The Theme of the New Year

Every year, on New year's Day, I try and take some time to be with God, and ask him a few questions.

First thing I'll do is sanctify the coming year to Jesus. I'll pray to consecrate every day and every moment of the new year; I'll consecrate all my desires, plans, and even my calendar to him. I know too well how the pressures and demands and crises rush in to steal the days. I also know that my desires are not always what God has for me, and I don't want to rush on making plans outside of his. So, right at the start, I give the year to God. I devote it to him, dedicate it to him, consecrate it.

And then, I'll ask him a question: "Jesus, what is the theme of this year?"

This has proven really helpful to me, a sort of anchor, a guiding light that I return to over and over through the year. Often, I'll be starting a new journal around the first of January, and I'll write the theme of the new year on the first page, so that I see it every time I open the journal.

This year, 2009, Jesus gave to me the theme of "Love." It has proven true, and been a rescue to me a hundred and one times through the year. A deeper walk of Love, a deeper experience of Love. Sometimes it was about loving others, and the theme helped me in my relationships. Sometimes it would be about the love of God for me, how I need more of it, to receive it, dwell in it. Sometimes it was about inner healing, replacing the deep things that drive me (like fear and striving) with Love. 

Every time I saw the theme, it was a re-orientation for me. Bringing me back to center, to what God was most especially doing this year in me.

So, I'm excited about tomorrow. I can't wait to hear what Jesus has for me in 2010.

I thought you'd like to do the same; see what he has for you!!

The Utterly Unique Gift of Christmas

I love singing Christmas carols. I love what their words remind me of. Just this morning Stasi was singing a few refrains from O Holy Night and it absolutely grabbed me:

A thrill of hope

The weary world rejoices

Something deep in my spirit said, O yes, dear Jesus, we need hope. Come for this weary world. Actually, this world is more than weary. This world is coming apart at the seams. I do not refer to the wars, the disease, the economic chaos, the human trafficking. These tragedies are blatant. Something deeper is unraveling. I wonder if you’ve felt it, too. There is a barrenness of spirit, a desolation creeping across the earth. It is the root of these outbreaks. The fabric of social life is rending, because the fabric of the human spirit is nearly worn through.

You can see this in many ways. Take the explosion of Facebook – it is a grasp to stay connected. But it falls short of true community; there is no human touch, no face-to-face. Everyone is getting tattoos – they are a grasp at permanence and self identity. But they are skin deep. We know we lack substance, and we grasp for it.

Into this great ache has come the latest fashion: Social concern.

We know the world is weary, so we rally now to lend a helping hand. Oprah, Bill Gates, Bono – if you want to be thought well of these days, you have a cause. Toms shoes. Fair trade. Shrink your carbon footprint. Social concern is in, its hip.

And it will not work.

This is not the message of Christmas.

God didn’t offer the shepherds a grant for their micro economics. He didn’t offer the little outcast family an apartment.

He offered them a savior. He offered them himself. And with him, a kingdom.

There is simply no other way to save this weary, unraveling world.

Now here is my concern – it is easier to offer social consciousness and environmental responsibility than it is to offer Jesus. I am much more inclined to offer my neighbor a helping hand than tell him he needs Jesus Christ. When I get to chatting with strangers, I’d much rather they know I give to support AIDS relief in Africa than that I am a Christian author. Social concern is cool; Jesus is majorly disruptive.

Now the socially concerned are mad at me. “The Bible commands us to care for the earth! To care for the poor and the oppressed!” Yes, it does. But let me ask: What is the unique contribution of Christianity to this weary world?

It is obviously not social concern.

It is Jesus and his kingdom.

That is why the old hymn says, “Joy to the world! The Lord is come! Let earth receive her King.” No receiving of the King, no joy for the world. Now, of course we offer help. Of course we lend a hand. But Jesus said that cup of cold water is offered “in My name.” Without Jesus, social concern will not rescue this unraveling world, for it cannot address this barrenness of spirit. As C.S. Lewis said, “God cannot give us happiness apart from himself because it does not exist. There is no such thing.”

