A Charlie Brown Christmas (The Best)

If there is any Christmas special out there better than A Charlie Brown Christmas, please let me know.  To me, there is nothing out there better.

I watched it again tonight with my kids (when they weren’t putting new stickers on everything they could reach).  Here is a synopsis found at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059026/synopsis:

“Charlie Brown is depressed because Christmas lacks meaning to him, He sees Lucy and Snoopy obsessed with presents and decorations, Schroeder obsessed with the Christmas pageant, and everyone else focusing on Christmas Cards and letters for Santa, and all this causes him to question the true meaning of Christmas. Charlie has become disgusted by how commercial the Holiday has become. When the gang agrees to give Charlie the task of picking out a Christmas Tree for the pageant, he picks out a lonely, scrawny little tree that, along with a touching speech from Linus, helps everyone to ultimately understand the true meaning of the Holiday.”

Here is the what is said during the scene where Linus tells Charlie Brown the true meaning of Christmas found at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059026/quotes:

 Charlie Brown: [shouting in desperation] Isn’t there anyone out there who can tell me what Christmas is all about?
Linus Van Pelt: Sure, Charlie Brown, I can tell you. Lights, please.
[a spotlight shines on Linus]
Linus Van Pelt: “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the fields, keeping watch over their flocks by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the lord shone round about them, and they were 
sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not, for behold, I bring unto you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you this day is born in the City of Bethlehem, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; you shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel, a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth peace, good will toward men’”. That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.

Yes, Linus.  That is what Christmas is all about.

Dr. Bobby Mullins

Dr. Bobby Mullins, pastor of Central Baptist Church in Oak Ridge, preached at our last November to Remember service on Monday night.  He spoke about the Wonder Working Church.  The part that sticks out to me most is where he talked about having Wonder Working Persistence.

Often Christians (and people in general) will start something and then quit when trouble strikes.  The trouble may be unfulfilled expectations or harsh criticism from others.  Either way, we give up way to easily.

I really enjoyed all of the November services and pray that our church will be made better because of them.

When Will I Learn?

I’ve preached about patience before always with the same consequences.  Every time I’ve done this, things happen that same day or a day later that try my patience.  It has happened too frequently to merely be coincidence.  It is like God is telling me “Okay, you’ve preached it, now see if you can live it.”  I’ve done well before, but I’ve also failed miserably.

In spite of this happening in the past, I preached on patience again Sunday morning.  When will I ever learn?  The message was from James 5:12-17, and I think I faithfully brought the message that I was supposed to.  Then, my patience was tested.

I came home after church with my 3 boys.  Kristy and Noelle went to a baby shower.  I tried to get a few things done around the house while putting the boys down for a nap.  That absolutely did not work.  They would not be quiet or still and went on continuous marches to the bathroom.  I lost my patience. 

Later I got aggravated by the actions of someone that I have had problems with in the past.  Outwardly, I kept myself in check.  Inwardly, not so much.

Then we went to McDonald’s and I had to wait an inordinant amount of time.  Again, outwardly I did ok, but not so inwardly. 

I’m sure there will be other things that test my patience in the coming days.  I pray that God will help me to react in a righteous way and not like I want to. 

In the future, I’ll still preach on patience, but I’ll make sure that I’m prayed up and ready for aggravations to arise.  I know they will.  I need to be ready.

Just Like Life

Tennessee’s game with Kentucky was a microcosm of their season.  It was full of ups and downs.  My heart rate is just now getting back to normal.  What a great ride it was—especially since the Vols won!

It is indicative of how their season has gone.  One week all hope is lost.  The next, there is hope.  The week after that, Phil Fulmer is the worst coach that ever lived.  The week after that, it’s all good again.

Why do I like sports?  There are a lot of reasons, many based upon the happy moments from my childhood.  Some of the best times with my dad had to do with playing or watching sports. 

One of the other reasons though is that what happens in sports very much resembles what happens in life.  There are ups and there are downs.  Sometimes you are the hero and sometimes you are the goat.  If you fail, well there’s always next time.  If you succeed, it does not mean that you will keep succeeding.  It is a rollercoaster. 

 The way that athletes and coaches handle adversity is a good way to teach and be taught how to handle problems that happen in life.  Sometimes they give us good examples and sometimes the examples leave much to be desired. 

I’m thankful for the lessons I learned in watching and playing sports.  Perserverance, dedication, and teamwork all come to mind. 

Do some people go overboard in their fandom?  Sure they do.  But so far I’ve not fallen into this trap.  We have to keep everything in perspective.  Life is not football, but football often mirrors life.

A Thanksgiving Miracle

We decided today was the day.  It is do or die time.  Matthew is 3 years, 8 months old, he knows his ABCs, he can dress himself, and has a good vocabulary.  It is now time for him to learn to do the one thing that he has yet to do, the one thing that may be most important thing he has ever done—–use the potty.

We have been trying since he was 2, but he has absolutely had no interest.  He still doesn’t, so we are creating interest for him.  We told him that if he uses the potty, every gets a treat.  We put his favorite underwear on him this morning and have been asking him every few minutes if he needs to use the potty.

He did it for the first time this morning and I went berserk, raising him in the air and yelling like he had just won the national going-to-the-potty championship.  We called my parents, Kristy’s parents, and some of our friends. 

Just a while ago he said he had to use it again.  So I took him into the bathroom and put him on his baby potty while I sat on a little blue stool at the bathroom door.  Since he has been observing me in the bathroom for a while now, he insists on holding a section of the newspaper as he waits for the “big event.”  It’s a long wait. 

