images from vacation-

I took a week off between Christmas and new year's- it was a daddy-daughter-week! here are some pictures of our fun week together:

we went to christmas in the park with aunt susan,

opened a bunch of presents in san jose and in modesto,

worked on some puzzles,

saw a couple of movies-

made a couple of new dolls- amanda pig and lollipop-

made a new lightswitch out of pottery,

we worked on our basketball skills,

and we played about a million games of yahtzee, nearly wore out our dvd of the ginch cartoon, went to togo's for a snack each day, ate at a bunch of different restaurants, and drew lots and lots of pictures. what a relaxing and fun week together! now deanna is ready to go back to being a teacher, jane is ready to go back and be a student, and I'm ready to go back to work at the church.
being a dad is fun.
-rev-rob

another chapel story

last week I spoke at a local Christian school that many of our students attend. I started off with a reader’s theater style Christmas pageant, where students volunteered to be one of the characters in the Christmas story, and read their lines off of the screen. after that, I closed with some thoughts on Christmas.
I started taking volunteers. one girl that goes to our group, Elizabeth, really wanted to play the angel Gabriel. after we chose all of the characters, our play began. there was only one problem- the school that we were at had a messed up projector, and you couldn’t really see the words on the slides. this was especially hard for Elizabeth the angel, because Gabriel has a lot of lines in the Christmas story.
we got to one part, my favorite part, and there was just no way that Elizabeth was going to be able to read the lines of the story off of the slide- it was too messed up.
I said to her, “do you want to just read my script?”
she said, “no- I’ve been memorizing this verse- I can just say it from memory.”
then she turned to her peers in the crowd, held out her arms and said loudly:
“Do not be afraid! I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people! Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you! He is Christ the Lord! This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
then the crowd of students in the audience played the company of angels.
they read their part off of the screen and loudly shouted:
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."


and the beauty of the story came alive to me all over again.


merry Christmas!
God is love.
-rev-rob

lectio divina:: isaiah 43

i've been reading through isaiah recently-
it was written 700 years before the birth of christ, yet it has so much to say about him.
it refers to him as the "suffering servant," and also "wonderful counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace," and immanuel.


here are 2 prophecies that have been especially comforting:
isaiah 42:1-4 "Look at my servant, whom I strengthen. He is my chosen one, who pleases me. I have put my Spirit upon him. He will bring justice to the nations. He will not shout or raise his voice in public. He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. He will bring justice to all who have been wronged. He will not falter or lose heart until justice prevails throughout the earth. Even distant lands beyond the sea will wait for his instruction."


the new living translation has a footnote that says, "greek version reads: "and his name will be the hope of all the world."
that's an overwhelming thought- that the entire world will find its hope in the name of jesus. the entire world can dream of a better future, and they can discover it in christ.
the footnote points to matthew 12:21 where matthew confirms that this prophecy refers to jesus.


next chapter-
isaiah 43:15-20:
"I am the Lord, your Holy One,
Israel’s Creator and King.
I am the Lord, who opened a way through the waters,
making a dry path through the sea.
I called forth the mighty army of Egypt
with all its chariots and horses.
I drew them beneath the waves, and they drowned,
their lives snuffed out like a smoldering candlewick.
“But forget all that—
it is nothing compared to what I am going to do.
For I am about to do something new.
See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?
I will make a pathway through the wilderness.
I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.
The wild animals in the fields will thank me,
the jackals and owls, too,
for giving them water in the desert.
Yes, I will make rivers in the dry wasteland
so my chosen people can be refreshed."


even nature thanks God for the gift of christ-
and the first exodus won't even compare to the second one.
the first exodus freed slaves from opression by making the waters dry-
the second one will free a different kind of slave fromm a different kind of oppression,
and the places and people that were starving for water, will have their thirst quenched by living water.


