Christmas and Atheists

Christopher Hitchens, perhaps our day's most noted atheist, has died.  He is at least one atheist who will not be fighting nativity scenes in public places this Christmas.  Not that Hitchens would have bothered much with something as mundane as nativity scenes but many other atheists seem to think Christmas is a key battle ground.

In Santa Monica, California, churches have been placing nativity scenes in designated areas in a park for over 60 years.  This year atheist groups used a coordinated effort to book up almost all of the sites.  They not only kept nativity scenes out, they used them for their own message about the "myth" of Jesus as a real person.  The man who spearheaded the effort does not even live in Santa Monica.  Of course there is controversy over all of this.  It also helps the atheists get publicity.

But not all atheists are alike.  A new study found that 17 percent of atheists attended a religious service in the past year.  The most popular time for an atheist to go to church?  Christmas. Perhaps the committed atheists are trying to reach out to the less committed atheists to keep them from celebrating Christmas.

This week my wife Judith was speaking with a woman who was looking for the type of help that Perpetual Help Home (the women's ministry where my wife works) provides - housing, job training, spiritual help.  This woman had grown up in a family of atheists.   The family had fallen apart and now she was looking for help.  Judith explained the program to her and the mandatory spiritual element of being required to attend church if you get into the program.  The woman was interested in that. As they continued their conversation, Judith found this woman had recently begun to read a Bible that someone had given to her.  She was finding a love she said she had never experienced before.  As Judith explained the basic tenets of the gospel to her, Judith asked if she was ready to put her faith in Jesus and commit her life to Him. She said yes.  Now she is a former atheist.  Now she knows personally a love she never knew existed.  Now she has a personal relationship with Jesus Christ for Christmas.

One of the things that is really hitting me this year is God sent His son into the world and made Christmas not just for Christians but for atheists too.

For the journey...

Tim

Adventageous

Advent + advantageous = Adventageous
There, you see I did not misspell my title.  I made up a word to make a point.  Advantageous means "giving and advantage" or "of use or benefit."  That is what Advent should be for the followers of Christ - advantageous.  For those of us who are life long Baptists, not familiar with candle lit, liturgical, historical church events, Advent is one we can embrace with out fear of giving up our spontaneous, Spirit led, saved by grace not by works style of worship and living.  Christmas, even for us, is about traditions.

My wife and I (along with some others) have been having "Baptist" conversations about Advent.  What is it?  What are we supposed to do in it?  Why should we do it?  I had thought about blogging on what I have learned, but after thinking it through, it didn't sound too exciting.  If you do your own research on the Internet you will find a wide variety of practices and changes in Advent through history.  By the way there was no Advent class when I went to seminary.  I doubt there is one now, so we are all kind of at the mercies of Google.

What I have gotten personally out of what I have learned is that Advent should be advantageous to us - of use or benefit.  It should do something to our heart and mind and attitude.  That is more important than what candle we light and why.  The best thing that I have found for me personally is this quote from Jan L Richardson from her book, Night Visions: Searching the Shadows of Advent and Christmas

The season of Advent means there is something on the horizon the likes of which we have never seen before...What is possible is not to see it, to miss it, to turn just as it brushes past you.  And you begin to grasp what it was you missed, like Moses in the cleft of the rock, watching God's back fade in the distance.  So stay. Sit.  Linger.  Tarry.  Ponder. Wait.  Behold.  Wonder.  There will be time enough for running.  For rushing.  For worrying. For pushing.  For now, stay.  Wait.  Something is on the horizon.

That is what I want Advent to be.  That would be advantageous and be something of use or benefit to me.  I hope it will be to you too.

For the journey...

Tim

Degrees of Connection

In October, Facebook announced that the long standing idea of six degrees of separation between any two people was not true of Facebook's 800 million users.  Instead of six degrees, in the Facebook family it is closer to 4.  Within the same country, the degrees of separation between any two users is nearly down to 3.

How closely connected are we?  How close are we in the kingdom of God?  In the body of Christ?

Last night, I went to the family visitation of another pastor who had passed away, J. A. Munson.  He grew up in the same rural community that I did.  My father was influential in his coming to Christ as he worked as J. A.'s Sunday School teacher years ago.  J. A. went on to pastor through out Texas and in churches in several states.  Never in very big churches and often going from a larger church to a smaller church to help build it up.

