Archive for November 2011

The Jesus Clause

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Well, Folks, here it is; the inevitable Santa post. I've been pondering this for a while now, tossing around the different ways to approach the topic. One thing I have learned is that your message will always be lost if the hearer becomes defensive. That's tough when your subject matter is controversial, so I have to deal delicately with this. I do not want this post to be perceived as "you're a horrible parent if you teach your kids about Santa". Rather, I want to outline exactly why my husband and I have decided to not do the Santa thing. See, the thing about it is, we're often made to be the horrible parents for our decision, so I know what that label feels like. What I have observed from many friends through the years is the assumption of the Santa tradition without much consideration. Meaning, it's just something that everyone does; it's something that I did as a kid; it's something that all of our friends do; what harm is there in it? So, for the rest of this post I'm going to explain our decision-making process. As always, if you disagree with me I welcome discussion.

Jump In

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This blog has been up and running for nearly 9 months now. During that time we've discussed a variety of topics, all pointing to one central theme: genuine relationships with Christ. The title of this blog, "Christian by Association", has a double meaning. On one hand, it's what I feel best describes those who Jesus is speaking about in Matthew 7. When he says, "Depart from me I never knew you", He's saying that to believers, not atheists. He's talking to people who think they're getting in. People who have gone to church, done "good" things, and who "deserve" a reward at the end. The problem is, they are Christian only in the sense that they are associated with Christian things. They're missing it in a big way. What I want to be, and what I want every one of you to be, is a Christian who is defined by my association with Jesus Christ Himself. I want people to look at me and see someone who stands out. Someone who lives and breathes the love of Christ. Not someone who walks, talks, and acts like a "Christian", but someone who walks, talks, and acts like CHRIST. So, how do we do that? 


First, we gear up for a hard road. Following Christ is not easy. It is not comfortable. It is not passive. If we're truly striving to be like Jesus, then we have to be prepared for the same reception that He had; anticipating anything else is assuming that you can somehow do it better than he did. 

Our Response

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As Christians in America we are often very flippant with the words we use. We toss around "love" like it's a hot potato. We're constantly saying things like, "I'm starving", "I'm dying of thirst", "This was the worst day of my life", and so on. Last night I was hit over the head with another misused word . . . Conviction. I say it often. I was convicted about this, I was convicted about that, this is so convicting. And yet I fail to act. That's not conviction. Here's the conversation I had with God last night.


God: "It's heartbreaking, isn't it?"
Me: "Yes, it is."
God: "Do you know what is the most heartbreaking for me?"
Me: "The children?"
God: "No. What hurts me most is not the situation, it's your lack of response to it."
Me: "Oh. Well, I do stuff. You know, I sponsor a kid in Bangladesh. We send her money every month. We do other things to, I mean, we're not totally oblivious. It's just a difficult time in our life, you know with the kids and all. I mean, I'm definitely convicted though."
God: "Are you?"
Me: "Well, sure! That was gut wrenching. We could certainly be doing more."
God: "You're right. Not only could you be doing more, you should be doing more. Now, what are you going to do?"

Facebook Fast

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I often hear people compare Facebook to a train wreck . . . you know, you don't want to look but you just can't help it. I think that descriptor is only accurate for those really sick people who find joy and fulfillment in watching a tragedy unfold. No, I would liken Facebook to that old saggy woman in Wal-Mart who wears daisy dukes and high heels. The one whose brain has somehow glazed over the past 30 years of life and convinced her that she's still 25, still looks good in those shorts, and that everyone is staring not out of horror but rather out of sheer jealousy. Yep, that's Facebook. While we don't want to look at a train wreck, we can't wait to look at that woman! We can't wait to snap a picture with our phones and share it with everybody. And truth be told, the worse she looks the more excited we get, though we would never admit that. Isn't that just like our online world? Regardless of what we say, the addiction of social networking stems from the constant affirmation that it provides, and the relentless stream of unadulterated drama that it gives us. Grown people act like teenagers, while teenagers try to appear grown. Married people trade in their wedded "bondage" for the freedom they find in their alternate Facebook personas. What is considered good and acceptable in our everyday face-to-face reality somehow gets blurry when it's translated onto a computer screen. We're bolder. We're more familiar. And, truth be told, we're much, much, stupider.  

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