Joy during the Christmas season ~

 Joy is a tough one for me. I feel joyful but don’t seem to be perceived as joyful.

I laugh heartily in private and with loved ones but tend to be reserved around others. But I don’t think laughter is a good measure of joy.

I smile plenty, but it tends to be a wry smile while going through something that requires patience on my part. The smile helps me feel better and hopefully puts others at ease. (Though I tend to feel like a shark or lately an orca when I smile :-)

Most of the Jewish people I’ve known have been sarcastic questioners of everything, including gifts from others. That’s just my experience, which is limited to a tight circle of space and time around my life. It’s almost as if their search for a Savior has become background noise and their focus is on the nation of Israel and on improving the lives of their families and children.

As I learn more and more about Christianity I am becoming more and more convinced that we have a wrong take on things. We live in time in a kingdom ruled by created beings that fell from the good graces of the Creator. That means that the birth of Jesus was a huge undercover operation that inserted him into this kingdom under cover of night. There were signs that it was happening - the prophecies, the stories, the star, the angels talking to Zechariah, Mary, Joseph. But after the covert insertion of Jesus into this world the angels burst forth in enemy territory to proclaim the arrival of their invading King.

It must have been amazing to the shepherds to have seen angels flying and singing! They had to look strange and different because they are not of this kingdom we live in. And we’ve always been told the angels sang their songs of joy to shepherds because Jesus came for everyone, but what if the angels sang their songs of joy heralding the arrival of their king out there because the rulers and princes of this world would have killed them if they did it in more populated areas? Hmmm

I feel joy when I think about the other kingdom that I am a part of. God’s kingdom. It’s hard to express it but it is a warm glow inside of me. Sure, this kingdom we are in now gets me down and drives a lot of my reactions but I feel joy knowing that I have a Savior that came and redeemed me so that I can be with him now and in his kingdom. And that I will be there after I leave this kingdom.

I hope that you feel that joy this Christmas season.

 

Bonus material:

Joy (What The World Calls Foolish)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9aJOCpRuxk

C S Lewis on Joy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7JAVvioOUU

Article: The Difference Between Joy and Happiness

https://www.verywellmind.com/joy-vs-happiness-8724682

 

#advent #christmas

Whose fault is that ~

One of the hardest phrases that I've had to deal with in seeking communication is, "And whose fault is that?" My mother always wanted to know who was at fault and always placed blame somewhere else.



There was always some outside influence or somebody that was out to get you. I grew up scared and fearful and careful to the point that I carry my wallet in my front pocket to this day. I've had that within my larger family.



I have a relative that when somebody would say they didn't know something their response when I was around was almost always "And whose fault is that?" Then they would explain that it was the fault of the person that didn't know the item.



This usually placed the person asking about something on the defensive because they didn't ask questions sooner or they didn't seek out the information. I got asked that, too, and I've been made to feel guilty because I didn't know something that nobody shared with me.



That's happened multiple times throughout my life, like changes of address, phone numbers, surgeries. names given to babies, all sorts of things. And it's always my fault that I didn't know because I didn't ask or I didn't stay close enough to pick it up in passing because nobody made the effort to let me know.



And that's the thing, as I hope to be included, I'm not. And I end up having to chase people for the information that I wish that I had. I've reached a point to where I don't chase people now. If you don't share it with me, I don't know it.



And then when you act like I should know it, I'm probably just going to look at you. Or you may have the "volatile when shaken" reaction because I'm surprised and hurt again to not have been included in something.



I don't know, I'm becoming more and more at peace with things and I like that. I just...hoped for something different.



But I accept the way things are. And whose fault is that? Mine.

Faith during the Christmas season ~

Faith is the evidence of things hoped for, the substance of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1

For me faith can be a lot like trust. When I go to sit in a chair I trust that the chair will support me and that I will not fall in the floor when I put my full weight on it.

If a certain type of chair caves when I sit on it in the future I will probably not sit on that type of chair without hesitating. That doesn't mean I don't believe the chair exists or is really a chair, I just hesitate and shy away from it. But almost always I will try again.

God is like that for me. Over and over I've put my full trust in him and found that he supported me through everything. Not always in obvious ways. not always in the way that I wanted, but I always realize at some point that he did.

An example: I currently have a situation where I feel betrayed and I keep asking God why it happened. As I continue to react to my pain with sadness and anger I have starting shifting from asking "why" to thanking God for my freedom from the betrayer. And as I do this I have a sense that God is right there with me in the sadness and anger. I keep going back and then working through the process again, over and over, and with each iteration the cycle time gets shorter and shorter. That feeling comes from a place of faith.

I have faith that you will see things happening around you this Christmas season that will point you toward a renewed faith in God.

Bonus material:

Passion - O Come All Ye Faithful: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wW4R4lfUQI

CS Lewis on faith: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Nh-_PEH25o#ddg-play

#advent #christmas

Hope during the Christmas season ~

Christmas season brings a lot of mixed feelings for me. My children are adults, some with their own children. I've reached the age where I no longer have to work at a job reporting to someone else. My daily, weekly, and monthly activities have changed to be more healthy and relaxed (most of the time). 

