mom and Dad Cummins almost right away. I knew that she was the one when they immediately accepted her as part of the family. They loved her as much as they loved me! When we got married, it was Dad and Mom Cummins who provided the rehearsal dinner for their “son.” They were the grandparents from my side that my children would not have had without them.

  Mom modeled love and commitment. I only saw her become irritated with Dad once in all of the years that I lived with them. Dad was the incurable romantic; she was the school girl who was bashful at so much attention and affection. That they loved each other somehow seems such an inadequate description, and that love that they had for each other flowed from them for others. Every night you’d hear them praying together kneeling by their bed before they went to sleep, praying for all those that they loved and cared for. When the Lord took Dad Home, she showed a side I don’t think any of us had seen before, a broken heart. 

  Words can’t express how much I loved her and will miss her but I wouldn’t wish her back. She’s finally Home and I’ll see her in the morning. I’m just so thankful that the Lord brought her into my life! 

Looking for quality used Christian books and other types of books at prices lower than even Amazon. Check out our family's online used bookstore at resurrectedreads.com or visit our store at the Waterford Unique Antique Market at 209 North Milwaukee Street in Waterford, WI -- 262.534.3500. 

I'm dreaming of a stress free Christmas

“A Christmas miracle is when your family doesn’t get into a single argument all day.” Melanie White

For some reason, no other holiday seems to bring out the worst in us than Christmas. Hopefully…obviously, the number one way to keep Christ in your Christmas celebrations is to have Him present in your daily life and not just at Christmas. As believers, keeping Christ in Christmas is more about the way we live our lives than any of the things that we say—such as “Merry Christmas” versus “Happy Holidays.” Keeping Jesus in Christmas means living moment by moment in the power of the Spirit revealing the character, love and spirit of Christ that dwells in us, allowing these traits to shine through your actions. Probably, none of us this will be new, yet they’re good reminders to help us keep Christ the central focus of our lives this Christmas season, after all, it is OUR holiday. What other time of year can we walk into stores or the mall and hear music directing us to worship Christ the Lord? When else can we stroll through offices and see strings of cards depicting nativity scenes? Let’s be wise and take advantage of these seasonal opportunities, keeping our focus on Christ and sharing the gospel in the process.

  * Find a devotional guide or take the time to plan out a Bible reading schedule to carry you through Christmastime with daily meditations on Christ’s advent, incarnation, virgin birth, and Davidic lineage. If you haven’t already, memorize the Christmas story in Luke 2.

  * Pray. Make a list of the people in your life who need the Savior. Pray for them and ask the Lord to give you opportunities to share with them.

  * Have a family meeting. Talk about the fact that the Prince of Peace has come and you’re committed to having His peace in your home this season. Be honest about changes in the schedule with school out, late nights or extra activities. Enlist the whole family as an army of peacemakers.

  * Correspond. Include the gospel in annual Christmas letters. Choose cards with a message, or consider making your own. If you have young children, this might be a great family activity. If you support a child through an organization like World Vision or Compassion International, tuck in some Christmas-themed stickers with your greeting card.

  * Decorate. Let your Christmas tree serve as a reminder that Christ hung on a tree so that one day we might be invited to eat freely from the Tree of Life. You might place your crèche in a central location, yet leave the cradle empty until Christmas morning—when you make a grand celebration of the baby’s arrival.

  * Invite. Ask unchurched friends to join you in attending a Christmas production. Invite neighbors over for dinner and share what Christmas means to you. Take a child shopping with you to buy toys for underprivileged kids. Adopt a family that is struggling that you can be a blessing to. Be extra generous in your tip (and attitude) when you’re out to eat with the servers. Sometimes when we’re out, our family has looked for an individual or family who’s also there, and anonymously paid their bill.

  * Give wisely. For the people on your Christmas list, select gifts with eternity in view. Consider giving books, music, videos, subscriptions or even tickets to special events that will encourage each recipient in his or her relationship with Christ.

