New Beginnings - 2012

One of the problems with the end of the old year and the beginning of a new one is that I stop and contemplate the old year's happenings. I tend to review the months and think of all of the things that I mishandled, left undone and should have thought more about before jumping into. I don't think I am that much different than most folks. I think we all do a certain amount of looking back. There is nothing wrong with that, it gives us a chance to take note of things we need to do differently or areas in which we need to grow.

With the start of a new year God has given us a chance for new beginnings. In one of our favorite stories, Anne of Avonlea the character at one point says, "Everyday is brand new, with no mistakes." I believe there is a lot of truth to that saying!

Reflection and contemplation also gives you a chance to remember some of the things you did well. I have to admit that I am on a crusade to encourage people to get to know God better in 2012. I firmly believe that the only way to get to know him better is to listen to him speak, in other words, read your bible. As I look back at the past year, one of the things for which I am thankful, is that I once again read through the bible. My wife and I encourage each other to read God's word daily. I don't know how may years we have been reading through the bible each year, but I know we have read through it more than 20 times.

Some might read that sentence and think, "I would get bored doing that." Do you know what is amazing? It is that every time we read through the bible, we learn new things! Every time you read it you are at a different place in your life, you have dealt with different struggles, you have grown in different ways and you have come to a different level of spirituality. Often we will do our bible reading and comment to one another about some new insight we have just come upon.

So, if you want to set some goals or perhaps a New Year's Resolution, let me suggest that you choose reading your bible every day, read it completely through this coming year. There are many daily reading plans available online or at your local Christian book store. Quite possibly your minister or church secretary will have one available to you. My wife and I use "The Daily Bible, in Chronological order," printed by Harvest House, but there are a large variety of Daily Bible's available, just look around for them.

Whatever it takes, whatever you need to use to help you in reading your bible, use it!

2012 is about new beginnings, why don't you challenge yourself to join with our family in letting God speak to you through his word! A changed world begins with you changing and you can only change when you let God change you. As David wrote in Psalm 1:1-3, "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers."

May our God bless you and keep you in the coming year of new beginnings!

Just a little bit more

JUST A LITTLE BIT MORE

Well, here we are, just a few days before Christmas day. Many have been so busy running from store to store, shopping till they drop, that it will be a huge relief just to have it all over with. Others are full of anticipation, looking forward to the frenzy of ripping and tearing of Christmas wrappings on presents that accompanies the day

As I thought about this I was reminded of the writing of the beloved author "Dr. Seuss," who wrote these enduring words of truth:

"And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so?  It came without ribbons.  It came without tags.  It came without packages, boxes or bags.  And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore.  Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before.  What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store?  What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more? "

I know that some of you struggle with this holiday of Christmas. I as well as you know the history of the season. The how and why it took on a religious significance that we don't find in any command in the bible. We understand that fables are mixed with truth and are promoted at this time of the year. We understand that it has become a greatly commercialized holiday, capitalized on by almost every store owner and business in the world.

Yet understanding that, most of us come to the same illogical, very human conclusion that: "it just doesn't matter." We choose to celebrate Christmas (for whatever reason, religious or non-religious), simply because we want to. Now it may seem odd for me to say this, but I'm in agreement with that reasoning.

The apostle Paul wrote in Romans 14:5-6a, "In the same way, some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike. You should each be fully convinced that whichever day you choose is acceptable. Those who worship the Lord on a special day do it to honor him." (NLT) Another paraphrase of this says it this way: "Or, say, one person thinks that some days should be set aside as holy and another thinks that each day is pretty much like any other. There are good reasons either way. So, each person is free to follow the convictions of conscience.  What's important in all this is that if you keep a holy day; keep it for God's sake." (MSG)

So, what if this average, ordinary day is "just a little bit more" to some folks, is there anything wrong with that? Considering what Paul had to say, I really don't think so, but it's clear that you have to follow your own conscience on this matter.

Oh, and by the way, Merry Christmas!

Russ Lawson

Do you hear what I hear?

