Taylor Swift

Kelley likes Taylor Swift and has some of her CD's.  Her lyrics, as far as we know, are clean. A couple weeks ago, she played the song "We Are Never Getting Back Together" with Kate in the car.

Big mistake.  We can't go ANYWHERE now without Kate saying, "Ever!"  That's her way of telling us what she wants to hear.  She's a backseat DJ.  For months, she's been commanding us to play one of the songs from a CD with lots of kids' church songs.  I don't even get her strapped in the car seat before she's saying "Build" and hitting her fist into her palm.  That's what she calls "The Wise Man Built His House Upon the Rock."  Some days her request is "Whole World" ("He's Got the Whole World In His Hands") and she forms her hands into a circle.  And her third request is "Choo Choo" and she makes a motion like she's pulling the chain on a train whistle.  That's for the song "This Train Is Bound for Glory."

Kelley and I both have this CD of kids' church songs in our car, out of necessity.  At first, Kate just sang the songs at church, and when we'd drive somewhere, she'd make her requests and Kelley or I would sing the songs to her.  Then, Kelley got the CD and started playing it in her car.  From then on, when Kate would make her requests in my car, and I'd start singing, she'd fuss and say, "Noooooooooooooooooooooo!"  So I'd sing another song, and she'd eventually start crying.  This happened all in a day, so I didn't know what was wrong.  I didn't know she'd been listening to the CD with Kelley.  She didn't WANT me to sing (and I don't blame her).  She wanted to hear the CD.  So I got the CD, too.  And that's been life in the car for us ever since.

But now Kate has a 4th request - "Ever."  I don't have the CD, and I'm not getting it.  She will just have to tough it out when riding with me.

Do You Trust God to Provide For You?

I heard about a couple of disgusting conversations involving God-called pastors yesterday.  One of these conversations is more disgusting because it involved a guy who claims to be a Christian and is also a member at the church where the pastor he talked to serves.

But both conversations involved the same theme - money and a lack of trust in God.

God called this first friend of mine to Christian ministry years ago.  My friend spent years preparing himself in school and by serving in local churches.  A church member recognized his God-given abilities to teach, relate, show kindness, etc., and thought he would work great at HIS chosen career.  I'll leave out the details to keep these stories anonymous  So the church member approached my friend and basically offered him a job.  My friend said, "I have a job."  The guy said, "Yea, but you're not going to do this for the rest of your life."  My friend replied, "Yes I am.  This is what God called me to do.  And I enjoy it."  The guy said, "You're never going to be able to support your family doing this," and continued to tell him why he should make a career change.

God also called my second friend to ministry years ago.  This friend is still in the process of preparing himself in school.  He has also served in various ways in local churches throughout his adult life.  Just like with my first friend, it's obvious to anyone who is looking that God has definitely called him and gifted him with a passion to preach the Gospel and wisdom as he goes about it.  He was approached by someone he knew from a secular job, and the same conversation as the first one I mention took place.

I can't say that I'm shocked by the guy responsible for the second conversation because I don't know anything about him.  But I am shocked and saddened by the first guy.  He claims to be a Christian but he doesn't understand what it means to put his trust in God.  He doesn't know what it means to sacrifice earthly things for God's Kingdom.  And to make it worse, he tried to convince one of his own pastors to walk away from his calling based on HIS OWN sinful lust for money and doubt about God's ability to take care of him.

In the world's eyes, neither of my two friends make a lot of money.  As pastors, they'll probably never be able to afford homes three-times the size they need, luxury cars, expensive vacations, or to always have the latest whatever.  Both of them have families to take care of, and I'm sure they've wondered how they're going to give their children some of the things they hope to give them.  They can be sure of God's ability to take care of them and their families, NO MATTER WHAT, by looking at others who have trusted God to do the same.

Here's what I know from personal experience: If you follow God where He leads, with pure motives, and you're not scared to put in time and give great effort (in other words, IF YOU'RE NOT LAZY), God will always take care of you.  That doesn't mean God will give you everything you want.  It does mean He will take care of you.

