One Pastor's Perspective

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Do you know what Freon is?? It is the DuPont brand-name for the refrigerant gas that makes your air conditioner cold in the summer and makes your heat pump hot in the winter. Why do I have it in my blood, you ask??? Because I grew up working on air conditioners with my dad.

Dad retired a couple of years ago, but for over 45 years he was a commerical HVAC mechanic. Working with a nationally-known company out of Greenville, he has flown and driven all over doing this kind of work. As a kid, I remember several flights of his to the naval base at GTMO, Cuba.

Yesterday, he was at the beach replacing an outdoor unit for my cousin. I went down there for the day to be his “muscle.” It is kind of neat how that stuff comes back to you. And what I really enjoyed was the time with my dad. These last few years, and the medical problems, have taken a toll on my dad. HOWEVER, he hasn’t lost his touch when it comes to HVAC. And I am glad to see that.

WHY is Christmas so stressful?? Why is traffic in Florence get worse every day in December? Why does this holiday, which is all about peace on earth and goodwill to men, bring out the worst in us when we are at the big sale??

All I can come up with is this: Would Satan steal your peace and joy? ABSOLUTELY. Would he try to convince us that this holiday is all about us as opposed to being all about Jesus Christ? You bet. One of my personal triggers is traffic. Traffic in Florence is getting worse and worse, earlier and earlier every day in December. How much worse can it get?

In days like these, we need to pause and remember the true meaning of Christmas: It is tied directly to Easter AND to Creation itself. God made a way to restore our broken relationship with Him. That Way, of course, is Jesus Christ.

Prophets Foretold Him

The news broke this morning that Andruw Jones has agreed on a preliminary deal with the LA Dodgers for a measley $36.2 million for two years. Now, IF he were a member of Ebenezer, I would say NOTHING!!!! (and hope he would tithe!) But, seriously, it boggles my mind that a baseball player would make over 18 million a year!

And I don’t even think about the loyalty issue anymore . . . That is long gone. When Brett Butler (Braves centerfielder from long ago) left fot LA for more money, I got mad. I couldn’t believe it, and I didn’t know if I should be mad at him or at the front office in ATL.

In the modern era, nothing like this shocks me anymore. And maybe it is time for Andruw to move on.

Is Christmas a magical time of the year?? I will be the first to tell you about the REAL meaning of Christmas (NO, it is NOT commercial sales). It is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

But, there IS something in the air . . . Last night we had a little friend over. Krissy was babysitting the son of a friend and he came over here for a couple of hours. And his eyes lit up when he saw the tree! And when he saw the train (which we still haven’t put around the tree, but is working well). Drew set the train up for a little while, but the magic I am writing about was the spark in his eyes.

That is one of the cool things about Christmas — The look in the eyes of a little child. As we grow older it is easy to forget about that spark, that twinkle . . . But last night I was reminded of it and I am sorry I ever forgot it!

Wow . . . This year has gone by at light speed. The older I get, the faster they go.

Christmas around any church is a great time of year and probably the busiest. Lots of stuff on the calendar, special times of worship, one thousand Sunday School parties (I will never make all of them, and the ones I don’t make will be mad), all kinds of special music, and people that we won’t see any other time of the year.

The Hanging of the Green service was last night, and it was packed. We even had some people in the overflow room we set up in the Fellowship Hall. I wish those folks would come EVERY Sunday night, because Sunday night has actually become something fun. But, alas . . .

No time to dwell on that: It is December again. I’ve got too much to do!!!

Our Present Suffering

I have always told my children that doing the right thing is seldom the easy thing, but it is ALWAYS the right thing. Does that make sense??

A modern example of that is happening to a friend of mine right now. To make a long story really short, a man at his church was showing inappropriate (a nice way of saying pornographic) pictures to children. My friend did the right thing, which is to call the police!!

(By the way, that is EXACTLY what I would do. Illegal is ILLEGAL . . . I would have no right to ignore the law, even if the man is my Christian brother. When it comes to the safety of children, there is NO GRAY AREA.)

The problem comes in the fact that the family of the man has really given the church staff a hard time FOR CALLING THE COPS! And good people are standing by and letting this happen!

It is bad enough that people, no matter how influencial they are in a church or community, would desire to cover up this kind of sickness. But my friend did the right thing . . . And God knows that. And I believe God will hold that family (AND anyone who stands by and lets it happen) accountable for all of the hurt and damage they cause the staff of that church. It amazes me when good people will stand by and watch bad things happen and do nothing. Sometimes we just don’t want to be bothered. PEOPLE, those moments are the very times we MUST take a stand!!

So, if you did the right thing and are catching the full fury of whomever for it, ride the wave . . .God has the last say in this matter, and He will not leave you swinging in the wind.

PS – Two things about this post: My friend does not live ANYWHERE NEAR FLORENCE, so don’t try to think this is a local church. He is far away. ALSO, if you are going to post a comment to this, at least be man/woman enough to SIGN IT. And then I MIGHT be willing to post it.

AND a request: If you are quoting scripture in any response, please include a book, chapter, and verse reference and keep it in CONTEXT!! 🙂

Is it enough that most of the Clemson faithful were ready to CAN HIM if he lost to USC?? After a year of ONLY THREE LOSSES??

Read what the ACLU is trying to do to Coach Bowden over a VOLUNTARY, ONCE A YEAR church day that he requests the team to do:

ACLU says Bowden’s visits to church violates players’ rights