For the Love of Books

 

Last week, we went to the LA Times Book Festival. The campus of the University of Southern California exploded with book vendors, authors, soon to be authors, more books, and vendors that were able to connect with book lovers and writers. Since the pandemic, more people have bombarded bookstores. I love it. Books take you out of your world and bring you into a new world where you don’t have to worry about your own problems but those of the characters in the book. Not everyone enjoys the idea of everyone reading books. 

Book banning is erupting again throughout our country. I’m not for book banning. I do see age-appropriate books. As a high school teacher, I can tell you that young children should not read The Great Gatsby, or Catcher in the Rye, but that does not mean those books should not be in our high school libraries. The more books you ban, the more you come closer for having the Bible banned. 

No matter what your political affiliation is, you must understand that books are powerful. Both parties have struggled with books. Books inform you. If you disagree with the information, you can put the book down or find a book that reveals the other side of the argument. If you only use articles found on Google, then you are lacking some knowledge. Books tell stories. Stories do not always have a linear experience, and that is one of the reasons people struggle with books. 

One of the reasons we struggle with books is that they reveal a truth about ourselves or the people with whom we associate. We don’t want the truth. We want information that affirms our thoughts, lifestyle, and ideologies. When books do not affirm those, we want to ban them from being in public spaces. Spaces that ban books create more readers. 

Since books became available to the general public, they have been dangerous. Jesus would open the scroll and read from it. The religious leaders would get angry. The religious leaders would memorize the words, but they struggled when they were reminded of the words and what they actually mean. Writers do not write stories to make people agree with them or feel better. They write stories that expose the truth within us. That truth is that we all have flaws and we all must take a journey to overcome those flaws. 

Reading is essential. Our young people, especially those in urban communities, are getting ripped off with their low reading levels and low comprehension scores. People outside of education will argue with me that people can get along just fine without being able to read. However, these same people do not realize that laws were put in place to keep the poor readers from advancing in life. They cannot advance because of their low academic scores. Then, the people who can read, vote for laws, and persuade the low readers to vote for laws that keep the low readers from advancing. It’s a vicious cycle. 

Books can inspire us to be better people. When you read a book with characters that are all evil, you realize that one drop of wrong can create a life of chaos. Books can bring us to a world of imagination. Books reveal to us a world that we may not know. We can visit any place in the world and any time period, including the future. Books create new worlds that we either want to live or not. 

When we have used our imagination, we begin to create. As we create, we begin to serve others. It may not be in the form of art, but we can find real solutions to real world problems. When we are so busy creating, we are less inclined to spend time insulting others or worrying about issues that are not ours to even give a second thought to. We realize that our imagination will create in us a new world that gives us hope for the future as it brings delight to our present and shines a light on the past. 

Reading opens doors. When we read, we discover new arenas for ourselves. Like most people in the twenty-first century, I am guilty of spending too much time on social media or streaming services. I have to remind myself that books bring health, and my intelligence grows. The doors that can open for all of us when we read can make our life journey better. 

Whether it is a book that tells a great story or informs us of how to live a better life, we can all take the time in our lives to read. I love to read, but I make excuses for why I don’t have the time to read. I must make the time to read. Last weekend I was reminded of the hundreds of people that want me to open their books and read. I hope one day, people will arrive at the Book Festival and open my book and read it. So, I will read to educate and entertain myself. I hope you will join me and pick up a book today. 

The Power of the Resurrection

 This Sunday is not about an Easter Bunny. It’s not about an Easter basket, chocolate, or even Peeps. IT’s not about the disciples not believing the women or not believing the two men who met Jesus on the road to Emmaus. It’s not about politics. It IS about Jesus conquering death and coming back to life. Since Jesus had the power to conquer death and sin, we have the power to have freedom, forgive, and love. 

Freedom. Jesus died so we could be free from our sins. His death was a sacrifice. His resurrection declares that His sacrifice is permanent. We do not have to pay for our sins.  Jesus paid for our sins with his death and resurrection. 

Jesus conquered death, and we are free to choose to accept it or not. Jesus does not force us to follow Him or to believe in Him. When we choose with our own free will that Jesus gives us to believe in Him, he frees us from our sin which gives us life. 

The power of the resurrection gives us freedom and the responsibility to live free in Christ. “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. The sting of sin is death, but the gift of God is life.” (1 Corinthians 15:56; NIV) Many Christians believe that our life in Christ begins when we die and we spend eternal life in Christ. That is true, but it is not when our life in Christ begins. Our life in Christ begins the moment we choose Christ. 