I've never made much money.  Since I've been married, my wife has made more than me every year, and that includes the past year when she went to a reduced schedule.  But God has always taken care of me - in multiple ways.  At my first full-time church staff position, my salary wasn't enough to pay my bills.  I knew when I took the job that if I had to buy a car, I'd be eating lots of cereal for supper.  But I had a pastor who's still in my life who promised me that I wouldn't be in need.  He was right, and he and his wife personally helped me when I had emergencies.  Just a few months after I started there, the AC compressor on the 4-year old car I'd recently bought went out.  The AC compressor was unique - to the tune of $900 plus installation.  I didn't have that money.  Guess who paid it, and he's never asked for it back.  I didn't take advantage of their generosity, but they've always let me know that if I have a need, they'll help me.

Those church members gave me large cash gifts (anonymously or in cards and presents) at least THREE TIMES PER YEAR - Christmas, on the anniversary of the day I started serving there, and on my birthday.  That amounted to an extra $1,000-$2,000 per year that I didn't even expect.  My church also let me do something I both LOVED and benefited from: I got to substitute teach in the local middle school and high school, AS OFTEN AS I WANTED TO.  A church member worked in the middle school office and she made sure I got called often.  Due to the nature of substitute teaching, I could take my own work with me and do it throughout the day.  I averaged 1 day per week for the 4+years I served that church, and sometimes I subbed several days per week.  Every month when my check came from the school district office, I'd say a prayer of thanks to God for giving me extra income from doing something I actually enjoyed.  I was able to build so many relationships with kids I never would've met otherwise, and some of them started coming to our church just because of me subbing.

My favorite story about trusting God to take care of ME is with my education.  I've earned three degrees, and by the time I finished the last one, I didn't owe a cent on any of them.  I was 37 years old with a doctorate and zero student loans.  I was able to pay for my education as I went.  Just so happened that the first church I served volunteered to pay for my masters classes.  I took two classes per semester and had to be in class ALL DAY EVERY MONDAY.  That meant, I'd never be at work on Mondays.  My church was happy to give me the time "off."  (Keep in mind, I was also subbing an average of 1 day per week.)

When I moved away from that church and took out a loan to finish my last masters year, I had every cent of the loan amount before any interest ever accrued.  I saved every dollar I could and JUST HAD ENOUGH.  Somehow during that time, I don't remember a single car repair or any other surprise expense.

I spent 6 years earning a doctorate and I paid for it as I went.  Every cent.  College - it took me 9 years after college to pay off my low-interest student loan.  It really wasn't that big a deal or payment because God provided me with lots of scholarships, even though I didn't have a super-high GPA in high school or college.

See, God takes care of us when we trust Him.  That doesn't mean we can spend our money foolishly, but it also doesn't mean we'll never HAVE anything.  I play golf every week and golf and the gas I spend getting there aren't cheap.  Somehow, I keep on getting to play.  I have to thank that same pastor who paid for that expensive AC repair back in 1999.  Turns out, he likes to play golf more than I do.  I drove the same care for 10 years and now I have a truck I bought new 2+ years ago that's going to be paid off with this year's tax return.  After driving the same car for 10 years, my wife got a new car last summer.  I'm still waiting for how God is going to pay that thing off for us! (If you'd like to help with that, email me.)

A final story - my wife and I spent over $20,000 in about a year's time for the adoption of our first child in 2011.  I still don't know how we paid that much in a single year.  Our church did a fundraiser and raised over $2,000 for us.  Others gave us small amounts that added up to another $2,000+.  We received about $1,000 in adoption grants because I'm a pastor.  But we did have to put about $8,000 on a credit card.  We paid that debt off in about 8 months before we ever paid a cent of interest - by using last year's tax refund.  The day I paid it off I told Kate, "Good news!  They can't come repossess you!!"  For the past year, we've been saving every dollar we can for our next adoption.

Most Christians will never be on church staffs, but all of us have to trust God to take care of us no matter what we do.  I'm thankful that my two friends weren't swayed by the job offers.  I'm also thankful that I wasn't there when the offers were made.  I probably wouldn't have reacted as calmly as they did.

Georgia Versus Clemson on My Birthday

  

Kelley is a Clemson fan.  That's actually a weak statement.  She's a Clemson graduate.  Twice.  Both of her parents are Clemson graduates.  Her sister is a Clemson graduate.  Twice.  Lots of her family members are Clemson graduates.  Her grandfather on her mother's side was a vice president of Clemson in the 70's and into the 80's.

Kelley has never known life apart from being a Clemson fan.  Her choice was sort of pre-determined.

