“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17, New International Version)

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Have you ever wondered who put Christmas and New Year’s so close together?! It’s rather unfortunate timing when you think about it…how do you make a serious New Year’s resolution to get healthy in 2016, when the festive red velvet cake is on the counter and celebratory eggnog is in the refrigerator?

Bad scheduling or not, it’s that time of year. It’s time to decide what will be different in 2016. I have a few suggestions for fulfilling 2016 New Year’s resolutions so that they are not on your list again in 2017!

1. Forgiveness first. So many actions that we want to change are actually rooted in sin. After pastoring for more than 35 years, I don’t want to sound “preachy” here, but let’s not overlook this: If the change we want to make is something that God expects of us, then we need to get it right with God first. For instance, if we want to get out of debt in 2016, perhaps we must first seek God’s forgiveness for the greed that made all those purchases look so attractive in the first place. Getting right with God is prerequisite to getting right with ourselves.
2. Be specific. What gets measured tends to get completed. Suppose our resolution is to spend more time with our family. What does “more time” look like? Is it measured in hours per week or in activities per month? Is it a monthly father/son lunch or a weekly phone call? Specificity can be scary, because it calls us out when we fail. But it can also be exhilarating, because we know when we succeed.
3. Leave it behind. Before we can travel down a new path, we have to step off the old one first. In the New Testament, a recurring idea is the image of putting off and putting on. Often with the metaphor of clothing, Paul describes the virtues of the Christian life. We should put off such qualities as impurity, greed, anger, filthy language, and lying. As these are removed from our lives, we can then put on the virtues of compassion, humility, patience, forgiveness, and love (for example, see Ephesians 4:22-5:20 and Colossians 3:5-17). For example, a resolution to read more in 2016 means we may need to turn off the television.  We have to put off the old before we can put on the new.
4. Make a plan. How will we get where we want to be? Whom do we need around us and aware of our goals that will help us succeed? My wonderful wife is a health coach (time for my shameless plug). She spends her days encouraging people in their efforts to get healthy, with almost 350 people on her team currently. In 2016, she and I lost 80 pounds each, and she was my health coach! She laid out the plan for me, listened patiently to my struggles when a fast food burger sounded better than cabbage steaks, and encouraged me every step of the way. For the first time in my life, losing weight is not my resolution for 2016! Thanks to my encourager, I had a route map.
5. Live life daily. We can only live one day at a time, and we ought to spend it thanking God for not telling us what tomorrow holds. As we pursue our goals, we should still live a life wholly present and completely connected.  Live fully, along the way to successes. 2016 is a gift, not just a goal!

“…But perfect love drives out fear…”  (1 John 4:18, New International Version).

My wife Laurie and I relaxed on the couch with our grandson James to watch the classic, A Charlie Brown Christmas (Dir. Bill Melendez. Prod. Lee Mendelson. By Charles M. Schulz. CBS Television Network, 1965.) I wondered if the fifty-year-old animation could hold James’s 21st century interest.  As he cuddled under a blanket in the arms and lap of his Gran, he was mesmerized as Charlie Brown fought to overcome the commercialism of Christmas. Imagine how Charles Schulz might react to the selling of Christmas today!

I watched with special curiosity after reading a fascinating observation by Jason Soroski. Mr. Soroski noticed that Linus dropped his blanket at a very poignant moment in the story. (Soroski, Jason. “Just Drop the Blanket: The Moment You Never Noticed in A Charlie Brown Christmas.” Web log post. The Way I See It. Also at Crosswalk.com, 14 Dec. 2015. Web.)

During his famous monologue on stage, Linus quotes Luke 2 to explain the meaning of Christmas: “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock 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 you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people” (Luke 2:8-10, King James Version). Laurie and I smiled with contentment as James listened so intently to the Christ story.

Then, I saw what Mr. Soroski had pointed out. As soon as Linus says, “Fear not,” he drops the blanket! I have watched that scene for half a century. I had never noticed that Linus apparently finds courage to let go of his security blanket when he shares the angel’s words, “Fear not.” Whatever dependence Linus had on the blanket, the words of the angel gave Linus courage to face life without it.

I don’t know if Schulz intended this message, but I received the reminder that the arrival of the Christ Child removes our fears.

As Laurie held James tightly, cuddling his head in her cheek, we watched as Charlie Brown walked away with his scorned tree. Even at the young age of two, James seemed to feel sorry for that little tree.

