Two nights ago, my daughter Amy responded to a rather impassioned plea from a very dear friend of hers.
As the story goes, her grandmother is very ill and home bound; likely facing her last Christmas unless something changes. When Amy inquired, it appeared that something the grandmother would really love was to hear her favorite Christmas carols being sung "live" rather than over the radio. Amy tried lots of ways to get some "talented" people to take an hour to fulfill this Christmas request but came up short. She went about simply asking some of her dear friends and family members if they would be willing to give half an hour to make somebodys Christmas.
We showed up at the door of the home where this elderly woman and her family were eagerly awaiting us. The rag tag bunch of singers who gathered had never once been together as a group, had no rehearsal and none of the experience that one associates with such adventures.
However, none of that seemed to matter as we entered the grandmother's room, joined by the family, and simply began to sing the familiar and beautiful carols of Christmas. It wasn't long before some tears were freely flowing, smiles were everywhere punctuated by some laughter and even some applause of sincere appreciation.
The whole experience lasted only 20 minutes or so but the memory will be in the forefront of my mind throughout the Christmas season. It's really what time usually pushes out of our lives: that is the personal expression of unconditional love that is at the heart of Christmas.
And so my night of our caroling experience will not go down as the best "performance" of my life but it may well be remembered as one of the most pure gifts that I've been privileged to give in a long time.
Blessings!
Dr. Jay
Friday, December 23, 2011
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Hunger for Truth
In last weekend's message, I made an offer of Tim Keller's excellent book called "The Reason for God" to any of our members who would be sincerely interested in reading it and having a brief discussion about what they read in subsequent weeks.
To my amazement, the response to this request has been pretty overwhelming. It seems that lots and lots of people are very interested in having some of their tough questions addressed by a thoughtful Christian writer, but even more than that they're willing to have some of their conclusions brought up in a conversation with a person they see as a spiritual mentor or pastor.
This is encouraging indeed! It reveals to me that there's a profound desire on the part of sincere seekers and even committed followers to understand some of life's more difficult questions. Perhaps we've just not previously given them an outlet to make such a connection.
For that many people (and the number's well over a hundred households) to be willing to give up their time to read the book and have a conversation tells me that there are probably double or triple that number of folks who would like to know but perhaps don't feel quite ready to make a commitment.
It's occurred to me all along that we often tend to brush these things under the table because we don't know where to turn to get answers for things like "How can Christians make such an exclusive claim?" or "Why does God allow suffering?" or "How can I know the Bible is reliable?" etc., etc.
I'm looking forward to the challenge of engaging as many people as possible in future discussions and will keep you posted in this space as to what some of my findings might reveal.
Blessings,
Dr. Jay
To my amazement, the response to this request has been pretty overwhelming. It seems that lots and lots of people are very interested in having some of their tough questions addressed by a thoughtful Christian writer, but even more than that they're willing to have some of their conclusions brought up in a conversation with a person they see as a spiritual mentor or pastor.
This is encouraging indeed! It reveals to me that there's a profound desire on the part of sincere seekers and even committed followers to understand some of life's more difficult questions. Perhaps we've just not previously given them an outlet to make such a connection.
For that many people (and the number's well over a hundred households) to be willing to give up their time to read the book and have a conversation tells me that there are probably double or triple that number of folks who would like to know but perhaps don't feel quite ready to make a commitment.
It's occurred to me all along that we often tend to brush these things under the table because we don't know where to turn to get answers for things like "How can Christians make such an exclusive claim?" or "Why does God allow suffering?" or "How can I know the Bible is reliable?" etc., etc.
I'm looking forward to the challenge of engaging as many people as possible in future discussions and will keep you posted in this space as to what some of my findings might reveal.
Blessings,
Dr. Jay
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Season of Tears
Two days ago, I heard a reporter on one of cable news channels commenting
on how "difficult" this season is for so many people who have suffered loss or even
disappointment in the previous year.
That's not a real news flash, but it can get lost when most of the people in your
immediate circle have been spared setback or hurt in the past year. Candidly, it can
go back much farther than that to those who have major loss of any kind.
Because Christmas is all about those incredible moments of love and connection;
if those have been taken from you for any reason, you may feel like Christmas has
lost some of it's 'glitter' in your life. In fact you may even find yourself staying away from concerts, malls, and even Church services because they all remind you of what you have lost, rather than what you have.
I know this is in stark contrast to my post yesterday about 'laughter'; but the truth is that both exist and are somehow heightened in this season. I suppose our
mission is to seek to be more aware than usual of those around us and their needs because that will most assuredly secure the fact that someone else will offer care to us..
