pastorrudytlc

What is it with the need for people to gossip? Why are so many quick to spout out words that have never been documented as fact? Especially when those words hurt others more than ever help! Especially when the sentences carelessly being passed along are actually filled with lots more death than life! Truth sets people free but speculation only add up to rumors and individuals who participate in this form of conversation are nothing more than busybody talebearers!

What is particularly embarrassing is when the Jesus people are no better when it comes to the jargon jettisoning from their jaws than those who claim to have no conscience! It is downright diabolical the manner in which Christians can slip the sin of a sloppy tongue even into their acts of worship. It makes me ask, “Are we praying for each other or preying upon each other?” “Did you hear about so and so’s private life,” should not be disguised as a spiritual supplication. If any sentence you use ever starts with, “I probably shouldn’t be telling you this,” then your first clue should be don’t say it!

I have been preaching from the book of James these days at The Lighthouse Church and I have to tell you that this author doesn’t mess around when it comes to putting walk into the talk of your faith. James says that if you tear down your fellow Brother or Sister without just cause- without having the whole truth- without first confronting your family member face to face- you are out of line! James 2:8 reads, “If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right.” The royal rule goes back to the Old Testament in Leviticus 19:18 where it says, “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.”

Only God can genuinely judge the heart of another and only He can read our motives without mistake or fault. The Lord can even do so without hypocrisy and without spite. But you and I not so much! We are in no position to play god! Actually it is our pride that drives us to put others down so that we might lift our own lives up. Pride is the pursuit of having to be more than the next person! Is there an area where you have selfishly set yourself up as judge and jury? Could there be someone that you might have to apologize to because you haven’t been an advocate as much as an adversary in their world?

Don’t be one of those in the crowd who are just too loud and guilty of flatly ignoring God’s word. Freedom comes when we zip our lip and allow the Spirit to sanctify our tongue. Be slow to speak and quick to decide whether what you are about to communicate is really in the best interest of the one who is the subject of the sentence. Too many wounded warriors have been injured by friendly fire. The one who should have spoken up for us was guilty of whacking us to oblivion with their loose lips. God is better than any story you could muster on your own. If it is going to be, “Once upon a time,” let your yarn be filled with grace- and let Jesus invade your space so that the finished product doesn’t do somebody in- but surely is a proponent to help them win!

I wouldn’t trade the last seven years of my life for anything. They have without a doubt contained some of the hardest challenges that I have ever faced and there were many a moment that I thought I was going to throw in the towel and flat out just give up. But only by the grace of God can I say that I’m still standing stronger than I have ever been! I am not the same man that I used to be. The situations and circumstances that would have practically rendered my personality paralyzed yesterday no longer have the power over me that they once did. God has shown me that I am still unbelievably far from perfect but the Lord has also made it clear that I must not apologize for being under construction. If I am going to face the facts that I have much to learn- it will mean making some blunders along the way to paradise! Don’t get me wrong, I still desire to be the absolute best man I can be- but I am no longer settled to just fake it when the real road to progress is to actually face it and let the chips fall where they may!

For Valentine’s Day- my card to heaven would read something like this: “God, I love you! I truly do! And I am still blown away by the truth that as the Lord of all, you would be mindful of somebody as inconsistent as me! And Jesus, I know that the love I offer today in humble worship goes lots deeper than the shallow stuff that I used to think was the real deal. I have realized that for way too long- I wanted you in my life because of what you would do for me rather than seeing that it was more about me finally surrendering my stubborn will to you! Thanks for showing me through all of the pain where my priorities truly need to be! Life is not discovered in the many presents that you offer me, God- but in the devoted presence you daily promise! And I can honestly say that I am still here on this earth because you have never abandoned me from heaven! Someday soon we will be together forever but until that reunion- use me to take as many people into this relationship with you as I possibly can! I never knew love like this before and it has only been because of hanging in there do I now understand the greatest gift of hanging out with you, my Lord- my Love- my Life!”

Love will be on the lips of lots of people this week. But more importantly, I am praying that it becomes a seed planted deeply in the hearts of all those who surround us. Love is a verb. Love doesn’t come easy. Love demands the sacrifice of our very best willingly given so somebody else will get out of the dark so that they may see the Son! Love doesn’t keep score. Love forgives. Love doesn’t make sense. But love is the engine that drives any relationship that expects to have a heart and a soul. Love makes the first move. Love gets involved. Love causes you to bleed in places that you didn’t even know existed. But love adds depth to what might only end up a wide field of nothing without it! God is love! But God gives it freely so that it fills us to spill from us. Love is the reason to breathe. Love is the answer. Love is what we all need today and every day.

