Challenging Normal

Here are a couple New Year's Day Superstitions, some I have heard of and some I have not:

Change only comes when the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of change.

Today I am praying and writing out my New Year's Resolutions. Although, I am called them goals. Every year this is something that I love to do. I reach about half of them each year, so I dream big. There is something I heard about 10 years ago that I have tried to live by. "If you aim for the moon, you may hit a star, but if you aim next door, you may hit that as well."

Christmas is over. A lot of people have already taking their decorations down. Radio stations are not playing Christmas music anymore. Stores are having after Holiday Sales. Everyone is gearing up to ring in 2011. A lot of people are ready to put 2010 behind them. Act like the year never happened. I understand. It has not been a banner year for me either. But to want to disconnect your future from your past is not smart. It is like a scuba diver going on a dive without his wet suit or oxygen tank.

There was a day after Christmas in the Bible. I wonder was it as disappointing as the 26th of December in our time? Our culture pushes and pushes Christmas Day so hard that we are let down the day after. What happens next? What do we do now? What is left? His story does not end with His birth. The story of Jesus actually is just beginning. It gets more exciting everyday. As a matter of fact, people still came and worshiped after that Blessed night.

Isaiah 6:9, "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

Spending a couple days down in Adel, GA at my family's for Christmas. Love spendind time down here. I am reminded of how simple life is. A place where friends are family and tradition is important. Christmas is about the birth of Christ and the saving of the world. That is the meaning but it is also about family, tradtions, and love. Everyone should have some tradtions that they hold to every Christmas. My family has had them and yours should too.

Every Christmas Eve when we are down here we always go to Shoney's breakfast buffet. We are like the Klump's from the Nutty Professor but we have fun. Then we fix finger foods to munch on all day. There have been more through the years but as we have gotten older and moved away it has been harder to hold on to them.

Traditions are great and they help you hold on to memories. Sometimes they are memories you might need to let go of. You might need some new traditions this year for Christmas.

When I was young we had a tradition in my family. At some point around Christmas my Grandma would take the Grandkids into the living room and read the Christmas Story. She would not only read it to us, she would charge us the responsibility of placing the figures in the Nativity Scene. It is one of my favorite Christmas memories and as a kid one of my favorite traditions. As I have grown older I have accepted the cookie cutter story. I knew the Wise Men did not come to Bethlehem and I knew it did not play out exactly like my Grandma's little Nativity but I never really pushed it. Here are some thoughts that I have had this season:

This Christmas season has been fun. Getting to decorate a new house and watching lots of Christmas movies.

Over the years I have been a part of a lot of Christmas plays. I can not sing and I can not act so I have never had a leading role. Actually I have never had more than one line. To be honest, I have always hated Christmas plays. As much as I have disliked all the plays, I loved the rehearsals. I loved hanging with my friends and laughing and goofing off. Most of the time I got in trouble but the rehearsals were fun.

It is December 1st. Like I said yesterday you can not stop time. Today is Wednesday and it is my favorite day of the week. It is GAME DAY BABY! It is the day when Thrive students come together and a community is formed. I love those students and am very proud and privileged to get to call myself their Youth Pastor. Tonight we are kicking off our new series "Christmas Conspiracy" with a conversation about Christmas and how lost the meaning really is.