Finally, it happens.  He says he’s done and I look.  Oh yeah–it’s #2.  I go berserk again and Matthew is all smiles. 

One more thing to be thankful for.  Life is good.

A “Pure” Holiday

A co-worker mentioned this week that he enjoyed Thanksgiving better than Christmas because it was a more “pure” holiday.  I pondered this for a couple of days and, as much as I hate to admit it, I agree with him.

 I love Christmas because of what it means, what it stands for.  Jesus coming into the world showed how much He loves us.  He did not just give us advice on our problems or how empathy for our problems, He entered into our problems and seeks to redeem them and us by his power.

Unfortunately Christmas has become something less than what it should be.  It is now a spectacle, something that is more about driving our economy that it is about the Divine One coming to Earth.  The stress of purchasing gifts for people because they are purchasing gifts for us even though we don’t have the money to do so and the stress of cramming more and more activities into a 4 week window builds up to a day when we rush around trying to act like we are having fun even though we are happier about it being over than anything else.  How sad.

Thanksgiving is different, at least for me.  It is about reflecting on the blessings God has given us and spending time with family.  It can get stressful trying to cook for some people, but it is not a 1-2 month long stress, just a couple of days worth.  I like it and I’m glad that we have it.

My life seems to go by at something akin to warp speed with family, church, work, and everything in between vying for my time.  On and around Thanksgiving, though, I make myself take stock of the past year and contemplate the goodness that has come my way.  I also look at the “bad” things that have occurred and often find that somehow I was made better by having gone through them.

So, try to join me in enjoying this Thanksgiving, possibly one of the last of the ”pure” holidays.

Dr. Ron Stewart

Dr. Ron Stewart preached at our 3rd “November to Remember” service and Kenny Evans provided the special music.  The message was about the faith example of Abraham.  Dr. Stewart explained that faith requires us to let go of our comfort, our dream, and our Isaac (whatever we hold dearest) in order to grab hold of something better (God and what He wants).  Another challenging sermon from a man who loves Jesus.

He also gave me a book that he wrote (hooray for freebies).  It’s called Today’s a Special Day: 365 Spiritual Journeys Into History.  It is a day by day devotional book that recounts important facts about each day and gives a spiritual lesson. 

It was a good night.  Next week is our last NTR service.  Dr. Bobby Mullins will be preaching and Anita and Bobby Huling will provide the special music.  All are invited to attend.

Rev. Russ Cooper

Russ Cooper, pastor of Watson Chapel Baptist Church in Madisonville, preached at our second “November to Remember” revival service.  His message was about Stephen from Acts chapter 7.  He said that those who love Jesus need to be more like stephen by being 1. Full of Faith, 2. Full of the Holy Spirit, and 3. Consistent. 

 It was a message preached with great enthusiasm and love.  Charlie, a man who has been attending our church for a while, accepted Jesus.  It was such a blessing. 

Many thanks to Russ for coming to be with us and to all those who continue to pray for our church up on the hill.

Dr. Hollie Miller

The first service in our “November to Remember” at Cardiff Baptist Church went very well.  Dr. Hollie Miller from Sevier Height Baptist Church preached from Colossians chapter 3 about the difference between a biblical Christian and a cultural Christian. 

Here are the points (thanks to Theda for writing these down verbatim).

1. A Biblical Christian has a life changing experience, and a Cultural Christian had a religious experience
2. A Biblical Christian is burdened over their sins, and a Cultural Christian is indifferent over sins
3. A Biblical Christian sees church as a spiritual family, and a Cultural Christian sees church as an organization
4. A Biblical Christian is drawn to the Word of God, and a Cultural Christian is bored with the Word of God
5. A Biblical Christian enjoys worshipping God, and a Cultural Christian endures the worship service
6. A Biblical Christian is committed to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, and a Cultural Christian is not committed to the Lordship of Jesus Christ
7. A Biblical Christian has a home in Heaven, and a Cultural Christian does not have a home in Heaven.

“Don’t trust in something from the past when there is nothing going on in your life right now” Dr. Hollie Miller

It was a good reminder that being a Christian means continually following in the footsteps of Jesus.

Lessons Learned

Since my wife is approaching the end of her first trimester (thank God), I thought I would post a few of the lessons learned.  Consider this a lesson to all of you who haven’t experienced this yet.

When your wife is in her first tri-mester….

1.  You can not do or say anything right.  Quit trying.  Say whatever you want and then prepare for a) crying, b)to hear all of your mistakes from the first time she ever laid eyes on you, or c) nothing; which means she’ll just fuss at you later.

2.  You like the way your wife looks even though her shape has changed a little, but she detests it and will not believe you when you say she is still beautiful.  Her hair will look better and her skin clearer, but all she sees is her belly and butt expanding, so you can’t win.

3.  Logic is no longer a factor in any conversations or decisions.  It’s all emotion, baby, so sit down, buckle up, and do your best to survive the ride.

4.  “Only a few more months” will become a motto that will replay itself in your mind over and over and over.  Do not say this to your wife.  She will think that you are not enjoying her pregnancy which will lead to more “communication” than you will ever want or have need for. 

5.  You will make it past and eventually hold a fantastic little baby in your arms while all of the above turns into distant, far away memories.

 Only a week before the 2nd tri-mester (and happier days) begin.  Do I get a medal or something?