Jesus and Jujitsu

Just three days before the big Christmas holiday, it seems as though most of the people around me are at the climax of the preparation frenzy. Shopping, baking, wrapping gifts, preparing food for the incoming relatives, last minute decorating. It'll all get done, and I won't worry about it if it doesn't.

Earlier this week I received the wonderful gift of laughter, generated by a little video someone had shared on Facebook. Perhaps you, too, have seen it.  Surely it has gone viral by now.

It was a clip of a children's Christmas program, specifically a nativity scene.  All the participants were roughly between the ages of two to six, so I have no doubt the director had her hands full getting those kiddos to cooperate and do what she wanted them to do.

On stage right a large chorus of children was serenely singing a classic Christmas carol, perhaps it was "Away in a Manger."  All was well over on that part of the stage, and the kids looked and sounded nearly angelic.

Over on stage left was the manger scene and its cast of characters.  There was Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus sleeping in the manger.  A couple of wise men with bath towels on their heads and scratchy beards fidgeted in the back, and a donkey and sheep were clustered there near the manger, too.

All was well for a verse or two until one of the little characters there in the stable, the 2-3 year old girl in the fuzzy white sheep suit, got bored. She was done playing by the rules from that point on.

She crossed stage left and grabbed the baby(doll) Jesus out of his bed.  For a while she stood there, rocking him lovingly in her arms along with the rhythm of the music. It was sweet.

Until she had enough of that.

She began gyrating her hips a little bit more, swinging baby Jesus in time to the music. Mary was beginning to look concerned.

Next, the little sheep began bogeying all around her area of the stage.

Then she grabbed Jesus by the ankles and whipped him around in front of her in large figure eight shapes.

By this time, four-year-old Mary was alarmed. It was time to retrieve and protect her baby.

Heading over to the little sheep girl, Mary grabbed for her baby.  An unsuccessful tug of war ensued.

Finally Mary authoritatively threw her arm around the neck of the sheep girl and took her business down to the floor.  It looked remarkably like a rear naked choke hold, so common in jujitsu sparring.

That baby's life was at stake, and it called for desperate measures.

Joseph walked over to the scene of the fight, looked down at it, and stepped back.  He wasn't gonna get entangled in that mess.  Not even for Jesus.

At this point the camera panned to a referee mother coming from the audience and up the steps to the stage to rectify the situation.  End of video.

Honestly I've watched that video several times, and I'm just so thankful for the wonderful laughs it has given me.

And then, I kept thinking about it over the last few days since I first saw it.

What if we all were so deliberate about having Jesus?
What if we were all that determined to hold him, to spend time with Him, to love Him?
What if we wanted Him so much we would fight for Him - fight our schedules, our distractions, our hobby and leisure time - fight it all just to be with Him?

This Christmas my wish for you is that you'll have Jesus. Look for Him, find Him, spend time with Him. Love Him and celebrate His presence. That's the best GIFT I can wish for you, and I do so with all my heart.

Merry Christmas, friends!

Road Tripping at Christmas (Part 2)

As I wrote in my last post, Christmas and road trips seem to go together.

     "After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod,  Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, 'Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.'" (Matthew 2:1-2)

These magi (traditionally called wise men) traveled a long way, and I'm willing to bet it wasn't an easy journey.

Because, well, because of camels.

Camels are gloriously weird creations of our awesome God.  For many desert travelers, camels are the transportation mode of choice. They are wondrously designed to maximize all water intake.  Even camels' nostrils participate in the collection of moisture.

However, let's be clear on this: camels have horrible body odor and have worse tempers.  They spit when they feel threatened.  There is no doubt about it, camel tenders and riders have their work cut out with these beasts.

I uncovered a few things about camels I hadn't known before as I was reading up on the wise men.

Camels have a stride not common to most other four-legged animals.  That is, the left two legs move then the right two.  Although they typically travel at about 25 mph, they can move at speeds as high as 40 mph, often swaying the passenger into motion sickness.

Camels are so adept at utilizing all moisture within their bodies that their urine is excreted as a thick paste.  This could make it tricky keeping the camp clean.

Some camels spread a virus known as MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome), so the tenders may become sick.  However, camel poo, if you care to chow down on camel "apples," kills dysentery-causing germs.  So, if you have the poos, eat the poo.

I think we can all imagine that the journey the wise men took in search of the Messiah was not a luxurious, relaxing trip.  It was long, hard, hot, and full of all sorts of challenges.

And then they arrived at Jerusalem.  Unlike many men, they stopped and asked for directions. 

At this point I went to my Mapquest program and calculated the distance from Jerusalem to Bethlehem.  

Six miles.  

Six miles from Jesus.

Six miles from the baby King.

Six miles from salvation.

Six miles from forgiveness.

Six miles from eternal life.

Everybody in the story had the same information.  Herod, the teachers of the Law, the Jewish scholars, and the three wise men all knew a baby had been born in Bethlehem, and they all knew who the baby was.

