Who is My Neighbor?

In Luke chapter 10, Jesus had an encounter with a certain attorney, who thought he was doing OK in living his life, but Jesus showed him otherwise.   Let's pick up in verse 25 And a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life ?" 26 And He said to him, "What is written in the Law ? How does it read to you?" 27 And he answered, "YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND ; AND YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF." 28 And He said to him, "You have answered correctly ; DO THIS AND YOU WILL LIVE." 29 But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor ?"  Jesus then told the story of the Good Samaritan, depicting a wounded man - two people walked by, the other tended to his needs and attempted to facilitate healing and restoration.   Jesus said:  in verse 36: "Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers' hands?" 37 And he said, "The one who showed mercy toward him." Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do the same."

Great question for us today - who is our neighbor?   And what makes a good neighbor?   That is not limited to where you live, but it does include geographical location.   So, are you a lighthouse in your neighborhood - do you choose to show charity to those in the location God has placed you?


The real estate website Zillow has released a new survey.  The annual poll asks U.S. adults which celebrities they would most like to be their neighbor, and with whom they wouldn't want to share a fence.  Here are the results:

Most Desirable Neighbors for 2012		Worst Neighbors of 2011
Name	Percent	Name	Percent
Tim Tebow	11	Jersey Shore Cast	28
Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt	10	Charlie Sheen	21
Jennifer Aniston & Justin Theroux	9	Lindsay Lohan	14
Jennifer Lopez	6	Kim Kardashian	13
Beyoncé & Jay-Z	5	Nancy Grace	3
Nancy Grace	4	Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt	3
Kim Kardashian	4	Anthony Weiner	2
Other	11	Other	2
None of the above	42	None of the above	14

No surprise - good for Tim Tebow.   I think it's interesting that Brangelina and Kim Kardashian ended up on both lists.   And, you have 1 married couple and 2 cohabiting couples on the good neighbor list.   Good challenge for us - even if you have neighbors that may not share your values, that doesn't remove our responsibility to be neighborly.    God has called us to show mercy - to demonstrate the fruit of the spirit to people with whom we come in contact.   And, those in your neighborhood present a great place to start.

Toward Admiration

From 1st Corinthians chapter 11: 1 Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ. 2 Now I praise you because you remember me in everything and hold firmly to the traditions, just as I delivered them to you.

Can you say that - follow me as I follow Christ?  This is a challenging thought - does the way we live our lives produce a desire for others to emulate our attitudes, our posture, and our behavior?    I was thinking about the whole question of living an admirable life, in light of the latest Gallup poll on Most Admired Women and Man that was recently released...

No surprise, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President Barack Obama continue to be named by Americans as the Most Admired Woman and Most Admired Man living today in any part of the world, according to the Gallup organization.  Clinton has been the Most Admired Woman each of the last 10 years, and Obama has been the Most Admired Man four years in a row.   It's not uncommon to see a current or past President at the top of the men's list or a First Lady - present or past - in the top slot.   In fact, that's certainly the case this year.

Most Admired Woman of 2011:

Most Admired Man

I must call attention to the highest-ranked non-politician on the men's list:  Rev. Billy Graham...listen to this - He has never finished first, but has been in the top 10 more than any other man -- 55 times since 1955. He has finished as high as second place, which he has done on eight occasions. After Graham, Reagan is next with 31 top 10 finishes, while Pope John Paul II, Jimmy Carter, Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, Harry Truman, and Bill Clinton have had 20 or more.   2 other religious leaders appeared on the men's list:  Pope Benedict and Morman church leader Thomas Monson.   And, as I have stated numerous times, I believe Oprah to be a religious leader; perhaps one of the most influential spiritual leaders of the last 25 years - placing #2 on this year's list.

So, what makes a person admirable?   In the Gallup universe, position plays a key role, no doubt...witness the huge margin of victory for Obama and Hillary.   And, publicity is also a key factor - if a person has high media visibility and is known for positive exploits, that is a huge plus.   But, in order to qualify as "admirable", there has to be some sort of character traits worthy of emulation, I believe.  

From a Christian worldview perpsective, I think Billy Graham is a great example of character for us as Christians - a holy life, lived without hypocrisy, inspiring others, firm in conviction, but loving in delivery.    In the culture at large, faith may not be a qualification for making the list, but in the kingdom of God, if we are to be truly admirable, living lives worthy of imitation, reliance on the power and presence of God is what can mold our character so that we can be able to point others to Him. 
 

Til Death Do Us Part

Ephesians chapter 5 says:
31 "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh."... 33 Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

Marriage as an institution is solid, Scriptural, beneficial to both man and woman, provides security for the children in the family, and glorifying to God - it's a key component of His plan, as it reflects the relationship of Jesus, the head of the church, to his bride, the body of Christ.   So, by being married and exhibiting a Christ-centered marriage, we demonstrate to the world the love of God.

