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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 rocked my world through a ministry I knew little about just a couple of years 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 and ministry. I have written two books. So selling a few books would be awesome for the fading retirement account. But if you only have the budget to buy one book in the near future I would tell you to buy TrueFaced. (That gives you a hint as to why I rarely am asked to do marketing seminars)

I am borrowing one little bit of content that is very timely during this month. John Lynch is one of the authors of the book and in this section he addresses how we are programmed from childhood to default to performance theology. He calls it the “Santa Claus is Coming to Town theology”.

You better watch out
Better not cry
Better not pout
I am telling you why
Santa Claus is comin’ to town
He’s making a list….checking it twice…three times…every day
Gonna find out who’s naughty and nice
Santa Claus is comin’ to town
He sees you when your sleeping, nows when your awake, he knows when you’ve been bad or good so be good for goodness sake.

Oh, he’s watching. Waiting for you to screw up so you will get coal instead of a bicycle. You had better please him. And we teach our kids to put on the mask and be something they are not. Because Santa Claus is comin’ to town. This omniscient being who is judging our every deed is coming to town…and we learn to do the dance early. Buck up…be good. Don’t cry. Don’t pout. Santa Claus is coming to town.  (©Copyright 2003, William Thrall, Bruce McNicol, John Lynch. All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication prohibited.)

He is exactly right. We learn that we get good things and receive love only when we are good and do good things. Santa is pleased (and we later substitute God) when we obey. So we learn early. We had better be good. Or least fool everyone around us to think that we are being good.

Ask any child this Christmas if they are being good and I will wager you will never hear this response.

“Well, to be honest, I am really struggling with the whole being nice thing. I have actually been pouty and I cried yesterday. It just isn’t working out this Christmas so I suspect the video game system will have to wait.”

Nope. What you hear is the lie that we learn early and too often keep handy in our arsenal for a lifetime.

“Oh yeah. I am being really good!”

I remember (vaguely) the tension of the Santa Claus years. I knew I hadn’t really changed much. I tried to modify my behavior for a week or two leading up to Christmas but I knew I had failed to really be good. I learned a couple of things early. I learned how hard it is to change behavior by sheer willpower and I learned that I could fool Santa by living a lie. I learned that that he would bring me presents in spite of my failures. I did not learn about grace. That maybe Santa gave me gifts because of who I was and maybe he came to my house because I was lovable instead of rewarding me for what I had done to please him. I figured I had fooled him and to get the good stuff I would have to continue to hide the little boy who broke an ornament and then hid it.

Isn’t that too often how we view God? We had better not cry. Better not sin. I’m telling you why. Jesus is coming to town. He’s making a list and He is checking it not once or twice but every moment of every day. God knows if you’ve been bad or good so if you want to be healed or happy or prosperous you had better be good for goodness sake. If I do mess up I am scared to death that I will get a bad life or miss all that God has for me. So I put on the mask and try to be really good for Jesus. If I can fool those around me maybe, just maybe, I can fool God too.

Satan sells the lie so convincingly. And we buy it for months and years and even decades.

But God and Santa are very different in their approach. God does not keep a list. He is not impressed by our hernia inducing straining to control sin.

Jesus offers us so many gifts. But the one we seem to have the hardest time unwrapping is the gift of grace. The gift that allows us to become who God desires us to become as we simply trust Him and quit trying to be “good” for goodness sake. We are saved by grace and faith in Christ. We become like Him by the same radical strategy. Faith that He has changed us into a new creation. And understanding the grace that gives us good gifts even when we don’t deserve them.

Don’t let the Santa Claus theology live into the New Year. Go straight to the gift of grace that Jesus left under the Cross. Open it. And clothe yourself in His salvation, acceptance and love. It may be the best gift you have ever given yourself.

Last Sunday I was involved in the White Rock Marathon. For 26.2 miles I plodded along the course laid out from west side of downtown Dallas, around White Rock Lake and back. I have to tell you that is not easy being a spectator at a marathon! All of that driving from point to point to get a glimpse of the runners. Whew! At this point I am happy that I am out of hitting range from our son Scott and his lovely bride Caroline who actually ran and finished their first marathon on Sunday.

