oasisCHURCH

Church on Christmas Day?

This article is likely to offend someone. How’s that for a hook?

Before anyone asks the question I will answer it. “Yes, there will be an Oasis worship gathering on Sunday, December 25—Christmas Day” (additionally, there will also be a worship gathering on New Year’s Day the following Sunday). The sign in the photo is a fake. It's merely a way to display and introduce the irony in this topic.

However, there has been an abundance of discussion, debate, criticism, etc. all over the country about churches who are canceling services on Christmas Day and whether or not it is right or wrong, etc. I am not sure I would go as far as to say it is “right” or “wrong”. I don’t think it’s a “right” and “wrong” issue. But I do think it is important for us to consider a few questions in context of Christmas Day falling on Sunday. Ponder questions such as: 

1. What do I truly cherish most about Christmas?
2. Why do I truly celebrate Christmas?
3. Who do I believe the Christmas holiday is most for? Family? Jesus? Both?
4. Which family is Christmas mostly about? My birth family? Or my re-birth family?

Much is communicated every year about Christmas in regards to what the “reason for the season” is. Some shout aloud about “putting Christ back in Christmas,” while others bemoan the fact that retail stores are “pushing Christmas out” by replacing the term "Merry Christmas" with "Happy Holidays" in their ads. Still others grumble about the increasing "secularization" of Christmas as they seek to remind us that, "Jesus is the reason for the season!" Everywhere you look, there seems to be some complaint about Christmas and how it's to be celebrated. And (don’t miss this) religious people are the ones who scream the loudest.

Yet, it is these same people who are concerned about this year’s Christmas Day because it happens to fall on a Sunday. How inconvenient.

Do you see the rub?

Ed Stetzer from Lifeway research says, “According to a December 2010 LifeWay Research report, 74 percent of Americans agree (strongly or somewhat) that ‘Christmas is primarily a day for religious celebration and observance,’ yet 67 percent of all Americans also agree that, ‘Many of the things I enjoy during the Christmas season have nothing to do with the birth of Jesus Christ.’”

Aha! There’s the rub.

If the most enjoying, precious, treasured aspect of Christmas were truly the celebrating of the fact that Jesus Christ has broken into this world by leaving heaven and being born into humanity in order to save us from our depravity and sin, then rather than bemoan the fact that Christmas Day is on Sunday we would long for Christmas Day to be on Sunday; or at least we might expect that the family Jesus came for—his family—would gather on that much anticipated day and celebrate His coming and His presence in our lives.

Perhaps what the “religious people” are saying during the holiday Christmas season is somewhat true. Competing forces are encroaching on the meaning of Christmas. The holiday is taking on other meanings, other significances. Certainly the retail marketers hope so. The multiple meanings of Christmas are compatible and uncontested as long as they don’t meet head to head. BUT when they coincide on a Sunday, it spells disaster for the Christian significance of the day.

In which case we should probably admit the truth about Christmas and why and how we celebrate it. The celebration of Jesus’ birth in a church gathering on the day of the holiday is less important than the commercial importance of giving and receiving gifts. Celebrating communion with our “blood of Christ” family is less vital than rekindling our nuclear family connections around a table loaded with food. Worshipping the one for whom the holiday is named is less essential than filling the day watching parades and football games on TV and tearing open needless gifts and gadgets.

Maybe there is some truth in familiar holiday songs that there is no place like home for the holiday and the idea that Christmas is primarily for the family.

How does a celebration of Jesus’ birth compete with these ideas? Apparently, from my quick research this week, it doesn’t fare well at all for a significant percentage of Christians—at least in the Protestant church. Interestingly, among our Catholic brothers and sisters, attending a worship service on Christmas Day is nothing new. In fact, they do this every year regardless of what day of the week the holiday falls on. For as much grief as Protestant Christians have given to Catholicism over the years, when it comes to Christmas Day I can’t help but think they’ve had it right all along.

I began this article by suggesting that it would likely offend someone. It certainly was not my intention to offend. But hopefully you have been challenged to take some time in the next few weeks to contemplate the four questions that were asked in one of the earlier paragraphs. If Christmas Day is not really about the worship of Jesus, then we Christians probably shouldn’t be so adamant about insisting that the world recognize Jesus in Christmas. Or, when it comes to Christmas, are we merely proclaiming with words something that we do not actually intend to practice with deeds? Are we proclaiming one thing while actually practicing another?

“Jesus is the reason for the season! Keep Christ in Christmas!”

Are we sure?