Here are a few of the lessons learned on the road to love being revealed to me and in me and now through me. I share them with you with the hope that you will share them with others and we pass along what should never be contained to just one!
• Appreciate this day that you’ve been given. Unwrap it as the precious gift that it is. No matter how difficult life may seem at times- you are alive and you do make a difference!
• Love God first with everything you have. Don’t put anything else above the Lord. Nothing can replace what only he provides!
• Show love and kindness to others in a steady supply. Be compassionate. Smile at strangers. Talk to the ones you say are important. Don’t wait until it is too late to say what needs to be said right now. You can never say or show, “I Love You” enough.
• Just because others can be jerks don’t join them in their ignorance! It takes no effort to be a selfish pig. We all do that naturally. Make it a priority to raise the standard and take the high road. Sticks and stones will break bones and calling other people names is even worse!
• Take care of your temple- your body. I have learned this one the hard way. Some times the most spiritual move you can make is to eat right, get enough rest and exercise. Saying, “No” to doughnuts is hard for me because I won’t eat just one. I’ll down a dozen! So I am purposely fighting hard so I can stick around for all God still has in store for me. I pray the same for you!
• Stop just dreaming about tomorrow. Start doing some of those adventures today. Someday is not a day on the calendar. Pray and then believe that God can make happen the very passion that he imparted within you. You will never know what you will never even try!
• Stop at least once a day and really look at the beauty around you. God plants bouquets even in the desert.
• Work hard but don’t make work your reason to live! Life will go on with out you! But the people around you who love you need you more and need you now!
• Put down the phones and step away from the video and make eye contact!
• Stop trying to please the people who don’t even like you any way. The minute you do what they want, they will provide another ten things that irritate them about you. It isn’t worth it.
• Respect yourself. I had to come to the sobering reality that I hated myself. The reason I would allow others to control me is because I didn’t think I was worth it. But God has changed all of that! We’re all human and we all make mistakes, but if you’re heart is in the right place, and you keep your motives pure- God will bless!

Feel free to share with me any of your life lessons at pastorrudytlc@comcast.net And please know that you are loved this Valentine’s Day. Stop looking for it in all the wrong places where you can become very disappointed and start looking up! God will show you something specific and special today- if you will just pay attention!

Why do you do what you do as a Christian? Is your main goal in living loving God or serving yourself? Be careful to not answer too quickly. The Good News of the Scriptures compels us to do what we do not to achieve something that with lots of blood, sweat and tears we can win on our own. Apart from God’s grace we can’t do a thing! We as Christians should now live and move and breathe because we know that God has already blessed us by giving us everything we need through the relationship we have with Jesus Christ! (Rom 8:32).

The legendary Preacher, Charles Spurgeon, understood the difference between Religion and the Gospel when he told the tale of “The King, the Carrot, and the Horse.”
“Once upon a time there was a gardener who grew an enormous carrot. He took it to his king and said, “My lord, this is the greatest carrot I’ve ever grown or ever will grow; therefore, I want to present it to you as a token of my love and respect for you.” The king was touched and discerned the man’s heart, so as he turned to go, the king said, “Wait! You are clearly a good steward of the earth. I own a plot of land right next to yours. I want to give it to you freely as a gift, so you can garden it all.” The gardener was amazed and delighted and went home rejoicing.
But there was also a nobleman at the king’s court who overheard all this, and he said, “My! If that is what you get for a carrot, what if you gave the king something better?” The next day the nobleman came before the king, and he was leading a handsome black stallion. He bowed low and said, “My lord, I breed horses, and this is the greatest horse I’ve ever bred or ever will; therefore, I want to present it to you as a token of my love and respect for you.” But the king discerned his heart and said, “Thank you,” and took the horse and simply dismissed him. The nobleman was perplexed, so the king said, “Let me explain. That gardener was giving me the carrot, but you were giving yourself the horse.”

Do you see what this teaches? If you know that God offers you his salvation freely, and there is nothing to do but to accept the perfect righteousness of his Son, then you can serve God just for the love of God and for the love of people (Matt 22:37-39). But if you think you are getting salvation and other blessings in return for serving God, then it is yourself you are serving and yourself you are benefiting.

Why do we serve our king, Jesus? Do we serve him because we love him, or because we love ourselves? Do we serve him because we delight in the Giver, or because we want His gifts? There is a big difference. During 2014 at The Lighthouse Church, we are emphasizing the gospel in every area of our lives and the fact that grace changes everything! But we need to be aware that religion is the default mode of the heart. If we don’t stay connected to the Lord- the old ways kick in quickly! We may read in the Bible that we are saved by grace but the message we subliminally send to others is that the good gifts from God only come from hard work! Do you obey God because you want the Lord to accept you or have you come to the place where you have experienced the grace of our loving Lord and because of that mercy- you obey? The way you answer that question marks the difference of whether you are the older brother or the younger brother in Jesus’ famous Prodigal Son Story.
The above is some of what we experienced at our January edition of Secret Church. As a matter of fact, it was so powerful- we are doing our next one on Saturday Night Feb 22nd from 6-7:30PM. If what I have shared here has stirred your heart- then be there when we gather later this month!

