Christmas versus X-Mas

It's that time of year again. The time where malls are clogged with people shopping for the "it" gift for their friends and family and traffic is impossible. It's the time when people spread the "Christmas Cheer… but who knows what that is anymore? 

My mom sent me this interesting email passed on from her friend. It’s a chart comparing the ABCs of a Christian Christmas compared to the worlds X-Mas.

What I find interesting about this chart is how accurately it portrays the gap between how Christians should live out the Christmas season and how the world ends up celebrating it.

I say should because I think that a lot of Christians, including myself, have fallen into the worldly view of Christmas. It’s fun to give gifts and to sit around a Christmas tree with flickering lights.

But here is what I think is interesting. If everyone held the same view, or worldview, that Jesus Christ—the savior of man—was born on Christmas night, this holiday would take on a whole new meaning.

The Son of God came to give us the ultimate gift; he died that we may live without fear of sin and death.

The world views Christmas as a time to “get what you want.” It is filled with “things to do” and required visits to see relatives. If you don’t get the perfect gift for your child, watch out! You will have a full-blown meltdown.

Oh, and let’s not forget the politically correct side of this time of year; we can no longer call it Christmas because that is impolite and cuts off the rest of the holidays that happen at this time. Retail workers wish “Happy Holidays!” or “Merry X-Mas!” instead of calling the holiday by what it is.

It is called Christmas because this is when Christ was born. You can’t have Christmas without Christ.

I guess what I am trying to get at is that we should all reevaluate how we view this time of year. Are we excited for the month of December because it lets us remember the birth of the one who paid the ultimate sacrifice for us? Or are we excited because we know we will get that game system or movie that we have been longing after for months?

Those Crazy Christians...

Today's world has projected a strong feeling of negativity onto the Christian lifestyle. According to a poll conducted by Barna, only 22 percent of non-Christians have a positive view of evangelicals. So the question from my teacher this week is: "What can evangelicals/born-again Christians do to change the negative view that non-Christians have about them?

I think this falls in the "easier said than done" category. All you need to do is go to Youtube.com, type in the word Christians in the search bar and immediately you are flooded with videos bashing Christians. Youtube even suggests you try typing in "crazy Christians" for better results.

Here are a few examples of the negative videos you can find:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOxEa4mkPik

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVuw1wEuaAQ

It's easy for people to pick out the "crazy" Christians. Take the Westboro Baptist Church, for example. Their website www.godhatesfags.com gives out such a warm and fuzzy feeling it was blocked by Taylor's iPrizm. 

How can we expect non-Christians to have a happy feeling about us if we are treating them like they don't matter? Picketing the gay rallies with signs like "God hates the gays" is not going to make them like us or want to join our lifestyle!

I'm not trying to rant here, but this topic gets me riled up. I come from a background where I have worked and interacted my whole life with mostly non-Christians. Because of this, I have learned that the best way to get them interested in my faith is to show them through my actions what I believe. My friends know that I am a Christian and that I wouldn't live their lifestyle. They know that I don't approve of it, and yet they still know that I am their friend. 

Right now, I think the only way that we can take off that negative view is for the "crazy" Christians to stop. Stop picketing. Stop telling people they are going to hell. That is not the way to win them over.

I don't think changing the view from negative to positive is one that can happen overnight. Everyone has to work together to change it.

It would have happened eventually...

Okay, so the question from this week's class is "What would life be like if Adam and Eve had not sinned?"


Here's my short and sweet answer: "It would have happened eventually"


God created a world with free will, which means that sin is always a part of the equation. We are free to make our own choices and somewhere down the line, a person would have been tempted by the devil and we would be right back in the same place.


It is easy to place all of the blame on Adam and Eve, but can we legitimately say that we wouldn't have done the same in their place?


Who is to know for sure?

'Till death do us part...right?"

I'm back with yet another tough question from my Web Writing teacher: "Should Christians divorce their spouses? Why or why not? What does the Bible say about this?"


Wow. This is definitely a touchy subject. Let's start with some statistics from the Barna Group (www.barna.org), shall we?


1. Four out of Five adults have been married at least once.
The break-down:
Christians: 84 percent get married
Non-Christians: 74 percent get married
Agnostics and Aethists: 65 percent get married.


