Following The Son

”If you decide on Saturday night or Sunday morning whether you are going to church or not than church is something you attend instead of a family you're a part of.” That's never what church was supposed to be. Church is something we attend. Church is a group of believers each using their unique gifts to build up one another. We all need each other. I just came in from walking my dog. It's cold, lightly snowing and it's Saturday. That's a bad combination for the local church. A couple thoughts: 1. Mom and Dad. These are the times when you teach your children to prioritize church. If tomorrow was a school or work day you would plan to be out the door extra early. When you choose to skip church you teach your children that it's not as important. "Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it." Proverbs 22:6 2. Your local church needs you. They need your service, and they need...

" The king asked, “Is there no one still alive from the house of Saul to whom I can show God’s kindness?” Ziba answered the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is lame in both feet.” II Samuel 9:3 In the days when David became king of Israel it wasn't uncommon for a new king to have everyone from the previous king's family executed. This was done to insure there was no one remaining with a claim to the throne. When Saul and his sons Jonathan and Ishbosheth had both been killed, and David was made king this was everyone's fear. So a nurse took Mephibosheth, Jonathan's son, and fled. In her escape she dropped the boy and he became lame in his feet. He would walk with a limp for the rest of his life. Years later we find the conversation from above. Jonathan had been David's friend, and now David is wondering if there is a way he can honor him. Mephibosheth had lived his entire life in hiding up to this point. Imagine his fear when a chariot pu...

The ending of one year and beginning of another is always a time of reflection. We're compelled to look back on the events of the previous year, and look ahead to where we're going. As you do let me offer some quick advice. 1. Thank God for grace.  You can't relive 2017 just like you can't relive any year. There will always be ways we fall short, or goals we didn't meet. We will always be able to recall things we wish we hadn't said, or had done differently. We sat at a dinner table this week for Christmas with my stepmother and other family. She and my Dad were married for close to 27 years and this was our first Christmas without him. As she recalled the last year of Dad's life she began to say things she feels she could have done differently. Reality is that she was a great wife to my Dad through many years and as he battled illness at the end. We assured her of this. We all have such thoughts, but none of us can go back. The grace of God is su...

It's 5:30 am. It's very cold. My coffee is hot. I tend to rise pretty early. Haven't needed to set an alarm for quite some time now. Mr. Fox, my Wire Fox Terrier, and I take turns waking each other up. Today when I brought the leash to him he only partially glanced up at me, as if to say, "it's too early." He was soon on his feet though, and we headed outside for a stroll on a 14 degree morning. The sky in the early morning hours before the sun rises is spectacular where I grew up. I left Cumberland, VA many years ago, and NY has been home for 23 years. It's never dark in the city. It's darker, but not dark. We see stars, but so many are hidden by the lights all around us. Whenever I'm back home I love to go out early and gaze at the stars. There are thousands upon thousands of them. An occasional meteor will streak by, and this morning I was fortunate enough to see one. Somehow I never seemed to notice the stars in my youth. I'm su...

Everything about Christmas is a bit extra special. Special church services and family gatherings are wonderful, and create lasting memories. It doesn't take long for life to return to a normal routine though. We head back to work, the kids will soon return to school, the decorations come down, and life gets back to its' everyday grind. That would have happened to Joseph and Mary as well. Joseph would have to go back to work, Mary had a newborn that was going to require constant attention, the shepherds returned to the fields, wise men headed back east, and life moved on. It's what has to happen. I found an awesome quote about this from Dr. Rutland. "Mary discovered life goes on after the angels leave. Thrilling supernatural moments of splendor punctuate our lives but life, REAL LIFE, must be lived with patient faith once the angels depart." -Dr Mark Rutland The Christian life isn't lived on top of a mountain. The routine of life has ups and do...

What's the day after Christmas like for you? Many will return to work today. Productivity probably won't be at its' best as a tired work force heads back in following the long weekend. Others will still be home as children play with their new toys, and leftovers are consumed. Some will race to the mall eager to find after Christmas sales, and to use those gift cards they received yesterday. Traditionally this was Boxing Day in England and some other countries. Household servants and other tradespeople who probably worked on Christmas Day were given the day off and a box that may have contained money, a gift, and even the leftovers from the previous day to take home for their own celebrations. Many countries still take today off as the "second day of Christmas." I wonder what things were like on the first day after Christmas. For Joseph and Mary it must have been a day of adjusting to life with a new baby. We're not told of any additional visitors, but...

Presence is powerful.  I'm with family in Virginia this Christmas morning. I've called NY home for the past 23 years. From NY I make phone calls to my family throughout the year. I send a lot of text messages. Sometimes I email something, or send a Facebook message (No random forwards though. If you forward things that say, "send this to 10 people," I talk bad about you behind your back). I even mail a card from time to time. We interact through social media, and even FaceTime across the miles. None of those things compare to being with someone. Presence is powerful. I have a 4 year old cousin named Benjamin who has Down syndrome. He's the cutest, happiest little fellow around. I'm an early riser, and when I'm visiting his home he generally gets up with me. We hung out for a while this morning laughing at just about everything. I see his pictures throughout the year online. I see little videos of him his Dad and older sisters post. But for ...