I am praying that this would be a year that every one of us who refer to themselves as a disciple of Jesus will be able to say without hesitation that we do what we do not so we can get our hands on the Father’s things- but so we can be with the Father! Grace changes everything! Will grace change you?

There used to be a daily television show on CBS that was entitled “As the World Turns.” Growing up, it was one of my Mom’s favorite, “Soaps.” I never understood the fascination with the drama. It seemed so contrived and corny. Even as a kid I would laugh and wonder why all the women in the family were so drawn to this mush. And I will never forget how the organ music would crescendo in the background of the old black and white television as someone on the screen would say things like, “Doctor- Is it serious?” Me? I would have rather watched Ben Casey!

Now almost all the daily serials of the sixties and seventies are history. And life has moved on. And the sun still rises each morning and sets every night. And it is now the year 2014 and not 1968 anymore! I have become sobered to the reality that I probably have more days lived behind me than are still left before me. And before my time runs out, I want to be intentional about doing something constructive with the remaining days of our lives that they may be both eventful and invested in the eternal.

One day can change your life forever. God is in the moment. God is right here in this moment! There is still a new possibility available to you. You are never too young or too old to be an instrument in the Lord’s hands and plans. You are not stuck. You are not a victim. You are not helpless. You are not a powerless pawn thrown mindlessly into the midst of a series of random coincidences! We have nothing to fear. You can change your mind and believe right now. God is always inviting you to the banqueting table. Will you bring your appetite? The only thing you really can control is what you do with your choices. What are you choosing to do with the next few hours? How about the next few minutes? Step gently away from the big screen and put down the remote!

This is the moment. We must not allow ourselves to get too bogged down by the past or too overwhelmed by the future. How many of us have missed the present of this present twenty four hours? We make excuses while God makes appointments. We rationalize while meaningful paths that God lay out before us materialize before our very eyes. The Lord has high hopes to use us in order to make a difference in this neighborhood that we dwell in. Do we just take up space or are we doing something to improve our corner of the landscape? It’s still about the mission. Has God given up on us? No! Have you given up on God? I hope not! No matter what, God is still on the throne even as our world goes out for another spin.

Do you want to be part of God’s mission to redeem the young and the restless? There are too many humans stuck in the secret storm! He hasn’t abandoned the project. He who began this good work has given us a signed covenant written in a red ink that was stained with his very blood. God will deliver on his promise to end this story in another world in true victory. We are not going to be canceled or pre-empted or interrupted for a special bulletin. We are on stage and the director has written a masterpiece of a script. Look to God for your cue! The Lord has given us the green light to go into this pressure cooker world and live a life that loves God and provides a guiding light for all who are living on the edge of night. God says to love all my children and to point them in the right direction that as they search for tomorrow, they will find their answers today in a relationship with Jesus.

Will you do everything possible to help anybody who is willing to come to know and love and follow Jesus? This is our calling as believers because it was Jesus’ mission to get us all to make a sweet surrender to the Father. Make this a year of not just being a spectator. Get out of the audience and on to the stage. Let him make up a spot for you to be bright in! Get out of the stands and on to the playing field. Put your armor on and be bold and be beautiful and be all in! As the world turns, I pray our hearts burn for those who don’t know Him yet! This is about Jesus and us. This isn’t about labels. It’s about our Lord. How will you allow God to use you to get people out of the dark shadows into his glorious light? Don’t let this privilege pass you by. The credits will one day roll but the show’s not over yet! And now a word from our Sponsor: ‘Spic and Span!” Today is possible because of grace and forgiveness. Ready! Set! Action!

As a Christian, I want to be known more for how I live it than how I label it. As a matter of fact, America’s Churches have suffered from an overload of too much “talk” without a substantial amount of legitimate “walk” to back it up! On Sundays, we may be known for awesome expository sermons coming from our pulpits but there is no substitute for us allowing the Holy Spirit to become the “ants in our pants” that prevent us from being content as wallflowers so that we can get up and join God’s dance! The historical “Enlightenment” wasn’t all that bright when it came to challenging students to not skimp on the practical side of the rubber meeting the road kind of catechism. Who was calling the believers to be responsible in living out boldly their love for Jesus? Who was going to emphasize the actions and not just the academics alone?

Our beliefs mean absolutely nothing to God without our behavior. Our songs are just noisy gong fests to the Lord without our hearts being fully engaged. And all that time spent in church may be lost if love is not driving the bus! Words can flow from our lips quite easily, but it takes a humble sold-out heart commitment to Jesus for him to transform us into being tasty morsels of God’s fruit basket. We have got to be willing to show others the love of Jesus before we simply barrage them with our Bibles! They don’t need to know what King James said if they can’t see it in you and I who live and breathe right before their very eyes! Christianity is not defined by how much theology that we know. It depends upon how we choose to live God in every moment of every day of our lives. Knowing God equates to us showing God in all that we say and do! The saints of old called it “Coram Deo.” Brother Lawrence called it “practicing the presence of God.” Jesus called it, “Follow Me!” What do you call it?

