Edmund

My wife was reading a children's version of "The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe" to some of my grandsons tonight, and I heard the line, "Edmund just wanted more candy." And I thought, "Hey, I used to be Edmund." You see, I could down a whole bag of SweeTarts Chicks, Ducks, and Bunnies at once. And not the tiny bag. Yeah, I was Edmund. 

Now, I'm Edmund with diabetes, a CGM, and Mounjaro. 

Think You Know the Nativity? Try This Trick‑Trivia Challenge

🎄 Christmas Trick-Trivia: How Well Do You Really Know the Biblical Story?

Every December, we dust off our nativity sets, hang our lights, and retell the story of Jesus’ birth. But over the centuries, tradition has added all kinds of details that sound biblical… but aren’t actually in the text.

So here’s a playful, eye‑opening Christmas trivia challenge. Each question has a twist — the kind that makes you say, “Wait… is that really in the Bible?”

Let’s see how well you know the original Christmas story. (Try to answer before reading the answer below each question!)

A Critical Critique of Classic Christmas Carols

When Christmas trees start humming, you know the lyrics need a closer look

Christmas carols (click to listen) are beloved traditions, but when examined closely, some of them raise eyebrows. Below is a tongue-in-cheek critique of several classics, treating them with the same seriousness one might reserve for theological or literary analysis.

Proceeding with the carolological case studies of a curated selection of Christmas songs in need of lyrical litigation. ^[1]

🍬 “Baby, It’s Cold Outside”

• The man’s persistence borders on harassment. “No” is treated as negotiable, and the weather becomes a manipulative excuse. A chilling reminder that snow should not be weaponized against consent.

🎀 “Blue Christmas”

• The singer hijacks the season, making it about their personal heartbreak rather than the Incarnation. Christmas becomes a therapy session instead of a celebration of Bethlehem.

Who (Really) Crucified Jesus?

As a prelude to Good Friday, and inspired by scripture in last Sunday's class, I ask (and will offer an answer to), "Who crucified Jesus?"

Was it the Pilate and the Romans? No, they were merely instruments of the crucifixion, in much the same manner as the wood of the cross or the nails that attached Him to it.

Was it Caiaphas (the high priest), the Sanhedrin, and the Jews? No, they completely missed the boat; they were expecting a Messiah, but not the Messiah in the form that Jesus came to fulfill.

Was it you and I? "Everyone"? That's a good, solid, Christian answer, isn't it? No, we are the purpose for the crucifixion, the reason for it, but not the perpetrators.

So, who was it? Who crucified Jesus, the Christ?

Let's look at scripture. In Isaiah 53:10, it says, "the Lord was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief." * It was God Himself who crucified Jesus. And, not only that, it pleased the Lord to do so. Pleased. Take that in for a moment... it pleased the Lord to crucify Jesus, to place the burden of your sin on a man, the Son of God, who was blameless, who had no price to pay. And yet, God was happy to do that, for you. (And for me. For everyone.)

And, therein lies your value. Teenagers looking for value in social outlets - how many friends they have, how many twitter followers, how popular they are - that's the wrong place to find your value. Adults looking for value in power, or in status, or in success, or in material belongings - that's the wrong place to find your value. People looking for their value in their "soul mate" or in the love of a partner, or in their children - that's the wrong place. Where is your value? It's in the fact that it pleased God to crucify (execute) His perfect, blameless Son to take your punishment for the sin that you have willfully committed. There's your value.

(By the way, in case you're wondering, yes, you have sinned, and no, there's nothing you can do about it; one of these days I'm going to write a post asking, "Will a good man go to heaven?" The answer is "it depends" - because it's not about how "good" you can be. If you want to know more, check out gospel.com, or head over to listen to the sermons by Joel Faircloth - the series on Romans, quite a large number of sermons, but all good and worth listening to from the very beginning through to the latest one, and especially this one - even my 17-year-old was talking about how great a sermon and worship service that was.)

* Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

A Sunday School Lesson: Taking Advantage of Opportunities

A few weeks ago I was tasked with preparing and delivering the Sunday School lesson for our Men's class (the regular teacher was on vacation, and his fill-in got called into work, so I was the substitute fill-in teacher for the day). This was the week of the "great ice storm of the SouthEast" (which pretty much destroyed Birmingham and Atlanta, due to the realization of the weather that was supposed to have reached further south, but left us some icy precipitation, and icy streets, in the deep south as well). What did I do? I based the SS lesson off the kids' activities during the snowstorm, and here's (more or less) how it went:


“Opportunity” - what is that? It’s what we make of it. We had ice falling from the sky, and we live on a hill, and the boys had a couple of old skateboard decks without trucks & wheels on it, and a box. So, what did they do? They took a situation that was unlikely (ice in south Alabama), the tools they had on hand, and they made the most of it - in this case, “sledding,” south Alabama style! And enjoyable time, and something they don’t get to do very often.

