I  busily snapped away taking individual pictures of Brett’s drama team.  I heard my phone ring, but I ignored it until about ten minutes later when I finished taking the last picture.  I pulled out my phone and saw I had a message.  After punching in my password I heard a friend of mine ask me if I could meet her at the church while she climbed up a ladder to hang a garland for Christmas.  She preferred to have someone present if she fell!  I called her back and left her a message saying I could be right there.

Minutes later we walked into the freezing cold church to help hang the garland.  Picture if you will two, near fifty ladies, give or take a  few for the both of us, climbing a tall ladder leaned up against the wall and held in place by a pew.  Only problem was, after hanging the garland we decided it just didn’t look right and had to reverse the whole process.

Next on the list; climbing a narrow organ ladder to put lights on a wreath.  It was a tall wooden ladder less than a foot wide with a straight foot rather than slanted.  We carried it over to the wall with the wreath on it, leaned it against the wall, whispered a few silent prayers and she stepped on the first step.  The ladder slipped backwards.  Not a good start.  If she fell she would fall on top of the $4000 drum set.  I got behind the ladder and held on tight while she climbed up and attached the battery operated lights to the wreath.  Fortunately her descent went smoothly and we managed to leave the church without having to call 911.

Over the next month when the congregants enter the church they will behold a lovely Christmas display.   A manger scene sits on the platform with a wooden cross.  Flower arrangements, wreaths hung on the walls, and candles set in just the right places enhance the ambiance of the Christmas season of worship.

Most people won’t give a second thought to all the work that went into decorating the church.  But, I was there when the pastor’s wife took apart old dusty flower arrangements and rearranged them into an updated look by adding a few new items she had bought.  I wasn’t there when she carried everything from the downstairs storage to the upstairs.  But, I can assure you that it was a huge pile of stuff by the time I arrived to help with the flower arranging.  I also know how much work it was to hang the wreaths and garlands.

At the Christmas season do I ever stop to think how much work went into Jesus coming to this earth to save us from our sins?  Jesus lived in utopia.  He lived a perfect life and then He was born a baby in a cold dark cave where smelly animals lived.  His Father in heaven was ruler of the universe while His father on earth was a carpenter.  The angels in heaven lived to do anything He asked them to, while on earth His followers questioned who He was and his enemies plotted to kill Him.

How did Jesus do it all?  Why didn’t He just go home when the going got tough?  Jesus spent many hours in prayer with His Father in heaven to gain strength for His day.  He didn’t just give up and go home because He wanted you to live with Him in heaven.  He fought the good fight and won the race because He loves you.

Richard and Jane stepped off the airplane and walked into the Aspen, CO airport.  They shivered in the crisp winter air as they climbed into an idling taxi and said, “Hotel Jerome.”  They arrived at the hotel with just enough time to check-in and change into evening attire for dinner.  The meal began with an appetizer of Lobster Strudel moving on to a main course of Pan-seared Red Snapper for Richard and a Tofu enchilada for Jane who also included a Baby Iceburg Wedge side-salad.  Their stomachs too full for dessert they enjoyed the view for a few more minutes before taking the elevator back up to their room.

The exhaustion of the flight from New York city and the heavy meal they had just devoured lulled them into an early bedtime.  Richard awoke at 2am and clicked the off button on the remote while Jane slept.  When the sunlight peeked through the curtains they ordered room service for breakfast.  Jane showered and dressed in her Spyder gear while waiting on Richard to finish getting ready.  She nearly left the room without him, but he finally grunted he was ready when she asked him for the fifth time if he was ready to go.  He stepped into the room wearing his Bermuda shorts and flip flips carrying his snowboard bag.  Jane, completely annoyed now, shrilly said, “I thought you said you were ready to go!”  “I am,” replied Richard nonchalantly.  “But, it’s going to be a high of 12 degrees today.” Jane shot back. 

Richard headed for the door leaving Jane standing with her chin hanging slack and nearly immobilized by shock.  She managed to pick up her boarding gear before the door slammed in her face.  They stepped out of the warmth of the hotel lobby into the cold of winter.  Jane noticed Richard shiver, but he headed for a waiting taxi and she followed.  The taxi driver didn’t even raise an eyebrow. 

