Today I am stepping across the line. I’m tired of waffling and I’m finished with wavering. I’ve made my choice; the verdict is in and my decision is irrevocable. I’m going God’s way. There is no turning back. I will live the rest of my life serving God’s purposes, with God’s people, on God’s planet, for God’s glory. I will use my life to celebrate his presence, cultivate his character, participate in his family, demonstrate his love, and communicate his Word.
Since my past has been forgiven, and I have a purpose for living and a home waiting in heaven, I refuse to waste any more time or energy on shallow living, petty thinking, trivial talking, thoughtless doing, useless regretting, hurtful resenting, or faithless worrying. Instead I will magnify God, grow to maturity, serve in ministry, and fulfill my mission in the membership of his family.
Because this life is preparation for the next, I will value worship over wealth, “we” over “me”, character over comfort, service over status, and people over possessions, position, and pleasure. I know what matters most and I will give it all I’ve got. I will do the best I can with what I have for Jesus Christ today. I won’t be captivated by culture, manipulated by critics, motivated by praise, frustrated by problems, debilitated by temptation, or intimidated by the devil. I’ll keep running my race with my eyes on the goal; not on the sidelines or on those running by me. When times get tough and I get tired, I won’t back up, back off, back down, back out, or backslide. I’ll just keep moving forward by God’s grace. I’m spirit-led, purpose-driven, and mission-focused so I can’t be bought. I will not be compromised, and I shall not quit until I finish the race.
I’m a trophy of God’s amazing grace so I will be gracious to everyone, grateful for every day, and generous with everything that God entrusts to me. I am a radical in the original sense of the word: rooted in Christ, rooted in love, and rooted in his Word.
I hereby declare my supreme allegiance to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I say this: However, whenever, wherever, and whatever you ask me to do, my answer is yes! I’m ready. Anytime. Anyway. Whatever it takes Lord; whatever it takes! I want to be used by you in such a way that on that final day I’ll hear you say, “Well done, good and faithful one. Come on in and let the eternal party begin!”
From Radicalis '10
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
The Dangers of Peephole Driving
As the recent winter approached, USA Today writer Larry Copeland wrote a story about the danger of "peephole" driving. Anyone who lives in the frozen north has likely been a peephole driver at some point. You're in a hurry to get to work on time, and when you walk out into the cold you find that your car is encased in a layer of snow and ice from an overnight storm. You start the car and turn up the heater. You get out your scraper and battle to chip out a clear space on your windshield. After a few minutes you have cleared away an opening the size of a large pepperoni pizza. You are now shivering and miserable, and you realize this will take 10 more minutes. So you move to the rear window and scrape off a narrower opening the size of a small sausage pizza with extra olives and do the same with the side windows. You throw caution to the frigid winds and get in the car and drive away.
Then it hits you: you can hardly see. You drive really slow and lean up close to the windshield and peer out your peephole and hope against hope that you don't run into anyone before the heater and defrosters melt more of the ice away from your windows. Worse yet, as you peer out your peephole, you notice that other drivers are peering out their peepholes!
Copeland's article ends with this warning from the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles: "Peephole driving is an invitation to disaster."
Peephole driving is an apt picture of what it's like to go through life with the limited vision that comes from limited understanding and wisdom—the kind of limitations that come from not knowing the Scriptures.
According to Acts 17:11. They "received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily, to see whether these things were so."
How can you equip yourself for every good work without studying the Bible, when it is God's word that explains these good works (2 Tim. 3:16-17)? The Word seeks to provoke others to more love and good works (Heb. 10:24).
God is waiting for many to become doers of His word so He can begin to bless them, change them and give them His new nature (Gal. 4:19). He wants to give us His divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). Jesus came that you may have life and have it more abundantly (John 10:10). If this is not true in your life now, it can be. Test what you read in the Bible by putting it into practice in your daily life. You will know the truth is the truth when you practice it toward others by serving them (John 3:21, 7:17; Matt. 23:11).
Prepared people must know and understand God's Word. They must know God's Will so they can do God's Will in their lives and not be foolish (Rom. 12:2; Eph. 5:17). They can walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects and build godly character (good fruit) by making all their works or deeds acceptable before the Lord.
Don't live your life looking through a Peep-Hole.
Then it hits you: you can hardly see. You drive really slow and lean up close to the windshield and peer out your peephole and hope against hope that you don't run into anyone before the heater and defrosters melt more of the ice away from your windows. Worse yet, as you peer out your peephole, you notice that other drivers are peering out their peepholes!
Copeland's article ends with this warning from the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles: "Peephole driving is an invitation to disaster."
Peephole driving is an apt picture of what it's like to go through life with the limited vision that comes from limited understanding and wisdom—the kind of limitations that come from not knowing the Scriptures.
According to Acts 17:11. They "received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily, to see whether these things were so."
How can you equip yourself for every good work without studying the Bible, when it is God's word that explains these good works (2 Tim. 3:16-17)? The Word seeks to provoke others to more love and good works (Heb. 10:24).
God is waiting for many to become doers of His word so He can begin to bless them, change them and give them His new nature (Gal. 4:19). He wants to give us His divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). Jesus came that you may have life and have it more abundantly (John 10:10). If this is not true in your life now, it can be. Test what you read in the Bible by putting it into practice in your daily life. You will know the truth is the truth when you practice it toward others by serving them (John 3:21, 7:17; Matt. 23:11).
Prepared people must know and understand God's Word. They must know God's Will so they can do God's Will in their lives and not be foolish (Rom. 12:2; Eph. 5:17). They can walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects and build godly character (good fruit) by making all their works or deeds acceptable before the Lord.
