A Public School Christmas

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An __________ appeared to them, and the ___________________ shone around them, and they were terrified. But the __________ said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you _______________________ that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a _______________ has been born to you; he is ____________________________. This will be a sign to you: You will find _________________________________."

Suddenly ________________________________ appeared with the ________, praising ___________ and saying, "Glory to __________ in the highest!"

Please place the following words in the blank spaces to complete the story.

Santa Claus

Reindeer

Jingle Bells

Snowman

Elf

Dashing through the snow

Naughty or nice

Are You a Clunker?

Watching the current Cash for Clunkers program has given me new insight into the federally proposed healthcare system. I am beginning to wonder if Cash for Clunkers is simply a trial run of the nation’s acceptance of getting rid of the old.

It’s not the incentive part of the program that concerns me, although paying taxpayer dollars to people to buy a new car does bring up a lot of questions. No, the greater concern for me is what they are doing with the old clunkers.

First, there is the definition of a clunker. The program divides cars, trucks, SUVs and vans into four categories, in most cases based on weight and length of their wheelbase. Vehicles must get 18 mpg or less and there is a list of how many miles per gallon your new car must get over your old one. Evidently, cars must be drivable. Guess those that are already dead don’t’ concern the government.

Secondly, all clunkers must be totally destroyed. First the engines are ruined with sodium silicate and then the car is crushed and shredded. No way, no how is that car ever going to be a problem for America again!

Now to the parallels with the healthcare system. It seems the government is very concerned about the elderly and how much care that segment of the population should receive. By their standards in two years my husband and I should start discussing our deaths with our doctors. Funny, I don’t feel like a clunker.

It makes me wonder how our taxpayer dollars will be used to eliminate the human clunkers of our society. First, no doubt the government will define what a human clunker is. Once defined, everyone who fits that category, just like the cars, will be managed in the prescribed fashion.

Doctors, like the current car dealers, will be instructed how to complete the final passage of each clunker in a neat and approved manner. No doubt the less than perfect clunkers will be considered first for elimination. The disabled, those with chronic illnesses, the extremely elderly—the list will probably be very specific and detailed. The ultimate goal will also be the same and those pesky clunkers will never again be a problem for America.

Unfortunately, the Cash for Human Clunkers federal healthcare system will not provide the family with a replacement for the clunkers they eliminate. Evidently not having to worry about carrying for an aging loved one will be reward enough.

Sound impossible in our great land? Then wake up. Years ago we heard of a book written in Germany in 1920 by two doctors arguing that the compassionate thing to do was to end a life that was substandard. Doctors for years bought into this philosophy until all Hitler had to do was define lives that were substandard. He started with the disabled, the “less than perfect” individuals and progressed to ethnic groups. Surely no one could have anticipated where that would take their nation.

There’s a lot going on right now in our government. Almost too much to focus on consistently. That helps when you are getting rid of clunkers. All I can say is, if you are 65 or older, ever think you will be 65 or older, or know and love someone who is 65 or older, pay attention to what is happening.

Just as with a magic show, look for what you are not supposed to see. Or before we know it, all the old clunkers may just disappear.

There Is No Common Ground

I think that those who follow Christ in the United States have been duped into believing that our goal should be to reach common ground with the world. If we just avoid controversy and make friends with the world, we will be able to lead them to Christ. Once we have common ground, we will be able to explain the truth of the Gospel to them and they will understand. 

Consequently we have tried "not to make a fuss" and bring up controversial subjects. If we took a strong biblical stand and were accused of hate speech, we retreated because we didn't want to appear unloving. When we stood against the killing of the unborn, we allowed the world's reaction to a few radicals to cause us to step back so we wouldn't be considered one of them. In our efforts to please those we want to reach we have compromised the Word of God and weakened our witness. Now the world is working hard within our nation to silence us completely.

What happened? Well, for one thing we began listening with greater intent to the world than to the Word. Some things are just fact and while the Lord would have us show love to those who are lost, He would not have us lie to them. God's Word is true, and strong, and unchanging. And the world cannot understand it.

Before He went to the cross, Jesus told His disciples, "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you" (John 14:16,17) 

The simple truth is a person must be born again to receive the Holy Spirit. We cannot hope that people know truth by the Spirit if they are not born again. So our goal should be to lead people to Christ, not to find common ground with the unbeliever. When God's love and compassion are our motivating factors, we will speak the truth in love, but we will speak the truth. 

I've always had a problem with altar calls that begin "with every head bowed and every eye closed..." It seems to me that altar calls like that give people the impression you can sneak into the Kingdom of God. We wouldn't want to embarrass anyone by having them make a public declaration of their faith! Then once we get them up to the altar, we have everyone open their eyes and welcome them into the family. How deceptive!