Jesus came to an oppressed people. A culture that had lost everything to the power of their Roman masters. And yet, they called the Christmas revelation,
"good news of great joy" that will be for all the people.
Let's be extra careful to spread that joy to those who may need it the most..
Jay
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Loving Laughter!
It may have something to do with the idea of "joy" in the Christmas season or perhaps a little something less profound than that.
For whatever reason, I found myself in the midst of situations where there's been a great deal of laughter as of late. The staff Christmas party for our team here at North Way provided a serious amount of laughter thanks to some incredibly creative and absolutely crazy "white elephant" gifts that we gave to each other. Though of little monetary value, each gift had some sort of unique "twist" to it that brought out laughter from the recipient or those who would compete by trading their gift for it.
A similar experience was happening concurrently as the Senior adults met in our Atrium and also experienced a rather raucous round of "passing gifts" and laughing all the way!
It's a by-product, to be sure, but is none-the-less a restorative action for the soul. The ability to step out of responsibilities and demanding circumstances for just a while and to literally laugh along with others is one of life's great gifts that often gets lost in the heat of competition or many of the other things that press in on our daily lives.
Joy is much deeper than laughter. However, joy without laughter can leave us with an overly pessimistic view of the realities of life.
Why not create some moments when you can engage your family and/or close friends in "serious laughter" and enjoy the refreshing that comes by not taking yourself or the things around you too seriously!
Christmas blessings,
Dr. Jay
For whatever reason, I found myself in the midst of situations where there's been a great deal of laughter as of late. The staff Christmas party for our team here at North Way provided a serious amount of laughter thanks to some incredibly creative and absolutely crazy "white elephant" gifts that we gave to each other. Though of little monetary value, each gift had some sort of unique "twist" to it that brought out laughter from the recipient or those who would compete by trading their gift for it.
A similar experience was happening concurrently as the Senior adults met in our Atrium and also experienced a rather raucous round of "passing gifts" and laughing all the way!
It's a by-product, to be sure, but is none-the-less a restorative action for the soul. The ability to step out of responsibilities and demanding circumstances for just a while and to literally laugh along with others is one of life's great gifts that often gets lost in the heat of competition or many of the other things that press in on our daily lives.
Joy is much deeper than laughter. However, joy without laughter can leave us with an overly pessimistic view of the realities of life.
Why not create some moments when you can engage your family and/or close friends in "serious laughter" and enjoy the refreshing that comes by not taking yourself or the things around you too seriously!
Christmas blessings,
Dr. Jay
Monday, December 12, 2011
Doubt at Christmas
Driving home from the office this evening, I passed scores of homes with an astonishing array of beautiful Christmas lights. Even my own little neighborhood of
about thirty homes was exuded color and life; not seen throughout most of the year.
It's fair to say that those whose homes are "decorated for Christmas" most likely have a faith that leads them to make the investment; or perhaps a family tradition of faith.
But experience tells me that many "doubters" live in those homes. In fact, all of us might be honest and say that we are tormented from time to time with our doubts. No one escapes the questions entirely.
The "first responders" to the birth announcement, the shepherds of Bethlehem were likely "Christmas doubters" as well. They were never included in kingly welcoming parties. Theirs was a difficult and poor existence. The summons to the manger was not a place they "believed in" at first.
The key, however, is that "did as they angel said" and went to Jesus. They took action over their doubts. Not long afterwards, they became 'evangelists' of this good news to others! (Luke 2:17).
We all may have some doubts in our lives this Christmas. Relational strife, financial or career issues, health, depression, stress; are all commonly experienced especially in this season. The only question that remains is what will you do with your doubts. Believe them, or, like the shepherds; take action on what the Lord shows you to do. Give yourself the gift of faith this year!
Friday, December 9, 2011
What If?
Last evening in our excellent Christmas presentation, "I Believe," a short video clip posed some very thoughtful questions under the heading of "What If?"
The essence of the video was to cause the viewer to ponder the possibility that everything we have thrown ourselves into around the Christmas season from shopping, baking and gift giving to traveling, partying and all the rest never really mattered because we've given no time to the real source of the Christmas story, the gift of Jesus the Son of God.
For whatever reason, it seemed that that particular moment connected with the congregation in a powerful way. I know it did for me.