Why does it matter? It doesn’t, really. Shortly after that first video, they were doing this:


Ecclesiastes 3:1 - “There is a time for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens:”

Seems like a good fit. But there’s more:

Ecclesiastes 3:11-14 - “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him.”

Later that evening the boys were out playing on the driveway again, and our neighbor diagonal across the street came out and asked them what they were doing. “Sliding on the ice on our skateboards,” they replied. The neighbor went back inside… and came out a short while later all bundled up, with her kids, and boogie boards, and they, too, started sliding down a nearby hill (at 1:30 or so in the “boys, ice, hill” video). Our boys went and played with them while they were out (Ninfa and I stayed inside, where the warm was!).

What’s so special about that? Well, our neighbor is a lady who lost her husband a little over three years ago, and has three young children. She doesn’t get out much, mostly staying inside, and she doesn’t attend church. The boys, in this little episode of “playing,” opened a channel of communication with our neighbor, a lady who mostly keeps to herself (with the exception of the lady next door to her). She’s pleasant on the few time I or my wife have actually been able to converse with her, but pleasant doesn’t save you.

(Aside: that’s another topic: “will a good man go to heaven?” The answer, “It depends” - the question is exactly the same as “will a man go to heaven?” because “good” doesn’t save you, and it’s not “good” that gets you into heaven.)

So, this “opportunity” - for fun - turned into another potential tool in the arsenal of spreading the gospel. Did the boys actually witness to our neighbor or her family the other night? No. But that circumstance, event, whatever may lead to another opportunity, such as inviting the kids to an AWANA event or another children’s event like VBS. I did not take advantage of the opportunity to engage our neighbor in communication that night. Whether that is a lost opportunity or whether exactly the correct sequence of events played out, I don’t know.

But things like this, even little things that you may not even consider an a “heavenly opportunity,” when they come along, we should take advantage of them. Who knows the next time the kids will have an opportunity to go “sledding” (even if it’s sliding down an ice-covered hill/driveway on skateboards without wheels), especially while they’re still young and “invincible.”

Paul, in his letter to the church at Colossae, said this: (Colossians 4:2-6) “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”

That seems appropriate, and is good advice - “make the most of every opportunity.” In the context, he’s talking about making the most of opportunities in the way we act toward outsiders, to the non-believers. But you never know when the opportunities you take will provide the opportunity to share the gospel, or even just encouragement and joy, with someone who is in need of the gospel. And that, sharing the encouragement and joy, can open doors for sharing the gospel that otherwise you’d have missed.

Even Jesus did that; Luke 19:1-10 tells the story of Jesus passing through Jericho, when he saw Zaccheus. Jesus was just “passing through” - but took the time out of his journey to stop and visit with Zack, and through that visit, brought the gospel - and its salvation - to the formerly lost and sinful man. Or consider in John 4, where Jesus is passing through Samaria, and he’s tired, so he stopped to rest at the well. That stopping to rest was an appointment to minister to the Samaritan woman. He summed it up in Matthew 25:40, where he says, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

Some need food, some need shelter, some need clothing... some need fun. All need the gospel.

So… take advantage of the opportunities that come your way. (Sometimes, you never know what true opportunities may come from even the "little things"!)

Serving Question

So, as regards "serving in the church" - you know, doing things and stuff... "I'll pray about it" - that's a pretty common response when asked.

My question is this: when it comes to things that need done in the church, if I'm capable of doing it, and I see the need, shouldn't I just do it?  As a metaphor, if my kid is walking through my house, notices a full and almost overflowing trash can, should he come running over and ask me, "Dad, should I take out the trash?"

Yeah, there are other things at play here: "do I have what's needed to take out the trash?" (Well, if you have two arms and two legs, or even one arm and a motorized wheelchair, depending on the route to where the trash is taken, you can probably manage it.) "But I took the trash out last time." (Well, it got full again, and needs doing, again.) "Shouldn't I let someone else take out the trash and get the praise for it?" (What if everyone is waiting for someone else to do it, and get the praise? Pretty soon we'll have trash running all over the house.) "I really don't feel like taking out the trash." (OK, sometimes that's just how you feel. Then again, maybe no one else is feeling like taking out the trash, or maybe everyone else is somewhere else in the house, attending to other things.) "But Dad, you didn't tell me to take out the trash." (Honestly, I don't think not being told to do something that obviously needs doing is a reason for not doing it; when there's food on the table, do you sit and wait to be told to eat it?)

