Christmas is almost here and my kids are exploding with anticipation!

I totally love their enthusiasm!  They go around the house singing Christmas carols, talking about what Christmas day is going to be like, even dancing!  It’s powerfully cute and it reminds me of myself at 7 years old.

The other day one of my boys came up to me and gave me a hug.  While he was hugging me, I felt something wet on my face.  I looked up to see that he was crying.

“Why are you crying?” I asked

“I just love you so much at Christmas time.” He said.  I’m not sure why the fact that it’s Christmas time moved him to tears when he loved on me but I almost wept myself.

I have to admit, I’ve been thinking an awful lot how I wish I felt the same way.  Instead of anticipation, I tend to just go through the motions.  Christmas can feel like so many additions to my task list, instead of a wonderful celebration.

All of this eager expectation that my children are experiencing reminds me of a very important time in my life.

I was in my late teens and I was soaking up God like a sponge.  I was reading through the Bible for the first time, attending church every time the doors were open, and serving in the youth ministry.

I remember the anticipation I would feel as I pulled into the parking lot of our fellowship.  I could hear the music coming from inside as I walked through the parking lot.  My pace would quicken and my heart would beat harder while I stepped through the doors.  I just knew I was going to encounter God there, and I did!

I spent many nights crying out to God for his touch on my life.  I prayed so hard for Him to use me.  I also shed countless tears as I thought about how much He loved me and I did my best to express how much I loved Him in return.

Much like Christmas, I tend to lose my faith anticipation a lot these days.  I don’t run from the car to the church doors expecting a touch from Jesus, I often see many of my faith practices as things to check off a task list, and I can’t remember the last time I wept at the thought of His amazing love.

It’s no wonder I pray the words of Keith Green’s song “My Eyes are Dry” so often.

My eyes are dry.  My faith is old.
My heart is hard.  Prayers are cold.
What can be done for an old heart like mine?
Soften it up with oil and wine.
The oil is you; your Spirit of love.
Please wash me anew in the wine of your blood.

Just as my kids anticipate Christmas, I long to anticipate intimacy with the Father in my life.  THAT’S  what I want for Christmas! Anticipation.  Expectancy!  A hunger for Jesus that supersedes regimen, fatigue, and whatever else the miles have left encrusted on the wheel wells of this aging hot rod.

That’s my prayer for you and for me; that we would be granted the gift of anticipation. That we would approach our faith like kids on Christmas eve.  That we would get our hopes up, that our pulses would quicken when we walk into a prayer meeting, and that we would cry tears of gratitude when we worship.

Amen.

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OK, the challenge officially begins!

In my last post I issued a challenge to get rid of some of the “stuff” that clutters our homes and our lives; to travel lite so that, when God calls, we can be available and not be weighed down by possessions we don’t need.

I called the challenge “Down to One” (D21) and the idea is to take things you have several boxes of, and narrow those things down to only one box.

My first self-challenge is an unusual one.  I have several boxes of MREs (Meals Ready to Eat).  I started stocking up on them a while back because they make great camping food.  They’re also convenient when the power goes out for more than a day.  All you have to do is add water, wait for them to warm up, and eat them.  They’re not too bad either.

Well, I haven’t camped in forever and it’s been three years since we’ve lost power for more than a day so they’re outta here!  The director of a local homeless shelter told me they would be massively appreciated there so I’m hauling them over on Friday.  So long MREs!

How about you?  Have you started positioning yourself to be used by God?  Have you been storing food that other people could use?

Tell me how it’s coming!

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My family and I moved to a different house a couple of weeks ago.  There are very few things I really hate, but moving is definitely one of them.  I hate packing up all my stuff, I hate leaving a house and neighborhood I love, I hate hauling heavy boxes and furniture, and I hate sorting through tons of boxes to find what I need to work after we’ve moved to the new house.

One question I kept asking myself during the move was, “Why do we have all this stuff?!”  Don’t get me wrong, we’re not pack rats and we usually only shop out of necessity (as opposed to shopping because it’s fun or entertaining).  I just kept wondering why we were lugging so much stuff every time we moved.  It was really troubling to think we paid for so much stuff that was simply being stored in the basement or attic.  It pretty much sickens me to think that Americans have more stuff in storage than what the rest of the world owns COMBINED.

During the move, my wife kept bringing up really good “What if?” questions.  “What if God calls us to…” and “What if God asks us to give…”

What do “What if?” questions have to do with owning too much stuff?  Everything!  What if God calls us to overseas missions?  What do we do with all of our stuff?  Something tells me that Paul did not have a bunch of junk in a self-storage unit as he spread the gospel across Asia Minor.

What about the cost of all this garbage?  I wish I could get my money back for every DVD I only watched once or every book I never read or every accessory and trinket I thought would make my life so much better.  That money could have gone to sponsor a child or take that mission trip I said I couldn’t afford to take.  An even sadder situation is when people can’t afford to give or go because they’re strapped with debt.  An over-sized car payment or maxed-out credit card can seriously hinder a person from being available for God to use.

It really is a brilliant demonic strategy if you think about it.  “Let people have all they want until they’re too buried by possessions to be able to go when God says go.”

I believe that God wants me and my family to be in a position to be used by Him.  He wants us to be ready.  I have a friend who sold his house and moved into an apartment just because God might call him overseas.  That may sound extreme to some, but when God calls, he won’t have to spend a year getting rid of everything before he goes.  I know some people really take issue with this kind of thinking.  They’re thinking, “I worked hard.  Why shouldn’t I enjoy lots of possessions?  I have a standard of living to maintain!”  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, “We should be far more concerned with our standard of dying than our standard of living.”

So what are we going to do about it?  I’m going to issue myself (and you, if you choose) a challenge.  I’m calling it my “Down to One Challenge”.  What does that mean?  It’s simple; if I have three boxes of something, I’m going to narrow it down to one box.  For instance, I have several boxes of things I’ve filed away for ministry purposes.  It’s time to scale back to one.  Do I really need to keep all those catalogs, old conference notes, and brochures “just in case”?  I also have tons of camping gear (I’ve gone once in the last three years), collectibles, and music gear too.  Some things I’ll give away like I did here.  Other things I’ll sell.  And some of it will go to Goodwill or in the trash.

It’s not about being anti-stuff or taking some vow of poverty.  It’s about living without the trappings of too much stuff so we can be available when God calls.

So how about you?  Are you in?  I’ll be posting my challenges here on this blog and it would be great to hear your thoughts.

Down to One

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