Christmas – It’s The Most Fabulous Time Of The Year
I am not the first person to notice that the world turns slightly mad at this time of year. A select few grown men put on fake beards and dress up in funny red costumes and proceed to march into schools and department stores with bags full of presents and leave behind an enormous sense of excitement. People start being noticeably nicer to one another. Children go slightly crazy with anticipation as they compile their Christmas lists and young mothers embark on the perennial panic of preparing for the biggest family occasion of the year.
The whole world is touched upon with a general sense of happiness that is wonderful yet for this cynical observer is slightly unnerving. I have taken a look at the recent news reports on Christmas. Some of them are truly absurd and remind us how bizarre life can be in the modern world…
Father Christmas’ in Australia have been banned from using the word ‘ho’ in case it causes offense to women. The word ‘ho’ at least in hip hop culture and many urban dialects are used as slang to refer to ‘whore’ or ‘prostitute’. Officials in Australia have taken notice of this trend and have subsequently asked their Santa’ to avoid using the word ‘ho’ as it could potentially cause offence to women. I don’t know about you but I feel more offended by the lengths these moralising people in power go to patronise the public’s ability to make their own judgement.
The Post Office announced that next they will be introducing a scheme that will help people save for Christmas. They will be able to make deposits of between 5 pounds and 500 pounds up to a yearly total of 1000 pounds.
People saving their money in this way will not be given access to the money they deposit until after November. I’m split on this one. Anything that helps people save their money and improve their Christmas is surely a good thing but on the other hand what is wrong with us? Can we not keep any money in our pocket without needing an artificial scheme to help us? Do we really have no self discipline?
Every year there is an outcry from a group of small minded imbeciles that mistakenly believe they are looking out for the best interests of everyone by trying to take Christian iconography out of Christmas because they fear it could ostracise non-Christians. This year it was the turn of American town Fort Collins (only in America!). Town officials have decided to use less religious decorations in an attempt to make Christmas less exclusive to Christians. Seriously!? It’s Christmas!
The undeniable evidence that the season turns people crazy is the annual success of Cliff Richard. Every year he launches a horrendous single that smashes records to reach the top spot in the charts…every year. Don’t we know any better? We all know he was pickled in 1990. We know that he was subsequently stuffed and fitted with an automated metallic frame that is controlled by a music industry bigwig.
We know that it is a phenomenally successful scam developed to rip off old grannies and we know how hard these grannies scrimp and save money from their state pensions to feed the Cliff Richard fund. Instead of making a stand and uniting with collective disgust we embrace the leather-faced geriatric. What is wrong with us?
When he is not making Christmas Chocolates Shaun Parker looks into the bizzare effect Christmas has on us all. Devoted father to four young children he knows how exciting this time of year can be. To find out more please visit http://www.chouchoute.co.uk/page/christmas-gifts.html
I Know Who Started The Fire
The flames from the forest fire twirled creating a funnel that took the form of a fiery tornado that lashed out furiously hurdling huge balls of fire that ignited grasses, trees and every house that was in the mist of the fire. The intensity of the heat boiled the water right out of the luxury pools of the rich and the tiny streams that ran along the path of the forest fire. Everything left behind was destroyed by the gigantic forest fire.
The people in the fires path gathered a few precious items along with clothing and ran for their lives. Many barely escaped as their cars caught on fire from the penetrating furnace emanating from the forest fire. Walls of dark clouds of ash and smoke blocked out the sun and brought an eerie feeling of loss.
Half a million people are displaced from their homes and despondent as they wonder how they will start over again. Why did this happen? Why did I lose everything in the fire. How will I ever replace everything I lost?
Luke 12: 49-51, “I came to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already kindled! I have a baptism to receive, and how distressed I am until it is over! Do you suppose that I came to bring peace to the world? No, not peace, but division.”
The quickest response to a devastating fire is why God why! Theologians over the past have raised their arms with angry faces confirming the feelings that all destruction from natural disaster is a result of people’s sin. The media has proclaimed that these are God’s acts of revenge on a sinful and corrupt world who refuse to respond to the call of God’s will for their lives.
