“Nothing to See Here” I Peter 5:8

One of my favorite memes online was a picture of a cat holding a puppy to the ground and looking malevolently into the camera and saying, “Just move along, there's nothing to see here.” That gets my funny bone, but I believe it is the best representation of where we are with Satan's influence in the culture today. Only a couple of decades ago Satan would never be as brave. Witch covens would hide in the woods and anybody who overtly practiced evil would be exposed quickly. Just last year a Satanist group applied to have after-school status as a school club. More of this is happening all the time. Satan statues on the grounds of state capitals, and other overt displays of witchcraft and Satanism are so commonplace in the news that we almost yawn. Like the cat they no longer apologize for their behavior or their right to practice it. And so, it's easy to just move along because there is nothing to see-we hope. We bury our heads in the sand and do not see the humanism, witchcraft and other philosophies and faiths that are unapologetically destroying America and American Christianity. Now I'm not saying that they do not have the right to practice their faith or philosophy. That is part of what makes America free. But I I'm saying that it is sad as christians and conservatives this does not concern us. Ideas have consequences. Mothers would no longer grab their kids’ hand and hurry them away from evil, now they would let them join the club. So why has Satan been so bold? Partly because we believe the same lie many did before Nazism and Communism moved into other countries. We believe if we just move along it will go away and we will not have to deal with what we see. We believe the lie that if we compromise with evil, evil will be appeased. One must only read the Bible and history to know this is profoundly not true. Another reason is that many people, especially the boomer generation, simply cannot comprehend the idea of an America and a Christianity like they grew up with not being the best. They believe they are all some fringe groups that will die away. You know, like the hippies. When I hear my generation speak of what is going on they just simply cannot fathom the idea that evil, dishonesty, sexual sins, or other works of darkness can have this much sway in the culture. The oldest generation understood the value of the Judeo-Christian faith and philosophy even if they were not saved. I sympathize with them. It is hard to fathom. It only took my lifetime of almost fourscore years for the culture to make a 180 degree turn from every value and philosophy our grandparents held as obvious truths. On a moral, social, and spiritual level the America of my parents and grandparents is unrecognizable. But the truth is this is only the second phase. In the third phase, scripture and history teaches us they will no longer order us to move on and leave them alone. They will collect us up, throw us into re-education camps and execute us. What is hated philosophically will eventually be censured legally. And this won’t take six decades, it will take six years or maybe six months. Hitler spiritually overturned an entire nation in less than a generation. In the third phase the cat leaves the puppy and comes after me. And that’s not funny.

007 or Johnny English Matthew 6:6

I answered the call to preach what I was 16 years old. I love preaching the word of God more than any other activity in this life. Nothing blesses my soul like doing what God has called me to do. Like all young preacher boys back in the day I wanted to reach as many people as possible with the message for the gospel. And that meant having the largest church you could possibly build. Back then the mega churches were few and far between and none of them over about 50,000. That was just one or two. Small potatoes compared to today. So, for many years I strived to build a church. I had some success. Two of my churches had a high of around 200 which was not great but respectable. But even though I still love to preach the gospel and do every chance I get I have a completely different dream in mind. If I could do anything I would like to go into my prayer closet, pray for a person, walk out, and get a phone call but they got saved. Now obviously except for some very rare situations it would never happen this quickly, but this is a valid lost ministry in the church. I get online and listen to public domain books of all of the great preachers of the 18 and early 1900’s and they all speak of the necessity of the ministry of Prayer. The church today does an okay job of telling men about God, but we have completely lost the art of telling God about men. That is almost a quote from one of the preachers of the 1800s. They spent as much time on their knees as they did in the pulpit. The pulpit was always easier, but not necessarily as effective. My brother and I talked a lot about the future of the church especially in America. It is going to look different than it did in the past. We are living in a church hating culture now. One of the lost arts that we're going to have to get back is the ministry of Prayer. We need churches and individuals who in their prayer closets know how to get a hold of God until things change. Being the pastor of a megachurch is like being a general in the army. There is nothing wrong with that. If my life would have worked out where I was one that would have been great. But right now, I would rather learn to be a spy. Someone who behind-the-scenes is manipulating the kingdom through prayer to see the world move and the kingdom advanced. Nothing wrong with being a general but we don't need as many of those. We desperately need more spies and soldiers. My goal lately is to learn to be a spiritual 007. You might not get as much recognition but I'm learning that if God is happy with my service that is all that really counts. I'm afraid I've probably been a little bit more like Johnny English than 007 but even he finally learned. (In an English accent) “What do you need M, I'm on the job.”

