Passing Down Traditions

How important are traditions?  My family has several traditions around Christmas time.  Over the years of our marriage, some of the traditions have changed somewhat.  We have a Nativity scene that takes a prominent place in our Christmas decorations.  For years, I would refuse to place the Wise Men in the Nativity scene.  Instead, I would find a shelf, bookcase, or table somewhere to the east of the Nativity scene and place the three Wise Men there.  Laura would beg me to put the Wise Men in the Nativity scene.  After about 7 or 8 years, I finally gave in and allowed the tradition to change. 

There are some traditions that will never change.  I can almost envision my grandchildren gathering around Laura, just as our boys have done on Christmas Eve since Ethan was a baby, to hear her read "Twas the Night Before Christmas."  The way that my dear wife reads that story every year is spell binding.  She may enjoy it more than the boys do.  After that story, I read the Christmas Story from Luke 2.  After we finish reading about the birth of Christ, we have family prayer.  

Christmas day will start another round of traditions.  We'll get up early (though not as early as we used to, at some point, the boys started sleeping later), and open presents.  I'll sip on a cup of coffee, and watch my family open their presents.  Laura will finally insist that it's "Daddy's turn to open one," even though, I'd just as soon sit and watch all of them open their presents first.  We'll finish opening presents and then my OCD will kick in and I'll clean up all the paper, ribbons, boxes, and bows.  

At some point, before we go to have Christmas dinner with the rest of the family, I'll find myself sitting alone thinking about my mother and how she loved Christmas.  I've got the glass figurine that my sisters and I affectionately call "Mama's Christmas Lady" sitting on my shelf.  I'll find myself staring at, wishing I could tell my Mom "Merry Christmas" one more time.  

Traditions are important because they are what make us families.  These rituals are the ties that bind us together.  Whether your tradition involves singing Christmas carols, watching those classic movies, or just spending time quietly together, don't take them for granted.  One day, those traditions will mean the world to you.  

I can still remember opening presents on Christmas morning, and seeing my Mom sitting in the corner just watching her children.  Traditions are handed down generation after generation.  What are you handing down to your children?  Will my boys grow into men that will be sitting in the corner watching their families open presents?  I can only hope so.  Thanks Mom, for passing that tradition down to me, I have been blessed beyond measure.  

From my family to yours, Merry Christmas!  May your day be filled with joy, laughter, and traditions.  

Psst! It's a Secret!

Psst.  Can I tell you a secret?  It's two weeks from Christmas day and I'm a bit depressed.  During this time of year that we are supposed to be jolly and merry, I find myself depressed.  This is going to be a challenging year for my family.  This year will mark the first anniversary of my mother-in-law going to Heaven. This year also marks the first anniversary of my wife's grandmother's home going.  And yes, I'm finding myself struggling a bit with depression.  Oh, and need I add to this the fact that my sister-in-law and her family moved back to their mission field of Argentina early this fall?

I'm not a Scrooge or a Grinch, we've decorated the house, hung the stockings with care, and the front yard is all aglow with icicle lights and yard decorations.  Just the other day I wore a Santa hat to work.  From all outward appearances, it should be a Merry Christmas.

But the truth?  I find myself on the verge of tears every now and then.  I find myself sighing deeply. Instead of feeling merry, I feel melancholy.  Usually, buying presents for my loved ones brings me great joy, but this year, part of me feels like I am just going through the motions.

Do you know what I've realized over the last couple of days?  It's okay.  Believe it or not, it's okay to feel  depressed.  Why?  Because it's an honest emotion.  A couple of weeks ago, I posted a mini Facebook rant about pride and how God hates pride.

That post has stuck in my mind and I've come to the conclusion just a few moments ago why it is sticking in my mind.  I was being too proud to admit to myself that I was going through a bout of depression.

Do you know that the Bible teaches us about how to handle depression?  Oh, it's wonderful.  Let me set the context for you.  David and his men are hiding in plain sight among the Philistines.  The Philistines decide to go to war against Israel and don't want David to have any part of that battle so they send him and his men home to Ziklag.

When David and his men get home, they find that their city of Ziklag has been attacked and set fire, but even worse their families have been kidnapped.  David's men get terribly upset and they blame David--in fact, they're about to stone him when we read the verse of 1 Samuel 30:6 "And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God."

Did you catch it?  Reread that verse.  When David was distressed, which the dictionary defines as experiencing extreme sorrow and discomfort, notice what he did. . . He encouraged himself in the Lord!  The very next verses tell us that David called for the priest and they prayed!  

So, we'll have a Merry Christmas.  The boys will be excited about their presents.  My lovely wife will hopefully enjoy the gifts I am getting her.  (Yes dear, I have started your Christmas shopping.)  I may be a bit depressed, my smile may be a bit wistful.  But I'll spend some time praying and encouraging myself in the Lord, and it will be okay. 

If you find yourself depressed this time of the year, give yourself a Christmas present and realize, it's okay to be depressed.  It's okay.  Admit you're struggling and seek the Lord's help.  

Oh, and by the way, Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year.  

The Poison that Keeps on Killing

Poison!  We shudder to even think about it. Hopefully you've never experienced the dread of having to call the Poison Control Center to ask about something your child ingested.  Hopefully, you've never lost a pet to antifreeze.  Perhaps you have had to put out some mice poison to help control some unwelcome visitors during the winter.  Poison is not something we like to talk about.

There is one form of poison that is worse for the person giving it than the intended victim.  The Bible speaks quite a bit about this particular poison for this very reason.  What is this poison?  It is strychnine?  It is cyanide?  Nope, far worse and much more deadly.  It is bitterness.  Bitterness can ruin a person.  Bitterness can ruin a person's future.  The most amazing thing about bitterness?  It's completely avoidable.

