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My nomination for the most obvious lyric ever written is awarded to the Beach Boys.  In their tune “Little Saint Nick” the boys gave us this incredibly helpful piece of information.

Christmas comes this time each year!

(To be faithful to the text I will show it in context)

It’s the little Saint Nick
Ooooo, little Saint Nick
It’s the little Saint Nick
Ooooo, little Saint Nick

Ahhhhhh
Oooooooo
Merry Christmas Saint Nick
Christmas comes this time each year!!!!

So if the Christmas holiday has been sneaking up on you perhaps you haven’t noticed that Christmas comes at this time every single year! Thanks to the Beach Boys for that amazing insight.

The Beach Boys song imagined Santa’s sleigh as a holiday hot rod but the homage to Saint Nick is intriguing. A little research on Saint Nicholas revealed that he could be both naughty and nice. First, a little background on his “saint” side. The fourth-century bishop of Myra (present-day Turkey) was the role model for our present day Santa Clause. Nicholas was born to a wealthy family. When his parents died he inherited a considerable sum of money, but it is said he gave it all away. Legend has it that Saint Nicholas saved a poor family’s daughters by tossing some gold through the window. The gift landed in stockings that had been hung up to dry. The family was able to pay off their indebtedness and save the children from forced slavery or worse. From that trick shot came the custom of hanging up stockings for St. Nicholas (and now Santa) to fill.

But what about naughty Nick? It seems that old Saint Nick was generous and kind to children but more than a little feisty when it came to his beliefs. Gene Edward Veith wrote this in World Magazine :

“During the Council of Nicea, jolly old St. Nicholas got so fed up with Arius, who taught that Jesus was just a man, that he walked up and slapped him! That unbishoplike behavior got him in trouble. The council almost stripped him of his office, but Nicholas said he was sorry, so he was forgiven. The point is, the original Santa Claus was someone who flew off the handle when he heard someone minimizing Christ.”

Perhaps a gentle slap might be a temptation when you feel something meaningful like Christmas is being minimized by commercial excesses and highly sensitive non-celebrators. I was raised in legalism and saved by grace so I have a different view of the problem in our so called “war on Christmas”. Would it be ungraceful to suggest that Santa should instead gently slap Christians who don’t show grace to those who who disagree with them? Saint Nick only slapped theologians who tried to change essential church doctrine. That is a little more slap worthy than someone saying Happy Holidays in a grocery store when we expect to hear Merry Christmas. After nearly dying of spiritual thirst from legalism I get a little nervous when we, the very representatives of Jesus, fail to offer grace to those who desperately need to experience it. We all need forgiveness. We all need grace. Paul wrote a wonderful message for followers of Jesus.

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

(Colossians 3, NLT)

That is a pretty good to do list for the season. And don’t forget our public service announcement that Christmas comes this time each year! You are welcome. And Merry Christmas!

Don’t forget to get your copies of Stay and Waking Up Slowly. Message me at dave@daveburchett.com to find out how you can give personalized copies as gifts!

Watching the news is depressing and even frightening. My first tendency is to react with fear about the future. But I can’t get around a couple of things that Jesus said about worry.

“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today”(Matthew 6:34, NLT)

That is a true statement! But Jesus was not saying that my concerns are not valid or even important. He was saying that worrying about the future misses the point of what really matters.

“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”

The key word is need. I long for wants but our Father promises only that my needs will be met. And over and over God tells us another thing.

Do not be afraid.

Over 80 times you find the phrase “do not be afraid” in the Bible. Perhaps the most relevant example is when Jesus was preparing His followers for His departure. His words are a comforting balm for us today.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (John 12:27)

I am concerned about the state of  the world, our country, and particularly our dysfunctional discourse. But I am not afraid. I stand with the author of Hebrews who wrote these words during some trying times.

So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” (Hebrews 13:6, NLT)

Indeed. One of my Dad’s favorite songs comes to mind. The song is called “I Know Who Holds Tomorrow” and it was written in 1950 by a traveling preacher named Ara Stanphill. He wrote the song during a time of agony and doubt in his life. Stanphill’s wife battled addiction and left him for other men. You could imagine the gossip that followed him in that era. In the depths of his sadness he began to hum a tune and the next thing he knew he was singing a song. He sang about not knowing what was in the future but knowing that God was with him every step of the way. He rushed to his piano when he arrived at his office and jotted down the words.  I remember hearing Faron Young sing these lyrics on a scratchy vinyl record with my Dad.

