You don't need a white Christmas.

I have to admit, I am rather surprised. I woke up a few minutes ago to discover a sudden (and reasonably large) dumping of snow. After checking the forecast, it appears we are in for a white Christmas this weekend! How exciting!

In a way, it seems somewhat funny that whoever chose the date to celebrate Christmas picked December. Did nobody travel back then? Possibly. I don't know. But the more I think about it, the more December feels like it makes sense.

It is the darkest time of year- immediately after the winter solstice. Christ came to save us from the dark forces of sin. It also is when many places are likely to get snow, which is an amazing visual reminder of purity. Freshly fallen snow is so beautiful and overwhelmingly white. It is reminiscent of our forgiveness that Christ came to make possible.

"Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool." - Isaiah 1:18

I know these parallels can't work in every region of the world at once. Nevertheless, that is what today in my little space in Washington state reminds me of. Perhaps your place in this world can make you think of another truth of God right now. After all, as Psalm 19:1 says, "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands."

So, look around you. Look outside. Take in God's creation. Which of His truths are you reminded of today?

The Over-Glamorized Life of Creatives (Aka: beware of envy!)

There tends to be this idea that the life of people who work in entertainment and media production is glamorous. Over the past year, I've been learning that this is not at all the case. Yes, media creation can be fun. Yes, it can feel really cool to have an audience and get compliments on your creative work. But the life of those who produce media and music is not all glory, fun, and sparkles. That is just the part we get to see.

In reality? My friends in video production spend more time tediously editing footage, hunting for inspiration, and keeping up with sponsorship connections than they do acting and filming. My friends in the music industry have endless practice sessions and constant nights sleeping in rented tour buses and hotel rooms. It takes an entire day for the team to set up for concerts and then they might stay up half the night loading crates into trailers in the rain. The writers in my life have to devote huge amounts of time to marketing their work while they hope and pray it sells enough for them to make a few dollars. And me? I just spent a solid six hours editing a single podcast episode and am about to start hunting down web links for the show notes.

It's easy to assume someone's life is all fun and games when you look at the surface. It's easy to envy someone when you make assumptions. But as Christians, we are to break away from envy.

Galatians 5:19-21 states envy in the list of lifestyles that are displeasing to God and uncharacteristic of His children:

"Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God."

Not only that, but envy even has the potential to drive one into poor health, according to Proverbs:

A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones. - Proverbs 14:30

What or who do you envy? Is it truly worth it?

Why I Hate Selfless Love.

I’m going to risk sounding like a bad Christian and start off this week’s devotional by saying this:

Selfless love sucks.

It takes your resources, your time, your energy. It can range from being mildly inconvenient to downright painful. It means we have to be aware of how our words and actions affect others instead of blurting out everything we feel in a moment. It means we should care for others when we’d rather focus on taking care of our own burdens.

It also means we need to be more like Christ - which sounds pretty ideal until we realize how much hardship and rejection He went through. Do we really want to go there? Nowadays, society won’t judge us for focusing our time and energy on ourselves or for simply chasing what makes us feel good. So why bother?

It is now December, and the answer is basically staring us in the face. The lights I keep driving past may just seem like fun and festive decor to most, but to those who believe in Christ, they should also be a reminder. A reminder that the Light of the World didn’t just sit up in Heaven enjoying Himself.

God’s creation had (and still has) turned against Him. If I were Him, I’d be inclined to say “Well, that was stupid. Screw humanity. I’ll just chill up here while they suffer for rebelling against my design.” But, God isn’t made in my image (thanks be to Him for that!). So, instead, Christ exercised selfless love. He confined Himself to a human body. He chose to help society’s hopeless and looked down upon sinners rather than taking on a glorious political position or snubbing everyone like the “good” people did. He was despised, rejected, and even betrayed by those who said they loved Him.

What does He do in return? He takes on the punishment of damnation so that our debt is paid and we can be adopted into His family and have the ability to love Him.

