Day Before Christmas

Well, it's the day before Christmas
And all around town
Nothing is white
Everything's brown

While up in the north
They're layered with snow
But right here in Texas
It's drab but still cold

Jesus is living
and Santa's a myth
So you keep your Santa
It's Jesus I'm with

For New Years I'm praying
That God bless my church
That I'll love the people --
love til it hurts

I'll start the New Year
Clear-headed, no fog
And make daily entries
In this, my own blog
(at least I'll try)

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year 2008

He Gives and Takes Away...Blessed Be the Name of the Lord

It's sad when someone you love suffers a loss, especially one like losing an unborn child. If you're a prospective grandparent, you feel the loss on one level -- a significant level. But the greatest pain is watching your children suffer while you possess a sense of helplessness.

A parent always wants to fix things for his kids; kiss it and make it feel better; put a band-aid on it. But some things are out of a parents reach. All they can do is pray and just be available if needed.

You know the kids will grow spiritually if they respond to God's offer of love and comfort -- even expand their ministry and joy for serving. But right now, in the present, these words are not needed. They already know the Word promises that "all things work together", but right now, in the night of despair and through eyes filling rapidly with tears, recitation of this verse is not profitable.

Sometimes people do not realize that a pastor is "people", too. Every pastor has experienced heartache, personal failure, and family tragedy. We have cried ourselves to sleep and barely staggered our way through the day in sadness. Every believer should know that their pastor knows exactly what it's like to have a broken heart, a pain-riddled experience, and dark days. And all the while, trying to be the strength and rock for the rest of his family, friends, and church.

This is the kind of loss you don't get over -- but you can get past it....in time.

On the way to the hospital early in the morning, around 5:00 AM, a song came on the XM station we were listening to. "He gives and takes away...Blessed be the Name of the Lord." It makes for an emotional experience when you've had such a loss. But it serves as a reminder that God is still good; He sees the big picture; He hurts when we hurt; and He will still be God long after this day is past.

If God is the same today and tomorrow as He was yesterday, then He's still in charge and we just have to trust Him on some things. I remembered that old song today: "We'll understand it better by and by." The fact is, I don't care to understand it -- I don't ask "why?" anymore. Why a tragedy occurs is not nearly as important as knowing God is still God. I can't give up on Him now -- He's come through too many times before. I'll get past this...we'll all get past this. God will heal our broken hearts yet one more time.

Blessed be the Name of the Lord!!

Losing the Wonder of Worship

“His Name shall be called Wonderful….”

It seems like nothing impresses us anymore. I can remember the absolute wonder I felt while watching our astronauts go into space and return again. Today, space shuttles fly into space and return with no more fanfare than a commercial airplane flight. The wonder is gone. Familiarity with the spectacular has robbed us of the wonder of space flight.
Worship has become the same way to many of us. We’ve heard the music and sung the hymns a million times. We have listened to hundreds sermons and even have our own favorite super-preacher. We have refined all the techniques of worship so that nothing is new. But now, the wonder is gone.
Children are impressed by the simple things around them. Perhaps this is what Jesus meant when He told His disciples to become as little children. Recently, I was with some people that began to notice the shapes of the clouds overhead. As they imagined what the clouds looked like, I remembered how I used to do the same thing when I was younger. Over the years, however, I had grown used to the clouds always being overhead. They weren’t special anymore.
What had changed? It certainly wasn’t the clouds. They still had funny shapes that looked like one thing or another. It was me that had changed. I had just lost the wonder of the clouds until I was reminded by my friends.
There is a marvelous wonder that accompanies true worship. Many of us, however, have come to depend so much on the props of worship that we’ve lost sight of the real Person of worship. The wonder and magnificence of worship has been lost in the familiar rudiments of the weekly church service.
Get back to Jesus this Christmas season, for He hasn’t changed. If you come to Him as a child you will experience the wonder once again. Perhaps it is time you reacquaint yourself with the Wonder of Worship.