Joni and I had the privilege of being at various cheering points to encourage them and take some pictures. I was inspired by their commitment to this race and their nearly year long preparation for this single event. Lots of getting up at 5 AM for training runs and heading out on weekend mornings for very long runs. All of that dedication paid off.

We waited at the finish line near the Dallas Maverick’s home at American Airlines Center. I watched the runners as they completed this grueling test. Some ran with a pained expression that indicated they just wanted to cross the line. But the most typical reaction was heartwarming and thought provoking. It was repeated over and over. The runners would be plodding along with looks of tiredness and even pain etched on their face. And then they would look up and see the gigantic FINISH banner and a smile would spread across their face. A look of relief and joy replaced the exhausted and pained expression. They had made it to the finish.

Four different times Paul used a running metaphor to describe the Christian journey. It made a lot of sense as I watched the runners on Sunday. In his letter to the Corinth Church Paul talked about training and goals.

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. (I Corinthians 9, NIV)

Scott and Caroline’s prize was a medal that symbolized that they finished the race. Paul talks about finishing in a race where our prize is eternal. I thought about how the finish line of life for Christians should be like those runners at the White Rock Marathon. All of the training, perseverance and pain will be worth it as we view the finish line of eternity with Christ. I don’t think that some (or even most) Christians really understand the promise of heaven. Randy Alcorn has written an excellent book on the topic that might help get you fired up about finishing the race strong.  I talked to Scott afterwards and asked him how he had held up. His reply was interesting. He told me that he felt good about his cardiovascular but noted that at mile 20 “everything started to hurt”. But he kept going. He knew the pain was part of the process. Paul talks about how obstacles keep us from finishing our Christian race well.

You were running the race so well. Who has held you back from following the truth?  It certainly isn’t God, for he is the one who called you to freedom. (Galatians 5, NLT)

At times we all hit “mile 20” in our journey with Jesus. That point where it feels like everything hurts. But you keep going. It is part of the process. Keep trusting God and stay faithful. At some point all of us will look up and see that the finish banner is very near.

My prayer is that a big smile will cross my face and joy will fill my soul. I want more than anything to echo the words of Paul.

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. (2 Timothy 4, NLT)

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-nine 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 the next 27 years, a man known only as Secret Santa roamed the streets every December quietly giving people money. He started with $5 and $10 bills. As his fortune grew, so did the gifts. In recent years, Secret Santa handed out $100 bills, sometimes two or three at a time, to people in thrift stores, diners and parking lots. He anonymously gave out about $1.3 million. It was a long-held holiday mystery: Who is the Secret Santa? During Christmas of 2007, weakened from chemotherapy and armed with a desire to pass on his belief in random kindness, Secret Santa finally revealed his identity.

Larry Stewart, a 58-year-old businessman from the Kansas City suburb of Lee’s Summit, Mo., made his millions in cable television and long-distance telephone service. While Stewart also gave money to other community causes in Kansas City and his home town of Bruce, Miss., he offered the simple gifts of cash because it’s something people didn’t have to “beg for, get in line for, or apply for.”

His epiphany happened just before Christmas in 1979. His circumstances were dire. For the second year in a row he had been fired just days before Christmas. He admits that he was wallowing in self-pity when he learned that giving returned an inexplicable joy. That simple discovery changed him, the entire city of Kansas City, and beyond. Let’s pick up the story as Stewart was nursing his wounds at a drive-in restaurant after getting fired once again. He describes that December day in his own words.

“It was cold and this car hop didn’t have on a very big jacket, and I thought to myself, `I think I got it bad. She’s out there in this cold making nickels and dimes,”‘ he said. He gave her $20 and told her to keep the change. “And suddenly I saw her lips begin to tremble and tears begin to flow down her cheeks. She said, `Sir, you have no idea what this means to me.”‘

Larry Stewart was deeply touched. He decided to go to the bank that day and took out $200, then drove around looking for people who could use a lift. That was his “Christmas present to himself.”  He hit the streets each December every year after that Christmas. In January of 2007 Larry Stewart died from complications caused by his esophageal cancer. He was only fifty-eight years old.