If the primary “reason” for the season that the world SEES us celebrating (not HEARS us celebrating, but sees us celebrating) is our nuclear family, parties, gift-exchanging, decorating, eating, etc… then the proclamations in the above statements are quite frankly not true. In fact they are hypocrisy—meaning, we shouldn’t make such statements if we know it would be an inconvenience for us to have to practice what we preach.

To make a more true statement we would have to say, “Jesus is part of the reason for the season,” and “Add Christ to all the other things we love about Christmas.”

Pause for a moment this year and reflect on all of your various Christmastime rituals. Then ask yourself, what is MOST meaningful to me about all of it? The answer to that question is your own personal true “reason for the season.”

Oasis will have two Christmas weekend celebrations. One will be on Christmas Eve from 5:00pm-6:00pm. The second will be on Christmas Day from 10:00am-11:30am.

Merry Christmas!

 

I Am Second

All-Stars Baseball vs. Church

This weekend begins a 4-week season of All-Stars Baseball for our 8 year-old son. Brock was actually selected to play on an All-Star team last year, but this year we have had more time to prepare and discuss all of the issues of being on a traveling all-star baseball team. The first and most obvious issue for a Christian family is the dilemma of every tournament being played on weekends. Typically the way an all-star tournament goes is like this: on Saturday all the teams play one another in a "round robin," and according to their records from those games they are seeded in a tournament, which is played on Sunday. The reason this can be a dilemma for Christian families is because tournament games are often played out of town, or could even be scheduled during the morning hours, the same time as most church worship gatherings.

I have chosen to title this article "All-Stars Baseball vs. Church" because it states the tension that so many Christian families have faced over the years of playing sports, taking vacations, going to band or cheer competitions, or any number of different community activities family members have been involved in. Traditionally, whenever anything caused us to consider missing a worship gathering or church meeting many families have been made to feel as though the event they were considering and the church meeting were two things that were against one another. Thus the title "All-Stars Baseball vs. Church." This brings up a very interesting conversation. One that I have been having for several weeks as this year's all-stars season has approached. There are a few other Christian families on Brock's team this year, and together we have been discussing this "dilemma," which has caused us to come up with some very creative ideas for how to help alleviate the felt tension among families who desire their children to be able to participate in other community activities while also honoring Christ and glorifying God in all they do. Here are some thoughts to consider.

Probably the most common answer to this dilemma is to simply state a hard line of right and wrong when it comes to church attendance. For instance, in my youth this question seemed to be a no-brainer: where a person was on Sunday morning was the ultimate test of their loyalty to Christ. Everyone who was truly committed to Christ was expected to be at church regardless, and would be considered a hero of the faith for making the choice to miss a baseball game in order to attend the church meeting.

The problem with that line of thinking is that it puts "being at the church meeting" at such an elevated proof or evidence of faith in Christ, when in fact there are many who attend church meetings faithfully yet have no faith. Therefore we must be careful of saying there is only one right answer to this so-called dilemma. To do so would be dangerously close to a legalistic view of church attendance, and could possibly lead someone down a similar path of the Pharisees, who praised such acts over true and living faith. As you have heard me say many times over the past 4 years, we are called to BE the church, and to live out our faith and glorify God wherever we happen to be, and in whatever we happen to be doing. I would rather see a person of active, living, daily faith in Christ miss a church meeting than see a person come to every meeting of the church but show no evidence of faith any other day of the week.

On the other side of this discussion is the fact that while it is important to live and be part of the world as believers in Christ, it is vitally important that we regularly gather with other believers in a community of faith for our strengthening, encouragement, and spiritual nourishment. To habitually neglect this at the expense of community activities or personal vacations is just as wrong.

As those of you who know me know, I am not interested in old legalism. I have missed church meetings here and there in order to attend games I am coaching or to be with my kids who are playing. But there is also something about the discipline of church attendance (actual participation in a family of faith—the kind of thing that gives Hebrews 10:24ff life!) that is vital. We believe that we’re forming a certain kind of person through such disciplines as this. And it is our hope that our children see our regular attendance at church meetings as not a ritual we keep, but a healthy part of the formation of our lives as believers in Christ.

Someone once attempted to quote me a couple years back and said they heard me say: “God doesn’t care whether or not you attend church.” I never recall saying exactly that, and I hope none of you have ever processed anything I have said in that way. The fact is, I do believe God is very interested in our commitment to be with other believers in a community of faith. What I do not believe is that He is keeping a record of church attendance, from which we will be rewarded as heroes of the faith.

I understand the frustration we have all experienced with old legalism. But we must also be just as careful to not say that this spiritual discipline, this matter of community, this place of being intentional about regularly worshiping and fellowshipping with our brothers and sisters in the faith, does not matter. It most certainly does.