What motivates you? Are you stirred by that which is God honoring? Are you yearning to be consumed by God’s love for you so that you can give to others out of a full and healthy tank? Is ego making you go? Are you known more for your selflessness or selfishness? Can people see Jesus through you or are you more a barrier than a bridge to all that the Scriptures are about? There is no single characteristic of unredeemed man more obvious than that he is totally dominated by pride. It was pride that did in Lucifer who was not content until he could be like the Most High God. That move not only tripped him up but it caused us to fall hard also. What was that fruit in the garden that made Adam and Eve give in? It was something that had to do with “knowledge” that has kept mankind stupid ever since! There is no wisdom without a relationship with God. You can know it all and still be ignorant where it matters most if you don’t live as if every move you make, you must make with Emmanuel! Thanks be to God that because of him there should be a whole lot more shaking going on then there presently is in sanctuary’s across this country! Somebody wake up the congregations and get them to burn off some of the calories of content that they have been sitting on for far too long! Instead of lighting afire in the hearth- it is time to set off some fireworks in the hearts of believers like you and me. That would definitely make you not want to miss what God is going to do this weekend at a local church near you!

The Bible says to “Taste and see that the Lord is good…” But what kind of refreshment does somebody receive when he or she takes a drink of the church we may attend? Is that which should be delicious end up being way too bitter and sour? Forgive us Lord for being undrinkable water! Renew us so we may quench the parched and thirsty soul again! Allow us to get a fresh glimpse of you so that we remember why you left us here on earth in the first place. Faith in God should make us wise in what matters most! We need to stop playing dumb! If we claim to know it- then let our everyday behavior show it! Our private self must be of equal weight to our public self! Who we say that we are must be seen in who we are! What are we waiting for? Where there is no trust, the truth will not be heard and if the truth will not be heard, then nobody will be set free. Nobody will hear us if we don’t prove to be people of integrity. And we won’t be upstanding individuals unless we are seen standing on the promises of God. And by anchoring ourselves upon the rock, we will not be rolled when life shows us to test us. And they’ll know we are Christians not by our t-shirts but by the faithfulness they see- when they look at you and me! Stop worrying about being in “Who’s Who” when knowing and living “What’s What,” is the main deal. If the Lord just stops in to see what condition our condition is in- may he be able to recognize us not by our labels- but by our love! Without love we are just taking up space and wasting grace- which is the only gift worth receiving anyway.

There is nothing like two God gifted voices blending their talents together in harmony. To hear such beautiful music certainly stirs within me what the Lord intended his creation to genuinely sound like. That is before sin came in and did us in and scratched the vinyl. Now every once in a while, we get little hints of the buzz that divine orchestration gives our soul, but just when we think all could be perfect- the record skips and we are awakened only to be reminded of the inadequate turntable that we are forced to listen to our symphonies upon.

This week we had to say “Farewell,” to one half of the greatest duo of the rock and roll era. Phil Everly has left the stage, but while he and his brother Don were on it- they brought us a sound that I am sure some of the angels became jealous of. When these two siblings, who had their share of rivalries through the years, would finally come together- the sounds that came from their throats made us realize personally that “Love Hurts,” and it was OK to “Dream,” even if we had to eventually “Walk Right Back” and “Wake Up Little Susie,” just so we could tell her “Bye, Bye Love,” I am no longer “Devoted To You,” because I have become “Cathy’s Clown!” The Everly Brothers made music seem so effortless. You couldn’t tell who was singing what part because the blend was beyond belief.

My younger brother Robert and I would sing for hours together trying to perfect the unobtainable sounds that we heard from these 45’s. At least we had the relationship part down and we did our very best, but Simon and Garfunkel- we weren’t! Did you know that Paul and Art actually began their singing days as a duo called “Tom and Jerry” and they wanted also to desperately be Don and Phil. One of the highlights of my own musical journey was getting to see all 4 of these legendary artists share the stage in Philadelphia one night several years ago. There were no “Sounds of Silence” that night as I sang along with every tune that had become engraved into my being! I never knew what I missed- until I got kissed by the symmetry of singing as one voice.

And if I may, please allow me to bring all this jukebox oldies reminiscing “Into the Light.” I wonder how much we Christians are all missing because we refuse to embrace a congruency when it comes to accompanying one another in the tunes of the key of living life? In the Scriptures, you can see God notes to encourage us to live as a choir- together in unity lifting our voices so that they compliment one another and make a sound so beautiful that it draws those who don’t yet know the love of the Lord to come on in and get a seat and join the concert! There is a time that even though individually we are our own unique person- something magical happens when we vocalize as many in such concurrence that we sound as though we are one! And I don’t think there is enough of those acoustics bouncing through the airwaves of our spiritual world today. It is always too much about me and not enough about us that we end up “Crying In The Rain” seeing “Good Love Go Bad,” when we could have showcased the real number “ONE” all along- and that is the Lord who gives us the reason and the means to sing in the first place.