One of the people that J. A. was influential in bringing to Christ years ago was Percy Jeane.  Percy now teaches Sunday School at Northside.  Percy and I talked about that connection again last night at the visitation. 

Six degrees of separation?  Four degrees through Facebook?  No, we are "all one in Christ."  We are more closely connected than we know or can see now.  Someday we will clearly see.  It  will be a wonderful day of discovery of our earthly connectedness in Christ that we only got glimpses of here.

For the journey...

Tim

Things I Have Learned from Your Gratitude

Sunday I asked people to put down a praise on the tear off tab of our worship guide.  We send in prayer requests all the time that way, why not send in a praise or a note of thanks.  All of them were good, here are some that struck home with me.

Thanks for the Northside Worship Center.

Sometimes we see things so often we take them for granted.  There is a lot of work that went into this and a lot of work to keep it going.  When things work right, no one notices.  I learned from someone who noticed.

I'm thankful God continues to heal my heart. (They mention the suicide four years ago of a family member). I felt like I was totally broken.  I slipped into a great depression that no doctor or medicine could fix.  I began crying out to God and he began healing my broken heart.  I am so thankful he continues to strengthen me.

Wow, what a testimony that God is able to put shattered lives back together.  I need to always be learning that in more and more in different situations.

Thank you , Lord for the ministry which you led after a tragedy in my life.  For the opportunity to share Christ in stories for children. poetry and games.

I am learning that we find life, and sometimes our healing, as we give our lives away.

Thank you for my brother's sobriety.

I see so many deal with people on the other side of this answered prayer.  It is good to see and learn that God still moves to make people whole from addictions.  I am learning to keep on hoping.

I am also learning that I need to always continue learning how to be grateful.  Thank you for being a church of good teachers of thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving...

Tim

A Thank You Note to God

I do not know how many thank you notes I have written.  I do know I have not written enough to say how blessed I am.  So today I want to change that to some degree.  Here's my thank you note to God, just for 2011 so far...

Dear God,

Thank you as always for your gift of salvation that I need everyday.  I don't tell you enough that it is still working and I can see the difference you continue to make in my life by your grace that flows every day.  Your faithfulness and steadfastness are amazing.  Even when I don't even notice what you are doing, you continue to do it.  Thank you.

You have also blessed me so in my family.  Thanks for the check up my wife had today that says 'Everything is OK.'  We don't give you the credit you deserve for those results.  My wife is such a blessing to me and to this church, thank you for giving me someone so loving and wise who is a person of prayer and loves you deeply.  She helps me so much, I don't let you know enough that I appreciate your work through her life.

My girls have been such a blessing this year too.  Kelley serving you this summer helping other students go on mission trips overseas - it is a real blessing to see her grow in you.  My goodness, there are so many things you have done in Meredith's life this year, high school graduation, a mission trip to Paris, a call from you to go back to Paris this coming summer to work with refugees, her going off to college, you have been working overtime there and I really appreciate it.  Thank you too for that family vacation we go to take this summer, that was a special blessing to be together as a family.

Now God, this empty nest thing is still something I am getting used too.  I miss the girls but you have also brought many others into my life that deepen my life and walk with you.  Thanks for helping me get the hang of it.

Lord, you know I still have some foot problems but it has improved this year; thank you.  I can see your hand at work there and also in teaching me in this to be humble and dependent upon you.  Thanks for those lessons in the problems.  I could go on and on and to be honest I should but there is just so much I can get out in words now because the words just fail.  God, you are good to me and I thank you, but I also deeply appreciate who you are and not just what you do.  Thank you for a great year so far, they just keep getting better.

Your servant,

Tim


Well, that's my shot at a thank you note.  This Sunday, that will be the challenge I give you for this coming week - write your own thank you note to God.  You don't have to blog it but I would highly recommend putting it down in words.  Can you give me a good reason why you shouldn't write your thank you note right now?

For the journey...

Tim

Veteran's Day

As I have listened to the stories of veterans who have faced combat, I have found a recurring theme among the Christian men.  Time after time I have heard it.  I also read it in the story of Dr. William Nesbitt Jr., a Navy doctor assigned to the 7th Naval Beach Battalion on D-Day, June 6, 1944.  The men and the contents of his ship would be assigned to the bloodiest beach of that day - Omaha Beach.  Hours before they would get to Omaha Beach, a very significant event occurred in Plymouth Harbor before they set out for Normandy. 

