The Day of Love, right?

According to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated one billion valentine cards are sent each year, making Valentine's Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year. (An estimated 2.6 billion cards are sent for Christmas.) And 85% of all cards purchased are by women. Whoa...

This is interesting holiday (if we can call it that) isn't it? I mean, it's really a myth how it started. Some versions are Christian and some pagan. One legend is when Emperor Claudius II of Rome outlawed marriage for young men because he thought single men were better warriors. But what was believed to have happened, was a priest named Saint Valentine or Valentinus defied the Emperor and performed marriages in secret. He was later found out and killed, making him a "martyr" according to the Catholic Church. The pagan legend of the Lupercalia festival is much more disturbing. It has to do with sacrificing a goat, having young boys cut it up dipping it in blood and slapping it around town, both on women and field crops. Gross!

Ok, why am I writing all this? Well for me, I have always wanted to know the meaning and origins of holidays. It's important to be knowledgeable in our society. As a believer, I need to know what i believe and why. There are many opinions of Valentine's Day. It has definitely become something it shouldn't have, just look at that outrageous statistic earlier. One billion cards are sent, I wonder how many flowers are bought. America loves to emphasize things in single days. We celebrate mom's and dad's only once a year, or our veterans or the working force. I'm lead to think back about celebrations in biblical times. How did they celebrate? With one great word: FESTIVALS!

The value of these great religious festivals was threefold, According to bible-history.com: "(1) Religious effects. --They preserved the religious faith of the nation and religious unity among the people. They constantly reminded the people of the divinely-wrought deliverances of the past; promoted gratitude and trust; and testified the reverence of the people for the temple and its sacred contents. Besides this was the influence of well-conducted temple services upon the synagogues through the land. (2) Political effects. --The unity of the nation would be insured by this fusion of the tribes; otherwise they would be likely to constitute separate tribal states. They would carry back to the provinces glowing accounts of the wealth, power and resources of the country. (3) Social effects. --They promoted friendly intercourse between traveling companions; distributed information through the country at a time when the transmission of news was slow and imperfect; and imported into remote provincial districts a practical knowledge of all improvements in arts and sciences."

This is all just to make us think. Valentine's Day, why do you celebrate it, if at all. My wife and I tell each other how much we love each other every day, many times a day. I've found the love of my life, my soul-mate and all that stuff. But to be honest, it is the one day she knows I'll buy her flowers! (Let's be real, I don't do it that often). So I know she likes that part of the day.

Valentine's Day can be what ever you want it. Celebrate how you will. But I suggest making more Festivals throughout the year! (That would mean more time off of work.) Nice.

(thanks to history.com & bible-history.com for the info)

Head over to Dan's blog for a very interesting take on this Day.

Focusing Too Much on "Intention of the Heart"

My best friend and covenant brother Dan wrote this awesome blog on focusing too much on the intentions of the heart. It is worth your time to head over to his blog to read it... here's the link: The Fire.

New Blogs!

I've been encouraged by many friends to blog more often. I have been praying more about it and have plans to write out more of my thoughts on what it means to be elastic living in a plastic world; what it means to live intentionally and on learning how to think, act, love and act like Jesus of Nazareth. These last few blogs are devotionals I have written in past months. Please read, comment, whatevs...thanks for checking this out.

Tow Trucks and Pure Religion

The other day I was driving on a very busy street near my work and I happened to see a car on the side of the road. Most of us do everyday; we see cars broken down all the time. This time as I drove past this car and then the tow truck, I saw something different. This idea of a tow truck struck me. I asked myself what is its purpose? I thought and would suggest it is to help those broken down, stranded, or in need from the happenstance of their vehicle. As I thought of this passing them by I instantly remembered James 1:27, for whatever reason. It’s states: “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress…”(NIV) Now we could of course take this literally and I do think we should; our “religion” should be to take care of orphans and widows in need. But let’s think about what it means to take care of those in need from an everyday mindset.

When I passed that broken-down car, my mind took a shift. I realized that I, having the Holy Spirit dwell in me, need to be different than the world. I need to be like that tow truck. We need to be tow trucks, aiding those in need. Those we know and those we don’t know. Those on the sides of roads, waiting for help. I think many people would pass on by casually never thinking twice about helping. Now I don’t suggest that every broken-down car you pass you should stop; we do have obligations that I know God wants us to honor and timing would not allow. But what I do want to suggest is our desire to see “pure religion” in our thoughts transcribing them into actions. If we look further in that verse in James he continues: “ …to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” I actually love the New King James Version of this verse: “to keep oneself unspotted from the world.” Dwell on that for a second. We who takes care of or oversees the cares of those in need do so to be unspotted, unpolluted by the world. Think of that. Really think. Tow trucks. We can do this. We can act as a tow truck would. To be unpolluted, to shift our mindset from this world. We can act out what is a “pure religion” to God just by helping others.