  * Give of yourself. USA Today reports that 30% of Americans spend $750 or more on Christmas presents. 19% say they’ll shell out over $500 for gifts, and 22% will buy $250 worth of stuff. A mere 8% expect Christmas spending to be less than $100. Instead of laying out so much cash consider meaningful gifts you can create. Make a gift certificate for three hours of free childcare for a friend or neighbor. Write your life story—including your personal testimony—and give copies to your children or grandchildren. Have your parents’ home movies transferred to video or disk and give copies to the whole family. Give an old family recipe in a basket full of all the ingredients. Record yourself reading a favorite Bible story and send it to your grandkids.

  * Give food. Take a basket of Christmas dinner food to someone in need. If you have children, take them with you and talk about the One who said, “It’s better to give than to receive.”

  * Take the whole family and carol a shut-in or elderly person who has difficulty going out during the winter. You could even encourage another family to join you, and go out for hot chocolate afterwards.

  * Clean out attic or closets. If you have extra bedding, pillowcases, or coats, take them to a place like the Milwaukee Rescue Mission that ministers to the homeless. Rather than saving it all for later, put it to a good use now.

  * Invest. If people ask what you want for Christmas, provide the name of your church or some other favorite charity and ask them to make a donation, instead of buying you another ugly sweater.

  * Spend time visiting shut-ins or teaching literacy. Build bridges so you can cross them to share Christ’s love. Please don’t limit yourself to Christian charities—your work in a secular setting could provide you with opportunities to share with other volunteers who might never go to church.

  * Give a surprise gift of service to each member of your family. Jesus taught us to serve by washing the disciples’ feet. The idea of giving an unexpected gift of service to members of your family demonstrates both Christ-like love and service. Maybe give a back rub to your spouse, run an errand for your brother, or clean out a closet for your mother. Make it personal and meaningful, and watch the blessings multiply.

  * Set aside a time for family devotions on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning. Before opening the gifts, take a few minutes to gather together as a family in prayer and devotions. Read the Christmas story again in Scripture. Perhaps have each family member read a portion. Then, take some time and discuss as a family the true meaning of Christmas.

  * Attend one of the Grace Church’s Christmas Eve Services together with your family. If you’re alone this Christmas or don’t have family living near you, invite a friend or a neighbor to join you. 

  Please plan now for a peace-filled, joyful holiday, before the craziness of the Christmas season consumes you and choose to truly keep Christ in Christmas this year! 

Looking for quality used Christian books and other types of books at prices lower than even Amazon. Check out our family's online used bookstore at resurrectedreads.com or visit our store at the Waterford Unique Antique Market at 209 North Milwaukee Street in Waterford, WI -- 262.534.3500. 

Sometimes my wife, Jane, can be so annoying...

“Is it not lamentable that men will never thank God for the countless blessings He confers upon them, and then remember Him only to complain of the evils which they have brought upon themselves, and which are never half so great as their misconduct deserves?” 

John Broadus

  Thanksgiving is that season of the year when my wife, Jane, can be a real source of irritation for me. Complaining about Jane is not something I typically do, yet most people have no idea of how much I suffer. The Thanksgiving Season highlights this obnoxious behavior of hers more than any other time of year. So let me share my “thorn in the marriage.”

  All of us have our standard approach to life…and that’s where we have an issue. Jane habitually approaches life with gratitude whereas I, sadly, too often approach life with grumbling. Since we first got married, I’ve grown and become much, more quiet about it. And I don’t mean to shock any of you, but when Jane and I were first married, there were times when we’d be out shopping and the ineptness and incompetence of some local store (at least in my professional opinion J) irritated me. So I’d become a little loud in letting those around me know that I thought that this was completely unacceptable. Rather than chiming in and supporting my whining, Jane would hurry her pace and walk quite a bit ahead of me…almost like she didn’t know me or want to be seen with me. It was completely gauche but I soon got the hint.