Don't live your life looking through a Peep-Hole.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Don't take Yes for an Answer
One of my inspirations is Leonardo da Vinci. Da Vinci ranks as one of the most curious and creative minds in history. Born on April 15, 1452, Leonardo dreamed of things never before imagined: a flying machine, a parachute, an extendable ladder, the bicycle, an adjustable monkey wrench, hydraulic jacks, a water-powered alarm clock, and for all of you concert lovers, the world’s first revolving stage. One biographer called him “the most curious man who ever lived.” But my favorite description of da Vinci? “He wouldn’t take yes for an answer..”
I love that approach to life. If you approach every person, every challenge, every situation with humble curiosity, it transforms them into learning opportunities. The outcome is no longer seen as success or failure, good or bad, positive or negative. The only measuring stick is this: what did you learn from it? Honestly, that mindset has helped me get through some difficult challenges. When I’m going through a tough time emotionally or relationally or spiritually, I figure I’m getting an education in those ares. When it gets really tough, I think of it as graduate work. Call it a Jedi mind trick. Call it a state of denial. All I know is this: that mindset has resulted in an experimental approach to life and ministry. I’m less afraid of failing, because I know it’s the best form of education. I’m less focused on getting out of situations and more focused on what I can get out of those situations. I’m less concerned with what I’m experiencing and more concerned with what I’m learning. Everyone and everything become part of my education. God redeems them and uses them to shape me into the person He wants me to become. And the learning process never ends.
God has created us with the capacity to keep learning until the day we die. And that isn’t something we should take for granted. The average brain is only the size of a softball and weighs approximately three pounds, yet neurologists estimate that we have the capacity to learn something new every second of every minute of every hour of every day for the next three hundred million years. Awesome, isn’t it? But it’s more than that. It’s also an awesome responsibility. Learning isn’t a luxury; it’s a stewardship issue.
It’s impossible to pinpoint what percentage of our minds we use, but there is untapped potential in all of us. Your imagination is capable of far more than you imagine, if I can say it that way. Yet somewhere along the way, most of us stop living out of imagination and start living out of memory. We stop creating the future and start repeating the past. And that is the day we stop living and start dying. Why? Because we stop learning.
The word disciple comes from a Greek root that means “learner.” By definition, a disciple is someone who never stops learning. A true disciple makes the most of the 100 billion brain cells God has put on loan to him. A true disciple loves more because she knows more. A true disciple is consumed with holy curiosity that doesn’t take yes for an answer. The disciple keeps seeking and asking and knocking. And the quest is never over because the questions never end.
Leonardo da Vinci carried a notebook with him wherever he went. It’s estimated by some that da Vinci left fourteen thousand pages of notes to Francesco Melzi in his will. Nearly seven thousand pages still exist, and in case you care, Bill Gates purchased eighteen pages for $30.8 million in 1994. Da Vinci’s napkin scribbles ranged from botany to anatomy to philosophy to painting. And one of the things that made them remarkable is the fact that most of them were written using a technique called mirror writing. He wrote in reverse so the text could be read only when reflected in a mirror. But here is what truly inspired me. In the final days leading up to his death on May 2, 1519, Leonardo apologized to God and to man “for leaving so much undone.” He had done so much, but he felt like there was so much left to do. He had learned so much, but he felt like there was so much more to learn. And he was determined to keep learning until the day he died. So even on his deathbed, Leonardo was observing and describing, in scientific detail, the nature and symptoms of his illness.
I know this sounds strange, but I want to die the same way. I don’t want to die from the same illness. But I do want to learn something new the day I die. Why? Because I can. And because I believe that learning glorifies God when it’s done for the right reasons. And that reason is to know more so that you can love more.
So go ahead and live as if you’ll die tomorrow. But keep learning as if you’ll live forever.
After all, you will.
Mark Batterson is the pastor of National Community Church in Washington DC. His new book, PRIMAL: A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity, comes out December 22nd. Check-out his blog at www.evotional.com.
I love that approach to life. If you approach every person, every challenge, every situation with humble curiosity, it transforms them into learning opportunities. The outcome is no longer seen as success or failure, good or bad, positive or negative. The only measuring stick is this: what did you learn from it? Honestly, that mindset has helped me get through some difficult challenges. When I’m going through a tough time emotionally or relationally or spiritually, I figure I’m getting an education in those ares. When it gets really tough, I think of it as graduate work. Call it a Jedi mind trick. Call it a state of denial. All I know is this: that mindset has resulted in an experimental approach to life and ministry. I’m less afraid of failing, because I know it’s the best form of education. I’m less focused on getting out of situations and more focused on what I can get out of those situations. I’m less concerned with what I’m experiencing and more concerned with what I’m learning. Everyone and everything become part of my education. God redeems them and uses them to shape me into the person He wants me to become. And the learning process never ends.
God has created us with the capacity to keep learning until the day we die. And that isn’t something we should take for granted. The average brain is only the size of a softball and weighs approximately three pounds, yet neurologists estimate that we have the capacity to learn something new every second of every minute of every hour of every day for the next three hundred million years. Awesome, isn’t it? But it’s more than that. It’s also an awesome responsibility. Learning isn’t a luxury; it’s a stewardship issue.
It’s impossible to pinpoint what percentage of our minds we use, but there is untapped potential in all of us. Your imagination is capable of far more than you imagine, if I can say it that way. Yet somewhere along the way, most of us stop living out of imagination and start living out of memory. We stop creating the future and start repeating the past. And that is the day we stop living and start dying. Why? Because we stop learning.
The word disciple comes from a Greek root that means “learner.” By definition, a disciple is someone who never stops learning. A true disciple makes the most of the 100 billion brain cells God has put on loan to him. A true disciple loves more because she knows more. A true disciple is consumed with holy curiosity that doesn’t take yes for an answer. The disciple keeps seeking and asking and knocking. And the quest is never over because the questions never end.