I know that April and I want to be sure that the message we are sending to our children is that God is a priority in ALL of our lives, whether Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or etc. Church meetings are obviously a priority because we have created a regular habit of attending. But more importantly, they know that God is a priority because we have created regular habits of honoring God in a variety of ways: at meal times, at bed times, while driving in the car, while going to school, while on the gymnastic floor, while on the baseball field, etc. and etc.

We are most certainly thinking about priorities, and we are also thinking about the larger understanding of spiritual formation. Our deepest hopes for our son and daughter have nothing to do with playing baseball, cheerleading, or even going to church. Our greatest hopes for our children is that they will develop genuine, living faith in Jesus Christ.

Just 15 years ago, the decision to “miss church” for a ballgame would have been a no-no for me. As I have continued growth in age and in the Lord, I have grown to see church through the lens of relationship—being a way of life, a people—rather than a meeting that happens once a week at a particular place or building. BEING the church means that we are the church—and not a time slot on Sunday morning—which means being the church could happen at the baseball game just as well.

IMPORTANT: do not hear me saying, “Everything is church,” because I am a firm believer in attending regular assemblies with a common Christ-community for worship, Bible teaching, and communion. But these kinds of activities in our lives that we often deem as “in conflict” with church, I believe actually provide us opportunities to teach a deeper lesson about the essence of “church.”

This Sunday morning before I come down to our Oasis worship gathering I will be hosting an All-Star team worship gathering/Bible-study/prayer meeting at the shelter house in the park in Athens at 7:45am. Then, the team will play a game at 9:00am, which I will attend for the first hour. Then I will leave the rest of the game to my assistant coaches and drive down to be with my Oasis family and preach from James chapter 1. After that gathering I will go back to Athens and be with the team for the remainder of the tournament.

Choosing to be involved with the All-Star team the way we are (as a coach and having our son play) has provided us with some wonderful conversations with other brothers and sisters in Christ (who also have kids on the team) regarding church and faith in Christ, and it has even given me the opportunity to answer questions from some who are not yet believers in Christ. I am looking forward to how the next 4 weeks may in fact provide our family with an opportunity to be a witness for Jesus.

I pray that this article will be helpful as you process these kinds of things in your own family. I know that there are a number of varying opinions on these issues, and I respect others who may stand in a different place. Not everyone faces these kinds of issues. But if your family is one that is involved in sports or any kind of community, school activity or group in the world there is a good chance you will be faced with the same "dilemma" at some time or another. Just fill in the blank: "__________________ vs. Church." My hope is to convince you that it does not have to be a hard line one way or the other. Remove the "vs." from the title of this article, and replace it with an "AND." And... "whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31).

More Gavin & Proud Family

More gladness. Nana Dreama, thanks for sending me these.

New Stewart Baby - Welcome Gavin McGwire

Born on May 22. He's 6 pounds, 1 ounce; 19 inches. Beautiful baby. Mommy and Daddy are doing well too (as you can see below). Grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncles, and cousins are all very excited (as you can see).

 

Backseat Bible Lesson

Normally on their way to school each morning April prays with and for the kids, but this morning their trip came complete with a drama and live sermon illustration along with their prayer. Here's how it went down.

Just down the road about a quarter of a mile from our house in The Plains there is a new home being built, and this morning the concrete was being poured. The concrete truck was in the road, taking up the lane April was driving in. But because it is not a busy road, April checked to see if any cars were coming, and when she saw there wasn't, she slowly began making her way around the concrete truck. Suddenly, she began to hear a man screaming and yelling his head off, using profanity and all sorts of colorful language, so she stopped. Apparently this fellow was on the sidewalk and he was there to direct the traffic, in plain clothes, with no flag or any signal whatsoever to indicate he was there to direct. So April rolled down her window and began apologizing, saying that she did not realize he was directing traffic. But this man continued his rant, calling my wife a barrage of inappropriate names while my 8-year old and 6-year old were sitting in the backseats listening. Finally, she drove off (albeit remembering the company name on the side of the concrete truck).

When she called me to tell me about it I asked her how the kids reacted. She said they were a little freaked out that he was calling her the names using the "F word" and "S-H word" as Brock put it. April herself wasn't affected much. She's become pretty resilient. After years of ministry she has learned to take insults well, so she's had plenty grains of salt. LOL.

The best part is what just happened a few minutes ago. When we went upstairs to read the Bible and pray with Brock and Kaylee I asked them to tell me about what happened this morning. Brock told me his version of the story, and then he said, "Mom prayed for that man on the way home from school today."

I asked, "Do you know why she did that?"

He paused for a moment, then said, "Because of the Golden Rule?"

