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Several years ago Emily and I chose to be purposeful in how we celebrate Christmas. But last year, faced with a visit from family, we were stretched beyond our comfort zone.

My older brother, Seth, and I used to be very close. As young men we traveled the world and planned to be missionaries in Asia. Over the years we grew apart, both getting married and starting our own families. We did not converse regularly. He eventually divorced his wife and decided he was agnostic.

A couple of years ago we were informed that Seth’s oldest daughter (age 14 at the time) was coming out as transgender. She had begun hormone therapy and her name was legally changed to “Vincent”. Our daughters remembered playing dolls with their cousin and dressing up as princesses. Explaining this development to them was a struggle.

Early December 2018, my parents let slip that Seth and Vincent would be paying a surprise visit to NM.   This news drove us to focus outward in uncomfortable ways.  

Emily and I sought council from several people whom we respect. They joined our family in prayer. We had numerous conversations with the kids prior to this Christmas visit. They came to understand the need to lean on Christ, show love, and be a light.

Leading up to their visit, Vincent expressed feelings of anxiety and trepidation, not sure how our family would react. Emily offered assurance. “Everyone here is aware of the changes that have happened in your life since we saw you last. Everyone here loves you and no one will be unkind or hurtful.”

I spoke with my brother and made arrangements for him and Vincent to stay with us for several days during the Christmas season. Since his stay would be over a weekend, I asked Seth if he would like to go to church with us and, to my surprise, he agreed.

As Seth traveled to our home on Saturday evening, his vehicle broke down. He called to let me know that he would be stuck in Belen for several days while his car was being repaired. Feeling certain that my brother needed to come to church with us, I offered to go get him and have him stay with us while his vehicle was being repaired.

Seth and Vincent came to church with us. That morning Pastor Frank was leading worship and said “I am going to do communion a little differently today.”  He wanted us to pray with the person next to us before we took communion. I kind of freaked out, not sure what my brother would think of me praying for him. Even so, I prayed out loud “God, I pray that Seth could experience your love without strings attached”.

On our way home, my brother brought this up. He said “I don’t think I have ever experienced love without strings attached.” This lead to an incredible conversation about legalism in our upbringing, God’s love, and His desire for relationship.

We were incredibly blessed by our church family at MCC through this experience. Both those in leadership and young people alike welcomed my family with open arms. Seth expressed that his visit to MCC was one of the most positive church experiences of his life.

 God orchestrates events and uses His people. He refocuses our priorities and accomplishes His Will. May we see this every Christmas season.

I once knew a little girl who grew up in a family where both parents were alcoholics; she was the baby of three girls, all 5 years apart. The parents moved their family across the country away from all family support and oversight, so they were in survival mode and didn't make time to raise the girls. Their motto was, "children are to be seen and not heard". Frequently there was no money for food, and her parents were too proud to get the girls on a free or reduced lunch rate at school.

At the age of six, the Sunday before this little girl’s first day of school EVER, her mom walked her to school, explaining to turn left at the Jack-and-Jill Donut shop to get to school. Then she was instructed to "walk in through those doors tomorrow when you get to school, find an adult, tell them your name, they will help you get to your class." So, the next day the 6-year-old little girl dutifully got out of bed, got dressed, and walked to school in a very bad neighborhood.

The girls rarely felt welcome inside the home or safe outside in the bad neighborhood, and drama was ever present, as one would expect in that kind of environment. One night the parents had a Christmas party (there was somehow always enough money for alcohol), and the little girl got scared, so she asked her mom to come lie down with her until she fell asleep. But her father yelled at her, scaring her even more. One of the party guests came to the rescue, offering to lie down with the little girl, saying she was tired anyway because she was pregnant.

That sweet lady told that little girl that night all about Jesus and how, if she prayed, Jesus would hear and answer her prayers. Then she asked if they could pray together. The little girl enthusiastically agreed - she didn't have any other adults to help her, maybe this Jesus would. 

She just couldn't stop thinking about that, so in all the infinite wisdom of a 6-year-old, she decided to test this out. She wanted a dog so badly, but she knew there wasn't enough food for the humans, what was the likelihood of getting a dog? But what did she have to lose? So, operation 'DOG PRAYER' began - and within a week the prayer lady and her family were moving and couldn't take their basset hound, Precious, and voila! PRAYER ANSWERED! Hmm, she thought, this Jesus is pretty cool and proceeded to pray for a bike - just as unlikely as the first prayer. Maybe even less likely, because her parents were both animal lovers. So, Operation 'BIKE PRAYER' commenced. It wasn't long before some of the neighborhood kids all donated pieces and parts from their bikes, and her dad put it all together and painted it and Voila! Another PRAYER ANSWERED!

