The following is reprinted from a blog post I wrote last Christmas:(Matthew 2:11)

“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.”

It was one of those unexpectedly precious, heartwarming moments that melt a father’s heart. My family and I went this past Saturday to an event a local church was doing that included a nativity scene and a “re-creation” of a 1st century village where the kids could do a number of Christmas crafts and have their picture taken. My boys are 4, 3, and 1, and the older two, Ryan and Will, had a great time going from table to table making cookies, ornaments, and other Christmas decorations, while we tried to keep Nate (our one year-old) from destroying the village and eating the glue. After the boys had made their crafts, we entered the sanctuary and headed up to the front, where a teenage boy and girl welcomed us and recited their lines about their wonder at God having chosen them to be the parents of the Messiah, Jesus. Meanwhile, baby doll Jesus lay quietly in the straw between them. After the teens were done saying their lines, we thanked them and exited the sanctuary to gather our crafts and head for home.

Then, all of a sudden, Will stopped and whispered up to me, “We didn’t give baby Jesus his birthday present.” Read more »

Matthew 10:8 – Freely you have received, freely give.

Is there a crazier juxtaposition in the calendar year than Thanksgiving and Black Friday?  On the former day, we are encouraged to reflect on what we are thankful for, to enjoy what we have, and to develop an attitude of gratitude.  And then, millions of people set their alarms for some ridiculous hour so that they can push through the crowds the next morning in order to get the best deals on toys and goods for the holiday season.  In the blink of an eye, gratitude turns to covetousness; thanksgiving to full-blown consumerism. 

Now, I’m not saying that it’s necessarily a bad thing to go out on Black Friday and save money on gifts for the loved ones in your life.  After all, I’ve done it myself!  I am saying, of course, what most of us know to be true, that the Christmas season has the frightening ability to inspire the worst in us – greed, the lust for that which we do not have, dissatisfaction with what we do have, impatience and anger with the traffic and crowds (and sometimes family), and a general stress with the busyness of the season.  Thanksgiving may be a beautiful day, but the feelings of gratitude can fade quickly in the bright lights of the holiday season.

So why not decide to take a different path this year?  Read more »

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. (Matthew 2:11)

It was one of those unexpectedly precious, heartwarming moments that melt a father’s heart.  My family and I went this past Saturday to an event a local church was doing that included a nativity scene and a “re-creation” of a 1st century village where the kids could do a number of Christmas crafts and have their picture taken.  My boys are 4, 3, and 1, and the older two, Ryan and Will, had a great time going from table to table making cookies, ornaments, and other Christmas decorations, while we tried to keep Nate (our one year-old) from destroying the village and eating the glue.  After the boys had made their crafts, we entered the sanctuary and headed up to the front, where a teenage boy and girl welcomed us and recited their lines about their wonder at God having chosen them to be the parents of the Messiah, Jesus.  Meanwhile, baby doll Jesus laid quietly in the straw between them.  After the teens were done saying their lines, we thanked them and exited the sanctuary to gather our crafts and head for home. 

Then, all of a sudden, Read more »