"Well, sort of," I said. Then I opened up to Matthew chapter 5 and read these words:

"You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.

"You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven."

I told him that the reason why his mother prayed for a man who shouted profane words at her and called her all kinds of awful names is because his mother loves Jesus and desires to honor him. And the way we can best honor Jesus is to do what he tells us to do in the Bible. If we really love Jesus then we will do what he says. It is common for everyone else to yell back, or to call names, or to try to have such a man fired from his job. But we are called to live and to behave differently from everyone else in the world. And when people see our actions and ask why, it gives us an opportunity to glorify God even more by sharing with them that He is the motivation for our desire to bless even though we have been persecuted.

So my kids learned a new word today (well, actually several new words, LOL). But the word I am talking about is "persecution." I know what they saw and experienced this morning is nothing compared to the persecution so many are facing in the world for Christ's name. But what they experienced did provide us with a lesson. And hopefully this little backseat Bible lesson will stick with them the rest of their lives, so that if and when they are faced with even stronger persecution, they will remember their mother's example.

Weekend Getaway Pictorial

April and I had a wonderful time together on our weekend in Cleveland. Here are few photos from the trip.

I love this picture of my beautiful wife. She wasn't ready when I snapped it, but it is one of my favorites.

This one was taken for my son, Brock. He loves Lebron.

The Severance Hall, home of the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra. On Saturday night we saw them perform The Four Seasons by Vivaldi.

A little Irish pub in Port Clinton, where we had Sunday lunch.

A very old Baptist church building next door to our hotel. All the houses were covered with ice-cycles, some were 3-4 feet in length.

Notice the variety of items you can purchase at this one-stop shop. These are the stores you find only when you decide to take a short cut in the city.

Thank you, Oasis, for giving us this enriching and refreshing weekend.

A Snowy Sunday

Well, last Sunday was quite a morning. I was rather surprised at the number of you who trekked out through the weather to come to the Oasis gathering. If you were not there, we made an executive decision at the beginning of our gathering that we would just sing a few songs of worship together, read Scripture and share a time of communion. It was an intimate time, and we were finished by 10:45am. And it’s a good thing too, because by the time Timothy and I began to head back to Athens (around 12:00) the roads were in really bad shape. In fact, we were a little uncertain that we were going to make it home, as we came into Athens there were people in 4X4s sliding off of the road! We just prayed and kept a gentle foot on the gas pedal of my little Toyota. April, however, was stranded at Heather and Shawn’s house for most of the day. The kids did not mind, because they got to go sledding with their cousins and have hot chocolate and homemade pizza!

I hope everyone had a chance to relax and enjoy the first good snow we have had in nearly two years. This Sunday I will be picking up our study in Romans chapter 12. Please meditate on the first two verses this week, and ask God to begin speaking to you even before we gather together.

I have sent an Oasis NEWS email out earlier today with MUCH, MUCH news in it. If you do not receive those but would like to be added to our mailing list, just reply to this message below and I will add you, or you can email the Oasis inbox.

A Health & Nutrition Post

One of the things April and I have begun doing together recently is a common diet. For the past few years she has been a fan of the low-carbohydrate nutritional approach. I have only done the low-carb diet once, and that was three years ago. I remember that I really liked it, and for a number of different reasons:

1.  It helps me accomplish my goals. I remember that in January of 2003, which was when I first began the low-carb diet, I was 220 lbs and about 25% body fat. My supposed "ideal" weight for a 5'10, 31-year old man was 170lbs and less than 17% body fat. I set a goal to get under both of those, and within about 6 months I has accomplished both goals. By July I was weighing 170 and my body fat % was at 13.

Today I weigh 195 lbs and my body fat is 20%. That has increased from 3 years ago, not because of any fault of low-carb dieting, but because of laziness and poor nutritional decisions on my part.

2.  I love the "satisfaction" that low-carb nutrition brings. After the first couple of weeks (admittedly, those are the toughest days) it is amazing how few cravings and hunger pangs there are. I never realized just how "empty" simple carbohydrate foods are and how they induce more desire for eating even more of them and more regularly, until I cut them from my regular diet. The fact is, it is possible to live life and not have overwhelming desires for brownies and potato chips.

The reason this is such a good point is because most people do not get enough protein or enough green vegetables, which provide plenty of complex carbohydrates, in there normal diet anyway. While doing low-carb nutrition you definitely get plenty of both.