Spiderman is right, with great freedom comes great responsibility.  We are free in Christ, but we must live as we are in Christ and not just as those who do not have Christ. We love with our words and posts on social media because we know that it is more important that people see Christ rather than our political agenda or how right we are. We have the freedom to choose.  How we choose can determine the choice of someone choosing Christ. 

The power of the resurrection brings forgiveness. Jesus forgave us for our sins through his death. We must be willing to forgive others when they sin against us. Jesus said that if we forgive others of their sins, then our sins will be forgiven. We want God’s forgiveness, but we struggle to forgive others of their sins. 

Jesus’s resurrection reminds us that forgiveness is a powerful act. Before Jesus gave up his spirit on the cross, He said, “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.”  (Luke 23:34: NIV) If at his lowest point in life and his dying words can be to forgive those killing him, then we can forgive others when they sin against us. However, forgiveness is not easy, but it is a powerful act. 

So many people believe that if they don’t forgive someone it does two things. First, it hurts the person they are not forgiving. Second, it reveals the power of the person unwilling to forgive. Both ideas are wrong. Forgiveness is powerful. It’s not the effect of the power on the other person, but on the person that forgives. When you forgive, you are letting go of the hurt, and you become powerful because you are not allowing the other person’s sin have power over you. Jesus revealed his power on the cross and his resurrection with his forgiveness. 

The power of the resurrection brings love. Jesus died and rose again because he loves us. We can love others because of the love Jesus has for us. We don’t love with a love that tolerates, but with a love that reveals kindness and hope. We can be patient. We don’t boast. We endure. 

Today, may we realize that with the resurrection of Jesus we have the power of freedom, to forgive and to love. This day is about the power of Jesus. This day is about Jesus. Let us live our lives so other people can see Jesus. 

Finding Peace in the Chaos

Last week started with another one. As a teacher, I was reminded that with one week before Spring Break, I had to remain vigilant, even though I was exhausted. For whatever reason, a monster decided to take a gun and shoot three adults and three young children at a school. I don’t care what the beliefs of a school are. I don’t care what color the people are. I care that we have a crisis in our education system, and the chaos continues. How do we find peace? 

I have no words for the families of those who lost so much in that tragedy in Nashville. Their hurt is inconceivable. How do they find peace in the chaos? I have friends who have lost loved ones to cancer this week. How do they find peace in the chaos? the media is screaming about politics, wars, and violence in our communities. How do we find peace in the chaos? Tornadoes, snowstorms, and rainstorms are devastating our communities. How do we find peace in the chaos? 

I don’t like simple answers to complex problems. Many Christians will proclaim that to overcome the chaos you just need to pray. After I’m done praying, the chaos is still there. Those Christians remind me of Job’s friends. Job’s friends gave him the advice that he was suffering because of his sin and that he was not communicating with God. I don’t want to be like Job’s friends. I will declare that peace is difficult to find in the midst of chaos. Then again, maybe I want the peace that the world has and not the peace that Jesus offers. 

Worldly peace means we have no troubles. Jesus warned us that in this world we will have trouble. The peace that Jesus gives is not a life without trouble, but a comfort during the chaos. Jesus doesn’t offer us a comfortable life, but a life of comfort for when the trials come our way. Trials will come. How we respond to the trials brings us peace or more chaos. 

I used to always ask God, “Why does this always happen to me? Why don’t other people have these same problems?” I was good at looking introspectively. I was horrible at seeing the struggles that other people have and how they worked to hide them. Now, I work to be better at the latter. I discovered that for some of the chaos, I created it. For the other chaos I didn’t create, I needed to find the peace for it. 

Finding Peace

During the pandemic, I discovered taking walks. Living in Culver City was difficult. I lived in an area that was just apartment complexes. I found a deserted work area as no one was able to go to their businesses. So, I would walk there. Then, I would slow my pace. I would watch the sunset. I would journal. I would pray about all kinds of things. Today, I still walk in an area with more nature. Anaheim has space with grass and a beautiful view of the mountains. 

Find a place where you can sit and reflect. If it is outside, that could be better. Jesus went to the Mount of Olives often to reflect and pray. He was away from the crowds, so it was quiet and peaceful. He prayed for the chaos of his immanent death not to come, but it did. He endured the chaos so we could have freedom from our sins and find peace in our hearts. 

Pray but not just by yourself. In my Bible study class at church, we have a group text where we put our prayer requests. My phone dings all the time. Knowing that others are praying for you brings peace. Even in the chaos, peace can come in the forms of knowing that other people are there for you. 