It's so easy to be judgemental of people who are "materialistic" but that really misses the point. The real issue is whether or not people embrace in their heart and mind the reality that the greatest imaginable gift came in the person of Jesus, who redeems us from our sins and gives us power to live this life in a way that far exceeds any other possibility we could imagine.
And so ask yourself this question: What if I spent a little more time focusing on the reality of Christmas rather than the things that normally get all my attention? How would things be different and how might you be transformed this Christmas season? What if...?
Blessings,
Dr. Jay
The essence of the video was to cause the viewer to ponder the possibility that everything we have thrown ourselves into around the Christmas season from shopping, baking and gift giving to traveling, partying and all the rest never really mattered because we've given no time to the real source of the Christmas story, the gift of Jesus the Son of God.
For whatever reason, it seemed that that particular moment connected with the congregation in a powerful way. I know it did for me.
It's so easy to be judgemental of people who are "materialistic" but that really misses the point. The real issue is whether or not people embrace in their heart and mind the reality that the greatest imaginable gift came in the person of Jesus, who redeems us from our sins and gives us power to live this life in a way that far exceeds any other possibility we could imagine.
And so ask yourself this question: What if I spent a little more time focusing on the reality of Christmas rather than the things that normally get all my attention? How would things be different and how might you be transformed this Christmas season? What if...?
Blessings,
Dr. Jay
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Embracing Christmas
One of the things that I resolved to do many years ago was to not react to the "extremes" that are so often points of struggle for sincere believers during the Christmas season.
On the one hand you have those folks who fall into the trap of becoming totally materialistic and pretty much push the reality of Jesus' birth and redemptive mission out of the Christmas story. They are the ones who fall into the "gift trap" and become the scrooges of the Christmas season!
On the other hand you have those that completely alienate their family and friends by overspiritualizing Christmas and rejecting the idea that unless a song mentions the name of the baby Jesus it doesn't really matter at Christmas time!
In my perspective, every song that communicates joy love and peace at Christmas time has been born from our heavenly Father's heart ("every good and perfect gift comes from above") and therefore we can enjoy those seemingly secular but very meaningful expressions of Christmas love.
On the other hand, nothing stirs my heart more than to focus on the incredible depth of the plan of God to send His Son to us as a baby, not a "knight in shining armor" to redeem mankind from our battle with sin.
And so Christmas is truly a "win win proposition" for anyone who's willing to choose a posture of balance in this beautiful and all too brief season that we call Christmas.
Blessings,
Dr. Jay
On the one hand you have those folks who fall into the trap of becoming totally materialistic and pretty much push the reality of Jesus' birth and redemptive mission out of the Christmas story. They are the ones who fall into the "gift trap" and become the scrooges of the Christmas season!
On the other hand you have those that completely alienate their family and friends by overspiritualizing Christmas and rejecting the idea that unless a song mentions the name of the baby Jesus it doesn't really matter at Christmas time!
In my perspective, every song that communicates joy love and peace at Christmas time has been born from our heavenly Father's heart ("every good and perfect gift comes from above") and therefore we can enjoy those seemingly secular but very meaningful expressions of Christmas love.
On the other hand, nothing stirs my heart more than to focus on the incredible depth of the plan of God to send His Son to us as a baby, not a "knight in shining armor" to redeem mankind from our battle with sin.
And so Christmas is truly a "win win proposition" for anyone who's willing to choose a posture of balance in this beautiful and all too brief season that we call Christmas.
Blessings,
Dr. Jay
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
The Value of Shared Experience
Today, I met with a group of about 15 pastors from around the North Hills area. The topic of our conversation for the meeting was to be "empowering members as servants" and I was supposed to be the person that was bringing the content for the day.
Instead, I chose to take a risk and in a very specific way asked each person to be willing to offer some of their own experiences as pastors and leaders who have sought to raise up volunteers and servants in their own ministries.
The result was a very energized and insightful exchange that literally caused the 90 minute time slot to race by.
I find this to be true in most every venue in which I participate. When people are asked to be involved, to add their input, to share their perspective, the corporate wisdom is much more valuable and insightful than one person's own individual perspective. Not only do folks stay engaged, they tend to add dimensions of insight that others had not even thought of because of their unique perspective and experiences.
I'm not sure what it takes for us to be set free from having to have "all the answers," however the longer I'm privileged to be in ministry, the more I realize that I don't have those answers so the easier it becomes to engage others.
Hopefully you might find the same principle works well for you.
Blessings,
Dr. Jay
Instead, I chose to take a risk and in a very specific way asked each person to be willing to offer some of their own experiences as pastors and leaders who have sought to raise up volunteers and servants in their own ministries.
