Surrendering Words

"Cool",
"Bad",
"Gay",
"Awesome",
"Bomb",
"Fresh",
"Benjamin",
"Marriage",
"Christmas" ...

... and the list goes on.  What's next?  What words will we give up to the unrelenting foes of objective truth?  Part of me says, "So what?  It's just words."  But a greater part of me wants to fight it.  Even if you don't believe in what the Bible says, it contains some truth that can't be refuted.  Here's one:  Evil does not come bounding in quickly.  It comes slowly, little by little, with hardly noticeable moves.  Small compromises that - when combined over time - result in major changes, rarely for the good.

You've heard of the boiling frog experiment:  Put a frog in a pot of water and slowly, degree by degree, heat up the water.  By the time the frog even notices, he's been boiled to death.  And the interesting thing is, those opposed to what I'm writing here would immediately jump to, "Greg, you're totally overreacting."  But am I?

Have you ever heard the Paul Harvey segment called, "If I were the Devil"?  It's from 1965 - 48 years ago.  Take a listen and tell me his predictions are not what has happened.  And they will continue to happen in our society until things we think of as absolutely absurd and unlikely today become "normal" in 20 years. 
>> Listen to "If I Were the Devil"

Here's the thing ... "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." (Edmund Burke)

As we wrap up 2013, I see the two latest trends:

1. "Christmas isn't about Christ.  How dare you make it about that.  That's intolerant of those who don't believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God."  Well, they aren't talking about a nativity, or "Go tell it on the Mountain", or the Gospel of Luke account of the coming of the King.  They are talking about Santa and evergreen trees and presents and consumerism.  They're talking about what the term "Christmas" has slowly become in little bits over time.
2. "Marriage is not defined as the commitment of one man and one woman, before God, to serve one another in sickness and in health, in good times and bad."  Two sub-trends to this:
1. Marriage is being redefined as two "people" committing themselves to one another, and not before God necessarily.
2. The marriage commitment is optional.  Even though those words were said in front of likely hundreds of people, perhaps in a church ... if things get tough, if he/she has "changed", if they just "fell out of love", then a divorce is perfectly fine.  Because marriage is about "feeling love" right?  And if there is no feeling, no marriage.  Sounds logical.  Unless that's not what marriage was created by God to accomplish in us.  For reference, read "The Reason for Marriage" and "Love & Respect" for the actual Truth.

Travel back in time and ask the average citizen what they thought the chances were that these two trends would come to pass in 40-50 years.  They'd call you crazy.  They'd say, "You're totally over-reacting."

So, what are we to do about it?  Are we so afraid of being pegged "intolerant" that we skip the part where we hold on to Truth?  Just writing this blog on this topic is chancy these days.  That's how bad it's gotten.  I mean, I'm probably a bigot for even bringing such things to the surface, right?

What we need to do is stick up for the Truth ... for what's right.  I don't mean we should go around bashing people for their sins.  Heck, I've got a nice sized plank in my eye as I write this.  But the plank is there, and we've all got one.  We can't ignore it.  God put us all together to help one another be better.  Shying away from the Truth does the opposite.  It may seem more "loving" at the time, but it's exactly the opposite.  It's equivalent to not telling the neighbor kid to stay out of the busy intersection because you don't want to make him feel bad for expressing himself in a nice "car dodging" session.  Insanity.

But insanity is becoming the norm.  When you remove absolute, objective truth from the public realm (which we did in 1963), eventually people will latch onto anything, no matter how ridiculous.

I could go on and on, but with Christmas in our midst, and with time to ponder, I can't help but think what God must be thinking, looking down on his defiant and arrogantly ignorant children.  I think He's seeing what He's seen throughout history ... for thousands of years.  His kids running away, thinking they know better ... and good people doing nothing about it.  "They'll be back", He says oh so patiently.  But if I were the Father, how many times would I watch this happen?  Let's just say, thank God I am not the Father.  Thank God - literally - for grace.

For those who understand where I'm coming from here, let's stand up.  For those who have no idea what I'm saying and think everything's fine, I'm praying for you.  For those angry with my words, good.  At least you're thinking about it.  Keep thinking, deeper and deeper and bring this whole thing to its logical conclusion. 