Leonardo da Vinci carried a notebook with him wherever he went. It’s estimated by some that da Vinci left fourteen thousand pages of notes to Francesco Melzi in his will. Nearly seven thousand pages still exist, and in case you care, Bill Gates purchased eighteen pages for $30.8 million in 1994. Da Vinci’s napkin scribbles ranged from botany to anatomy to philosophy to painting. And one of the things that made them remarkable is the fact that most of them were written using a technique called mirror writing. He wrote in reverse so the text could be read only when reflected in a mirror. But here is what truly inspired me. In the final days leading up to his death on May 2, 1519, Leonardo apologized to God and to man “for leaving so much undone.” He had done so much, but he felt like there was so much left to do. He had learned so much, but he felt like there was so much more to learn. And he was determined to keep learning until the day he died. So even on his deathbed, Leonardo was observing and describing, in scientific detail, the nature and symptoms of his illness.
I know this sounds strange, but I want to die the same way. I don’t want to die from the same illness. But I do want to learn something new the day I die. Why? Because I can. And because I believe that learning glorifies God when it’s done for the right reasons. And that reason is to know more so that you can love more.
So go ahead and live as if you’ll die tomorrow. But keep learning as if you’ll live forever.
After all, you will.
Mark Batterson is the pastor of National Community Church in Washington DC. His new book, PRIMAL: A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity, comes out December 22nd. Check-out his blog at www.evotional.com.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Christmas traditions are important and meaningful
- Erin Anderson
Soon we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. As you probably know, Jesus was not born on Dec. 25. In fact, no one is really sure when he was born — although some say he was definitely born on the 25th of an undetermined month. So why do we celebrate Christmas today?
Why — and how — has this religious holiday created by the Catholic church around 320 A.D. become a season-long secular occasion mixing Christian teachings with distinctly non-Christian symbols, from mistletoe to cookies and ornaments to 8-foot-tall inflatable snowmen?
In a way it is the story of Christianity coming head to head and, ultimately, to some kind of terms with ancient pagan rituals and the more modern secular celebrations, said Pastor Harry Riggs of First Baptist Church in Lincoln.
He views it as a postmodern era of religion — an era where churches need to accept that the mixing of religion and secularism “just is.”
“There are people who say it (secular celebrations) take away from the church,” Riggs said. “I don’t say that.”
Holiday traditions of cookie baking, candy house making and tree decorating are important and meaningful. They are rituals that center us in a world that is changing faster and faster, said Cindy Kaliff, counselor at Career & Life Options.
“It is an anchoring in a family, in a culture,” she said. “It is a way of having stability and an identity.”
If we didn’t have Christmas, we would have to invent it, said the Rev. Wayne Alloway of St. Mark’s United Methodist Church.
“There is something deep inside of the human psyche that needs a celebration where we celebrate light that overcomes darkness, where we put aside differences and try very hard to ignore the darker side of human nature — the baser side of who we are — and do good, love one another and be kind to one another.
“We need to be reminded of that on a regular basis — or at least on an annual basis,” Alloway said.
Christmas does that.
And even Alloway admits that aside from his religious celebration of Christ’s birth, one of his most favorite things about the holiday has no religious symbolism at all: filling his children’s stockings and watching their excitement as they wake up to discover what Santa left behind.
“There is nothing wrong with plain old joyful fun that goes with Christmas and has no profound symbolism with anything,” he said.
“It all points to love.”
So today as you gaze at the decorated tree, sip eggnog and dine on turkey, ham or roast goose, consider the history and folklore surrounding these customs and rituals.
The Christmas tree
The very first Christmas trees were oak.
The evergreen replaced the oak because it remains green throughout the long, cold winter — symbolizing enduring and renewed life.
The very first recorded display of a decorated Christmas tree was in 1510 in Riga, Latvia.
During the 16th century, Germans decorated fir trees both indoors and outdoors with apples, roses, candies and colored paper.
In 1848, Prince Albert, a native of Germany, brought the Christmas tree to his wife, England’s Queen Victoria. An etching of the family gathered around the tree in Windsor Castle soon turned the Christmas tree into a holiday tradition throughout Victorian England.
The Christmas tree’s arrival in the U.S. is a matter of dispute. The National Christmas Tree Association says Hessian mercenaries brought the tradition here during the Revolutionary War. But Christmas researcher Barbara Mikkelson and others say the Pennsylvania German immigrants brought it here in the late 19th century.
President Franklin Pierce brought the first tree into the White House in 1856.
About 50 years later, President Theodore Roosevelt banned the Christmas tree from the White House, saying that cutting down trees harmed the environment. However, legend has it that Roosevelt’s children had a secret tree that they hid in a closet whenever their father was nearby.
Today, 98 percent of real Christmas trees in America come from tree farms, according to the National Christmas Tree Association.
The wreath
A circle with no beginning or end, the wreath symbolizes eternity and is often placed upon tombs.
Because of its association with death, not all countries use the wreath at Christmastime.
But the wreath’s symbolism of eternal destiny makes it a fitting part of the Christmas celebration, Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz of the Catholic Diocese in Lincoln wrote in The Southern Nebraska Register. The red holly berries and ribbons serve as a reminder of Christ’s blood being shed “to redeem us,” he wrote.
Gift giving
The custom of giving gifts in winter stretches back further than the celebration of Christmas. It is believed the people of ancient Rome and Northern Europe gave gifts on a special day to celebrate the end of the year, according to the World Book.
The Christmas story of Christ’s birth in a manger and the wise men bringing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh adds to the importance of gift giving. And, of course, Christian faith tells us that Christ was God’s gift to us.
Lights
Jesus is the light of the world, according to Christian faith.
But history credits Protestant reformer Martin Luther with adorning our Christmas trees with light. As the story goes, Luther was walking home on a December night when he was struck by the beauty of the stars shining through the branches of a fir tree. The sight inspired him to place small candles on the fir tree in his home.