3.  I love the discipline it requires of me. Of all of my points, this is probably the greatest reason of them all for why I enjoy this diet. I know, it sounds a little strange. But here is how it works. God has created us all with a holistic purpose. We are not just physical beings, nor are we merely emotional or spiritual beings. We are all of the above. All of the above work together for maximum health of our beings. And we are to glorify Him in all of the above (that is the one that stings a little). Unfortunately, many people sacrifice one for the other. I, for several years, sacrificed my physical health for spiritual pursuit. I do not believe God was pleased about that. He created us in physical bodies, and I believe these bodies deserve some attention from us as long as we are still living in them.

But here's the funny thing about how these things all work together, at least in my life. Whenever I am lazy or neglectful of my physical being, I can always feel the effects of that neglect in my spiritual, intellectual, and emotional being. Conversely, whenever I am mindful or working on my physical being, it always has a positive effect on my spiritual, emotional, and intellectual being as well. One part spills over to the others, causing better health to the entire person. For instance, when I have disciplined myself to "say no" to certain foods, I find that it makes it easier to say no to temptations in other areas as well. In that respect, I love the discipline it requires of me.

4.  I love talking with people about the healthy aspects of the low-carb diet, and debunking the myths that surround it. This is probably the debating side of my personality revealing itself. Many people still feel that anyone who follows a low-carb nutritional approach to dieting is on fast-forward to heart-attack hell. Simply not true. Rather than rehash it all here, how about I give you a link where you can read the facts more thoroughly. The fact is, most people who speak out against low-carb dieting have never read anything themselves. Most of the concerns I usually hear begin with, "It just seems to me..." or "I would think that...". Well, is it possible in America we have been force-fed a lie about "proper" nutrition? Most of what drives anything anymore is the almighty dollar. Of course there are people out there who are going to tell you that cutting back on certain foods are unhealthy. Unhealthy for their wallets!

The other day I was talking with someone about this diet, and in the conversation I learned that this person was going to be following the Weight-Watcher's plan. Their comment to me was something like this: "The low-carb diet just seems so unhealthy to me." Then, in the same breath went on to tell me that in their Weight-Watchers diet they can eat "whatever they want." Hmmm. Whatever you want?! Which seems more unhealthy? Lots of chicken and other meats, tuna and other fish, healthy fats and and carbs (yes, fat... why have we always assumed all fat is unhealthy?) green vegetables, 64 ounces of water per day, etc... OR a combination of anything your stomach desires, just as long as you don't exceed your point allowance??? Although I am sure that was probably a misrepresentation of the Weight-Watcher's diet, as I do believe there is special attention given to cutting fats; still, from that person's understanding of it, it would be possible to be on Weight-Watchers, lose several pounds, but end up deficient in proper nutrients because they were "allowed to eat whatever they want." I think I'll take my chances with low-carb. And (as you will see in the article link I provided above), the primary thing that low-carb nutrition removes from your diet is unnecessary carbs, which Americans have tended to develop an unhealthy obsession with.

So, as you can probably tell, I have once again become a low-carb dieter. Already I can feel the difference. I'm not sure why I have written this post exactly. Perhaps to encourage you if God has placed it on your heart to develop better nutrition.

Oh, and by the way. Regardless of your diet, EXERCISE is a must. The number one reason for obesity is our sedentary lifestyles coupled with poor nutrition. Do not overlook the importance of exercise.

So, whatever you have decided to do this new year, stick with it!

Rocky for a New Generation

Brock and I have been counting down the days. Both of us can't wait to go see the new Rocky movie, Rocky Balboa, scheduled to be in theaters this Wednesday, December 20. I know some people are having fun at Stallone's expense with the release of the 60-year old Rocky Balboa who dares to step into the boxing ring for a sixth time. But I am glad he did it.

Watch this trailer and then tell me you don't get just a little bit pumped.

I remember the first time I ever saw Rocky and Rocky II. I was in elementary school, and after we bought our first VCR those movies became staples in my house. I had the soundtracks to all of the Rockys. Before every football, basketball, or baseball game I would watch Rocky III, and I would have the great comeback and music playing in my mind throughout the entire game. Then Rocky IV helped motivate me during the sporting years of high school and college. I love films that motivate and encourage. That's what the Rockys have done (well, perhaps not Rocky V, but even Stallone would like to forget that one; I even heard him admit in an interview with Dan Patrick this week that he made this final movie for the true fans of Rocky and Rocky II, because he felt he let them down with Rocky V). In a day when "reality" movies rule and it seems to be hip to have you leave the theater feeling confused or disoriented, we could use some fantasy entertainment that lifts the heart and motivates.

Yep, I've always been a Rocky fan. I thought the generations of Rocky had passed. But now it gets to live on. Now my eight-year old son is also a Rocky fan. Last week he watched the first three consecutively. I've been hearing the Eye of the Tiger and Gonna Fly High Now in my ears all week. I can't wait.

Yo!