No one knows your emotions going through any kind of chaos but knowing that you are not alone brings comfort. Not only do you have friends who know your chaos, but there are people in the Bible who have endured your troubles. After I left youth ministry and felt abandoned, I found comfort in the account of Joseph in the Old Testament. He had to change his course in life and go down a strange new path with new people. He never lost faith in God. His life was chaotic. He found comfort in God. His account reminded me that in the depths, God is there. 

So, why does God allow the chaos? Why doesn’t God just stop the monster from coming to the school to kill people? I have asked this question over and over again. In my trials, I discovered that if God could control the evil people, then he would have to control all of us. God gives us all freewill to choose our actions. We must choose to respond with love and not hate. This taught me to focus on my actions and reactions and not the actions of others. I cannot control others. I can only control my reaction to the chaos others create. Choose to respond with calm and not insults. 

Be courageous. I have found that to find peace, I had to be courageous and move forward. I couldn’t remain stuck in my sad situation. I had to move. I had to keep going. I prayed, connected with friends, and read the Bible. I walked in nature. I exercised and breathed. I didn’t wallow. I didn’t take revenge. I remained in the peace of God and allowed him to comfort me. 

Take the time this week before Easter and find your peace. Allow God to give you the peace in the chaos that surrounds you. This Easter, remember that it was in the midst of chaos that Jesus died for your sins. In the quiet peaceful Sunday morning, he rose from the dead. Don’t miss the miracle of life in the midst of chaos. Find the moments of quiet and remember God is there for you, even in the chaos.  

 

A Movement in Asbury

 On February 8, 2023, students at Asbury Christian University had a chapel service. Since then, they have not stopped worshipping. There are no “celebrity” pastors or adults demanding that they do this. People are going there from all over America trying to discover what is happening there. Some people call it a revival. Some people say it is not a revival unless you feed the poor. (Why do Americans love to quote Judas?) Some say it is just kids being over emotional. Why do humans placate what God is doing? The answer is that humans do not understand the heart and work of God. In this small Christian college in Kentucky, God is working on the hearts of the students. Maybe, just maybe, we should allow God to do His work without our interferences.

I have no idea what is occurring in Kentucky at that small Christian college. I do know that it is a tough time to be a young person in our society. Everyone is screaming from all directions of how young people must think and believe. As a former youth pastor, I have grieved the students who have walked away from God because they are pulled to the desires of their flesh, whatever those desires may be. What I do know is that I have to allow God to work. 

God doesn’t need us telling him how to revive someone’s heart. God needs to do his work of reviving hearts. We must pray. Many people claim that Christians don’t know who Jesus is because Jesus hung out with sinners and had dinner with them. While that is true, they also don’t continue reading the Bible with a few verses later in which Jesus tells the Pharisees that he came for the sick not the healthy. Jesus didn’t come to hang out with the sick but to heal them. In Kentucky, some hearts are being healed because they chose to hang out with Jesus. 

What I have discovered in the past few years is that I must listen to the voice of God over the voices of humans who think they know the voice of God. I also discovered that before I can do any act of service or goodness, God must heal my heart. 

People are coming to Jesus at this chapel meeting in Kentucky. People are on their knees praying. God is moving through the people to heal their hearts. The movement is growing to other Christian universities that are now having their own spiritual gatherings. The beauty of it is indescribable. Instead of wondering or criticizing, maybe it is time that we join them in this movement.

As a teacher of high school students and a former youth pastor, I am thrilled that it is young people leading the way with this movement. Young people are not the church of tomorrow, but they are the church of today. I hear wisdom from young people all the time. These young people are learning the Word of God in their classes. I remember my Bible college days. I learned so much of how to read and understand the Bible. I remember conversations with other students who were learning with me. My time at Bible college was one of the best growth periods in my walk with Jesus. 

Here in Southern California, our church camp resides in our mountains. God’s beautiful creation surrounds you there. With mountain peaks, trees, animals, and stars in the sky. The presence of God is felt by all who enter. Worshipping on that mountain was indiscernible and incredible. The young people with me always had their hearts healed at that camp. I did too. 

The young people in Kentucky are having a healing of their hearts. No matter what else is occurring, their hearts are being healed. If one person decides to live their life for Jesus, it is worth it. The changes may not happen within a few weeks or even a few months or years, but change will happen. Let us embrace it. Let us join in at our own churches in this country. Let Jesus heal our hearts. 

