Loaves, and fishes, and shoeboxes

Once a little boy handed Jesus his lunch and offered it to feed a crowd of hungry people.  One little boy's lunch passed through the hands of Christ, fed thousands. 

I turn on the news and see the devastated, I flip through the paper and see the hungry, and drive through town and see the hurting.  Through the lens of my adult eyes, I see the needs, I feel hopeless.  I turn on the news, I feel powerless.  I read the paper, I want to give up. 


But then my little girl gave up her birthday party gifts.  She said she had enough.  She invited her friends to help her fill shoeboxes instead.  She let the birthday gifts intended for one little girl, pass through the hands of Christ, and He multiplied them into Christmas gifts for twelve little girls. 

And through this beautiful child of mine, I see that Jesus still multiples fish, and loaves, and shoeboxes too... if only we're willing to offer them. 

We need a little Thanksgiving right about now

It's time to take down the ghosts and spiderwebs.  With the mall already decked in evergreen, the pull is strong to go ahead and decorate for Christmas.  I'm here to say, "Hold the tinsel sisters!"  Now this isn't a plea to stop the insanity of Christmas starting in September, this is a plea on behalf of your weary soul.

Maybe, like me, you are entering the end of this year looking back thinking, "Whoa, did all that really happen?"  This year, Facebook feeds and headline news merged more than ever before.  I used to check Facebook for dorky suburban updates, this year I checked it to read the status of friends and their children being shot, dying, houses burning down, diseases out of horror movies, and divorces worthy of Lifetime movies.  My soul is weary.  Is yours?

Last November, a friend of mine, who had had a terrible year, put her Christmas tree up the first week  of November.  She said she just needed something happy to happen in her house.  She needed to sit by the twinkling lights of the tree and try to feel okay.  I get it.  I really do.  Hallmark and Martha Stewart have sold us a story that happiness is available if we just put up the decorations, buy the gifts, and bake the cookies.  If that is true, why not put up the decorations early?  Why not try to find a few extra weeks of peace?  We need it, right?

Well, we do need peace and happiness, but deep down we all know their story is a lie.  Only the Prince of Peace, the King of Kings is going to flood your home and heart with the joy and peace you're looking for.  You say, "That's why I want to decorate for Christmas early - to celebrate Jesus, to welcome the Prince of Peace."

Sorry. Nope. Again, let's be honest.  Scripture doesn't tell us to enter his presence through an evergreen decked door.  How does Scripture tell us we should approach and draw near to Him?

"Enter His gates with Thanksgiving,

and His court with Praise." (Ps 100:4)

We don't need to get tinsel, we need to give thanks.  We need Thanksgiving.  It's through giving thanks to God for our many blessings that Scripture promises us that we will draw near to Him.  It's the true way to the Prince of Peace, regardless of how Hallmark has told us to get there.

So hold the tinsel my friends, and let us enter into a 22 day feast of praise and thanksgiving.  Let us savor each of the next three weeks to count blessing upon blessing, even amidst chaos, and sadness and death (because that too He has conquered).

Instead of covering your house with tinsel 22 days early, cover it in gratitude.  Hang poster board on the walls and let your kids list their blessings. Write the names of every friend, co-worker, church member, neighbor, service provider, teacher, and family member on pretty paper and plaster your kitchen with it.  Make a Thanksgiving Tree (and make it big).  Play contemporary praise music and old fashion gospel.  Read One Thousand Gifts and start making your list.  Take out some lipsticks and write on every bathroom mirror.

For God so loved the world He gave his one and only Son.  (John 3:16)

or

Great is the Lord and most worthy of Praise (Ps 48:1)

or

Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy (Ps 47: 1) 

or

Behold, I am coming soon! (Rev 22: 7)

Friends, will you join me in coating this month in thanksgiving and praise?  When we take the time to count our many blessings, our burdens become lighter and our joy becomes greater, after a season of thanks, I know we'll find that when it's time to hang the tinsel, a true season of joy will be waiting for each of us.
 (Orginally posted 11-2012)

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Raleigh area readers - I would like to invite you to a parent workshop "Putting Christ in Your Thanksgiving and Christmas Celebrations,"  on Wed, Nov 13th at Bay Leaf Baptist Church  at 6:30.  The class is free and childcare is available.  Email me for more info at wschulz@bayleaf.org.  I hope to see you there! 



How low is your bar?

A few weeks ago my friend Parker posted the below video of her 2 1/2 year old son on Facebook.  I was blown away.  A 2 1/2 year old reciting the 23rd Psalm!  Really?  Take a moment to watch it.

When I first saw it, I watched it three times in a row.  At first I was just thinking, "he's so cute!"  Then I watched it again and thought, "he is so smart!"  The third time I watched it I realized why I had quickly become obsessed with this video, the bar I have for my children learning scripture is SO low!  If you are amazed by this video perhaps you can relate to that thought.  What goals do you have for your children learning the Word of God?  How low is your bar?

Do you have a goal for your children learning scripture for this month?  A goal for this year?  Any goals at all?  Most of us do not have any.

When it comes to setting the bar for our children's education, we set it high.  We want our children to succeed in school, do well, go to college ... be brilliant!

When it comes to sports, music, and other extra curricular activities, we set the bar high for our children.  We want our children to make the best regional sport teams.  We want them to progress swiftly in their music skills.  We want them to be rock stars!

Why then do we set the bar so low when in comes to learning scripture?  For most of us we don't intentionally set the bar low, we just forget to set the bar at all.

So I asked Parker how her family is learning scripture.  The above video is of baby #4.  She didn't originally set out to help him memorize the 23rd Psalm, she just read it to him every night as part of his bedtime routine - now he knows it! For herself and her two oldest daughters (10 and 8), the three of them are memorizing the book of James.  Each day they add a line. She has set the goal at memorizing the entire book!

When Parker told me about her plan for herself and her girls, I knew it was time for Pete and I to raise the bar in our house.  While we had been doing daily devotions with our girls at breakfast, I knew that we were setting the bar very low and just going through the motions. Last week we kicked off our Memorize James Project.  The girls are amazing and are much more excited to take part in our morning devotion - probably because Pete and I are terrible at memorizing anything and they are killing us!  But the point is we have set the bar, and we have set it high.  If your family's devotion time is growing bland, or is not regularly happening, I want to invite you to join Parker's family and our family in memorizing the entire book this school year.  Let me know if you accept the challenge, let's encourage one another along the way!