Selfless love sucks.

But, it was given to us by Christ. So let’s pay it forward. And backward. And everywhere in between. Let’s selflessly love Christ by following Him and His Word no matter what. Let’s selflessly love others because that is what Christ did and wants us to do, too. It won’t always be a warm fuzzy feeling, it may mean we’ll get dirty or uncomfortable or worse.

It won’t be like a Hallmark Christmas flick, but it is the best way we can celebrate Christmas both in December and throughout the year.

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other.” - John 15:9-17

When Good Things Become Bad

There is a song that I enjoy called "Good Things" by M'Kalister Park. This song talks about how good things can become bad things. Ever since I read a particular Bible passage the other day, I've had it running through my head. Why? Because letting a good thing become a bad thing is exactly what the Israelites did.

The Ark of the Covenant was kept in the Holy of Holies, inside of the tabernacle, where the Israelites would go to make sacrifices of worship to God. Inside, one could find several objects that were touched by God and important to Israel's heritage. The Ark was a reminder of God's miracles and provision from the days when He had appointed Moses to lead them out of Egyptian slavery.

The ark was fine and good when viewed as a symbol of God's power and provision. The problem began when Israel began to view the ark as a good luck charm and a source of power. With this false mindset in their heads, they removed it from the place where God had commanded it to be kept. Israel then brought it with them into battle against the Philistines.

What happened next? Rather than the power and blessing they undoubtedly expected, Israel lost the battle. On top of that, the Ark of the Covenant got captured by the Philistine army. God used this time to teach both parties a lesson. To Israel, their defeat and loss of this precious item was a reminder that power and blessings do not reside in things- they come from Him. To the Philistines, God showed His power by knocking over and breaking their idol god, Dagon. Beyond that, the Philistines and anyone who was near the ark began to go crazy and break out with tumors.

You can read the whole story in 1 Samuel 5.

This account reminds us to check ourselves: are we worshipping God? Or are we just thinking of Him or things related to Him as good luck charms? 

Trail of Danger

To one side of you there is a rock wall, to the other, a several hundred foot drop into a small, rocky river. One option will scratch you up, the other will likely end in many broken bones or even death. So, you keep to the skinny path that separates you from both fates, taking care to watch where your feet fall so that you do not slip. 

Hiking that trail felt like the perfect visual example of Proverbs 4:27, "Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil." Allowing yourself to fall to sin is as serious as careening down that trail in such a careless manner that you stumble over the edge. The only difference is that when you are swerving on the path of life, you often don't realize how close you are to falling until it is too late. 

How do we keep ourselves from harm? Let God's words in scripture guide our actions, illuminating where we ought to place our feet. How do your actions and lifestyle look in the light of scripture?

Burning the Idols

"The carved images of their gods you shall burn with fire. You shall not covet the silver or the gold that is on them or take it for yourselves, lest you be ensnared by it, for it is an abomination to the Lord your God." - Deuteronomy 7:25

While we aren’t ancient Israel, the principal here is still an important one. It essentially breaks down to this: “Do not keep even little pieces of what is detestable to God in your life.” This can be easier said than done.

It is one thing to obliterate an idol made of wood or metal. Giving up an object like that can be done quickly, all at once. But what about the idols that we have in our lives? Our idols tend to reside in our hearts and minds- things such as obsessing over sports and celebrities, making money too high of a priority, or habitually lusting after someone or something. Anything that is either displeasing to God or elevated to a place in our life where we deep down want it more than we want Him is an idol.

False gods such as these are harder to rip from our lives. We can pray and confess to God the sins we’ve committed against Him, yet if we don't completely cease that action and destroy the idols, shards of them can remain in our lives and draw us away from the Lord and back to themselves.

Stop and think: are there parts of idols still tucked away in the corners of your heart?

