Christmas! A Season for Rejoicing!

In the background is the tree, presents stacked neatly beneath, beautiful sunshine outside the door, and the turtle tank where they can enjoy the sun.  These are merely background items!  Christmas isn't about trees, decorations, lights, or toys!  Christmas is about the greatest gift ever given!  For those of you who are reading this blog for the first time, I'll give you a hint:  What does Christmas mean?  Christ + mas = Christ's day, or Jesus' birthday!  He is the greatest gift ever given, and He is the reason for the season!  How I rejoice at the knowledge that God loved me enough to send His beloved Son, Jesus.  So look at the picture again.  What's in the foreground?  The most beautiful woman in the world (my beloved wife, Cathy), and one of the most precious gifts, our grandson.  She is holding him because she loves him.  Love is what this season is about!

My son Jeremy was our firstborn.  He's pictured here holding his son Eldon, named after Grandpa Eldon Lehman, a true man of God and follower of Jesus, who is with the Lord now.  The very notion of spending time with these two is a treasure!  That's what Christmas is about.  Had there been a Grinch in our house who took all the gifts, tree, decorations, and food, we still would have met together to celebrate the birthday of Jesus!  That's what Christmas is about!  We give each other gifts to celebrate this most wonderful gift from the Lord.  Gifts are an expression of love.  Yet gifts are not necessary to have a memorable Christmas.  They are superfluous.  The love behind the gift is what is important.  As God expressed amazing love in sending Jesus we express love in words and actions that demonstrate that we do love each other.  I can remember a Christmas eve when Cathy and I spent those hours huddled under an electric blanket during a Pennsylvania winter because we had no heat in the house.  That fact detracted nothing from our joyous celebration!

And there was so much more!  Jeff, our second son, and Serena our daughter were all together with us for Christmas.  Cathy and I are so blessed!  Our sons and daughter follow Jesus.  They like each other!  (I wasn't sure that would be true as they were growing up!)  We all have a healthy loving relationship with each other.  So when Christmas comes around it is a time for us to get together, because we all follow Jesus, and celebrate His birthday.  He is central to all our lives!  And though you cannot see Him, He was and is present with us every day.  That is what makes Christmas special!  The greatest gift is eternal.  Most of the gifts we gave were not eternal.  But one is! It is the gift of love.

Jeff married Tawny, on the left, and Jeremy married Savanna on the right.  Little Bristol is Jeremy and Savanna's oldest.  For a moment consider this amazing gift.  God gave us two wonderful daughters-in-law, both incredibly beautiful women, both followers of Jesus.  And together those two families have given us three grandchildren!  How precious is that?  I watch them as parents and I often think:  "Thank You, Lord, for giving me such wonderful sons, and daughters-in-law, who follow You, and will raise their children in the fear and wisdom of God!"  If I died today my legacy is secure.  I loved my wife, loved and raised three children, and somehow, through all the mistakes and failures, shortcomings, and weaknesses, God allowed me to see them grow up to follow Jesus.  My sons married women who follow Jesus.  My daughter's faith is strong and her walk with God constantly surprises and inspires me.  I had nothing to do with any of that!  It was all Jesus, the most wonderful gift ever given!  How could I not celebrate with a full heart at Christmas.

I love this photo.  One of the reasons is because my sons are good friends.  They do things together.  Both seek each other out and both depend on the other's expertise.  Both are husbands of stay-at-home moms.  Both love their wives with the same depth of love that I love Cathy.  And they love their kids.

Pictured to the right is another photo I love.  Cathy and Serena are such good friends.  Here they are examining some jewelry together in Santa Barbara at the arts and crafts festival held on the beach each weekend.  Serena is smart, like her mom, and passionate and funny, like her dad.  She amazes me constantly.  Always she will be my little girl.  But I am aware of the incredible adult she has become.  In one of my most difficult and trying moments in life she wrote a letter that helped me to find my way through a dark and frightening time.  Although I have not fully recovered from the trauma of that time, the words she wrote stay with me.  They reflect God's love.  That's what Christmas is all about!