It's amazing how we can learn to ignore the things which surround us, especially when we who are adults are constantly dealing with the demands of life. We often reach a point that much of what goes on around us is just blocked out. A few years ago we lived about one block from a train track. For the first few weeks we lived there we heard the train constantly, it would even wake us from our sleep at night. However after a relatively short time we learned to ignore the noise, some how we just blocked it out. Sometimes when people would visit and a train would pass they would ask how we could stand that noise. We of course never even noticed the trains passing.

 

I was reminded of this when our daughter-in-law shared this recent event with us. It seems that "Bing Crosby was on the radio crooning out: 'Remember Christ the Savior was born on Christmas day.' Upon hearing this song our 4 year old granddaughter Allison exclaimed excitedly: 'They're talking about Jesus!!'"

 

How many times have you heard that song (especially this time of the year) and not consciously though about the meaning? I know this is a problem in other areas of life also, but what about when you sing a hymn in a church setting? How often do you just sing the words from memory and not really contemplate the meaning?

 

The apostle Paul giving instructions to the church in Corinth wrote, "I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also," (1 Corinthians 14:15 KJV). That seems to say that it is important how we listen as well as how we sing.

Singing is a very important part of our Christian life and fellowship. Paul writes about this in Ephesians 5:19-20 where he says, "Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Our singing is in part speaking: "to one another," (this is group participation, exhortation and encouragement), as well as "to the Lord," (it is worship). He also says that the music is made "in your heart," (it is a personal involvement coupled with understanding).

So, the next time you join with the church, don't just sit there and be entertained. Participate in the worship of our Lord, encourage and exhort one another and stop and think about what you are doing or singing. After all, if a 4 year old can recognize that songs sometimes talk about Jesus, shouldn't we? Do you hear what I hear?

NOT EVERYONE BELIEVES IN CHRISTMAS!

I know this may come as a shock for some, but Christmas is a real difficult time for some folk. You may or may not celebrate the holiday as the birthday of Jesus or you may just celebrate it as a national or family holiday, or you may even choose not to celebrate it at all.

Whatever your choice, that's OK, we don't find it in the bible, but the bible give us the liberty to celebrate things other than just the things mentioned there. So, you may proclaim, "I don't believe in Christmas", and that's OK, because the important thing is that you believe in Jesus.

A friend sends me the following little story that makes an important point. "It seems that there was a woman who was out Christmas shopping with her two children. After many hours of looking at row after row of toys & everything else imaginable, and after hours of hearing both her children asking for everything they saw on those many shelves, she finally made it to the elevator with her two kids.

Finally, the doors opened to an already crowded elevator. She pushed her way into the car and dragged her two kids in with her and all the bags of stuff.  When the doors closed, she couldn't take it anymore and said, "Whoever started this whole Christmas thing should be found and hanged."

From the back of the elevator everyone heard a quiet, calm voice respond, "Don't worry.  We already crucified Him."  For the rest of the trip down it was so quiet you could hear only the breathing of the people in the elevator.

You see, whether you believe in Christmas or not is really not important, but if we don't understand the sacrifice that was made on our behalf we believe in nothing. Paul reminds us: "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” Romans 5:8 (NIV)

So for me I really don't believe in Christmas as a bible based holiday, but I do believe in the one that the holiday remembers. His birth was indeed miraculous, if it weren’t, it wouldn't have been recorded the way it was. But it is his death, burial and resurrection that saves us! Yes, our sins crucified him and he loves us anyway! Now, that's what we really need to remember.

Life Without God...

Someone wrote, "Life without God is like an unsharpened pencil, it has no point." That sounds like a cool, insightful saying to those of us who are Christians, but what about those who are not. I received a question as to how to answer a non-believing friend who had responded to this quote in this way: "Life with God is like a lead pencil; you sharpen it and it keeps breaking, eventually there is no more pencil." So, lets think about that response.

