It's A Wonderful Life!

“It’s a Wonderful Life” has got to be one of the all time best movies ever made! It’s one of those movies that I can watch over and over again… and no matter how many times I have seen it, it always catches my attention if I catch it on while flipping channels. You remember the movie. Jimmy Stewart plays George Bailey who gets down and out about his life not meaning anything. He buys into the lie that he is worth more dead than alive… until he meets a messenger of God in the form of Clarence, an angel “2^nd class.” Clarence shows him a glimpse of what life would have been like if he had never lived… and George sees exactly what kind of difference his life has made in the lives of others. He learns that it really is a “wonderful life.”

As Christians we truly enjoy a “wonderful life” because of the blessings to be found in Christ. What if Jesus had never lived? Where would we be, then? Oh, he has brought us SO much! It is this wonderful life that we will begin to explore this Sunday as we begin a new mini-series of lessons entitled “It’s a Wonderful Life!” We’ll be sharing and discussing the blessings that are ours through Christ. Jesus has come to bring abundant life (cf. John 10:10)… and the blessings of peace, joy, love, hope and new life are ours in Christ! I’m particularly interested in hearing YOUR stories. How has your faith in Christ brought you peace? Please, leave your thoughts and comments and let’s share these blessings together.

Simple Christianity #4... "What do I do now that I am a Christian?"

A few years ago there was a popular singing group that rose to the charts with their hit song, “The End of the Road.” Oh, how wonderful it is to get to the end of the road! I am thinking that especially this week as I know that my family will be loading up in the ol’ minivan and heading out of town for Thanksgiving (see previous post regarding our van travels.) We always set out with such excitement… and arriving is such a blessing… but the hours on the road are sometimes… uhmmm, difficult. Between “potty breaks” and arguments about what to listen to on the radio, road trips aren’t a lot of fun with our crew. I SO look forward to reaching the end!

As Christians we also ought to look forward to the end… but I am afraid that we sometimes confuse the end with the beginning. We work and pray to lead a person to Christ and then, just when that person has made a commitment to be a Christian, we leave them and move on to someone else, thinking they have reached the end. Becoming a Christian is NOT the end, however, it is just the BEGINNING! Baptism is a new BIRTH… a new beginning… and the start of a wonderful new journey. This Sunday we will be wrapping up our series on Simple Christianity by exploring the thought, “What do I do now that I have become a Christian?” What are my responsibilities? How do I stay strong in the faith? What now? Any thoughts?

Simple Christianity #3... "How do I become a Christian?"

Can you remember the day you decided to become a Christian?  I can still remember the day I did.  It was a sleepy Sunday night in early June.  I was seventeen and had been thinking about it for a long time.  Our church services that night consisted of a long video presentation on “Family” but I don’t remember anything of it.  I wasn’t converted by the sermon or the lesson.  I had already been converted by seeing the example of so many of the Christians I knew in the church.  They had something that I wanted.  I’m not sure I could put my finger on it at the time, but I saw in their lives a sense of peace… of calm… and purpose.  I had none of those things (of course, what teenage boy does?).  But, I knew that I wanted it… and was convinced that Jesus offered it.  I was right, in retrospect.  I look back and know that I made the right decision.  I didn’t fully know then all that meant, and I probably still don’t.  But I remain convinced that the path of Jesus is the right one.  I started it that night by walking that short path down the aisle and confessing my faith.  Our youth minister, whom I had come to love and admire simply because he showed me what an active and vibrant faith looked like, then baptized me into Christ and I was received by my new church family with open arms.  What a great day it was!  I’ve tried to stay on that path ever since.  Some days go better than others.

What’s YOUR story?  How did YOU make the decision to follow Christ?  What do you tell others when they ask you, “Sign me up!  How can I become a Christian?”

 

I’m also interested in hearing your stories about the blessings that you have found through your faith in Christ.  How have you experienced PEACE because of your faith?  What about JOY?  What about HOPE?  Can you think of particular incidences or stories that you might be willing to share with me?

Bible Scholars!

Quite the proud “Poppa” … every quarter at school each teacher selects a student to receive the “Bible Award” for their class. Sometimes it’s the student with the highest average in Bible and sometimes its the student who has shown the most enthusiasm for it from out of the class. I was so proud last week as both Andy AND David got the “Bible Award” from their classes on Awards Day. Congrats, guys!

Simple Christianity #2..."Why Would I Want to be a Christian?"

As a part of our ongoing discussion on simple Christianity, this week I am posing the question to us all, “Why would I want to be a Christian?”  It may be an obvious question in some ways, but maybe it is one that you haven’t thought of in a while.  In Acts 26:24-29 Paul tries to persuade King Agrippa to become one… and Agrippa thinks Paul is out of his mind.  Is that how WE look to the outside… out of our minds?  WHY would anyone want to be a Christian?  I know a lot of Christians who walk around with a frown on their face all day long and I wonder what kind of witness that is to the joy to be found in Christ.  I look around in worship (sometimes at myself!) and hear the voices of half-hearted singing and wonder what kind of message we are sending to the world?  I think about the division and the disagreements that Christians often air over the public airwaves and the local papers, and I wonder what outsiders must think about Christianity.  Why would they WANT to be a Christian if that is all we do?  This is the theme we will explore more fully on Sunday… and I am interested in your thoughts. 

Confessions of a Halloween Grinch

Okay, I'm a Halloween Grinch... I admit it. It certainly is my least favorite holiday and I have struggled all week to find something (anything) redeeming about it. The stores put out their Halloween costumes more than a month ago, which meant that our boys started begging for costumes way too soon. Costumes were bought. Plans were made. Everybody was happy. Then we made the mistake of going to the store again. More costumes were spotted. Minds were changed. Begging commenced. Soon it became pleading and eventually crying. There was much weeping and gnashing of teeth (mine) and finally we (meaning Celeste) relented. At least two additional costumes were purchased on this, second occasion. Of course, once the week of Halloween actually arrived you might have guessed... minds changed once again. I have to give credit to Andy... he picked out Boba Fett early on and stuck with it. David only changed his mind once... but Michael is the serial costume changer of the family. I counted three for him this year.

I'm not sure whoever came up with the idea of having children run up and down the streets strong-arming innocent homeowners out of teeth rotting candy and I'm not sure why anyone ever thought this was a good idea. The sugar, of course, just made the kides all that much hyper. THIS year we had the added complication of having Wednesday night Bible class to get to AFTER trick-or-treating. This meant that not only were my kids hyper... they were stuck in a small classroom with other sugar-O.D.'ed kids and an unlucky Bible teacher for an hour! I'm sure much learning took place. Then, just as we're finally breathing a sigh of relief having gotten the goblins tucked into bed way past their bed-time... there's a ring at the door! More trick-or-treaters! It's 9:00 pm. Decent people are in bed!

Well, I hope your "All Hallow's Eve" was fun. Thanks for allowing me the opportunity to rant a bit about my Halloween woes... I am certainly glad it is over... at least for another year. Looking forward to the next Pagan holiday...