Think again about the gift in the manger. God saw what the world most desperately needed, and what he chose to give us was…Himself. To care for the world is to offer Jesus Christ. This is the message of Christmas. “Let every heart, prepare him room.” Then heaven and nature will sing. Then will break the new and glorious morn. O, may it come.

Today's The Day!

Well, Stasi and I have been up for most of the night. 

Not because of excitement (today is a big day!).

Not because we ate too many bratwurst (they were really good, especially with mustard). 

The reason was attack. The spiritual warfare in our home and bedroom last night was palpable. You could feel the presence of evil. After a few rounds of prayer, we did get to sleep. Sometime after 3am. 

It's a compliment, really, in a back-handed way. The enemy is freaking out. And well he should be. Well he should be.

Today is the official launch of Love and War!

Stasi and I wrote the book in the spirit of, "What would we say to help other couples find their way through the minefields of marriage to something really beautiful together?" This is not a book of principles. We do not present ourselves as marriage "experts." I don't enjoy those kinds of books, frankly.

This is a field report from a man and woman, both very human, of what we have learned. 

We think you're going to LOVE it!

We KNOW it's going to be very helpful!

So we hope you'll grab a copy for yourself, and give a dozen to couples you know for Christmas. I mean, what better gift? "Here is hope and healing and joy and a battle plan for your marriage. Things will never be the same!"  

That is why the enemy is freaking out :)

O, and don't forget to join us tonight for the webcast! 7pm Mountain Time. Log on at http://livestream.com/WaterBrookMultnomah. 

Let's go save some lives!

One Week from Today!!!

December 15 is a big day for Stasi and me.

It's the release date for Love and War, our new book!

We're also doing a live webcast that day.

We've been looking forward to this for a long time! Our hope and longing and earnest prayer is that God uses this in a HUGE way. To help marriages. And to draw folks into the beauty of this Gospel. We know the book has the power to. Our marriage has been rescued by all that we write about, all that we divulge. It certainly is the most vulnerable book we've ever written. 

A couple weeks ago I was reading in Augustine, when I ran across the phrase "a new song of deliverance," and the Spirit grabbed me, and said, "This is what Love and War is - a new song of deliverance!" Wow. Now that has hope written all over it.

Join us in this move to rescue hearts. Here's what you can do:

Pray for us!

Log on to the webcast next Tuesday, December 15 at 7pm mtn time. Here's the link: http://livestream.com/WaterBrookMultnomah.

Give Love and War to your friends. Hey, it's Christmas time. Perfect. I ran into a young man a week ago who said, "My wife and I were praying, and we felt God wanted us to give Love and War to the married couples we know, for Christmas. It feels like a risk, because we are only newly married, and the budget is tight, but we sensed this is what God wanted us to do." They ordered 15 copies to give away. How cool is that?! How loving. And how powerful for the Kingdom. Those homes are going to be singing a new song of deliverance!

That's what it's all about. That's the work of the Kingdom. 

Join us!!

The Best Present I could ask for

Well, we crossed the threshold into Advent on Sunday. As my thoughts have been turning towards the Advent season, and the coming of Christmas, I found myself thinking about gifts I would like to give, and gifts I would like to receive. After a good bit of meandering, I landed on what I most want to ask from God, the greatest gift he could give me.

Himself.

That's what I want. That's what I most need.

I thought of something CS Lewis wrote: "God cannot give us happiness and peace apart from himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing." All else that I long for is either found in God, and only good in him, or, I can do without if I truly have God. This is really the greatest gift we could ever receive.

Then my thoughts turned to some dear souls who live with diminished views of Jesus and the gospel he preached. I see how sad their experience is, how limited, even bound, and again I found myself realizing what an enormous gift it is to have God as he really is, have his gospel as it really is. The torment of misunderstanding can be awful, as those who live under the common Christianity-as-guilt know very well. As do those who live without his nearness, or counsel, or deliverance. To know God truly, to have him truly is the only life there is.

Which then led me to something I'd read recently in MacDonald (this is how my quiet times go, one thought leading to another): "The God and Father of Jesus Christ could never possibly be satisfied with less than giving himself to his own."

That is what I want.

This is what I'm asking for. 

O Jesus, give us yourself, as you truly are.