Making Waves by Norman Kissinger

Most of the articles that I write often end up addressing Christianity in the modern culture. Any mature Christian or church leader would like for Christianity to make a difference in both the individual and corporate lives of his or her nation. As one chaplain of a university said we need to be “relevant.” And I do agree that in every culture and in every time, there is the danger that Christianity will not be relevant and become meaningless or even harmful to the culture that it is in. Over the last 50 years that I have observed Christianity in America we have attempted to try to be helpful and relevant. We've attempted to try to present a Jesus that is good and loving and helpful not judgmental, mean, and harmful. There are a lot of hurting people out there, so it makes perfect sense that we want to offer what Christ offered to Israel in his ministry on the earth by healing, casting out demons, providing for their needs and salvation. Since this is what Jesus did this is what we should do. But unfortunately, we have been so busy trying to be helpful and relevant that we have not been helpful or relevant. As the old saying goes, if you try to please everybody you will please nobody, and no phrase could express the ministry of the church in America in the last couple of decades than this one. Our desire to be relevant has been coupled with the religious humanist desire for Christianity to be wiped out from the face of the earth. It started out in universities as a subtle intellectual snobbery against anyone who was religious and has moved into socialism and outright hostility and persecution of the church. In face of this the American church has attempted to show that we are not all the things that we were accused of by the religious humanists by attempting to be more helpful and relevant. And again, attempting to be more helpful and relevant we become less helpful and less relevant and more disrespected by the religious humanist culture around us. It is time to create a new policy in the American church. We need to stop apologizing for being Christians. We need to stop attempting to try to explain our every motive, action, and belief. The religious humanist culture does not condescend themselves to the place of doing that. They practice their beliefs and live their faith without apology and with a harsh word of rebuke for anyone who would dare to question them. It is time that the American church started making waves. It is time to start rocking the boat. We will become relevant when we offer a solid alternative to the ridiculous, unworkable humanism that it is now the prevailing religion in the United States. We should know our faith, believe our faith, and live our faith. The only people that should be reasoned with are those who sincerely interested in the meaning and motive of Christianity. Please understand that secular and religious humanist will never be talked into believing the Christian faith until they choose to do what we did and repent of their sins and accept the love and grace of God. My family and I spend a lot of time in the country taking walks and driving down country roads. We often have small animals like squirrels run out on the road. I always attempt to stop keep from hitting these animals because I think it is a sin to kill one intentionally. But sometimes it happens because the squirrel gets in middle of the road and can't decide which way to go. The church in America has been and undecided squirrel for too long. The church in America is losing on some fronts because we allow the opposition to play by different set of rules than they demand of us. The first job of the Church is to proclaim truth not reason truth. Truth proclaimed will be excepted or rejected as each sees fit. The Church in America needs to revise its road crossing policy, because if we don’t, we will not only not be relevant we will not longer exist.

The Magi by Robert Morgan

From Robert Morgan

If, as I believe, the Wise Men of Luke 2 were Babylonian disciples of the prophet Daniel, did they ascertain the timing of Messiah’s birth by studying Daniel 9? I believe it’s possible.

The last part of Daniel 9 is one of the most important and pivotal passages in all the Bible regarding the Great Tribulation and the return of Christ. It’s the famous passage about the seventy weeks, or the seventy periods of seven. Daniel9:25 says:

Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One (literally, the Messiah), the ruler, comes, there will be seven “sevens” and sixty-two “sevens.” It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. After the sixty-two “sevens,” the Anointed One (literally, the Messiah) will be put to death….

When Daniel received this prophecy, his city of Jerusalem lay in ruins. It was rubble. It has been destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BC. But Daniel was told that a decree would shortly be issued to rebuild Jerusalem, and that decree would start a sequence of events. The clock would start ticking. There would be seven periods of seven years, followed by sixty-two periods of seven years. So here’s a little chart.

7 x 7 years = 49 years

62 x 7 years = 434 years

434 + 49 = 483 years

So Daniel predicted that one of the Gentile rulers would issue a decree for the rebuilding of Jerusalem, and 483 years later the Anointed One, the Messiah, would come into the city and be put to death.