However,

Herod knew and tried to kill him.

The teachers and religious scholars knew and ignored him. Apparently six miles was too much.

The wise men went, covered six more miles, and bowed down and worshipped the babe.

Six miles!

The road trip these wise men took helps me examine how far it is between Jesus and me.  What will I do, what am I willing to do, how far will I "go," to be with Jesus?

This Christmas season will I make my heart a "manger" where Christ can reside?

Will you?

Road Tripping at Christmas (Part 1)

                  "Ever since the magi first went in search of Jesus more than
                   two thousand years ago, it seems that Christmas and 'road trip'
                   have gone together."  -Max Lucado

Will you be traveling this holiday season with or to your family?

Years ago, when our children were quite young, we made the yearly Christmas pilgrimage to my parents' home, a trip of about 100 miles.

My preparation prior to this annual trip included completing all the home decor for the season, writing and mailing the holiday cards, keeping track of all the children's school and other Christmas activities, purchasing and wrapping all the stocking stuffers and gifts for our immediate family and an extended list of other relatives, baking all the cookies, preparing our contribution to the holiday party spread, and finally packing suitcases for the six of us.

The husband's responsibility was to gas up the car.

As many of you know, road trips with kiddos are not always serene, relaxing occasions. They are more like endurance events. And mind you, in those days, we had no cell phones, car tv's, or handheld gaming devices to amuse the kids. Entertainment was found by looking out the windows.

Snacks were provided frequently and in abundance. Eating was not a matter of the children being hungry. No, snacks supplied amusement.  And quiet.

With overly-excited children came over-active bladders. This situation was concerning when the driver operated in his we-will-not-stop-till-we-are-there mode.

There would be at least one bathroom-related change of clothing, somewhere en route.

We would experience the usual trilogy of "I'm bored," "Are we there soon?" and "He's/she's touching me,"ad nauseum.

And yes, there would be vomit. We could bank on it.  Somebody would vomit. And then we'd debate whether the offending child was car sick, even though that malady wasn't normally a problem. Of course, within 24 hours of arrival 75% of the children would  come down with some form of winter virus.  Relatives would wonder if my children were always that cranky.

None of the children would nap during the journey, even though we'd strategically timed the trip to coincide perfectly with nap time. Let me amend that - they would finally fall asleep ten minutes before arrival, having slept just enough to leave them uncooperative about everything for the rest of that day and irritable.

We'd safely arrive at our destination and then celebrate all the aspects of the holiday together.

Typically, we attended a Christmas Eve worship service, and we always sang Silent Night there in German.  Afterwards the children tried to tolerate the old folks cooing over them as they squeezed the children's cheeks.

"My how big you've grown," they'd marvel.

I'd smile and pray hard at those moments that none of my littles would retort, "My how fat you've become!"

After church we'd gather together for an amazing spread of food, enjoyed by all but the littlest ones. They'd think the food was weird and would only eat two tiny meatballs if it was a good night. The adults congregated around the shrimp bowl, sharing memories of the past year.  We have even been known to barter for those last few precious pieces of shrimp down in the bottom of the bowl.

When most of the guests were finished eating, Grandma gathered the children around her and recited The Night Before Christmas. I have wonderful memories of those spellbound faces and twinkling eyes, but I sure wish I had more photos.

Then the moment those kids have been waiting for would finally arrive.  Gifts appeared and there'd be a virtual storm of tearing paper and flying bows.  Even the family dogs got in on the "paper, paper" frenzy. Months later remnants of red and green papers would be found behind the planters and between the couch cushions.

Bedtime was always a tricky deal.  The children were over-excited and the parents were sleep-deprived.  Getting everyone bedded down with minimal meltdowns and avoiding the typical grandma's-house-stalling-tactics was quite the challenge.

Even so, I'd never change those road trip holiday Christmas gatherings for all the money in the world. Stresses, fatigue, trials, and sicknesses aside, the memories we made are so precious to me now.

These days, along with the memories from many past Christmases, I enjoy watching my grown children creating their own memories and family Christmas traditions.

Another journey of great significance happened two thousand years ago. In my next post, we'll examine the road trip made by the Three Wise Men. Travel woes, drama, and gifts were part of their story, too.

It wasn't exactly road trip euphoria for them, either. Oh, but what a Gift!

Be Careful What You Read!

I've always been of the mindset that one cannot have too many books. An avid reader all throughout my life, I've read thousands of books and have accumulated way too many for the strength of my bookshelves. It's probably time to purge. Again.

After reading the 23rd chapter of Jeremiah this morning, my thoughts about reading went in somewhat of another direction.  The two words "reading" and "caution" seemed to pair up in my mind after I thoroughly studied that chapter.

Jeremiah was a prophet of God, and in that chapter God tells Jeremiah what He thinks about the other prophets in the land and what Jeremiah should say to them.