  Praise the Lord! I’ve come a long way since then…unfortunately, I still have a long ways to go. Yet, I’m very thankful that both the Lord and Jane are so patient. Maybe that’s why I’m so thankful that in heaven we’ll spend so much time being thankful and praising the Lord. I’ve got a lot of catching up to do.

  God’s Word commands us to be consistently thankful (Ouch!). In writing to the Thessalonian Christians who were suffering intense persecution, the Apostle Paul wrote, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). I wonder how they received that. It sounds nice enough in church, until you find yourself in difficult, even painful circumstances. Then, God’s Word can feel a bit like an insensitive platitude.

  “How can I be thankful when _________?” Countless scenarios complete the sentence. “How can I be thankful when this is the first Thanksgiving since my Mom died? How can I be thankful when I’m so depressed? How can I be thankful when I’m in the middle of chemotherapy? How can I be thankful when I’m not even sure if I’ll have food for dinner tonight?”

  Those are honest questions, ones honest believers have asked throughout the ages. Add to that, some of us struggle more with gratitude than others. Yet, as believers, most would really like to feel grateful, yet their life circumstances seem to make genuine gratitude impossible. They feel stuck in discouragement and despair.

  If we take the book of Psalms as a model for prayer, then we should certainly feel free, even obligated, to share with the Lord our hurts, frustrations and disappointments. Genuine prayer is not putting a happy face on our true feelings. If you’re grieving the loss of a loved one, or feeling afraid because you’re facing a serious illness, you should certainly share those feelings with your Heavenly Father. Being thankful in all circumstances doesn’t mean pretending or denying.

  It does mean though that we must look beyond our circumstances. Gratitude comes when we look at the bigger picture, when we remember the multitude of ways in which we’re blessed, even if we’re also feeling sadness, fear or whatever else seems inconsistent with being thankful. It means realizing that everything we experience in this life is temporary!  

  As I was writing this, I received a phone call that my adopted Mom (Mary Cummins) had been rushed to the hospital. Last week she had a stroke. She was doing better and had been moved to rehab. Yet, now she has pneumonia, is having trouble breathing and has congestive heart failure. It’s very likely that she’ll be going Home soon. None of us who love her would for the briefest moment want to prolong her suffering. Ever since the Lord called Dad Cummins Home, she’s been lost without him. In recent years she’s suffered from dementia and confusion. I’ve wondered if possibly her heart was so broken with the loss of the love of her life, that it was God’s gift to her to help her cope with a broken heart.

  Yet, I praise God for Mom Cummins. At some of the lowest points of my life, she and Dad Cummins were there for me with grace and strength. So I’m able to offer genuine thanks without denying the sadness of loss.

  Yet, what about believers who are in the midst of suffering right now? Can they be truly grateful? My answer is “Yes.” How do I know this? Because I’ve seen it time and again in God’s Word, in my own life and in my pastoral ministry. I’ve watched people in the midst of a horrible crisis nevertheless be able to express authentic thanks to God.

  That ability to look beyond our immediate circumstances is itself a gift of God’s grace. If you’re struggling to be grateful, ask the Lord to give you a fresher and truer perspective on your life, to help you see life from His perspective. Allow yourself enough time to remember and reflect upon God’s innumerable gifts. Most of all, think about who God is – that He’s your Father. Meditate upon His mercy and love. The more you do, the more you’ll find true gratitude growing and flowing from your heart.

  So while we don’t thank God for all things, we can thank Him in all things. When we pray, we can pray with thanksgiving. The healthiest human emotion is not love, it’s gratitude. As we cultivate an attitude of gratitude, of being thankful in everything, God in turn gives us more grace. It reduces both the pain and stress in life.

  And it’s not enough to pray and give thanks. We must follow up with that by choosing to change our mental diet. Most of us “meditate” on the negative. It’s imperative that we change the way we think, because the way we think determines how we feel. The way we feel determines how we act. 

