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What’s the Deal?
It’s that time of year! All of you last minute shoppers, it’s your time! Find the deals, grab the gifts, and make it to the finish line. It is that idea of deals that got me thinking for this week’s article. Actually, the title of this article is a line from the Grinch movie that makes me laugh, but then I thought about deals as related to gift giving and … well, you may not want to know all the twists and turns my mind takes as it churns out an article. You all know the basic premise of finding a great deal: it’s finding something you need or want…
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When There Is Grief at Christmas
We watch a good number of Christmas movies in December. We have our favorites that we go through each year, and we might sneak in another one or two new ones. One theme that runs throughout most of these movies is happiness. Commercials also sell it. Songs celebrate it. And, if we are honest, that’s what we want. We want Christmas to be about smiles and happiness. A number of times over the last few years, though, I have heard something said (in various forms) that I’ve found interesting. I’ve heard people my age and older say things like, “The older I get, the sadder Christmas becomes.” Now, I doubt…
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Abandoning, Cramming, or Prioritizing
What are your plans for this coming Sunday? If you are reading these words on the day or during the week that they are posted, Sunday is a special day. It is the day during which followers of Jesus gather for worship. According to the New Testament and history, this weekly practice has continued for over twenty centuries. This coming Sunday is the Lord’s day. This past Sunday was the Lord’s day. As long as the world continues, every Sunday will be the Lord’s day. “But, I thought you were talking about Christmas,” somebody might say. “I thought that Christmas Day was the special day you had in mind.” The holiday season is, indeed,…
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Preparing to Worship on Christmas
If I am correct, 2022 marks the third time since I began preaching that Christmas Day falls on a Sunday. (If you haven’t bought gifts yet, you’ve only got a week and a half!) It is interesting to watch on those days to see how families–especially those with young children–handle this situation. (By the way, this article is assuming your congregation will still have services on Christmas Day. To cancel or move services off of the Lord’s Day just for a holiday is wrong and sad, and you need to find a congregation that will be meeting on that Sunday with which to worship.) What are some things to keep…
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Interesting, But Sad
I was listening to a podcast recently that, in part, was explaining some of the differences between the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. During the relatively short podcast, I learned some things I did not know – starting with the fact that I had no idea that these two groups even existed. Among other things, I also learned that each group has its own “Patriarch” – one in Moscow, Russia and one in Kiev, Ukraine. At the same time, I was saddened to learn of their existence. These two groups are merely representative of something that directly contradicts the wishes of Jesus that He expressed in His prayer…
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Memories
The turkey was great, and so was the ham. The dressing was my mother’s recipe and turned out great. Green beans, corn casserole, mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potato casserole, cranberry sauce, holiday salad and homemade rolls completed the menu. The desserts were plentiful — pecan pie, pumpkin pie with whipped topping, triple chocolate fudge brownie cake with chocolate ganache, and snickerdoodle cookies. We had a feast and we all enjoyed it! But there were some things we enjoyed more than this great meal. Let me just list a few of the things that were better: Working in the kitchen with my daughter, daughter-in-law, and granddaughters. We work well together and have…
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Saying “No” for a Reason
There is an old principle that I have heard, I suppose, for my entire life, but it has never really sunk in until recently. Or, maybe, to put it a better way, I knew the principle but did not live it out in practice. I’ll share what that principle is in a moment. But, first, a couple of personal anecdotes that provide the backdrop to this article. I was asked a short time ago to take part in something I had done before. Most wouldn’t consider it a big thing, and it would have probably only taken a couple of hours each week on average (something like that, anyway). It…
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One of Satan’s Most Effective and Insidious Weapons
Most of us have heard the old saying that informs us that “laughter is the best medicine.” A long time ago, a very wise man was inspired by the Holy Spirit to write these words: A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. (Prov. 17:22) Those who know me know that I love to laugh. I love to be around people who laugh. I love to make people laugh. Somebody like me needs to exercise caution. The reason is that, like everything else that Satan touches, he can turn what could be a good thing into something not so good. In fact, laughter can be a very…
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Too Much On Your Plate?
Thank goodness I asked this now and not last week, right? If you are like me, you may be working on burning off some of the things that overloaded your Thanksgiving Day plate! Obviously, for the purposes of this blog, I am not only talking about literal plate contents. I’m also asking if you have too much on your theoretical plate. Too many irons in the fire. And any other cliches you can think of that mean we are too busy! I know it is the busy time of year. While two of my three children are now in college, the one left in high school has plenty of rehearsals,…
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One Gift You Can’t Wrap
We are trying to do better this year about buying our Christmas gifts earlier. We hope to get most–if not all–of them bought and wrapped in just the next few days. (We’ll see if that actually happens!) The “hurry and hustle” of this season of the year is real, but we would rather “hurry” now than be totally scrambling later on. And that hints at where I want to go in this brief article. For many of us, there is so much to do this time of year (and always). On top of the usual work and school things and regular activities (haircuts, dental appointments, etc.) there is shopping to…
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