Thomas Edison’s employee Edward Johnson was the first person to put actual lights on a Christmas tree. By the early 1900s lights were available to the public, but were expensive. Not until the 1920s when General Electric made them by machine, were most people able to afford them.
Animals
According to legend, farm animals are said to kneel in homage to Christ at the stroke of midnight on Christmas Eve and are momentarily blessed with the power of speech.
Other versions of this superstition limit the gift of gab to cats. But it is said one should not overhear their conversation, as eavesdropping is fatal.
Once upon a time it was believed dogs who howled on Christmas Eve were destined to go mad before the end of the year. Many healthy animals were destroyed because of this superstition, Mikkelson said.
Mistletoe
This plant that brings us kisses — and for single women promise of new love — is actually a parasitic plant that sucks the water from the trees its inhabits.
But why muddy the myth with unfavorable facts?
Mistletoe dates back to 200 years before the birth of Christ. Druid priests used it in their winter solstice celebrations.
Ancient Celtics believed mistletoe, which has no roots and remains green throughout winter, had magical healing powers. They used it as an antidote for poison and infertility and to ward off evil spirits.
Mistletoe is also a symbol of peace. According to legend, Roman enemies who met under mistletoe would lay down their weapons and embrace.
Scandinavians associated mistletoe with Frigga, the goddess of love, and are credited with creating the custom of kissing under the mistletoe for good luck and happiness in the coming year, according to Mikkelson.
Other legends say unmarried women would hide pilfered springs of mistletoe in their pillows to bring on dreams of their future husbands. Others would burn the mistletoe to see what it said of their future husbands — steady flames were a good sign, sputtering flames indicated a ill-tempered husband was in their future.
Holly
Ancient Northern Europeans believed holly held magical powers that could ward off the ghosts and demons howling in the winter winds, so they placed it over their doors to drive evil away.
It is said holly sprang from the footsteps of Christ as he walked the earth, the pointed leaves representing the crown of thorns he wore on the cross and the red berries symbolizing his blood.
Superstition says couples must be careful about the type of holly they bring into their home. Prickly holly means the man will reign over the home in the coming year, smooth holly means the woman will have the power.
“Prudent couples take care to bring both kinds in together to assure a balanced, harmonious home,” Mikkelson said.
The poinsettia
The poinsettia is named after Joel R. Poinsett, the U.S. ambassador to Mexico who brought the plant to the United States in 1829 after seeing it used in Mexican Christmas celebrations.
According to legend, a young Mexican boy was on his way to a village Nativity scene when he realized he did not have a gift to bring to the Christ child. He picked some pretty green branches he found on the way, much to the taunting of other children. But it is said that when the boy laid the branches upon the manager, a beautiful star-shaped flower appeared on each branch.
The plant is often misunderstood and even maligned.
The red petals are not really flowers, but upper leaves of the branch.
And poinsettias are not poisonous to humans.
The poinsettia poison myth started in 1919 when a 2-year-old child died of poisoning and it was incorrectly assumed to be a poinsettia leaf,” Mikkelson writes on her Web site.
But there has never been a verified recorded poinsettia poisoning death, she said. According to the POISONDEX Information Service, a 50-pound child would have to eat more than 1.25 pounds of poinsettia bracts (about 500 to 600 leaves) to exceed the experimental doses, Mikkelson said.
The American Medical Association states the worst side effects of ingesting the plant is occasional vomiting. Still, we do not recommend your turn your beautiful plant into a salad.
The stockings
The Christmas stocking dates back to the story of three poor sisters who had hung their stockings by the hearth to dry. It is said Saint Nicholas threw three coins down the chimney, with one coin landing in each of the girls’ stockings.
Today, we hang our stockings in hopes of good fortune.
Santa Claus
Jolly old Saint Nick has been around since the fourth century.
“Originally known as Saint Nicholas, the patron of children and sailors, the bishop was immortalized because of his generous and loving nature towards children,” ClassBrain.com states. He was said to bring joy to the poor by throwing gifts through their windows.
There are many stories about how Santa’s image became that of a jolly plump man in a red suit.
One myth credits Coca Cola with its advertising gimmick of the 1930s to promote drinking Coke in the winter.
But it is more likely he evolved over time from Clement C. Moore’s 1822 poem “The Night Before Christmas” and Thomas Nast’s 1863 caricature of him for Harper’s Weekly. Mikkelson’s research finds the image is actually the merging of two religious personages: St. Nicholas, the elflike gift bringer, and Christkindlein, the Christ Child.
Rudolph
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer really was born out of an advertising gimmick.
In 1939, Montgomery Ward writer Robert L. May created a Christmas story for the store to hand out during the holiday season.
The store distributed 2.4 million copies of the story that first year. In 1948 the story was made into a nine-minute cartoon.
May’s brother-in-law, Johnny Marks, turned the story into a song. And after many singers turned down the chance to croon the ditty because it conflicted with the more traditional Santa Claus legend, Gene Autry eventually agreed (at the insistence of his wife). Two million copies of the records sold in 1949. It remains the second bestselling Christmas song of all time. Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas” is first.
Caroling
St. Francis of Assisi led songs of praise, which started the Christmas carol custom in the 13th century, according to ClassBrain.com.
Tradition holds that it is bad luck to send carolers away empty handed. It is customary to offer food, drink or even money to carolers.
It is also believed to be bad luck to sing Christmas carols at any other time of the year — so get your singing done quick.
Cookies
Children started leaving cookies for Santa sometime in the 1930s. According to legend, naughty children left cookies as last-minute bribery attempts, and good children left them to say thanks.
Of all the thousand types of Christmas cookies made each year, the Oreo is the most popular and common cookie left out for Santa, according to ClassBrain.com.