Hey!  That's me!  Age 7!  I knew Jesus then, and was following Him.  I had no idea that this little boy would one day grow up, marry a lovely woman, have three children, and watch them grow up following Jesus, see the boys marry lovely women, and have children of their own.  Back then I wanted to be a minister and swim in the lake in the summer, and play in the snow and on the ice in the winter.  All the promise of this future was there.  But it did not reside in this little boy!  The promise resided in Jesus!  Jesus made it all happen, and sustains it today and forever!  That's what Christmas is all about.  Just like today, Christmas was all about Jesus and the greatest gift ever given.  It was fun!  Excitement could be seen in the decorations and preparations for family.

Don't get lost in the Christmas of a godless generation!  It's not about commercialism, or materialism, or selfishness!  Christmas is about Jesus, the greatest gift ever given!  Instead find ways to serve and give to others.  Bless lives while you rejoice in the real meaning of Christmas.  Be like the dear man of God who began the Santa Clause tradition!  Niklaus went about the poorest homes in his city (in Holland) and put toys and food in the wooden shoes kept on the front porches.  Look what St. Nick has become, how a materialistic and narcissistic culture has changed his image.  Forget all that!  Remember the birth in Bethlehem, the angels singing to the shepherds, announcing the Lord Jesus.  Remember the love of an awesome God who provided for our salvation.  Peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!  Jesus, I love You.  Bunch, I love you.  Bennett, Badano, and Winder family, I love you!  Merry Christmas!  Happy birthday, Jesus!

Proverbs 1:20-33

Desert Tortoise

Occasionally we see these amazing turtles here in the Antelope Valley, especially up near Red Rock Canyon and between California City and Ridgecrest.  It is only the encroachment of man that has threatened them in the last 200 years, and they are now an endangered species.  This is another example of how mankind can foolishly interact with nature, when a much more suitable and thoughtful approach could have been taken.  We are all like that, acting first, and thinking later about how to fix what we've done.  Although they are an endangered species there is no shortage of land for them and with care we can help them repopulate.  Unfortunately our help is neither timely nor well thought out.

Solomon begins this section of the first chapter with interesting words.  However, before we look at those words we need to understand something about wisdom.  In our world there are many who think themselves wise.  Anyone who thinks he or she is wise is not.  You and I don't possess great wisdom in and of ourselves!  There is one person who is all-knowing or omniscient.  His name is God, and He is the God of the Bible.  In Him alone is wisdom, and any wisdom you or I may obtain must come from Him.  That is a humbling thought, and keeps us from the snare of this world.

How many in their own wisdom have proclaimed that they have the answers we are all seeking?  Too many.  Yet we continue making the same mistakes, the same blunders, acting out our foolishness time and time again when we do things our way.  Only God's way offers the answers we seek.

Wisdom shouts in the street, she lifts her voice in the square; at the head of the noisy streets she cries out; at the entrance of the gates in the city, she utters her sayings:  "How long, O naive ones, will you love simplicity?  And scoffers delight themselves in scoffing, and fools hate knowledge?

Proverbs   1:20-22 NASB

Solomon is quite clear in his rather uncomplimentary description of us.  It is truly naive to think that we can know anything apart from God.  He is the Author of knowledge.  God is Truth.  Apart from Him there is no knowledge or truth.  You and I have certainly seen that in my generation.  In America the truth of God has been exchanged for a lie and the results have been chaos and anarchy.  Reason has been lost in the philosophy of materialism.  Let me show you.