2. Out of those who get married, 33 percent get divorced at least once.
"Born again Christians who are not evangelical were indistinguishable from the national average on the matter of divorce: 33% have been married and divorced. " (http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/15-familykids/42-new-marriage-and-divorce-statistics-released)


Isn't that a little disconcerting? The next generation is being groomed to think that "sure, marriage sounds great, but it probably won't last. So what's the point?"


Television is also teaching sex before marriage because, "It feels good." How can we expect to teach a new generation of both Christians and Non-Christians to respect marriage and relationships if everything they see around them consists of messy relationships and sex?


Back to the point. Do I personally think Christians should divorce? No. The Bible has some very specific things to say about marriage and divorce. 


Matthew 5, Matthew 19, Mark 10, Luke 16, and 1 Corinthians 7 all have the same thing to say. 
"Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries one who is divorced from a husband commits adultery." (Luke 16:18).


1 Corinthians 7 says that if a man or woman's spouse dies, they may marry without fear as long as it is in the Lord.


Matthew 19:6 says, "so they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate."


Deuteronomy 24:1 says that if a man marries and finds that his spouse has cheated or has been indecent, he may divorce her.


Okay, so in today's world, how does this differ? People cheat...right?


Here are my thoughts. When you marry someone, you are vowing to stay true to them until death do you part. That may seem like an antiquated thought, but I believe it. 


Before you run into marriage, you need to be sure that you know the character of the one you are marrying. Are they the type to stay true to you? Will they work to keep the relationship together, no matter what the costs?


I do believe that there are instances when a person should be allowed to divorce. For example: If a woman or man is being abused by their spouse, that is not okay.


If a spouse has cheated, the couple should try to work through it, but if the person who cheated does not change their ways, I believe that a person should be allowed to divorce.


What's your take?

Keeping a tab...

So here's the question of the week: "Do you think people can 'earn' their way into heaven? Why or why not?"


I was talking to my mom about this question, trying to find the best way to put my thoughts into words. She reminded me of a story that she used to tell the students she worked with while on staff with Campus Crusade for Life.


Dawn breaks over the California coast as two men dressed in swimsuits stare out at the vast body of water in front of them. The sun is reflected in the clear water giving a sense of peace. 
The taller of the two men wears a confident smile to match the glimmer of sunshine in his hazel eyes. While he stands stretching his legs and preparing for the arduous swim before him, the second man looks insecure. He stand more than four inches shorter than man next to him in stature and confidence.


"So Dan, are you ready?" Asks Hazel eyes as he claps Dan on the back, "Swimming to Hawaii is going to be awesome!"


Dan gulps, "Actually..."


He digs his feet into the cold morning sand and looks uncomfortable.


Hazel eyes laughs it off, "Come on man! I'm a great swimmer, don't worry about it!"


"But Steve, what about sharks?" He says looking concerned, "Or changes in the tide? What if we get tired? What are we --"


Hazel eyes, or Steve, argues back. "Stop being such a worry wort."


They go on for a while arguing whether or not they should carry out their plan when an older gentleman walks up. 


He stares thoughtfully at the boys for a minute and then speaks, "I'm sorry, I couldn't help but overhear you two talking about swimming to Hawaii."


Steve's face lights up with enthusiasm, while Dan looks down at his feet. 


The old man looks back and forth between both boys, "You do know that no matter how good a swimmer," he looks at Steve, "Or how awful a swimmer you are," he looks at Dan, "that neither of you will make it to Hawaii by swimming alone?"




Let's say for a moment that Hawaii is "heaven" and swimming is "works." There is no way that we can get there based solely on works alone. Like Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For it is by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast."


In the Old Testament, God required "works" through sacrifices to show help people remain humble and as a way to show them something better was coming. Sacrifices couldn't wholly cleanse them in the way that Christ dying for our sins accomplished.


Hebrews 10, especially the New Living translation, describes how the old system required people to trust God by offering sacrifices. Through Christ dying on the cross for our sins, he wrote the law on our hearts and as verse 17 says, "I will never again remember their sins and lawless deeds." 


"And when sins have been forgiven, there is no need to offer any more sacrifices." (Heb 10:18 NLT)


So like the men who tried to swim to Hawaii by themselves, we can't pile up works or swim our way to heaven.