Starting the New Year...Again

 Starting the New Year usually begins with the anticipation that this year will be better than the previous year. We set goals and create plans to make the New Year better. Then, life hits, and we begin to crumble and slowly we begin to let go of our goals. We lose hope. Then, we repeat the same process the following year. I know this because I used to do this until I created manageable goals with addendums. That helped, especially this year when life hit in the beginning of January. 

In the beginning of my Christmas break, I sat down and created a list of detailed goals for the New Year. I set goals for each month, as I want to grow with my goals. Although the list seemed daunting, I knew it wasn’t. The New Year started, but my goals had to take a backseat to life events. 

My mom’s health was failing since the fall, but in December it worsened. When my mom passed on January 10th, I had to reset and do life differently. It was because of this event that I realized that it’s great to set goals for the New Year, but we must give ourselves grace for when life hits. So, no matter where your New Year starts, you can always start a New Year with goals and begin a process in life that will create a healthier life for yourself. 

Although I never told him, one of my pastors in 2014 challenged me. In the beginning of the message, he quoted statistics of how people do not keep resolutions. He actually said no one kept them. I saw that last statement as a challenge. Someone has to be keeping them because people keep hoping that they can keep them as they keep making them. So, I made a resolution that year to write every day and have a daily quiet time. I made a change that year that fixed everything. 

In 2015, as a I made the resolution to write every day, I made an addendum. I decided that if I missed a day, I would start all over the next day. Although I would claim that I never gave up and I was persistent, the truth was when I messed up, I gave up before 2015. So, I created the addendum to keep me going. In 2015, I created that addendum to give myself grace. Even though I didn’t have to use the addendum that year, it gave me less stress because I knew my goal was more than just writing every day. My goal was to improve my life with my writing. 

I didn’t miss a day of writing or a daily quiet time in 2015, and that year my writing improved. I kept that goal. The addendum stays, and this year, that addendum was necessary. So, if you made resolutions or goals and have not kept them, give yourself an addendum to start over in this new month of February. 

It is important for us to give grace to ourselves. Sometimes, the hardest person to forgive is yourself. Jesus gives grace, and we must give ourselves grace when we mess up. Life hits. It always will. Give yourself a fresh start every month, or even every week, or if necessary, every single day. You are worth it. 

Faith and Trust in the Christmas Story

 The Faith and Trust of the Christmas Story

I love the Christmas season. I love the busy shopping malls, the seasonal foods, the worship services, Christmas movies, and yes, I am one of the people that the Christmas music police come to attack because I play Christmas music super early in the season. (I also play it late into the new year but let’s not tell the Christmas music police.) When I was a child, I loved the anticipation of receiving gifts. When I became a teenager, I tried to find the best gifts for my family. As an adult, I have a come to understand the true joy and peace of Christmas Day which reveals faith and trust in God. 

Christmas reminds us of the obedience and complete trust and faith in God. Everyone that encountered Jesus as a baby, had complete trust and faith in God and revealed their faith and trust through their obedience. The moment Jesus entered the world, he changed the lives of those who encountered him. He still does that today. 

Starting with Mary we see her devout obedience to God and her complete faith. When the angel visited her and gave her the announcement that she was going to have a son, and his kingdom will reign forever, Mary asked how it would be since she never had any sexual relations. When the angel explained that the Spirit of God would come over her and she would conceive, Mary believed it. Before the angel left, she gave her statement of faith. “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be done to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38; CSB) Mary revealed her faith as she trusted that God’s way was perfect and that she was his servant. She obeyed God because of her faith and trust in God. 

Along with Mary, Joseph had his own encounter with an angel. He was going to divorce her quietly before they were married, but the angel explained that she was able to conceive through the power of God. He then married Mary but did not have sexual relations with her until after Jesus was born so that no one could claim that he was the biological father. 

Mary and Joseph had complete trust and faith in God. Like all the other Israelites, they were waiting for the Messiah. They believed that it would be a grand entrance, but instead, Jesus came to earth as a baby. Jesus came to a humble couple who had no idea how they would fulfill all that the angel said, but they were obedient to God’s plan.  Being obedient is not just about not committing specific sins. Being obedient is putting our faith and trust in God, especially during the times of life when it is difficult to put our trust and faith in God. 

Mary and Joseph were not the only people at Jesus’s birth that revealed their faith and trust through obedience to God. There were shepherds out in the fields guarding their sheep at night when they were visited by an angel. The angel told them that the Savior was born. The angel then explained that they would find the baby in a manger wrapped in a swaddling cloth. Then, a multitude of angels came and shouted praise to God. The shepherds decided to go visit and see this baby. Most people know that part of the story, thanks in part to the Charlie Brown Christmas special. If we look closer at this account with the shepherds, we discover that their faith and trust in God superseded everything else in their lives. 