When I graduated from high school 99% of the students who began high school completed it.  The biggest problems teachers had were students running in the halls and chewing gum in class.  I could count on the fingers of one hand the "bad" kids in my grade.  There were perhaps one, maybe two girls who were sexually active.  Today, in Los Angeles County, less than 50% of students graduate from high school.  80% of the students or more are sexually active.  Teachers worry about students carrying guns and knives to school, and murders on campus.  Why?  What changed?  In 1962 we took prayer out of the schools, and in 1963 we took the ten commandments out of schools.  Our nation turned its back on God and His truth and we are reaping the results today.  In 1950 3 in 100,000 people had a sexually transmitted disease in America.  Today one out of three has a STD.  We threw away wisdom and knowledge and in our arrogance said that we had the answers.  In my book the results prove that we (note that I am including myself because I am just as prone to turn my back on His knowledge as anyone else) don't have answers.  Only God does.

So Solomon's words now begin to hammer home the message:

"Turn to my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you.  Because I called, and you refused; I stretched out my hand, and no one paid attention; and you neglected all my counsel, and did not want my reproof; I will even laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your dread comes, when your dread comes like a storm, and your calamity comes on like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come on you.  Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently, but they shall not find me, because they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD.  They would not accept my counsel, they spurned all my reproof.  So they shall eat of the fruit of their own way, and be satiated with their own devices.  For the waywardness of the naive shall kill them, and the complacency of fools shall destroy them.  But he who listens to me shall live securely, and shall be at ease from the dread of evil."

Proverbs 1:23-33 NASB

Wow!  As you look at the highlights you'll notice that I used different colors.  Green is always something directly from or about the Lord.  Orange is always something that is contrary to God's will.  Yellow is about our actions.  Red is a key thought or result.

God cries out to His beloved children to listen, to repent (turn to my reproof), and He will make His wisdom ours.  Notice how accurate Solomon is in regards to our response to that call.  I have a problem listening.  So do you.  Remember that.  This is something we have to work on daily.

God's response to our refusal to listen is frightening.  This is the same truth that is communicated in Romans 1:18-32.  Children, hear me.  We will not like God's truth all the time.  Most of the time it will reveal our shortcomings.  Do not suppress the truth by continuing in wrong behavior!  That way leads to calamity, distress, and anguish.  Always.  Until we actually repent (turn to His reproof, turn away from our sinfulness) our prayers will go unanswered.  Even worse, we will be satiated with our own devices!  That way leads to excess.  All addictions come from this root!  Beware!

Empty Tortoise Shell

Being naive of God's truth is the path to death and destruction.  Don't miss that.  Those last two lines should echo in our minds every time we are ready to ignore God and His truth.  Going our own way will ultimate leave us empty and dead.  Just like this empty shell on the right, we will find that our lives have no substance, nothing worthy or good.  The last verse is like a cool breeze on a hot day.  If we listen to God we will live securely.  We will be at ease from the dread of evil.

That doesn't mean we won't struggle.  Life is a struggle in a sinful and broken world.  But our struggles won't consume us or overwhelm us.  And that doesn't mean we won't feel overwhelmed.  I've felt overwhelmed by many things, but feelings aren't facts.  Feeling overwhelmed and being overwhelmed are two different things.  I have the confidence that if I follow the Lord and live by His wisdom I will be safe, even if I'm facing death.

I am not ashamed of the good news from God's Word, or of His wisdom.  It is powerful and offers salvation to all who believe.  In His Word He reveals His righteousness, and when I see that, I have faith.  The righteous man lives by faith.  Trust the Lord my beloved grandchildren.  Trust Him with all your heart.

Proverbs 1:8-19

False Map Turtle

I've never been very good about listening, especially when it comes to hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit.  The voice of wisdom, the Holy Spirit softly speaking, is often lost in the cacophony of my own evil thoughts and the evil around me.  Before we even begin to think about this I want to make one thing crystal clear.

Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.  Genesis 6:5 NASB

Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed quickly, therefore the hearts of the sons of men among them are given fully to evil. Ecclesiastes 8:11 NASB

This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is one fate for all men.  Furthermore, the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil, and insanity is in their hearts throughout their lives.  Afterwards they go to the dead.  Ecclesiastes 9:3 NASB

The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?  Jeremiah 17:9 NASB

My heart, because of my sinfulness, is wicked beyond my imagination AND I CAN'T SEE IT!  Unless I can look at things through God's eyes, I will always be blinded by my on sin!  Sin tricks me into believing that I'm good, that everything is okay, that I am right where I should be!  Evil shouts that message at me all the time.  Yet only when I tune out all the noise and listen to the still, small voice of God will I be able to see clearly who and what I am.  I am a sinner undone, saved by Grace.

Like the False Map Turtle pictured above, I can look just like all the other Map Turtles in my own eyes, until I am willing to look closely!

Map Turtle

Believe it!  Mom and Dad have been there!  Do you really think you're the only person going through the stuff you're going through?

No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it.  I Corinthians 10:13 NASB

This is why Solomon begins this section with a caution:  Hear, my son, your father's instruction, and do not forsake your mother's teaching.  (v. 8)  He doesn't leave us there, but describes what that instruction and teaching becomes:  Indeed, they are a graceful wreath to your head, and ornaments about your neck. (v. 9)  I certainly wasn't a perfect Dad!  Far from it!  But I loved my children.  So instead of teaching them from my wisdom (though I sometimes made that mistake and had to apologize for it) but tried to teach them from Scripture.  To do that I had to walk the talk, and that was never easy for me.  It's not easy for them either, nor will it be easy for you.

Do not be deceived:  "Bad company corrupts good morals."  I Corinthians 15:33 NASB

Please understand that sinners will always entice you!  That's why Solomon speaks to us as a father here.  "My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent."  Why do sinners want others along?  Probably because it eases the guilt if they can say "everybody's doing it!"  Verse 10 is a warning.  Don't go along with them.  As you read the next verses you may think that the example is extreme.  It isn't!  It's the truth!

If they say, "Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood, let us ambush the innocent without cause; let us swallow them alive like Sheol, even whole, as those who go down to the pit; we shall find all kinds of precious wealth, we shall fill our houses with spoil; throw in your lot with us, we shall all have one purse."  (vs. 11-14)

Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.  But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.  Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.  Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.  James 1:13-16 NASB

Sin carries with it the stench of death!  Don't be deceived.  Sin is NEVER fun!  It can NEVER fulfill anything.  It can only bring DEATH!

That's why Solomon continues:  My son, do not walk in the way with them.  Keep your feet from their path, for their feet run to evil and they hasten to shed blood.  Indeed, it is useless to spread the net in the eyes of any bird; but they lie in wait for their own blood; they ambush their own lives.  So are the ways of everyone who gains by violence; it takes away the life of its possessors.  (vs. 15-19)

Mom and Dad have been there!  They may not always be right, but the teaching they give through the Word of God is always right and true.  I'm sure my children learned some bad habits from me, but I'm also sure they learned that I believe God's Word is true, and I try to follow it.

At the beginning of this lesson in Proverbs I mentioned that I'm not very good at listening.  None of us are.  We have to work at it.  If you are in the Word of God every single day He will speak to you.  Please, beloved grandchildren, above all else be students of the Word of God.  In these blessed pages you will find everything you need pertaining to life and godliness through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.  (II Peter 1:3)

I love you.

Blame, Shame, Ridicule, and Humiliation

You probably never have a problem with this but I often find myself caught in this trap.  When someone thinks differently than I do, or disagrees with me, or acts and lives in a manner in which I do not understand I find it is much simpler to shame and ridicule that person than to try to understand.  After all, my way of thinking is the wisest, and my way of living is best, and everyone should be just like me.  Also, how dare you disagree with me!  I'm always right!  Of course there was that one time when I thought I was wrong but it turned out I was right after all . . . so that doesn't count!  (That was sarcasm for those of you who don't recognize it, not an actual claim that I am always right!)  However, if you choose to think that I am always right I have no objections to that.