God has already erased your sins. Like Ephesians 2:8, 9 says, our salvation is a result of a free gift from God. We accepted it through faith, but we can't receive it through works. 


Getting to heaven isn't a competition between who can rack up the most points. It is a free, though not easy, gift from God.

"I'm not giving up my last penny!"

I'm back with another question from my teacher! Did you miss me?


Here's the thought provoking question of the week: "Do you believe Christians should tithe? If so, at what level or percentage? If you're so inclined to respond...do you tithe?"


The answer to this question seems simple, but in all reality, it is one that has been argued over since the beginning of time. In the Old Testament, the Bible talks about giving away a tenth of your earnings over the whole year.


Leviticus 27:30-32 says, "A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD. If a man redeems any of his tithe, he must add a fifth of the value to it. The entire tithe of the herd and flock -- every tenth animal that passes under the shepherd's rod -- will be holy to the LORD."


Deuteronomy 14:22-23 says, "Be sure to set aside a tenth of all the your fields produce each year. Eat the tithe of your grain, new wine and oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks in the presence of the LORD your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name, so that you may learn to revere the LORD your God always."


I have a memory from when I was about 13 and my parents were first encouraging me to tithe my babysitting money. I was always so frustrated to give up such a big chunk of my money, but I when I did, I got such a good feeling. One time in particular, I had to give a pretty big amount from cumulative earnings. The very same day, I got a babysitting job that payed more than twice the amount I had given to the church that morning. I can't help but think that God was showing me that by being willing to give up my money to Him in obedience, that He was rewarding me and encouraging me to do it again. He does provide.


Granted, life doesn't always happen that way. More often then not, people have to scrape their pockets just to get by with the never-ending bills piling onto the kitchen table.


Right now, as a college student who is the youngest of four at a private school, I am a penny pincher. It is hard to make myself dish out more money than I have to because my paycheck goes straight to school or food. I do make sure that each month I donate money to a charity called "The Mocha Club" (https://www.mochaclub.org/). It is a charity designed to help those in Africa who need fresh water and medical supplies. All you have to do is give up the price of two Mochas a month, or $7. The one problem with this way of tithing is that each month that $7 is taken automatically from my bank account.


So is it really like I am tithing at all? I often forget that I am donating to the charity. It's quick, it's painless, and I don't miss that $7.


There is a story in the Mark 12:41-44 where Jesus gives an example of the correct way to tithe. He is watching people make their way to give their money to the temple treasury. Up saunter a few rich men, who look around to make sure people are watching as they toss in their large money bags.

From the side corner a woman dressed in rags walks quietly up to the treasury and gently gives up two small coins worth just a small fraction of a penny.

Jesus calls his disciples to him and says, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all others. They out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything -- all she had to live on."

Please don't get me wrong. While I believe that we should tithe, I do NOT think that we need to be legalistic about it. Tithing is not an issue of money, but instead it is a heart issue. We have to be willing to give God back what he gave to us. 

So while I "tithe" every month, I am not really giving out of my heart. Sure, I want to help people in Africa have clean water so they can stay healthy, but I can't just let myself be a passive tither. 

What do you think about tithing?

"Ahh to be young and in love"

So here's a question for all of you out there, courtesy of my Web Writing and Production teacher. 

"What would your parents or other family members say if you brought home a person from a different race than yours and said you were in love with that person and thinking about marrying him or her?"

Honest to goodness, my parents would treat him like just any other guy. Sure, my dad might grill him a teensy bit. You know, nothing serious... maybe get out the shotgun and clean it. My mom of course would want to find out his favorite food so she could feed him and make him feel at home. 

But race wouldn't be an issue.

The biggest issue for my parents would be his beliefs. They would make sure that both of us believed in the same thing. Because without the same foundation, it is mighty hard to make a relationship work.

My parents might sit me down and make sure I am aware that with a different race also comes a few cultural differences, or that some people might criticize us for our relationship. But my parents would never say, "Emily, this boy is a different color than you! What are you thinking!"

Part of it might be that my parents worked with international students for 25 years. I think most of it comes from their wisdom and their acceptance of others. 

How would you parents react?