Choose Joy (Friday Devotional)

 

Rejoice always…

- 1 Thessalonians 5:16

Our Christmas lights at home are not set on any sort of automatic, mechanized timer. What that means is that every evening, I must make the conscious decision to step outside and plug them in. If I fail to do so—if I forget or I get too busy or I just don’t feel like it—then there’s no light.

Given that Christmas lights are a visible sign of the joy of Christmas, something about that feels appropriately symbolic to me. After all, there are occasions—even during the most wonderful time of the year—when you don’t feel particularly joyful. Life has a way of surrounding you with darkness, of making you feel like joy doesn’t meet the moment.

But if you don’t choose joy, then the darkness simply wins. Darkness isn’t driven out just because we wish for it to be so; it is driven out when we shine the light of Jesus. And doing so, make no mistake, is a choice.

So especially as Christmas approaches, let me encourage and challenge you: choose joy. In a world of cynics, be the earnest one. In a world of complainers, be the encourager. In a world of doomsayers, be the one celebrating the good. There’s plenty of darkness to go around—in Jesus’ name, be the one who chooses to shine a light.

Peace for Today (Friday Devotional)

 

He shall judge between the nations
    and shall arbitrate for many peoples;
they shall beat their swords into plowshares
    and their spears into tpruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation;
    neither shall they learn war any more.

- Isaiah 2:4

The other day, I was playing with my 2-year old son Isaac—letting him chase me, throwing him up in the air, that kind of thing. At a certain point, I said to him, “Ikey, come tackle me!”

He paused for a second to process what he’d heard, then rushed toward me with his arms out. But when he lunged at me, it wasn’t to knock me down. He had clearly misunderstood what I’d said—instead of tackling me, he was tickling me.

On this week of Advent, when we reflect on the peace given to us in Christ and we look forward to the day when it will cover all creation, that little misunderstanding reminded me of a prophecy from Isaiah, where he promised that someday people “shall beat their sword into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.” The vision is of a time when destruction gives way to production, when weapons of violence become tools for flourishing. Who knows, in that day maybe we’ll even see tackling become tickling.

We will not see that kind of world in its fullness until Christ’s return, when all things are made new. But for those who are in Christ, our calling is to live as citizens of that kingdom now—to be peacemakers in a world still dominated by conflict. It takes faith to do so, to strive for brotherhood when the more convenient path is domination. The world values battlefield victories more than it does treaties.

But for believers in Jesus, the world’s values are irrelevant—we are aliens here; our home is somewhere else entirely. So in faith, look for opportunities to extend kindness when your flesh would rather use force. After all, the world could use a little less tackling and a little more tickling.

Hope for Tomorrow (Friday Devotional)

 

Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off.

- Proverbs 23:18

After they’d had a week away from school for the Thanksgiving break, on Monday I checked with my kids to see how their first day back was. My son gave the same indifferent answer he usually does—some variation of “it was fine” that I’m sure will devolve into little more than a grunt by the time he’s a teenager. But my daughter’s answer got my attention: “it was ok, but I think I liked last year better than this year.”

Upon further investigation, her preference basically boiled to which kids were in her class from one year to the next. But nevertheless, I was struck by a seeming absurdity: at the tender age of 6, my daughter was already nostalgic for days gone by!

There is something within all of us, something which tends to grow as we age and to flourish in troublesome times, which pines for yesterday and fears tomorrow. We look at the past with rose-colored glasses, remembering its victories with fondness and discounting its defeats. Alternately, the future’s uncertainty tends to stir a spirit of anxiety rather than opportunity. When pining for greener pastures, we retreat to memory instead of looking forward to what’s next.

But as Advent reminds us, God offers us more than the comfort of the good old days, he brings us assurance of hope for tomorrow. When Jesus came to this world, he brought, as the beloved carol proclaims, “a thrill of hope” for which “a weary world rejoices.” By lowering himself to our level and becoming flesh, God showed his love for us, love which was then borne out on the cross where Jesus died.

Because of Jesus—his birth, life, death, and resurrection from the grave—we are promised that the trials and travails of this life are not all we have to look forward to. God welcomes all who trust his Son into his kingdom, where we experience eternal life and the glories of redemption and restoration. The future is bright indeed!

So don’t cling too tight to the nostalgia of yesterday; don’t convince yourself your best days have passed you by. You may not know what the future brings, but you know who holds it.

November Reading Log

 

Not many books in this month's log, but it was a lot of pages. So here's your quick rundown of what I was reading in November!

FUTURE CHURCH by Will Mancini and Cory Hartman

Regular readers of this monthly log know that I'm picky when it comes to church growth books, and I dislike more of them than I like. Too many are just customer service manuals with Bible verses thrown in; at the other end of the spectrum are expository sermons about evangelism with no practical tips. What I'm drawn to are books that take timeless biblical principles and offer on-the-ground advice on applying those truisms in real churches.

