Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas, and a happy and blessed new year!

Conviction in an Age of Compromise

In January I'm going to be preaching a series of messages called "Conviction in an Age of Compromise: How to Live with Integrity when the Heat is On."

Today I read an interview with a Christian who went to war as a way of living out his faith. What he found there changed him, and led him to a life-changing decision. His story may change your life as well.

You may agree or disagree with the choices Josh made, but I hope you will be as moved as I was by a young man who had to decide what it means to be a disciple of the "Prince of Peace" when the cost is higher than most of us can imagine.

The Story of Josh Stieber

If you come across other stories of Christians who have had to put their faith on the line - or if you have one of your own - please pass them along.

Feliz Navidad,
Jeff

The True Christmas Spirit

How wonderful it is, how pleasant, when God’s people live together in harmony! Psalm 133:1 (TNIV)

We are entering a time of year that I think of as “family time.” In a few weeks Christmas will be upon us. With Christmas come Norman Rockwell images of a family around the tree, a proud mother smiling at her gathered children, Dad wearing a silly Santa hat, trees dragged through the snow, cookies on the table, and visions of sugar-plums dancing in heads.

The truth is that for most people the reality is somewhat different from the dream. In some families such gatherings never take place, and in some they are a time of stress, not joy. Christmas becomes a shop-fest with ever increasing pressure to “get done” before we crash and burn.

So where does this image come from?

Somewhere, deep in our souls, we know “how wonderful it is, how pleasant, when God’s people [including families] live together in harmony!” We may not know how to reach it, but oh, how we long for it! But this precious, fragrant anointing isn’t found around an overstuffed Christmas stocking.

You see, the problem with families is that we’re all made up of broken people. We’re full of hopes, but we’re full of hurts. Some of those hurts are even caused by the people we love.

It’s true of church families, too.

Broken people can’t be healed with Christmas carols or fancy new clothes. Broken people can be healed only by grace—the grace of God poured out in Jesus Christ. Grace allows us to forgive and to be forgiven. Forgiveness allows us to build intimate relationships that go beyond seasonal trimmings—within our families, within our churches, and with our neighbors.

God is calling us to be a grace-filled church. This year, during the “family season,” I’d like to encourage you to focus less on the symbolism of the season and more on the substance of God’s grace. Ask the Lord how you can be a vessel of grace in your family. Ask God how you can give and experience grace in your church.

May the grace of God fill our hearts and lives throughout this season, as we learn to live together in harmony.

Evangelicals and Gay Marriage

It's been a long time since I've written here, and now I post an article written by someone else?  Well, if I can't say it better myself, then let it be said by the one who says it best.

Below is a link to an article by our friend Ron Sider, president of Evangelicals for Social Action, as he considers the subject of "Gay Marriage."  It is long - but well worth reading every word. Whatever you're thoughts until now, it's likely to challenge your thinking.

http://www.firstthings.com/article/2010/11/bearing-better-witness