But while marriage as an institution continues to represent God's best, there is a decline in the percentage of the population that are part of it.   Listen to these 3 key components of a Pew survey on marriage based on Census data:

Barely half of adults ages 18 and older are married– 51% in 2010, compared with 72% in 1960. This decline is especially notable for young adults: 20% of 18- to 29-year-olds were married in 2010, compared with 59% in 1960.  (the percentage in 2000 was 57%)


Associated with this trend is that the age at which men and women marry for the first time continues to rise to record levels. In 2011, the median age at first marriage is an estimated 28.7 for men and 26.5 for women. That means half of men don’t marry until at least about age 29, and half of women don’t marry until at least about age 27. In 1960, the median age at first marriage for both men and women was in the early 20s.

A third key statistic in the report the number of people who married in the previous year. In the Census Bureau’s 2010 American Community Survey, that number was down 5% from what it was in 2009, which may or may not be related to economic hard times.

Now, there are reports that show that the divorce rate does seem to have leveled off

Pew's analysis began this way:  "A new Pew Research Center report confirms that marriage continues to lose market share among Americans to other arrangements, such as cohabitation or living alone."    The Washington Post quoted Rose Kreider, a Census Bureau demographer who specializes in household statistics, who noted last year that 7.5 million couples were living together without being married, a 13 percent jump in just one year.


And, cohabitation is an ineffective arrangement and violates God's standards.   And, adultery provides a challenge to the marriage relationship and becomes a huge destructive force.   And, it is promoted aggressively in the media.   Just today, a Los Angeles Times story cited Parents Television Council research: “Prime-time TV is starting to look like an ad for Ashley Madison, the online dating service for married folks, where the message is, ‘Life is short. Have an affair.'”  The Times further shows this trend coincides with a decline in actual marriages and warns of the cultural and sociological effects of consequence-free TV adultery occurring far more frequently than in real life.


Even the redefinition of marriage and family to include same-sex marriage presents new challenges.   But, the fact remains, as in all of Scripture, God's way is best.   Even though judgment can be clouded by economic and social pressures, it does not diminish the reliability of God's Word concerning marriage - or anything else in His word.   May we see more clearly that adherance to His principles brings joy and security to our lives.

Merry Twixtmas

From Isaiah 40:
28 Do you not know ? Have you not heard ? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth Does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable . 29 He gives strength to the weary, And to him who lacks might He increases power. 30 Though youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous young men stumble badly, 31 Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength ; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.

So, what are your "Twixtmas" plans - yes, that's the 5-day period in between Boxing Day and New Year's Day.   Yes, it's celebrated in the United Kingdom...yesterday, another British holiday took place - Boxing Day, when presumably the wealthy in Britain would give boxed gifts to their servants...now it's a glorified shopping day, and the indications are that the cash registers didn't ring particularly much across the Commonwealth - it is still a Federal holiday in Canada.

And, in keeping with the holiday spirit, someone has invented this "Twixmas" thing, and if you Google "Twixmas", you'll see all sorts of hotel packages and special vacation opportunities.  
According to the Montgomery Advertiser, ...the Flexible Thinking Forum, a nonprofit social enterprise organization, launched the Twixtmas: Five Days to Change Your World campaign in 2010. The idea is to inspire people to make posi­tive changes. Each day is de­voted to a different theme.
Day 1 (Tuesday): Do some­thing selfish for yourself, such as have a good laugh, indulge yourself, read a book, exercise.
Day 2 (Wednesday): Do something unselfish, such as a random act of kindness or a donation to charity.
Day 3 (Thursday): Do something for a friend, such as sharing an old photograph, making a phone call to some­one you've lost touch with or saying thanks.
Day 4 (Friday): Do some­thing for the planet, such as turning the heat down or cleaning up litter in a park.
Day 5 (Dec. 31): Do some­thing for your future, such as writing down your resolu­tions.

And, I'm all about self-evaluation, reaching out to others, and engaging in redemptive activity, recognizing that we can do these activities to glorify God.   But, I started to think about  the concept of "in-between"...no doubt, in the macro, or "big picture" sense, we are living our lives in between the start and the finish, and God calls us to redeem the time that we have here on earth to obey Him and to seek out and follow His will.  And, in the "day-to-day", or micro, sense, we also are called to obey Him daily.   And, we may sense that God is leading us in a certain direction, and we find ourselves essentially, "in between", which can be a frustrating place sometimes - not satisfied in the here and now, but moving to a new place in God - that's where waiting on Him is so important, enjoying the momentary blessings that He has given, experiencing His joy, and expecting that He wants to do more in our lives - we are on a journey, and you may find yourself in between stops on the way - but He also wants us to abide in Him and savor every moment.   "In-between"?   Maybe, but we can have joy in the journey.