Who is going to step up to the microphone, and with a brother or sister by your side, decide to harmonize? I am praying that you are answering my challenge with a boisterous “Let It Be Me!” I will continue to play my Everly Brother records until the day eventually comes for me to leave the arena. And when I close my eyes I know that the goose bumps will come. When I hear lyrics crafted like a potter bringing definition from the clay with words like “I could make you mine, taste your lips of wine, anytime night or day- Only trouble is- Gee whiz- I’m dreaming my life away,” I know what perfection could sound like. And I don’t want it to just be a dream. I want God to turn up the volume of the classic sounds that can be made when we collaborate and cooperate like the Everly Brothers! Don’t you want to hear what could happen when we commit to compiling our gifts as a single instrument for God to play so earth may get a taste of what the playlist in glory is going to sound like? They surely won’t be funeral dirges because nobody will be dying anymore! And that’s something to dance about! Play it again Phil and Don! Never knew what I missed until it wasn’t there anymore!

The Christmas decorations have just been put away for another year. But if the cultural trends continue at its current pace- we will probably be seeing the first signs of Yuletide 2014 this coming Flag Day in June. Black Friday Sales will begin on Red, White and Green Columbus Day! And once again by the time the 25th day of December rolls around- we will be feeling a little cheated because the American version of Noel can’t handle the weight of the pressure that we place upon one day!

Christmas begins now! Christmas never ends! Christmas should be a frame of body, mind, soul and spirit fully engaged and fully embraced, all the time! By definition of the holiday, it means a celebration of Christ. Believers should be all about that goal 365 days a year. Why not put an all-out non-stop round the clock emphasis on all the intangible treasures that the baby in the manger modeled and taught us while he was here on this planet? We should shoot for this honorable standard every single day that each one of us gets the privilege to wake up and be for at least 24 more precious hours. Why leave all that is right about Christmas to just one rotation of the earth in the midst of the shortest and darkest days of our calendar? Keep the lights on and keep the songs of joy being sung and make relational connection unlimited. It is not about “presents” people! It is about “presence” people!

We need, as a people, to become reeducated when it comes to measuring time. God never created us to exist within a chronological context. We actually come alive when we live in the realm of quality moments! How many of us, though, are stuck in the prison of processing everything through hours, minutes and seconds? What if we could live without being bound to the clock? What if we ignored the fact that we were presently stuck in January and still operated like we were doing our days as if “The Christmas Spirit” was actively energizing our souls? How can we not be different as a people if we would only and always be jubilant about Jesus no matter what time of the year we are in? Looking out for one another! Putting our neighbor’s needs before our own! Desiring to give rather than just hoping to receive! Making it a priority to be together! Building in time to visit the lonely and offering attention to the normally ignored! Worshipping at church with candles lit and hearts open to being reflective! Quieting our hearts long enough so that we can hear the angels song still being sung in all of creation!

Those who live by the sundial will eventually be baked by the effects of the heat. How many of you are already buying the lie that you will never have enough time to do what your heart is crying out to experience? If you are waiting for permission, you will die in line! Society will never stop shouting at us to keep on hurrying, motoring along at a million miles an hour! We are encouraged to do everything as fast as possible! Then the voices of the so-called success minions that offer us nothing more than shallow justification for our futile attempts at jamming so many activities into an already exhausted time period get louder and more persuasive! Turn off the noise! You have got to know who to listen to. I see people all around me who are only existing and not really living! When we let our day timer run our show, it results with us having no lasting appreciation of what is truly happening- because we flat out miss it, blinded by our bloodshot eyes! You can spend your life complaining about all the things you will never get to do or you can get wise and decide to evaluate your itinerary with a new point of view that weighs matters not in minutes and seconds but in relationships and eternity.

Christmas forces us to live differently. We do in December what we only do in December because we let the calendar dictate us. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Who says that it isn’t a great time to bust a move beyond man’s measurements! Why limit our good will? Why not invite a little more peace into your planet? Why not gather the family together on a regular basis? Ask each other, “What are some of the best things of life that you are seeing right now?” Go and drop by a Nursing Home when nobody is expecting anyone to come? Send a Christmas Card in March! Isn’t Jesus just as real in Spring as he is in Winter? Why not approach this year with an Emmanuel, God with us, mentality? Joy to the World- the Lord has come- and let us receive our King that means he leads and we follow and maybe we gain more life in our days than just checking off wasted days of our lives.

Imagine that the battery in your watch has died but resist the temptation to replace it! Wear a watch where you are sent a different message. Maybe it doesn’t matter so much about what time it is. Think in terms of life! Think in terms of love! Where are you going and why are you going there? What are you going to do today? Why are you doing that? There are some things that you have to stop blaming the calendar for. There is no rush. Today can still be Christmas and by celebrating Jesus- you will always be reminded that the greatest act of love is sacrifice. Don’t live by what is written in your notebook today. It’s Christmas! Do what God has written in your heart and see if we can’t make the magic last beyond one day in December!