Just a thought. And, obviously, there are some serious roles that really should be considered with much prayer. But, if there's a role that needs filling, and you have the means to meet the need, should you "just do it"? What do you think? (Do respond, please!)

Review of "How to Reach Your Full Potential for God" by Charles Stanley

I was very excited to read this book, based on the title of the book and the author.  I've not read anything by Charles Stanley myself before, but have been in various settings where his works were used (for example, my Sunday School teacher uses some of his works at times for our class).  However, I was very disappointed by the book.  It seemed to me too forced and not naturally flowing, and did not provide the type of insights that I was expecting.  Essentially, I found it to be a self-help style book with a spiritual slant, but not as well written as what I've heard in other works by Stanley.

The book itself was choppy and difficult to read, not a flowing work that grabbed my attention and encouraged me to read more.  Some of the other books I've read in this vein are difficult to put down, making you want to get on to the next chapter before taking a break; not so with this one.  I found little desire to continue reading, and had to force myself through the book (primarily for the sake of the review).  I presume this is not typical of Stanley's work, as (previously mentioned) I've been impressed by what I've heard from other of his writings, but this one failed to impress.  I'm sorry to say that I don't recommend this book, as I'm sure his other works are certainly worth reading.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Writing on shaky ground...

(Pun intended in the topic; you'll have to read on to see if you get why.)

What do you call a nursing mother in an earthquake? Milkshake. (For those who don't get it, such as when retelling to younger children: what do you call a cow in an earthquake? Milkshake.) Yes, this post is on "recent events" regarding the richter scale. And a little Biblical tie in, from Matthew 24 (from the New International Version, Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica):

3As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. "Tell us," they said, "when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?"

4Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. 5For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. 6You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8All these are the beginning of birth pains.

So, what exactly is meant by the phrase, "earthquakes in various places" (actually, it's probably "famines and earthquakes in various places")? Consider The Message (Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson) translation:

3Later as he was sitting on Mount Olives, his disciples approached and asked him, "Tell us, when are these things going to happen? What will be the sign of your coming, that the time's up?"

4-8Jesus said, "Watch out for doomsday deceivers. Many leaders are going to show up with forged identities, claiming, 'I am Christ, the Messiah.' They will deceive a lot of people. When reports come in of wars and rumored wars, keep your head and don't panic. This is routine history; this is no sign of the end. Nation will fight nation and ruler fight ruler, over and over. Famines and earthquakes will occur in various places. This is nothing compared to what is coming.

That seems a little different; we are, after all, living in a fallen, dying (dead?) world.

Anyway, what I really wanted to get at is this:

Image by Tony Kingdad via Flickr

Look at the chart (if you don't see it, you may have to go to the original blog post - click the pic to make it bigger if you can't see it very well, then press "back" on your browser to return here). What does it look like to you? The number of "major earthquakes" appears, based on data from the National Geophysical Data Center's Significant Earthquake Database (the specific search was for all quakes greater than 7.0 magnitude from year 1 to year 2010), to have been on the rise since, oh, the 1600s, and really on the rise since the 1800s or so. (As a note: I don't think we can really count "total number of earthquake detections" as 1) the number and dispersion of seismometers; 2) the sensitivity of seismometers; 3) the global communication necessary to report events worldwide have all been increasing, significantly, over the last century or so.) So, does this mean "we're nearing the end?" There are plenty of proponents of that (such as here). I'm not saying one way or the other; what I'm doing is offering data so that you can come to your own conclusion (although there may be some personal thoughts somewhere along the way). Jesus said (John 8:32, NIV), "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." Note: I am NOT suggesting that what I'm saying is, or is equivalent to, the teaching of Jesus! I'm just offering data. When it comes to Christians trying to live as a witness to The Truth, that is, the Gospel, the Good News, the Love of God for a lost and fallen world, I think we do well to make sure that, as much as possible, we know the facts, get the facts straight, and don't offer views based on incomplete or incorrect data. Some will be turned off by such inaccuracies, lumping our knowledge of the Truth in with our knowledge of the facts, and thus we might turn away one who otherwise might have listened (and, again, I know it's God's spirit that does the convincing, but we're also to "study to shew thyself approved."

Anyway... so, the number of major earthquakes is on the rise. Or is it? Where do most major earthquakes happen? Pacific rim: western Americas, Pacific Asian nations. Yes, there are a few outside of that (Haiti & Turkey, for instance, although Turkey's recent quake was a 6.0, not a 7.0 or greater), but the majority occur somewhere along the Pacific plates (Pacific tectonic plates, not your fancy Pacific dishware). And, from a westerner's perspective, when did we start living in such places? Probably around that time frame, the 1800s. And around that time was also the invention of the telegraph, along with other increased communication methods, such as with the Pacific Asian nations.