And yet I still enjoy the hope that the Christmas season brings. I still enjoy hearing the story of how God sent his son Jesus to be born. I believe in the salvation story taught in the Bible and have put my faith and trust in a God I can't see.

I watch as the Israeli people, with their 5000+ year history, fight to defend themselves still. 

And I marvel at the hope I see and read about. For all the dystopian programming the entertainment industry pushes in every channel of communication they invent people still yearn for the Savior we celebrate the birth of this season

My hope is that you will feel the hope the Israelites have felt for so long as they have waited for their Savior.

Bonus material:

- Prayers For This World by Pentatonix

https://youtu.be/qzav80_4kao?si=H2akivnB4vg3ebuJ

- Book- The Source by James Michener

Great story about Israel that spans the centuries. Long but good read!

https://a.co/d/7qEx3BZ

- Post: C S Lewis as atheist turned apostle

https://www.cslewis.com/c-s-lewis-as-atheist-turned-apostle/

#advent #christmas

Age of distraction ~

People act like this age of distraction is new and has reached a level that is unheard of. But I've seen some things over the course of my life. 

I remember driving down the road on the interstate in the city of Atlanta and I looked over to my side because something caught my eye and the guy driving the vehicle alone beside me had a full -size newspaper unfolded with two pages leaning on his steering wheel while he steered and read the newspaper.

I slowed down and let him get on by me.

On a band trip I ended up riding in the camper with the band director and the drum major and while we were driving at 75 miles per hour down the road. The drum major and the driver swapped positions behind the driver's wheel while still going down the interstate. We did not slow down. They had set cruise control and this was in traffic in the middle lane of a three -lane interstate road.

I've seen multiple people using their phones while driving. I've used my phone while driving but that's more recent than the newspaper and the camper hot swap.

And there's always the parent reaching around to chastise a child. Or reposition a baby bottle. Or hold something while they're driving because it's slipping from the position that they had it in in the packed backseat.

And even worse is when a driver and a passenger are both riding down the road with their arms out the window holding something on the roof of the vehicle while they drove slowly. Soon, we'll have Google Glass wannabes driving down the road with augmented reality hovering in front of their eyes and making them twitch and swerve when there's nothing there, just so they can get a better view of some icon hovering in their little artificial world.

The bug-eyed privileged among us will teach us how to keep our distance without having the COVID virus or whatever the next disaster is that they'll try to force us to do things with.

Be careful out there, distracted people are everywhere. And with the litigiousness of our society, it'll almost always be your fault when they get hurt. The lawyers will make sure of that.

Be careful.

Getting off the bus ~

I recently retired from a career with the federal government. I worked for over 35 years in the air traffic control system, starting as a controller and then working my way through staff positions, traffic management/efficiency, evaluations, program/project management and implementation, and management positions at facily, regional, and national levels both in and out of the operation. I even got to do some software development along the way and helped develop and implement a nationwide information management system as well as a few local software tools for my facility.

I don't share this to brag, I'm sharing my accomplishments. But I left my career quietly. No trumpets and fanfare, just a quiet exit. It was like I was getting off of a really loud and raucous bus.

It's been so relaxing to unwind and decompress. But I still get twinges of what feels like guilt for not making a bigger deal about the end of my career.

I had several of my "guys" that retired while I was responsible for them. Most of them left the same way, telling me that they did NOT want any celebrations or parties, they just wanted to fade into the woodwork. Most of the other people were bothered by this and tried to do things, but I reminded them of what the retiring people's wishes and we kept it low-key.

I guess I saw that and wanted something similar, to just step from one existence into the promised existence without making a big deal of it. My wife and several others have thought it strange but have kept it low-key for me.

I do find it fascinating that only one of my managers texted me to congratulate me. The others were way too focused on getting better seats on the bus while it was moving. Or trying to tell the driver where to turn as soon as the bus got going again.

I feel so much more relaxed now. No threats from the union or other managers, no crises that make me think the world is going to end, just day-to-day living at my pace.

Thank you, God, for your blessings and fulfilled promises!

Early is on time ~

When I have an appointment or something happening at a specific time, I do my best to get there a few minutes early. For me, it's a sign of respect to get there early and be able to say hello or get in and sit quietly waiting and watching as people gather for whatever it is. It's also a time to keep things relaxed instead of being stressed and wound up tight as I rush to try to get there at the last minute.

I used to get there right at the last minute a lot. I prided myself on being able to time things so that I could overcome whatever obstacles jumped up unexpectedly and still get there just as something started. I was embarrassed a lot because I got there a couple of minutes late. I was very tense and the pressure that I put on myself was eventually too much.

As my kids went through high school they were in band. I think all of their band directors had a saying that being five minutes early is on time, and being on time is late.

This was especially true for high school kids, teenagers, because they would get there on time and then have to get their instruments out and have to talk and joke around and figure out where they needed to be and all that stuff.

So if everybody showed up at the appointed time, then 10 minutes later, practice still has not started. I know that some people will go ahead and schedule things with a buffer time, trying to allow for the people that show up late.

I stopped doing that because if you don't have enough respect for me to be on time, then I really don't want to wait for you.

Do your best to get there five minutes early so that you can show respect for the organizer and actually be comfortable as you ease your way into the event, whatever it might be.

Go for it!


#us