Jesus hung on the cross, publicly shamed and ridiculed as He gave His life for us. Those who come to Christ should be invited to do so publicly with every head up and every eye open. If we cannot declare our faith from the very first moment, how are we going to stand against opposition from the world as we walk with Jesus?

Perhaps that is why the Church in America is working so hard to please the world. Maybe we have come to believe that our walk should be easy and if we are opposed then we are at fault. Jesus loved the sinners as He walked the earth, but He made no excuses for sin. He was clear in what He thought about the religious leaders of the day who were leading the people astray. His message was on point and without confusion. Should that not also be the message of the Church today?

In one of our president's speeches he called for common ground between those who support and those who oppose abortion. That was a clarifying moment for me. The fact that anyone would even believe that common ground is possible, much less available, is astounding and yet there are those who are looking for it. 

Jesus never called for common ground between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness. "If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you" John 15:18,19. 

The Church has a window of time in which to become salt and light again in our nation. And that window is closing. We must stop wanting to be loved by those who oppose the Gospel and once again speak truth in love. We must expect to be labeled by the world. Just look at what they called Jesus. If we are His followers then the world will oppose us as well. It is His love and compassion that lead the lost to Him, not our compromise and lying. There is a cost to serving the Lord. Are we willing to pay it in America? 

Who Let Our Government Take Ownership of Our Children?

On January 22, 1973 our government assumed ownership of our children. When it became the government's job to ensure that the lives of babies could be terminated without opposition, the government became the determining factor in the life and death decisions regarding the nation's children.

Today, at this very hour, our government is searching for a young boy and his mother. The FBI and immigration agents have now been mobilized to aid in the search. Their crime? A decision not to pursue chemotherapy for the young man's cancer.

Ironic isn't it. The same government that will defend a woman's right to kill her unborn child right up to the moment of birth, will not allow parents and their children to make life and death decisions without government approval. Even stranger, the unborn child may be perfectly healthy and its life is ended for reasons that the mother and the government agree upon. Yet the life of a child suffering from cancer must be guarded by the government lest the parents make a decision contrary to what the government deems correct.

That is what happens when you give the government the right to enforce life and death family decisions. Government officials will argue that they must protect the life of this young man who is now fleeing with his mother. They must make sure he gets the care that they deem necessary.

Yet those same officials will argue that the unborn child must be killed and will prosecute anyone who interferes with that process. Are they really concerned about the lives of children? Or do they just want to carry out whatever process they deem necessary?

However you may feel about this young man's parents' decision against chemotherapy, you better pay attention to what is happening today. If you do not obey the government regarding your children, you too may be hunted down. The government has already stated that if this mother and son are found, he will be removed from their custody and placed in foster care. His parents are evidently a danger to him. Yet the mother of the unborn baby is no threat to her child even though her intent is to end its life.

Society must have law and order--that is understood. But our government is gradually taking more and more power within our homes and families. For some time I have wondered what would happen if for some reason the government determined that an unborn baby should not live. What if its life was a threat to those around it for some reason? Does the government now have the right to demand that a pregnancy be terminated?

It would seem that the government definitely has the right to decide how and when parents provide medical treatment. It doesn't matter what they believe or how they have chosen to live their lives. How far can those demands extend? What moment in time determines that the government takes over and makes decisions in place of parents? What circumstance gives them the power to override the care and protection of parents? Is it when the government determines that they do not agree with what the parents have decided? If that is the case, almost any parental decision can be challenged and overridden at the whim of government officials.

If you are a parent or know a parent or were raised by parents, pay attention to what is happening today. At this moment it about cancer treatment but tomorrow it may be about what parents choose to feed their children or how they want to educate them. One can only wonder if the day will come when the government exercises the same control over the lives of our children as they now do over the lives of the unborn. If so, then the government will be the one who determines which child lives and which child dies.

Where Are The Spiritual Leaders?

Today has been an interesting day. The controversy over our President receiving an honorary degree from a Catholic university culminated today as it finally happened. Watching all the events that led up to graduation day and then listening to the speeches, I had to wonder where the spiritual leaders of our day are. The natural issues are not hard to see. A man who supports all types of abortion at all points of pregnancy up to and including a moment before full-term birth was honored by an institution that claims to uphold the sanctity of human life. Simple circumstances complicated only by eloquent speech and the fear of man. To take exception was not to love. To stand for truth was to not be inclusive.

In the end, it came down to the belief that honoring means embracing. As I watched the speech introducing the President, I could only wonder what the Apostle Paul would have said had he been there. He certainly set the example of honoring authority, but he also pulled no punches in speaking the truth. It made me wonder once again, where are the spiritual discerners of today? Where are the leaders who will stand for the truth and not be swayed by the popularity of individuals?

