Tag: Christmas

The Real Meaning of Christmas

Trees, tinsel, lights, gifts, cards, etc, etc. That’s outward “Christmas.” But what is the real meaning of Christmas? I bet you say simply the birth of Christ. But it goes way deeper than celebrating a birth over 2,000 years ago. The real meaning of Christmas is seeking to have Jesus Christ reborn in you. Each one of us.

I know I have been reborn in Jesus years ago. But Christmas is about experiencing that birth again. Of course you can be reborn in Jesus any day or time during the year. But Christmas is just that check at the end of the year to experience that rebirth, or birth for the first time, again.

There are lots of crosses being worn, especially by the politicians, to show that they are Christians. But it’s not about wearing anything externally or living Christianity on your sleeve. It’s about Jesus being reborn inside of you and living in your heart. Following Jesus—what true, real Christianity is about—is not about words and wearing things. It’s about what’s in your heart and how you live your life.

Rebirth in you. Tha’s what Christmas is truly about.

I’ll be back before the rebirth of Christmas but let the rebirth start happening!

Is Christmas Over?

No. Every day is Christmas if you wake each day celebrating the birth of Christ in you. A new day is a new birth. It’s that simple.

Regardless of what you did the day before, if you repent what you did wrong and ask God for forgiveness, you are forgiven. And the next day will be the birth of Jesus in your heart, if you just allow it.

Christmas is not over if you celebrate the birth of Jesus in your heart each day. And New Year resolutions are meaningless if you approach each day as the New Year, resolving to put sin behind you and Jesus in front of you.

Celebrate Christmas today, tomorrow, and every day in the New Year!

Follow Your North Star

The Wise Men, who were astrologers by trade, followed that they knew best—a star. They followed the North Star as it guided them to Jesus. Whether you know it or not, we all have a “North Star” in our lives that will lead us to Jesus. It’s in our hearts waiting to lead us to Jesus.

Jesus is always there in our lives, not just on Christmas day. He is less than a heartbeat away, just waiting for us to find Him. You just have to quiet your life, reach inside, LISTEN for/to Jesus, and you will find Him.

This isn’t rocket science or religious mumbo-jumbo. It’s just life. Jesus is always there. You just need to turn to Him and follow your own “North Star” to Jesus.

Wishing you a blessed, joyous, and peaceful Christmas!

Jesus: Surrender and Rebirth

There is never a better time than Christmas to surrender to Jesus and share in His birth—our rebirth. Just as Jesus surrendered on the cross, and then was “reborn” in his spirit body, now is the time for us to do the same. Surrender completely to Jesus and be “reborn” with Him this Christmas.

What is surrender? Jesus had one commandment for us—to LOVE everyone.

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35)

So, surrendering to Jesus is really simple—just LOVE one another. That means laying down any anger, hate, and any other emotion that is not LOVE. Complete surrender is complete LOVE. There are no exceptions. Do this and as we celebrate the birth of Jesus. And celebrate our “rebirth” in Jesus. It’s an amazing feeling.

I know that in this world of division, animosity, and hate it is easy to in the very least be angry with people and bear grudges. I get angry all the time at people. But anger gets in the way of surrendering—and rebirth. Surrendering is putting everything but LOVE aside. Not easy; but necessary.

I’ll be back before Christmas but wishing all the very best of this magical season.

Rebirth

As fast as the Christmas decorations went up after Thanksgiving—even before, in many cases—they now come down. Christmas becomes a memory except for returning the gifts that were the wrong size or that you want to exchange for something else. But you’re missing the real reason for Christmas if you don’t have a rebirth. That means that you let the child and spirit of Jesus be reborn in your heart, mind, and soul.

It’s easy to forget but we celebrate Christmas to remember the birth of our Savior, Jesus. He came into our lives to give our lives direction, meaning, and salvation. His birth should be our rebirth, at least every year renewing ourselves to give direction, meaning, and salvation to our lives. We all look at New Year’s to make all types of resolutions and course corrections. However, for Christians—true followers and believers in Jesus; not just “lip service” Christians—Christmas is the real time for a rebirth and reevaluation of our lives.

In all of this I’m not talking about some alleluia, sky-parting revelation. I’m simply talking about taking stock of your life in the context of Jesus. How does he figure into your life day to day? Is Jesus really a part of your life? Do you “talk” to Jesus? Do you read His words? Do you try to follow in His footsteps? These are some of the questions that go into a Christmas rebirth.

I have really fallen down in my posts this year. Fixing that is part of my own rebirth evaluation. If what I write helps one other person then that’s a good thing. But my writings start with my own self-evaluation. They are a way for me to reflect. They are a discipline to reflect.

Wishing you all the best of this rebirth season and a blessed New Year ahead!

Puppy Lessons

Sometimes I don’t know what we were thinking. Empty nesters on the “older” side of life and here we are with a new puppy. In fact, we drove 30 hours round trip to pick up Rip, a Portuguese Water Dog, who certainly is a “rip.” If you forget what a puppy is like, especially a working dog full of vim and vigor, it’s about testing authority, getting into trouble, peeing in the house, and just being a puppy. But that puppy is dependent on you for everything. To keep him/her safe and fed. Without you, a puppy is lost.

I know it’s crazy but I’ve been reflecting on my relationship with our new puppy and my relationship with God. I test His authority all the time. In fact, I test His bounds of authority. It’s all about me, as Rip is all about him. I screw up all the time. But I know God looks into my face and just smiles. God has a warm heart just like I have for Rip, no matter what he does. The difference is God doesn’t get mad at me, He just continues to love me unconditionally, no matter what I do.

