Merry Christmas

I wish you and yours a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, as we celebrate our Savior's birth during this season. May we keep it in our hearts all year long.

We are taking a 2 week blog vacation over Christmas, and will return in the New Year on Tuesday, January 5, 2016. See you then!

Don't Just Want to Be Happy

When asked what we want out of life, often we answer, “I just want to be happy.” In truth, that answer's short-sighted.

“Happiness is not a destination; it's a byproduct.” – Michael Hyatt.

When we live for our own happiness, we drift through life like a ship with no rudder randomly knocked around by the waves of life to some random end.

But when we understand our God-given calling, and intentionally move toward that goal, happiness happens. We enjoy happiness, not by selfishly pursuing it, but as a byproduct of doing what we were created to do.

God Restores

If you read yesterday's post about losing a piece of your heart forever whenever you have sex with someone, and that's you – if you're praying, “OMG, I don't have any heart left, what do I do? Is it too late for me?”

It is never too late for you with God. It's never too late to repent. We serve a gracious God. He wants to heal and restore your heart. Restoration is his deal. Your deal's repentance.

Repentance isn't an emotion – feeling sorry for what we did, although that often accompanies it. Repentance is an act of the will – a change of behavior. It means deciding to not sleep around any more, and sticking with it.

If we truly repent (change behavior), then God will restore our heart. A fresh start, as if we had never sinned. Woof!

The Heart of Sex

CS Lewis put it this way: “The truth is that wherever a man lies with a woman, there is, whether they like it or not, a transcendental relation set up between them which must be eternally enjoyed or eternally endured.” (The Screwtape Letters, Letter XVIII) Think about it – a relationship that is either eternally enjoyed or eternally endured. Either way, eternally felt and experienced.

There's no sex without a heart transfer – we give away a piece of our heart permanently to the other person forever. After enough partners, we have no heart left.

When we finally find The One, who wants all the past lovers from broken relationships in the bedroom with you? Or all of theirs? That's why it's important to do this God's way. One partner. For life. After marriage. Woof!

Defending Christian Tradition

Hungary’s prime minister has warned his countrymen repeatedly that his nation needs to defend its Christian traditions against the incoming waves of Muslim refugees; namely, by denying them entry to Hungary. I respect his loyalty and patriotism to his country. And I appreciate the security and economic concerns the refugee crisis brings. But that's the wrong answer.

Turning away the poor that God's dumped on your doorstep is not the way to defend a country's Christian traditions. Practicing what Jesus taught by helping them is. (See Jesus' sheep & goats parable in Matthew 25:31-46.)

Let's not make the same mistake here in the US. They are fleeing the terror and murder of raw Islam. Let them experience the raw love of Jesus. If we are Jesus to them like we should be, many will convert to Christianity. Then when they return home, and many will, they'll take the gospel with them, and change their country from the inside out.

God is bringing the mission field to us. Let's not botch this holy opportunity.

Which Error Would We Rather Explain?

Regarding the refugee crisis, standing before the Throne on That Day, the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord (see Joel 2:31), which error would we rather explain? Which report of ourselves would we rather tell the Lord on That Day?

Door #1: “Lord, we erred on the side of security. We left thousands of innocent refugees, whom you gave us the means to care for, on Europe's doorstep for someone else to deal with, because one of them might have been a terrorist. We ignored real needs to protect our own people from potential danger.” Somehow, I just can't envision this conversation going well.

Or, Door #2: “Lord, we erred on the side of love. We risked potential danger to our own people in order to meet the desperate humanitarian needs of strangers.” Personally, I would much rather have this conversation. How about you?