But today I wish to enlighten those who have suffered a cruel loss of homes and jobs because of the forest fires in California. God did not do this to you! God loves people and He is the Savior of the world. Jesus did not come to set the world on fire in a literal sense. He came to set the world a blaze with the fire of the Holy Spirit that dwells in a person. A Spirit that comes to open our eyes as we face the difficulties this world will put us through.
We are in a life game that centers around a powerful spiritual world that interacts in the physical world that we are apart. It is an unseen world that wages good and bad forces against human beings in an effort to teach us the difference between right and wrong. Satan the ruler and judge of the world has the ability to punish human beings for sin. Sin represents evil and it requires punishment. Satan because he is the evil god of this world has the ability to wage a war against the earth because of sin. He started the fire!
Ephesians 6: 12, “For we are not fighting against human beings but against the wicked spiritual forces in the heavenly world, the rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers of this dark age.”
Jesus is not our judge but our helper. He came to strengthen those who have lost their homes and give them the ability to rebuild again. He came to bring hope and love. He came to build you up and give you the ability to fight against every loss you suffer with perseverance and assurance that you can win!
John 12: 46&47, “I have come into the world as light, so that everyone who believes in me should not remain in the darkness. If anyone hears my message and does not obey it, I will not judge him. I came, not to judge the world but to save it”
When we suffer the loss of our property and home, Jesus comes in and takes our losses and turns them into challenges that give us the ability to rebuild again. He takes our near death experiences in a fire and makes them a witness to the power of God and how He can rescue us just in time. He takes our memories and builds better memories of how we overcame the fire with a more enduring faith. He builds our character through our losses and turns us into a strong unconquerable force that will withstand against any bad thing that comes up against people.
When Jesus is in our lives we understand that everything we suffer is an instrument meant to teach us something new that we would never have understood if we had not experienced going through the fire. We are in a teaching world. A world game that will test us and try us so we will change into different people. He gave us the Bible as a hand book so we would understand just what kind of world we are experiencing. Jesus is the author of everything good in the world.
We have read stories of people who have endured tremendous losses and we have been inspired from their words. They have turned their losses into personal victories. They have won the approval of thousands because they took their tragedies and told people what they learned. Their inspiration nurtures Christians everywhere giving them the knowledge they need to not quit when they face difficult situations brought on by the destructive power of Satan’s evil wrath.
Christ came to give us hope. He came to give us the fight we need to stand up against the evils of the world. He came to replace our sorrows with joy. Joy that fills us with the strength we need to start all over again. He came to give us life in a corrupt and evil world so we could be an example to everyone of what happens when you follow God.
John 12: 48, “Whoever rejects me and does not accept my message has one who will judge him (Satan). The words I have spoken will be his judge on the last day!”
Satan is the judge of the world. When we do not know the purpose behind our world then we come up against Satan. He wants to destroy people’s lives and to keep them from running to the saving power of Jesus Christ. He tempts people into doing evil. He is opposite from God for he manifests his spirit in hate.
Satan takes grief and uses it as a weapon. He convinces people that God hurt them and they should cut God out of their lives. He tells them to blame a family member because they didn’t get out a prize possession during the forest fire. He ruins marriages, divides families and becomes a voice of hate.
Their losses in the fire become personal tragedies that destroy hope and create mental breakdowns that lead to depression and feelings of giving up. They spend years in therapy reliving the loss of a loved one who died in the fire. They become despondent and hopeless unable to live past the event that robbed them of their home.
When you are living in a teaching world, then you must understand that you will go through tests. Tests that are meant to open your eyes to what is good and what is evil. These tests will either break you or change you into more assured and stronger people.
John 15: 5&6, “I am the vine, and you are the branches. Whoever remains in me, and I in him, will bear much fruit; for you can do nothing without me. Whoever does not remain in me is thrown out like a branch and thrown into the fire, where they are burned.”
Jesus’ prunes those who follow Him with love and care. He does this so that we will become perfect like He is perfect. He takes the fire of the Holy Spirit and becomes a voice of determination that helps us to fight against evil.
Satan started the fire and when the world game comes to an end all those who chose to hurt people will be thrown out and burnt up in a fire that is meant to end evil. When this day comes a bright new world will emerge shining like lightning and bringing an end to suffering and pain. Hold unto Jesus, He loves every human being and He came to show us the way to an eternity of love in the perfect world that is to come.
