One last wish for 2006

One last holiday hello. Click on the link below. It's a bit scarry!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?userid=48f8fd63f5b145985a29fc3G06123012

The examined life

Socrates said, "The unexamined life is not worth living." So, for those of us who choose to do a little examining, here's a series of questions some of my friends and I use at the close of every year.

The questions are best answered in a small group setting with people you trust. Some of the questions are purely for fun to allow others to better know you, and you them.

New Year’s Reflection Questions

1. Overall, was this past year a good year or bad year for you personally? Professionally? Spiritually?

2. What was your greatest accomplishment this past year?

3. What are your 3 best memories of this past year?

1.

2.

3.

4. What are your 3 worst memories of this past year?

1.

2.

3.

5. What did you learn this past year?

6. What one new fun thing did you do this past year?

7. Best book you read this past year?

8. What book would you like to read this next year?

9. Biggest challenge of the past year?

10. Biggest roadblock you overcame this past year?

11. What are you most looking forward to in the coming year?

12. What are you least looking forward to in the coming year?

13. What is your favorite time of day?

14. What sound do you love?

15. What sound do you hate?

16. What profession, other than your own, would you like to attempt?

17. What profession would you never want to try?

18. If you could go one place next year, just for vacation, where would it be?

19. If you could do one thing this next year, what would it be?

20. What one thing could you do to improve your relationship with God this next year?

Christmas Eve

It's 11:00 on Christmas Eve. We held 11 services this weekend at RiverTree. Somewhere between 5,000 and 6,000 people heard the Good News that God loves them.

My wife, Julie, and I are exhausted . . . in a very good kind of way.

We just danced in front of our fireplace. We do that every Christmas Eve.

15 years ago, when we had just one Christmas Eve service in a much smaller auditorium, I asked Julie to marry me. And here we are today.

Our song is "True Companion" by Mark Cohn. And for the past 13 years of marriage, every Christmas Eve, we play our song--and we dance.

I think there is dancing in heaven tonight.

Get or give?

At this time of the year, one of the most frequently asked questions you will hear is: “Did you get everything you wanted for Christmas?” It’s a question we learn to answer from a very young age. Do you remember when you were growing up? Aunt Hazel would ask, “Was Santa good to you?” Uncle Glenn would kindly say, “Tell me what you got.”

Wouldn’t it be amazing if we could reframe the question? Instead of asking, “Did you get everything you wanted,” how about if we start asking “Did you give everything you wanted?”

If we could teach our children at a very young age that Christmas is more about giving than getting, the world would soon be a very different place. Of course, it would have to begin with us adults.

Did you give to the family around the corner that you know is going through a tough time? Did you give to the child around the world that otherwise would have received nothing this Christmas?

Jesus said, “You are far happier giving than getting.” (Acts 20:35 The Message) Did you give everything you wanted this Christmas?

Just for fun

http://www.elfmovie.com/swf/snowball_fight/index.html

It's all in how you look at it

I just read about a fascinating study done by Professor Vicki Medvec which sheds some light on the importance of how we look at things. Medvec studied Olympic medalists and discovered that bronze medalists were quantifiably happier than silver medalists. Here's why: Silver medalists tended to focus on how close they came to winning gold, so they weren't satisfied with silver; bronze medalists tended to focus on how close they came to not winning a medal at all, so they were just happy to be on the medal stand. (If Only: How To Turn Regret Into Opportunity by Neal Roese)

The key is to live life without regret. To do our absolute best and then accept the outcome. Of course that's easier said than done.

The Apostle Paul says it this way: "Don't you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win!" (1 Corinthians 9:24)

Notice what Paul did not say, he didn't say that if you run to win, then you're going to win. Only one person in the race is going to get the prize. BUT, at the end of the day, if we've worked hard . . . if we've done our best to be a good parent, friend, spouse . . . if we can lay our head on our pillow and say to God, "I did my best to live for you today," then in our own eyes and I believe in God's eyes, we will have won the gold medal.

The Nativity

I went to see the movie The Nativity yesterday. I took my 8 year old daughter with me. I don't think I would take a child much younger. Not because the story isn't amazing, but because the movie moves along pretty slowly.

Overall, I liked the film but some of the scenes were a bit cheesy.

What I really appreciated were the cultural insights into the time when Jesus was born. The movie does a great job of showing that God entered into this world in the absolute lowliest of circumstances.

I recommend you go see it. It will help your focus this holiday season. Grade: B-.

Pious nitpicking

I just finished reading 2 Timothy in The Message. The Apostle Paul instructs Timothy to "Warn them before God against pious nitpicking, which chips away at the faith. It just wears everyone out." (2 Timothy 2:14)

In Craig Groeschel's book, Confessions Of A Pastor, he has a chapter titled, "I Can't Stand A Lot Of Christians." I have to admit, that chapter title alone made me read the book. And when I read 2 Timothy 2:14 it clarified the reason why I frequently feel the same as Craig Groeschel. It's the pious nitpicking!

