according to jeff

I know, our iPocketBible for iPhone is past due. But here’s good news while you wait:

For several years, the sidebar of my blog has had a link to my friend Brian’s blog. The floating description of the blog described the link this way: “The blog of my friend, Brian Hagerman, who will be a pastor soon, I think.”

Today, my prediction was realized.

This morning, I was happy to attend Brian’s appointment service as a pastor of New Life Community Church. (In my church, we call this an ordination, but the function is the same.) Pastor Kurt provided a biblical and uplifting message on the role of pastor/elders and other pastors from the church affiliation were present to provide challenges and words of encouragement. It was a particular blessing to hear both Brian’s father and father-in-law provide testimonies regarding Brian. It’s great to witness the legacy of faith from generation to generation.

Brian, I’m proud of you, and excited to see God work in and through you.

Cedar Rapids pastor Eric Schumacher wrote an article, that some think controversial, regarding that status of marriage in Iowa. Click here to read it.

Godliness with contentment is great gain.
— 1 Timothy 6:6 (NIV)

A while ago, my Facebook status was: “Jeff has too much stuff.”

I’ve been thinking about said stuff. Like many of you, I have more stuff than I need. Like some of you, I have way more stuff than I need. Lately, I’ve decided that I have more stuff than I want.

My stuff could fall into a few simple categories.

1. Stuff that I need but have no special attachment to, such as a refrigerator, a razor, and lawn mower.
2. Stuff that I need a little less but like a little more. This list would include stuff like some pieces of furniture and a car.
3. Stuff that I arguably don’t need at all, but still have some attachment to, such as some artwork, family photos, and some furniture.
4. Stuff that I don’t need at all, but like to have. These would be the total luxuries, like my iPhone.
5. Stuff that I don’t need at all and don’t necessarily want, but can’t (or at least haven’t yet) gotten rid of.

As I’ve been thinking about this variety of stuff, I’ve concluded that there are a very few things that I have that I’d really miss if I didn’t have them. These are the items that I’d take with me if I was moving to a small cabin in the woods. They aren’t necessarily practical in a small cabin in the woods, but I’d want them anyway.

• My MacBook (so that I could update this excellent blog, for instance)
• My iPhone (so that I could follow your Facebook updates)
• An Amazon Kindle, for Bible and leisure reading (the Kindle is a new experience for me; we’ll see if it sticks)
• My Rickshaw Bagworks bag to keep the above three organized and mobile

It’s also helped to think about what I’d take with me if I moved into a smaller home, such as a small cabin in the woods. What, of all the stuff, is worth taking with me?

• I’d like to keep the leather furniture in our family/living room.
• If I needed it, I’d like to keep my office furniture.
• Of course, I’d take Lu’s harp, as it’s lovely to hear her play it.
• We’d need somewhere to sleep and stash our clothes, so I suppose our bedroom furniture will suit that need.
• Some artwork. Just because.

The rest is gravy (good) or dead weight (not so good). Television, books, pickup. Bicycle, snow blower, Pez collection. Piano, Clavinova, juice harp.

God has truly blessed us. To the extent that we’ve been able to use stuff for blessing our children and others, I’m thankful. But sometimes, I’ve learned, if I’m not careful, such stuff can also become a weight keeping me in place instead of freeing me to fully serve.

No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.
— 2 Timothy 2:4 (NIV)

$300 Million – Southern Baptist Convention International Mission Board annual budget, which provides financial support for missionaries working outside of North America.

$310 Million – Amount that Americans spent on the video game “Grand Theft Auto IV” on its first day of release.

Source: World, February 28, 2009, page 75

What do you think of when you read something like this:

About the Authors
   Kerry and Chris Shook founded Fellowship of the Woodlands in 1993 with eight people. Since then, the church has grown to more than fifteen thousand people, becoming one of the largest and most influential churches in America. Its main campus is in The Woodlands, outside of Houston, Texas.
   Striving to elimate the barriers that keep people from experiencing a relationship with Jesus Christ, Kerry and Chris believe that church should be engaging and life-changing. They have touched thousands of under-resourced people locally and in countries around the world through the missions and ministries of Fellowship of the Woodlands.
   Their weekly television program is broadcast to millions of viewers. It can be seen in all fifty states and more than two hundred countries worldwide.
   Kerry and Chris have been married for nearly twenty-five years and have four children.
— from One Month to Live

Do you find yourself thinking…

• Hm. They’re about my age.
• How does my list of life accomplishments stack up to theirs?

I do.

But then I’m reminded of some biblical wisdom from Galatians 6:4 — “Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else.” (NIV)

The New Living Translation puts it like this: “Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else.”

If Paul was writing today, I think he’d write it like this. “A football team has many important players. Some get to throw touchdown passes. Some get to catch touchdown passes. Some have amazing statistics. Some even get to make funny television commercials. But if you’re an offensive lineman, don’t try to compare yourself to the star quarterback. Instead, how well did you do at being an offensive lineman? Do your best at what God has given you to do, and be content with that.”

I occasionally need to be reminded that I need to follow God’s unique plan for my life, and that I can be a success in His eyes by following his plan for me, not his plan for you. When some one else starts with eight great people (and they must have been great) and impacts thousands of lives, I don’t have to compare myself. Instead, I can rejoice for the kingdom!

Faithful readers may recall that in 2008, Lu and I were reading from Dennis and Barbara Rainey’s Walk with You devotional. We were about 67% successful. By that, I mean that we missed only a few days a month for the first 8 months of the year, but somehow stopped during the last few months. I could make up an excuse, but the truth is there wasn’t really a good reason. How did you do with your individual or couples devotional reading goal last year?

This year, I am enjoying the One Year Walk with God Devotional. I found a steeply discounted copy with a cool, imitation leather cover (always a plus). I won’t be surprised if it takes me more than a year to get through it, but based on the first few readings, I think I’ll enjoy it, no matter how long it takes.

I like Christmas.

I like Christmas as a Christian observance, when we remember and commemorate the birth of the Savior. Even though it’s unlikely that Jesus was born on December 25, or even in December, Christmas can be a meaningful season as we consider the significance of our need and the Savior who fully meets that need.

But I also like the Christmas sentiment: gifts, decorations, traditions, Santa, reindeer and elves. There can be a certain sweet sentimentality that I enjoy.

For instance, tonight we watched a Hallmark movie: Moonlight and Mistletoe. It’s not a Christian film. There’s no mention of Jesus or even of church, no matter how generic. There’s not subtle Christian symbolism to strengthen your faith by osmosis. It’s all about Santa, the Christmas spirit, resolved family conflict, and romance. It was predictable and (perhaps not surprisingly) corny, but it was sweet.

And then there’s nice guy Steve Guttenburg’s Single Santa Seeks Mrs. Claus and Meet the Santas, two more Hallmark Christmas shows that mix a little tension with wholesome romance. They’re all about the Christmas spirit with out any of the Christmas Spirit.

And let’s not forget the “classic” The Santa Clause series with Tim Allen.

Speaking of classics, there’s It’s a Wonderful Life and Miracle on 34th Street (both old and new). Both are classic Christmas films that skip the true meaning of Christmas in order to focus on the sentiment of Christmas. Yet, I still like them.

Some Christians reject the celebration of Christmas entirely. Others reject the ungrounded sentimentality. But for now, I’ve opted to both love the Christmas Spirit and like the Christmas spirit, too.
 
 
 
P.S. For a Christmas movie that is really about Christ, consider The Nativity Story.

Here’s a great article about thankfulness, written by my pastor. I think you’ll enjoy it.