"Happy Holidays"

Over the past few years, it seems, I've heard more and more people complaining about the so-called "War on Christmas". Atheist groups would like to remove Nativity scenes (among other religious symbols) from public spaces, and children in public schools are being asked not to sing religious songs as part of their school pageants. These and other things have caused quite a stir among Christians who fear that our nation is being "de-Christianized" because their traditions are being laid aside in favor of those that are more inclusive to other faiths.

One of the biggest complaints I've seen is from those who are offended that many people working in stores are being asked to say "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas" to their customers.

I've heard some Christians make this into a big deal because they believe this is somehow infringing on their freedom to express their beliefs. And I have to admit that, at first, I was a little put off when I heard or saw the alternate greeting because I bought the line that this was some form of religious persecution...

But the more I've thought about it, the more I like the "Happy Holidays" greeting (or at least I've come to peace with it) and I'd like to share with you my reasons why.

The Right Words at the Right Time

Earlier today, Dad e-mailed me a devotion from Max Lucado about being thankful in the midst of difficult things. Lucado referred to 1 Corinthians 11, where Paul says of Jesus: "On the night in which he was betrayed, he took the bread and gave thanks..." - What an amazing example!

Dad sent it to me just because he said it was what he needed to hear today, and he thought it was good. I thought it was good, too, so I turned around and actually read it and talked about it briefly on the air on Walk-FM. But what neither of us knew yet is that it was exactly what I needed to hear today, too. I continued to think about it and shared it with Amber, and - without getting into all the details - this devotion ended up being an encouragement to us later on, when our afternoon took an unexpected turn!

All this to say, first of all, that yes, you can still be thankful in the middle of trying times.

In addition to that, it just reminded me of the truth that one word can inspire people you may never even realize. I'm sure that, when Max Lucado wrote his devotion, he didn't know that Dad or Amber or me would need to hear it today, just like I have no idea who might've been listening to Walk FM or who will be reading this blog and needed to be encouraged, too - but God put the right words in the right place for the right people to hear them at the right time, and that's pretty awesome, if you ask me!

So if you're struggling through something right now, I want to encourage you to still be thankful. Thank God for the blessings you know he's already given you. Thank him for the blessings that lie ahead because you know that he has promised good things! "Rejoince in the Lord always," Paul said (Philippians 4:4).

And don't be afraid to speak up when you see God's blessings. Don't be afraid to share the encouragement you've received with others, because you never know who might be listening, who might be reading, or who might hear it from a friend who told a friend what you said. You never know, but somebody might be strengthened, encouraged, or have their whole life changed just because you were willing to let God speak the right words through you to someone in need!

Tonight, I had to go back over to the radio station to finish up some work before the weekend. While I was working, Chris Tomlin came on the radio, singing "Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)", and I had to just stop what I was doing for a minute and listen. I was thinking back about how this day had been a day of big ups and downs. And I just had to praise God for his wonderful amazing grace that went ahead of me and brought just the right words at just the right time to sustain me!

Our God truly is an awesome God!

Changing Seasons

"For everything there is a season,

and a time for every matter under heaven..."

- Ecclesiastes 3:1

When I was a kid, my favorite season was Summer, because that meant we were out on vacation from school. I know many of my classmates were thrilled in the Winter when we would have snow days. As I've gotten older, I've found more pleasure in the flowers and new life visible in the Springtime. Meanwhile, my wife always loves the changing colors of leaves in the Autumn.

There is beauty in every season

Whether you prefer to look forward to the holidays that come in the Winter or the warmer temperatures that come once it's past, there's really something to love about every season - different as each one might be from the rest!

The same thing might be said for the seasons of our lives.

Praying for Peace

Over the past few weeks, the war in Syria has stepped into the spotlight after reports that the government used chemical weapons to wipe out hundreds of people. Immediately, there were cries demanding justice, which led to UN inspections and heightened rhetoric from nations around the world. Whether or not the United States will send troops into the area is still up in the air, and it's sparked a huge controversy. On one hand, there are those who say we cannot allow a government to get away with war crimes against its own people, and something must be done - whether by military force or some other means. But on the other hand, I've heard a lot of people saying it's none of our business - that the US needs to focus on its own problems and stay out of Syria at any cost.

I have to admit I don't know all the details, but what I do know is that it's a complicated situation. I don't want to see us rush headlong into another war, but at the same time, we can't just sit idly by and watch injustice continue. If you see a crime taking place and you do nothing to stop it, then you may as well be participating in the crime yourself (Proverbs 29:24).

So what are we to do?

Right now, I think one of the most important things we can do is to pray for our leaders. Pray for them to have wisdom to know the right thing to do and courage to carry it out. We should be praying for the people of Syria, too, that this war for them will end soon, that lives will be spared, and that peace will come in their hearts and their lives.

"Look With Your Special Eyes!"

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God."

- Matthew 5:8

A couple years ago, they came out with a commercial for 1-800-CONTACTS that really cracked me up! It's done in the overly-dramatic style of a soap opera, sort of. It begins with a woman telling her husband that she ordered his contact lenses, and the package has arrived.

"They can't have my brand," he says. "I have special eyes."
She opens the package and shows him... "Look! Look with your special eyes!"
And when he looks, he is overcome with emotion, "My brand!"

Maybe it's just because I'm legally blind, but for whatever reason, that has been one of my favorite commercials from the first time I saw it. I even shared it on my Facebook page a while back!

Well, if there's one thing I've tried to do throughout this blog, it's to let you have a glimpse at the world as I see it, and to encourage you to then look at the world through your own special eyes - or "holy eyes", as I termed it in my post about seeing Unexpected Crosses. There, I challenged you to look for God in the midst of mundane things, so I was thrilled when one of my co-workers recently came to me with this example - courtesy of 1-800-CONTACTS.*

Lofty Mountain Grandeur

This past week, Amber and I went to visit her family in the state of Delaware (Dela-where?), and then on Friday, we drove down to Virginia for a wedding ceremony for one of Amber's cousins.

Amber and I have made the trip to Delaware and back several times in the six years since we moved back to Kentucky, but because of the wedding in Virginia, we had to take a different route home than we're used to this time, and I have to say, I'm so glad we had to go the way we did!

I've lived in the foothills of Eastern Kentucky for most of my life, and I've always been fascinated by the beauty of nature, so whenever we travel, I'm often looking out my window at the mountains and valleys we go past. But our new route this time took us through the rolling hills of Virginia and the great mountains of Southern West Virginia, and it was an absolutely breath-taking ride! At one point, Amber had to ask if I was alright, because my eyes were glued as wide open as they could get, and I was just staring out the window! I was just mesmerized by what I was seeing!!

Thankfully, as we were driving up the West Virginia Turnpike, I finally had the good sense to take out my phone and snap a few pictures of the amazing scenery...

Middletown, Mayberry and Memories

It's funny what things stick with you and what things don't.

Every year, about this time, my mind takes me back to a simpler time.

"Oh, criminy!"
This is my Granny Bickham

I was very blessed, when I was little, to know all 4 of my grandparents, plus my great-grandmother - or "Granny", as I always called her. I have specific memories of each of them that stand out. Thankfully, I still have one left! (Love you, Grandma!) But I wish I could remember more...

One of my favorite memories was when we used to go up to visit Granny in Middletown, IN, every few summers. We kids would run and play in the yard a lot of the time, but when it was too hot out, Granny would go down in the basement and find a toy or a game for us.

One day, she introduced us to Rummikub. I remember begging her to play game after game for hours! Maybe part of the fun was that she let us win from time to time. I can still hear her, once in a while, saying...