Last time this came around I don't remember thinking much of it, but this year is different. Growing up I largely held the view that we were in most ways a Christian nation, something I have since come to know to be a myth. In many churches across our country today the pledge of allegiance will be said. Our national anthem will be sung. Some churches may even employ a flag ceremony.

I am American, I like being an American, I think we have a good thing going; however America can't hold a torch to God. As you celebrate your independence on the Lord's day, remember who the author of independence is, keep in sight that it is first and foremost the Lord's day for those of us that live in the Christian tribe.

To that end I implore pastors to rethink how they elevate our nation in our places of worship. Our God is jealous, tending to disapprove of symbols that sway our allegiance to him, and to raise up a worldly institution for praise in his presence is a dangerous proposition.

By all means, give thanks to God for his blessings this Lord's day, but leave the political rhetoric to the pundits, and let's remember we are a called out people covenanted to live by a different rhythm. Remember that in our Lord everyday is independence day.

It's often the simple things in life, in this case family coupled with food, that provide us with the most profound sense of belonging and peace.

Happy turkey day!

For those of us in the U.S. we will be sitting down tomorrow, most likely with family, to share in our tradition of the Thanksgiving holiday and the meal that is a part of it. The origins of the American celebration (Canada has Thanksgiving the 2nd Monday of October), are murky and somewhat contestable.  Some say Florida, others say El Paso, traditionalists claim Plymouth or possibly Jamestown, Virginia.  Whether you are celebrating with tamales or turkey, this is a time in which we give thanks for the blessings we have received.

I, my friends, have fallen off of the wagon.

So what is there to do? There are many blogs out there with one or two posts. I avowed to not do that (and I haven't) but my creative juices have been growing lax as I continue to focus on family, ministry, and my graduate work. These are all good things, but to loose site of one's passion and gifting at the expense of 'good things' is still a loss.

I will begin again, starting today, to write each day and post it here.

I can't promise it will be good, or even readable. Like an out-of-shape runner chugging up his first long hill in months It might not be a pretty sight. So in my mental return there may be some weird grunts mixed with mumbled curses as I will try to once again gain my stride.

Until tomorrow then,
David

Father,

I once had a closet where I would store all of the bad things I have done. Most of the times the door was closed, and when you came around I politely asked you to avoid that hallway. The funny thing is I never actually ventured into the room myself, just opened the door and chucked another bad deed in.

One day the door wouldn't shut anymore, and so I had to finally venture in. It was dark at first, the light had burned out long ago and no windows were there. I started to re-arrange my junk and reminisce my past sins. I thought I was all alone, but I had left the door open, and you politely knocked and asked me if you could move into my dark and hidden room.

At first I was taken aback, I wondered what exactly you meant? Shouldn't you have the master suite after all, or at least the nice guest room? But you insisted, and eventually I relented. "It's a terrible mess in here," I said.

You replied, "that's no problem, I would like to help you out."

I politely waved my hand and refused, "oh, you wouldn't want to get your hands dirty in here, let me try and get rid of all of this junk first and then you can come in."

"That's okay," you said, "I really like it in here and I think if you let me I can have this cleaned up in no time."

"No way!" I said, getting a little protective. "This is my mess to take care of!"

"David," you said so gently, "actually this is our mess, and I already paid the cleanup bill a while ago, why don't you let me help?"

Finally I relented, and you came through the door. I am not quite sure how it happened but everywhere you went in the room the darkness fled, the junk was made no more. Where there once was a place of darkness and dread, I now had a new place in which you could live.

"That was Amazing," I yelled!

Turning around you said, "You are forgiven my child! All that was dark in you has been made new in me, and you never have to be afraid of this place again!  Because no matter where you are, in here or out there, I will be with you!" And as you spoke those last words your arms embraced me, and they have never let go.

Amen.

I am typically an avoider of lists, but I feel this is my civic duty to all of the future parents out there. I have picked 5 things, but there are many more.

1. Kids do not come with instructions. Most things in life come with instructions, but not so with your most precious of investments. Instead God decided that it would be much more fun for each and every parent to be thrown into the deep end of the pool at least once in their life. If there is ever a case for nature over nurture the fact that babies do not come with a 300 page manual attached is pretty strong evidence.

2. If you have prized yourself on not being sick in a very long time prepare to be beaten down and humiliated. Germs are to kids what spaghetti sauce is to any shirt I am wearing while eating said spaghetti. Invariably, no matter how well you protect yourself, at some point your child will wait until your mouth is open and then proceed to sneeze into it. I am not sure of the Freudian nature of the timing, but be prepared.

3. If you have a son be prepared to become the internet, or at least have a phone with access to wikipedia handy. Around the age of 4 to 5 they will want to know absolutely everything about everything and they will look to you for the answer. Know if you are me, I have instituted a strong "you have X more questions today" policy that causes him to choose wisely. Never the less, be a good scout and always be prepared to try and answer why it is that turtles are green, or, "if my little brother/sister was inside mommie's tummy how did it get in?"

4. Be prepared to no longer sleep. Some people have kids that sleep all night every night, and to them I say, GO AWAY! If you are like 95% of families out there the moment you have kids you can kiss waking up at 10:00 on Saturday goodbye! My official 'sleeping in' time is now 7:00 a.m. Sleeping all night long is a thing of the past, and if you are used to being able to have a bit of your bed to yourself that is gone as well. There is nothing quite so fun as waking to the warm sensation of your toddler peeing on you in their sleep.

5. Kids are a blast! You may hear the heartaches, the headaches, the 'oh-my's' a lot; but make no mistake, raising kids is the funnest thing going. Its hard, its tiring, there is a good chance they will need a couple of years of therapy in their 20's; but every moment is worth it! So take time to thank God for them, to thank your spouse for helping out, and to sit back and enjoy an excuse to dig out the Legos and invest in a play-dough fun factory.

So the question then is, why in the world does he deserve a Nobel Prize? The answer is, he doesn't. But then neither do the physicists, chemists, doctors, and authors that receive one. They did not receive the prize because they deserved it, they received it because the academy which judges the potential recipient's showed grace. All of the men and woman involved are all very talented in some way, and would continue to be so even if they had not been awarded; however they were each chosen for whatever reasons to be highlighted with gift of the award. There is no way to apply for the award, to fill in a series of check boxes that prove your merit and ensure that you will get one. The Nobel prize's are as close as we can get in our human systems to reflecting the nature of grace.

Grace ticks people off, especially when we live in a legalistic mindset that is always judging our position relative to those around us. The minute someone receives grace, that we don't believe should, we react in that sinful way that is called envy. People are furious because Obama is clearly the recipient of grace, and in their minds grace is not free, it must be earned at a price. This is the kind of thinking that kept the pharisees ignorant of Jesus' words. They were envious of the grace that God was enacting through Jesus and his followers upon a people that did not 'deserve' it.

So, if this whole Obama/Peace Prize thing has you so riled up, just ask yourself what you are so mad about. Grace is by it's nature seemingly unfair to those outside of it's bounds. That's what makes God's grace so wonderful for those that have accepted it's gift, and seemingly so foolish for those that would rather try and earn their way into heaven via some kind of bell-curve grading process.