A Blessed New Year

A 401K

Owning a house

A college fund for your kids

How necessary are these things?

For most of us in middle-class America, they are as common and expected as owning two cars and watching satellite TV. And not that there is anything wrong with these things. What we need to ask ourselves is, "How much importance do they have in our lives?"

That's exactly the question David Platt asks in his book Radical. After reading the book, my husband and I had to admit to ourselves that we too had bought into the idea of the "American Dream." Over the years, we had listened to people's advice and strived to do all the 'right' things. And we worried when people asked us "How are you going to get all your kids through college?" or "Why do you put your money down a hole by renting instead of owning?" Have a portfolio, invest in your future, work your way up the ladder, well-meaning people told us.

But as Platt discusses, as Christians in the U.S., or any country, we should not be looking to our retirement funds for security. What's more important is making an eternal investment in spreading God's kingdom, here and now, and reevaluating how much we really need more stuff or Starbucks in our lives. Oftentimes, we want a fancy new building for our church, or a new outfit for an upcoming wedding, or we simply 'need' a new car. I've actually had to explain to someone why I chose not to buy a "really cute" bag at the store simply because I wanted one. She countered with, "Sometimes you just have to buy yourself something, just for fun!" But I remind myself that $150 could buy me a fancy pair of shoes, or groceries to feed my family for a week. In another country, $150 is a month's salary! 

2013 can be the year of shifting priorities. If every Christian in the U.S. invested more money, time, and prayer to those less fortunate, can you imagine how many hungry people would be fed, how many lonely people would have company, and how many lost sheep  would be found?! 

In the last chapter of Radical (but still read the whole book, it's worth it), Platt offers this challenge:

1) Pray for the entire world (www.operationworld.org is a good resource for that)

2) Read through the whole Bible

3) Sacrifice your money for a specific purpose

4) Spend your time in another context

5) Commit your life to a multiplying community (meaning a good, Christian church family)

Make this year extra-memorable by taking on this challenge, in whole or in part. You will find yourself blessed beyond belief in 2013!

Christmas is...

... making, baking, giving, and receiving.

... hearing my fourteen-month-old make silly sounds with her tongue.

... listening to the rain on my roof.

... watching my boys play Legos together, and eavesdropping on my girls as they sing songs in bed.

... sitting by the little tree with my husband.

... imagining what angels really look like, and if I would really want to see one.

.... pondering on the mystery that is-- 

the mystery of the Father becoming the Child,

the Creator becoming the Created,

the Refuge becoming the Refugee,

the King becoming the Servant,

and Love becoming Despised--

... the mystery that is...

Christmas.

May your Christmas be full of joy and peace.

Yet in Thy Dark Streets Shineth

We tried to go Christmas caroling this evening. I say 'tried' because of the ten houses we could have caroled at, we were successful at only two of them. Of the other eight, three had no lights on, one had a fence that was impassable, another's owner didn't open the door (we saw him taking out his garbage later), and the last three had lights on, but no one answered the door.

The kids and I thought it would be so simple. But it seems that many people are too busy to be home. Or they isolate themselves. And I even hesitated to pass out sugar cookies, thinking that a neighbor might be gluten-free, or diabetic, or dieting, or maybe, dare I say it?-- suspicious. 

But nevertheless, we caroled. We sang outside closed doors and dark windows. We handed out cookies to those we saw. And we understood a little how Jesus felt, coming into a dark world that was ready to reject him, rather than receive him. But nevertheless, He came and offered His gift to everyone, regardless of their openness.

Yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting Light;

The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.

~from the carol 'O Little Town of Bethlehem', by Phillips Brooks

(I asked my girls afterwards if they were disappointed, and they said, "No, it was fun." Oh, how I love my kids!)

Sharing Our Joy

It's hard to imagine that only two days ago I was writing about joy.

For the parents who lost their children in the shooting yesterday, joy will be a difficult word to hear. Christmas will be a heart-breaking day. And God will feel so distant.

In no way am I the one to write about 'why bad things happen to good people' or 'how could God let this happen?!' All I know is that as broken people living in a broken world, God is the only source of healing.