Stewart spoke often to community groups about his devotion to kindness and to inspire others to donate their time and money. “That’s what we’re here for,” Stewart says, “to help other people out.” Today his legacy lives on at Secret Santa World, a website that reports on the giving of other “Secret Santas” around the country.

Larry Stewart learned the reality of money and possessions that was eloquently expressed by author Thomas Fuller. “Riches enlarge rather than satisfy appetites.” 

As a follower of Christ I think Stewart has it half right when he notes that we are here to help other people out. The religious scholars asked Jesus what a purpose driven life should look like.

“Teacher, which command in God’s Law is the most important?” 
Jesus said, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.’ This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’ These two commands are pegs; everything in God’s Law and the Prophets hangs from them.”   (Matthew 22, The Message)

During this Christmas season I am challenging you to join me in trying Larry Stewart’s experiment. Go buy yourself a gadget or outfit or bauble. Note the reading on your personal joy meter. Then go give money to a desperate Mom trying to make ends meet. Or give some cash to an elderly couple who can’t pay the heating bill. Deliver a Christmas gift to children who would not receive gifts any other way. Then see which action has given you real joy. Was it acquiring more stuff or meeting real needs in the lives of others? Larry Stewart learned that lesson. And the world is a better place because of the revelation he experienced on a cold December day twenty-seven years ago.

I came across an update on this story recently. KSHB-TV reported that a new “Secret Santa” hit the streets on December 10th. Here is a part of that report.

Secret Santa is back in Kansas City. The new Santa handed out nearly $14,000 of surprise cash to people throughout the Kansas City area on Wednesday. The lucky recipients included a variety of people from thrift store shoppers and cancer patients to a police detective with a boxing gym for at-risk children. The cash itself also varied from a single $100 bill to $2,000. But the tradition is expanding beyond the metro. Kansas City’s Santa recruited 20 others to distribute holiday gifts of cash across the nation, including cities in Arizona, California, North Carolina and Oklahoma.

This man is continuing the tradition started by the original Kansas City Secret Santa, Larry Stewart. Stewart gave away about $1 million over more than 20 years prior to his death in 2007.

Pray about what you can give this Christmas. Remember that Larry Stewart started small. I pray that you will receive the kind of joy that drove the Kansas City “Secret Santa” for twenty-seven years. The chance to witness the surprised joy of a person receiving an unexpected and much needed gift. Kind of like salvation, isn’t it? That is the gift that Jesus brought to Bethlehem two millenia ago. And that is another gift we should be eager to give away this season.

One of my favorite Christmas stories happened during the horrors of war. The Christmas carol “Silent Night” was responsible for a wartime Christmas truce.

I researched the story and found that it is true. So here is a nice Christmas story for your Christmas celebrations to share at Christmas gatherings during this Christmas Season (was that anti-pc sentence a little too obvious?). I would normally post a story like this a little closer to Christmas Day but I found out there is a movie depicting this event and I thought you might be interested in acquiring or renting it. There are some cautions for parents contained in this review in Christianity Today but the positives seem worth the investment. Here is the story that inspired the film.

The year was 1914 and soldiers were having to spend Christmas Eve night on the battlefields of France during World War I, the Great War, as it was called. After only four months of fighting, more than a million men had already perished in the bloody conflict. The bodies of dead soldiers were scattered between the trenches. Enemy troops were dug-in so close that they could easily exchange shouts.

On December 24, 1914, in the middle of a freezing battlefield in France, a miracle happened. The British troops watched in amazement as candle-lit Christmas trees began to appear above the German trenches. The glowing trees soon appeared along the length of the German front.

Henry Williamson, a young soldier with the London Regiment wrote in his diary: “From the German parapet, a rich baritone voice had begun to sing a song I remembered my German nurse singing to me…. The grave and tender voice rose out of the frozen mist. It was all so strange… like being in another world — to which one had come through a nightmare.”