How do you respond to someone who sees life and God in that way? My first thought is that obviously this person doesn't know MY God! The first analogy is not that God is like a pencil, but rather that life without him has no point! To the response, of God being like a continually breaking pencil, it makes me wonder when this person tried to find an answer to something that broke in their lives, but when they didn't they choose to blame God. Now, this may or may not be a correct conclusion, but I've known several people through my lifetime that have reacted this way.

Does God break? Does God fail us? I don't believe he does. However there is another problem that comes into this equation. What if you don't believe in God in the first place?

The problem with any answer that might be given from the standpoint of a believing and practicing Christian is that all of our answers are based upon faith; which are based upon scripture, which are based upon provable, confirmed historic facts and information. (1 Corinthians 15:1-9 for example).

Those who do not accept the idea that there is a God who is in control of our universe, really have nothing in common with us. Most of our beliefs and doctrines are rejected out of hand because they refuse to believe that there is a God. Whereas our basic tenant of life is based upon our belief that there is a God.

The point where the rubber meets the road (so to speak) is that our belief, our faith gives us something that those who reject God can never and will never have. That is a hope, a belief, a faith that there is something better for us than just this world with its problems and grief. It is a belief that causes us to live, make decisions, raise our families, have certain work ethics, guides our relationships and so much more. All of those things are based upon our belief in God and the hope he gives us that (if you will) the lead in the pencil never breaks or is used up.

For the non-believers this will not mean much, but to those of us who believe, the words of the Apostle Paul seem appropriate here. He wrote:

Don’t forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. You were called “uncircumcised heathens” by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts.

 In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope.

But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ. (Ephesians 2:11-13, The New Living Translation)

I don't know about you, but I much prefer my life of HOPE, than one without any.

Russ Lawson, Messages From The Heart

Books by Russ Lawson @ http://www.lulu.com/russlawson

IS JESUS THE REASON?

 

One of the often seen quotes at this time of the year is, "Jesus is the reason for the season." Of course that is in reference to the coming Christmas Holiday. I realize that for a lot of folks that is a very true statement. The question is, should it be that way?

 

What makes the month of December any more holy or inspiring than any other time of the year. Samuel Johnson wrote this about this season: "(We as a people or) the Church does not superstitiously observe days, merely as days, but as memorials of important facts (or events). Christmas might be kept as well upon one day of the year as another; but (I feel) there should be a stated day for commemorating the birth of our Saviour, because there is danger that what may be done on any day, will be neglected."

 

Are we in danger of neglecting remembering the day of the birth of Jesus? Well, in all honesty you have to admit that the church we read about in the bible never celebrated that day. Was it a momentous occasion? Absolutely! It received a detailed description of the day in the gospels. The problem as I see it is not the keeping of Christmas, but remembering Jesus every day.

 

Our daughter-in-law Mylinda shared these words of wisdom from our adorable 4 year old grand daughter Allison: One morning Allison told her mom: "Jesus lives in your heart. That's where I keep MY Jesus, in my heart, all day long!"

 

You see, too some Jesus is the reason for this particular season; yet those with more insight realize that Jesus is the reason for EVERY season. My prayer is that like that 4 year old little girl; I can keep Jesus in MY heart all day long. Not just this season or this month or on the 25^th of December, but every day.

 

From now on, whenever I hear the phrase, "Jesus is the reason for the season," I'm going to try to respond, "No, Jesus is the reason for every season, "because I have him right here in my heart all day long.

 

Russ Lawson, Messages From The Heart

 

When you're an Old Coot

WHEN  YOU'RE AN OLD COOT  

I've been rereading a book that about a year ago my daughter-in-law and son gave to me. Looking back on it I figure they are making a statement about me, and they may not be far off the mark. The title of the book is, "When I'm on old coot, witticisms for people who refuse to grow old gracefully." I got to thinking about that and thought I'd do a little research. Just in case you are not familiar with the word, "coot," it is defined in this way: "a harmless simple minded person," Used in this way, "Don't mind him, he's just a crazy old coot." (Webster's Dictionary)

Humm, makes me begin to rethink the nature of the gift? No, really, I know it was just a gift that was given in fun, I think! Actually, I know why they thought of me with a book with this title. It is because I don't usually make the expected decisions or the do the things that "folks of my age," are normally expected to do. I know that more than one person has thought my decision may at the least be questionable (by accepted, safe, comfortable standards).