I wasn’t worried about Charlie Brown or his tree, because I knew that it was all going to end in a joyful celebration of Christmas. But I was worried about Linus. Why did he pick up his blanket as soon as he was done reciting the Bible passage? Did he need his reassuring prop because his momentary courage of faith faded with the last line of his monologue?

When Linus retrieved his blanket, he looked like so many people I have met along the way. He looked like worshipers who find hope to face life during worship; but when the benediction is spoken, the same doubts invade their souls that they had before they entered the sanctuary.

Linus resembled the faithful who find peace when reading a passage of Scripture or hearing a stirring song; but as soon as the experience passes, they struggle with the same demons as before.

Linus looked like the believers who joyfully celebrate Christ when around others; but when alone in the house, His joy is nowhere.

Why was Linus’s ability to face life without the blanket so fleeting? Why couldn’t he maintain the angelic encouragement, “Fear not”?

Good news! Linus actually does let go of the blanket again. Remember when? As Linus looks at the sad little tree that others had rejected, he says: “Maybe it just needs a little love.” With those words, he gently wraps the base of Charlie Brown’s tree with his blanket. His blanket begins the transformation of the small evergreen branch into a full-blown Christmas tree.

I don’t know if it were planned by Charles Schulz fifty years ago, but the message I received that night with my wife and grandson was this: Love conquers fear. There are many tumultuous reasons in this world to hold onto our blankets tightly. Given the violence and uncertainty all around us, fear is our natural reaction. We look for comfort and assurance in different ways…Linus held a blanket.

Linus teaches us that we can talk about the birth of Jesus. We can sing carols about Him. We can decorate our homes (and even dog houses) all we want. But only when we learn to love does fear really disappear.

I looked over at my wife, cradling our grandson. She whispered to me, “How can we love something this much?” In that moment, nothing on the outside mattered for either of us. Love conquers all fear.

And then, James dropped his blanket on the floor.

“For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God” (1 John 5:4-5, New International Version).

A computer? New clothes? A bike? What are you buying your children for Christmas? How about a pair of shoes? You can have the LeBron XIII iD Basketball Shoe for only $245! (See LeBron XIII iD Basketball Shoe.) My father was the head coach of a high school varsity basketball team for all of my childhood. He passed away years ago and celebrates Christmas in the Father’s house these days. I wonder what he thinks about $245 basketball shoes! I imagine that his whole team was outfitted for that amount back in the day, from hand-me-down jerseys with no name on the back, to short shorts, to knee pads, to knee-high socks, to white canvas basketball shoes. You were extravagantly special if you wore high tops!

Perhaps the LeBron shoe costs so much to support the lifetime deal that Nike and LeBron James signed this month. Reports are that King James and Nike agreed to the first lifetime contract in the company’s history. The deal is reported to be worth $500 million or more! (See LeBron Shoe Contract.)

You probably expect me to launch a diatribe against the massive amount of the contract. It’s tempting, given the paltry salaries of those who teach our children…sport vs. education? Or given the dire circumstances of my friends in Nicaragua and other countries…sport vs. survival? But amount of money is not the real issue. If people are willing to buy the shoes, then LeBron might as well be willing to accept the money. After all, you never know when he might need an extra half a billion dollars for emergency expenses like new tires or plumbing repairs!

The crux of the issue lies in the company name. (See 11 Things Hardly Anyone Knows About Nike.) Other than being the name of this successful shoe company, Nike is also the name of the Greek mythological goddess of victory, represented masterfully by a sculpture in the Louvre Museum in Paris known as “Winged Victory.” The implied message in the shoes is that if you spend hundreds of dollars on Nike shoes this Christmas for your child, you are providing the tools that will carry him or her to victory.

Back when sandals were the shoe of choice, the word “nike” was still a common word. In one letter in the New Testament, John used a form of the word “nike” four times in just two verses. In 1 John 4:4-5 (see above), “nike” is translated both “overcome(s)” and “victory.”  His point is simple: victory (“nike”) lies in belief in Christ.

Herein lies the lesson in the LeBron contract with Nike. It’s never about the amount of money…how much we have or don’t have. After all, wouldn’t we all like to experience a King James version of Christmas morning once in our lifetimes?! It’s not about amount; it’s always about value.

The amount a Christmas gift costs is not nearly as important as the value it reveals. Even before Christian parents look at the price tag of a potential gift, you should look at the value it teaches your children. What does the gift say about being victorious in life? If the most important value you have for your child is to be the best basketball player (or at least the most expensively adorned one), buy the shoes. If your ultimate value is to separate family members to maintain quiet around the house, buy a video game (insert my sarcasm here).