There are various ways of calculating this, but here’s the simple version: The order to rebuild Jerusalem was issued by King Artaxerxes in the book of Nehemiah. And 483 years later, Jesus Christ was crucified in Jerusalem. Hundreds of years in advance, the book of Daniel predicted that the city of Jerusalem would be rebuilt, that the Messiah would enter it, that He would be put to death, and that it would happen 483 years after the decree to rebuild the city.

If the Magi were the spiritual descendants of Daniel, they might have had a powerful clue as to the general time of Messiah’s birth, which would have heightened their interest in the Star of Bethlehem.

People who are truly wise know the Signs of the Times.

The Rest Of The Story Matt 2:12 By Gene Kissinger

The Rest of the Story Redeeming the time brothers podcast by Gene Kissinger and Norman Kissinger, two brothers who spent their lives in ministry and raising large families. Our desire is to provide a digital place for those who long belong. As always, we want to leave a nightlight on for that nightlight is in Matthew chapter two and verse 12. 

'And being warned of God and a dream that they should not return to her that departed into their own country another way."

This is the wise men after having presented their treasures to the baby Jesus, they go back to their own country after having been warned off from going back and talking to King Harold by God.  Let me explain this to you about the rest of the story. 

One of the most famous voices on radio Paul Harvey began his broadcast career when he was just a teenager living in Oklahoma. His personal style made him a fixture on radio stations across the nation. One of his best known features was a series of broadcasts called the rest of the story, which ran for more than 30 years, Harvey would tell part of a well known story without revealing all the details, then he would fill in the background information that explained what people knew and reveal whose story it was. Now, you know the rest of the story, he would conclude.

I think sometimes when we look at the Christmas story, we're missing the rest of the story. You see a wicked king like Herod, who's trying to manipulate the wise men and the scribes and the Pharisees to gather information so that he can stop Jesus from even really being born and growing up. And God circumvents that in a supernatural way. All of his machinations turn to nothing, because he gives a revelatory dream to those wise men. And they go home another way they don't go back to Herod.  Take Caesar, who in Luke two is sending out a decree to tax the world. And that taxing literally ends up fulfilling Bible prophecy. So that Jesus is born in Bethlehem in answer to a prophetic word of God in the Old Testament, so Caesar and Herod are used by God to accomplish the Christmas story. It's the rest of the story. And whether it's the shepherds that are just out watching their sheep at night, or it's the common people that are sort of wandering ariund hearing these amazing stories. They're all part of God's supernatural agenda. They don't know what's going on. But God knows exactly what's going on. God can work through the woof and weave of the fabric of our life and accomplish His sovereign purpose. Even when politicians are crooked, even when we don't understand and acknowledge what's going on. Even when it seems like everything is dark, God is about to shine a bright light in the midst of it. And that's the rest of the story. God caused a light to shine in a region of darkness. And that's what Christmas is all about. And it's not just the star that shines, it's the light of the gospel, shining into our dark sin cursed world. And Jesus brings the victory and the rest of the story.

We know the story about the shopping, the parties, the back ordered gifts sitting in a container ship off of the California coast. But do you know the rest of the story?  The real story? You can still have Christmas.  Gather with family and friends and dig into the “Rest of the Story” I read it every year to my kids before they touch a present.  You will find it in Luke 2:1-20 and Matt 2:1-12.  May you have a refreshing Christmas as you dig into the rest of the story.  I close with a 

Refresh of the song white Christmas by Russel Kelfer

I'm praying for a white Christmas

(Not like the ones we've always known)

But a time of reflecting,

When hearts are connecting,

With why that baby boy was born...

I'm praying for a white Christmas

Won't you join in praying, too

That God's great story

Will bring Him glory

As in men's hearts He's born anew

Russel Kelfer

Dear Lord God, I thank you for these dear ones. I pray that you bless them. Allow them to know that you love them and care for them and let them know that no matter what machinations Satan may be bringing against them, no matter what treacheries have taken place in the broader culture, we know that we can turn to you and trust in you because you're a God who can snatch a victory out of a place of defeat. You can bring light in darkness, victory out of defeat. Thank you for being who you are watching over us. God draws close to you. In Jesus most holy, precious and powerful name, amen. Hey, God bless you. I love you but Jesus loves you so much more. Have a great night.