Richard and Jane slid into a chair lift, gliding easily to the top of the mountain.  Jane shoved off and began the trip down the recently ascended mountain.  Richard seemed to be having some troubles.  For starters his flip-flops weren’t working so well with the bindings on the snowboard.  Finally he managed to feel comfortable with his efforts and began the trip down the mountain.  His feet slid out of his makeshift arrangement and he tumbled head first through the snow narrowly avoiding other skiers and stopping just before he hit a tree.  The cold quickly stiffened up his muscles and walking through the snow back to his snowboard proved to be quite the expedition.  He couldn’t get his half-frozen feet into the bindings so he belly-flopped onto the snowboard and began the trip down the mountain again.  His trip down the mountain proved to be a comedy of errors.  He hit a total of four trees and nearly ran over a 92-year-old grandma celebrating her birthday with a trip down the mountain on a pair of antique skis.  Just when he thought he had safely made it to the bottom he ran into a man dressed in white.  Thunk.  The ice that had begun to form on Richards body cracked.  Richard noticed that despite hitting the man full force from coming down the mountain the run in didn’t seem to faze the mans stance in the least.  In fact he stood firmly in the same place without moving or falling down.  Richard looked up in a daze at the man.  Through blurred eyes he read the word “Truth” on the mans belt and saw the word “Righteousness” on the front of the mans jacket.  “Funny, ” Richard thought, he had never heard of those two brands of ski clothing before.  Before closing his eyes to stop the spinning he noticed the word “Peace” emblazoned on the strangers shoes.  Before passing out for a moment he realized he sure could use a little peace in his life after the crazy trip down the side of the mountain. 

This may seem like a pretty silly story, but I think it illustrates something that a lot of us unconsciously do; go into our day spiritually unprepared for the world we live in.  Paul, in the Bible, makes it pretty clear that our struggles-all of our struggles–are never really against anything flesh and blood or things that we can see, but there is always a spiritual force behind our trials and tribulations.  All of our battles are spiritual battles when it comes right down to the heart of it.  So the only way to be ready for spiritual battles is to prepare and arm ourselves spiritually. Paul, again in the Bible, uses the metaphors of battle gear: helmet of salvation, breastplate of righteousness, sword of truth etc.  Without taking time to equip ourselves spiritually everyday by spending time with God in His word, it’s like going into battle wearing a t-shirt, shorts and flip-flops armed with only a water gun.  And that’s just how the devil likes us to be.

A friend I met 25 years ago moved to a town about an hour away from where we live.  I’m a homebody and so is she so we haven’t gotten together often.  We worked on remedying that today.  Despite freezing temperatures and some snow we both drove over the hill and through the vale to Gettysburg, PA.  She and I chatted and caught up while Brett took pictures and Aspen played in the snow.  

Before leaving the house we dressed warm and put Aspen in her snowsuit.  Well, I dressed warm and so did Aspen, but Brett dressed like it was winter in Florida.  His feet spent the trip home unthawing.  Dressed in her snowsuit Aspen talked excitedly about going to Spaghettiesburg and playing in the snow.  Brett and I chuckled and Brett got out the video camera to catch her cuteness  for future reminiscing.

Brett and I knew we were going to Gettysburg and just smiled when Aspen said, “Spaghettiesburg.”   Aspen didn’t question getting in the car with us and going to our destination of Gettysburg.  She just got in, buckled up, and believed Daddy would drive the car to the right destination.  God has our destination in mind and I wonder if sometimes He chuckles at our childish innocence.  But, if we follow God like Aspen followed us we will end up at the right destination regardless of our mispronunciations.

I put the biscuits in the toaster oven so Brett could have biscuits and gravy with a couple of fried eggs for lunch.  For myself I put some broccoli on the back burner to add to my pumpkin soup.  The gravy warmed in another pan and I decided to wash a few dishes while everything baked and cooked away.  I turned to the sink with my back to the toaster oven and stove while I rinsed the dishes before putting them in the dishwasher.  The smell of smoke tickled my nose, I turned around and the first thing I saw was smoke!  In the next instant I realized that what I saw was steam from the kettle of broccoli and the fire I smelled was just a few toast crumbs on the bottom of the toaster oven.  I turned back to washing the dishes and realized what I would write about later today.  An interesting coincidence since I had just been thinking about the difference between living a life that’s on fire for God and one that isn’t.