I don’t worry o’er the future,
For I know what Jesus said.
And today I’ll walk beside Him,
For He knows what is ahead.

Many things about tomorrow
I don’t seem to understand
But I know who holds tomorrow
And I know who holds my hand.

I believe those words. I don’t know what is going to happen. I am concerned but not afraid. I put my hope not in politics but in Jesus. I know who holds tomorrow and I know who holds my hand.

Looking for a truly unique gift idea? How about giving a personalized edition of Stay:Lessons My Dogs Taught Me about Life, Loss, and Grace or Waking Up Slowly to a friend or family member.

Just go to your local Barnes and Noble, Christian book store or order one or both online. Send me your mailing address and how you want the book/books signed. I will mail you an autograph plate(s) that you can affix inside the book.

Simple and very personal!

Send your requests to dave@daveburchett.com or private message me on Facebook with your mailing info and requests.

Merry Christmas!

Dave Burchett

I live in the performance driven world of sports. We too often measure value not by character but by statistics like how many tackles for loss or how many yards gained per carry. Character is a nice bonus but performance is generally king.

Recently I heard a comment from Northwestern University football coach Pat Fitzgerald about the impact of negative stats on a football player’s performance. Coaches often talk about the need to reduce “missed” tackles and they keep track of each miscue. Coach Fitzgerald has a different philosophy. His staff does not keep track of missed tackles at all. The staff evaluates each play by their effort even if it does not produce perfect results. His next comment stuck with me. “I don’t like to put negative results in their minds because you become what you think about.”

It immediately hit me how profound that comment is for followers of Jesus. We tend to keep spiritual stats on failure. We beat ourselves up over “missed” opportunities. We fixate on what we have done instead of what Jesus has already done for us. We write our game plan to do better on the board.

Don’t sin.
Do better.
Pray more.
Study more Scripture.
Be more forgiving.
Less angry.
More loving.

And we try really, really hard to do all of those things. But the bad stats overwhelm and discourage us. We do sin. We don’t always forgive. We get angry. We don’t study or pray as much as we think we probably should. The net result is frustration and spiritual fatigue.

I wrestled with idea of how we can deal with sin in my book Stay: Lessons My Dogs Taught Me about Life, Loss, and Grace.

In Hebrews the text tells us to “strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.”

Even though it sounds like a daunting and even impossible task, the author of Hebrews sums up how to do that in one powerful sentence: “We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith” (Hebrews 12:1-2, NLT).

That is it.

There is no other way to consistently live that life apart from keeping our eyes on Jesus.
The same is true for me. When I keep my eyes on Jesus, I have the strength to be bold and the ability to produce fruit that is pleasing to God. When our rambunctious Labrador Maggie cannot settle down, I tell her to sit so she can focus on calming down and doing the right thing. When she stays and regroups, things go well for her. When my thought life and actions cannot settle down, I need the Holy Spirit to firmly but lovingly tell me to sit . . .stay . . . abide.

Only then do I realize that I have turned my eyes away from Jesus. When I stay, I can focus on His peace, love, forgiveness, and grace, and have the ability to resist sin. If I am anxious, fearful, have doubts, or am sad, I need to sit, stay, and abide, looking at the One who initiates and perfects my faith.

What a difference between that approach and what too many of us experience. We tend to address the sin first. Stop that! Quit! Do better! And by the way, Jesus loves you. Or worse, He will love you when you do better. Paul always took the grace exit instead. Remember who you are! You are saints! Beloved! Adopted! Redeemed! Those same truths are ours to claim as we keep our eyes on Jesus. When we quit fighting to get better and do that one simple thing, something amazing happens. We get better.

We do become what we think about. It is always a pretty good game plan to think about Jesus.