The result was a very energized and insightful exchange that literally caused the 90 minute time slot to race by.
I find this to be true in most every venue in which I participate. When people are asked to be involved, to add their input, to share their perspective, the corporate wisdom is much more valuable and insightful than one person's own individual perspective. Not only do folks stay engaged, they tend to add dimensions of insight that others had not even thought of because of their unique perspective and experiences.
I'm not sure what it takes for us to be set free from having to have "all the answers," however the longer I'm privileged to be in ministry, the more I realize that I don't have those answers so the easier it becomes to engage others.
Hopefully you might find the same principle works well for you.
Blessings,
Dr. Jay
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
The Anticipation of the Season
Over the last few days and particularly this morning there's a great sense of anticipation here on our Wexford campus.
After months of rehearsal and diligent preparation, we are beginning the first of four evening presentations that we are calling "I Believe."
The anticipation for these evenings is palpable among those who have been involved in preparing for them from young children to the experienced adults: All of whom think this will be an exceptional experience for all who make the time to attend.
From my perspective, its really essential that we make the time to invite others to come and experience some times of reflection on the true and life changing events surrounding the Christmas story in the context of what is both entertaining and excellent.
I'm grateful for these kinds of things that take place a few weeks before Christmas so that we can savor them right up until our families and friends all gather on the holiday and thereby enjoy the blessing of this season for more than just a day or two.
It's said that anticipation sometimes exceeds the experience, but in this case I think anticipation is worthy of the experience.
Blessings,
Dr. Jay
P.S. If you are in the Wexford area please consider joining us any evening this week (Tues-Fri) though free tickets are "sold out" there's almost always a way to find a seat if you get here just a bit early.
After months of rehearsal and diligent preparation, we are beginning the first of four evening presentations that we are calling "I Believe."
The anticipation for these evenings is palpable among those who have been involved in preparing for them from young children to the experienced adults: All of whom think this will be an exceptional experience for all who make the time to attend.
From my perspective, its really essential that we make the time to invite others to come and experience some times of reflection on the true and life changing events surrounding the Christmas story in the context of what is both entertaining and excellent.
I'm grateful for these kinds of things that take place a few weeks before Christmas so that we can savor them right up until our families and friends all gather on the holiday and thereby enjoy the blessing of this season for more than just a day or two.
It's said that anticipation sometimes exceeds the experience, but in this case I think anticipation is worthy of the experience.
Blessings,
Dr. Jay
P.S. If you are in the Wexford area please consider joining us any evening this week (Tues-Fri) though free tickets are "sold out" there's almost always a way to find a seat if you get here just a bit early.
Friday, December 2, 2011
Keeping Watch
In the gospel of Matthew chapter 24:42 Jesus says, "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come."
"Keeping watch" has many different interpretations and most of them are not necessarily apocalyptic. In other words, "keeping watch" has to do with interpreting the trends and values in a society and understanding our responsibility to "speak up" when matters arise that should concern us.
Recent proposed legislation by the current administration would require all businesses (including not-for-profits) to subscribe to the provision of birth control and abortion services even if such practices are in complete opposition to the values held by that organization.
Nothing has been determined on this matter to date, but if it should be passed into law then large groups of people who would be personally supportive of pro-life values would be required to provide abortion services or face federal prosecution.
Again, this has not been mandated but it is under consideration at the present time. These are the kinds of things where people of conviction need to be willing to speak up and to be "keeping watch" so that those values which we believe are central to our cultural witness are not surrendered by negligence or indifference.
These are complex times and require a spirit of vigilence with a heart of compassion.
Blessings!
Dr. Jay
"Keeping watch" has many different interpretations and most of them are not necessarily apocalyptic. In other words, "keeping watch" has to do with interpreting the trends and values in a society and understanding our responsibility to "speak up" when matters arise that should concern us.
Recent proposed legislation by the current administration would require all businesses (including not-for-profits) to subscribe to the provision of birth control and abortion services even if such practices are in complete opposition to the values held by that organization.
Nothing has been determined on this matter to date, but if it should be passed into law then large groups of people who would be personally supportive of pro-life values would be required to provide abortion services or face federal prosecution.
Again, this has not been mandated but it is under consideration at the present time. These are the kinds of things where people of conviction need to be willing to speak up and to be "keeping watch" so that those values which we believe are central to our cultural witness are not surrendered by negligence or indifference.
These are complex times and require a spirit of vigilence with a heart of compassion.
Blessings!
Dr. Jay
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