Goodbye, 2012 Holiday Season

Sadly, the 2012 Holiday Season is about to wrap up.  The month and a half from Thanksgiving Eve through Epiphany is, in my opinion, one of the most wonderful times of the year.  Then every year about this time, as Christmas decorations come down, new kids' toys are assimilated into the culture, and I prepare for income tax preparation overtime, melancholy sets in.  To combat that, I'm counting my blessings in bullet point fasion - God's blessings during the season.  You may wish to do the same.

• A Thanksgiving Eve service at our church with hymns, testimonies, and communion.
• Putting up two Christmas trees for the first time ever!  This allowed us to display all of our Christmas ornaments, especially our vintage heirloom types.
• Christmas shopping on time and within budget - all in cash.
• Office Christmas dinner and a much appreciated Christmas bonus.
• As if a Christmas bonus weren't enough, an employer match into our retirement account.
• Christmas musical at church, with grandparents-in-law visiting and a clear gospel message proclaimed.
• Christmas luncheon with grandparents-in-law at their retirement village.
• Christmas Saturday with my mom, brother, and other extended family.
• Christmas Eve worship at church, grandparents-in-law visiting again, celebrating God's greatest gift to us, His Son, which makes all other gift giving worthwhile.  
• Christmas Eve at in-laws.
• Christmas Day at home - new toys for everyone!
• December 26 snow day - an extra day at home, even if 5 hours were spent shoveling two driveways.
• Back to work, slower, relaxed pace for the rest of the year.
• Break from AWANA and Sunday Schools.
• Quiet New Year's Eve and Day, even with sledding.

All this, while still acknowledging the difficult times in the news, the neighborhood, and at home.  We grieved this fallen world while keeping up with current events in our nation, we prayed for friends and family with various trials, and we persevered through ill-timed illness at home.

And, we are still trying to connect with my dad so that we can wish him a Merry Christmas as well.

Now it is time for hard work in the office, at home, and in our homeschool.  My busy season is coming up with income taxes, audits, and more income taxes.  We have the winter homeschool challenges similar to most families.  It's still winter and not Christmas - if only Christmas lasted as long as the snow.  

Then again, hard work is a blessing - Proverbs 14:23 says, "All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk only leads to poverty."

So, as you get back at it post-Holiday Season, may your 2013 be blessed with hard work, profit, and wonderful memories of Christmas 2012.

Wordless Wednesday at the Office

The office is all cleaned up and ready for the New Year!  Let's see how long it lasts.

Satan vs. Judas; Satan vs. Peter

Recently I became perplexed as heard two separate Bible passages in the same sitting.  On occasion I listen to the Bible on audio CD during my daily commute.  When I put in the Gospel of Luke to listen to the Christmas narrative, I continued listening.  At chapter 22, I heard this:

"Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve.  He (Judas) went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers how he might betray him (Jesus) to them.  And they were glad, and agreed to give him money.  So he consented and sought an opportunity to betray (Jesus) to them in the absence of a crowd." (verses 3-6)

and this:

(Jesus speaking to Peter): "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail.  And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.  Peter said to him, 'Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death.'  Jesus said, 'I tell you Peter, the rooster will not crow this day, until you deny three times that you know me.'" (verses 31-34)

This blog post is to call attention to these contrasting events and see what we can learn about God through them.

Here's what is going on:  the first Christmas has come and gone about 33 years ago.  The Jewish Passover is coming, this particular one will be what we call the Last Supper.  Jesus is about to be arrested and crucified.  As this good vs. evil drama plays out, Satan engages by trying to get two of the 12 disciples to come over to the dark side. He completely succeeds in getting Judas, but Jesus interceeds for Peter.  What do we make of this difference?

We can find a clue in the Old Testament book of Job.  Satan wants to torment Job, a righteous man, thinking severe trials will move Job to abandon his trust in God.  However, Satan can only act with God's permission, and God grants limited permission.  At the end, God's goodness triumphs over the Devil.  The insight we gain here is that God is sovereign, even against Satan's schemes.

Fast Forward to the Passover, and we have a similar situation.  Satan wants Peter, but cannot have him without God's permission.  Jesus grants that Peter would later deny Jesus three times, but through Jesus's prayer, Peter repents and is restored.

In the case of Judas, it appears as if Jesus allows Satan to "enter into" Judas, and we later come to find out that Jesus's arrest, leading to his crucifixion, occurs through the betrayal of Judas.

We can conclude then that the betrayal, arrest, and death of Jesus are God's plan.  God did not watch helplessly as a good teacher is treated unfairly.  God did not scramble for a "Plan B."  Instead, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit saved us through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, using Satan and sinful people to achieve the plan.

This past Christmas season has been difficult to understand.  We see the good vs. evil battle all around us:  a time of giving vs. economic uncertainty, peace vs. anguish, goodwill toward others vs. shootings and death.

