Space on the 12th Day of Christmas

Every year, on the twelfth day of Christmas, my wife and I get to celebrate our wedding anniversary! Tanya and I were married on January 6, 2001. We got a chance to get away for our 11th wedding anniversary yesterday and today! My mom came in to spend some time with Kayla and Tyler.

We went to Crystal Beach, near Galveston. And, get this! We backed up our Honda Pilot right to the ocean's edge, opened the back door, and sat there for hours! It was amazing! The sea gulls were doing their thing, the water was doing what it does best, and we were enjoying the comfortable silence...mesmerized by God's beautiful creation! The only people we encountered during these times were those in the one or two cars that passed by every couple of hours or so.

When was the last time you took advantage of some space to reconnect with God through his creation? You need to do that.

"The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters." Psalm 24:1-2

A Focused Break

I remember the way that I thought while I was in college as Christmas break approached. The stress still lingering from finals, I was ready for a much-needed and much-deserved (at least I thought it was a much-deserved) break from it all!

Once I turned in my last final, my brain said, "I am done! No more. It's over!" My body followed as did (even with the greatest of intentions to avoid it) my spiritual walk! Break in and break out I resolved to read through a book of the Bible, write in my journal every day, meditate on my life in silence, pray for longer periods of time, or some other kind of "super spiritual" thing!

What ended up happening, more often, was sitting on the couch at home, wasting time on the computer, watching TV and movies, hanging out with friends, doing the Christmas thing, and whatever "worthy" thing came along. Basically, I had no plan except to take whatever came.

Well, I still fight those tendencies (see this blog post from 2006 before Thanksgiving) even though there is now much less Christmas break for me. It is mainly filled with traveling here, there, and yonder. While it is still awesome to see family and catch up a little bit, we are on the go with an agenda determined by others. We have this party, that party, another gathering, and more travel between two families.

What can I do to stay focused?

I'm glad you asked because I want to help myself and others who struggle with breaks like I do. Each day, beginning tomorrow, I will be posting a brief, little biblical thought for the day to keep us focused on Jesus. Most likely, these posts will be nothing earth-shattering, mind-blowing, and hair-reducing. They will be simple, straightforward posts designed to help us stay focused on the way of Christ in the midst of the craziness that follows Christmas!

If you want to go on this journey with me, you can subscribe to these posts via email or just check back each day. You could bookmark the tag, Christmas Break Exercise, to see all of these posts at once too!

I pray that this is a blessing to you.

Reverence Matures

The voice is familiar and somewhat vague

Laughs, family, gifts, on stage

The drag is noticed too, distinguished from rest

Jealousy, dishes, money, and guest

It comes to announce good tidings and cheers

It surprises sometimes and new life appears

It follows us hidden down beneath

It retrains itself without relief

They keep it at bay and traditions continue

They perform it again without new venue

They struggle for clarity with all a blur

They hear and doubt the gold and myrrh

What do you hear? What do you feel?

They unite and reverence they reveal

Christmas Break To-Do List

Below is a list of good ideas for college students to consider doing during Christmas break, a time when we are tempted to go on break from our commitment to Christ. I tailored this idea specifically for the Kats for Christ ministry.

1. Discuss how you’ve grown spiritually this semester with at least one family member.
2. Take one whole day alone with Jesus.
3. Hang out with one person from high school with whom you need to reconnect.
4. Read one book of the Bible you’ve never read before.
5. Plug in fully to your church – volunteering, attending, going to the college ministry – even if it’s way less awesome than the Kats for Christ.
6. Tell your parents how much you appreciate them.
7. Pray regularly that God would make you the kind of student that glorifies Him best.
8. Pray through your course schedule for next semester and discern whether God would have you change anything.
9. Read one Christian book. (Ask Chris if you need ideas!)
10. Take at least three days in a row to fully rest.
11. Contact Chris at least once to let him know how things are going and how he can pray for you.
12. Help your parents in some way that surprises them.
13. Prayer walk a college campus in or near your town, even if it’s a rival school.
14. Pray for the Kats for Christ ministry every day (and write down anything God shows you).
15. Pray for your upcoming professors. By name.
16. Think up ways to serve your upcoming professors.
17. Pray through your areas of campus involvement. What needs to change?
18. Pray through your Kats for Christ ministry involvement. What needs to change?
19. Go through your closets at home and donate things you know you will never use anymore.
20. Keep doing the spiritual habits you’ve developed at college – avoid skipping even once, or it’ll be hard to keep the habit all Break.
21. Call your closest friends regularly, and keep each other on track spiritually.
22. Connect with Christian youth in your town (or even their parents), and help them think about preparing for college.

Even though this list is for those in college, some of them remind me that I too am tempted to "go on break" from my normal commitment to Christ!

Lord, may you strength me as I get ready for Christmas break. May my mind and heart turn toward your goodness and newness offered everyday. You have made today what it is, with its struggles and triumphs. I praise you for this day! I thank you! I imagine your smile wrapping me up into your love during Christmas break. Lead me, Lord, closer to you!

Christmas Party

Last night our annual Kats for Christ Christmas Party went off without a hitch. It was actually quite surprising! We were working on it all day long. Cleaning, getting supplies together, cooking, cooking some more, running again to get supplies, and all the little details that had to get done. Oh yeah...we also put up all our Christmas decorations yesterday too!! I cant' believe how much stuff we got done yesterday.

This was the first time that I cooked 40 chicken breasts all at once. I was rather proud of that! They all fit on the KFC BBQ pit at once too. I had forgotten a light to see the chicken, so by the end it was hard to see if the chicken was completely done or not. It all worked out fine and we praise God for the fun we had last night.

I wonder how much energy we are going to put into walking with the Lord today. Are we going to think about all the details? How are we going to decorate our lives with Christ today? What supplies do we need to gather? Ask for God's Spirit to guide you closer to him today.