Reaction Alert

Sometimes, though we have very good intentions and generally do trust God, we can miss things. Not only that, but we can easily allow our reactions to take us over. The story of Balaam illustrates that rather well. It begins with him proclaiming his loyalty to God:

"But Balaam answered and said to the servants of Balak, “Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the command of the Lord my God to do less or more." Numbers 22:18

As the narrative goes on, he encounters God's providence, but despite his trust and loyalty to Him, it doesn't strike Balaam at first that perhaps this obstacle has been sent by the Lord. All he sees is his donkey acting out- and even when the animal speaks, he is too taken by his angry reaction to stop and ask how and why his animal is speaking to him.

"When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she lay down under Balaam. And Balaam's anger was kindled, and he struck the donkey with his staff. Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?” And Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you have made a fool of me. I wish I had a sword in my hand, for then I would kill you.” And the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey, on which you have ridden all your life long to this day? Is it my habit to treat you this way?” And he said, “No.” Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, with his drawn sword in his hand. And he bowed down and fell on his face." - Numbers 22:27-31

What can we learn here? God works in all sorts of ways. Sometimes He is working in our hearts and minds as we pray and read the Bible. Sometimes He is working through our conscience. But He also can and does work through circumstances. Look at life in this light- even the most annoying obstacles can play a part in His will.

Thoughts From The Ditch

Not many people would be laughing at themselves in my position. Currently I am sitting in the ditch with my emergency flashers going, waiting for a tow truck to arrive and get me out of a snow bank. Not that it's hilarious that I am stuck here, but the fact of the matter is I am fine, my car is fine, and I just feel a little silly. Why? Because all winter long I've been rolling my eyes at people who can't drive in the snow. But I’ve got this, I say to myself, as I confidently maneuver my little all-wheel-drive through the streets.

This morning I was reading my Bible and noting God’s high view of humility. Heh, little did I consider just how prideful I've been about my winter driving skills and my vehicle’s abilities… Well, until now. At any rate, God is good. Really really good- I didn't hit the other car that was in the ditch, I didn't hit anything that could damage my car, and no injuries were incurred, aside to my pride (but apparently I needed that!).

What did I learn tonight? Black ice is startling and you don't know it's there until you're on top of it. I also learned that sliding into the ditch can happen to anyone, no matter how good their car is or how skilled they are at winter driving. Most importantly though, I learned that sometimes we need God to let us hit a little adversity to show us where we need to improve.

"Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall." - Proverbs 16:18

Sin and Temptation (is there a difference?)

"Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death." - James 1:12-15

"All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" - Romans 3:23

Two facts: 1.) We all have temptations which draw us towards particular sins. 2.) All of us at some point have sinned by giving into those temptations.

Those temptations can manifest themselves in a myriad of ways; we can be prone to a bad temper, discontentment, or gossip; we could be lustful towards other people, whether they be the opposite gender or the same as us; we can even have strong urges towards theft, manipulation, or murder. The list can go on and on! It isn't a sin for us to have such temptations plaguing us in our lives- it is, in fact, unfortunately normal, due to humanity having a sinful fallen nature. It does, however, become sin when we act upon those urges that pop into our minds and cause us to break God's law.

A frequent problem I notice among Christians (and have even had myself!) is to take note of the more obvious types of sin and temptation we see in others' lives and decide in our heads (and sometimes even out loud) that, "Nobody who does that could be a child of God." But what right have we to do that? We may be tempted and sin in different ways than other people, but remember, James 2:10 states that "Whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it." What's that mean? You and whoever you're looking at are in the same place. Stop trying to hold a moral high ground and pray for both them and yourself. Treat them how you wish to be treated, no matter what kind of person you observe them to be, remembering that you're both people made in the image of God. Be a genuine example of true Christlike love. Encourage positive change in them, and even more importantly, be changed more and more to the likeness of Jesus yourself.

Navigating the Path of Life

Tip: Pay attention to your light spots, especially if you are shooting near or under trees. You may need to move your subject into a light patch (or alternately, a shade patch, if you so choose) to keep the colors even.

