A couple of years ago I posted a story about the decision by a Wisconsin elementary school to rewrite the lyrics of “Silent Night” to make it acceptable for the “winter program”. The unfortunate choice for a new title was “Cold in the Night”. And the new lyrics went something like this. Cold in the night, no one in sight, winter winds whirl and bite, how I wish I were happy and warm, safe with my family out of the storm. That is wrong on so many levels. Why not just have the kids sing “Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer” and go on home. Some things just shouldn’t be done. It is like the old Jim Croce song…”you don’t tug on Superman’s cape, you don’t spit into the wind, you don’t pull the mask off the old Lone Ranger, and you don’t rewrite Silent Night” (New Revised Version). Re-reading that post brought to mind a legend I had heard all of my life involving the
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I am a little too old and lot too cynical to be swept away by the latest fad in Christendom. I have sat on the sidelines while Jabez prayed, millions were purpose driven and others found their best life. I guess I was just left behind. Others were incredibly excited by one or all of these phenomenons. So I was more than a little surprised to find that God has rocked my world through a ministry I knew little about just a few months ago. Their books and materials have not become an entire section at your local Christian superstore. And that is a shame. Because they have a message that needs to be heard by most of us. The organization is called Leadership Catalyst and they have an incredible book called TrueFaced.  I don’t think I have ever had a book (not included in the original 66) impact me as much as this one. Here is how strongly I feel about this book
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When I was a kid the holidays politely waited their turn in line. Thanksgiving would take the baton from Halloween and then pass it along to Christmas.  Now the Holidays clamor for attention like a spoiled child at the mall. I have been receiving Christmas catalogs for weeks and the stores were filled with Christmas displays by Halloween. By the way, you will note that I am a proud user of the term Christmas for the December 25th event that is known on the federal calendar as Christmas Day.  That was a bonus mini-rant. No charge. Last year I wrote about what I wanted for Christmas. I started with a list of things I really, really wanted. Everything at the Bose store The latest version of my Trio phone  (I don’t have the Windows version for heaven’s sake!) Several pounds of books Dozens of DVD’s Then I listed everything I really, really needed. Yep. I didn’t need a single thing for Christmas. I give bags
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For weeks I have been watching the work crews building a fiber-optic network in our neighborhood. I could not wait to get rid of my cable service. I won’t mention the company by name but it rhymes with Dime Corner. I was so excited to switch to the new technology. I was giddy when the installer showed up yesterday. I told him that I would be happy to allow his company to videotape me telling my current provider to take a flying leap. His response was professional. And convicting. “We don’t say bad things about our competitors. We just tell you about our product and let you decide.” This was not an aberration. I recalled a similar exchange I had with another employee when I set up my installation. I was joking again about doing a commercial about getting rid of cable and she replied gently. “We don’t criticize our competition.” Two things hit me. First was how professional these
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I have a new business idea. When faith gets challenged or offended by a movie, book, television show or stupid celebrity quote I am going to sell an evangelistic hyperventilation bag. This paper bag, featuring stylish cross artwork on one side and a fish insignia on the other, will allow beleaguered Christians to witness as they hyperventilate over the latest dire e-mail warning to boycott, plunder and protest. The most recent threat to faith and, according to some distraught sources, God’s sovereign plan on earth is an upcoming movie called The Golden Compass. I recall that God and His people have somehow weathered other recent crises like The DaVinci Code, The Book of Daniel TV show, Madonna’s stage presentation, the Lost Tomb of Jesus and a veritable parade of books by atheists who could use the non-religious version of my hyperventilation bag when discussing God. Yet somehow, the God that I believe created the heavens and earth has survived the punches of Hollywood, television
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Truth can be so annoying. If annoying truth was a Jeopardy category it might look like this… “I’ll take Annoying Truths for $100, Alex.”This famous preacher said,  “Give me five minutes with a person’s checkbook, and I will tell you where their heart is.”“Who is Billy Graham? I’ll take Annoying Truths for $200, Alex.”This missionary to India said, “You can give without loving. But you cannot love without giving.” “Who was Amy Carmichael, Alex. I am getting very uncomfortable with this topic so let’s take “Sins that make you worse than me for $100.” Money is an uncomfortable topic for followers of Jesus. One anonymous writer noted that a lot of people are willing to give God the credit, but not too many are willing to give Him the cash. Twenty-seven years ago a man in Kansas City made a choice to give away the cash. It was a choice that changed his life and the lives of thousands more. The Associated Press reported that for
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Last year I wrote this post about eight months into Joni’s breast cancer journey. As Thanksgiving looms I thought it might be worth a revisit. We feel so blessed for every day together. Ronald Reagan had a favorite joke that he told so often that the joke itself became a joke with staff members. A CBS News piece related the story as remembered by former Reagan aide Ed Meese. The joke was told about twin boys who were six years old. Worried that the boys had developed extreme personalities — one was a total pessimist, the other a total optimist — their parents took them to a psychiatrist. First the psychiatrist treated the pessimist. Trying to brighten his outlook, the psychiatrist took him to a room piled to the ceiling with brand-new toys. But instead of yelping with delight, the little boy burst into tears. “What’s the matter?” the psychiatrist asked, baffled. “Don’t you want to play with any of the toys?”
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