Helping others can be a huge task, but take it to your circle of friends. I remember having amazing roommates at one point after college who when I was in need or ran out of money, they would “spot” me. This happened a lot when we would go out to eat. The brothers I lived with lived out this idea. Now you might think that is elementary or irrelevant, but let me ask, who can you help, within your circle of friends? How can you help? Maybe sharing, maybe giving, maybe honoring your word, maybe praying for them. It first starts with your mindset. Let it be changed.

As your mindset begins to see how to help others in need, let us not forgot why we’re helping. Our motives need to be pure, just like our “religion” as James calls it. Like James says, we do this to be unspotted from the world, changed from what how the world thinks. But now read the parable of Sheep and the Goats in Matthew 25 31-46. Do these words not resound in your head: “whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do it for me.”? Who do you see hungry, or thirsty? What strangers do you invite in or clothe? Do you visit those who are in trouble? This parable has a difficult calling. It’s a difficult calling because of how we must continually reshape our thinking for those who want to inherit eternal life; those who are Christ-followers.

I know as Christians we don’t like to use the term “religion.” And in fact, the only time it's used in the Bible is in James. But think of this, the world thinks in terms of “religions.” They classify beliefs, make associations and distinctions, box ideas in and I ask and challenge us to prove our “religion” worthy by helping those in need. Take care of orphans and widows in times of distress. Or maybe stop by a broken down car, ask if they need a tow.

Who Is Jesus To You?

Read this first...
Luke 9:18-20: “And it happened, as He was alone praying, that His disciples joined Him and He asked them saying, “Who do the crowds say that I am?”

So they answered and said “John the Baptist, but some say Elijah and others say that one of the old prophets has risen again.”

He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

Peter answered and said, “The Christ of God.”

Think of this, Jesus just did one the biggest miracles you’ve ever witnessed. He only had five loaves of bread and two fishes and yet he thanked God for them and they became a feast for five thousand. After such a miracle, it’s no wonder he needed some time with his Father in prayer. And it is then while praying his disciples came to him and he asked an important question. I love Peter’s response. He doesn’t even have to think about it. It comes naturally. And the greatest thing is, it’s simple. It’s without additions or subtractions. It’s simply the truest fact every spoken. Who is Jesus to you? How would you define him? What would you add, what would you leave out? Do we in this day and age really have a clear view of his Lordship?

There is a very small village I visited once in the northern part Benin, Africa. This village was full of hate, disease, crime, you name it. It was chaos. They called themselves the “Village of Darkness.” Then three young men who were followers of Jesus came to them and starting loving them and helping them. Along the way they taught and educated them on the values, principles and precepts of Jesus. Through the course of time the village changed their ways and the impact of these men was so great that they changed their name to the “Village of the Light” or “Akpali.” Now the greatest story I ever heard from this village was, one day men from Akpali were walking into the village carrying a girl that had just died. These three young men who had been with them, met them on the road and asked what happened. One of the young men said (and I paraphrase), “No this can’t be. Jesus is here in this village, and he is of the light, he is life. Death is of the darkness.” So they prayed and they prayed her back to life. Who was Jesus to these young men? He was life for them. In a small African village where death or darkness had reigned, they saw Jesus’ light of life come in and save this young girl. I’m amazed at their view of who Jesus was to them?

Notice however in these two stories, of Peter and the men of Akpali, their view of Jesus was tested or exemplified after or before a great miracle. Peter after the feeding of five thousand and the young men before the bringing back to life of the young girl. But I wonder how we view Jesus and who he says he is when we’re at home watching television or movies. What about while on the job? While in traffic? If we say we have Jesus inside us, that I’m a “Christian,” then does our Jesus change with the moments of life? Is he only in clear view after a miracle?


I think those young men in Akpali must have known John 8:12, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” Jesus also said, “I am the bread of life (John 6:35).” Or “I am gentle and humble in heart” (Matthew 11:29). Do we see Jesus as such? What does he mean when he says he’s the “bread of life?” These questions should be answered in all of us, for they give us a clear view of who Jesus is. If he is in us and we are to live him out, we need to see Jesus the right way, the way of the Scriptures.

I am the first to admit how hard it is to have my view of Jesus show forth in my actions and in my mind. But I know it is imperative to let the Holy Spirit move in such a way that we are constantly renewing our view of Jesus, keeping it fresh with His words. I need reminders that He is the vine and I am the branch, apart from him I have and am nothing. My daily need for food should be secondary to my need for more of Jesus in my life. When he says he is the “bread of life,” am I able to activate that statement in mind and body? Do I see Jesus as such? Am I viewing him moment by moment as what He says he is? I hope we all do. And so I ask, who is Jesus to you today? May it change your life.