Eggnog
Made popular in the 17th century, the original “nog” was a strong ale made from beer, sugar, egg yolks, lemon rinds and cinnamon.
In the 19th century, North Americans took the French version of the drink called “Lait de Poule” made with milk sugar and egg yolks and added either brandy, rum or sherry.
Over the last 150 years, the recipe for eggnog has not changed except for the fact that it is now cooked to prevent the threat of salmonella, according to ClassBrain.com.
Fruitcake
Fruitcake has been popular in Europe since Roman times, when cooks mixed raisins, pine nuts and pomegranate seeds into barley mash, states Mikkelson. In the Middle Ages, honey, dried fruits and spices were added to bread dough for special occasions. At one time, fruitcake was considered semi-sacred — and 18th century European law restricted its making to celebrations such as Christmas, Easter, weddings and the like.
“It's impossible to age a fruitcake too long, say those in the know. If stored in an airtight container and basted occasionally with liquor, it'll keep indefinitely,” Mikkelson writes.
Candy canes
In 1670, the choir master at Cologne Cathedral asked that the white candy sticks be shaped like shepherd’s hooks so he could give them out to his choir children to keep them quiet during Christmas services.
In the 1920s, Bob McCormack made candy canes by hand for his friends and family. Thirty-some years later, his brother-in-law Gregory Keller invented a machine that could make lots of candy canes at the same time. Bob’s Candies Inc. became the largest maker of candy canes in the world.
Some say that the white of the candy cane represents Christ’s purity, the red is the blood he shed, and the candy cane’s three stripes represent the Holy Trinity.
Our sources:
Customs, folklore and even superstitions surrounding Christmas are centuries old — and sometimes their origination uncertain.
The information we share here comes from a variety of sources: Barbara Mikkelson of www.snopes.com and self-made historian of Urban Legends; The National Christmas Tree Association; World Book; AllThingsChristmas.com; ClassBrain.com; “’Tis The Season Christmas Trivia”; “Quiz the Season: The Book of Christmas Trivia” by Heather Revesz; and the writings of Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz of the Catholic Diocese in Lincoln.
O
Soon we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. As you probably know, Jesus was not born on Dec. 25. In fact, no one is really sure when he was born — although some say he was definitely born on the 25th of an undetermined month. So why do we celebrate Christmas today?
Why — and how — has this religious holiday created by the Catholic church around 320 A.D. become a season-long secular occasion mixing Christian teachings with distinctly non-Christian symbols, from mistletoe to cookies and ornaments to 8-foot-tall inflatable snowmen?
In a way it is the story of Christianity coming head to head and, ultimately, to some kind of terms with ancient pagan rituals and the more modern secular celebrations, said Pastor Harry Riggs of First Baptist Church in Lincoln.
He views it as a postmodern era of religion — an era where churches need to accept that the mixing of religion and secularism “just is.”
“There are people who say it (secular celebrations) take away from the church,” Riggs said. “I don’t say that.”
Holiday traditions of cookie baking, candy house making and tree decorating are important and meaningful. They are rituals that center us in a world that is changing faster and faster, said Cindy Kaliff, counselor at Career & Life Options.
“It is an anchoring in a family, in a culture,” she said. “It is a way of having stability and an identity.”
If we didn’t have Christmas, we would have to invent it, said the Rev. Wayne Alloway of St. Mark’s United Methodist Church.
“There is something deep inside of the human psyche that needs a celebration where we celebrate light that overcomes darkness, where we put aside differences and try very hard to ignore the darker side of human nature — the baser side of who we are — and do good, love one another and be kind to one another.
“We need to be reminded of that on a regular basis — or at least on an annual basis,” Alloway said.
Christmas does that.
And even Alloway admits that aside from his religious celebration of Christ’s birth, one of his most favorite things about the holiday has no religious symbolism at all: filling his children’s stockings and watching their excitement as they wake up to discover what Santa left behind.
“There is nothing wrong with plain old joyful fun that goes with Christmas and has no profound symbolism with anything,” he said.
“It all points to love.”
So today as you gaze at the decorated tree, sip eggnog and dine on turkey, ham or roast goose, consider the history and folklore surrounding these customs and rituals.
The Christmas tree
The very first Christmas trees were oak.
The evergreen replaced the oak because it remains green throughout the long, cold winter — symbolizing enduring and renewed life.
The very first recorded display of a decorated Christmas tree was in 1510 in Riga, Latvia.
During the 16th century, Germans decorated fir trees both indoors and outdoors with apples, roses, candies and colored paper.
In 1848, Prince Albert, a native of Germany, brought the Christmas tree to his wife, England’s Queen Victoria. An etching of the family gathered around the tree in Windsor Castle soon turned the Christmas tree into a holiday tradition throughout Victorian England.
The Christmas tree’s arrival in the U.S. is a matter of dispute. The National Christmas Tree Association says Hessian mercenaries brought the tradition here during the Revolutionary War. But Christmas researcher Barbara Mikkelson and others say the Pennsylvania German immigrants brought it here in the late 19th century.
President Franklin Pierce brought the first tree into the White House in 1856.
About 50 years later, President Theodore Roosevelt banned the Christmas tree from the White House, saying that cutting down trees harmed the environment. However, legend has it that Roosevelt’s children had a secret tree that they hid in a closet whenever their father was nearby.
Today, 98 percent of real Christmas trees in America come from tree farms, according to the National Christmas Tree Association.
The wreath
A circle with no beginning or end, the wreath symbolizes eternity and is often placed upon tombs.
Because of its association with death, not all countries use the wreath at Christmastime.
But the wreath’s symbolism of eternal destiny makes it a fitting part of the Christmas celebration, Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz of the Catholic Diocese in Lincoln wrote in The Southern Nebraska Register. The red holly berries and ribbons serve as a reminder of Christ’s blood being shed “to redeem us,” he wrote.