"I will be forever grateful for that precious lady who stood up to my Dad, comforted me that Christmas season, and introduced me to Jesus."

Not long after that, the parents were "out" and their car got towed back to the home before either parent came back. There were two head prints busted through the windshield with blood all over everything. The dad ended up in jail and the Mom in the hospital that night. So, the little girl's prayers turned into some much more important topics than a bike or a dog.

But eventually she forgot about Jesus and prayer all together.

It wasn't until she was in her late 20's that she picked up a Science magazine that had an article about dogs that the Bible came into her radar - an unlikely source, I know - but that's just how God works!  The article told of a study where they brought two sets of dogs into a clinic and tested to make sure they were all healthy. Then they cut into the dogs’ bones to make sure the bone marrow was good. One group of dogs were caged separately for two weeks and only their basic survival needs were met. No love, no interaction with the techs or the other dogs. The second group of dogs all got to live together, and the techs would love and play with them a lot. Then they cut into the bones again, and the dogs who lacked the love, affection, and companionship had the bone marrow drying up. The article then quoted Prov 17:22:

"A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones."

That was enough to make me think, "If that's true, what else in the Bible is true". That little girl was me - and as I look back over my life, I can see - God was with me, watching over and protecting me the whole time - ever since that first prayer I prayed at the age of 6.

I want to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you who takes the time to love and care for you own kids, and a very special thanks to those of you who love and care for your kids’ friends. You never know what they are dealing with at home. The kindness and love of an adult for a child is PRICELESS, and you never know what God's Plan for them is - I will be forever grateful for that precious lady who stood up to my Dad, comforted me that Christmas season, and introduced me to Jesus.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Have you seen the card in the bulletin recently? The one with the Christmas Eve Service information? Christmas is one of the times when we are encouraged to invite family, friends, neighbors and co-workers to church – and with good reason – Advent so clearly shows God’s love for mankind. Maybe you’re one of those for whom extending an invitation is ‘second nature’, it’s easy for you and everyone you invite comes, has a wonderful time, and ends up coming to church regularly. If that’s you, then don’t bother reading the rest of this, just keep on extending those invitations!

If you’re like me and you’re a little uncomfortable inviting folks, or if you get tired of getting turned down, or discouraged when people make excuses and brush you off when you bring up God, then keep reading.

When I feel tired and discouraged (and it happens way more than I like to admit) I try to remember what the apostle Paul told both the Galatians and the Thessalonians “do not grow weary in doing good”. (Galatians 6:9 and 2 Thessalonians 3:13). Inviting people to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ is the greatest good we can do. Gordon Keddie puts it this way “The greatest privilege of the Christian, apart from his own experience of salvation and eternal life, is to be a channel of God’s love towards others and a means of leading them to the Lord.” However you engage with people in this season, try to be a channel of God’s love. It might be inviting someone to come to church with you, or a service project with neighbors and friends, or being intentional to include Christ in your casual conversations about Christmas.  

“The greatest privilege of the Christian, apart from his own experience of salvation and eternal life, is to be a channel of God’s love towards others and a means of leading them to the Lord.”

Gordon Keddie

It’s taken more than a few years, but I’ve learned a couple of things from these passages Paul wrote. In 2 Thessalonians 3 Paul starts the chapter with “brothers pray for us that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored”. Prayer is the best preparation we can make in order to do good without becoming weary. Prayer reminds us that God will do the heavy lifting; it doesn’t depend on us! When I become weary and discouraged it is often because I’ve been trying to do it on my own, which never works.

Another thing I’ve learned is that the timing is the Lord’s. In Galatians 6 Paul finishes his admonition to not grow weary in doing good with “for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up”. Sometimes when we are that channel of God’s love we get to see the results right away. Sometimes it can take years, or we might not see it at all. It all unfolds according to God’s timetable. I used to think that if I didn’t see results right away that I had somehow failed. For us as Christians, having our invitation rejected, or not seeing results right away when someone hears the gospel is not failure. Failure for us is becoming weary of doing good and not being that channel of love, inviting others to share the joy of the gospel.

So, who are you praying for that you’re going to give that card to? You know, the one that has the Christmas Eve Service info…

There is something so special and heartwarming about the easy connection that forms between people who are just beginning to live their lives and those who have lived a good, full life that is coming to a close. Seeing the special bond between the Greatest Generation and children never fails to touch my heart.