Silent Night
Holy Night
All is calm
All is quiet

“They finished their carol and we thought that we ought to retaliate,” another British soldier wrote, “So we sang “The First Noël” and when we finished, they all began clapping. And they struck up “O Tannebaum” and on it went… until we started up “O Come All Ye Faithful” [and] the Germans immediately joined in …. this was really a most extraordinary thing — two nations both singing the same carol in the middle of a war.”

It is recorded that enemy soldiers greeted each other in the no man’s land that was a killing zone the day before. The soldiers wished each other Merry Christmas and agreed not to fire their rifles on Christmas Day. The spontaneous cease-fire eventually embraced much of a 500-mile stretch of the Western Front. According to the reports of soldiers at the scene, hundreds of thousands of soldiers celebrated the birth of the Prince of Peace among the bodies of their dead.

Other soldiers told of how the “enemies” exchanged badges and buttons from their uniforms. Others shared photos of wives and children and some even exchanged addresses and promised to write after the war ended. The German troops rolled out barrels of dark beer and the British reciprocated with offerings of plum pudding. Some soldiers produced soccer balls and a spirited match broke out as fellow soldiers shouted encouragement.

At one location along the front the men who just the day before sought to kill one another now gathered together to bury their dead. Together, with heads uncovered, they held a service to memorialize their fallen comrades. A solitary voice began to sing Silent Night, in French. He was joined by another voice — this one singing in German — the words of a Christmas song known and beloved by all.

But the miracle of peace was temporary. Slowly, under threats from their officers, the troops returned to the trenches and the recoils of rifles split the temporary “Silent Night.” Some soldiers admitted aiming so their bullets flew well above the heads of the “enemy.”

Perhaps those of us who celebrate the birth of the Savior could learn a lesson from this Christmas miracle as we engage those who do not share our beliefs and faith in Jesus. Those on the other side of the cultural trenches are not unlike us. The message delivered in Bethlehem was peace and goodwill toward all men. When we fight the cultural war we need remember that the whole purpose of Jesus invading our space and time was to love and ultimately die for those on both sides of the battle.

But perhaps the biggest lesson is how the power of a unified focus on Jesus can unite even bitter enemies. My heart aches as I see Christians splitting ranks over things that don’t amount to a hill of beans on an eternal scale. I picture Jesus weeping over the churches of America like He wept over Jerusalem. I picture Him weeping over how Christians in this country divide over non-essentials and fail to communicate the joy and life-changing power of the good news of the gospel. Jesus gave this final command to His followers…

“Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.”  (Matthew 28,  The Message)

Pretty straight forward. Nothing in there about personal gain, power, or prestige. The power of what happened on that Silent Night united enemies centuries later on a French battlefield.  My Christmas prayer is that the miracle of God becoming man will unite you and me, His followers, to seek what actually matters. To really make it about Christ and not about us. While we still have the chance.

Thanksgiving this year was spectacular. Great food. Football. And then a football movie. Sweet!

To be fair, The Blind Side is much more than a football movie. It is the true story of Michael Oher. Michael was taken from his mother and bounced from place to place in one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Memphis. A white couple (Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy) take Oher in and rest of the story is a heartwarming journey that examines the power of love, affirmation and stability. Oher was a first round pick by the Baltimore Ravens in the 2009 NFL Draft.

I loved the movie. I highly recommend seeing it and please don’t wait for the DVD. I urge you to get out and support this movie because it  portrays Christians and family values in a positive light. In the words of Mel Allen, “How about that!”.  I was hit from my blind side by an interview that Sandra Bullock did with World Magazine. Here is an excerpt from the piece written by Megan Basham.