God is love.
-rev-rob

all i want for christmas is you

tonight, jane and i went on a daddy-daughter-dinner to mcdonald’s and then we went to vasona park. we were going to look at all of their Christmas lights, but we were about 5 minutes early and they weren’t going to let us in or even pull off of the road. so we went to the next entrance at oak meadow park. we decided to ride the holiday train. we love the train and ride it all the time, but we only rarely ride it at night. i was starting to wonder if we were bundled up enough; because it was really cold. jane said that she was doing ok. i think the adrenaline from the idea of riding the train at night kept her warm- at least for awhile. the train got stuck and had to stop for about 5 minutes. that’s when we started feeling really cold. jane NEVER sits next to me on the train. she always insists on having her own seat. but tonight, she started shivering, and when i asked her if i could sit next to her she said yes. i gave her a side hug and put a leg over her little legs and she snuggled up into the side of my hoodie. she totally missed all of the lights when the train started back up. i pointed out Christmas trees and lights but she didn’t say anything for awhile. as the ride was almost over, i could hear her whisper, “i love you, daddy.”
we were freezing, but that had to be the best train ride that i ever had.




later, we got on the carousel. it was all lit up with Christmas lights. they were playing Christmas music. as we rode around we were laughing and being silly. jane kept saying things like, “ARE WE RIDING A CAROUSEL…AT NIGHT?! DAD! ARE WE AT THE PARK?! IN THE DARK?!” then they played Mariah carey’s “all i want for Christmas is you.” and as i listened to that song and watched the wonder in my girl’s eyes, i realized that i already had all the gifts that a guy could ever want.

do they know its christmastime at all?

oh the 80's...
its still relevant though-
my favorite part starts at 1:22
feed the world.

lectio divina:: luke 2

yesterday i was preparing for our christmas party and i came across a passage that i've read a hundred times. when i read it again, it had was just as powerful and meaningful as the first time i read it- so i thought i'd share it with you:

"And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them,
"Do not be afraid.
I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you;
he is Christ the Lord.
This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

-luke 2:8-15

conspire.

happy xmas

so this is christmas
and what have you done
another year over
a new one just begun
and so this is christmas
i hope you have fun
the near and the dear ones
the old and the young


a merry merry christmas
and a happy new year
let's hope it's a good one
without any fear


and so happy christmas
for weak and for strong
the rich and the poor ones
the road is so long
so happy christmas
for black and for white
for yellow and red ones
let's stop all the fight


war is over, if you want it
war is over now


merry christmas

scandalous christmas

how did you react when you hear that Jamie-lynn spears was pregnant?
my first reaction was “wow- her poor mom!”
first brit-brit and now this.


strange timing isn’t it?
the news is buzzing of a teenage girl that is pregnant-
scandal!
her sister denies it.
her management is trying to react-
her mom’s book on parenting is on hold.
there is a boy who says he is the dad-
and we all feel sort of sad and disappointed.
we know that she is going to be a mom!
and her life will change so fast-
and we wonder if she is ready and what kind of mom she will be.


its Christmastime-
it’s the time of year when we remember another scandal-
another teenage pregnancy-
I can only imagine how the gossip channels lit up
when mary’s little village heard that she was pregnant.
I can only imagine how her mother felt-
and how the people of her town must have felt and wondered about her future.
I can only imagine what happened to her reputation.
joseph was convinced that she had cheated on him and was ready to divorce her- which was the gracious thing to do (he could have had her killed!)


how was mary feeling about all of this?
how did she feel about the gossip that was being spread about her
and about her future?
it says right there on the page:


“and mary said:
"my soul glorifies the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
from now on all generations will call me blessed,
for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.”


she wasn’t afraid- she was thrilled.
she was just a teenage girl-
but God was convinced that he could trust her to take care of the child.
she was just a small town girl-
but God knew for certain that she was the best person for the job.
maybe God has more confidence in teenage girls than we do.

happy holidays

here are some holiday traditions that I’m getting over:


1. the holiday economy-
there was a time when Christmas was about giving gifts to the people you love. now it feels like we’re buying presents to keep America alive and the economy rolling. black Friday is now a national holiday and the stores are opening earlier and earlier. there is no thanksgiving anymore because the Christmas decorations go right up after Halloween. is this so people can make sure they get those gifts for their loved ones? nope! its so the mall can boost their profits. poor thanksgiving!