I'm a Georgia fan, as is well documented on my blog ( http://kevininsc.blogspot.com/2012/11/so-youre-telling-me-theres-chance.html ).  I didn't follow the same path Kelley followed.  I wasn't influenced by my parents and family, but by my surroundings at a very impressionable age.  My family moved to northeast Georgia in February 1981, to a place about 45 minutes above Athens, two months after Georgia won the 1980 National Championship.  What's a 7 year old who loves sports and has no prior allegiance to any team to do?

My office at work has lots of Georgia stuff on the walls, bookshelves, etc.  People have given me most of this stuff.  I'm often asked, "Did you go to Georgia?"  I tell them I didn't, but I grew up there in the 1980's.  We left the state in 1988 after my 9th grade year, and I finished high school in South Carolina.  Aside from having no desire to go pay out-of-state tuition, I knew by age 19 that God was calling me to full-time Christian ministry.  Somehow, people STILL discount me as a Georgia fan because I didn't graduate from Georgia.  First of all, if that scenario were true, college football as we know it wouldn't exist.  Do you really think those 80,000, 90,000, and 100,000 seat stadiums (especially around the South) are full of COLLEGE GRADUATES?  If you've been to a single game, you can wholeheartedly say, "HECK NO!"  Second of all, I've earned a Bachelors, a Masters, and a Doctorate, none of which were available at UGA.  My calling was more important in making my college decision than who was my favorite team.

So, I'm a Georgia fan.  Kelley is a Clemson fan.  Who is the biggest fan?  I think she'd agree - me.  I take it more seriously, more personally.  I SUFFER more with losses - not on purpose.  That's just how it is.  Kelley's sister is closer to being the kind of fan I am.  I admit, we're both idiots.  Watch us watch a game and you'll see for yourself.  I feel like I'm running sprints the whole time I watch - unless it's a blowout.  Kelley asked me that if I could control the outcome of the SEC Championship Game last year, how much of our savings would I give for a Georgia win.  I didn't hesitate and said a number that's basically all of it.  It would've been money well-spent, in my opinion!

Georgia and Clemson played every year when I was a kid, as they'd done for decades.  (Georgia won a close one in 1980 and won the National Championship.  Clemson won by 10 in 1981 and won the National Championship.  Tie in 1983.  Georgia won on a 60-yard Kevin Butler fg as time expired in 1984.  Look - it was actually 60.5 yards.

Georgia won easier in 1985.  Clemson won on last -second David Treadwell fg's in 1986 and 1987.)  With all these close games, I HATED Clemson growing up.  As much as I hate Florida now.

The yearly games ended after the 1987 season, and if you weren't alive back then, you don't really understand the rivalry.  Back then, Georgia's biggest rival was Clemson.  Not Georgia Tech, not Florida, because they rarely lost to either of them.  Clemson's biggest rival was Georgia.  Not South Carolina.  They didn't lose to South Carolina often.  Ask most older Clemson fans what team they hated most through the 80's and they'll say Georgia.  Most older Georgia fans will say Clemson.  And I married a Clemson girl.  I married INTO a Clemson family.  That's college football blasphemy where I was raised!

They've only played 6 times since 1987.  (If you care to know, Clemson won in 1990 (I was there).  Georgia won in 1991, 1994, 1995 (I was there), 2002, and 2003 (I was there).  They play again this year and next - 2013, 2014.  This year's game is at Clemson on August 31, 2013 - my 40th birthday.  I told Kelley when the game was scheduled that I don't want to go.  I'll be one Georgia fan in a crowd of Clemson fans - including Kelley's family.  And I either get to leave happy with everyone else around me, most-importantly my wife, unhappy, or I leave unhappy and everyone else around me happy.

Kelley, and mostly her sister, Kristi, kept trying to convince me to go, and I kept saying no, giving the above reasons.  I finally said, "I'll go but here's the condition: Kate has to wear Georgia stuff."  Kate will be 2 by then and she LOVES sports.  Like me, sports in general are her favorite TV show.  Kelley agreed to my condition, but with the added condition that Kate must wear an orange bow in her hair and a Tiger Paw on her face.  I agreed.

So if Kelley's dad can get us tickets, it looks like I'll be spending my 40th birthday in a most unfriendly place.  Hopefully there will at least be some cake and ice cream.  I'm thinking about a big Oval G cake with red and black icing.

Adoption - Telling the Child About It

Kelley has a blog about our adoption and our life with Kate - www.thebiglongwait.blogspot.com .
She receives emails weekly from adoptive parents and prospective adoptive parents, and they ask all kinds of questions - good questions, the kind we also ask or used to ask.