Sandra Bullock, who, while getting to know the Tuohys during the filming process, found her own preconceived notions about Christians challenged. “One of my biggest issues has always been people who use their faith and their religion as a banner but don’t do the right things, yet still go, ‘I’m a good Christian and I go to church and this is the way you should live your life,’” said Bullock. “And I’m like, you know, do not give me a lecture about how to live my life when you go to church every week but I know you are still sneaking around on your wife. And I told Leigh Anne in a live interview, one of my largest concerns getting involved with this project was that whole banner-waving thing because it scares me, and I’ve had experiences that haven’t been great with people like that. I don’t buy a lot of people who use that banner as their shield. But she was so open and honest and forthright with me I thought, wow, I’ve finally met someone who practices but doesn’t preach.”

Bullock’s next comment suggested that the Tuohy’s newfound fame has provided them fresh opportunities to impact others with the hope that they have. “I now have faith in those who say they represent a faith,” Bullock commented. “I finally met people who walk the walk.”

Michael Oher was not there to protect my blind side on that last comment. “I finally met people who walk the walk.” Wow. As a Christian I have spent many hours reading books on apologetics and there is nothing wrong with that. I want to be able to defend my faith. But I wonder if we don’t get a little too intellectual and bowed up to “defend” our beliefs at times? (Note to cyber spiritual hall monitors: I know that is also important.) As I have thought about the comments of Sandra Bullock this week I tried to focus on the times when God was able to somehow use me in the lives of others. I do not have one example of my brilliant intellect overpowering a skeptic and bringing him to life-changing faith. Actually I don’t have any examples of my brilliant intellect but I digress. I do have lots of examples where I just walked with people through trials and valleys and God used me in their lives.

I often quote my friend John Weber who is now with his Lord in Heaven. He said these very wise words.

“God didn’t call us to be spectacular. He called us to be faithful”.

When I am simply trusting God and being faithful I have a ministry in the lives of others. Go figure.

The story of the Good Samaritan is appropriate for this movie and this season. A religious scholar was trying to “catch” Jesus with a tough question about loving our neighbor as yourself.

“And just how would you define ‘neighbor’?” Jesus answered by telling a story. “There was once a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. On the way he was attacked by robbers. They took his clothes, beat him up, and went off leaving him half-dead. Luckily, a priest was on his way down the same road, but when he saw him he angled across to the other side. Then a Levite religious man showed up; he also avoided the injured man. “A Samaritan traveling the road came on him. When he saw the man’s condition, his heart went out to him. He gave him first aid, disinfecting and bandaging his wounds. Then he lifted him onto his donkey, led him to an inn, and made him comfortable. In the morning he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take good care of him. If it costs any more, put it on my bill—I’ll pay you on my way back.’ “What do you think? Which of the three became a neighbor to the man attacked by robbers?” “The one who treated him kindly,” the religion scholar responded.

Jesus said, “Go and do the same.”  (Luke 10, The Message)

It was the lowly and humble Samaritan that did the right thing even when it likely wasn’t convenient. It is easy for unbelievers to dismiss the hypocrite. No problem to ignore the angry and judgmental religious types. But I remember being troubled when I saw some Christians who displayed something different in their lives. I could not dismiss so readily the joy, peace, strength, courage and love that they modeled. They were “troublesome” Christians to me.  I could not ignore them because their lives were authentic and different (different good, not weird). I want to be that kind of Christian.

Leigh Anne Tuohy is that kind of Christian. People are watching. We just need to be faithful.

I try to stay away from politics in my humble ramblings. I learned my lesson about trying to make a spiritual point with a political example in my first book. Nothing causes people to take the grace card off the table quicker than being on the wrong side of their political views. So I proceed with great humility in this post. I know the White House has a lot on their plate. I know that there is a lot to track every day. But doesn’t someone have a TV Guide at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue? Of all the the shows they could have preempted why did they have to preempt A Charlie Brown Christmas? I would be happy to give them a list of shows that would benefit the culture by preempting them. But no one asked.

A Charlie Brown Christmas is one of my annual delights. The message of Christmas and the meaning of Christmas is powerfully portrayed in this classic show. In many ways Christmas has become an economic and not a religious holiday. There are so many icons like Santa Claus and Rudolph and the Grinch that are not at all related to the religious aspect of the holiday. The annual battles over nativity scenes are likely cranking up.