Linda C Dipman author of THE GAME OF LIFE IT’S ALMOST OVER http://outskirtspress.com/gameoflife presents: AND HIS LOVE SHONE DOWN my true life story! It describes all the persecutions I endured. Lovinghandsministry.com
Engaging in More Spiritual Conversations
Evangelism has moved in the last 20 years from being a monologue (one-sided conversation) to a dialog (two-way conversation.) There are people all around us who are receptive to spiritual discussions and open genuine spiritual guidance. George Barna sites, “That 62% of American adults consider themselves to be not merely religious, but deeply spiritual.” This means that there is more than a 50-50 chance of getting into some type of spiritual conversation with people who travel in and out of your life. Learning to engage people in a meaningful, spiritual dialog is critical for a spiritual leader.
Here are four ideas for increasing the spiritual conversations in your life:
1) Make It a Priority
It is important for a leader to think strategically about their conversations throughout the week. If you don’t plan it or make room for it, the likelihood is that it is not going to get done. I agree with Brian McLaren’s statement, “We should count conversations rather than conversions, not because I don’t believe in conversions, but because I don’t think we’ll get many conversions if we keep emphasizing them.” The number of conversations you have is directly related to the number of conversions you will see happen over a year. In coaching church leaders we use the 3 by 5 rule. If leaders are going to be serious about connecting with people they need to uncover at least 5 new contacts a day, equaling about 35 a week, which will lead to 3 “sit-downs” for a meaningful conversation.
How many contacts does it take for you to get a meaningful sit-down with a person?
2) Pray for Opportunities
I remember praying one morning, “Lord, it has been a while time since I led someone to you. Open the doors and show me who I need to speak to today.” As soon as I finished praying that prayer a man walked over to me and said, “Doesn’t that book (my pocket Bible) get old after a while?” which I replied, “It gets better every time I read it. Would you like to read it?” He took the Bible and began reading it. This resulted in a number of great conversations that eventually led to him and his family to attend our church and embrace Jesus as Lord and Savior.
When is the last time you asked God to open new doors of opportunity for you?
3) Get out and into your community
All too often we are so isolated from the world in which you live. Look at your calendar and see what fills your week. I encourage church planters to think about tithing their time to community service and interaction. As a planter I put in 60 plus hours a week. This meant about six hours a week out in the community like playing in a noon basketball league on Tuesdays and Thursdays or coaching my children’s baseball and football teams. My week could be filled with serving on various community committees within the school district or through the Chamber of Commerce. It could also involve attending community events or joining professional groups like Toastmasters International. I could easily fill up my six hours a week.
Opportunities abound when we get out into our communities. Jon Cawston, a church planter in Plainfield, IL., joined a local entrepreneurial networking group. After a couple of months of being in this group, he was wondering why he was there and was feeling out of place. Then a crisis took place within the group and he discovered that he instantly become “the chaplain” of the group which led to spiritual conversations.
Can you imagine all the spiritual conversations that could take place if your staff and leaders were encouraged to tithe their time to community service and interaction?
4) Establish routines and cultivate relationships
Beyond the tithe of your time in your community I encourage leaders to establish routines and patterns so that you build relational presence with business owners and servers. Think strategically about all your interactions and pray that you can be a redemptive influence within that social network. A couple of tell tale signs of this is, “Do people know your name?” or “Do you know peoples names?” Reggie McNeal loves to ask his servers, “I am going to pray for my meal and I always pray for my server. Is there anything I can pray for you specifically?” I can see this really working as you cultivate relationships and move them from the mundane to the spiritual.
What places do you frequent in your community?
Jesus, Paul and James used the analogy of the farmer when it comes to spiritual leaders patiently sowing, working and cultivating the work of the gospel. When it comes to engaging in spiritual conversations you need to have an attitude of a farmer, faithfully working and cultivating your community. The first two suggestions deal with the leader’s attitude, the next two suggestions deal with putting leaders in a position for engagement.
I learned a simple lesson over twenty-five years ago from an old missionary who said these words to me, “Gary you can’t serve God where you are not!” That statement helped me move away from dreaming about future ministry to engaging myself in the daily personal ministry right in front of me every day.