I also got to thinking about the word, "gracefully." It is defined as: "pleasing or attractive in line, proportion, movements or actions." Humm, again not me! I don't fit into any of those categories.

So, let me see if I understand this: I'm an old crazy person who is not always pleasing or attractive in my actions. Probably a few of you can identify with me in these things (or not). The truth is, I don't mind being different (if you hadn't guessed), but especially I don't mind being different from the world, seen as crazy, don't fit in, not pleasing or acceptable in my attitudes or actions to the worlds views. If fact, that is even biblical!

Take a look at what Peter wrote to Christians in 1 Peter 4:3-6: "You have had enough in the past of the evil things that godless people enjoy, their immorality and lust, their feasting and drunkenness and wild parties, and their terrible worship of idols. Of course, your former friends will think you are crazy when you no longer plunge into the flood of wild and destructive things they do. So they'll call you a crazy old coot or simple minded. But remember that they will have to face God, who will judge everyone, both the living and the dead.  That is why the Good News was preached to those who are now dead, so although they were destined to die like all people, they now live forever with God in the Spirit." (Paraphrase by R.L.)

Forgive my taking a few liberties with the scripture, but I believe it contains the thoughts of the original message. As I said I don't mind being different from those around me, when it comes to pleasing God. What about you?

Russ Lawson, Messages From The Heart

In case you are wondering where to get this book for your "special someone," you can find it at www.gibbs-smith.com

Books by Russ Lawson @ http://www.lulu.com/russlawson

Thanksgiving, I don't think so ....

THANKSGIVING, I DON'T THINK SO

You may not have stopped to think about it, but not everyone is thankful at Thanksgiving. Some are like the suffering person in the note below.

"I really don't get this 'Thanksgiving thing.' I don't have the 'Leave it to Beaver' family, never did. Sure it's a big time for families, but I'm alone on Thanksgiving, so what's the big deal. My kids don't live near me; I'm not close to my brother or sister, my husband left me, so what's to celebrate, Being alone? Being miserable? I'll just snuggle up in my blanket on the sofa with my TV dinner while the rest of you go on with your fairy tale lives." (Anonymous)

Now, you may think the above note is a little extreme, but is it really? Think about your life and the lives of folks you know. How many of them are truly happy? How many times do you or they worry about things in this life? There may be a family member who is sick or who had a bad report from the doctor. You may be looking at the loss of a job, a cut in your hours at work. It may be that your employer may be downsizing, or you worry about the drop in the value of your home or your savings or retirement funds.

For some people, it is difficult to celebrate the holidays in November and December. I read somewhere that there are more suicides at this time of year than any other. Why? Probably because people are reminded that they don't have the storybook lives they would like to have and they feel like they never will.

You may be wondering what worry has to do with Thanksgiving. The way it connects is that the inability to give thanks comes from the same weakness and struggling in our spirits that causes us to worry. It is a basic losing of our faith in the one who sustains us.

Did you know that at least 9 times in the New Testament we read the words, "May God be with you." Do you really believe that God is with you today? Do you recognize his power and strength around you? Could it be that you are spending so much time focusing on the negatives things that might happen, that you forget to count your blessings for today?

You see our sense of well being; the ability to give thanks is in proportion to our faith in God. Paul writes these words in Ephesians 5:19-20, "Speak to one another with psalms, hymn always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Perhaps right now, this moment, would be a good time to begin singing the old song that tells us to, "Count your blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord has done."

Is it a time for Thanksgiving? YES! I definitely think so!

Is your string securely tied?

IS YOUR STRING SECURELY TIED?