Finding Your Song Again In The New Year by Gene Kissinger

Chuck Swindoll shared a newspaper story about a woman who had a rather traumatic experience. She was using a vacuum cleaner hose to clean some tight spots in her kitchen. It worked so well she thought she’d stick the hose in the bottom of her bird cage. It worked great—that is until her phone rang! The brief distraction caused her to flinch, she heard a thump and a screech and suddenly “Chirpy” (her beloved pet canary) had vanished.

The woman instantly shut off the vacuum, called his name and stuck her fingers down the hose. When that didn’t work, she opened the tank of her vacuum, sifted through the debris and found her dirty birdy alive but looking a little shook up. When the reporter asked the woman how Chirpy was feeling now, she replied “He’s fine physically, but come to think of it, he doesn’t sing much anymore.”

After 2021,  most of us can relate to Chirpy. We’re fine physically, but as we think about last year and look ahead to the new year, we don’t feel much like singing!

I like to use the last few weeks of each year to review my life.  Socrates said "the unexamined life isn't worth living."

It is so easy to pick up bad habits like... 

catastrophic thinking where you assume the worst in every situation. 

Complaining about everything and everyone.

Jealousies that divide our relationships.

Anxiety, we find ourselves always stressed out like poor little chirpy. 

As you identify the big troublemaker attitudes and actions in your life, partner with a friend and agree to hold each other accountable in a concerted effort to improve these areas.  When you do it will give you your song back.  It will take time, one swallow's song won't make it spring but it is a sign of positive change ahead, one day won't make a life but string enough good days together and you have a great life.

After Reflecting I like to focus on resting as much as possible.  Get some rest over this break. Say no to a few things so you can get some true downtime to recharge your batteries.  That will go a long way to getting your song back.

Along with Reflection and Rest, a third item for your agenda as you head into the new year is Risk. One song stealer for humans is drudgery without a dream. Humans can toil for an entire lifetime enthusiastically if they have an overarching adventure they are a part of.  Is there something on your bucket list you need to move toward this next year? Risk setting out to accomplish some of your dreams.  Become a world changer, you may not change the whole world but you can change the world of the people who you interact with on a daily basis. 

I leave you with this parable.

"Once upon a time, there was an old man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach every morning before he began his work. Early one morning, he was walking along the shore after a big storm had passed and found the vast beach littered with starfish as far as the eye could see, stretching in both directions. 

Off in the distance, the old man noticed a small boy approaching.  As the boy walked, he paused every so often and as he grew closer, the man could see that he was occasionally bending down to pick up an object and throw it into the sea.  The boy came closer still and the man called out, “Good morning!  May I ask what it is that you are doing?”

The young boy paused, looked up, and replied “Throwing starfish into the ocean. The tide has washed them up onto the beach and they can’t return to the sea by themselves,” the youth replied. “When the sun gets high, they will die, unless I throw them back into the water.”

The old man replied, “But there must be tens of thousands of starfish on this beach. I’m afraid you won’t really be able to make much of a difference.”

The boy bent down, picked up yet another starfish and threw it as far as he could into the ocean. Then he turned, smiled and said, “It made a difference to that one!”

adapted from The Star Thrower, by Loren Eiseley (1907 – 1977)

One Word by Gene Kissinger

Robert Louis Stevenson was one of the premier authors of his day, he had mega hits that made him a very wealthy writer, he wrote Treasure Island and kidnapped, he also had plays like The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and so many others that were massively successful. It was reported in a paper that he was worth one British pound per word. One up and coming author who was a bit jealous of the reviews and accolades that Mr. Stevenson was getting, ended up sending him a letter saying in which he put a pound note and said, It's reported that you get one pound per word, here's my pound, where's my word? , Mr. Stevenson sent back a reply with only one word on the page "thanks"! I know I've probably told you that before, but I want you to remember that even though Thanksgiving is over, Thanksgiving should still flow from our lips. If you had to buy each word that came out of your mouth, if it cost you, if it cost you $100 per word, you'd be wise to make them thankful words. If you want to change your life. One of the best ways to change it is at the end of each day, write down three things that you're thankful for that happened that day, because chances are many things happen that day, some good, some bad, but if you can focus on the things you're thankful for, it will elevate your mood and your spirit, you'll begin to find life getting a little better and a little brighter. And if you want to add to that, there's another life hack that you can try. Write down after those three things that you're thankful for one thing you're looking forward to the next day. That's a kind of Thanksgiving but it's also a sense of anticipation and excitement and you'll begin to find your mental state transforming your emotions being innervated by this simple concept. So if you had to pay one pound per word, make that word thanks,