Is my Christian life actually on fire for God or is it just steam?  At first glance steam looks like smoke from a fire, but it’s actually created by water that is capable of putting out a fire.  I’m sitting in front of a fire right now as I write this.  Brett has already added wood to the fire several times.  The new wood quickly catches the flame and burns into red-hot coals.  I become on fire for God by spending time in His presence.  If I’m not in the presence of His flame I will not be on fire for Him.  Wood will not burn unless it is in the presence of fire.  If I want to be on fire for God I need to be constantly in His presence.

I stood at the kitchen counter pushing carrots, a lime, some cilantro and a half a bunch of celery through my juicer.  Brett wandered into the kitchen, gave me a hug and a kiss and professed his undying love for me.  I offered Brett some celery juice since I love him and want him to stay healthy.  I knew he would refuse, but I like to tease him.  He laughed and replied, “No thanks, I’ll just grow into it sometime later.”

God loves me even more than I love Brett and He wants my spiritual life to stay healthy.  But, just like Brett, when God offers me something to improve my spiritual life that is difficult to swallow I often say, “No thanks, maybe some other time.”

December looms just a week away.  The heat of summer and the warmth of fall are fading into the past.  Several mornings over the last month frost has greeted Brett when he leaves for work.  I watched the weather forecast and covered my plants on the chilly nights.  But, a couple of days ago, the forecast predicted temperatures in the 20’s.  I decided the time had arrived to bring my plants inside if they were to survive the winter.  I took some plastic pots, scissors, and a small hand spade outside to prepare my plants to spend the winter indoors.  My plants still bloomed with a few flowers and I hated to cut them back.  But, I needed to cut them back to bring them indoors so I took my scissors and sheared them back to almost nothing. I picked up my little hand shovel and transplanted them into the plastic pots and brought them inside.  Next spring when the weather warms up I will plant them outdoors again and they can grow and bloom again.

Just like I covered my plants to protect them from the frost, God covers us with his love and protection.  But, just like I knew the temperatures would soon get too cold for my plants to survive the winter, God knows what our future holds.  He prepares us for the future by pruning away what we don’t need.  The pruning process requires us to grow in new ways and requires some real trust to believe that the pruning is for our best interest. But, since God knows what our future holds He also knows the best way to prepare us for it.  Without His care we are unable to survive the inevitable death that the freezing temperatures will bring. Even though God has pruned us with His pruning shears He brings us into the warmth of His care and will set us out to bloom with abandon when the time is right.  God’s undying love for us works for our eternal salvation.

Aspen excitedly climbed into her car seat to go to her best friends birthday party.  The drive was about 30 minutes from our house.  About half way to the party we saw frozen water falling from the sky.  Snow!   Brett disagreed however, according to him it was not snow.  No, it was confetti or manna, but certainly not snow, because if it was snow then it’s cold enough to snow and Brett is not ready to face the truth; winter is raging upon us.

I wonder how often I treat sin like Brett treated the snow.  Borrowing sounds so much better than stealing and being good friends with your best friends husband or wife sounds so much better than having an affair.  Telling a white lie so you don’t hurt someones feelings is acceptable right?  How about the times we put sleep, shopping, or a good novel and a TV show ahead of time we should have spent with God?  We just needed a little bit of me time, never mind that God says, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.”

When Brett said the snow was not snow, he didn’t believe it and neither did I.  Aspen especially didn’t believe it because she loves snow and thought daddy had really lost it not being able to recognize snow when he saw it.  Generally, when we try to convince ourselves of something that isn’t true, we don’t really believe it, we just turn our eyes and thoughts from the truth so we don’t have to deal with it.  For instance, the classic, “I don’t have a problem and I can stop (fill in the blank) whenever I want”,  The prevalent, “Everything is alright in my marriage/relationship”, or as already mentioned, “It’s just a little white lie it won’t hurt anyone.”  All lies are an attempt to avoid one thing: the truth.

Jesus had something very simple but profound to say about the truth:“Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32.