Christmas for many is a depressing time. Sad memories from the dim Christmas past grow more focused. Recent pains sting all the more. My little children's choir sang at two assisted living homes on Thursday and Friday, and I loved seeing how our ragtag bunch was able to bring smiles to the seniors' faces for a short thirty-minutes. But then I wonder how many of these seniors will be sitting alone in their wheelchair in front of the television on Christmas day.

I encourage you to rethink your Christmas this year. Traditions and family time are still good, but think about whom you can also include in your festivities: a widowed neighbor, a resident of your local senior home, a family who is going through a hard time. Bring some joy to those people's Christmases, and make new Christmas memories together.

Joy, Joy, Joy!

My original title for this post was 'Scrooge vs. Joy-Boy'.

Joy-Boy is my three-year-old. Though he would win a temper tantrum contest, hands-down, he is also one of the most enthusiastic little people I know. The other day, while I was folding laundry, he found his 'big boy' pants.

"Look, Lightning McQueen!" he shouted.

When he lifted Lightning McQueen out of the basket, who did he find underneath?

"And Thomas!"

The more laundry he removed from the basket, the more surprises he found. I was watching a happy reunion between a boy and his clothes.

"... and bones pants, and rocket pajamas, and...."

Who knew laundry could be so fun?

Joy-Boy is also the one pointing out all the Christmas lights whenever we are in the van. With wonder, he describes everything he sees. 

"Wow! Rainbow lights! And a snowman! Those change colors! Cool!"

Last week, he was so excited, he exclaimed, "I feel like Christmas is on Monday!" And he has been gently pointing out the fact that WE don't have lights on the outside of our house.

Well, who is Scrooge then, you might ask. And if you're a parent, this is an easy one. It's me, of course! And many parents feel the same way.

Christmas has always been my favorite holiday, but the commercialism, the inundation of presents, the stress of celebrating, the obligations of being at so many places on so many days... over the years, it's gotten to me. Right before Thanksgiving, I brace myself for the holiday craziness, and bunker down until it's all over. (parents, I can see you nodding your heads)

Happy sounds fill the air. Glittery, shiny decorations are everywhere I see. We sing 'Joy to the World', but where's MY joy? During this beautiful celebration of our Savior's birth, why am I not celebrating?

Joy-Boy is setting a great example for me to follow. And this year, I'm letting the kids take the lead so I can learn a lesson or two from them. Their enthusiasm about the littlest things, their generosity when it comes to giving, and their great desire to share this joy ("Can we go caroling to our neighbors? Please?!" "Umm, no, because it's nine in the morning!") is rubbing off on me. I feel like the Grinch, looking down on Whoville, and feeling my heart grow within me. And though I can't change how others celebrate Christmas, I can change the way I do it. 

With JOY!

(Tangent: Did I ever tell you that 'enthusiasm' is one of my favorite words? Dissect it down to its Greek roots, and you have en-theos, which means 'in God'. According to Wikipedia, the word 'enthusiast' was originally used to describe "a person possessed by a god." Isn't that wonderful?)

Christmas Quotes

In Him man found God. In Him man finds himself. These were the two things that men had lost; their knowledge of God, and their knowledge of themselves. ~G. Campbell Morgan

This is the story of that almost unbelievable humbling, the life that God lives when He came down from heaven and lived upon earth as a man. In a particular human body, born of a mother belonging to a certain race of people, nearly two thousand years ago in the country of Palestine, God lived and died for us men and for our salvation. The fact of this humility is so glorious that it is beyond human understanding, but the limitations of time and place put a sort of picture frame about the glory, so that we can look at it without being blinded. And we must look at it, because the picture in the frame is the most important thing in this world, or in any other. ~Elizabeth Goudge

Only the stars and mountains knew it. But they were old. And man was new, and chained to simple, useless rhymes; thus he could not understand the majesty that settled down upon him. ~excerpt from The Singer, by Calvin Miller

Jesus said, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." If you are reading this, and sense that maybe you are not truly living, I pray that this will be the Christmas when you will find the Source of true life!

For more, click here for last year's Christmas Quotes

Our Favorite Christmas Stories

Our family has read MANY Christmas books over the years, but we have our favorites, stories that we want to read again and again. These are stories that go beyond the shallow, sugary coating of presents and lights and stay with you past Christmas Day and well into the new year; they carry the aroma of Christ, though they may not all mention His name. And what makes them EXTRA special is that we read them only at Christmas time! You can use these titles as a springboard to a new tradition in your family: a new book every year, or read one story a day, or give a copy of your favorite book as a present to another family!