  Scripture teaches that if you want to change your life, you must change what you’re thinking about. It requires a deliberate, conscious choice where you choose to think about the right things. We must choose to think on God, hope, His grace and Word. We must choose to think of God’s blessings and what we have to be grateful for. It’s simply obeying Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

Looking for quality used Christian books and other types of books at prices lower than even Amazon. Check out our family's online used bookstore at resurrectedreads.com or visit our store at the Waterford Unique Antique Market at 209 North Milwaukee Street in Waterford, WI -- 262.534.3500. 

One man and One red cup

“I’m glad Jewish people didn’t get upset at Starbucks. Just imagine how tough it’d be for baristas to write ‘Happy Hanukkah’ on every cup.”

Over the last week a red cup/Christmas controversy about Starbucks and their purported anti-Christmas conspiracy exploded on social media. It all started after former pastor, Joshua Feuerstein, posted a viral video to Facebook stating the company was removing “Christmas from their cups because they hate Jesus.” But what most don’t realize is that Josh Feuerstein has been at this for years, posting hundreds of videos of himself screaming mini-sermons into his smartphone camera. While he has almost 2 million followers on Facebook, (it’s not clear how many became fans after the Starbucks takedown went viral) most had no idea who Feuerstein was before his video. Feuerstein’s often incendiary views are part of his whole public persona. Apparently, he loves to fan the flame of public opinion.

  Yet, to my knowledge, no notable Christian leader or group has joined his one man boycott. On the contrary, most Christians are vocally opposing it. Many have watched Feuerstein’ grandstanding from the sidelines and even had some fun with the silliness of it all. His “anger” gave billions of dollars of free advertising to the very company he supposedly disdains. There are though important lessons for us as Bible-believers from this entire stunt.

  Too often outrage is our default mode. It seemed that most Christians who were “outraged,” weren’t outraged at Starbucks but were outraged at the supposed Christians making this an issue. Liberal media outlets like The Huffington Post had a field day ridiculing Christians incensed over this, but they’d have real difficulty finding those legions of Christians who were so angered over this. Most were just outraged that someone had made it an issue. Anger is dangerous, yet that seems to be the first weapon of choice for the average Christian whether it’s toward the secular media, the devolving of the culture, government, etc. Many will rationalize that Jesus got angry. That’s true but the reason that Jesus’ anger was so powerful and garners our attention is that anger was so rare with Jesus. It was anything but His default mode. He truly lived out His name, “the Prince of Peace.”

  There is true power even in one voice. With a world population of 7 billion and some 320 million Americans, most of us feel very, very small, even minute. Yet, just one man, Josh Feuerstein, literally caused social media to erupt. English poet, John Donne was right, “No man is an island.” Or, as the Bible insightfully reminds us, “For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself” (Romans 14:7). You are the only Dad or Mom that your children will have. Even if you’re past the childrearing years, you’re still influencing them. Our family, friends, neighbors, co-workers even our Facebook friends are watching. Yet, what are they learning about Jesus, life, and what has true value from us?

  Those don’t know Jesus will usually act like people who don’t know Jesus. America is not a Christian nation. If it is, why do you lock your doors at night? Starbucks has never claimed to be a Christian company. Howard Schultz, the founder and CEO of Starbucks is not a Christian, so why would we expect him to live by biblical values? He is not only a coffee aficionado, he’s a true humanitarian who passionately seeks to take care of his employees and have a positive work environment. I find that his dedication to what he believes, puts me to shame as a Christian. His books, Onward and For Love of Country are powerful books and challenged my own heart. Add to that, many believers are employed by Starbucks. I have a childhood friend who manages one and uses her position as an opportunity to share the light of the gospel. We quickly forget that for us to be effective as “salt” in a decaying world, we must get out of the saltshaker. Both biblical heroes, Daniel and Joseph, were leaders in pagan cultures, using their positions to do God’s will and bring Him glory! God has placed you and me where we are for the same purpose.  

