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Merry Christmas
Yes, this holiday used to be Yule, and it still is for some, but most of the world celebrates it as Christmas.
December 25th is one of the most holiest days of the year (but for sure not the holiest). A lot of people celebrate it by buying things for each other, or for themselves. They fill it with parties, drinks, and other things won’t last. My wish is that all of you will celebrate it in a fulfilling way.
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
– Isaiah 9:6
Celebrate Christmas a different way
Maybe before reading this entry, you should read yesterday’s The Final Word column from USA Today. It sets this entry up better than anything I could write.
It doesn’t take too much experience to know that holiday shopping is a pain. Last year was stressful in our house — money was tight and we had to get a present for this person, pay for this holiday outing, get that gift for someone. It was madness!
And for what gain? A few trickets? Gifts for people who probably won’t remember what you gave them six months from now? I know that’s true, because I can’t remember what so-and-so gave me for Christmas six months later. It’s not that I don’t appreciate it, but it’s because I have so much, that much more doesn’t make me happier — or make that big a difference.
This year, the Hostetler home is doing something different. We are having an “Almost Buy Nothing” Christmas. Gina got me a GPS for my birthday that will also be my Christmas present. And Gina just got back from a trip to Chicago with some friends of hers — that is her Christmas gift.
And Leah? Leah wants for little — she has a large box of toys that she hasn’t played with since our move. We got her a few trickets, but we also know that her grandparents and aunts and uncles will also give her plenty.
To add to all that, we also convinced Gina’s family not to do a gift exchange this year. Instead we are all meeting at a hotel somewhere in the middle of where we all live and being together — because that’s what we really want.
What more info on this way to celebrate? What more ideas? See BuyNothingChristmas.org.
Don’t Worry, Be Thankful
It was my turn to do the “Thought of the Day” on the Christian mailling list at work. This is a slightly expanded version of a point Pastor Dan made in his sermon on Sunday.
It’s hard to be both thankful for the things in our life and to worry about them at the same time. For example, how can we be thankful for our job and then be worried whether we are going to keep it?
And Jesus tells us not to worry at all but to seek out the Lord and to follow his direction for our lives. Instead, we should be thankful for what He has given to us. Therefore, we have much to be thankful for. And we should be thankful for the fact that we are forgiven and He will always take care of us.
So remember this holiday and beyond — don’t worry, be thankful!
Starve the Bad Cat
In our sermon on Sunday was from 1 Peter 2:1-3 which lists sins that we don’t usually talk about about — our pastor pointed out that we generally talk about the biggies — sexual sin, addiction, stealing, murder, etc. but we have to worry about the others that do not seem so big (but are big to God).
Our pastor gave an illustration of how to deal with sins from a talk that he heard a few years ago. That speaker saw his well-fed house cat fighting with a not-nearly-so-well-fed stray cat. He was surprised that his cat one — even though he was fatter and slower. But he was also healthy, therefore stronger.
Followers of Christ have two sides in their life — the sinful nature and the spiritual nature that wants to follow Christ. Those sides are constantly fighting, like the two cats. If we want the good cat to win, we have to starve the bad cat so the good cat will be stronger.
The New Christian Hipster
Relevant Magazine has an interesting article intitledThe New Hipster
This article is quite relevant (pun unintended) to my LifeLight experience. I hope that this article is right about Christians being tired of emulating secular culture — I have had enough of that.
It closes with a good thought:
We are to be a counterculture—in and not of the world, accepting yet not acquiescent, flexible but not compromising, progressive though not by the world’s standards.