The supreme value for Christian parents ought to be to lead your children to a real faith in Christ. The job of Christian parents is to make sure your gifts preach the values that you want your children to hear.

Parents, your Christmas gift, however expensive it may or may not be, should reveal to your child something about the ultimate Value of life, the primary Source of victory, who just happened to be a Child Himself.

If you wish, go ahead and buy the shoes. Just make sure that you lead your child’s steps in those shoes to true “nike,” a living relationship with Christ.

“ Whoever claims to live in Him must live as Jesus did” (1 John 2:6, New International Version).

On a recent trip to Starbucks, I was greeted with a display of Starbucks advent calendars and stacks of coffee bags with the word “Christmas” on them. But as anticipated, the red cup in which I was served my black gold was missing any of the traditional Christmas indications. It is the 2015 Christmas season scandal. Starbucks serves coffee from red cups that do not display “Merry Christmas” or any other symbol of Christmas. (See The Story Behind the Design of Starbucks Red Holiday Cups.)

The crisis joins a long list of Christmas atrocities. Remember when we couldn’t believe that stores decorated before Thanksgiving, and then, before Halloween? (I guess I’m in the minority to prefer Christmas trees, twinkling lights, and carols over witches, skeletons, and screams.)

Remember the year that Christians felt attacked because “Christmas” was shortened to “Xmas” in some advertisements? (I confess that I substituted “X” for “Christ” when I took notes in seminary. Since “X” is the first Greek letter in the title “Christ,” I felt more smart than sinister.)

Most recently. Black Friday, the unofficial start of the Christmas shopping season, has begun on Thanksgiving Thursday.

The faithful cry: “Christmas is under attack!”

Really? Is our faith so shallow that we rely on a coffee shop to frame our Christmas message? Do we need the mall to sanctify our season? Christians are in trouble if we depend on any secular organization to promote our faith. Instead, let’s own the season of Christ’s birth by being Christian during it.

If you must have your $5 cup of coffee, be Christian and let the person behind you go ahead of you and say “thank you” to the person who prepares your drink.

If you don’t want that red cup, be Christian and give that $5 to a charity to give to those who don’t know how they will purchase Christmas gifts for their children this year.

It’s not the job of Starbucks or the mall to be Christian. Their job is to make money. It is the job of the Christian to be Christian.

Christians being Christian at Christmas … just a second thought.

Merry Xmas, bucks.

“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9, New American Standard Bible).

The horrific events of San Bernardino have once more shattered the senses of humanity. Our personalized feelings of anger, frustration, fear, disbelief, confusion, grief, or helplessness invade our seasonal joy. The conversation touches almost every area of life: politics, religion, family, gun rights, extremism, violence, and public safety.

Without minimizing the value of these pertinent conversations, the context is largely beyond our immediate and personal control. Even though we have our opinions, the reality is that other people are making the decisions that affect us. San Bernardino is more than 2,200 miles away from me. What difference can I really make?

In my small corner of the world, what can I do about a hate-filled tragedy so far away? From where I live, my suggestion is to do the right thing in your little world.

Jesus lived in a pretty small world Himself. Even though He came to bring salvation for the entire world, He made His difference in a little corner of the globe first. He limited His travels to a relatively small number of miles, but surely He knew that there were other continents out there. We know about His miraculous healings, but what about all those disabled people He walked past? He chose a dozen people to join His inner circle; but wouldn’t His impact have been broader if He had 1,000 disciples, particularly given the ineptitude of some of the Twelve? His public ministry only totaled about three years, with the first three decades of His life in basic obscurity. What a difference could He have made if He worked until age 65?

Equipped with the most important message in the history of the world, Jesus delivered the word through a very small window of the planet. He changed the world from His small corner.

His example is our lesson. We too must find fulfillment and purpose in doing the right thing in our little sphere. In light of the tragedy in San Bernardino, we must try harder to get along with our enemy at work. We must hug our children more tightly. We must love our spouses more sacrificially. We must thank our local responders more regularly. We must respect our neighbors who think differently than we. We must drive our cars with a gentler spirit. We must shop our stores with a more patient attitude.

Through it all, we pray that God will see His plan taking place in our little corner of the world; that God will multiply our good to other corners of the globe; and that God will take care of what we cannot.

Just a thought from where I live,

Allen Reasons