Winning On Wednesday - Christmas - Believing is Seeing

Yes, I'm late with this post. Sorry. I'm trying to get things wrapped up in the office and around the house before the holidays.

No, I didn't get the quote wrong. You're probably more familiar with the phrase "Seeing is Believing." But for this WoW, this statement fits. If you've been reading my posts for a while, you have quickly learned that I draw some object lessons out of the strangest places and this is no exception. Consider this the Gospel according to The Santa Claus 2 with Tim Allen playing Santa Claus. The brief synopsis is that through an accident, Tim Allen's character, Scott, has become the new Santa Claus. His son, Charlie, has difficulty dealing with this. However, he later makes the following statement to another character in the movie that is having difficulty believing that Scott is the new Santa.

Charlie: Seeing isn't believing; believing is seeing.

You're probably wondering now. "OK, interesting, but how does this apply." Well, let's go to the user's manual for this Christian life - the Bible.

As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"

"Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world."

Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes. "Go," he told him, "wash in the Pool of Siloam" (this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.

His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, "Isn't this the same man who used to sit and beg?" Some claimed that he was.
Others said, "No, he only looks like him."
But he himself insisted, "I am the man."

"How then were your eyes opened?" they demanded.

He replied, "The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see."

John 9:1-11

What is the most significant aspect of the miracle here? That Jesus performed it? I would argue that the most important aspect here is the belief displayed by the blind man. Jesus covered his eyes in mud and then made an imperative statement to the man - '"Go," he told him, "wash in the Pool of Siloam"'. The man's belief and faith were being tested. Did he truly believe in Jesus and the healing Jesus was offering him. His belief required action. What was the result of the action? Healing and sight - "So the man went and washed, and came home seeing." See - Believing is Seeing.

How does this apply during the Christmas season? I offer you two examples. First, the Shepherds:

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
"Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.

Luke 2:8-18

And then the Wise Men:

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him."

When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written:
" 'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.'"

Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him."

After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

Matthew 2:1-12

Again, what is significant in both passages? The belief of the Shepherds and the Magi (Wise Men). In each case their belief required action. For the Shepherds, they had been given a message from the Angels. Leaving their flocks was a major decision, but they acted on their belief to go see the baby Jesus. Believing is Seeing.

For the Magi, they had seen a star and knew it meant something important. They knew from prophecy that someone important was to come out of Bethlehem. However, their belief required action. After a long journey, they finally came to worship the baby Jesus. Again, Believing is Seeing.

So, what will you do with Jesus this Christmas? All He asks is that you believe in Him.
Believing is Seeing that He is the Son of God and was born in a manger, led a humble life and died for our sins so we could be forgiven. Believing is Seeing that He is the answer you've been looking for. Believing is Seeing that He is the only reason for this season.

Merry CHRISTmas!

Now Playing: "What If I Stumble" by DC Talk

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Great Christmas Lights

Some people have WAY too much time on their hands. It's still cool. If you don't recognize the sounds, it's the THX sound from PIXAR.



Merry Christmas!

Now Playing: "When I Remember" by Blindside

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Time - Person of the Year

I really didn't see this coming. It completely surprised me and I'm quite shocked...to be honest. One would think that I would have had some warning. But most of all I'm both proud and humbled at the same time. Why? Well, I was surfing the web over the weekend and was shocked to learn the following:


I've been named Time magazine's "Person of the Year"!!! WOW! Isn't it so exciting?!? I know I'll get a call from the President, or the CEO of Time, or even that middle school teacher that never thought I'd amount to much sometime today. I just can't wait! This will change my life forever. Think about the job offers and speaking engagements.

Wait a minute....now I get it. Time means the collective You not the specific You. Ouch, I think I just embarrassed myself. Gee...that's not very big news is it? If everybody is "Person of the Year" then NOBODY'S special.

I wonder how all the past honorees feel about being lumped in with the unwashed masses. Talk about degrading an honor below rock bottom. Don't get me wrong, Time has chosen some pretty interesting choices through the years for the "Person of the Year" ("Man of the Year", "Woman of the Year" even "Planet of the Year"). The selection always hasn't been popular, but the choice has usually been of someone, or someones, that have been the focus of the news that year and have made an impact on our collective psyche. (well...supposedly).

In my opinion, Time chickened out. This is the ultimate step of political correctness. Since picking ANYONE would have offended SOMEONE, the editors simply chose to choose NO ONE. I've read the background on their choice. I'm not buying it.

Now Playing: "The Pirates That Don't Do Anything" by Reliant K

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Facing the Giants - What's Happening?

It's been a while since I gave another Facing the Giants update, so I figured I would bring you up to date on what's happening.