I know I’ve said this before in a previous blog but it’s worth saying again.  The “truth” here isn’t just the truth that Jesus is God’s Son or the truth of the gospel, it’s ALL truth.  Yes, ALL truth sets you free just as ALL lies lock you up in an emotional/spiritual prison.

You see, lies come to us and offer what seems to be an easy way out or around having to deal with the truth about ourselves, our lives or even God. It can be very hard to confront and walk through the truth about things.  Usually truth requires some kind of change or surrender on our part.  The longer we fight it or hide from it, the longer we keep ourselves locked up.  The only key to opening that prison door is the truth about whatever it is we are trying to avoid.

So here is our challenge, you and me; what are the lies we have told ourselves or let slip into our lives.  Lets look at our relationships, our connections with other people and our connection (or disconnection) with God.  And don’t forget the hardest one; our connection (or disconnection) to our own heart.  What lies are we believing about ourselves?  Jesus stands on the other side of those bars with the key of truth.  Take it, and whatever it is you have to walk through, remember something else Jesus said;

“I will never leave you or forsake you.”  The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deut. 31:8

So there you have it, you never have to face anything alone.  God will always give you just the right amount of strength to face your giants.  So take that key, unlock that door, arise, go forth and conquer.

This morning, despite Brett’s aversion to Black Friday, he noticed a sale advertised online for a Canon video camera.  This camera was now on sale for the low, low price of $300.  He decided to compare prices and read the reviews for the advertised camera.  He snorted when he saw that the regular price for the video camera was $250!  Nobody in their right mind, who has done a little investigation and armed with the truth, would fall for this…boy I’m sure glad we aren’t like this when it comes to our spiritual lives.

When the devil tempted Eve in the garden of Eden he did much the same thing.    He offered his wares for the low, low price of just eating the fruit.  In fact, he promised that she would actually come out ahead on the deal. She would know good from evil.  Eve reached for the fruit and ate it.  She did not look behind the scenes, if she had she would have realized that the fruit would cost her life and she would begin to die the moment she took a bite of the fruit.

In the mean time life was God’s gift to Eve.  He had given her a life free from evil.  The best part was God had given it to her for FREE!  And in that you have one of the biggest differences between what God offers and what Satan is selling; all gifts from God are free, every offering of sin costs you something.  In Revelation 3:18 God gives us some very good economic advice for our souls:

“I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.”

Gold (pure faith), white clothes (His righteousness) eye salve (spiritual wisdom via the Holy Spirit) are offered to us as gifts.  Usually, whatever Satan tries to sell us comes through as a trade for one of these things, which makes as much sense as buying a $250 camera on sale for $300.  Hopefully you and I are armed with the truth and would never trade away God’s rich gifts for Satan’s cheap fakes.

I don’t care what anyone says, the Christmas season does not start till after Thanksgiving.  There will be no holly, no ivy, no silver bells or Santa Clause, no wrapping or wreaths, and certainly no caroling in my home until after the sweet potatoes and  fri-chick are in the fridge and Thanksgiving Thursday has passed into Black Friday.

I don’t like saying, “Black Friday”, especially to signify the day that I deem (and many others outside of corporate American and the retail business believe it or not) to be the first day of the Christmas season.  Christmas, a time to be more about others and less about us, to remember the manger and the merciful gift of God’s love.   Leave it to us humans to take grace and turn it into greed, and gift of love into a lust for gifts.

Do you happen to know the history of Black Friday?  It’s not pretty, but it is pretty typical of the human heart.  The term seems to have originated around 1966 when the Philadelphia police dept. began using the term to refer to the Friday after Thanksgiving.  In those days there were no really spectacular sales, just a bunch of people who were overstuffed with cranberry and stuffing and an extra day off with nothing to do.  So, they headed out in droves to the most logical place to ward off the extra weight worries: the mall…or in 1966 main street, the equivalent of today’s mall.  This created havoc both in traffic and in crowd control, not to mention the testy tempers of the in-temperate still digesting yesterdays dishes.  So, with all the havoc of the day the good men in blue began referring to this 24 hour period as “Black Friday” to symbolize their feelings.

