The Adornment Apostacy

    The needles on the great white pine's needles glisten in the hint of sun from the recent coating that was left by the freezing rain. There is still a haze in the air from the left over mist of precipitation. This adornment is a beauty to me. Pure and natural just as it is supposed to be. Today is the day that Heidi and the girls spend decorating the house and the tree. Of course they think that I am like Scrooge or the Grinch as I tend to think the house looks fine just as it is. It takes some time as I let the colors of Christmas make their subtle change in my spirit. By the time Christmas day comes I do not want the decorations to come down.

   My thoughts and questions come from my recent post about Black Friday. I realize that much of our desire to decorate stems from the need for nostalgia. However, should my faith in Christ be triggered by such decor? Should the birth of Christ be more important to me than the salvation that is found in Him? How many of us are caught up in the adornment process and then forget the preparation and dressing of our hearts. By no means do I want to kill tradition, but rather I want for us to have a deeper desire for the things of God instead of man.

   It would seem that what was pagan has returned to it's original roots. So then how does the believer stand against the ways of the world in a time that is filled with Santa, elves, reindeer and presents? My first inclination would be to completely dismiss all of the excess and keep my celebration small. But then maybe then it is not in what we look like but in what we do. If we as Christians really want to be His followers then maybe we are to get past the personal adornment and instead give attention to personal reflection and servitude. After all wouldn't the greatest gift would be to adorn others with the Joy of Jesus Christ this Christmas? I pray you join me and you too can see the glisten of the beauty all around us.

Contemplating Christmas

Recently I joked on a facebook post that I had made it through Black Friday Shopping successfully. I made it into town and bought a 24oz coffee for the 23oz price. Thus my Black Friday shopping is now complete. Today is the 1st of December and I sit here in contemplation on Christmas. Each and every year we hear new stories of excited crowds full of zeal anticipating the deal that they are seeking. Each year, the pictures get worse, the stores open earlier and earlier, and the deals become more ridiculous. . . . My thought however is what if we had the zeal and excitement of Black Friday in the Church for Christmas? What if people were waiting at the doors on Sunday morning expecting God's truth to be shared? What if people knew that every time that they came to church, God was going to give to them a special blessing that would change their lives forever? What if the people that came were so excited about the opportunities and changes God gave them that they could not help but want to share the exciting news with their friends and neighbors? Those are a lot of "what ifs", but with Christ it still is possible, Be Blessed and be a Blessing!