Gift giving
The custom of giving gifts in winter stretches back further than the celebration of Christmas. It is believed the people of ancient Rome and Northern Europe gave gifts on a special day to celebrate the end of the year, according to the World Book.
The Christmas story of Christ’s birth in a manger and the wise men bringing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh adds to the importance of gift giving. And, of course, Christian faith tells us that Christ was God’s gift to us.
Lights
Jesus is the light of the world, according to Christian faith.
But history credits Protestant reformer Martin Luther with adorning our Christmas trees with light. As the story goes, Luther was walking home on a December night when he was struck by the beauty of the stars shining through the branches of a fir tree. The sight inspired him to place small candles on the fir tree in his home.
Thomas Edison’s employee Edward Johnson was the first person to put actual lights on a Christmas tree. By the early 1900s lights were available to the public, but were expensive. Not until the 1920s when General Electric made them by machine, were most people able to afford them.
Animals
According to legend, farm animals are said to kneel in homage to Christ at the stroke of midnight on Christmas Eve and are momentarily blessed with the power of speech.
Other versions of this superstition limit the gift of gab to cats. But it is said one should not overhear their conversation, as eavesdropping is fatal.
Once upon a time it was believed dogs who howled on Christmas Eve were destined to go mad before the end of the year. Many healthy animals were destroyed because of this superstition, Mikkelson said.
Mistletoe
This plant that brings us kisses — and for single women promise of new love — is actually a parasitic plant that sucks the water from the trees its inhabits.
But why muddy the myth with unfavorable facts?
Mistletoe dates back to 200 years before the birth of Christ. Druid priests used it in their winter solstice celebrations.
Ancient Celtics believed mistletoe, which has no roots and remains green throughout winter, had magical healing powers. They used it as an antidote for poison and infertility and to ward off evil spirits.
Mistletoe is also a symbol of peace. According to legend, Roman enemies who met under mistletoe would lay down their weapons and embrace.
Scandinavians associated mistletoe with Frigga, the goddess of love, and are credited with creating the custom of kissing under the mistletoe for good luck and happiness in the coming year, according to Mikkelson.
Other legends say unmarried women would hide pilfered springs of mistletoe in their pillows to bring on dreams of their future husbands. Others would burn the mistletoe to see what it said of their future husbands — steady flames were a good sign, sputtering flames indicated a ill-tempered husband was in their future.
Holly
Ancient Northern Europeans believed holly held magical powers that could ward off the ghosts and demons howling in the winter winds, so they placed it over their doors to drive evil away.
It is said holly sprang from the footsteps of Christ as he walked the earth, the pointed leaves representing the crown of thorns he wore on the cross and the red berries symbolizing his blood.
Superstition says couples must be careful about the type of holly they bring into their home. Prickly holly means the man will reign over the home in the coming year, smooth holly means the woman will have the power.
“Prudent couples take care to bring both kinds in together to assure a balanced, harmonious home,” Mikkelson said.
The poinsettia
The poinsettia is named after Joel R. Poinsett, the U.S. ambassador to Mexico who brought the plant to the United States in 1829 after seeing it used in Mexican Christmas celebrations.
According to legend, a young Mexican boy was on his way to a village Nativity scene when he realized he did not have a gift to bring to the Christ child. He picked some pretty green branches he found on the way, much to the taunting of other children. But it is said that when the boy laid the branches upon the manager, a beautiful star-shaped flower appeared on each branch.
The plant is often misunderstood and even maligned.
The red petals are not really flowers, but upper leaves of the branch.
And poinsettias are not poisonous to humans.
The poinsettia poison myth started in 1919 when a 2-year-old child died of poisoning and it was incorrectly assumed to be a poinsettia leaf,” Mikkelson writes on her Web site.
But there has never been a verified recorded poinsettia poisoning death, she said. According to the POISONDEX Information Service, a 50-pound child would have to eat more than 1.25 pounds of poinsettia bracts (about 500 to 600 leaves) to exceed the experimental doses, Mikkelson said.
The American Medical Association states the worst side effects of ingesting the plant is occasional vomiting. Still, we do not recommend your turn your beautiful plant into a salad.
The stockings
The Christmas stocking dates back to the story of three poor sisters who had hung their stockings by the hearth to dry. It is said Saint Nicholas threw three coins down the chimney, with one coin landing in each of the girls’ stockings.
Today, we hang our stockings in hopes of good fortune.
Santa Claus
Jolly old Saint Nick has been around since the fourth century.
“Originally known as Saint Nicholas, the patron of children and sailors, the bishop was immortalized because of his generous and loving nature towards children,” ClassBrain.com states. He was said to bring joy to the poor by throwing gifts through their windows.
There are many stories about how Santa’s image became that of a jolly plump man in a red suit.
One myth credits Coca Cola with its advertising gimmick of the 1930s to promote drinking Coke in the winter.
But it is more likely he evolved over time from Clement C. Moore’s 1822 poem “The Night Before Christmas” and Thomas Nast’s 1863 caricature of him for Harper’s Weekly. Mikkelson’s research finds the image is actually the merging of two religious personages: St. Nicholas, the elflike gift bringer, and Christkindlein, the Christ Child.
Rudolph
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer really was born out of an advertising gimmick.
In 1939, Montgomery Ward writer Robert L. May created a Christmas story for the store to hand out during the holiday season.
The store distributed 2.4 million copies of the story that first year. In 1948 the story was made into a nine-minute cartoon.
May’s brother-in-law, Johnny Marks, turned the story into a song. And after many singers turned down the chance to croon the ditty because it conflicted with the more traditional Santa Claus legend, Gene Autry eventually agreed (at the insistence of his wife). Two million copies of the records sold in 1949. It remains the second bestselling Christmas song of all time. Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas” is first.