So, to what would all this lead? Yep, an increase in the number of perceived major earthquakes. Not necessarily an increase in the number of earthquakes (unless all those new Californians suddenly took up the sport of synchronized jumping, which, knowing Californians, I wouldn't necessarily find totally unbelievable). Thus, the apparent number of major earthquakes just might increase significantly around that whole time frame (the 1600s? well, there was increased trade with the Asian nations around that time frame, right? hence increased spreading of "news" such as major earthquakes).

Now, all that being said, here's another question: if Jesus was, in fact, indicating an increase in the number of earthquakes - was that a literal number of earthquakes or the perception of earthquakes, which could stem from increased seismic monitoring, increased population and better communication, and increased large, man-made structures and roads that would be damaged by such quakes, leading to increased damage reports? Is there a distinction, and does it matter? Or, in fact, was Jesus just saying, "Guys, this 'stuff' all around you, it's only the beginning; it doesn't even compare to what's coming in the end!"?

In short, my point is simply: know the data, make up your mind, and then, when people ask you about the data, you'll already have some idea on how to answer.

Now I turn my attention to another viewpoint. I was talking (OK, chatting via Google Talk) with one of the wisest men I know, my dad, about this subject today. He said a few things that I think are worth repeating. First, he said, "What i'm pretty sure of is that our theology on the 2nd coming is at least as accurate as the Jews' was on the 1st coming." Ha, so true! So true. He also said, "I prefer the thief in the night concept; don't try to guess when, just be sure you're ready." My friend Christy said the same thing in her post: be sure you're ready. As she put it: "I can't wait! [for His second coming]" ('Cause, of course, then I won't have to "work" anymore, although at the time He returns I don't think that'll be anywhere NEAR my mind! More like, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.")

In the meantime, if you want to get away from earthquakes, there are a few places in the world that look pretty good: Africa, Antarctica, Greenland, and maybe Scandinavian areas (you know, northern Europe). (Personally, I think it'd be cool to live in Antarctica, no pun intended.)

Completely unrelated, my daughter just asked, "Why are the scissors magnetized? Is it from sitting near my laptop?" Could be. Interestingly, I noticed, when looking at the Fiskars website, the company is over 360 years old! They were founded in 1649. Wow. They are from Finland... no earthquakes there - so maybe it is related.

Anyway, there you go... comments welcome.

Review of Notes from the Tilt-A-Whirl

The book “Notes from the Tilt-A-Whirl” (by N. D. Wilson) is one of the best I have read recently. This book characterizes God's creation in imaginative ways that may elude those of us stuck in the doldrums of daily life. Wilson's perspective on life, from ants to giant oaks, is refreshing and reminds the reader of the creativity and awesomeness of the creator. Further, Wilson expresses some concepts that are very intriguing, yet simple, but may easily be overlooked in either a casual or a deep study of creation.

Wilson's creative, often humorous look at things made me stop to appreciate just how wonderful the world is, and how often I fail to appreciate the wonder and the beauty of the world around me. Initially near comical, the book slowly turns into a more serious side, exploring the concept of an overarching creator from a mere worldly perspective while never abandoning its lighter side. This approach lends itself well to offering this book to an unbelieving friend with potential for more in-depth discussions of creation and, more importantly, the creator. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and have already encouraged others to read it.

Review: The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns

26,500 children died yesterday. 26,500 died today. 26,500 will die tomorrow, and the next day, and the next, all due to poverty-related causes (lack of food, lack of clean water, lack of medical care, etc.). And yet each one of these deaths is preventable, provided that those with means – you, for instance – each do a part to combat the poverty and hunger that is rampant in many parts of the world. This is the message that Richard Stearns is trying to bring to our attention, a wakeup call to Christians everywhere. Something’s missing in our modern vision of the Gospel, the “Good News” that we (the church) are supposed to spread to a lost and dying (in more ways than one) world. Somewhere over the last 2000 years we’ve lost sight of true religion, God’s religion: “to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world,” (James 1:27b, NKJV*) and “to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.” (James 4:17, NKJV*)

“The Hole in Our Gospel” is not a book about statistics, it’s about people, individuals; but the statistics in the book are quite astonishing and eye-opening. However, the numbers presented are justly used to show the quantity of suffering, while the supporting text shows the effectiveness that a single individual’s contributions have. Through his own personal experiences, Stearns shows how the Gospel, in its entirety, can truly change the world. That “whole Gospel” includes not just the telling of the good news, but the providing and caring for those in need.

