Christmas, Christmas, Time is Here

Okay, okay, you're right for berating me for not blogging more often. My deepest apologies. I hope that the wait has not been too trying for you all. Anyway, I just finished up the semester and it was a killer. One of my classes, Issues in Hermeneutics, was pretty tough. I did not understand 3 of the books we read, but I managed to get 91.4% in the class. Here's the kicker, 92 is an "A". Don't let anyone tell you that Christian professors understand grace. I'm .1% from an "A". Are you kidding me? But, as my mother taught me, "this too shall pass."

Anyway, Rochelle, Malia and I are gearing up for a fantastic Christmas. I love Christmas--which is weird because just a few years ago I hated it. I have an old colleague, Rob McRay, to thank for my growing love of Christmas. During this time of year, I always miss Rob. He revealed to me the great spiritual emphasis and meaning that Christmas could have. I loved the way he focused our church's attention on Christ at Christmas. He always made a big deal about Christmas and I learned that there was a lot for me to gain from Christmas even when what I wanted wasn't under the tree on Christmas morning. He also introduced me to one of my favorite local preachers, David McKechnie, the now retired pastor of Grace Presbyterian Church here in Houston. Listening to Dave on Christmas Eve has been a highlight of Christmas for my family for several years now. But, Dave won't be preaching this Saturday night. So, Rochelle and I are headed to here David Peterson at Memorial Drive Presbyterian. I have come to know Dave's preaching through Men's Life, a men's ministry Memorial Drive does at 6:15 am on Tuesday mornings. That gathering, though I never stay for the small groups, has become an important part of my spiritual formation.

I guess the thing I like most about Christmas is that people who are not normally paying attention to Jesus are. Plus, churches put time, money and energy into communicating the gospel in ways that are accessible to people. In a way, the very thing that happened that first Christmas happens every year at Christmas: the gospel comes to the world and people stop--if only for a moment--to pay attention.

And that's my prayer for all of us, that as we shop and buy and eat and share our lives with friends and family, we remember--if only for a moment--to pay attention.

God Bless.

Just To Keep Us Thinking

A few words from C.S. Lewis...

"If anyone thinks that Christians regard unchastity as the supreme vice, he is quite wrong. The sins of the flesh are bad, nut they are the least bad of all sins. All the worst pleasures are purely spiritual: the pleasure of putting other people in the wrong, of bossing and patronizing and spoiling sport, and back-biting, the pleasures of power, of hatred. For there are two things inside me, competing with the human self which I must try to become. They are the Animal self, and the Diabolical self. The Diabolical self is the worse of the two. That is why a cold, self-righteous prig who goes regularly to church may be nearer to hell than a prostitute. But, of course, it is better to be neither."

--C.S. Lewis
(from Mere Christianity)

Quick Hitters

This week marks 6 years that my wife and I have been ministering at and been ministered to by the Bering Drive Church. We are glad to have made so many wonderful, thoughtful friends.
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Someone in our house has a birthday coming up. She keeps walking around saying, "Two".
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I've been too busy to blog frequently...Sorry!
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This article may be the most disturbing thing I've ever heard (or read):

A woman receiving treatment for diabetes at a state-run hospital in eastern India lost one of her eyes after ants nibbled away at it, officials said on Tuesday.

The patient recovering from a post-surgery infection shrieked for help as the ants attacked her on Sunday night, but nurses told her it was normal to feel pain from the infection.

On Monday, the patient's family saw a gaping hole with swarming ants in it when they lifted the bandage on her left eye.

Authorities of the Sambhunath Hospital in Kolkata said they were probing the incident.

"It's not uncommon for ants to attack diabetic patients. We have set up a committee to investigate the unfortunate incident," hospital superintendent A. Adhikary said.

Scampering rats and stray cats and dogs sharing bed space with patients are not uncommon sights at India's overcrowded state-run hospitals that are used by millions of poor and middle-class people.

Now, does state-run medicine should good to you? I thank God for insurance. The premiums are high, but I can demand service in a hospital because I'm paying for it. At the same time, this is a painful reminder of how the least of these are treated in our world and we ALL need the opportunity and availability to sue when mistreated.

Standing Up By Sitting Down

Like many of you, I have always been inspired by the life and story of Rosa Park. Ms. Parks passed away yesterday at the age of 92. Much has been written across the web about her life and importance. I will not add much to that discussion with a lengthy post here, but I will say that many more of us need her courage and uprightness in the face of the social ills that plague our world.

May God bless us with the strength to stand up!