Time for a Restart?

    Sometimes we start over on a project because we want to….unsatisfied with the way it is going. Other times we start over because we have to...like  when we forget to save a document and the computer freezes. Sometimes we should start over but don’t.
    Timanthes was an aspiring Greek artist in the Roman era. While studying under a well respected tutor, he was nearing completion of a major painting when upon arriving in the morning, he found the canvas blotted out with paint. Enraged, he confronted his teacher who admitted destroying his work. He said, “You were spending so much time admiring what you had done that you were no longer improving. This was a great painting for some, but not for you. You can do much better.”
    Timanthes went to work, energized with his anger. But his mentor was right. The new and improved product became one of the best known works of antiquity, “Sacrifice of Iphigenia.” Thanks to a little known art teacher who insisted that his student start over.
    This time of year, we think a lot about the past and the future. The networks carry programs reviewing highlights and low points of the previous year. People talk about resolutions and goals.
    But for some, this could be an opportunity for a restart.
    I’m not advocating quitting your job, marriage, ditching your kids, or nothing of the sort. But you can have a new marriage, new kids, new job, etc., by restarting yourself. Restart with the kind of husband/wife you are, relearn your parenting, rebrand your reputation at work…. The best restarts are taking fresh looks at ourselves and approaching our existing circumstances from a new perspective, renewed insight, reinvigorated energy, and maybe most importantly, a readjusted attitude.
    I’m not talking about turning over a new leaf. The trouble there is that the bottom side of the leaf is not better than the top. I’m talking about approaching every aspect of our lives from God’s perspective, doing things His way, looking for and listening to His counsel, and trusting Him enough to follow it. As Paul put it, “taking off the old and putting on the new” (Eph. 4:22-24).
    See yourself in a different way. If you have put on Christ, you are no longer an addict, you are a child of God. You are no longer a nagging wife, you are a representative of Jesus to your family. You are no longer the negative critic at work, you are a servant of the Lord.
    Maybe 2012 could be the year of change for you. Is it time for a restart?
    “Put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:22-24).

What Is Christmas Magic?

    We all have Christmas memories. Mine are probably as varied as yours. Lots of happy ones, and some lonely ones.
    One year while in college, I did not have a home to go back to. I stayed in one of the dorms my college made available for overseas students during Christmas break. While lots of friends invited me to join their families, I decided to work as many hours as I could and declined the invitations. One of the jobs I had was working as a night watchman for a factory located in a nearby small town. I put in for a twelve hour shift from Christmas Eve through Christmas morning to get the overtime pay, and not surprisingly, got it. I thought it might also help take my mind off of it, being Christmas and the fact that I was alone.
    That night, while making my hourly rounds, I had to walk an outdoor stretch where the plant bordered a neighborhood. I’ll never forget seeing through one of the house windows, a mom and dad making their way down the stairway loaded with gifts in their arms to sneak under the tree. I smiled, and remembered the excitement I felt as a child on Christmas morning. I thought about how when I was young, I’d be getting up soon (we were always awake before dawn on that morning!).
    Excitement was in the air, at least for a few hours between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. But I’m not sure it was a good excitement. The delight I felt was pretty self-centered. I was thinking about what Santa Claus was bringing me. I was eager to find out what I was getting, I wasn’t even all that interested in what my siblings were getting. It was all about me.
    I’m afraid that while the Christmas story is the greatest example of selfless love, it conjures what is often described as a magical feeling, but is based on a lot of selfishness. Maybe we adults have grown out of that and it is fun for us to give to our kids, and one another. But I’m afraid we tend to teach our children a faulty message regarding the joy of Christmas. How many of them are as excited about Jesus’ birth as they are about Santa Claus?
    I’m not trying to pick on Santa. If you want my opinion on this legend and whether or not we should pass it on to our kids check out my blog from November 29, 2009. I just want to encourage you to focus on Jesus. Find some creative things to involve your kids in serving others. Of course, give them gifts, but teach them to be happy for their siblings in what they receive, and through it all, to be a blessing to others. Also, to take the time to tell all of the wonderful stories of Christmas found in Matthew and Luke’s accounts. Let’s raise our kids to be more excited about giving then about getting, and especially the meaning of God’s precious gift, His Son Jesus!
    Isn’t that what Jesus taught? (Acts 20:35)

Seventy Years Ago Today

    Seventy years ago this morning, as I am writing this, the United States was thrust into world power status via a surprise attack that almost devastated her Navy. It was a horrible day. Thousands lost their lives. Many thousands more lost their loved ones. With untold millions of dollars worth of equipment, buildings, ships and airplanes destroyed, especially at the tail end of The Great Depression, the attacking nation had hoped the US military would be relegated to a minor threat to their expansion plans.
    Instead, America emerged as a world power.
    I know that there are crazy web sites out their propagandizing loony conspiracy theory claims that Roosevelt knew the attack was coming and kept it quiet in order to get us into the war. But the truth is, it was a complete and total surprise. Should we have known? Maybe. Were there indicators? Some. But let’s give these intelligence collectors some space. It’s not easy sifting through, filtering and categorizing reports in such a way that a pattern emerges clear enough to predict what an enemy might be doing. This was a surprise attack. It was somewhat successful. But in the end, it brought about Japan’s (and Germany’s) downfall. It energized America’s resolve for self-preservation and justice. The entire nation came together and soundly defeated evil attempts at world domination.
    Before Pearl Harbor, we were a militarily isolated and economically depressed nation. Four years later, we emerged as the strongest and  wealthiest nation on the planet, by far. For decades to come, the world looked to the United States for protection and economic leadership.
    Surprise attacks are inevitable. By saying that, you would think they would not be surprises. But they are. We know they are out there and that attacks will come, but we never know when, where or how. Since they always occur when we “least expect it”, you’d think during those times we expect it least, we would be on guard. But then, that wouldn’t be a time we would least expect it anymore.
    Surprise attacks against us spiritually are also inevitable. Peter warned us, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8 ESV). So while we do not know just when, where, and exactly how, we can be prepared. In 2 Corinthians 2:11, The Apostle Paul reminds the readers that we are aware of the schemes of the devil, and he warns them to therefore not be “outwitted” by him. In Ephesians 6, he tells us how we can be prepared, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11 ESV). He then went on to describe that armor, as being our assurance of salvation, knowing and using God’s Word, growing in faith, staying mindful of what is true and resisting lies, sharing the Gospel with others, and with it all, praying constantly. In doing so, surprise attacks will still come, but they need not blindside us. We know Satan is out there, and we can be more than adequately prepared for inevitable war, if we are walking with God!
    Just like the end result of Pearl Harbor, those attacks from Satan can ultimately lead to our greatest victories and strengthen us as the citizens of heaven. Maybe that’s why James said, “Consider it a great joy, my brothers, whenever you experience various [temptations]” (James 1:2 HCSB).