I know it is a cliché as old as time, but the older I get, the faster the days seem to be flying by. And I am faced with the sobering thought that I have more of my days behind me now than left before me as I press on sojourning this side of Heaven. When we were young, we seemed immortal and invincible and the sky was the limit and we couldn’t even relate to the calendar not being anything but our ally because we thought getting old was turning 30! Then in just a moment, 30 is now a distant sight in the rear view mirror of life and 60 is closer than it has ever been before. And forgive me as I break out in a song from Fiddler on the Roof. “Sunrise, sunset, sunrise, sunset, swiftly flies the years. One season following another; laden with happiness and tears.”

Now, the last thing I want to be is depressed on New Year’s Day. I don’t want my tone to be morose or negative. I have been blessed up to this point with what I would refer to as my own version of “It’s a Wonderful Life.” I have been married to the same woman for going on 32 years. Our union has survived and grown stronger though two miscarriages, the death of two of our sons, Nicholas and Benjamin, that were born only to die shortly after birth, and the premature birth and death of our last child who entered and departed our world the same day our oldest son Rudy graduated from Middle Township High School. We have been given the gift to raise four of our children beginning with our oldest son Rudy III who is married to Lindsey and their two sons Jude and Gideon. Next in age is our daughter Leah, who teaches the 1st Grade in Santiago of the Dominican Republic. Then there is Abbie who herself is a cancer survivor and shares her love for the Lord by leading others in worship wherever she goes. Last but far from least is our 10-year-old son Joel who is a miracle himself. He is living proof that we must never prematurely take life into our own hands. Our doctors counseled us to abort that precious boy and still against all odds and with a ton of prayer, he made it! I couldn’t imagine what life would be without him. I’m glad that I don’t have to.

I have been blessed to get to do something for a living that I love and really don’t consider my job as much as I call it my life. Through the years of being a Pastor, God has honored me with the gift of knowing and loving so many precious people that I have impacted their lives and in turn they have deeply touched mine in the process. If you ever visit my office at The Lighthouse Church, my walls are chock filled with the faces from all the wonderful places that make up all those treasured memories along the way. No, Terri and I have never been well to do in the areas of monetary gain, but in all the lovely intangibles that truly matter most – like George Bailey of Bedford Falls fame I consider myself the richest man in town.

God has allowed so many dreams of mine to come true through the years. For example, from the time I was a little boy, I always wanted to be a Radio Disc Jockey like my heroes on Music Radio 77WABC. When I was a kid I would pretend for hours that I had my own show and in my room would play records for hours and chat with my imaginary audience. Well, that audience became real honest to goodness people when I got to do radio for many years here in Cape May County and I loved every minute of it. I am so thankful to Bob Maschio and Scott Wahl for being instrumental in making this one happen. Music plays constantly in my life and getting to share my passion and many tidbits of trivia with so many devoted and gracious listeners was worth the effort! I got to interview such notable celebrities as Shirley Jones, Connie Francis, Buddy Holly’s Peggy Sue, and Northern Exposure’s Janine Turner. I hope to some day get to do radio again in some way, shape or form so say a prayer another door opens up for me soon; perhaps in 2014.

And this leads me to my final thought as we all look ahead. It is fun to reminisce and reflect upon the good old days but we must never do so at the cost of forfeiting our future. What new aspirations do you have for the days to come? What places would you like to visit? What people would you hope to make amends with and reconcile with before it is too late. What activities do you at least want to try? What will you do in 2014 and more importantly, who will you get to do it with? Every day should be unwrapped as the precious gift that it is and not a one should be wasted. Too many wasted days and wasted nights add up to a sum of regret and misery. But attacking each new day with a wing and a prayer asking God to use you to the fullest and allow you to be open to everything that the Lord may be scripting with you in mind.

I asked this question to our Men’s Bible study group recently and I will close with it today. How would life around you have been different if you were never born? Now think through it carefully. This means no spouse and no kids and no family tree and none of your influence to be seen and experienced anywhere along the way. You might not realize how much one life does make a difference until that life is no longer around anymore. Don’t wait until it is too late! Time slows down for nobody. Before you know it, we will be celebrating Christmas again. By next Christmas, my prayer for you is that we will also be celebrating the fruit of what lots of positive and proactive living can bring! Happy New Year and prayers that this will be the best one yet!

“What says Christmas more than shopping?” Those words just blasted from my television as one woman tried to encourage a little girl about the true meaning of the season. What discourages me more than anything else is how true that statement has become when it comes to describing our culture at this time of the year. I just wish I could have about two minutes to be given access to speak into the hearts and lives of everyone around me and shout, “Enough with the greed already.”