  The media has far too much influence on us. Most of us are far more familiar with current events or celebrities than we are with the eternal God or His timeless Word. Media is part of “a-muse” which means to “not think.” Biblical Christianity demands “musing” or “thinking.” The media whether it’s a news report, sitcom or movie communicates primarily to our emotions, not our intellect. The vast majority of it is little more than mental junk food. While feelings are part of God’s design, they’re not to be in the driver’s seat of our lives. First our intellect, then our will and finally our emotions are to direct us. Unfortunately, when most watch the media, they stop thinking and thus are manipulated. Add to that editing and censorship of only what fits the worldview of those in control, and you’re frequently only receiving a fraction of truth and reality. So we must stop and think.

  The war on Christmas is an old one. I’m not sure why the new red cup is even an issue. In the past, the Starbuck’s holiday cups had nothing to do with Christmas. There were snowflakes, ornaments, snowmen and sledding pictures. Other than the ornaments, those are staple items wherever there is winter and snow for several months each year. Add to that, we don’t know when Jesus was actually born. Most scholars think that He was born in the fall, not the winter. But Christmas is really about Christ-mas, not all of the other traditions that have squeezed Jesus out of the picture.

  Some ingenious marketers from the Victorian era began the trend of turning Christmas into a gift buying commercial event. In 1939 President Roosevelt moved the Thanksgiving holiday back a week to extend the Christmas shopping season. Today Christmas has very little to do with the birth of Jesus. Walk through the aisles of most stores and you’ll have difficulty finding a nativity scene. Recently, when I was at Home Depot, I saw Star Wars figurines that you can decorate your lawn with during the Christmas Season. I still haven’t figured out what Yoda has to do with Christmas, but I’m sure that they’re selling tons of them.  

  But the real war on Christmas takes place in our own hearts. Most of us feel overly stressed during the Christmas season – to buy the right gift, send out all the cards, to have a Norman Rockwell family Christmas feast, etc. I know that I do. We quickly forget and miss the opportunity to thank God and share with a lost world that Christmas is not about red cups or all of the other hype. Christmas is about a loving Father sending His only Son to take on the form of a man so that He could die a horrible death for our sins. Christmas is about giving that one gift 2,000 years ago – God’s gift to us! “Thanks be to God for His inexpressible gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15). 

Looking for quality used Christian books and other types of books at prices lower than even Amazon. Check out our family's online used bookstore at resurrectedreads.com or visit our store at the Waterford Unique Antique Market at 209 North Milwaukee Street in Waterford, WI -- 262.534.3500. 

The Invisible Poor

“A rich man is nothing but a poor man with money.” W.C Fields

  In a recent interview Donald Trump shared that he’s been told “no” his entire life. He then went to on say that his father gave him a “small loan of a million dollars” that he had to repay with interest at the start of his career.

  Very few people would classify a million dollars as a “small loan.” Yet, at the same time, most of us really don’t understand true poverty and what it means to be poor. I know that I don’t. 

  Because of media caricatures and sometimes generational bigotry, assumptions are often made about the poor that have little validity. Politicians use the poor as pawns, advancing political agendas, with little regard for assisting those who truly need it. Most in the middle class or above rarely personally know any poor people, at least with any depth.

  That’s one of the wonderful benefits of a local church in that those from all economic classes are present, welcomed and accepted. A biblical church must be classless, ageless, raceless and genderless. As Galatians 3:28 states, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

  Yet, most of what we know about those outside of our normal social circles, we learned second hand. As a result, we tend to develop stereotypes of what poor people are like that have little validity and are certainly not universal. There’s a tendency to imagine our own socio-economic group to be diverse, even “normal” while we imagine “other” people belonging to a another group with which we’re less familiar, as being, for all intents and purposes, all the same.  

  The end result though is that there’s a tendency to draw stereotypical conclusions. Please be honest. Are these assumptions that you have made? While I won’t elaborate on these, I do want to challenge our preconceptions. 1. Poor people are uneducated and often stupid. 2. Poor people are lazy. 3. Poor people are substance abusers. 4. Poor people are limited in their use of the English language and poor communicators. 5. Poor people are ineffective and inattentive parents.