(There are, of course, many more wonderful Christmas stories out there, so this list will be a growing list. And if your family has favorites, please share them with me!)

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson

This is a chapter book for read-aloud or older children, but it's best read together. You'll see Christmas with fresh eyes!

The Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

The old English may be hard, so I recommend reading this aloud, or listening to an audio version of it. But don't think that watching a movie of this story (even the Muppets version... my favorite) is enough. Most adaptations remove Dickens's Christian message.

Christmas Tapestry by Patricia Polacco

A longer picture book that always moves me to tears 

Santa's Favorite Story by Hisako Aoki

A picture book that perfectly combines Santa with the true Hero of Christmas

The Legend of the Candy Cane by Lori Walburg

How that traditional little candy can tell a wondrous story

Great Joy by Kate DiCamillo

A simple, touching story about a girl and a homeless man

More favorites:

Tree of Cranes by Allen Say

Oliver and Amanda's Christmas by Jean Van Leeuwen

Toot and Puddle: Let it Snow by Holly Hobbie

Toot and Puddle: I'll be Home for Christmas by Holly Hobbie

The Wild Christmas Reindeer by Jan Brett

The Christmas Trolls by Jan Brett

(and if you like Jan Brett's books, she has a plethora of Christmas stories: The Night Before Christmas, Who's that Knocking on Christmas Eve? The Twelve Days of Christmas, Home for Christmas)

The Seis-Tres Club, Day 15

It is the last day of our club's trial period. All three of its members had had to deal with sickness in the past two weeks, but all three are all still eager to continue the club.

When I asked Elizabeth what she thought about our club, she said, "I am so thankful for the jump start to spend time with The Lord in a relatively quiet house. My whole day flows so much better when I get up early and put Him first." 

She sums it up so well. I myself have learned much in two weeks.

I have learned that I should not be goal-oriented in my spiritual life. All too easily, my perfectionism turns into legalism. Which means faith loses its meaning.

I have learned that reading the Bible consistently means the words stick. They are in the forefront of my thoughts all day long.

I have learned that I like watching the sun rise.

I have learned that hard things are easier to do with a friend. I don't need to be a Lone Ranger; it is encouraging and healthy to have Christian sisters by my side.

I have learned that I'm in a much better mood in the morning if I wake up before the children, than if I get out of bed only after a child has said, "I'm hungry!" for the third time.

I have learned that being intentional with God in the morning means I am more intentional with my day. My actions and motives are more Christ-centered, and I am more in tune to the voice of the Spirit.

And a surprise bonus-- I no longer hop on the computer first thing in the morning as a way to ease into the day. Because of all of the above, by the time I'm finish with my conversation with God, I'm ready to make breakfast, I'm cheerful when I greet my children "Good morning!", and I'm excited about what lies ahead.

The point is, discipline is good, but like sleep, the good can become bad if I give it too much worth. I need to be seeking God, not a regimen. And give myself flexibility, because, after all, I am not a robot, and neither are my children. But I want to be consistent enough to make this a habit. I want to get to the place where if I miss a morning with God, I get that same unsettling feeling of having gone to bed without brushing my teeth. Because when I wake up to God, He is the foundation of my day, my Rock. Then harsh winds may blow, but I will not be shaken. The floodwaters may rise, but I will walk upon them. The earth may quake, and all around me crumble, but I will still be standing, with my hands raised in praise.

The Seis-Tres Club, Day 14

For those of you wondering what happened to the Seis-Tres Club after my dramatic confession on Day 11... my family has been hit with the cold and flu bug. I myself am not sick, but I am nursing those who are, day and night. And trying to keep the healthy ones entertained during this weekend torrent of rain.

Things always become topsy-turvy at our house when we have illness: meals are served at strange times, messes take on a life of their own, people are grumpy. I've been staying connected with my Seis-Tres Clubbers, but not finding the time to sit with God. And the other downside, I've been forgetting to pray, probably when I need to do it the most. But now that I've typed this, may it serve as a gentle reminder to myself...