2. presents for grown-ups-
I’m all about giving presents to kids on Christmas (heck- everyday is Christmas for jane!). and I’m ok with giving a gift at Christmas to appreciate a co-worker, or your favorite, hard-working, and handsome youth pastor; but gifts for grown-ups is weird. here is how it plays out: no one knows what to get for grown-ups, they don’t want to just trade gift cards, so they take a risk and buy them something that they hope they’ll like or that they hope will fit. they usually don’t like it, or already have one, or it doesn’t fit. so the giver feels bummed (and a little poorer,) and the receiver feels awkward at trying to appreciate this gift.
my solution is the no-present-christmas. this year at thanksgiving, I had some great food and enjoyed the company of my family- what more do you need?


3. Christmas trees-
ummm- trees are from outside. who decided to cut them down and bring them inside? and what do they have to do with jesus? they probably have more to do with jesus’ competitors than jesus Himself. and- yeah- they are a fire hazard! and they make a mess! and they are expensive! and sappy! if you want to enjoy the smell of pine, get a candle! or go to the forest! (I know- I’m the grinch). by the way, we have a little fake tree-
compromise.


4. presents the mall.
I haven’t been to the mall in weeks, and I don’t regret it. going to the mall will kill your holiday spirit instantly. we drive huge cars around these overcrowded parking lots and get road rage while we wait in car-lines for people to slowly get in their cars and give up their precious parking spots. then once you get inside, more crowds, lines, and ticked off shoppers and employees. yeah- I’m over it.


5. lights on the house-
I’m surprised that the green people have not raised a stink about how much energy that Christmas lights use. unrolling Christmas lights and getting on a ladder and stapling them in, and then taking them back down because one of them is broken is a DRAG! I leave it to the professionals at Christmas in the park or something like that. (I know- I’m Ebenezer scrooge).


6. gift cards (or as I like to call them, GC’s)
these solve a big problem- because you’re letting the receiver pick out what they want. but they aren’t all that fun to open, and you can’t use them until after Christmas, and you can’t really use them until WAY after Christmas, because all of the stores are empty until February or something like that. but if you are going to give a gift card, be a little more creative than starbucks. (for those of you that got me a starbucks card- really- I’m grateful for it!)


7. cleaned-up nativity scenes-
the whole birthing deal is pretty messy, scary, and PAINFUL! mary had no hospital, nurse, drugs, boiled water- she wasn’t even indoors! (it was probably more of a cave than a well structured barn.) she is lucky to have lived through this!
and what about the hay! there is no hay in the holy land! so what did jesus lay in if it wasn’t a manger for hay?
probably a watering trough.
and the place where Jesus was born was made for animals! there was poo everywhere!
and the donkey that she rode in on- donkeys were for the wealthy. mary walked into Bethlehem at nine months pregnant.
oh- and doesn’t the bible say that there was a price on the infant’s head?! and his security team was mary and joseph?!
we keep cleaning up the story- maybe its too filthy for us to handle.


8. “the holidays”
the whole “happy holidays” thing has gotten to me this year. I know its not that big a deal to not say “merry Christmas,” but what holidays are people referring to when they say “happy holidays?!” Christmas! jane and I were just at Chuck E. Cheese, and they had their “holiday songs” on. it was a downer. they sang jingle bells and “O Christmas Tree.” and there were people on the screens wishing me a very happy holidays and hoping that my family would enjoy the spirit of the holidays. ugh.


Christmas is about Jesus.
not shopping, not decorations, not the economy or sales or the mall. its not about out-giving your relatives or lame songs about trees.
its about the word becoming flesh dwelling among us-
its about the almighty choosing a new name for Himself:
“Immanuel:
God
with
us.”


so this Christmas remember that jesus came from heaven
to be born in a stinky, filthy cave-
all so that He could be born in our stinky, filthy, hearts-
Merry Christmas.


“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.
of the increase of his government and peace
there will be no end.
he will reign on david's throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
the zeal of the LORD almighty
will accomplish this.”
-isaiah 9