Gary has a unique focus in mentoring leaders within God’s mission. He is a sought after personal coach for pastors, church planters and missional leaders. His website: http://www.yourjourney.org His blog http://www.garyrohrmayer.com
A Christian Perspective on “The Secret” and the Law of Attraction
If you’ve heard of the best-selling book called “The Secret” you know it has become huge!
The concept is, by using this “secret,” which is The Law of Attraction, you can create anything you want in your life: more money, a bigger house, more business, a new mate, literally anything you want!
While “The Secret” has many truths in it, it also has many flaws.
For one thing I personally disagree with the notion that a person can have just anything. The reason is… because we were born with different strengths skills, talents, and abilities.
God made us all unique, with a purpose, and with a certain mission. It really isn’t “all about us!”
If you’re a Christian, you’re joint-heirs with Christ because you have been adopted into His family. This all means you are in His will, which also means He directs your steps!
Jeremiah 29:11 says, “I know the thoughts I think toward you says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end!”
This Scripture tells us we need to seek God’s will for our lives… seek what He wants! When we are doing what we are anointed to do, we will experience success!
When we seek our own thing we will fail miserably, for Jeremiah 17:5 says, “Cursed is the one that trusts in man!” Whatever does not begin with God will certainly end in failure!
The Secret’s teaching on the Law of Attraction has brought a lot of confusion to the believer in Christ for one very good reason… They leave out the entire concept of “God’s will!
Should we then, not study the Law of Attraction? Absolutely not! The Law of Attraction is very real, and when you read the words of Jesus, you must believe in it!
When you study the Law of Attraction you must be careful whom you’re learning it from (most of the teachers of The Secret do not profess to be followers of Christ)!
Jesus’ teaching on the Law of Attraction dealt with our beliefs, thoughts, words and actions. The teachers of the “Secret” teach that our words and thoughts are enough, like there’s some sort of magic in what we request from the “Universe,” and a relationship with our Saviour meansnothing. Remember John 14:6, “No one comes to the Father but through Me!”
The wisest man who ever lived said this; “Dreaming instead of doing is foolishness, and there is ruin in a flood of empty words. Fear God instead” (Ecclesiastes 5:7)!
Now, we have clarified that the Law of Attraction is real. Understanding it thoroughly is another thing. Truly understanding it with a Christian perspective is extremely important because, just like anyone else, it largely determines what we are getting out of life. It has been working for, and against us since we were born.
Jesus said, “All things are possible to him who believes” (Mark 9:23), all things means just that… ALL things… good and bad!
If you are, or are not, getting the things you really and truly believe God wants for you in your life, I challenge you to consider what you are thinking about most of the time!
If you’re a subscriber to my “Prosperous Christian” e-Letter you know that I write a lot about how important our thinking is! Jesus said, “As a man Thinks, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7)!
So, how should a Christian use the Law of Attraction?
A Christian should use the Law of Attraction to glorify God in his or her life, not merely to obtain selfish ambitions. By seeking God’s will, knowing what He wants from us, and then trusting Him to help us as we keep focused on that very thing, we will put ourselves in a postion to receive. Jeremiah 17:7 says, “Blessed is the one that trusts in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is!”
If you’ve been trying to use the Law of Attraction in the way the teachers of The Secret teach, you will soon find yourself feeling far from God! And, it should be no surprise…
When you’re merely seeking after what you want, and not what God wants, you are in the flesh, which is sin! And we know sin separates us from God. Again, remember Jeremiah 17:5, “Cursed is the one that trusts in man” (the word “Man” means flesh, or one’s self)!
God wants a relationship with us more than anything else. He wants our heart, and it grieves Him when we chase after selfish things instead of Him. Matthew 6:33 says, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you!”
In conclusion, the teachers of The Secret say that the Law of Attraction means “Thoughts become things.” But, in reality, the Law of Attraction means, “What we think about most flows out of our lives!” We find this truth in Proverbs 4:23, “Guard your heart with all diligence, for out of it flow the issues of life.”
Daniel N. Brown is an entrepreneur and teacher of biblical success principles! Get his Free Special Report, “Christian Prosperity Secrets” when you subscribe to his Free “Prosperous Christian” e-Letter…
http://www.SecretPlaceOnline.com