The eagle above is magnificent, breathtaking, and beautiful, unless you happen to be the fish he is about to snag!  The tiger to the right is an amazing creature.  He is beautiful, majestic, savage, a force to be reckoned with.  Every tiger has a unique stripe pattern.  When I go to the zoo I can stand for hours, well . . . minutes anyway, staring at this amazing predator.  I can be like both of these when I deal with people.  I can soar in quickly for the kill, or pounce and rip like the tiger.  More amazing, I can do it all with my words!  Even worse, I usually do it deliberately.

Study the picture on the left for a moment.  The butterfly, lovely and delicate, sits on the finger of a mother, and holding that finger is the tiny hand of the little girl carefully studying that beautiful butterfly.  Should I have a truth to share with someone who is unaware of that truth, is this not much more effective than soaring in for the kill, or pouncing and ripping someone apart?  I believe that if I offer truth to others like this loving mother I will be much more effective as a communicator.  The truth is, blame, shame, ridicule, and humiliation are destructive and predatory.  A gentle answer turns away wrath.  The words of the godly are like sterling silver.  The words of the godly encourage many.  Those who control their tongue will have a long life; opening your mouth can ruin everything!  Wise words bring many benefits, and hard work brings rewards.  Fools think their own way is right, but the wise listen to others.  These are all from Proverbs, and words to remind us how we should communicate.

Proverbs 14:21 in the NLT hits us hard.  "It is a sin to belittle one's neighbor; blessed are those who help the poor."  I can't help poor people unless I take the time to get to know and understand them.  Many of them are caught in a vicious trap, thinking that they know, instead of being willing to listen.  Can I help them?  With patience, showing them the beauty of God's truth like the mother showing her daughter the butterfly, I can keep truth out there.  But if I blame and shame, if I ridicule and humiliate, I will lose any ability to communicate truth.

The tongue of the wise makes knowledge appealing.  But mockers hate to be corrected, so they stay way from the wise. Yet those who have wisdom to share can still lure even the mockers toward truth.  A glad heart makes a happy face.  For the happy heart, life is a continual feast.  If I allow my light to shine in such a way that people see my good works and see that they are from God, and glorify Him, I will lure people toward His truth.  Solomon was right when he wrote that for the despondent, every day brings trouble.  A cheerful look brings joy to the heart; good news makes for good health.  Didn't Solomon say that when people's lives please the Lord, even their enemies are at peace with them?  Living my life with a glad heart, rejoicing, constantly praying, and being thankful makes me appealing, even to my enemies.

The last three pictures have been of painted turtles.  Those who grow up around these beautiful turtles often fail to appreciate their beauty.  But show one to someone who has never seen it before, and they are amazed.  Recently I showed my Western Painted Turtle to someone who had never seen one before.  Listening to them comment on the beautiful bright colors, the contrast of the red against the black, reminded me that what I take for granted, may be for someone the very nugget of truth they need to see the beauty of God's creation, and His truth.  Take nothing for granted!

Solomon said it this way:  The path of the virtuous leads away from evil; whoever follows that path is safe.  We want people to follow that path, to be safe.  Kind words are like honey–sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.  As you communicate truth today, remember the picture of the mother showing the butterfly to her daughter.  Be careful.  I'm going to try to be very careful.  

The Fruits of our Labors

Occasionally one comment leads to a whole train of thought, and in my case, as I listened to a pastor on the radio, I thought I had an epiphany, which turned out to be merely a connection between a book I'd recently finished and what the pastor was saying.  Yet the whole train of thought intrigued me, and I turned off my radio and thought about that connection.  Being an avid historian I had to admit that somehow America, my beloved country, was involved in something very destructive.  That was the connection to the book I'd been reading.

According to the author of that book the 1960s marked the second American Declaration of Independence, our declaration of independence from God.  I think he was correct.  Since I lived through, and remember the 1960s, and the decisions that were made early on in that decade, I concurred.  What the pastor on the radio mentioned was that the church had followed suit.  That was obvious in the fact that even the unbelieving world cannot tell the difference between Christianity and the world today.