Caroling
St. Francis of Assisi led songs of praise, which started the Christmas carol custom in the 13th century, according to ClassBrain.com.
Tradition holds that it is bad luck to send carolers away empty handed. It is customary to offer food, drink or even money to carolers.
It is also believed to be bad luck to sing Christmas carols at any other time of the year — so get your singing done quick.
Cookies
Children started leaving cookies for Santa sometime in the 1930s. According to legend, naughty children left cookies as last-minute bribery attempts, and good children left them to say thanks.
Of all the thousand types of Christmas cookies made each year, the Oreo is the most popular and common cookie left out for Santa, according to ClassBrain.com.
Eggnog
Made popular in the 17th century, the original “nog” was a strong ale made from beer, sugar, egg yolks, lemon rinds and cinnamon.
In the 19th century, North Americans took the French version of the drink called “Lait de Poule” made with milk sugar and egg yolks and added either brandy, rum or sherry.
Over the last 150 years, the recipe for eggnog has not changed except for the fact that it is now cooked to prevent the threat of salmonella, according to ClassBrain.com.
Fruitcake
Fruitcake has been popular in Europe since Roman times, when cooks mixed raisins, pine nuts and pomegranate seeds into barley mash, states Mikkelson. In the Middle Ages, honey, dried fruits and spices were added to bread dough for special occasions. At one time, fruitcake was considered semi-sacred — and 18th century European law restricted its making to celebrations such as Christmas, Easter, weddings and the like.
“It's impossible to age a fruitcake too long, say those in the know. If stored in an airtight container and basted occasionally with liquor, it'll keep indefinitely,” Mikkelson writes.
Candy canes
In 1670, the choir master at Cologne Cathedral asked that the white candy sticks be shaped like shepherd’s hooks so he could give them out to his choir children to keep them quiet during Christmas services.
In the 1920s, Bob McCormack made candy canes by hand for his friends and family. Thirty-some years later, his brother-in-law Gregory Keller invented a machine that could make lots of candy canes at the same time. Bob’s Candies Inc. became the largest maker of candy canes in the world.
Some say that the white of the candy cane represents Christ’s purity, the red is the blood he shed, and the candy cane’s three stripes represent the Holy Trinity.
Our sources:
Customs, folklore and even superstitions surrounding Christmas are centuries old — and sometimes their origination uncertain.
The information we share here comes from a variety of sources: Barbara Mikkelson of www.snopes.com and self-made historian of Urban Legends; The National Christmas Tree Association; World Book; AllThingsChristmas.com; ClassBrain.com; “’Tis The Season Christmas Trivia”; “Quiz the Season: The Book of Christmas Trivia” by Heather Revesz; and the writings of Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz of the Catholic Diocese in Lincoln.
O
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
I’m Dreaming Of A Church…
-Perry Noble
Ephesians 3:20 keeps running over and over again in my mind…and I keep dreaming of a church (and churches…)
* That the ministry goes beyond the walls of the building and actually IMPACTS the community in a radical way.
* Where the broken, hurting and lost are received with open arms…and the religious are challenged to repent of their “perfection.”
* Where generosity is embraced.
* Where the staff and volunteers give their best to God in every task that they take on! (I don’t believe the church should look to organization like Disney and Apple for inspiration…I believe they should be looking at the church!!! Yes, they have great thinkers…we have the HOLY SPIRIT of the LIVING GOD! There is no excuse for half hearted, watered down effort in the Kingdom!)
* Where JESUS is exalted…NOT a denomination or a political party.
* Where Scripture, not Robert’s Rules of Order, govern the Body.
* Where people in the church REFUSE to ignore injustice…and EMBRACE that God has called the church to do more about it than simply pray…but rather to DIVE IN and do all we can to help all we can.
* That refuses to accept that the way things are is the way they have to be.
* That champions the next generation instead of teaching them they are insignificant until they can get a job and begin to tithe.
* That excitement and passion surrounds the Sunday services…and also an expectation that God is going to do something huge!
* That throws the desire to compete with other churches out the window…and does all that they can to help the body.
* That embraces the fact that Jesus originally called “unschooled, ordinary men” to change the world…and He’s STILL doing the same thing today. (See Acts 4:13)
The church’s best days are yet to come…and I can’t wait to see what Jesus does next. He loves His church way more than we do!!!
Ephesians 3:20 keeps running over and over again in my mind…and I keep dreaming of a church (and churches…)
* That the ministry goes beyond the walls of the building and actually IMPACTS the community in a radical way.
* Where the broken, hurting and lost are received with open arms…and the religious are challenged to repent of their “perfection.”
* Where generosity is embraced.
* Where the staff and volunteers give their best to God in every task that they take on! (I don’t believe the church should look to organization like Disney and Apple for inspiration…I believe they should be looking at the church!!! Yes, they have great thinkers…we have the HOLY SPIRIT of the LIVING GOD! There is no excuse for half hearted, watered down effort in the Kingdom!)
* Where JESUS is exalted…NOT a denomination or a political party.
* Where Scripture, not Robert’s Rules of Order, govern the Body.
* Where people in the church REFUSE to ignore injustice…and EMBRACE that God has called the church to do more about it than simply pray…but rather to DIVE IN and do all we can to help all we can.
* That refuses to accept that the way things are is the way they have to be.
* That champions the next generation instead of teaching them they are insignificant until they can get a job and begin to tithe.
* That excitement and passion surrounds the Sunday services…and also an expectation that God is going to do something huge!
* That throws the desire to compete with other churches out the window…and does all that they can to help the body.
* That embraces the fact that Jesus originally called “unschooled, ordinary men” to change the world…and He’s STILL doing the same thing today. (See Acts 4:13)
The church’s best days are yet to come…and I can’t wait to see what Jesus does next. He loves His church way more than we do!!!