It's the "Lay-Away" Angels!!

2nd Corinthians chapter 9 says:
8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed... 10 Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness ; 11 you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God.

A giving phenomenon has brought a new glow to the home of the blue light special, as some special people who are wanting to shine a light on a family's Christmas season are walking into K-Mart stores across America and paying down or paying off their lay-away.

It looks like the first sighting of the "lay-away angels", or secret Santas, was in Michigan a couple of weeks ago.  According to TIME, citing a television report:

...a woman in her 30s walked up to the layaway counter at a Kmart and asked if she could pay off someone’s layaway balance. The clerk was confused, but allowed the woman to browse through layaway accounts. The woman ultimately selected three—she was looking, specifically, for ones in which toys had been purchased—and then paid off around $500 total for the three accounts, leaving a balance of just $10 on each. Then she disappeared, leaving just a note on the layaway receipts that read “Happy Holidays from a friend.”


One beneficiary of the act of anonymous kindness—a mom who’d put $200 worth of toys on layaway for her son David—said that the Secret Santa “restored her faith in people.”

Now, there were more lay-aways at the same K-Mart store in Michigan, and the phenomenon has spread to other stores in Michigan, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Washington, DC, and all the way to California.   And, while most of the instances have taken place at K-Mart stores, Wal-Marts are receiving visits, too.

People are obviously embracing the idea, and what a great story - I do think that since humans are created in the image of God, it's our nature to be givers, activated by the nature of Christ in those who believe in Him.  And, the fact that people are giving without recognition is also a cool thing!

I would add one punctuation mark to this charitable effort - to somehow communicate the message that we are giving because of the One who gave His Son at Christmas, so that we might live and have a right relationship with Almighty God - I'm all about anonymous, but just as the angels were clear about the source of their message, perhaps Christians who become "lay-away" angels can be clear about the source of the love that drives their act.   But, what a great thing that giving is making the news!!

Stolen Baby Jesus

The parable of sower is found in Mark 4, and after Jesus relates it to a large crowd, He explains it more fully to His disciples:
14 "The sower sows the word. 15 "These are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown ; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them. 16 "In a similar way these are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy ; 17 and they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary ; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away. 18 "And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns ; these are the ones who have heard the word, 19 but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 20 "And those are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil ; and they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold."

Something strange is afoot in the area around Fredericksburg, Virginia...you may have heard that last week a baby Jesus statue was reported missing from a shopping center there.   Well, the statue has been found...with the help of social media.   You see, the 25-year-old woman who allegedly took the statue put pictures of it on Facebook - a citizen saw the post and turned in a screen grab to police, before the post was taken down.   Since the statue had been filled with cement to prevent theft and weighed 80 pounds, it's likely someone helped the lady steal it.

And, there have been other reports of baby Jesus statues being stolen in the area, according to the Washington Post.   And, yes, you just have to wonder why someone would do such a thing...

But, you know, I had to think on how we allow Jesus to be stolen from us, in terms of the manifestation of His presence through our lives.  The Bible tells us in John 10:10 that the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but Jesus comes to bring abundant life.  The enemy, Satan, desires to limit the work of God from our lives and diminish the fruit we produce for Him.   And, in the parable of the sower in Mark 4, Jesus says that to non-believers or nominal believers, the enemy steals the seed of God's word immediately.   Then He outlines other factors that can steal God's word and the presence of Jesus from our lives - affliction, persecution, the worries of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things.   Perhaps there are areas of your life that keep Jesus from having His rightful place in your life, and steal the seed that can produce fruit, robbing us of the joy of His presence. 

In Fredericksburg, the baby Jesus is back in His rightful place - for you this Christmas, is the Lord Jesus inhabiting His rightful position in your heart, or have you allowed the pressures of this world and the tools of the enemy of our souls, to steal Him away?

(w)Rung Out...

Romans 12 reminds us of the importance of giving, using what God has given to us to bless others:
4 For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly...

Earlier today, I was at Sam's Club taking part in what has become an annual tradition for our family - ringing bells for the Salvation Army...in fact, the Saturday before Christmas, you'll find the Crittendens at Sam's - we actually did it this past weekend.   And, this year, I helped to get our Sunday School class involved, so today, I was there with class members to help needy families in the River Region.

Last Thursday, to call attention to its Red Kettle campaign, 24 contestants took part in the World Record of Bell Ringing, sponsored by the Salvation Army's national office.   With only a few short breaks, ringers across the country attempted to set a new mark - which was 36 hours going into this competition.   And, when it was over, some 5 ringers had broken the old record, and 2 people from Indianapolis and 1 from Springfield, Illinois crossed the 60-hour mark to claim the new record.   Another, in San Francisco, went 51-hours before stopping to go to his daughter's choir performance.