We don't have to be bitter.  Notice what the Bible says about bitterness in Ephesians 4:31 "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:"  Put away the bitterness!  If the Lord gives us clear direction to do something, that clearly means He will enable us to do that thing.  We can put away bitterness of spirit.  The question is why should we?

The answers to this question can also be found in the Word of God.  Bitterness causes defilement.  Notice this verse with me:   Hebrews 12:15 "Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;"  Imagine with me a concrete sidewalk.  Imagine with me a tree growing up beside that sidewalk.  Do you know what will happen after time?  The roots of that tree will grow up under the sidewalk.  Eventually, the roots will cause the sidewalk to crack and crumble, and what was once a useful walkway has become defiled.  Bitterness will do the same to you and me.  We can start our lives in a condition that makes us useful, but if we allow bitterness to settle in, it will grow from a small seed of anger into a root of bitterness that defiles our whole life.

Let's look at another passage of scripture:  Romans 3:12-18 "They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes."   
This passage is to me very sad.  This is what bitterness will do to a person--bitterness will make you do things and say things that normally you wouldn't do.  Bitterness will cause you to lose your fear of God.  Reread that passage and notice all the negative characteristics of this person:  unprofitable, none that doeth good, deceit, poison of asps, cursing and bitterness, shed blood, destruction and misery, no peace, no fear.  And we wonder why people who are eaten up with bitterness are so unhappy.  

I am glad to report this afternoon that bitterness can be averted.  There is a cure!  Let's look at one last passage of scripture:  Exodus 15:22-25 "So Moses brought Israel from the Red sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water.  And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah.  And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink?  And he cried unto the LORD; and the LORD shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them,"  

The people of Israel were terribly upset.  They had traveled three days and all of sudden they had no water!  The only water they had was bitter water--they couldn't drink it!  What where they to do?  They could sit around and complain and mope and carry on about how unfair it was that they didn't have any water.  Notice what Moses did--he cried unto the Lord and the Lord showed him a tree.  Not just any tree, but a specific tree that when Moses threw it into the water, it was made sweet.

If you or someone you know, is being consumed by this root of bitterness, there is only one thing to be done.  Take them to this same tree--that old rugged Cross that Jesus Christ bled and died on for my sins and your sins--including the sin of bitterness.  Here's a simple three step method for rooting up the bitterness in your heart:  1)  Ask God's forgiveness for your bitterness, 2) Ask those you are bitter towards for their forgiveness.  3)  And as the recent Disney movie "Frozen" says, "LET IT GO!!!"  Forget whatever is in the past that is causing you to grow bitter, cause if you don't, that root will begin to grow again and it will be much harder to get rid of it the second time.

Play Ball!

Man, it has been a very long time since I posted something.  It might be because of everything that we have had going on recently.  Between filling the pulpit for my Pastor, a hectic first quarter at work, and family stuff, my middle son decided he wanted to play baseball.

We signed up for Little League with much anticipation.  Alex was very excited about the prospect.  Soon enough we were in practice twice a week.  We learned the basics...how to throw to a cut off man; how to lead off a base, how to stand at the plate, how to handle the ball with a runner at first and second.  It was a good experience for us all.

I was tagged as assistant coach.  Primarily, I think, because I showed up to the first two practices.  We've got a great coach, Coach Josh.  He really loves the game and wants the boys to learn the game and to learn to love the game the way he does.  Currently, we're in second place in our league.

I've learned a lot about the strategy of baseball.  I have learned when to send a runner to second and when to fake the pitcher out.  I've learned that a walk really is as good as a base hit.  And I've learned that sometimes, just sometimes, getting to first base is it's own reward.  I've learned nothing tastes better than a ball park hot dog after a win (with mustard, of course.)

I've also learned a lot of life lessons.

For example, I've learned that the more you fuss and yell at your kid during the game, the worse they will do.  Attitude is so much more important than talent.  Attitude will win a game when talent can't keep up--or has given up.  I've seen parents get so far inside their kid's head that they can't think straight.

We've got a player that is totally awesome in practice.  Hits everything that comes close to the strike zone; fields like a demon, and throws out runners left and right.  Come game time, he can't tie his shoes without tripping.  Why?  His parents are there and they offer "constructive criticism" from the stands.  Doesn't help, not even a little bit.

I've learned that kids see everything.  Tonight, we had an interesting experience.  A parent from the other team was a wee bit upset with their coaches and begin to express their discontent.  This parent used language that made me blush, and I was on the other side of the ball field.  Eventually, the police arrived and helped the parent find their way from the park.  I had 12 boys asking me what happened and what was going on across the field and why they had to stop playing for thirty minutes.  To them, it is a game.  It's about playing and having fun.  I told my boys not to worry about it.  But you know who I couldn't stop thinking about?  The little boy sitting on the bench listening to his parent rant and rave and use language that would give a sailor pause.  How do you explain that to your kid?

I've learned that losing well is more important than winning well.  (For reference, see three paragraphs above).  You want to see a coach get ill with his players?  Watch Coach Josh's face if the players drag off of the field or limp onto the field. We've lost two games this season.  We didn't get beat by the other team, we beat ourselves...because we were losing poorly.  Everybody is going to get behind from time to time.  The important thing is to keep your head in the game and figure out what needs to happen to get runners around the bases.

Baseball is truly a microcosm of life.  You have your supporters, your opponents, your obstacles, and your chance to try.  It's taken me about six games to realize that at home plate all batters are equal--three strikes, and you are out.  Sometimes, in life and in baseball, you've just got to take a chance and swing.  Who knows, maybe you'll just get that base hit that your team desperately needs to get back in the game.