If you've seen the classic film, "A Christmas Story," then you know well about Ralphie's desire to receive an official Red Rider BB Gun for Christmas. Without that one gift Christmas was going to be a disappointment for him. A lot of the Christmas celebration revolves around gift giving. Sadly, this has led to the commercialization of the day. Yet, there's clearly nothing wrong with giving gifts. The day itself is about remembering the greatest gift ever given. God is a giver, and the Scriptures teach us to freely give as well. Many families will open gifts today on Christmas Eve. If not, they already have or will tomorrow. We are traveling this weekend so our family got together this past week in NY to celebrate. My 3 year old nephew Cruz opened some little toy trucks we gave him, and exclaimed, "I really love it!" It was a memorable moment. I hope you get something you can say that about as well. Remember something in the midst of all the unwra...

There's something special about the days before Christmas. Everything about them seems a bit extra special. I realize we don't really know what day Jesus was born, but I still wonder what things were like a few days ahead of time. I can't imagine there was anything special about them. But I wonder. I wonder ; I wonder if Joseph and Mary had reached Bethlehem yet? Were they already sleeping where animals sleep? Had the contractions started? Did Joseph shout, "somebody get me a towel and some hot water?" I wonder ; I wonder when the Wise Men first saw the star? Did they begin their journey before he was even born? They told Herod they had seen the star for about 2 years. Was the star there before Mary was even pregnant? I wonder ; I wonder if any of the shepherds said something like, "I'm bored," through the course of the evening? I wonder if they brought the sheep with them into town looking for the baby? I wonder what the foll...

The Bible teaches that God never sleeps nor slumbers. It's a reassuring truth to know that God is always on the job. Sometimes we may feel like he's not doing anything though. That happened to Martha. Her brother, Lazarus, had been very ill so she and her sister Mary sent for Jesus. It was 4 days before Jesus arrived, and by then Lazarus had already died. When Jesus did finally arrive Martha ran out to meet  him and we find her words to him here; " 'Lord,' Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died." John 11:21 She's really asking, "How come you didn't do anything?" We know the story, and know that Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. We know that God is always at work, but his ways are not our ways, and his timing is most certainly not our timing. Yet, the thought of God not doing anything is a thought that I always have at Christmastime. It comes at Easter as well when we celebrate the ...

Like many of you my parents split up when I was young. Parents split up for a host of reasons, and this blog isn't about why they do, or even how to prevent it. Many of you reading this are already no longer in a relationship with the other parent of your children. Perhaps you never married, or had to endure the pain of divorce. Whatever happened you can't go backwards, and now you share children. And Christmas is a few days away. Holidays can be challenging when you share custody of your children. Often the parent who handles homework, sickness, and dinner time misses out on a day like Christmas. On a different note sometimes tension between Mom & Dad can lead to one parent as a no show. I've never experienced divorce, and won't pretend to know what it's like. Navigating the holidays with joint custody can't be easy, and my heart goes out to you if this is what you're facing. My perspective comes from the child in the relationship, and I jus...

"Over the river, and through the woods, To grandmother's house we go." Loading up the car with luggage and gifts and hitting the road was always as much a part of Christmas as trees, cantatas, and carols for our family. I grew up in VA, and we would always load the boys up for the long road trip to see my parents and grandparents. My wife grew up in Puerto Rico, and English is her second language. She learned English in New York. If you've ever learned a second language you know you initially learn it with a particular accent, and other accents can be difficult (if not impossible) to understand. Visits to my grandparents would get comical in the early days. My grandmother couldn't understand my wife, and my wife couldn't understand my grandmother. This put me in the role of "translator" in a room where everyone was speaking English. Sarai would speak, and I would tell my grandmother what she said. My grandmother would respond, and I wo...

"Go, ahead. Open it." There are times when this line is not merely acceptable, but it's exciting. The person who is giving you the gift knows you well.  Then there are other times. Times you would rather wait and open the gift alone. This was one of those times. I unwrapped the gift to discover a shirt. A white, button up, dress shirt. It was a nice shirt. I can always use a white shirt. "Do you like it?" I liked the thought. It was a nice gesture. But, there was a problem. Neck: 15 Sleeve: 32 I've worn a 15x32 shirt before. I think I was 11. I'm a 17x36/37. You'll want to make note of that in case you get me a shirt this year. Something would be done with the gift that is done with countless gifts each year. It would need to be exchanged. Everyone's excited on Christmas morning, and the day is less than a week away. Head to the mall on the day after Christmas though, and you'll discover folks aren't hang...

The phone call came from Egypt.  My niece and her husband were returning to the states and needed to be picked up from the airport. I was in Puerto Rico at the time, and my vehicle was much too small to pick up their family of four. On an international call with a poor connection it was explained to my wife where the keys to their SUV would be located in their home. She managed to catch something about the dresser. That's the information I was given. "The keys will be near the dresser." When I arrived at their home I went upstairs to a bedroom I had never entered in my life to locate the keys. Several minutes later I was headed to the airport. The keys weren't exactly near the dresser. They were in it. I found them in a  drawer. The information I had been given was enough. I  knew where to look. One night some shepherds were keeping watch over their flocks by night when an angel arrived. His arrival frightened them initially, but he told them not to f...