I read an email today from a married couple that's going through the beginning stages of adopting a newborn.  The lady asked how things are NOW with Kate's birth parents, and how/when we plan to tell Kate.  Kelley will reply to her directly, but these questions are good to discuss since open adoption is the general rule for domestic adoptions today.

First, open adoption is a very broad term.  All it means is that there is some form of open communication between the birth parents and the adoptive parents.  How open the adoption is and continues to be must be determined by those involved.  Some adoptive parents want little contact with the birth parents, some birth parents want little contact with the adoptive parents (and the child), and those are some of the big things that help with finding a match.

But this is important - the old way of adoption is going the way of landlines.  I should probably say, going the way of rotary dial phones.  Some people still have them, but don't go looking for them on store shelves.  When I was in elementary school in the 80's, I had a few friends who were adopted, but we (classmates, church friends) weren't supposed to talk to them about it in case they didn't know.  They had been led to believe they were their parents' biological children - even though their dad was 5"7, their mom was 5"2, and they (the adopted children) were already 5' in 4th grade and looked nothing like their parents.  (I made all that up, but it helped make my point.)

Here's how our adoption has gone - SO FAR.  By telling our experience, in no way am I acting like an authority or a predictor of the future for every adoption.  In some cases, I'm SURE it's best not to have any contact with the birth parents - at least while the child is young.  Not only do we HAVE a very open adoption, we WANTED it.  We heard stories from both sides and the children who grew up with some kind of contact with their birth parents seemed more peaceful about life.  We didn't want Kate to wonder.  We didn't want her to feel bad for wondering, like she was doing Kelley and me wrong by imagining how life would be with her birth parents.  We didn't want her to wonder about her heritage.  We didn't want her to wonder about any siblings, or what she might look like when she grows up, or, or, or . . .

So we wanted an open adoption.  Kate's birth parents were 18 (birth father) and 16 (birth mother) when we met them.  We've seen them at least every few months since - with Kate.  Kate has a room full of toys and books, many from her birth parents.  We've made sure to keep some of these things they gave her at her birth - a blanket, a stuffed animal, a book, etc.  She's presently sleeping with a glow-worm type toy that lights up and plays music.  Her birth father gave it to her on her first birthday.

When will we tell Kate her story?  We don't really plan to.  She's living her story openly.  As she grows, learns, and understands, her story and all the information is openly available to her.  First, Kelley just printed the first year of her blog in a book.  Kate has a BOOK about the first year of her life, how all of this came to be.  Everything that's in Kelley's blog is in this book.  And second, on Kate's dresser, we keep a picture of 1-day old Kate at the hospital in her birth parents' arms.  She can now say both of their names, and she knows the little baby they're holding is her. She'll figure things out in time, and we'll continue to discuss her story with her until she completely understands.

Again, I know our situation isn't representative of all adoptions.  God blessed us with a wonderful daughter and wonderful birth parents who wanted to give her what they couldn't.  We'll never stop thanking them for allowing us to be Kate's parents.  I've asked them at a couple of our face to face meetings if they are still able to handle the visits, or if the visits are too painful.  They tell me that although the visits can be emotional, and yes, difficult, they are GREAT, and they want them to continue.  They know where we live and have been in our home - in Kate's bedroom.  They have our phone numbers.  We text them pictures of Kate occasionally.  Kate's birth mother invited us to her high school graduation this May, which isn't going to be one of our official visits.  We count it an honor.

If you're considering adoption, or if you're an adoptive parent and you're worried about any of these scenarios, or when to tell your child, or if your child will resent or reject you, I encourage you to trust God and be as honest as you can appropriately be.  There are adoption horror stories, but there are far more stories like ours.  So forget the old-school rotary dial phone.  Life with an adoptive child is so much more peaceful for everyone involved when nobody is trying to keep lots of secrets.  (And, I can also encourage Kate and our future adopted children with the fact that they never have to worry about growing up to look like me.)

Kate's Week With the Flu

Kate's had a rough week, and because of it, so have we.  She had a cough on Monday - no big deal, right?  But she woke up crying and without her signature smile on Tuesday.  Her temperature was about 103.  A trip to the doctor confirmed that she has the flu.