Dr. Nesbitt was on the bridge near the captain of his assault ship when orders came from the convoy commander for the ship to fall in line in the convloy to Normandy.  The captain radioed back that his ship had still not received their barrage balloons. His executive officer had gone to the dock to get them but had not returned.  Nesbitt explained that barrage balloons were large balloons that floated 150 or more feet above each ship.  Barrage balloons were attached to the bow and stern to make it difficult for attacking enemy aircraft to get a proper bombing run on the ships.  Every ship had theirs except for Nesbitt's ship.  They especially wanted them because the deck of this particular ship was full of trucks filled with high explosives.  Permission was granted to wait, then final orders came that they had to move out regardless.  Just as they were clearing the harbor, the executive officer caught up to the assault ship in a small boat; he had the balloons.

Because of the prolonged and bloody fighting on Omaha Beach, Nesbitt's ship was forced to sit off shore for hours.  Nesbitt and another officer were standing on deck watching the battle when a plane flew over.  Little attention was paid to it because of its U. S. markings but the plane passed over, banked and then began to dive at Nesbitt's ship.  The other officer shouted at Nesbitt to take cover, he recognized at that moment that it was a German plane with U. S. markings painted over its regular markings.  Just as he yelled this, the German plane released three bombs, but because of the balloons the pilot was not able to get the right angle on his bombing run and the bombs fell into the water near the ship.  The explosions caused some damage but the tons of explosives on deck were safe.  Because they had waited for the balloons and because they had arrived just in the nick of time, they were saved.

Words of scripture that he learned as a child in Sunday School came to Dr. Nesbitt's mind, "A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you." (Psalm 91:7)  Nesbitt needed those words when he did arrive to the bloody horror of Omaha Beach, but he as certain there on the ship hours before, God had spared his life.

That is recurring theme I have heard from many veterans.  In the horrors of war, God somehow spared them.  For some it was a Japanese shell that hit a ship feet away from one veteran, killing many but he was spared.  For another it was looking behind his plane on a bombing run over Germany and seeing the hole in anti-aircraft fire his plane had just flown through.  All of them felt in those moments God delivered them.

These stories make me grateful for what these men went through for our sake and they teach me lessons I am thankful I did not have to learn personally.  Lessons of God's power at work, even in the wars that men made.  Thank you veterans.  May your stories always teach us.

For the journey...

Tim

Seven Billion

According to the U. N. there are now 7 billion people on planet earth.  I am number 3,005,575,982.  No kidding.  In trying to wrap my mind around this number I found a website that lets you find where you are in this astronomical number, that's how I came up with that number.  I am not making this up.  I also found a way to picture 7 billion.  One billion pennies (stacked neatly) would make blocks as big as five school buses. So thirty five school bus sized stacks of pennies would be 7 billion.  That is still hard to wrap my mind around.

I remember standing on the 11th floor of a hotel in Manila, Philippines in August of 2001.  It was my first big overseas mission trip and I was looking out at how vast a city Manila was, in every direction, as far as my eyes could see there was a teaming city full of people.  I had been on four different islands in the Philippines, I had seen thousands and thousands of people in this place I had never thought much about before.  For someone who had grown up in Hope, Texas, it was hitting me how big the world was and it was hard to wrap my mind around the size of the world.  It was so much bigger than I had ever thought, I felt very small that day on the balcony.

Trying to wrap my mind around seven billion makes me feel very small too.  But take another perspective on that number - God knows and loves every single one of those 7,000,000,000.  He knows the number of the hairs on their heads. He can hear all seven billion pray (if they would).  He has a plan for each one of them and has created each one like no one else who lives now or ever did in the past or ever will in the future.  And here is the big thing - Jesus died for the sins of every single one.  That is how big the love of God is for each one of us.  He loves all of us as if there were only one of us.  That is even harder to wrap my mind around.

I did find this verse that does help.  Read it carefully because you might hear it again Sunday.  It helps me put all of this in perspective.  "But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it."  Eph. 4:7.  Oh, how He loves us.

For the journey...

Tim