Future Church, thankfully, is one of the good ones. Authors Will Mancini and Cory Hartman begin with the true but hardly original thought that the modern church is overprogrammed but underdiscipled, built to maintain its own activities instead of reach the lost for Jesus. They describe a dichotomy between a "Lower Room" and an "Upper Room," with the former representing the status quo—where success is measured by attendance, offerings, and events—and the latter looking to results based on whether church members are making a difference for Jesus outside the church's walls, both through evangelism and service. The "future church," one built for the 21st century instead of clinging to the 20th, will need to move from the lower room to the upper room in order to fulfill its mission.

The second section of the book lays out seven laws churches need to follow in order to make this happen, all of which are general enough to be applicable in any context but specific enough that they don't feel generic. Each law looks at how churches—even so-called successful churches—operated by default in the 20th century, lays out a mission-based problem with that model, and then offers a different way forward, even when it's countercultural.

Then in the book's final section, the authors offer a way for the church to apply these principles so that the church, instead of being an activity center for converts, becomes a launching pad sending out disciple makers. This section, of course, is the tricky part—not diagnosing problems or inventing solutions, but applying a new model to a previously existing one. It falls to the readers and their congregations to see whether they can make it happen in their churches.

This was my kind of church growth book, one which made me think, got my creative juices flowing, and offered words of inspiration. For readers wanting their church to focus more on mission and less on maintenance, I definitely recommend Future Church.

THE DRAGONLANCE CHRONICLES by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

When I was in middle school, spurred on by both the Lord of the Rings film trilogy and my general nerdiness, I got really into fantasy books. And in those halcyon pre-Internet (or at least pre-you-can-Google-anything) days, the only way to learn what fantasy books I liked was to go to the local library, peruse the shelves, and literally judge books by their covers.

The Dragonlance Chronicles had heroes reminiscent of the Lord of the Rings (humans, elves, dwarves, etc.), dragons, and epic battles. At over 1,000 pages, it was huge, just like The Lord of the Rings. And most importantly to preteen Daniel, it was an adult fantasy trilogy—Harry Potter was great and all, but I was ready for the grownup stuff. I devoured it in just a few weeks before moving on to the novels of Terry Goodkind (pretty good, then ok, then terrible) and George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series (which I personally think would make an excellent TV show. Somebody should try that.)

Lately, inspired by several BookTokers I follow, I decided I wanted to get back into fantasy, but wanted to start start small—no Robert Jordan or Brandon Sanderson series that would take years to get through. So I went back to what I knew and picked up an anniversary edition of The Dragonlance Chronicles for the first time in 20+ years. Maybe, I thought, you can go home again.

My main takeaway: this is a good series for a middle schooler. Having originated as a Dungeons & Dragons campaign, the series is big on action but never leaves the shallow end when it comes to characterization, plot, or prose. That made it a great story to read on the bus ride to school, especially in the days before smart phones, when a book was the only entertainment available. But for an adult, it gets a little tiresome and formulaic.

I should probably lay out the plot for you, but I'll make it easier on myself. Think of a fantasy trope, any trope. Got one? Ok, then yes, The Dragonlance Chronicles has what you're thinking of. Epic war between good vs. evil? Yep. Magical objects the heroes quest after? You got it. Realms populated exclusively and conveniently by one magical race? Uh huh.

It's not original and it's not deep, but it is usually fun. The writing is breezy, the characters are likeable, and the authors never make you work hard to understand what's happening. So if what you want is the fantasy equivalent of a network procedural show—something to help you relax and unwind after a long day—then this is a good place to turn. If you want high art, keep looking.

ESSENTIAL IRON MAN VOL. 1-2 by Stan Lee, Archie Goodwin, Don Heck, Gene Colan, et al.

Since 2008, Iron Man has been the face of the Marvel Universe. Everybody knows about billionaire playboy Tony Stark and his wondrous suit of armor, and the conventional wisdom is that he's the straw that stirs the drink when it comes to all things Marvel. But for 40+ years, Iron Man was a B-list superhero, better known as a mainstay on the Avengers than for his own adventures.

Nevertheless, those early adventures are worth reading for an amateur comics historian such as myself, so this month I dove headlong into the first two of the five Essential volumes which collect the Silver and Bronze Age stories of Tony Stark and friends. The first 60 stories came in 10-12 page increments in Tales of Suspense, a two-fer comic he shared with Captain America's solo adventures before both characters received their own full-length titles in 1968. Art duties were primarily handled by Marvel journeymen Don Heck and Gene Colan (though comics legend Steve Ditko was the one who freed the hero from his original bulky suit and put him in sleeker red-and-gold armor.)

The early Iron Man stories are products of their time, and come close to being outright propaganda for the Cold War's military-industrial complex. Tony Stark is a proud weapons manufacturer for the U.S., and virtually all of his early villains are Communist agents of the Soviet Union or China. Most stories revolve around a new costumed villain trying to sabotage one of Stark's factories, only to be thwarted by his "bodyguard" Iron Man. Secretary Pepper Potts and driver Happy Hogan, the primary members of the book's supporting cast, give the book both some screwball comedy elements and a love triangle, of which Stark is (of course) the third point.