Please know that God is in control.  It seems counter-intuitive that God would ordain evil to bring about good.  It seems unfair when trials and bad things happen to us.  A simple blog post like this won't make the pain go away.  What we can do, though, is put our trust in a Savior who did not stay a baby in a manger, but who "works all things together for good (Romans 8:28)"

Don't Be A Runaway in 2013

What are you running from?

By that I mean, "what responsibility (calling) has God gifted you with, that you are avoiding?"

Not necessarily the Jonah / Nineveh thing.  At least God doesn't speak to us in that manner anymore.  However, He does gift us with certain talents, then providence works its way so that we find ourselves with opportunities to advance His kingdom.

For example, I've found myself as a leader within my circle of influence.  Consider:

• Married for 18 years
• 3 kids, growing up soon
• A certified public accountant with clients calling and e-mailing for advice
• A small group leader 
• A blogging husband / father
• And so on...

By now, I should be discipling, leading, encouraging, but...

Typically I see myself as a consumer, not producer, of ideas.  A follower, rather than a leader.  Still a middle school nerd, not cool enough.  As it turns out, somewhere in all my mountaintop and valley experiences of life, people are benefitting from my life experiences.  So much for "who cares what I think?"

Therefore, as our local church embraces a theme of maturity for 2013 (Colossians 1:9-14 see below), my call to maturity is to embrace my calling as trusted counsel, rather than avoid it with fear.  Some specific examples:

• Don't get distracted with mundane tasks at home when I can dig deeper into my wife's and kids' happenings at home.
• Speak boldly for the cause of Christ at home, on the job, and especially with extended family.
• Pursue Bible reading and prayer with a sense of urgency and enthusiasm.
• Don't let "introvert" be an excuse to pray with and for others, even during our church's one a month Sunday night prayer service.

As an analytical accountant, I unfortunately default to problem solving with my own wisdom instead of asking questions from a Biblical world view, so Bible reading and prayer is more urgent.  That may help me speak more boldly, and stay "on task" at home, building relationships.

So, back to you.  What's "out there" that you know you need to run "to" instead of "from?"  Do you work too much overtime?  Are you hiding behind your computer or TV?  Do you talk sports instead of asking what's going on in someone's heart?

Colossians 1:9-14 - "And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.  May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.  He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."

What Makes "The Good Life?"

Surely I cannot complain (if your name is not Shirley, I apologize).  Here's what I got do do this weekend::

• Camping trip to Indiana Dunes State Park
• Birthday celebration for my Mom
• Disc Golf at new (to me) course:  Hawthorne Park, Porter, Indiana (near my hometown)
• Apple Cider Century bicycle tour with Darling Daughter

So, what makes the "good life?"  Is it money, travel, activities, good health, leisure time?  This weekend required all of these (money is always the scarcest resource, but...).

One common thread, though - enjoying this life with somebody, or in this case, someones (plural).

That's good.

How To Get Addicted to Disc Golf

1. Have conversation with Darling Bride about how to get high school aged son away from sitting at his computer all day.
2. Start brainstorming ideas.
3. Remember that I played disc golf a lot in college.
4. Suggest disc golf.
5. Buy starter set of discs plus 2 extra.
6. Take family to disc golf course at local park.
7. Plan works!  High school son really likes it!
8. Bonus!  Darling Bride and other kids like it too!
9. Buy another $100 worth of discs.
10. Bonus!  Father in law likes disc golf too!
11. Desire $40 golf bag.
12. Christmas is coming!

Our Grocery Shopping Date Nights Rock!

Thursday nights are our "weekly date nights" that many marriage experts say that married couples should have.  While the idealists, or perhaps the newlyweds, would dream of fancy restaurants, movies, sunsets walking hand in hand, and other such fantasies, we have the weekly pleasure of acquiring provisions for the next week.  Some also call that grocery shopping.

True:  If time and money weren't a problem, a romantic few hours would be a beautiful thing.

Also true:  Time and money are problems.  So we use what we have.

On Thursdays, the kids get to go to their weekly karate class through the Gospel Martial Arts Union.  That gives us 2 whole hours, and we choose to go to Costco and Trader Joe's.  Here's why I think this is awesome:

• Two hours with just Darling Bride and me is two hours, and I'll take it!
• Our weekly groceries and related stuff comes to about $225 to $250 per week.  With respect to the "feed your family on $40 per week" crowd, we have chosen to avoid as much processed and non-organic food as is administratively feasible.  That is not done on the cheap.
• If we're going on a shopping spree for $250, we may as well enjoy it!
• Groceries for the week represent other fun times coming up through the week:  our Saturday grilling, maybe providing snacks for our small group, maybe an extended family event, maybe an upcoming camping trip...
• I happen to like Costco and Trader Joe's.
• Costco appears to have good quality, and when careful, the pricing can be right.  It is not too crowded on Thursday nights.
• Trader Joe's is one of my weekly highlights!  Our store is very friendly and helpful, and even though there seems to be something every week they are out of, they have good stuff at good prices.  So, going there each week is a treat!
• During my work busy season, February through mid-April, I don't get to go at all because I'm working late preparing income taxes for clients.  So, I cannot take even simple things like this for granted.