We have a world that desperately needs to see the love of Jesus. Children that are going to bed hungry night after night. Marriages that are falling apart all around us. Countries that don't have safe drinking water. And many Christians are more concerned about the volume or style of music that's being played in their church services. Many Christians are more concerned about whether or not their Pastor wears a tie when he preaches. Many Christians are more concerned about the color of the nursery. It's pious nitpicking!!!

Of course . . . I could just be nitpicking.

Today

I recently met with Michele. Three years ago I was on a group trip with her to visit the children we sponsor through Compassion International in Ecuador. While on the trip I could very clearly see God's tug on her heart. One year later she moved to Quito and has lived there for the past two years. She affirmed that Ecuador is now her home.

Michele works with children in poverty who have feeding and swallowing disorders. She's loving children the way Jesus loves them and she's training others to do the same.

I asked Michele if she liked living in Ecuador. She responded, "Yes . . . they're such beautiful people." And then she paused. She looked directly at me and said, "They do today really well."

That statement struck me hard. "They do today really well."

Far too often we're stuck in the past. Far too often we're so busy preparing for the future . . .

I need to learn to do today really well.

Favorite Christmas discs

The day after Thanksgiving I start playing Christmas music. Over the years I've accumulated quite a collection. So, just for grins, here's my list of best and worst. Let's start with the best.

Nat King Cole, "The Christmas Song." You just can't miss with Mr. Cole singing chestnuts roasting on an open fire.

Chris Rice, "The Living Room Sessions." This is purely piano. Great music to have in the background when friends are over for dinner.

Bare Naked Ladies, "Barenaked For The Holidays." Okay, once you get past the title, this really is a great CD. However, this is not your traditional fare!

The Blind Boys Of Alabama, "Go Tell It On The Mountain." Not that the Blind Boys aren't enough on their own, but on this CD they add a lot of great artists that make this a wonderfully unique Christmas recording.

Amy Grant, "A Christmas Album." In my opinion, this is some of the best music Amy ever recorded. In fact, she maybe should have stopped her Christmas recordings with this one.

And now to the worst.

Garth Brooks, "The Magic Of Christmas." Garth, what were you thinking dude!?! There is nothing special or unique to make me want to have it as part of a collection.

Heart, "A Lovemongers' Christmas." Okay, this is the all-time worst. If you can buy it cheap, use it as a coaster.

Well, that sums up my list. Would love to hear from you about your best and worst.

Why so much more productivity?

Okay, I know I'm treading on thin ice with this post. So, right up front, let me say that I am pro-USA and want us to continue being the greatest nation in the world. HOWEVER, we've got to admit that we have some challenges we need to address.

For instance, I have heard, time and time again, people complaining about jobs being outsourced to foreign countries. And I can certainly sympathize with the pain of watching our local jobs being sent overseas. BUT, did you know that when companies send jobs overseas they frequently not only save 75% on wages, but they also get a 100% increase in productivity!

When it's only about wages it's one thing, but when the people of other countries are harder workers than we are . . . that's not okay.

In the Bible, God instructs us, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men." (Colossians 3:23 NIV)

In other words, those of us who are Christ followers should work circles around anyone else in the world. We're not working for the money. We're not working just to punch the clock. We're working for God!

And with 85% of Americans claiming to be Christians, how is it that other countries are so much more productive?

Starbucks experience

This past Saturday I stopped into Starbucks on The Strip. Going anywhere near The Strip at this time of year is absolute mayhem. I made the mistake of stopping in on a weekend at three in the afternoon. The line was out the door.

It comes as no surprise, that at this time of year, when traffic is out of control, lines are long and the rush is on . . . many holiday shoppers are missing their “Christmas cheer.” Standing in line in a crowded coffee shop can be one of the most stress-filled ordeals of the day. But it wasn’t at Starbucks.

I’m standing in line and the guy making the coffee (his official title is Barista) is yelling out to four and five people back in the line, “What can I do for you?” And people are yelling back, “I’d like an eggnog latte, skinny,” or “I want a mocha frappuccino,” or “Make me a caramel macchiato!” The Barista is definitely moving the line along.

Finally, he yells out to me, “What can I do for you?” And I yell back, “You can sing The Twelve Days of Christmas!” And the guy starts singing The Twelve Days Of Christmas! Pretty soon several of the customers are singing The Twelve Days Of Christmas. I’m singing The Twelve Days Of Christmas! The Barista gets to the twelfth day of Christmas and he can’t remember what “my true love gave to me.” So he shouts out again, “Anyone who knows what the gift is for the twelfth day of Christmas gets a free coffee!” And the lady in front of me shouts back, “Twelve drummers drumming!” Sure enough, when we eventually arrive at the counter, her $3.70 coffee was on the house.

I walked out of a very crowded coffee shop having just witnessed firsthand the “Starbucks experience.” Perhaps we all could bring a bit of the “Starbucks experience” with us wherever and whenever we find ourselves in a long line, feeling rushed, and missing our “Christmas cheer?”

Ummm, especially those of us who are actually "Christ-followers." Shouldn't we have the most to "cheer" about at Christmas?