In today’s world the most dangerous places to be on Black Friday seem to be in the Wal-mart consumer electronics departments. On Black Friday 2011, a woman pepper-sprayed a crowd at a Wal-mart in Los Angeles. She was trying to get a Wii for 60% off. The year before, crowds at a Sacramento Wal-Mart forced the store to evacuate when they started pushing and shoving to get deals on consumer electronics at 5:30 am.. On Black Friday 2009, another California Wal-Mart, this time in Rancho Cucamonga, needed police protection from unruly crowds — again, in the early-morning hours in the consumer electronics department. The store was briefly close a few hours after another store in nearby Upland was closed.The worst Black Friday occurred in 2008, when a man was trampled to death. Despite being 6’5″ and 270 pounds, temporary worker Jdimytai Damour died of asphyxiation when crowds stampeded into another Wal-Mart (this time in New York). At least 2,000 people broke down the doors, trapping Damour in a vestibule where he suffocated. Eleven other people were also injured, including a pregnant woman.

I look at these stories and compare the pictures I’ve seen of them with the scene the season is supposed to be about; a manger.  There are no large crowds making a mad dash to this scene.  No zealots camping out waiting for the gift to arrive and the doors of mercy to open.  No, in that day people were more interested in their own satisfaction than stars and the food on their table rather than the gift in the stable.  And it’s still true today.  All I need do is watch the crowds and see the feverish fervor a cheap 40-inch flat screen creates.

Now before I’m too hard on the crowd I need to remember something: I am one of them.  Greed is not indigenous to Black Friday shoppers only.  It is a trait firmly planted in every person of this world.  Though I may not be one of the mad dashers for discounts on this dark day, there are other things Satan knows will bring out the selfishness in me.  He knows just what to dangle in front of us–a 40 inch flat screen or a  few fleeting moments of lust, and we bargain away our peace for his plastic.  Satan’s store is always open, and everyday is Black Friday.

So, whenever your confronted with Satan’s super sales for your soul, remember the manger, and the love of a God that is so passionate for you He gave you the biggest and best gift He could ever imagine; His son.

Yesterday Aspen paraded us through Lowes while blasting music from the snowglobe on steroids while dancing through the store.  Today while out shopping Aspen encouraged me to sing “Jingle Bells” on the way into a store.  I joined her in the parking lot, but stopped before entering the front doors of the store since I didn’t think too many people in the store would appreciate my singing skills, or lack thereof.  Aspen, on the other hand, operated on the assumption that everyone was absolutely thrilled to hear her virtuoso performance of “Jingle Bells”.

I think most of us tend to base our actions on the people around us.  We also make assumptions of what people around us might like, dislike or deem appropriate or awkward.  For example I was fine with singing in the parking lot where hopefully most everyone was out of earshot, but I wasn’t about to embarrass myself inside the store singing Jingle Bells–surely that would–at best annoy others or at worst humiliate myself.

However, the thought has been with me throughout the day that if God was the only person in the room, how would we respond to the various situations we are in?  Then, going a step further, how would our assumptions and actions change if we really believed God was physically with us wherever we went?  Would His presence make us more reserved or more bold?  Personally, I have found that when I truly accept in my heart that God is with me, that belief helps me see the world a little more like my six-year old daughter and gives me the freedom to sing.

Brett volunteered to help make cafe tables for the church so off to Lowe’s we went.  Since shopping for pieces of wood and metal doesn’t enthrall me I took Aspen to look at house plants.  The house plant section of the store had been transformed into a Christmas extravaganza.  Aspen excitedly perused the Christmas displays and picked up a musical snow globe.  Usually snow globes just barely tinkle out a song, but this was a snow globe on steroids and Aspen was in seventh heaven as she repeatedly pushed the button and listened to the music blare forth.  I was under strict orders to carry the snow globe and push the “on’ button every time it stopped playing music.  While the music played she danced through the store.  We made a couple of trips around the store and I didn’t see a single other person having as much fun as Aspen.

Aspen loves to dance and takes every opportunity to do so, whether at home or in a store like Lowe’s.  She doesn’t let something as small as where she is at or circumstances stop her from doing what her heart calls her to do.  Is my heart so close to God, so in tune to His, that no matter where I’m at or what I’m doing I do what He is calling me to do?  If I consciously practice living in the presence of God I will do everything from washing the dishes to driving in rush hour traffic with the love of God in my attitude and actions.