Santa as God 1.0

It is the truth that many children gain their first sense of a higher being through Santa Claus. Sure they had Bible stories at church, but Santa brings a real emotional punch to the whole thing. And more than one person has counted the day they stopped believing in Santa as the day they first had doubts about God.

No doubt about it. Santa Claus and how we choose to deal with his myth is an important part of being an American Christian parent.

Billy Coffee has, I think, taken a somewhat unique approach. Unique and definitely hilarious. You do NOT want to miss this story. Trust me!

Jesus and Santa get along well in our home. There is no conflict between them, and there need never be. I consider Santa to be God 1.0. It’s hard to explain God’s omniscience to a child. Easier to tell him or her that He, too, sees you when you’re sleeping and knows when you’re awake. And God’s omnipotence? Well, He knows if you’ve been bad or good, even in what you’re thinking. You get the idea.

So the fact that my kids believe in Santa? A good thing.

However. At about the age of six, the rumors begin to be whispered and passed. Santa isn’t real. It’s all a fake. There’s no magic. No sleigh. No nothing.

The rumors started early for my daughter: last year. Five years old and a full Santa believer, she came to me one night with news that a classmate had told her there was no Santa. Blasphemy, said my daughter. But in crept the doubts.…Read More.

What I learned from…

Check out our latest group writing project with Robert Hruzek. “What I learned from the generosity of others.”

Welcome to the 19th edition of the infamous world famous groupwrite project known around these parts (and hopefully around your parts as well) as What I Learned From…!

That’s right, folks; it’s that time of the month (no, silly, not that time!) for y’all to shine your light for the whole world to see! It’s time for you to share your stories and lessons learned from the greatest schoolteacher of all: life!

This month, having just made it through the Thanksgiving Day holidays here in the U.S., and with the impending Christmas season finally landing on us like a big bag of warm Figgie Pudding (whatever the heck that is!), it seemed rather appropriate to choose a topic that sorta captured the essence, the spirit, the je ne se quois of the whole month of December.

Thus this month’s topic was born!… Read More.

This job is not permanent

Having mowed lawns and been a janitor by age 15, I was ready for something new, something that paid well. That summer a neighbor who worked for a local motor oil distributor offered me a job. Chickering Oil supplied motor oils to various retail outlets in Houston. They had every kind of oil imaginable in their warehouse: standard motor oil for cars, specialty aviation oils, oils with unusual weights for unusual engines, and various other petroleum-based lubricants. They had millions of cans of oil in their warehouse, and all of it was packed in cardboard cases of 24.

My neighbor explained the job to me:

“Cases are always falling or being knocked around. If a can of oil breaks, oil soaks the cardboard box, so we can’t ship the case. We need someone to remove the good cans of oil and repack them in fresh cases. We’ll pay you 50 cents a case.”

The following Monday I was dropped off at Chickering Oil and escorted to a dark, oil-soaked corner in the back of the warehouse. A mountain of cases greeted me, all of them soaked in oil, bent, dented, or broken open. Off to the side was a huge stack of fresh cardboard boxes…Read More

Hair Dryers and Eternal Significance

Your work matters.

Howard Butt, Jr. shares how a manufacturer of hair dryers found a way for his company to make a big difference to give us an example. Listen to the audio message here.

Setting Prisoners Free

Helen M. Mitchell shows us how we can partner with Jesus to set captives free.

Success is not wealth or power. It is service.

The beauty is that we end up freeing ourselves in the process of helping others. It’s the perfect win-win situation!

Go read the whole thing for yourself.

Intentional Grounding

Chris Godfredsen was a high school quarterback once. He knows first-hand what intentional grounding is. Recently he reinterpreted that phrase in a very creative way. Check it out.

As a high school quarterback, I spent most of my time on offense running for my life. Defenses were in hot pursuit - all the time it seemed - rarely leaving me with any time to make the proper reads, to deliver the ball where I was supposed to, or to be any good at playing the position.

I found myself running for my life and/or throwing the ball away - something a quarterback is penalized 15 yards for - a penalty called intentional grounding.… Read More.

Pride Goes Before Destruction

Howard E. Butt, Jr. reminds us that

A monument built to personal glory is a sure foundation for ultimate failure.

as he relates a story of inflated ego that went awry.

Check out his audio message to hear the whole thing.

Where’s God in the Work Transition?

Tom Petersen knows a little bit about how unpredictable the workplace can be. Just reading through the list of changes he’s gone through in his various jobs is exhausting.

Because of his experience, Tom is able to give us some great advice (and reassurance) about making it across those speed bumps that invariably cross our path from time to time.

Go read the whole thing.

Is that my blanket, Linus?

I love having fans. I don’t have many (Have you ever heard of me?) but I’m always on the lookout for more. Over the years I’ve developed a knack for locating these people who make me feel good. I find one or two where ever I go, and I can boast that I have some in my family, a handful in Sunday School, a bunch at work, a few in the neighborhood, a smattering on-line, and several in other corners of my life.

Do you know why I love them? Because they provide security. They are like Linus’s blanket to me. My fans like what I do and tell me so. They think I’ve arrived. They ask for my opinion and accept it. They call me on the phone and consider it wisdom. They make me feel all warm inside and I love them for it!

But they don’t grow me.

That’s the problem with fans. They’re like High School yearbook comments who say, “You’re such a great guy, Sam. Don’t ever change, always stay the same!”

Well, I recently asked a few fans (and only a few) to stop saying that. I invited them to become critics. I love it and hate it so far, but I know I need it. (Plus, if they help me to grow, I might get more fans! Oh, dreaded blanket!) My unofficial goal is to have one critic for each major area of my life: family, writing, speaking, leading and my Christian faith that affects all of these. Time will tell if I stick to it.

This week, I was encouraged by folks who ask Mary DeMuth to be a critic. Mary is a good writer who recently started “Free Critique Per Week” for writers who want to grow. Read her invitation and examples, and consider what area of your life could use feedback like this. Perhaps, like me, you need to let go of your security blanket a little.

God is a Unique Client

Rey Lopez gives us a gut check about our attitude towards customer service in our businesses. As a former military man his story resonated with me.

I’m curious. What is your attitude when the phone rings at your office? What is usually the first thought you have when you hear it?

Go read the entire article. You’ll be glad you did.

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