Kelley missed work Tuesday and Wednesday to take care of her, and Kelley's mom came up Thursday and Friday so Kelley could get back to work. What's wrong with this picture?  I'm missing.  Kelley and her mom got flu shots this year.  I did not.  On purpose.  I got them for years, but the last two times I got the flu shot, I was sick by the next morning with FLU-LIKE SYMPTOMS.  I know all the "research" says that the flu shot CANNOT GIVE YOU THE FLU, but if you read the small print when you DO get a flu shot, it says that you can experience "flu-like symptoms" and then it goes on to essentially DESCRIBE THEM AS THE FLU!  If I had to feel that bad, I'd rather it be from accidentally catching the flu, not on purpose!  Nevertheless, I went to Ingles this week and got a flu shot, and a very expensive prescription for Tamiflu.  Kate's doctor told me to go ahead and start taking it since I've been exposed to the virus.  As for the flu shot, it won't start offering any protection for about two weeks, so it's no help with Kate's sickness.

If you're scared of getting a flu shot because of the PAIN, stop being a baby and go get it.  Mine was free, but even if you have to pay the full price, it's just $30 or so.  From now on, even if the shot makes me a little sick, it's better than not being able to touch your wife/kids for a week.  Also, it didn't hurt at all, unless you call a very tiny prick pain.  The needle is about as thick as a strand of hair.  I've been giving myself shots for years every week with a 20 gauge, 1-inch needle.  In comparison, the flu shot needle was non-existent.  My upper arm was a little sore for a day, but nothing major.  And, best of all, IT DIDN'T HAVE ANY EFFECT ON ME! NO "FLU-LIKE" SYMPTOMS!

Kate, by the way, DID get a flu shot this year.  Lot of help that did.  Anyway, without the protection of the shot, I've had to keep my distance from my daughter all week.  It hasn't been fun for any of us.  Kate must think I've abandoned her.  I've tried to keep her from even seeing me, but it's not always possible.  Sadly, all I can do is wave and talk to her from a distance before I got outside, to the gym, or to our bedroom.  She cries and reaches for me while calling out, "Daddies!  Daddies!"

About that "Daddies" thing: For the past two weeks, that's been her name for me.  I used to be "Dada," then "Daddy," and now, "Daddies."  Here's why: Kate has a natural affection for phones, computers, etc.  She goes for my laptop and/or mouse every time she gets a chance, even though she's served plenty of rounds in timeout over it.  Kelley is constantly saying to her, "That's Daddy's."  So, she's confused and now thinks my name is "Daddies," not "Daddy."

I hate it.  It'll pass quickly, I hope.

Kate's doctor told us that I can expect to get the flu, and that even with the shot, Kelley might.  Thankfully, we've both avoided it.  So far.  Kate's fever finally broke sometime Thursday, and although it came back a few times, this is Saturday and she's getting back to her normal self.  But she's still got a runny nose and cough, and that's the way the flu spreads the easiest.  She could be contagious for a few more days, so I've got more alone time until then.  Kelley SENT ME A TEXT today that said, "I feel like I haven't seen you in a week!"  Sad, huh?

"Did You Have A Good Christmas?"

"Did you have a good Christmas?"  That's the go-to question for the week following Christmas Day.  For that week, it replaces talking about the weather for casual encounters - with the clerk at the Post Office or the bank, with the server at your favorite restaurant, with the people at church the following Sunday.

I stopped asking that question years ago because I realized how DUMB it is.  Just read it and think about it. Go ahead.  Think it through.

What is Christmas?  Right, the celebration of the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.  For Christians, how is it possible to have a bad celebration of the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ?

See, it's a DUMB question, isn't it!  (I'm not asking you a question.  See, I ended that sentence with an exclamation point, not a question mark.)

I understand that some people could actually have a BAD CHRISTMAS DAY, a BAD DECEMBER 25th.  I'm know some people experienced terrible stuff like house fires, traffic accidents, deaths in the family, and other negative events.  But for Christians who experienced negative stuff like this on Christmas, all they had was a BAD DAY, not a "BAD CHRISTMAS."

I also imagine that some people ask the question and mean, "Did you get a lot of stuff?  Did you get what you wanted?", like that's the most important thing.

Some people are very lonely at Christmas.  (But in spite of this, it's a MYTH that more people commit suicide than at any other time of year -  http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/hide-and-seek/201212/is-suicide-more-common-christmas-time )  Most of us have probably spent at least one Christmas WITHOUT someone we love, or WITH a broken heart over a breakup, or after the recent death of a family member, or in another state because of a move.  We see other families all together, drive ways full of cars from out of town, and a constant barrage of feel-good Christmas movies on the Hallmark Channel (where every movie ends just the way you wanted it to!), and we feel an emotional emptiness.  But the truth is, nothing has changed from two weeks before when we were feeling fine.