I recently heard a story about a little boy who was sailing his little sail boat in a pond in the park. He had tied a string to the boat so he wouldn't loose it, but it had come untied. The boat began to drift out further into the pond than the boy could reach and of course he became very upset. His father was watching the whole thing and walked up and began throwing large stones to the far side of the boat. The idea of course was that the splash and the ripples would begin to move the boat back towards the shore. Before long the boat was back within the reach of the boy and he was happy once again.

I wonder if sometimes that is how God works in our lives? We begin to drift away from him, fail to talk with him, fail to worship with his children, do we fail to live lives which would honor him. Then something happens to upset the calm waters of our lives, it makes a big splash and cause ripples. Hopefully these things will cause us to begin to drift back towards God. Do you think that God ever uses those bad or difficult things that happen in your life to get your attention and shove you back into his arms?

I think the problem is that sometimes our string becomes untied, we loose our anchor and we drift. We sometimes sing the old hymn, "Will your anchor hold", notice some of the words:

Will your anchor hold in the storms of life,
When the clouds unfold their wings of strife?
When the strong tides lift and the cables strain,
Will your anchor drift, or firm remain?

We have an anchor that keeps the soul
Steadfast and sure while the billows roll,
Fastened to the Rock which cannot move,
Grounded firm and deep in the Savior's love.

The writer of the book of Hebrews uses this theme to assure us that we can trust in God. God never changes and never goes back on his word and is always there for us. Notice what the writer says: "God also bound himself with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that he would never change his mind. So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls."(Hebrews 6:17-19, NLT)

Is your string securely tied? Will your anchor hold? Will you recognize that the ripples or storms taking place around you may be God trying to get your attention? If you are "fastened to the Rock," then you can speak the words of Psalms 23 with security and serenity of one whose father is watching over us. You can sing the words of the song knowing even the storms won't cause you to drift?

Fixing Bicycles and Thanksgiving

FIXING BICYCLES AND THANKSGIVING

I recently read a little story about a little girl that touched my heart. It seems that this little girl was late coming home for supper one evening. When she got home her parents were understandably upset. He questioned her about why she had been so late, after all they had worried about her!

The Little girl said, "I stopped to help Marcie, she had a wreck on her bicycle and it was broken." Her father said, "But you don't know anything about fixing bicycles!" To which the little girls replied, "I know, but stopped to help her cry."

Now you may or may not know anything about fixing bicycles, or cars, or washing machines, or refrigerators or much of anything else. But when friends have broken things in their lives and are in despair, we can help them with that! The truth is that you are rarely in the position of being able to fix the brokenness of someone's life, but you can help them cry about it. You can encourage them and help them through the hard times in life!

Paul wrote in Romans 12:15, "Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep." (KJV). I kind of like a modern translation of that verse that says, "Laugh with your happy friends when they're happy: share tears when they're down." (MSG)

We are entering into that time of the year when you are more apt to notice the sorrow or rejoicing of those around you. You may take more notice of people (or groups) trying to relieve the difficulties of those who are struggling to make it in or world. People take up collections of money, food and clothing to help those who might be less fortunate than we. They try to help folks who are struggling just to make ends meet. So count your blessings and do what you can, but if you have nothing to help with physically, then share their sorrow or suffering; cry with them!

On the other hand we are also entering into a time of rejoicing! It is a time of thanksgiving when people take time to count their blessings, thank God. I wonder however, if we rejoice in the right things? I read of an old man who was very poor. His cloths were tattered and his shoes had holes in them. Some people who lived near by gathered some clothes and several pairs of shoes and left them on his doorstep one night. The next morning he ran to his friend's house praising God. He said, "Rejoice with me !" "God is so good, someone left clothes and shoes on my doorstep last night and I met some folks this morning who were in need of them."

So, sometimes we cry and sometimes we rejoice with folks, even if we don't necessarily understand why they are crying or rejoicing. Psalm 92:1 Tells us, "It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD…" (KJV) I may not always understand it, but I believe it anyway! Let's all do it now!

Russ Lawson, Messages From The Heart