  The fact is that you will find poor people that fit some or all of those five statements. You will also find rich people who fit some or all of those statements. They’re stereotypes that often have little reality or validity. For example, just because someone has a Ph.D. doesn’t mean that they’re smart. They may just be an educated fool.

  My reason for pointing this out is that as believers, we have a biblical responsibility to assist the poor, “Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and He will repay him for his deed” (Proverbs 19:17), but we rationalize not fulfilling our biblical obligations based on our stereotypes.

  We’re also entering the season when many are looking for more opportunities to be generous to those that are economically challenged. Yet, because the plight of the poor has been so politicized and we are more stereotypical than biblical, few of us have taken the time to really think through “Who are the poor? How can I truly help someone who is poor?” So let me share some practical suggestions.

  Make it personal. The American approach of delegating responsibility has sidelined the average Christian and caused us to miss being a blessing and in turn being blessed. Most of us, if we’d stop, pray and think – already have someone in our social circle who’s economically challenged. Begin by praying for them. Invest some time to really get to know them. Hopefully, it will challenge you to be something very, very biblical – Incarnational. Rather than loving someone poor from a distance in a sanitized way, you enter their world, know them, love and serve them as Jesus would.

  Let God stretch and humble you…and grow your gratitude. The most common sin in the Church today and the average Christian, and one rarely considered is PRIDE. It is easy to be thankful we’re not impoverished. But we wrongly conclude that it’s because of our own initiative, hard work and biblical obedience. We often also judge those in poverty.

  Everything we have is because of God’s grace. While following biblical principles can lead to stable or fruitful lifestyles, all people living in poverty have not been the cause of their situations. Many are born in poverty, many for generations, sometimes because of unjust societal structures or oppression. This may have left them without the resources and/or knowledge to escape it. Remember what Scripture tells us about wealth, “Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth…” (Deuteronomy 8:17-18).

  Take care of your own first. It’s not first the responsibility of government or even the church to take care of the poor. It’s first the family, 1 Timothy 5:3-4 & 8. Sadly, government stepped in because the family and church failed. I’m thankful for government programs that help the truly poor, yet it’s first the responsibility of the family and then the church. If someone is part of the church, and they don’t have family, it’s our responsibility as a family of believers to care for them. We’re to also care for brothers and sisters (Galatians 6:10), before those outside the church family.

  Be creative and help, don’t just enable. It is easier to write a check or give groceries, than it is to take the time to teach someone life skills, like how to get a job, how to keep it, how to budget, how to discern the difference between needs and wants, or even to encourage someone to break addictions that keep them in the cycle of poverty. To do this takes commitment, prayer, wisdom and a heart investment. Yet, the end results are worth it. It’s the fulfillment of the old adage by Maimonides, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”

  Remember Jesus’ commission is the main thing. The greatest need everyone has is not what they have in their stomach but what they have in their heart. Whether they are rich or poor, healthy or sick – everyone’s greatest need is to hear and accept the gospel. It’s what Jesus commanded us to do first and it must be our top priority. All mercy ministries must be first gospel focused. While we must not ignore physical needs, we just can’t ever forget what the greatest need is. It’s very tempting to neglect the spiritual for the physical because physical results are more evident.

  This issue of the needy can’t be avoided by Christians. We can’t stay silent on the problems of the impoverished, hoping governmental programs will absolve us of responsibility. It’s tragic that, by and large, too often we’ve virtually ignored the very people with whom Jesus spent the bulk of His ministry while we retreat within our stained-glass walls to sing about becoming “more like the Master.” It’s time every believer, every Bible-believing Church once again take seriously the command of Jesus to care for the needy and support those among us who are less fortunate.

Looking for quality used Christian books and other types of books at prices lower than even Amazon. Check out our family's online used bookstore at resurrectedreads.com or visit our store at the Waterford Unique Antique Market at 209 North Milwaukee Street in Waterford, WI -- 262.534.3500.