At least in these first two volumes, the Tales of Suspense stories are superior to those in the full-length Iron Man book thanks to a storytelling pace that is quick, bordering on exhausting. With only 12 pages to work with, there's no time to waste! Plus, while Stan Lee is the primary writer for the Tales of Suspense stories, Archie Goodwin became the scribe once Iron Man got his own book—and while he's fine, there's a reason you've heard of the former and not the latter.

All in all, this is a fun but middling start for a hero who no one in 1962 could have suspected would become a global phenomenon. More to come next month as I tackle volume 3!

Thankful for Christmas (Friday Devotional)

 

I will praise the name of God with a song;
    I will magnify him with thanksgiving.

- Psalm 69:30

The turkey is in the fridge, the Cowboys game is over, and Santa has made his grand appearance at the Macy’s parade. What the department stores have been telling us since Halloween is now official: the Christmas season is upon us.

But as we trade our orange and brown decorations for red and green, I want to issue a challenge to you: don’t give up on Thanksgiving quite yet. Or rather, don’t give up on giving thanks. Christmas is coming, and its message is worthy of our gratitude.

Hope has a name: Jesus. Give thanks.

Peace is promised, and it comes through the Christ child. Give thanks.

Joy is ours, and it’s because of the Lord. Give thanks.

Love has come in the flesh, God with us. Give thanks.

Christ the Savior is born. Give thanks.

Christmas is right around the corner, with all its obligations and stress, but also with all its warmth and spirit. So before you dive into your preparations, partake of one last leftover from yesterday: give thanks for Christmas.

Slowdowns and Sacrifice (Friday Devotional)

 

I, therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love.

- Ephesians 4:1-2

You might be on a particularly narrow stretch of sidewalk, with mud on either side. Or maybe you’re in an especially crowded space, where there’s no room to maneuver around anyone. You could even be behind someone using a walker or a cane, feeling stuck in place while they methodically trudge forward.

Whatever the specifics, we all know the feeling of walking behind someone who is moving slower than you are and being unable to pass them. While such a delay almost never costs you more than a few seconds, it feels like an eternity. With every plodding step the person in front of you takes, you feel your irritation grow—can’t they just move a little faster???

The answer, of course, is often no; people are rarely slowing you down on purpose. But impatience is not one of our more rational emotions. It doesn’t care what excuses others have, only what priorities you have.

Such little slowdowns, then—whether like those described above, or time spent in rush hour traffic, or those moments waiting for someone to return your phone call—can be learning opportunities. Instead of viewing such delays as inconveniences, you can understand them as exercises in humility, instances where you are forced to put somebody else’s needs above your own.

One command believers are consistently given in Scripture—in both the Old and New Testaments—is to be patient with both the Lord and your neighbors. Biblical authors from the prophets to Paul understood that even the most faithful followers of God struggle with subjecting themselves to someone else’s timeline.

But love often requires patience. It means swallowing your own pride and priorities for the sake of someone else’s. It means sacrificing what you feel you deserve so that somebody else can flourish. And yes, it might even mean slowing down when you’d rather they speed up.

So as we enter a season when your schedule is not always your own, let me encourage you to see the occasional slowdown as a blessing instead of a curse. Bearing with others can be a drag—but it can also be a small gesture of love.

Christmas Time's A'Comin' (Friday Devotional)

 

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

- Matthew 5:16

If you’ve been to a department store in the last week or two, you’ve undoubtedly seen it: with Halloween behind us, our commercial overlords have decided that Christmas is upon us. The wreaths and the trees are out, the holiday sales are being advertised, and it won’t be long before you start hearing carols in every public place you go.

For many years, I was firmly in the camp saying you’re not allowed to start celebrating Christmas until after Thanksgiving—we never put up lights until Black Friday, we rarely decorated before December 1, and I didn’t want to hear the jingle of one silver bell until Santa had made his appearance at the end of the Macy’s parade. The church calendar, for what it’s worth, agrees with that take—the earliest date Advent can ever begin is November 27.

But I confess that I’ve softened on my stance over the years. I no longer sneer when I see somebody’s Christmas lights in November. I’m less of a Grinch about holiday displays being put up in stores “too early.” I may have even dusted off my Christmas playlist earlier this week.

My change in attitude boils down to something simple: our world needs more than a month devoted to hope, peace, joy, and love. The holidays are a time when we largely set aside the cares and concerns that occupy us the rest of the year and trade them for hospitality and gratitude, extended time with family, and the stories and songs that bring us closer to God. More and more, it seems like Christmas serves as a temporary antidote to the poisons that have infected our culture—it’s a time when we collectively decide to care about others, give of ourselves, and believe in God’s promises.

It seems a shame that such a season only lasts for, well, a season. But for believers, it doesn’t have to.

Whether you’re singing carols now or you wouldn’t dare until November 28, you can bring joy to the world. Whether your decorations are already out or they’re still boxed up in the attic, you can show the world what hope looks like. Whether your Christmas shopping is already done or you haven’t started, you can give of yourself.

We see a lot of selfishness, bitterness, and cynicism in the world every day, and you don’t have to wait until December to offer a countercultural gospel witness. You may want to wait a few more weeks to put your Christmas lights up—but you can be a light today.