Many of us are familiar with Proverbs 3:5-6, where we are told to acknowledge the Lord in all our ways and He will make our paths straight. As I was scrolling through some photos I've taken over the past 12 months, I saw the one above and it reminded me of that passage. Upon looking it up, I noticed there is so much more to it that is important to take to heart. All of Proverbs 3 is full of wonderful truths, but verses 3-8 especially struck me:

"Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you;
    bind them around your neck;
    write them on the tablet of your heart.

So you will find favor and good success
    in the sight of God and man.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
    and do not lean on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge him,
    and he will make straight your paths.

Be not wise in your own eyes;
    fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.

It will be healing to your flesh
    and refreshment to your bones."

Not that I am some health & wealth gospel sort of person, but I believe the verses that state the healthful benefits of following the Lord's ways can absolutely be taken in the literal sense. I must confess that as of late, I've had a very difficult time displaying steadfast love to those around me, my faithfulness in constant Bible study has been failing, I've had doubts of God's direction for my life, and in many areas I've not acknowledged Him and consequently leaned upon my own understanding. 

Guess what? I had the most miserable month of my life as a result. Stress levels increased, I slept less, energy and appetite decreased, my general attitude wasn't great and over all I just felt sick and unhappy. Have you been struggling? Know you aren't alone, but also know this: it's time to redirect. It's time to be faithful again, it's time to be loving again, it's time to put your trust back in God instead of yourself, and it's time to turn away from evil. Not simply for your sake, but for the glory of your Creator. It won't be easy. We might even fail a number of times, but let's do this.

Spiritual DIY'ers

Tip: Carefully position your subjects, especially in silhouettes. In retrospect, I should have paid closer attention to her hands, having her pull them closer to herself so that they didn't get lost in the trees.

"Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him." (Genesis 32:24-25)

Whether we are consciously aware of it or not, the majority of the time we tend to go through life relying upon our own power and ability to carry us through. We think about all the things that we have to do; the money we must earn to make our livelihood, the daily tasks we must accomplish, the people we have to put up with, etc. If you go through Genesis and read prior accounts in the life of Jacob, you can see that there have been many occasions where he has done the same. Even here, where he wrestles with this mysterious man all night through, demanding a blessing, it appears to be him relying on brute force to get what he is after.

We can see all throughout the life of Jacob that he is a man of God, but there are so often times when he lapses and begins to rely on his own strength or cunning to get him by. In a way, we can be encouraged by this- the Bible paints a realistic picture of God's people, we don't have to live up to super-humans; they have strengths and weaknesses just like we do. It is the same back then as it is now: God enables His people and is the source of their strength, yet when we feel strong, we tend to forget that we aren't getting by with our own power. 

God gave Jacob a new weakness, and sometimes He does the same to us. It's difficult not to grow bitter as we face our difficulties and weaknesses, but we must pray God helps us cope and remember that He has put us in whatever circumstance in order to remind us that we are to rely on HIS power, not our own. 

Captain America: Almost a Murderer

Tip: Give your subject something to look at that adds interest and dimension to the image.

“One sin almost always leads to another”, I recall my pastor once saying. This statement really sums up the movie Captain America 3: Civil War. The film begins with one of the superheroes making a huge slip that cost quite a few civilians their lives. The government then ends up deciding that the superheroes need to sign an agreement that will put tighter rules and parameters upon them and their conduct. If they do not agree to live under this new set of rules, they must retire from crime fighting, because it is illegal to act as a vigilante. The new rules limit their freedom, but there is nothing immoral about what they are being asked to do - by the standards of Romans 13, it would be right of them to comply - and most of them do agree to the new standard. Captain America, however, refused to comply, choosing instead to act illegally as a vigilante.