Well, the big news is that the DVD will be available in stores starting January 30, 2007 (according to my Facing the Giants update email). If you want a special collectors edition, you can order it from Christian retailers or click here to go to the official website and follow their links to purchase.

However, the BIGGEST news is the impact the movie is having. Click here to read some of the testimonials from those that have been affected by the movie. I personally believe this movie could be one of the greatest tools churches could use to reach Youth and College age students. Arguably, parts of the movie are not up to Hollywood standards, BUT the message is far above what any of our students are exposed to on a daily basis. If your church, school group, community group or you personally want to show the movie, follow this link to get more information on how to LEGALLY show the movie and have access to materials to promote your showing.

Lastly, as you may know, all proceeds from the film will be going to a community park being built by Sherwood Baptist. In that case, how's the movie doing? Of course these numbers are gross revenues and do not include the deductions for costs associated with distribution and promotion. Anyway, according to Boxofficemojo.com , as of December 10, the movie has taken in $9,886,159. WOW! What I find encouraging is the number of Boxofficemojo members that gave the movie an "A" rating. 87.4% of the reviewers! Just to give you a frame of reference, only 61.1% of the reviewers of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (which was a GREAT movie) gave it an "A" rating.

I guess this shows us what God can do through us if we let him. My hat's off to the Sherwood Baptist and the Kendrick brothers for pulling this off (under God's direction - of course).


Now Playing: "Stand in the Rain" by Superchic[k]

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Winning On Wednesday - Do You Accept the Gift?

Today's post will be quite short when compared to previous posts. I simply have one question: Do you accept the Gift? What Gift am I talking about? I'm talking about the Gift of Jesus Christ and the life and freedom He brings.

It's the Christmas season where gifts are given and received. We accept those gifts graciously and are very thankful to the giver. What about the best gift we could ever receive...Eternal Life in Christ? Very simply:

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16

Notice the second phrase of that verse, "that he gave his only Son" (emphasis added). God gave His Son as a gift. All He asks for is belief. This is the ultimate Gift and there are no strings attached. What you see is TRULY what you get. Reading from another "Christmas" verse:

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6

Again, read the second phrase. "To us a son is given" (emphasis added). The us is inclusive. We have ALL been given the gift of Eternal Life in Jesus Christ. God is waiting to see how we choose.
Do you accept the Gift or do you reject Him?

Now Playing: "Blue" by Ever Stays Red

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A Big Stink Over Global Warming

If you've read my blog enough, you know this is a favorite topic of mine. Well, this article in The Independent reports on a study which may cause a big stink over Global Warming. I apologize for the puns now...

So, what's the big deal? It appears the livestock, more specifically cattle, are to blame for a large portion of the greenhouse gas emissions. From the article:

A United Nations report has identified the world's rapidly growing herds of cattle as the greatest threat to the climate, forests and wildlife.

and

...the world's 1.5 billion cattle are most to blame. Livestock are responsible for 18 per cent of the greenhouse gases that cause global warming, more than cars, planes and all other forms of transport put together.

Just to be clear, I am NOT saying that we should all become vegetarians and do away with livestock. What I am pointing out is a study that has determined other causes of Greenhouse Gas emissions. Natural causes. Reading on:

Livestock are responsible for 18 per cent of the greenhouse gases that cause global warming, more than cars, planes and all other forms of transport put together.

Burning fuel to produce fertiliser to grow feed, to produce meat and to transport it - and clearing vegetation for grazing - produces 9 per cent of all emissions of carbon dioxide, the most common greenhouse gas. And their wind and manure emit more than one third of emissions of another, methane, which warms the world 20 times faster than carbon dioxide.

Did you catch that? Their wind? Snicker. Anyway...

The article also goes on to detail the environmental damage caused by runoff from feedlots etc. I do believe that we need to be good stewards of the environment. This would include proper disposal of wastes from cattle, hog, sheep, etc farms.

However, I would like to pose a series of questions. If we've been able to quantify the emissions of cattle, how does this apply historically? What about the great herds of Buffalo that used to roam North America? What about the huge migrations of wildlife in Africa? What about the emissions (and droppings) from these animals?

Just another study to consider.

Now Playing: "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" by Jars of Clay

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Winning on Wednesday - Season of Giving

I've changed the thread of my WoW posts to one of giving and volunteering as we enter the Christmas season. The reason I say "season" is because Advent has already begun.

I will continue this theme at least through Christmas. As Christians we are called to make a difference in our communities. To be the "salt of the earth" and the "light of the world". But, how do we do that? As I posted last week, part of it is putting Feet to your Faith. Does that mean only volunteering and such? No. That also means giving.

