A Christmas Gift Idea

Now that we're solidly in the holiday season, may I suggest a Christmas gift idea for your children or grandchildren?

In 1984, I had the privilege of seeing an internationally known storyteller perform his one-man show at a theater in Boston. I had never seen anything like it! I was enthralled, as was the rest of the audience. My first thought was,

"I wonder if that approach would work with Scripture?"

I went home and began to memorize passages of the Biblical text, and apply the technique I saw used by the storyteller. I now have a series of six audio CD's, complete with music and sound effects, that bring the actual words of Scripture to life in a unique and exciting way. They literally help get eternity into the hearts of the next generation! If you click on the image above, it will take you to my website.

Where Have All the Children Gone?

A half century ago when I was growing up and going to school, the great fear facing our society and the world was not global warming . . . it was over population. There were too many children being born! The world was rapidly approaching the day when famine and overcrowding would overtake us like the plague! People had to limit family size for the benefit of the world! Something had to be done . . . and fast!

Well, like the global warming alarmists, the population alarmists didn’t always have their research in line with reality. It turns out that there is plenty of food in the world, and plenty of space. The problems that usually result in starvation generally arise from or are compounded by the political actions or inaction of various governments and warring factions.

Interestingly, a crisis in the Western world has developed as a direct result of people’s beliefs about family size. But, it’s not over-population . . . it's under-population.

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, a member of the British House of Lords, recently made quite a splash with his comments about religion and procreation in Europe. He said Europe is dying because its citizens are too selfish to have children. Consumerism and a desire for instant gratification have resulted in a dwindling birthrate that really does have potentially devastating implications!

Waiting . . . It Ain't Easy!

One of the most difficult things we seem to be called upon to do in life is to “wait.”

We dread waiting in line for tickets. We don’t like to sit in waiting rooms when we visit the doctor. If we live in a large metropolitan area, we have an intense dislike for waiting for long periods of time in traffic. As Christians, we are often called on to wait on the LORD, and we generally don’t like that, either.

But, what does it mean to wait? How do we wait on the LORD? Where do we wait? What do we do while we are waiting?

Some time ago, I decided to look in a dictionary to find out what it really meant to wait. I knew that a major part of waiting was remaining stationary. But, I was surprised to learn that there is another component to waiting that actually helps answer some of those questions.

The dictionary I consulted defined “wait” as

"remaining stationary in readiness and expectation."

When we are truly waiting on the LORD, we are not just hanging around. We are poised for action. We are to be ready, and we are to be expectant that He will work significantly in, around and through our lives to accomplish His good purposes.

As we settle our hearts before God and remain stationary in readiness and expectation, we will often be amazed at how He uses the times of remaining stationary to set things in place that will ultimately prove to be crucial to the true success of whatever it is we are waiting on Him for.

Integrity

Although the concept of integrity is clearly taught throughout Scripture, the actual word is rarely used. Interestingly, one place where it is used is in the book of Job.

In Job, chapter 1, God summons Satan before Him, and asks him:

"Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil."

In response, Satan says, in effect,

"The only reason he serves You is because You give him good things. Take away the things, and he'll curse You to Your face!"

God lets Satan take away all the "things" that Job has, and at the end of chapter 1, Job's response is:

"The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised."

Then, in chapter 2, God again summons Satan to stand before Him. He proceeds to say exactly the same thing about Job, except that He adds a statement about integrity. God says to Satan this time:

"Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason."

Why did God add the comment about integrity in chapter 2, and not include it in chapter 1? The reason is that in chapter 1, Satan might have been right! The only way you can know if someone really has integrity is after they have been tested. Otherwise, it may be just talk!

Proverbs 20:6 captures the essence of that concept quite well.

"Many a man claims to have unfailing love, but a faithful man who can find?"

Giving Up

When I was a senior in high school, I decided to go out for the wrestling team. The team had only started the year before, so we were all a pretty inexperienced bunch. I was even less experienced than the other members of the team, so I was rarely able to wrestle in my weight class.

However, the person in the weight class above me often didn't get his weight down to the proper level before a meet, so I was asked to wrestle in his place. That meant that I would be wrestling someone on the other team who had probably been wrestling for at least 4 years and was heavier than I was, stronger than I was, and definitely more experienced than I was. I knew before I went out on the mat that I would lose. Sure enough, after a couple of minutes of trying to act tough, I would find myself on my back fighting to prevent being pinned.

At that time, the thought would enter my mind,

"Go on, George, give up. You're going to lose, anyway!"

And, that's exactly what I did!

One morning several years later while I was praying, I was reminded of what I had done in those wrestling matches. The first thought that came into my mind then was,

"Oh, Lord. Please don't let me give up in life until I'm genuinely defeated!"

If I had lost by a decision when I was on the wrestling mat, I would have given the other team 3 points. Because I gave up, our team lost 5 points.

Life is made up of struggles. How we respond to those struggles is up to us. A game is a game. But, life is not a game. The stakes are too high to give up prematurely. God wants us to be tenacious against our "enemies" in life, and never give up until we've been genuinely defeated!

Manipulating the Eyes of the Beholders

For a long time, I have wanted to be involved in producing commercials that communicate Christian themes in a culturally relevant way.

I had nothing to do with this one, but it is a great example of how to do that! I thank Robin Parry for putting this up on his blog.

How do we define beauty? Beauty is definitely in the eye of the beholder, but what do you do when others manipulate the eyes of those who behold?

Click on the link, and watch the Dove Evolution.

Living Among Hypocrites

As I look at the world around me, I continue to see the truth of Solomon's words,

"Many a man claims to have unfailing love, but a faithful man who can find?"

Those on the "left" claim to have a deep concern for the poor, but many of their leaders live in luxury. Those on the "right" claim to be concerned for morality and truth, but many of their leaders have been involved in immorality and deceptive fundraising practices.

The question thus poses itself, "How do we live in a world of hypocrites?" Two thoughts come to mind:

First, we should personally be men and women of integrity. When people tell us that "everyone is doing it," we should ask them and ourselves, "Do you do it? Do I do it?" Solomon also said,

"Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil."

Second, we should be careful to look at the lives of people, not just listen to their words. Jesus advised His followers to watch out for those who appear to be innocent on the outside, but inside they are "ferocious wolves." How would they know them?

"By their fruit you will recognize them."

A dear friend used to ask, "How can you mount up with wings like an eagle when you live in a world of turkeys?" After making sure that you really are an eagle, you decide to fly above the "turkeys." To not only claim to have unfailing love, but to actually have it.