A lot of folks on social media are writing about what they are thankful for this November. I have so much to be grateful for this year. Joni is now an eleven year cancer survivor. New grandbabies have joined the tribe. Good health to enjoy those little blessings. Wonderful family and friends. A job I enjoy.

The truth is that most of the things on the list are out of my control. I can’t dictate Joni’s or my own health. I know that grandchildren are a gift some don’t get to enjoy. Job situations change without notice. Some may struggle with a family member or the betrayal of a friend. Thanksgiving may be a little less obvious for some reading these words this year. But there is one gift that is available to everyone. You don’t have to worry that it may change or go away. That gift is grace. The gift of being in a relationship with God and knowing that you are His beloved child. In fact, you can know that you are His favorite!

The wonderful truth that all followers of Jesus can be thankful for this year is that being His favorite comes from something other than our performance and obedience. In fact, it has nothing to do with our performance. It has everything to do with Jesus performance for us.

I am a recovering legalist so this has been a struggle for me. I wrote this in Stay about what Jesus has already DONE for us.

We should not be surprised that people respond positively when they are told how much they matter. More important, we matter to God. His Word is full of affirmation for those who choose to trust Him.

To all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.
(John 1:12, NLT)

You are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God’s instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you—from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted. (1 Peter 2:9-10, The Message)

Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. (Ephesians 1:4, NLT)

We are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Ephesians 2:10, NLT)

No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. (John 15:15, ESV)

Jesus calls me His friend. Even when those around you are failing to fill up your affirmation bucket, you can still go to Scripture and find out how God feels about you. Is there a more important affirmation than that? When you believe that your heavenly Father recognizes your worth, it gets easier to find things to affirm in others. How can I suffer from a poor self-image if this is true? Jesus calls me friend, for goodness’ sake!

(Reprinted from Stay with Permission of Tyndale Publishing House)

I am a friend of Jesus. I am His favorite when I obey and I am His favorite when I don’t obey. It is so hard for me to believe that His one way love toward me never changes. His love for me happened long before I even knew my desperate need for a Savior.

But God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8, NET)

When I can begin to wrap my pea brain around that amazing truth then I want more than anything to be obedient. It is a complete paradigm shift from my early teaching. Now I serve in obedience out of gratitude and joy. Before I tried to be obedient to avoid punishment or loss of my very soul. What a difference to believe that at the Cross Jesus made me (and you) His favorite. No fine print. No strings attached.

How do you become God’s favorite? If you are a follower of Jesus I have some really good news. You already are. And that is something to be truly thankful for this year.

Our Sunday plans took a hard left turn yesterday morning. Instead of going to church Joni and I headed to the emergency room to check out a little medical scare. Thankfully all is well. But part of the process brought back some difficult memories from my bride’s cancer journey many years ago. As we went through the check-in process Joni began to tear up. The nurse filling in the paperwork stopped dead in her tracks and stood up.

“Do you need a hug?”

Then she leaned across the counter and gave my wife a hug. It was a remarkable example of remembering that all of us are in the people business. It was a moment that changed the narrative for both of us. In retrospect it was a pretty simple gesture. It cost this nurse about 30 seconds in her form filling task but it made a huge impact. Acts of kindness are something all of us can do and taking a moment to care about others takes the focus off our own problems.

Here is an excerpt from Waking Up Slowly on this topic.

The best way to take your eyes off your own circumstances is to serve others. Even as Jesus faced the horror of the Cross, He was serving others. Martin Luther King Jr. said it well: “Everybody can be great…because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”

Every person in the body of Christ can serve in some way. It may be running errands for a seasoned
citizen who can no longer drive. It may be babysitting for a harried young mom. It may be providing
a meal to a family dealing with illness. It may be calling or visiting a lonely person. Sometimes
listening is one of the greatest ways to serve others. Maybe one subtle way to serve is simply
appreciating those people whom you work and live with in community.

Serving can be the smallest gesture, or it can be a selfless response to a crisis. I absolutely love the slogan that the Salvation Army has been using recently: “We combat natural disasters with Acts of God.”

That is a powerful thought. We as the body of Christ commit “acts of God” by loving, helping, and
healing those who suffer from a disaster, or sometimes just from life. My insurance policy outlines
“acts of God” as a way to diminish liability. My understanding of God’s Word is that we have
increased liability when others need help.