The President spoke of being "fair minded" and of coexisting side-by-side in our differences. Much cheering and clapping followed these statements. And they sounded so good and so right. How could anyone oppose such tolerant acceptance? 

I thought of Jesus. No one ever loved as much as He and yet He stood so firm on darkness and light. The Pharisees tried to trick Him again and again with words and circumstances that called for compromise. They always thought they had Him trapped between not showing love or not speaking the truth. Yet every time, though, Jesus evaded their traps and spoke eternal truth.

President Obama today told the graduates that their faith should cause them to temper their convictions so they could embrace the convictions of others. Never did Jesus ever tell anyone that was one of the purposes of faith. Where are the spiritual leaders? Where are those who truly understand the times and know what the Spirit of God is saying? Where are those who are not overcome by flattering tongues and self-serving compliments?

Love must be our hallmark, but we must not allow those with opposing agendas to tell us that love means embracing others beliefs as strongly as our own. In that garden so long ago the serpent asked, "Has God really said..." That same question was asked again today from the stage at Notre Dame.

His Love Compelled Him

The Gospel of John tells us that God so loved the world that He sent His only Son. It is the love of God that compels Him to seek after the lost. When Adam and his wife disobeyed God and broke covenant with Him, God immediately declared a plan to redeem mankind back to relationship with Him. His love compelled Him to send His only Son. Then Jesus’ love compelled Him to come and die in our place that covenant might be restored with the Father. That is why Jesus can say that there is only one way to the Father and that is through Him.

In our zeal as His followers we have sometimes focused so much on the sin that we have forgotten God’s love for the sinner. While we must recognize sin and take a strong stand against it, we are not to take a strong stand against people.

Perhaps a good means of gauging this is to ask ourselves how many people we know that are living sinful lifestyles. Do you personally know anyone in the homosexual lifestyle? How about someone on drugs? Know anyone in adultery?

Let’s make it a little easier. Do you know anyone who thrives on gossiping? Anyone who has criticized someone behind his or her back? How about someone who knows to do the right thing but doesn’t do it? Scripture tells us that all those things are sin as well. 

Is it possible to stand against sin but still love the sinner? Are we repulsed by the activity or by the person? Can we separate them? If we are going to be a strong voice in our nation for scriptural values, we must speak the truth in love. Without love we are harsh and irritating like a clanging cymbal.

We are to be salt and light but too much salt spoils the taste and too much light blinds the eyes.  If we listen to the voice of our Father, we will season our atmosphere well and shine the right amount of light for clear vision.  His love must compel us as it compels Him.  The compassion of God should break our heart for the lost.

I remember one time on the way into a crusade event in our city, a little girl fell and hit her head as her family crossed the street in front of us. The gash across her forehead was bleeding profusely as her mother rushed her to the bathroom. I followed her in to see if she needed help and the poor mom was beside herself trying to stop the bleeding. As we got a towel and applied pressure to the wound, the Lord began to move in my heart with His compassion for the mom. I put my arms around her and prayed for the peace of the Lord to flood her heart and mind.  We cried together as only moms can. When a child is hurt. The bleeding eventually stopped and the little girl stopped crying but the gash was pretty deep. Since it was on her face, I shared with the mom that if it were my daughter I would get it stitched. She agreed and left to ask her waiting husband to get the car so they could leave.

I felt I needed to stay with them until the car arrived since the mom was pretty shaken and still needed some assurance.  As we stood in the hall between the outer entrance and the inner entrance to the stadium, believers hurried past us to get seats before the crusade began.  When they saw the little girl with blood all over her dress and a bloody towel held to her head, they began shouting scriptures as they hurried by. “By Jesus’ stripes you are healed!” “No weapon formed against you shall prosper!”

As believer after believer hurried by calling out over their shoulders,  I found myself becoming angry. I love the word of God and I love to hear it spoken, but at that moment everything in me wanted to shout, “Be quiet! Stop shouting at this child!” My reaction astounded me and after the family left for the emergency room, I sought a quiet place to ask the Lord why I had felt that way.  He began ministering to me that at that moment His compassion had overwhelmed my heart. His love had compelled me to follow the mother and child into the bathroom and to stand with her when she needed help. Those rushing by may have had solutions from the Word, but they were focused on their own needs and agendas.

That night the Lord showed me how the world often sees us—shouting answers and commands to people as we hurry by fulfilling our own agendas. If we are to make a difference in their lives, we must stop and love, bringing His compassion for them into their lives.

Do we truly know people who need Jesus? Have we taken the time to stand by them until the bleeding stops? Do they see Jesus when we speak to them? Do they feel His arms around them when we hug them? Our message must be strong, but our love must be even stronger.