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
We Will Never…
We Will Never…
-Perry Noble
Here’s a list of 20 things I believe we will NEVER do…
#1 – We will NEVER be without a message as long as we are desperate for God’s voice.
#2 – We will NEVER make everyone happy; therefore, pleasing everyone should never be our goal.
#3 – We will NEVER be successful in ministry by immersing ourselves into full blown competition with other churches.
#4 – We will NEVER be content in life if we believe we have something to prove.
#5 – We will NEVER be able to serve Jesus to our maximum capacity if we are not actively obeying His commands to rest and disconnect. (See Isaiah 30:15)
#6 – We will NEVER accomplish what Jesus is calling us to accomplish if we are not willing to take risks.
#7 – We will NEVER do what God has called us to do alone…if He’s called us to accomplish something amazing then He will also surround us with the people to pull it off.
#8 – We will NEVER discover a strategy that has been the “secret” for church growth all along…because each church is different.
#9 – We will NEVER honor God by seeking to build “our brand” rather than building disciples.
#10 – We will NEVER achieve our maximum potential in ministry if our goal is simply to impress our online audience and, while doing so, neglect the people in our own community.
#11 – We will NEVER see people become who God is calling them to be if we make INFORMATION rather than TRANSFORMATION the goal.
#12 – We will NEVER see God’s power unleashed in our churches if we refuse to talk about Jesus and what HE did for us on the cross.
#13 – We will NEVER truly connect with the people we lead if we always pretend that we have it all together…people identify with our failures way more than our success’s.
#14 – We will NEVER be able to teach about self control with integrity if we are obese because we are gluttons.
#15 – We will NEVER be looked at as successful in ministry if we grow a great church, but sacrifice our family to do so.
#16 – We will NEVER see great things happen in our ministry if we believe that every great idea must come from us!
#17 – We will NEVER see staff members achieve their maximum potential if we don’t trust them…and if we don’t hold them accountable.
#18 – We will NEVER have a great staff if we make it their goal to serve us rather than serve Jesus!
#19 – We will NEVER successfully motivate the people we work with through manipulation and/or fear…if your vision isn’t enough motivation then there is a problem. (AND btw…if you take pride in the fact that people “fear you,” then it is obvious that there is no fear of God in you!)
#20 – We will NEVER honor God by compromising the vision He gave us in order to not ask so much of people.
-Perry Noble
Here’s a list of 20 things I believe we will NEVER do…
#1 – We will NEVER be without a message as long as we are desperate for God’s voice.
#2 – We will NEVER make everyone happy; therefore, pleasing everyone should never be our goal.
#3 – We will NEVER be successful in ministry by immersing ourselves into full blown competition with other churches.
#4 – We will NEVER be content in life if we believe we have something to prove.
#5 – We will NEVER be able to serve Jesus to our maximum capacity if we are not actively obeying His commands to rest and disconnect. (See Isaiah 30:15)
#6 – We will NEVER accomplish what Jesus is calling us to accomplish if we are not willing to take risks.
#7 – We will NEVER do what God has called us to do alone…if He’s called us to accomplish something amazing then He will also surround us with the people to pull it off.
#8 – We will NEVER discover a strategy that has been the “secret” for church growth all along…because each church is different.
#9 – We will NEVER honor God by seeking to build “our brand” rather than building disciples.
#10 – We will NEVER achieve our maximum potential in ministry if our goal is simply to impress our online audience and, while doing so, neglect the people in our own community.
#11 – We will NEVER see people become who God is calling them to be if we make INFORMATION rather than TRANSFORMATION the goal.
#12 – We will NEVER see God’s power unleashed in our churches if we refuse to talk about Jesus and what HE did for us on the cross.
#13 – We will NEVER truly connect with the people we lead if we always pretend that we have it all together…people identify with our failures way more than our success’s.
#14 – We will NEVER be able to teach about self control with integrity if we are obese because we are gluttons.
#15 – We will NEVER be looked at as successful in ministry if we grow a great church, but sacrifice our family to do so.
#16 – We will NEVER see great things happen in our ministry if we believe that every great idea must come from us!
#17 – We will NEVER see staff members achieve their maximum potential if we don’t trust them…and if we don’t hold them accountable.
#18 – We will NEVER have a great staff if we make it their goal to serve us rather than serve Jesus!
#19 – We will NEVER successfully motivate the people we work with through manipulation and/or fear…if your vision isn’t enough motivation then there is a problem. (AND btw…if you take pride in the fact that people “fear you,” then it is obvious that there is no fear of God in you!)
#20 – We will NEVER honor God by compromising the vision He gave us in order to not ask so much of people.
3rd Person Christian
Third-Person Christian
-Mark Betterson
I think some people are what I would call third-person christians. I'm not a grammarian, and I don't know if this metaphor holds up literally, but third-person christians read the Bible in the third-person. They think in terms of "they" instead of "me." They don't personalize it by reading it in first-person terms. And so Scripture is de-personalized.
Here's another example. Third-person christians attend church in the third-person thinking about the people in their life that "need to hear this message" rather than processing it personally! They talk about church in "they" terms instead of "we" terms.
Here's a thought. Simply insert the first-person "I" or "me" or "we" when reading the Bible. It helps you own Scripture. And more importantly, it helps Scripture own you.
-Mark Betterson
I think some people are what I would call third-person christians. I'm not a grammarian, and I don't know if this metaphor holds up literally, but third-person christians read the Bible in the third-person. They think in terms of "they" instead of "me." They don't personalize it by reading it in first-person terms. And so Scripture is de-personalized.
Here's another example. Third-person christians attend church in the third-person thinking about the people in their life that "need to hear this message" rather than processing it personally! They talk about church in "they" terms instead of "we" terms.
Here's a thought. Simply insert the first-person "I" or "me" or "we" when reading the Bible. It helps you own Scripture. And more importantly, it helps Scripture own you.
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