Putting myself in the paws (BIG paws) of a puppy may be a strange way of looking at my relationship with God. But it works for me. I am totally dependent on God for life and daily sustenance. Without God I am lost. God is everything to me—or should be everything to me—as Rip is to me, especially when he needs me, is hungry, and needs some attention.

A puppy keeps you young at heart! And a big smile on your face. You may get upset at times when the toilet paper gets unraveled all throughout the house but the look in those puppy eyes heals all anger. I’m no puppy, although I may act like one at times, but there is a lot to learn from my puppy and reflecting on my relationship with God. I’m simply lost without Him!

Have a WONDERFUL week heading into Christmas!!! Blessings and peace as we celebrate the birth of our Savior!

Who Are the Children of God?

You. Me. Everyone past, present, and future. Pretty simple. We are all the children of God. I have to remind myself of that when the guy at the gym let’s his mask slip down on his face. When the woman in the 15-limit line at the supermarket has 35+ items. When someone cuts me off in traffic. When one of the many holier-than-thou pundits on TV talk down about everyone else. The list goes on and on. No matter what someone says to you or does to you, we all have one thing in common—we are all children of God.

God created each one of us in His own likeness. His DNA is our DNA. God is the builder and He is the lover. He loves us all equally and unconditionally. That’s a far cry from us. We expect love to get love. And we certainly don’t love equally. In fact, we don’t love—or even like—many people around us. We typically don’t even think about strangers at all.

As this Christmas season counts down, my goal is to try to view everyone I encounter as just another child of God. As a brother and sister. I’m trying to think about the birth of a child that was sent to save us in the ultimate sacrifice—giving His life. The gift of Christmas to all His children is the gift of salvation. A gift given equally and unconditionally to each one of us. The children of God.

Have an OUTSTANDING week ahead!

Mulligans

I like to think of the New Year as giving me a second (and third, fourth, fifth, etc, etc.) chance at renewal. There’s something psychological about the fresh start the New Year brings. Dieting, exercising, being a better person, doing something different with your life, whatever. The New Year gives us another chance at changing. But then it hits me that God gives us a second chance every day. In fact, every second of every day. And God doesn’t count how many mulligans (sorry; that’s golf for “do-over”) He gives us in life. They are infinite.

I love the fact that Christmas is a week before New Year’s Day. It reminds me that God gave His only Son for us to give us all those mulligans in life. Jesus wiped out all our sins—past, present, and future. They are all forgiven if we just acknowledge them and ask for that forgiveness Jesus was born into our lives on Christmas morning. So, the new year may be psychological but it’s not important because, in a way, every day is New Year with Jesus in our lives.

We all screw up. Some  more than others (I’m in that camp!). I love what St. Paul says, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” (Romans 7:15). Bingo!!! That’s me. I know what I should do but I don’t do it. That’s why I need a lot of mulligans. It’s pretty amazing that the guy (Paul) who almost singlehandedly spread Christianity to the world knew that he screwed up. Guess I’m in good company.

Thank you Jesus for those mulligans!

Wishing you the very best of the New Year ahead. Blessings, joy, health, and prosperity!!!

The Season of Expectations

If there’s one holiday that’s about expectations it’s Christmas. Whether child or adult, there’s that expectation of Christmas morning and the opening of presents. Whether you focus on getting or giving, there are expectations all the same. I get it and have the same expectations. But this season I’m trying to focus my expectations on Jesus truly being born again in all our lives. I’m not taking the fun out of Christmas. Just trying to focus on what Christ(mas) is all about. Christ, birth, and beginning.

It’s harder than ever to not get swept up with the commercial side of Christmas. Putting up the tree and all the directions, shopping online or at the store for presents, and baking those Christmas cookies. We even ventured into New York City for dinner with friends and we’ll be back for a family dinner next week, when my niece turns 21 the day before Christmas Eve, when my brother turns 50. Great time of year!

But in all the season rush, I’m trying to stay focused on the main even. The birth of Jesus Christ. Because that’s what this is really all about. Not a birth that took place 2,000+ years ago but a birth that should take place in each one of us on Christmas. Our expectations should be met by that birth and the joy, peace, and gratitude that comes with it.

Try to keep your expectations focused on the really important thing this year. Spend some time thinking about it and taking it all in. Seemingly “insignificant” people from an “insignificant” part of the world giving birth to a child in a barn in a manger where the animals feed. It’s a seemingly “insignificant” event that was the most important event in the history of the world then and ever to come. Try to make it the most important, significant event in your life!

I’ll try to write again by Christmas but if I don’t, let me wish you all the peace and joy of Christmas. Enjoy!!!  

Giving Thanks (for Real!)

OK. Thanksgiving, a time with an emphasis on eating (way too much), is over, we’ve survived Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and the Christmas season is in full force. In fact, it seems it was in full force three weeks or so before Thanksgiving with all the decorations already out! We give a lot of lip service to giving thanks at this time of year and preparing the way for the Lord but the commercialism of the season often drowns out the real giving of thanks. Don’t let that happen!

If there is ever a time of year we should give thanks, reflect on everything we have in this country, and truly prepare for the birth (rebirth) of Jesus in our lives it’s this time of year. This should be a season of giving, smiling, and helping anyone in any way possible. Simply put, it’s a season to be nice.

I’m first in line for taking for granted everything I have, from the little things to the big. But I’m going to do my best this season to be thankful, to be happy, and to be helpful. There is so much (and so many) that divides us. To make us unhappy, and downright angry. I’m going to do my best to be the opposite. In my own little way to be a uniter, rather than a divider. I can’t change the world but I can sure try in my own little way. Change happens one person at a time.

Wishing you the very best of this thankful season that really should prepare for the way of the Lord in our lives!