One of the most powerful reminders of the message of Christmas came from the genius of the late Charles Schultz in A Charlie Brown Christmas. One simple and elegant scene captures it all for me. Charlie Brown has failed miserably in his attempt to find the true meaning of Christmas. But then Linus recites the following passage from the King James version of the Bible.

“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. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

And then Linus says to Charlie Brown, “That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.” That is what I believe Christmas is all about. So despite my tongue-in-cheek dismay with the White House schedule makers I choose to take the message received by the shepherds to heart today. You are forgiven Mr.Schedule the Speech Guy. There is a timeless message that no one can preempt.

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

I am still a fan of the daily comics in my local newspaper. I might skip the editorial page but I rarely miss my daily dose of  the comic strip Pearls Before Swine. Since my brain was not wired according to factory specs I am fascinated by others that have odd wiring. Stephen Pastis is the genius behind this strip and he has created some great characters. At first glance the strip inhabitants don’t seem all that creative. There is a rat named Rat, a pig named Pig and a goat named Goat. Not a lot of anguish went into the naming phase. But the traits of the characters make for an entertaining and even insightful look into our own blemishes. Pig is the naive and innocent character. Goat is the thoughtful moral compass and Rat is the self-centered rodent that his species implies.

A recent strip brought back memories of an early marital crisis.

 Copyright Comics.com

I strive to be transparent and honest in these humble ramblings. You see, I was a member of that dangerous sect.  I was raised in a flap under home. Yes, I was (deep breath) an “underer”.  Joni was a flap over person. We came into marriage needing to resolve this conflict. Joni converted me lovingly and patiently to the flap over camp. Now I am committed (not as much as Rat) to this better way of life. Little marital adjustments like this are humorous (hopefully) and not important. But I have seen marriages and relationships falter on issues almost that meaningless.

Tragically the same thing happens in the church. We laugh uncomfortably about the church that splits over carpet color or music styles. Too often we focus on issues that may be important but they are not the most important. It is much easier to be right than righteous. If the other person disagrees we flail them with our disapproval and label them as a dangerous sect. I am not talking about heretical theology. I am talking about issues in which thoughtful and sincere followers of Jesus disagree. I have written that Christian math teaches multiplication and addition but we seem to understand division most easily. It is heartbreaking.

In a room of grace we would accept and stand beside someone we disagree with. I know that I have changed my views because of the loving influence and example of others. All of us are in process and it is in God’s timing, not mine. Incredibly God doesn’t seem to feel pressured by my sense of urgency.

I remember listening with amazement as a person questioned the faith of another because they used some tobacco product. Defiling the temple was the accusation. The accuser was extremely overweight. No temple abuse there? I abuse my “temple” by pouring ridiculous amounts of coffee into it every day. Conviction or ulcers may change that behavior someday. Judgment and criticism will not.

Do we understand what it means to be unified? Paul gave a pretty good blueprint in this letter to the Colossians.

That is the game plan. Each of us has been given gifts to contribute. Each of us has flaws. Can we pray that we will be mature enough to focus on Who unites us instead of what divides us? Even the best athlete or most brilliant teacher has shortcomings. So will the pastor, elder, ministry leader, and children’s worker. All of us are in process as we mature into what God says is true about us. Winning sports teams understand a simple fact. You don’t have to be best friends with everyone on the team but you do have to be united for the common goal of the team. My prayer reflects that truth.

God give us the grace to be unified as a team for your glory. Teach us to use our gifts to strengthen one another and glorify you. Give us the strength to be a good teammate and the humility to believe that it cannot be about me for the team to succeed. Give me the desire to be a good teammate in the body of Christ. Teach me to see and exalt the gifts of my brothers and sisters even if they compete with my own talents. And especially teach me to be graceful with the flaws of others. We are all gifted and we are all flawed. A winning team understands that truth. Give me the wisdom and patience to trust your timing as you mature your followers. Give me the grace to love them even as we disagree because we are united in our love and gratitude to You. Help us to unite for the sake of the body of Christ.