This act caused everything to go downhill. His act of rebellion caused enough contention to ruin the unity of the team. From there, the team went from verbally attacking each other to using brute force. In the process, they drug many of their other friends into the fight, injuring and endangering them and unnecessarily destroying part of an airport; after that, Captain America and Iron Man came very close to literally killing each other as well as Bucky (the man who the Captain had been trying to protect the entire time).

Let us think carefully about the actions we choose to take; is your move going to be one which God would condone and bless?

“Direct my footsteps according to your word;

let no sin rule over me.” - Psalm 119:133

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” - Romans 6:23

Oh, where do we begin? The rubble or our sins?

Tip: When photographing abandoned buildings, try to position yourself near a window to take advantage of ambient lighting; it is much more enchanting than harsh bulb light.

This abandoned room reminds me of the lyrics of one of my favorite popular songs:

I was left to my own devices
Many days fell away with nothing to show

And the walls kept tumbling down
In the city that we love
Great clouds roll over the hills
Bringing darkness from above

But if you close your eyes,
Does it almost feel like
Nothing changed at all?
And if you close your eyes,
Does it almost feel like
You've been here before?
How am I gonna be an optimist about this?

The bridge of the song states this:

Oh where do we begin?
The rubble or our sins?
Oh oh where do we begin?
The rubble or our sins?

The song is titled Pompeii, and it depicts a vibrant culture that was bent on vanity and living large. Enamored with their entertainment, beauty, and success, these ancient people never would have imagined that their gorgeous city would be ground to a halt within a few hours. I imagine whoever once lived in the room pictured above never would have imagined it standing there the way it is today, either.

What about us? Do we, in our fast paced societies, ever stop to contemplate the fact that our lives and accomplishments are not everlasting? Do we take time out from our day to day lives to seek out the knowledge of the One who is everlasting and apply His counsel to our lives?

Because they hated knowledge

and did not choose the fear of the Lord,

would have none of my counsel

and despised all my reproof,

therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way,

and have their fill of their own devices.

For the simple are killed by their turning away,

and the complacency of fools destroys them;

but whoever listens to me will dwell secure

and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.

-Proverbs 1:29-33

The Hardest Post to Write

Tip: To achieve that perfectly blurred background, have your subject somewhat far away from your lens, then zoom it as much as you are able to. Your subject will be crisp and your background will not be a distraction!

"Doing wrong is like a joke to a fool, but wisdom is pleasure to a man of understanding." (Proverbs 10:23)

"The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but the perverse tongue will be cut off. The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked, what is perverse." (Proverbs 10:31-32) I was reading Proverbs 10 this past weekend and these verses really hit me. It's easy to skim passages like these and think "Oh, I'm not bad. I definitely like gaining wisdom over doing wrong and I don't run around cussing people out or anything." Reading passages like the ones below, however, clarifies things a little:

"So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." (1 Corinthians 10:31)

"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)

We are to do EVERYTHING to the glory of God. Think about that for a moment. How many things do we say and do each day that really do not bring God glory? What do you talk about with your friends, family, and co-workers? How much time have you wasted on useless things? Do you live your life as if the potential to displease God is a joke? If we are commanded to do all things to the glory of God, it would mean that we are doing wrong when we act in a way that doesn't please Him.

To be completely honest, I'd have to say I fail miserably. I waste countless hours mindlessly scrolling down my Facebook news feed, repeatedly insult the government leaders that God has put in place (see Romans 13 if you doubt this!), and laugh at humor that ought to be flushed back down the toilet from whence it came. These activities and attitudes cannot qualify as good works that will cause others to sense God's presence in my life. Ouch.

What can we do? Pray. Pray that God will change our hearts and minds; that we would really desire to please Him in all that we say and do. Pray that you'll have the will-power to stop zoning out online and to be able to walk away when everyone is laughing at that Youtube video that is spattered with language and crude humor. Pray your conduct will tend more to reflect God rather than sinful human nature. Living this way won't be easy and it won't come naturally, but it is so worth it in the end.