When we focus on those kinds of things instead of Jesus, it's not just CHRISTMAS DAY that's a letdown!

Here's a good way to answer that question next time you're asked: "Of course I had a great time celebrating Jesus' birth!  Didn't you?"  (Yes, in spite of not getting a new car, iPad, engagement ring, riding mower.  Yes, in spite of this being my first Christmas without ____________.  Yes, in spite of moving to lovely Minnesota.  Yes, in spite of ____________ breaking up with me last month . . .)

*If you live in Minnesota, no offense.  It's the first cold state that popped into my mind.  I could've said New York.  Or North Dakota.  Or South Dakota.  Or Michigan, Ohio . . .)

An Indescribable Gift

My message from Sunday, December 16.  The manuscript is below.

When I talked about never receiving an earthly gift that was truly indescribable, I remembered a picture from Christmas 1978 when I got a Stretch Monster.  It came to me as I was talking, so it's not included in the manuscript.  Here's an old commercial for Stretch Monster .

I haven't seen this picture in over 20 years, but I remember this.  This week I asked my mom about this picture.  She looked through boxes of pictures and found it.  She lives in Indiana, so she took a picture of the picture with her phone and texted it to me.  This is as excited as I ever remember getting, and it's why I included it in my message on Sunday!  Notice the awesome Green Machine in the back.  Here's a commercial for the Green Machine .  Oh how great were the toys in the 70's!

AN INDESCRIBABLE GIFT

2 Corinthians 9:15

2 Corinthians 9:15  Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! (NIV)

Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words! (NLT)

Don’t these words sound PERFECTLY CHRISTMAS-Y?  It might surprise you to find that 2 Corinthians 9 is about an offering Paul had been collecting during his third missionary journey for the Jerusalem Christians.  The Corinthians had promised to contribute, but they’d failed to follow through.  Paul was encouraging them to make good on their promise, and he closed his plea by reminding them about GOD’S GIFT TO US, which should’ve been very motivating!

Have you ever received a gift that was too great for words?  The greatest and most expensive gift I ever GAVE was an engagement ring to Kelley.  It was one of the best moments of my life.  But it wasn’t INDESCRIBABLE!  We described it to everybody!  We put it on Facebook!

I got over all the gifts I ever received, no matter how great they were.  I no longer feel the same about the bicycles, video games, guns, baseball gloves, clothing, shoes, tools, TV, golf clubs . . . . But anyone who TRULY UNDERSTANDS what God has done for us CAN NEVER GET OVER IT.  Yes, we can put some words around the significance of the Cross, what Jesus means to us, and what He’s done for us, BUT OUR WORDS ARE LIMITED BY OUR EARTHLY PERSPECTIVE!  We don’t REALLY understand what we’ve been given, and we won’t until we see Jesus in heaven.

Four Reasons God’s gift is INDESCRIBABLE:

1.  GOD’S GIFT IS PERSONAL

Don’t you love those Christmas cards you receive from the car dealership, your dentist, and your insurance agent?  It’s great that they think of their customers at Christmas, but do those card make it to your fridge?  The fridge space is VALUABLE; it’s reserved for people you love, the cards with personal notes and pictures!

Have you ever received an unexpected gift that was JUST WHAT YOU WOULD’VE ASKED FOR? Somebody has to KNOW YOU to give you a gift like that.  They don’t have to give you an Outback Gift Card, AS GREAT AS THOSE ARE! 

When we went to Wears Valley Ranch to hand-deliver Christmas presents to 26 children, it was a PERSONAL experience.  We already knew most of the kids and WVR staff, and they were excited to see us.  We played KICKBALL!  And then we gave every kid a personal card with $100 inside.  As they opened their cards in unison, there was a delayed reaction, and then laughter, smiles, tears, and exclamations like, “I’ve never even SEEN a $100 bill!”  We’d never met one 13-year old boy who hadn’t been at the Ranch very long.  He hugged me so hard it hurt and said, “I just met you but I love you!  Thank you!”

Mailing the cards would’ve been cheaper.  We wouldn’t have had to miss school/work and it wouldn’t have changed the monetary value of our gift, but it would’ve changed the PERSONAL VALUE.  Long after all that money is spent, the memory of that day will remain for all of us.