Having just finished “The Hole in Our Gospel,” I can confidently say that this is a book that should not be read by the average Christian. That is, it should not be read by the average Christian who wants to remain average.

It is very difficult to write a review of this book without going in-depth into its content; suffice it to say that it is very engaging and very personally challenging at the same time. This book serves as a call to action and a reminder that we were saved for good works (see Ephesians 2:8-10), not just for our own personal gain. Richard Stearns does a phenomenal job of portraying our modern world and our modern church. Time after time I was personally convicted by the words in this book. From tears to anger, shame to sorrow, emotions are stirred by the portrait of those suffering in parts of the world that are not necessarily next door to my house, but are reachable through a variety of methods easily at my disposal.

* New King James Version®, Copyright © 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. Bible text from the New King James Version® is not to be reproduced in copies or otherwise by any means except as permitted in writing by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Attn: Bible Rights and Permissions, P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214-1000.

Noelle, the First - FFF Children's Choir

Just thought I'd share with you all the Faith Family Fellowship Children's Choir presentation of "Noelle, the First." I'll let you try to figure out which kid is mine. :)

Note: the quality of the Google-ized video isn't great, but you can download a better quality version. If you really want a better version, let me know and I'll see what I can do about making a DVD or some kind of higher-quality download version available.

Also note: it's really dark at first, during the musical intro, which is over a minute long (don't recall exactly how long).

Also also note: it's around 50 minutes... but I'm sure you all want to spend an hour watching my kid perform in a Christmas musical, yes? Here you go:

Inspiration in adversity

In case you missed the last post, the Redskins didn't make it past the wild-card game in the playoffs. But, even through the loss, there's something to be found. Consider the article on the Redskins web site, here. Some excerpts from the article:

"Gibbs learned to respond to the adversity the only way he knows how: through his faith in God."

This, in case you didn't know, is a keystone of Joe Gibbs, his faith in God. (Consider the book, Racing to Win, by Gibbs; it's inspirational and definitely worth reading.) And he's not ashamed of it.

But back to the "inspiration in adversity" part of the post; consider the last part of the article on the 'skins site, some words from Joe Gibbs:

"You have to realize that in team sports, it is kind of rare all of a sudden a team gets that feeling [truly becomes a team]," Gibbs said. "I think this team has that. I think in my experience as a head coach, there have been 4-5 teams that really grabbed that. This team has it.

"What happens with a team like that is that they quit worrying about their roles. We have guys on the team who could be highly upset. Reche Caldwell wants to catch more balls. Rock [Cartwright] wants to run from the line of scrimmage.

"But what they do is they say, 'Whatever the coaches want me to do, I'm going to do it. I'll go as hard as I can.' That's hard for most people. As individuals, we grow up thinking me, me me. I'm the worst. You're focused on yourself.

"To be able to put yourself and your goals to one side and concentrate on the team--this team has that and it's hard to get. I'll never forget the other teams that had that.

"And I'll never forget this one."

This is where the inspiration comes; this is, believe it or not, kind of a picture of "God's team" - of Christians. We're all part of the same team, we all have our roles to play (consider the passage 1 Corinthians 12). Sometimes we have to just do the things that need doing, the things that we're good at, the things that God has gifted us to do. Take, for instance, Rock Cartwright - he's a very, very good kick returner. He is a good running back, true, but his current role with the Redskins is primarily kick returner, and he does a great job at that role. If he was concerned about his lack of utilization as a running back (roles filled, at the moment, by Clinton Portis and Ladell Betts), then his attitude would suffer, and likely his usefulness, his effectiveness as a kick returner would be impacted.

Sometimes we have to simply fill the role we're currently asked to fill. And when we are, we need to do it without complaining, without getting upset about what we're asked to do; otherwise our performance will suffer and our team won't be able to accomplish as much as we otherwise could. It may be that the position will remain the same for as long as we're left here to take part in the team's activities; it may be that our role will change sometime in the future. But, when we have a role to play, we should do our best to fulfill that role and, at the same time, "cheer on" (encourage) those filling other roles. (Believe it or not, this also applies to "regular life" as well - in your job, in your family, in your school, wherever you are, do what you're called to do, do it well, and do it without complaining; of course, "regular life" really doesn't exist for a Christian - there is no separation of our "Christian life" and our "regular life" - it's all the same, and trying to make a distinction between the two is a mistake that needs to be addressed.)

So, there you go... inspiration in adversity, finding something in a loss. Turning a lesson from sports into a lesson for life.