Contestants were required to stand the entire time and were allowed a 10 minute break every four hours.
They also could not eat anything and could only drink water or sports drinks.

Now, you don't have to be vying for a world record to be effective for the cause of Christ.   I love the attention for the incredible work of the Salvation Army that this initiative brought, but it does take a host of volunteers at various locations in order to bring the awareness of the needs of people and to spread some Christmas cheer.   So, don't think your devotion to charitable activities is somehow insignificant - God has gifted all of us, and He desires for each of us to respond to His call, so that the work of His kingdom may go forward.  

Hitchens' Guide to the Afterlife - Now in Production

Psalm 8 says this:
 3 When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, 4 What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him? 5 For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor.
Christopher Hitchens, respected author and orator, did earlier today as the result of complications brought on by esophageal cancerm, of which he was diagnosed in June 2010.   He was an atheist, and was considered to be one of the proponents of the worldview know as secularism, cemented in his 2007 book, "God is Not Great".

It's interesting how someone who was so determined to reject the concept of Biblical truth was so revered, but he certainly struck a nerve in our culture - Richard Dawkins, fellow atheist flamethrower, took to Twitter to pay homage to his soulmate, who he said rejected tyranny, even God.    Clearly, these guys, and many like them, do and did not want to submit to the authority of God and the premise of absolute truth.  

The so-called "new atheists", to a certain extent, create a sense of intellectual arrogance, believing that they are the enlightened ones - the ones who extol reason over the Christ-followers, who are merely living on faith.   But, the Bible is a book that calls for critical thinking, and God wants to illuminate our minds.   Faith and reason are not mutually exclusive...

...nor are faith and science.  In fact, there is an abundance of scientific evidence that is supportive of the truths of Scripture.  The Bible says we as human types are fearfully and wonderfully made - our structure is so intricate that the human body could not been derived as a product of random mutations and natural selection.   There is overwhelming evidence for design.   Faith does not contradict science, but through science we can gain a greater appreciation of the systems and substance that God Himself has established. 

So, we mourn for Hitchens, and would hope, contrary to his bold declaration that he would never make a death-bed conversion, that he accepted the light of truth that had been shared with him by Christians throughout the years.   And, we can be challenged to communicate God's love and truth with those who don't know Him.   It's a marvelous time at Christmas to take advantage of heightened spiritual sensitivity and make connections with those who need to experience the presence of Christ.

Actor Pleads for "Star Peace"

Isaiah 9 outlines some of the characteristics of our Savior:
6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders ; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. 7 There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore . The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this. 

It's a bit comical - the age-old sci-fi battle over which movie franchise is better - "Star Wars" or "Star Trek".   Apparently, Capt. Kirk, William Shatner and Princess Leia, Carrie Fisher, have been squaring off as of late - according to the Orange County Register: 

Shatner called "Star Trek" cerebral and character-driven, "Star Wars" all tech and flash.
"Princess Leia, as beautiful as she was, as wonderful an actress as she is, can't compare to the marvelous heroines we have on 'Star Trek,'" Shatner said.
Fisher mocked "Star Trek's" "effects," suggesting they shouldn't be called "special."
"I want to see him in his clingy outfit again," Fisher said. "We should have, like, a costume-off."

I don't know how serious this exchange is, but devotees of the two series have bantered back-and-forth throughout the years.   Well, stepping into it all is none other than Mr. Sulu from "Star Trek" - George Takei - calling for "star peace".   Of course, he also called for sci-fi fans of both franchises to unite against an "ominous, mutual threat to all science fiction" - that would be the "Twilight" series.

So, even in the midst of calling for peace, Takei, who has had rather harsh words for those who oppose the gay lifestyle, which he practices, took his shots at the "Twilight" series.   I think, even in jest, this is indicative of human nature, and even behavior in the church.   The apostle Paul wrote in 1st Corinthians 1:

10 Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment. 11 For I have been informed concerning you, my brethren, by Chloe's people, that there are quarrels among you. 12 Now I mean this, that each one of you is saying, "I am of Paul," and "I of Apollos," and "I of Cephas," and "I of Christ." 13 Has Christ been divided ? Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul ?

During this Christmas season, recognizing that Jesus said "blessed are the peacemakers", we can look for ways to be people that reflect the peace of God.   Christ has come to bring peace between humanity and God through the cross, He has come to bring inner tranquility as we keep our minds stayed on His presence and His principles, and He has come to place us together in unity.   A divided church does not reflect the character of Christ, and when we are divided, we cannot be the influence in the world that God desires for us to have.  But, if we are pursuing peace - with God and with one another - then we can take substantive action and find ways to blend together to transform the culture, rather than blending into the culture.   A united church at peace with one another becomes the most powerful force on earth.