Try to consider just how PERSONAL God’s gift is.  He gave up His DIVINE Son so that we SINFUL HUMANS could become HIS CHILDREN.  It was PERSONAL for God all the way around!

Galatians 4:4-7  But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. ⁵ God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.  ⁶ And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.”  ⁷ Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.

2.  GOD’S GIFT IS USEFUL

One Christmas a lady made a short and simple wish list and stuck it to the fridge.  All it said was, “I want something that will make me look slim and beautiful.”  On Christmas morning, she couldn’t wait to see what her husband picked out, hoping it was just the right size, color, and fit.  But the box was really big and when she opened it she found an exercise bike.

God didn’t give us something ORNAMENTAL to sit on a shelf.  He didn’t give us something only to be used for SPECIAL OCCASIONS like Christmas and Easter.  He didn’t give us something for EMERGENCIES only, hoping we’d never even have to use it (like a handgun or flood insurance).

You know how it feels when you find something that used to be important to you, and you didn’t even know you’d lost it?  Like, you discover a pair of boots in the back of the closet, and think, “Man, I forgot I even had these!  They sure would’ve come in handy last year in that snow storm!”  We’ll KNOW that we TRULY have a relationship with Jesus when we stop having that kind of experience with Jesus. 

If Jesus doesn’t affect every day of our lives, we obviously aren’t very close to Him at all.  GOD’S GIFT IS PRACTICAL!  Salvation COMPLETELY CHANGES who we are, how we operate, who we serve, and where we’re going.  If Jesus isn’t DOMINATING your life, are you really comfortable claiming to know and love Him?

3.  GOD’S GIFT IS ETERNAL

Do you still have your favorite presents from childhood?  Do you even REMEMBER them?  Eventually, even our most favorite gifts get forgotten, replaced, outgrown, worn out, used up, lost, outdated, or broken.  But God’s gift is permanent.  Salvation NEVER ENDS.    

Is it possible for Christians to move away from Jesus?  Absolutely.  Every time we sin, we have to turn away from God to do it.  But do our sins SEPARATE us from God?  ABSOLUTELY NOT!  When we sin, we break FELLOWSHIP with God, but not our RELATIONSIP with Him.  NOTHING CAN SEPARATE US FROM GOD’S LOVE! 

Romans 8:39a And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love.

Hebrews 7:25  Therefore he is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf.

Hebrews 10:10  For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time.

But what about all those people who claim to be Christians but live any old way they want?  Does THAT prove that we can LOSE our salvation? 

No.  That proves that, JUST LIKE JESUS WARNED, many people who claim to be Christians AREN’T.  The Bible doesn’t teach that believers can move away from Jesus for such an extended period of time that they no longer think about Him or experience conviction.  If that describes you, here’s your safest bet: surrender to Jesus.  If you did something in the past that you were able to STOP, it sounds like what happened was a work of YOU and not a work of GOD. 

God’s gift of salvation begins when we SURRENDER to Him, and lasts ETERNALLY. 

4.  GOD’S GIFT IS COSTLY

I heard about a grandmother who didn’t know what to give her three grandchildren for Christmas.  She decided to send them each a card and a $50 check, and she wrote in each card, “Buy your own gift!”  A few days later she found three $50 checks under the newspaper on her kitchen table.  Her grandchildren were shocked when they received empty cards that said, “BUY YOUR OWN GIFT!”

If a gift doesn’t cost the giver anything, doesn’t it diminish the gift?  The cost doesn’t have to be MONEY.  A perfect gift can be purchased with time, energy, talent, creativity, thought, etc.  For a gift to be MEANINGFUL, we just need to know that the giver was INVESTED.  If Kelley gave me a bag of dirt for Christmas, it wouldn’t mean a thing to me.  But if she said she broke into Sanford Stadium and dug that bag of dirt from the end zone, it’d be the best gift ever! 

There’s never been a more costly gift than Jesus, and there’s never been a more invested giver than God. 

John 3:16  “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”

Isaiah 53:5  But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins.  He was beaten so we could be whole.  He was whipped so we could be healed.

This Christmas, let’s not lose sight of these facts.  And even as we celebrate the BIRTH of our Savior, let’s keep in mind that His birth was just the beginning of His earthly mission: it ENDED with the Cross. 

God always knew what creating mankind would COST Him.  And He created us anyway.

2 Corinthians 9:15  Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! (NIV)