John Stossel wrote a column (quite timely I might add) for Townhall entitled "Who Gives to Charity?" The article is an excellent read, but I'm going to excerpt some of that here. John references a "test" they did on ABC's 20/20. Now, I'm not a fan of the 20/20 program, but I found this little test quite interesting. The basics behind the test are as follows:

To test them, ABC's "20/20" went to Sioux Falls, S.D., and San Francisco. We asked the Salvation Army to set up buckets at their busiest locations in both cities. Which bucket would get more money? I'll get to that in a minute.

San Francisco and Sioux Falls are different in some important ways. Sioux Falls is small and rural, and more than half the people go to church every week.

San Francisco is a much bigger and richer city, and relatively few people attend church. It is also known as a very liberal place, and since liberals are said to "care more" about the poor, you might assume people in San Francisco would give a lot.

OK, so we now have a background for the rest of the article. But, before John gives us the results of their "test", John interviewed several researchers that provide us with some interesting statistics.

"When you look at the data," says Syracuse University professor Arthur Brooks, "it turns out the conservatives give about 30 percent more. And incidentally, conservative-headed families make slightly less money."

Researching his book, "Who Really Cares", Brooks found that the conservative/liberal difference goes beyond money:

"The people who give one thing tend to be the people who give everything in America. You find that people who believe it's the government's job to make incomes more equal, are far less likely to give their money away."

Wow, interesting. I think I'm gonna have to get his book just out of curiosity. But what about a generosity comparison between the rich and the poor? Well, let's see:

Says Brooks: "The most charitable people in America today are the working poor."

We saw that in Sioux Falls, S.D. The workers at the meat packing plant make about $35,000, yet the Sioux Falls United Way says it gets more contributions of over $500 from employees there than anywhere else.

Sadly, the Middle Class fared far worse in Mr. Brooks' research:

Well, while middle-income Americans are generous compared to people in other countries, when compared to both the rich and working poor in America, Brooks says, "They give less."

That's disappointing considering many of these people have worked their way up to this status.

But what about "religious" people (quotes added intentionally)?

Religious people are more likely to give to charity, and when they give, they give more money -- four times as much.

But doesn't that giving just stay within the religion?

"No," says Brooks, "Religious Americans are more likely to give to every kind of cause and charity, including explicitly nonreligious charities. Religious people give more blood; religious people give more to homeless people on the street."

That's encouraging. But why should we give? Going back to the same passage I posted last week.

"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

Matthew 25:34-40

So, reach out to others during the holiday season. Let them know you care. Share your blessings with others.

Oh, the results of the test done by 20/20?

...even though people in Sioux Falls make, on average, half as much money as people in San Francisco, and even though the San Francisco location was much busier -- three times as many people were within reach of the bucket -- by the end of the second day, the Sioux Falls bucket held twice as much money.

Now Playing: "Love Addict" by Family Force 5

Technorati: Winning on Wednesday, charitable giving, charities, Christians, Jesus

What a Great Weekend!

Our church sponsored a mission trip to help another church in Richwood, WV.

This small church is in a small building built near the turn of the 20th Century. The building has alternatively been a house, a store, a house again and now a church. Also, over the years, there have been many additions to this building resulting in very interesting architecture.

Our small team of volunteers was there to accomplish two tasks. First, had to remove a wall to expand their seating area. Second, we were delivering food to replenish their ministry food pantry that they use to help the needy in their community.

Although the work was hard, dirty and long. I think I can safely say that we all found it worthwhile. By volunteering our time and incurring some minor personal expense, we were able to help someone else.

This church averages less than 30 each week, but they'd grown to need more seating than their building would allow. We took out a wall, while encountering many structural challenges, and opened up a neighboring room to allow for more seating. But this wasn't necessarily the most important task we accomplished.
This small town lost it's major employer several years ago when the mill shut down. If you do a little research on the US Census website, you quickly discover that the poverty rate for this town is much higher than the national average. Therefore, this small church, has a huge opportunity to reach out to those in need and provide food for those in need. In doing this ministry, they had nearly depleted their pantry.

We had many people donate non-perishable food to help restock this pantry. This included: church members, boy scouts collecting canned goods, co-workers, neighbors and friends. We were so thankful for all of their generosity and the problem they created for us. Chad, a friend of mine, and I volunteered to unpack all the food into the pantry and organize it. Thankfully, we almost had too much food to fit it all in the pantry.


This all ties back to my "Winning on Wednesday" last week.

All in all....what a Great Weekend!

Now Playing: "Cut" by Plumb

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