It's not a pretty conversation.  In fact, God gives a scathing denouncement of those prophets.  Here is how God describes those false prophets:

• They follow an evil course.
• They use their power unjustly
• They are wicked and godless.
• They prophecy by Baal.
• They lead the people astray.
• They commit adultery.
• They live a lie.
• They strengthen the hands of evildoers.
• They are like Sodom and Gomorrah.
• They spread ungodliness.
• They fill others with false hopes.
• They speak with visions of their own concocting.
• They spread false peace to the heathen.
• They don't hear the counsel of the Lord.
• They don't see and hear His word.
• They run and prophesy their own messages.
• They prophesy lies and dreams in His name.
• They are delusional.
• They hope the people will forget God's name.
• They steal false words from one another.
• They wag their own tongues.
• They lead His people astray.
• They tell reckless lies.
• They do not benefit people in the least.
• Each one's word becomes his own message.
• They distort the words of the Almighty God.

So what does any of this have to do with books?

May I just urge a word of caution to you, please?  Tis' the season when many are Christmas shopping.  Books are often the gift of choice.  Buy carefully. Pray before you buy.

The Bible tells me there were prophets in Jeremiah's days that were not godly men.  I am under no illusions to think that there aren't many false prophets, teachers, and speakers nowadays, too.

Our department and bookstores are full of books on the shelves that espouse the words, thinking, and visions of men and women who are not in alignment with the Word of God. Just as in Jeremiah's day, they say nice things that give us good feelings and spread hope, but nonetheless, those words are not coming from the mind of God.

There are also many seminars, conferences, and speaking events that promote and feature some of those very same authors.  Beware.  Just because an author is wildly popular does not mean he is a man or woman of God.  So many of them have their own ideology and thinking that makes us feel good and gives us hope, yet is contrary to the words in the Bible. Their own self-promoting agendas have deluded them.

My takeaways from Jeremiah chapter 23:

1.  Be careful to whom you listen!
2.  Be careful what you read!
3.  Be careful what you watch!

False prophets exist today, too!


P.S. If you need some meaningful and inexpensive Christmas gifts, may I suggest an idea? I still have some copies of my first four Bible Study booklets available. Each book examines one book in the Bible in depth. The reader can move through the book at his own leisure.

At $10 each (which includes tax and shipping costs) these books may be a perfect fit for somebody on your Christmas list. Email me at jillgoes@gmail.com if you're interested, and thank you to those of you who have enjoyed these studies over the past years.

Jeremiah - A Man of Many Moods

Mood swings. We all have them. I know very few people who sail through this life with nary an up or down in their outlook on life.

Some folks are mostly positive.  I like to put myself into this category, although yes, I know I whine and complain (and justify it!) on some occasions.

Others are basically negative, unpleasant people.  The glass-is-half-empty-and-there's-nothing-left-anywhere-to-fill-it-either people. If we're honest, it's awful challenging to be around these folks.

And then there's the prophet Jeremiah, the main character in the Bible's Old Testament book by the same name.

The book of Jeremiah is 5.2% of the entire Bible, and with its 33,002 words, it is the longest book in the Old Testament.

God gave Jeremiah an important message to deliver to the people, the message that they should turn from their sin, repent, and return to following God.  Through Jeremiah, God told the people that He was going to send Babylon to punish Judah and they should surrender to God anew.  They largely rejected the message and viewed it as treasonous.

The other priests and prophets of the day were primarily spreading an untrue message.  They were preaching the feel-good, all-is-well, prosperity-is-coming type message that so many then and now love to hear.

For his obedience in delivering God's word, Jeremiah was beaten, imprisoned, mocked and ostracized. The Bible says he was put in stocks. Very few people listened, believed, and repented.

Today I studied the 20th chapter of this intriguing book.

What struck me is how human Jeremiah was.  This "big man of God" was just a normal guy.  In fact, he was a whole lot like most of us:

He had his own unique character, personality, and calling.
He was not one having a "tough skin."
He cared deeply about whether people accepted or liked him.
He didn't like being rejected by anyone, especially by his friends.
He had a hard job to do.
He didn't know how his life would all pan out (and even though he was obedient to God's call, things weren't looking good).
As he got older, the difficulty of his life calling seemed to create more suffering in his life.
All the people seemed to be against him.
He appeared to be the only one holding fast to his faith.
His emotions were battered on many days.
His steadfast faith in God caused him suffering.
He whined.
He complained.
He praised.
He questioned.
He asked for answers.
He wanted vindication.
He suffered.
He obeyed.
He suffered more.

I found encouragement today as I thought about Jeremiah and his challenging life.

He was honest with God about his feelings.
He let his emotions all hang out. He griped. He whined. He begged.
He told God exactly what he was thinking.

In doing so, he was often able to move through his doubts and weaknesses and press onward to a state of praise, worship, and continued obedience.

I want to remember that it's always completely OK to bare my heart and tell everything to my Lord. Why wouldn't I want to talk with the One I Love about every single thing?

After all, He already knows it all. And He loves to be with me no matter what is on my mind.

Go ahead. Tell Him your stuff. Freely.