Didn’t anybody learn the lesson taught to Ebenezer Scrooge in the legendary story, “A Christmas Carol?” He had three ghosts visit him one December 24th in an attempt to show him the error of his selfish ways. Scrooge had no family, no friends and absolutely no fun. He tarried as a solo. He loved nothing and was loved by nobody. He was blind to the needs of his nephew Fred even though he promised his sister Fan that he would care for him. He shamed his clerk, Bob Cratchit, by treating him as a slave and paying him nearly nothing. He had no idea that one of Bob’s children was suffering a life-threatening disease. And that, my friends, makes you responsible when it happens on your watch! Scrooge shunned and walked away from the woman that he was engaged to because he loved his possessions more than a living and breathing beautiful person. And it took an up close and very uncomfortable glimpse of his own mortality to wake up to the reality that he was broke in each department that mattered most in the end!

So why are we annually running ragged to buy things that most of the people who will be the recipients of said tokens don’t even need! Why every December do we literally “buy” into the lie that it is the quantity of gifts that will shower us with affection and prove our success? Commercialism attempts to imprison us and chain us within the world of discontentment. No matter what, it is never enough. No matter who; there is always somebody better. No matter where, the grass must be greener elsewhere. If you commit to this philosophy, your answer to the question, “How much will ever be enough?” will always spout off, “Just one more!”

The power of relational heart to heart presence trumps tangible presents every time! If all the gold in Fort Knox was suddenly delivered to your doorstep, the bling wouldn’t change a thing in giving you satisfaction and meaning. If you are not already free enough to give everything you own away- then what you think you own actually genuinely owns you. Gifts should be a welcome surprise and appreciated any time they are bestowed upon you but money can’t buy you love. The Lord didn’t send us a gift certificate in a stable some 2000 years ago. The Bible doesn’t tell us that God so loved the world that he gave us his only XBOX 360. God didn’t just send us a holy text via his divinely charged i-Phone. He delivered himself. He showed up on our doorstep. God spent not his cash on us but he sacrificed being in paradise so he could dedicate his life to be with us. Jesus moved into our neighborhood. He left heaven to walk with us and talk to us and listen to the cries of our soul. Are we so busy running around trying to make Christmas happen that we have become blinded to the truth that it already has happened. No other store bought trinket could ever come close to comparing with the treasure that became ours when he stepped into our lives. Will you slow down enough so that you don’t miss the magic? Can you follow the example of the One that gave Christmas its name?

Let’s be honest. We don’t need anything. If you have food and clothes and a roof to cover your head, you already materially have more than most of the people on this planet. A bigger screen television won’t heal your brokenness. Jewelry from Tiffany’s can’t shatter the darkness that comes when loneliness suffocates the soul. A Lexus with a big bow on it won’t drive you to heaven. Put the video games away. Lift your eyes away from the screen. Step away from the mall. Close up your laptop and get offline with your computer so that you may become online with real human companionship. Look around you. What son or daughter wouldn’t want to make a new memory by doing something with their parents? Go for a walk. Communicate face to face. Make something together. Take somebody out to lunch. Give them an hour of your undivided attention rather than just another gift card to a store. Wake up and realize that what makes this a wonderful life is faith in God and love for one another.

What if this was your last Christmas on earth? Are you ready to be content with the legacy that you would leave behind? Are you known for your giving spirit? Do you share of the blessings that you have received? Are you a whiner or a worshipper? Are you grateful or green with envy? Come on people! We have seen the Grinch time and time again and he couldn’t steal what was already installed into the heart! How many times do you have to watch George Bailey realize that no man is poor who is rich with friendship? How many bells have to ring before another angel who has just gotten their wings slaps you out of your self-centered stupor? Love is what Christmas is really all about Charlie Brown! Put your maxed out credit cards away and step into the season with your arms wide open ready to share your most treasured asset- YOU!

Contrary to what the movie Wall Street said, “Greed is NOT good.” It is deadly and left unchecked, it will destroy everything good and wonderful about Christmas. Jesus came as a baby and from the moment he arrived, he made eye contact with everyone in sight. My prayer for you is that God would open up your eyes wide so that you may see crystal clear by viewing this last week before the big day through the perspective of love. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. Will you make love the light of your Christmas? I guarantee it will transform you from the inside out and no gift receipts will be necessary. It will pay forward until the day we celebrate the birthday of Jesus face to face!

Last year in 2012, I made a journey and ended up having a wonderful time visiting and speaking at the Dalat School in Penang, Malaysia. Our former Pastor Tom and his wife Debby Cura and their two sons actually ended up moving there because of the spiritual call and connection that God gave us with such a great institution made up of extraordinary people. I still stay in daily touch via Facebook with many of the students that I got to know during that life altering excursion. And while I utterly enjoyed my time being there- I must admit to you all that I absolutely hated the journey. It took 30 plus hours! I was all by my lonesome! They don’t make coach airplane seats for us tall people! I got the runs on the way home because I sampled “bubble tea” for the first time. I had to sit in the middle. In Hong Kong- because of a mix-up with my reservation, they wouldn’t believe I was who I was. I tried desperately to convince them that nobody else would want to be me! It was a trip that was much more than I bargained for.