I pray that I will be willing to commit an “act of God” whenever I see a hurting person. When a
student is struggling and needs mentoring, you can commit an “act of God.” When a family does not
have money for gifts at Christmas, your “act of God” will make the difference. When someone is feeling blue, you can affirm and lift that person’s spirits by simply being present and caring. Jesus taught that these things we do are acts for God.

The king will say to those on his right, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the
kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave Me
something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger and you
invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you
came to Me.”

Then the righteous will answer Him, “Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed you, or thirsty,
and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite you in, or naked,
and clothe you? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?” The King will answer and
say to them, “Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.”  (Matthew 25:34-40, NASB)

Part of the journey to disconnect from devices and distractions and reconnect to God and others is simple. Get outside yourself by serving and affirming others. The rewards are remarkable.

(Used with permission. Tyndale Publishing)

Today a caring nurse made a difference with a kind question and action. We viewed her kindness as “an act of God”. Anyone can commit acts of God if we are willing. Keep your eyes and heart open and God will give you opportunities everyday. They can make all the difference.

The song “Get Together” was written in 1963 by a songwriter who went by the stage name of Dino Valente. “Get Together” was recorded by The Kingston Trio and also by We Five (of “You Were on My Mind” fame) in the mid-60’s. The Youngbloods recorded the song in 1967 and it became a minor hit. The song had a major breakthrough after the National Council of Christians and Jews used the song for radio commercials to promote unity. In 1969 the song became a top five hit and one of the quintessential peace songs of the era.

I remember listening to the static on my AM transistor radio while singing along with The Youngbloods in 1969. I was in my junior year in high school and I was sure that my generation could make a difference. We would fix the mess that my parents and grandparents had made. Now my kids dream of repairing the mess my generation has left. We believed peace was possible…we just had to get together. This would be easy enough. Just love one another. Everybody sing now…

Love is but the song we sing,
And fears the way we die
You can make the mountains ring
Or make the angels cry
Know the dove is on the wing
And you need not know why
C’mon people now,
Smile on your brother
Ev’rybody get together
Try and love one another right now

Nice words. The problem was contained in the last line of lyric above. Try and love one another right now. How is that working out for our peace loving generation? Not so well. It is far easier to sing about loving one another than it is to actually love another. No matter how much I “try” I seem to fail miserably when I determine that I will, in my own strength, love others. It is easy to love some people. But loving the unlovable is the challenge. On that count we have not done so well. Jesus pointed out my hypocrisy on that count.

If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that. (Matt 5, The Message)

As an idealistic teen I believed that more education, communication, and edification would change the world. I believed that the problem was not sin. The problem was a lack of knowledge. I was wrong. The problem is sin. Education and communication certainly help. But real change comes from the inside out. And for me that came from the most amazing revolutionary in history, Jesus Christ. How we have marginalized the powerful teachings of Jesus. He bluntly said that peace was not going to be found in this life.

“But the time is coming–in fact, it is already here–when you will be scattered, each one going his own way, leaving me alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me. I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” (John 16, NLT)

Jesus said the Holy Spirit would comfort us in times of trouble and that the peace the world advocates would fall short.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14, NLT)

I watch the news and my heart aches. I wish we could have peace on earth but I have come to believe that is not possible through human institutions. I truly wish it were possible. The lyrics continue with an interesting twist.

Some will come and some will go
We shall surely pass
When the one that left us here
Returns for us at last

I am not sure if the writer of this song really believed that Jesus would return for us at last. Christians maintain that Jesus will return as one of our articles of faith. But we don’t really live as if we believe that.

You hold the key to love and fear
All in your trembling hand
Just one key unlocks them both

I believe there is one key to love and fear. But we do not hold the key. We do, however, have the opportunity to respond to the key to love and fear. His name is Jesus. Forty-eight years I asked Him to unlock my heart. I began changing at that moment. And with each passing year I get a little better learning how to…

Love one another right now
Right now
Right now!

But it is not in my trying that it is getting better. It is by trusting God and allowing Him to love me. Then I can love others.