One might expect far-reaching consequences, both moral and legal, from such a declaration, especially in the church.  Before 1960 most Americans and Christians believed that the law was based on a set of underlying moral principles that came ultimately from the Bible.  I can honestly say that aProtestants, Catholics, and Jews differed on theological points, but when it came to moral questions they were pretty much in agreement.  Concepts about the sanctity of marriage included, both by law and by social pressure, discouragement of premarital sex.  Educators up to and through the university level did what they could to prevent it.  That all changed in the 1960s.

The underlying moral code rarely had to be defended because it was rarely challenged.  However, in the 1960s new religious assumptions that had been gradually gaining ground began to have practical effects.  When God's existence is no longer a fact but instead a subjective and highly controversial belief God's authority disappears.  As a result a drastic change in the nature of marriage immediately followed the change in the ruling philosophy of our culture.  When we changed from being a theistic society to a materialistic society restrictions on divorce and the social stigma evaporated practically overnight.

Odd, isn't it, to think in these terms?  Marriage ceased being a sacred covenant involving God and the community as well as husband and wife.  It became, instead, a simple and very ordinary contract that could be ended by either party practically at will.  And with the divorce revolution came the sexual revolution, as the effective burial of God and His purity and the availability of media, the rise of the television and movie industry and its immoral philosophy, contraceptives, a marked change in lyrics of popular music, and opportunity thrust our population into a new era of immorality.

Since then we've seen the feminist revolution, especially the radical wing that explicitly rejected the traditional family model that had previously been regarded as the backbone of society.  Feminism demanded an unrestricted right to abortion, which the Supreme Court duly read into the Constitution and imposed on a reluctant nation.  The homosexual liberation came next, and homosexual activists quickly gained "victim" status and consequent support for their cause from the media.  Again the supreme Court fell compliantly in line with the cultural trend, managing to find in the Constitution a principle that laws based on "animosity" toward homosexuality are unconstitutional.  Once the crucial change in the established religious philosophy was made the moral and legal reversal was seemingly unstoppable.

Are people less moral today than previously?  I think it would be more accurate to say that their morality took a different direction when its foundation shifted.  Those who believe that God is dead and His moral laws are no longer acceptable can be as firm in their moral convictions, and as legalistic in enforcing them as were the fundamentalists of the Puritan era.  Political correctness then becomes just as coercive as traditional religion, and just as capable of stifling free thinking.

Now we have legal barriers to ensure that only the established view of "religion" (materialism) is taught in the public schools.  At one time it was illegal, at least in some states, to teach evolution.  Today it is unconstitutional in all states to teach or advocate creation.

It all sounds very depressing, doesn't it?  Our country is reaping the fruits of its labors.  Instead of worrying about students running in the halls or chewing gum in class we now have to worry about STDs, students bringing guns into the classroom, gangs killing each other and innocent bystanders, and much more!

When I went to elementary school we didn't have a lot of emotionally disturbed (ED) kids.  Today we have entire classrooms set aside for them.  Hours are spent in meetings with psychologists, teachers, attorneys, principals, and parents in dealing with these problems.  Countless thousands of dollars are spent to accommodate ED students.

My epiphany had to do with punishment.  The fruit of our labors in killing God and dumbing down America morally is the punishment of our children!  More and more I see our children bearing the brunt of the brutality of such a culture.  Child abuse, physical and mental disabilities from babies born to mothers on drugs, or smoking, or drinking during pregnancy abound.  Children who are murdered for convenience or even fear through abortion receive the ultimate punishment of our immoral society.  But under the new "religion" of our culture they are not victims.  Merely a byproduct of an immoral society they are labeled and treated, but the root causes behind their situation are rarely addressed!

Yet I do not find this challenge depressing!  Instead I find it a reason to put on the full armor of God.  To put on love.  To earnestly contend for the faith which was once for all delivered.  To persevere!  In the midst of the darkness that is this godless culture we are the light of the world!  Followers of Jesus, lets get to work.  The fields are white unto harvest!