The shepherds left and went and found Jesus in a manger wrapped in a swaddling cloth. After they saw the baby, they went and reported all that they saw and experienced to everyone they met. I have a question. What happened to the sheep that they were guarding? Did they leave them? If they did, they just lost their jobs. It wasn’t their flock of sheep. It was a flock of sheep they were protecting. Did they take the flock with them? If they did, they didn’t have permission to take the flock out of the fields and traipse them through a town.

Whichever choice the shepherds chose, through their obedience they revealed their faith and trust in God was of more importance than their jobs. If we claim to have faith and trust in God, we will put him first, even over our careers, even if our careers are in full-time ministry. With God first in our lives, people will be amazed at the events that we tell them, just like the shepherds. 

The shepherds were not the only visitors that came to visit Jesus. There were Magi who came from the East following a star that they had seen. Herod asked them to come back and tell them where he could find Jesus. They followed that star for almost two years. When they found Jesus, they worshipped him and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. They honored his life of royalty, his worthiness of worship, and a significant death.

The real significance of the Magi was not that they visited and worshipped Jesus, but that they were forever changed. They were not Jewish. They were Gentiles. They were warned in a dream that Herod wanted to harm Jesus, so they returned home a different way. They found Jesus and went home in a new direction. When we come and worship Jesus, we should return home in a different direction with our lives. We should recognize our sin and repent from it. The Magi obeyed and revealed their new faith and trust in God. 

This Christmas, discover how you can be obedient to what God is calling you to do. In your faith and trust in God begin to worship him with your obedience. We must come and understand we obey not because it is a rule or what we must do, but what we get to do because of what Jesus came to earth and did for us. Our obedience will reveal our trust and faith in God. So, have a Merry Christmas with faith and trust in God through your obedience to Him. 

Christmas: A Pagan or Christian Holiday?

 Every year at Christmas my non-Christian friends and friends who do not celebrate Christmas remind me that Christmas originated as a pagan holiday. They then question why would I celebrate it? It made me think. Why would I celebrate a former pagan holiday? Most people today do not know the origins of Christmas. They even get angry if some people greet you with a “Merry Christmas” because they do not believe in. Christ. The holiday has changed from a pagan holiday to a Christian holiday because of the early Christians who found a way to take the power away from evil and instill the power of Christ. 

With the original pagan holiday, they would take the day off from work and celebrate the coming of the winter season. They would decorate their homes with lights and greenery. They would have parties with gift exchanges. Then, some would go to the temple for a human sacrifice. That last part is pure evil but wait. The entire reason Jesus came to earth was to be a human sacrifice. Comparing that pagan holiday with today’s rendition of Christmas we can see what the early Christians did. 

The Christians, who were not snobs but had pagan friends, went to the house parties. At some point, they decided to change the day from evil to good. We don’t know the exact date that Jesus was born, but those Christians decided we needed to celebrate the birth of Christ. His entrance into the world changed everything. So, they took that pagan holiday, and instead of having a human sacrifice, went to the temple and worshipped Jesus who was our human sacrifice for our sins. Those Christians knew the power of Christ. 

Jesus changed the world. He turned B.C. into A.D. His entrance into the world was unassuming. The only people that heard and saw the angels in heaven were the lowly shepherds. So, they went to the barn where Jesus was born. Their lives were changed forever. The Magi visited him, and they were so changed that they took a different route home to avoid Herod. 

Jesus came to earth and walked in our shoes. He understands our hurts and pains. When he was on earth, he was fully God, but he was also fully human. Being fully human he understood the joys and sorrows of the human life. He left his perfect home in heaven to save us. We can celebrate his entrance so we can remind people of the love and grace that Jesus brought to earth. 

Our world needs Jesus. They don’t need our expertise. They don’t need our human judgment. They need Jesus. When we celebrate Jesus this Christmas season, let us remember those who are in pain and need the love of Jesus. Some people may have lost their way with Christmas and buy too many gifts. Others may forget Jesus when they decorate, but all are reminded through the music and books that Jesus came to earth and brought peace and joy. 

So, as you celebrate Christmas, recognize where you see Jesus. He is the light. He brought peace. His way into the world was the way in the manger. He brought the gift of salvation. That gift alone is worth the celebration. When Jesus came to earth, the power was taken from the evil, and the power of Jesus reigned.