One of our quirky family traditions at Christmas was started by Collin, who does his own version of “Where’s Waldo”.
Collin’s version involves moving baby Jesus somewhere within the nativity scene. This year, I’d like to report that baby Jesus was found riding on the donkey.
Prepare for you mouth to fall open and a big “Uh……….” to fall out.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iUU6jTqB6k]According to Wikipedia, The Prosperity Gospel is defined:
Prosperity theology, also known as prosperity doctrine or the Prosperity Gospel, is the doctrine that prosperity, particularly financial prosperity, and success in business or personal life is external evidence of God’s favor. This favor may be preordained, or granted in return for efficacious prayer or merit-making.
I think John Piper hits the nail square on the head:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTc_FoELt8s]Each month, we get together with a few other couples that we are friends with and also go to church with. I say friends first because our church is so big, we rarely see them there. I’ve always said if you want to get to know people from church, you’re not going to get to know them in the hallways after Sunday morning services. You have to get to know them outside of the church.
So we’re having our friends over tonight and here’s one of the topics for discussion:
I was recently going through the schoolnight routine of putting my youngest son, Collin, to bed. I think he’s a night owl like me – he just does not like going to bed. As I said goodnight and stepped out the door, I heard,
“Hey Dad?”
Barely through the door, I was immediately back in his room, ready to see what he wanted. He then asked me these questions:
1. Why did you marry Mom?
2. What do people do in jail?
3. Why is Grant (his 14-year old brother) so grumpy?
For a moment, I smiled…laughed a bit…and felt a bit of pride that my 11-year-old has become so good at asking conversation provoking, open-ended questions. Try answering any of those questions in three words or less!
Being his Father, I know my son well. I know he was just slightly interested in the answers to those questions, but much moreso, I know:
He wanted something from me.
He needed me at that moment.
He wanted to be with his Father.
Later, I realized that if you believe in God, this is often the way we interact with Him. The good part is that when we do this, it reminds us that we believe – and that we need Him and want to be with Him.
The childish thing, however, is that the catalyst to us calling out “Hey Dad?” can be that we want something from Him. On our own time table, we turn to Him, call out to Him solely based on our needs at that particular moment.
Let’s face it, God’s kids can be childish at times.
I want to think God reacts the same way I did with Collin…smiling, listening, loving, sometimes giving. He is there. As a Father, I don’t get my feelings hurt when my son’s motives seem a bit selfish – he is a child. It’s also nice to feel needed. I’d like to think God feels that way too.
Part of becoming less childish in our relationship with God has to be spending more time seeking him when we don’t particularly need something from Him. When Collin and Grant seek me out just because they sincerely want to be with me, I have to admit that is a wonderful feeling and it shows me they are growing up and valuing important relationships.
So what do we do with this?
How do we put this into action?
If we sometimes feel a bit guilty for turning to God when we need something, why don’t we also feel good on those rare ocassions when we spend time with him when we’re not in need?
How embarrassing. It’s been 30 days since I last opined. I’d like to think that the crazy, wild blog title above was tease enough to bring you back here.
Around the Ausbury home, we’ve begun the six LONG weeks of listening to Christmas music. I’m the only one in the family that thinks this is about five weeks too long. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not a Scrooge or Debbie Downer and there is definitely a Christ in the Ausbury family’s Christmas. I just get a little irritated with a one-day holiday that each year seems to suffer from chronic time bloat. Seriously, why don’t we just start the herald angels harking right after fireworks in July?
Anyway, my son Grant and I were listening to Kevin Max’s Christmas CD on the way to school this morning and my mind began to wonder about my favorite Christmas songs. I have to say I’m a big fan of The Holly & The Ivy and I Saw Three Ships. The best version I’ve ever heard of Three Ships is by Jon Anderson on his 1985 release “3 Ships“.
Later this morning my mind returned to all this and while humming the chorus of Ships, a news item came on the radio.
Perhaps divine, perhaps coincidence, but I’ve been enlightened as to “what was also on those ships all three on Christmas day in the morning”. For hundreds of years we’ve been questioned time and time again about the mysterious contents of these three ships and then told it was our Savior Christ and His Lady.
However, in 2007, like Navin Johnson when fully understanding the profit deal, the world should take joy in knowing that according to the International Council On Clean Transportation, along with our Lord, these three divine ships were also likely full of sulfur dioxide. As Al Gore might say:
“Sulfur…………..dioxide. That’s right friends. The sooty pollutant associated with acid rain.”
Ok, so now picture those three ships docking on Christmas morning and on the promenade deck we have Jesus, His lady, Al Gore in a tight suit preparing to lecture us, and enough sulfur to fertilize all of Central Park.
Kind of juices up the visual for Three Ships doesn’t it?
Stay tuned for revelations about holly and/or ivy.
(Note: This is especially for my Iowa friends Matt, Jon and Kristy – wonderful, hip, and groovy people those Iowans and still my best friends on the planet. And for Marcia, Sharon and whoever else may be out there and remember this…)
This made my morning.
My colleague and friend Brent Sharp sent me a link to this ebay auction which is for a cafeteria tray from Evangel College University.
When I was at Evangel back in the year of our Lord 19-and-88, there was a little Indian guy who worked in the cafeteria. He was in charge of making sure students took their trays back to the drop off area. Of course, since this was a rule, it had to be occasionally broken.
So one magical day that I will never forget is when I broke that rule, then while exiting the caf I felt a tug on the back of my shirt, turned around and there was the little guy. He solemnly stated these words that I will never, ever forget.
“Take tway back.
Tahoo pooddy dare.”
(Interpretation: “Take your tray back. I saw you put it there.”)
Every now and then, I will get an email from my friend Matt:
To: Doug
Subject: Take Tway Back
Those were the days eh? I would love to go back and relive a few like this one.
I’ve been reading Eric’s Blog recently and he recommended a very interesting 50 question quiz that will suggest your theological worldview. Here is a link to the quiz. Click the Comments link below and let me know how you score?
I was not surprised at my low Roman Catholic score. However, being raised in a Charismatic Pentecostal church, I was a little surprised that this was my second lowest score.
Here are my results:
 |
You scored as Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan, You are an evangelical in the Wesleyan tradition. You believe that God’s grace enables you to choose to believe in him, even though you yourself are totally depraved. The gift of the Holy Spirit gives you assurance of your salvation, and he also enables you to live the life of obedience to which God has called us. You are influenced heavly by John Wesley and the Methodists.
What’s your theological worldview? |