The first Christmas also began with a journey that nobody asked for! In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. And everyone was legally required to return to the home town of their birth to register. So Joseph had to pack things up and go back to Bethlehem because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. Mary and Joseph found themselves forced to take a pilgrimage that they didn’t intend to ever make!

Joseph’s hometown was in Bethlehem and that meant at 9 months pregnant, Mary would have to go on a ten day escapade because if they didn’t go, who knows what kind of penalty the Romans had in mind? Mary didn’t know a mid-wife in Bethlehem. Her Mama was in Nazareth! And she had to be anxious about this adventure! Mary prayed “The Magnificat” when she was with Elizabeth, but what words would she utter now?

I know what I would have said! The following is a sample of what my sentences would have sounded like! “God, how could you? Here I am trying to do all the things you want me to do and you have to go and make it even harder? I have taken the shame and the blame and people make fun of me and whisper untruths about Joseph and me! I have pressed on but can’t you cut me some slack? Now! You are taking me far away from the comfort zone of my family! Why is this happening? What did I do to make you mad? Why did you not exempt me from this? How did you let this happen?”

Have you ever felt this way towards God? Have you ever found yourself so profoundly disappointed by life that all you could do was cry out to God in anger or in pain or both? Put your aching feet in Mary’s sandals! Imagine what she felt! What is a young teenager who is 9 months pregnant and who has hormones raging throughout her being going to do as she learns about yet one more divine assignment that would clearly be beyond her control!

Daily itineraries are not always ordered by God but are directed by him as part of his sovereignty and permissive will. In a world where humans are free to make choices, sometimes life just happens as the result of both the good and bad decisions of mankind. When life seems to be on the fritz, it is easy to be disappointed or wonder if we have been abandoned by God. I know that many times I have been simply confused as to why I was made to travel such a curious road! But if I trsut that God is still genuinely at work, then I know there will always be wonder around the bend! In the Christmas story, there is a deeper meaning to the events that Mary can’t understand yet. God is turning the decision of a greedy emperor and redirecting it to become a divine dance of destiny! And He still does that kind of miraculous magic in our own lives today!

Even the very route they took held marvelous meaning! There were 2 possible roads that Mary and Joseph could have taken to Bethlehem. The young couple might have taken the popular highway, the one that everybody else was going to be on- especially those who cared about appearing holier than thou and they who wanted to be seen and noticed by the traveling company! Or they could have ventured on an outlined map that had them pressing on and through the rough and tough neighborhoods! This option included their sandals touching the sidewalks of Samaria! Jews thought the Samaritans to be heretics and unclean and uncouth! So to keep themselves pure, the righteous “only in their own mind” crowd- chose deliberately to walk the long way! This included adding 30 miles to the trip and an extra 2 days!

But the road that Mary and Joseph did take went right through the heart of Samaria! Because didn’t Jesus come to save people of all races, color and creeds? God wants all of us to lay down our earthly prejudices because our bigotry will keep us from being in the Lord’s ultimate bestselling story! You must be willing to go anywhere, anyplace, anytime to anybody! And you have to wonder if somewhere down the road, Jesus caught his parent’s openness to all people because didn’t Jesus minister to the Samaritan Woman in John chapter 4 and tell the oxymoron parable of the “Good Samaritan?” Who are your Samaritans this Christmas? Who are you avoiding because you might think you are too good for them? Are your children picking up your sentiments because you are uncomfortable with these people?

One more tasty tidbit that I want to offer you as I inform you about the trail that Joe and Mary ended up trotting upon. In following the mile markers via the road through Samaria, the Holy Family would have been retracing the “Way of the Patriarchs!” They would have been reliving 1600 years of biblical history! They couldn’t help but see God and remember his mighty deeds by going the way they did! They would have passed the spot where God first called Abraham. They would have walked right by the place where Jacob wrestled the angel. They would have seen the burial place of the Joseph of the coat of many colors fame and literally put their feet in the same place that Elijah and Elisha and Joshua and Moses had been before!

The name Jesus means “God saves his people.” All Joseph and Mary would have gotten on the other road was traffic and chaos and people whining and complaining and probably very little rhymes or reasons to strengthen their faith! But when you go God’s way, God’s word comes alive and you are affirmed with every step you take that God is able to keep every promise that he makes! What road is your Christmas going through this year? Are you in the midst the way of the crowd which only leads to chaos? Or will you humbly take the journey that Jesus is leading you to which results in brand new beginnings and definitive ways to trust and believe that Emanuel is with you all the way? All of us will get caught at times in some difficult deals as we seek staying true to God’s directions! But the day we finally arrive to our divinely designed destination- we wouldn’t miss the map to the miracle by choosing any other manuscript other than the masterpiece ordained by our Maker! Travel wisely this December- but go God’s way all the way because it’s the only way!