We recently had the opportunity for our kids to serve Thanksgiving lunch at the Edgewood Senior’s center, along with my sister’s boys. I really didn't know what to expect when we got there, but what I definitely did not expect was how much the kids would all love serving. The boys would wait eagerly for trays of food to take to each person, and when they set the food down in front of each person, they would smile gently and quietly say ‘Happy Thanksgiving’ and then quickly walk/run off to retrieve another tray to serve. It really caught me by surprise to see how much joy there was on their young faces as they spent the afternoon serving those who spent their best years serving us and our country.

That’s not to say that the whole afternoon went off without a hitch. My 3 year old daughter was eager to help alongside her big bothers and cousins and there were a few battles of the will as she walked to a table carrying a tray, and I tried to walk along with her, helping to steady the tray so that it didn't end up all over the floor. Fortunately, the seniors were gracious and found humor at her strong will instead of being upset that their lunch almost ended up on the floor, or that their mashed potatoes may or may not have had a little thumb stuck in them by little hands trying to grip a large tray.

"The kids got to learn that we can bring glory to God through serving others, and that serving others is actually fun!"

When all of the trays had been handed out, the kids set to work cleaning up the empty plates. They were such eager helpers that we had to make sure they didn't clear any plates that weren't done. During this time they got to visit with many of the people who had come for lunch, and were gifted with candies, smiles, and hugs. When all of the work was complete and it was time to go, the kids were all bummed because they had such a great time serving others and getting to know those they had served.

It was such a blessing that the Edgewood Senior Center allowed these young children to come and serve Thanksgiving lunch, both for the seniors, but even more so for my kids and nephews and their parents.

The kids got to learn that we can bring glory to God through serving others, and that serving others is actually fun! They got to see that true joy comes not through the toys that we have or our fancy clothes or cars or houses, but through showing God’s love to those around us. This Christmas season we are working hard to make sure that our kids know the real reason that we are celebrating the season, and to keep the focus off of the presents and on the love God has for us, and showing that love to others.

I remember the day I walked into the Youth Room in the back of the little church. I had unintentionally shown up earlier than the crowd. I’d met Mike a couple times before but didn't know him well. The details of that initial interaction escape me, likely because it faded in comparison to how my life would change in the coming years.

During summers in high school, I served as a staffer at Camp Oro Quay. When I started, Mike and his family lived and worked at the camp before he left to be youth pastor at his church. Working at Camp Oroquay taught me not only how to work like a dog, but also a lot about God, life, people, and myself; so much, in fact, that I had a difficult time processing it all at first.

This is where I was when I showed up at Mike's youth group that evening. I was an innocent 15-year-old with high hopes, a lot of thoughts bouncing around in my head, and no idea what the future would hold. I had come to be with my friends and, admittedly, a girl whom I liked at the time, but it grew into much more.

As a young husband and father, Mike was just old enough to function as a superior, yet just young enough to be our friend. He could fix and build anything, was a far better rifle shot than I, and if he didn't know something, he was relentless to figure it out. He’d had a rough upbringing, and his stories of how the Lord had turned his life around and used him for amazing things were inspiring. He was the deepest thinker I had ever met, and his knowledge of the Bible seemed limitless and his relationship with God unfathomably rich.

Mike is fully aware of the deep scars in my heart that still throb but he never fails to listen, encourage, point me to the Lord, and remind me that it's better to lose my life than to waste it.

It didn't take long to see that his position was far more than a job to him: It was his life. He realized the importance of the Lord's calling on his life and held nothing back in answering it. He loved his students deeply and bent over backwards to be there for us, point us to Christ in everything, and help us grow in Him.

Mike expected more of us than the average youth pastor. Specifically, he consistently challenged us boys to be men. He expected us to pray, move chairs, hold doors for the girls, and help lock up when the night was done. It didn't stop there, however. As we matured, he would occasionally leave us to lead the group for the night. I remember going to Mike's house to get a key from his wife (he was out of town) and arriving at the church early to unlock and set up before I gave a sermon to my peers and secured the entire church campus alone after everyone had left. I was 18.

Unconventional? Yup. Risky? Many would say so. However, Mike had confidence in what he had built in us, and knew that we would rely on the Holy Spirit to guide us as we led, as he had taught us. It always worked out, and we grew immensely because of it.

After spending a year as missionaries deep in the Sierra Madre of Mexico, Mike and his family returned, and Mike became associate pastor at his church. One of his former students, a 22 year-old friend of mine, is now the youth pastor there. Every Saturday night, Mike continues to pour into the young people around him by opening his family's home to us for a meal and Bible study.

Today, I find myself trying to do for my students what Mike did for me. Some days when I struggle, wrestling with ghosts of the past and uncertainties of the future, I still go back and talk with him. Mike is fully aware of the deep scars in my heart that still throb but he never fails to listen, encourage, point me to the Lord, and remind me that it's better to lose my life than to waste it.