Temptation

Temptation, if it weren't so serious, would be kind of funny. Several times since the paparazzi shot pictures of Britney Spears getting into her limo, I've thought to myself that I could probably hit Google and find out what a celebrity with no undies looks like. And then I realize that:

a) I have a pretty good guess already.
b) She could be my daughter.
c) She is someone's daughter, and he would (or should) be distraught to think I'd want to see his daughter naked.
d) It would do me no good to find out.

"What's funny about that?", you ask. I think it's funny that in the moment that the temptation comes to me, I would consider offending not only Britney and her parents, but my wife too. Furthermore, that I'd consider offending Jesus, who in the words of Bonhoeffer (I think) "...is worth every temptation ever resisted."
But as usual, in the moments that follow, when I take a step back, look at the temptation and see it for what it is, it seems so lame. It's not with pride but with disgust that I want to laugh and ask Satan, "Is that all you got?" I have better things to do.

I thought of using a paddleball as an illustration of self-control here, with the paddle representing what I really want, and the ball bouncing around every which-way representing all the things I think I want. (In hindsight I suppose I just did use that as an illustration.) But a better illustration would be a Rottweiler with a yappy little chihuahua hooked to it by one of those coiled-up phone cord things. Picture the chihuahua chasing after butterflies and darting to and fro, while the Rott is heading straight toward his master who has commanded him to "Come." It's him that is in control.

Obviously, the kick-dog represents temptation and the Rottweiler is us, keeping our eyes on our Master and constantly moving toward Him in obedience. An ex-smoker would like to light up, but what he really wants is to NOT light up. I want to encourage you to resist every temptation (they will pass), and don't let the things you think you want to do distract you from what you really want to do. Honor Jesus in everything. He's worth it.

To The Moon

We're working on a project for NASA at work, and just for grins one of our contacts there sent us this photo of the original Lunar Lander (as is obvious from the excerpt of a note he included, copied below) Apparently they don't want to throw it away, but what else do you do with a 40-or-so-year-old piece of leftover space memorabilia? Put it on a pallet and move it off to the side, of course! By the way, did you catch NASA's announcement the other day about a manned base on the moon by 2025? Crazy.

"Here are a few pics of the building your cleanroom will be placed in. In one of the pics there is the original lunar lander. It is in two parts, the one shown is the ascent module. The descent module is setting next to it on a pallet."

Mary Christmas!

About five years ago at Christmas, our pastor preached a sermon he titled, "Mary Christmas." Now every year at this time it's almost automatic that that sermon comes back to me and re-transforms my busy schedule into a more holy, season-long meditation of what the birth of Jesus really means to me. I've heard lots of sermons in my day and there may have been others like it, but if there have, I haven't heard them.

It began typically, for a Christmas message. In the first chapter of Luke, the Angel Gabriel appears to Mary and tells her she will bear a child, who will be called Jesus, the Son of God. She's astonished and baffled , wondering how this can possibly be, since she's a virgin and hasn't done "what it takes" to become pregnant. He explains to her that it will be a work of God, who will place the life in her and cause it to grow. Even Elizabeth, who is old, will have a baby (John the baptist) and although she was said to be barren, is even now in her sixth month of pregnancy. Mary's response? "Be it done to me, according to thy word."

Then the preacher started making the connections. Not word for word, but it went something like this:
"We have more in common with Mary than you know. Because God has come to you and the same offer stands. If you're willing to receive Him, the Son of God will take up residence in your life. But you need to know that He's not just here to visit. He's gunna change your life! If you receive Him, that new life in you is going to change the way you walk. Sometimes just the thought of it will thrill you. 'God lives in me!' Sometimes it will terrify you. Sometimes it's gunna hurt. Sometimes you'll wonder if it's worth it. You will grow in ways you never dreamed of. It will stretch you farther than you thought possible. Sometimes, it'll even leave marks. You won't always understand. And you will never be the same. But it doesn't stop there. That life God will place in you is not content just to grow in you. It's not enough just to change you. Because that life is more than you can contain, it will come forth from you too, and it will be evident to those around you. It's not just going to change you, it's going to change the world, through you!"

And so it went, me putting myself in Mary's shoes, and remembering my own shoes at the same time, when I was chomping at the bit to say, "Be it done to me, according to thy word." So Christmas has become a season when I not only remember the story of Jesus coming to the world, but remembering how that same life has changed me and contemplating the ways it's changing me now.

Another thing that can be gleaned from Luke's account is that sometimes we wonder, like Mary, how it can be that God could bring forth life from us, who haven't "done what it takes" to produce life (in OUR minds). We don't live right... We've done this and we haven't done that... But God almost interrupts us and says, "Here's how: It's a work of God- A miracle!"

And do you know any Elizabeths? Someone you thought was incapable of producing life? Out of God's reach maybe? No way they could ever be saved! Think again. "For nothing is impossible with God." (Luke 1:37)

May you have a "Jesus Christ, the Son of God, alive in you" Christmas:

Mary Christmas!

Gift Cards

Lots of people think it's "thoughtful" to give a gift card for Christmas. I think it's crazy. Cards that can only be used at a certain store or chain aren't that thoughtful if what the recipient really-really wanted isn't available there. So now you can give a bank card, which is more "thoughtful" because it can be used anywhere that accepts Visa. The problem with those is the fees. I read in today's Star Tribune that trying to get cash out of the $50 US Bancorp card you got from Grandma "...will cost you $15, on top of a $5 initial fee. The bank also charges $2.50 a month after a year on the balance."

Many retail stores have stopped charging the fees, but again you're cornered into spending the amount at that store only. The best thing, of course, is to give a gift the recipient wants. If you don't know what that is, don't give them a gift card. Give the gift of cash: Accepted everywhere. Doesn't expire. No fees ever.