Obligatory Thanksgiving Post?

Well, it's Thanksgiving time again. I should know, I work in a meat market. All the different bloggers across the country will be blogging about what they are thankful for. Most religious bloggers will be blogging about how they only give thanks to the Lord, from whom all blessings flow.

Not me. I'm gonna talk about sin. Most importantly, the standard reactions to sin. From what I've noticed, there are three primary ways that Christians as well as so-called Christians react to sin.

Ostracize: The first way is to treat the person as an alien life-form and either avoid them altogether, or ostracize them. If you use this extreme hate, they will stay away from God, and never hear the true Gospel. In other words, Satan wins.

Total acceptance: This is the opposite of ostracizing. The other method is to tell them that they are fine and what they are doing is not a sin. Using this method, they will continue worshiping something that is not true, and never hear the true Gospel. In other words, Satan wins.

Ignoring the issue: Well, this is exactly as it sounds. This is when someone exhibits sinful behavior, and no one talks, engages, encounters, or even approaches the person. A big problem with ignoring an issue is that the person may know what they are doing is wrong, but feel like no one cares. Sadly, these people often take their own lives, when there are Christians nearby that are fully equipped to help with the situation. When we ignore the issue, then the person will never hear the real Gospel. In other words, Satan wins.

So how do we make Satan not win? The easy answer is to not do these three things, but something in between the first two. It says in 1 Peter 3:15-16: " But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander."

The key point here is to treat everyone with gentleness and respect, without endorsing or condoning any sinful behavior. But how do we stay prepared to give an answer? First and foremost is something I say almost every week, to make sure you not only read the Bible, but to be familiar with the scripture that you are reading as well. However, not everybody has the Bible memorized; I don't either. But that cannot and should not keep a Christian from defending the faith. The answer to this situation is in the first part of the passage, to set apart Christ as Lord in your heart. If Christ is with you, then you can call upon Him in tough situations. This may sound easier than it is, but trust me, from personal experience it is true. You might not notice what is happening at the time, but you will recognize it later. If you're like me, you will think at that moment "huh, that was weird."

There are many ways to react to sin, most of them bad. But keep in mind also what Jesus said in the Great Commandments and the Great Commission about loving God and loving your neighbor, and bringing the Good News to others. With these verses, and all others, keep on reading the Good News.

Amen.

Christmas Music

Warning: This post is more of a rant than any real organized though. But then again, what is the purpose of a blog than an unorganized rant?

Well, it is that time of year already. The Christmas decorations are out and the Christmas music is on the radio. In St. Louis, two stations have their formats changed for all Christmas music all the time. In fact, I picked up the Il Divo Christmas CD today at Target, however it pales in comparison to Jon Garrett: To Find Love There. (Jon, I really do like your CD, but I would like the three dollar advertising fee in small, unmarked, non-sequential bills) I ventured away from my usual radio listening today and went back and forth from one Christmas station to another. They played the classics, and new renditions of the classics. I heard things like Deck the Halls, I'll Be Home For Christmas, and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. After listening between the two stations for about twenty or so minutes I noticed a similarity in all the songs, other than they were Christmas songs, of course. None of them mentioned Jesus, with the exception of one. That one was Silent Night by Taylor Swift, which is up there in my book with Stevie Nicks version of Silent Night as the worst renditions of any Christmas song ever, and I wish I hadn't heard it to be honest with you, just didn't do Silent Night justice. Anyway, back to my original rant.

First off, I do not wish to demonize or otherwise criticize secular Christmas music. All of the songs mentioned above (except for the Taylor Swift and Stevie Nicks slaughtering of Silent Night) are good songs and are most likely some of your favorites, as they are mine. It's just that we need to remember what Christmas is all about.

About 2000 or so years ago, God sent His only son to Earth not only in the form of a mortal human, but as a mere child born not amongst kings but amongst livestock. Born not in a palace fit for a king, but in a stable built for the animals. He came into this world as a perfect creation with the knowledge that he would die a gruesome death so that anyone who believes in Him and puts their faith and trust in Him will not suffer the penalty for sin, but be united with God and Christ forever.

No matter what music you listen to this Christmas, whether that be religious Christmas, secular Christmas, not Christmas at all, or even the abomination that is Silent Night by Taylor Swift or Stevie Nicks, just keep in mind what Christmas is about.

Amen.

P.S.: For more on this subject, visit the post that started the worldwide craze: Christmas in August.

Lights and Sirens

For those of you that don't know me, I was a police officer for a short time. In the city that I worked in, there lived a couple of nuns that were teachers at one of the local parishes. One day, I met one of these nuns (there is no punch line coming, I promise), and she told me that when a police car, ambulance, or fire truck would go by the classroom with its lights and sirens on, they would pause everything they were doing and say a quick prayer. When she came home, she would say prayers for the officers whenever she would see lights, or even just hear the sirens. It was comforting to know that if I ever got in the situation, there would most likely be someone praying for me.


I am no longer a police officer, but what the nun and her school children did stayed with me. From time to time I see a squad car pulled on the side of the road with lights on, and at other times I hear the sirens. For the sirens to be on, it usually means something bad has happened, or is happening. In that case, the officer is going into what could be a fatal situation. I decided to carry on this tradition and say a quick prayer for police officers, firefighters, or paramedics whenever I see or hear lights and sirens. I know that God will hear my voice, but I also know that there is power in numbers, and ask you to join with me in praying for these men and women that put their lives on the line so that we may live a safer life. Here are the prayers:


When a police car is seen:
Lord, please keep the officer(s) safe in the performance of his or her or their duties. Please send your Holy Spirit on all parties involved that the situation may be diffused quickly and without incident. Please be with those the officer(s) are responding to, for this may be their greatest time of need. Amen.


When EMS/Ambulance is seen:
Lord, please keep the paramedics safe in the performance of their duties. Guide their actions that they may mend what is broken and comfort the hurt. Please be with those the paramedics are responding to, for this may be their greatest time of need. Amen.


When a fire truck is seen:
Lord, please keep the firefighters safe in the performance of their duties. Please keep them alert to their surroundings and aware of the situation at all times. Guide their actions that they may mend what is broken and comfort the hurt. Please be with those the firefighters are responding to, for this may be their greatest time of need. Amen.


When sirens are heard, but nothing seen:
Lord, please be with the emergency services personnel and keep them safe in the performance of their duties. Please be those they are responding to, as this may be their greatest time of need. Amen.


I try to do this wherever I am. Sometimes I pray out loud, sometimes silently. Sometimes, I bow my head, sometimes I don't. I won't bow my head while driving, after all, I don't want to be the one being responded to. Sometimes when I'm at work and can't stop what I'm doing, I just say the words in my head. Don't worry, it still counts. And speaking as a former police officer, I know that these little things are greatly appreciated.


Amen.