This can't end well, unless we wake up and change.  But fortunately, there is a nice instruction book to help us on our way.  It's chuck full of incredible guidance if you'd just read it and study it.  If you've not picked up a copy, it's called The Bible.  Author - God (through a bunch of chosen vessels over a few thousand years on multiple continents).

God bless.  Merry Christmas.  And Happy New Year.  I love you all.
 

True Meaning Of Christmas

I was listening to the radio one morning a few years back after dropping the kids off at school, and a caller was explaining how - back in Christmas 1985 - she'd received a totally tubular sweater she assumed was from The Limited.  Yeah, The Limited.  The kingdom of coolness for girl-kind back in the day.  She envisioned wearing it to school after the break and it would render her flat, winged-back product-less hair, her glasses and her braces invisibile as her friends would look on in awe.  Boys she'd pined over all year would all of a sudden notice her. "Where did SHE come from - wow!"  Stars would align and all would be well.  That evening, she recalled eavesdropping on her parents - feeling devilish and sneaky listening to their conversation that mentioned her name.  The sweater - no doubt - was the reason for her sudden talent for "stealth".  Her Father mentioned how pleased she seemed with the sweater, to which her Mom replied, "I know, and I got it for $13 at K-Mart."  Her world deflated in an instant.  She was now wearing the King's new clothes, reassigned back to Dorkville.  She was crushed.  She brooded.  She didn't talk to her Mom for days and wouldn't tell her what was wrong.  A memory that stuck with her.

Now that she's grown and has kids of her own, she looks back on Christmas of 1985 and that is all she can recall.  The sweater.  Her "rep" at school.  Herself and herself alone.  

• Not the joy of giving.  
• Not the time with family.
• Not the celebration of something truly miraculous - God's entry into human kind through the birth of a baby named Jesua.    

"What a brat I was," she reflected.  "I was so self-absorbed and distracted with materialistic, worldly things."  Christmas is so incredibly significant and we've slowly made it about something else entirely over the years.  We've made it about money, receiving gifts, shopping, brand names and what gifts they got that I didn't.

But let's be honest - that caller is nowhere near alone.  We've all been guilty of that.  Many of us still are when Christmas comes around.  We think about what we're going to get.  We listen to our kids' pleas for Blah Blah toy and Yada Yada video game, and we think, "Sure - that's what Christmas is about, right?"  Wrong.  In fact, perpetuating that message, especially to our impressionable children is dead wrong.  

I don't want to be a buzz kill to those who love to give and to see faces light up.  That is good - that is right.  The "giving" is what it's all about.  But it's giving, as a reflection of what God gave to us - his only begotten Son.  Giving, as a reflection of what Jesus gave - all.  

It's NOT about giving "things".  It's about the act of giving, and in doing so remembering that God sent His son to reestablish a connection with us.  To reset our relationship with Him.  What a gift.  Hard to get my head around that kind of altruistic kindness and grace.

So, here are some ideas to consider this Christmas:

1. Take time to sit down with your family and discuss the true meaning of Christmas and what that means for us.  
2. Consider taking one of the MANY gifts you've gotten for your child or nephew or whoever, returning it and giving to those who need it more ... in their name.  I know that would mean so much more to me if someone did that on my behalf.
3. Have your kids consider doing the same, but have it be their choice.  Explain, "Christmas is about giving.  What do you think of the idea of taking one of the gifts you just received, cashing it in and giving that money to a charitable cause?"

If everyone did that, just think of the impact it would have on Christmas for an impoverished or otherwise needy child, for those suffering with illnesses we'd rather not think about, for those who don't have a coat this Christmas, let alone a gift?  Wow.  

My family will be trying this and hope to make it a Dean family Christmas tradition.  What kind of memories might that create for us and for our children.  I'm imagining we won't look back and call ourselves self-centered brats, but rather look back at the celebration of the greatest gift we could ever receive - a relationship with God through his Son, and the outlook that it gives us on this world we live in.  

Merry CHRISTmas to all, and to all a good night!