LE90X: The Next Step in Spiritual Fitness

What is LE90X?

LE90X stands for Life Essentials, 90 Days, X-treme.  It is a challenging, inner-healing training program for the total person, specifically designed to pound core spiritual values into your life.  Included in the materials are a comprehensive self-assessment survey, a daily training plan, an instructional manual which includes nutrition and physical exercise information, and access to a website (now under construction) packed with motivational and instructional help.  Starting with a 21 day introductory course, the participant can go on to complete the full three month regimen.  The results will be amazing!

LE90X:  Where do we start?

Spirituality means many things to many people.  LE90X embraces the core concept that God created man to be a spiritual being housed in a physical body.  This simple definition works best for those who want to pursue the basics of spirituality through this program.

If the essence of our being is spiritual, then we must start our regimen by focusing on spirituality.  This is not easy.  The physical body is dominated by a powerful set of senses that seek to control us.  We do not ignore our physical nature, but we also understand that the things that really make life worth living do not exist in the physical, but the spiritual realm.

LE90X has been developed to make spirituality the driving force in life.  This cannot be done by human effort alone.  It requires a deep belief in God and a commitment to His will and ways.  Like physical exercise, the more we exercise our spiritual faculties, the more we can attain spiritual fitness.  It’s no more complicated than that.

The Heart of LE90X

LE90X does not replace the need for churches and pastors as traditional venues of worship and discipleship.  These spiritual provisions are ordained in the Word of God.  Preaching and teaching, however, do not always translate into basic training.  Many Christians know what they should be doing, but they lack the tools and discipline to execute the things they know.  This is the niche that LE90X can fill. 

The LE90X program is thoroughly Christian in its basic doctrinal position.  It incorporates the Bible and prayer as fundamental components of every spiritual exercise, intending to draw participants closer to Jesus Christ.  We recognize that true spiritual power comes from the Holy Spirit.  LE90X is designed to help individuals become much more effective in their personal spiritual journey.  At the same time, there is no attempt at deep theology nor an analytical treatment of Scripture.

The heart of LE90X lies in its strategy to incorporate discipline, Scripture and specific principles into the participant’s life.  The outcome is a transformation of a person’s attitude and state of mind.  Every day, LE90X exposes and attacks toxic ideas, replaces them with positive principles, and shows how to make them permanent. 

This is what people are saying after one week of the LE90X experience:

“I resisted it at first.  Then, I saw what it did to my relationship with my kids.  I’m sold.”  J. C.

“I hugged my grown son in the parking lot of his work.  We cried and prayed.”  J. S.

“This is like spring training.”  K. Z.

“It set the tone for spiritual thinking all day.”  R. K.

“It opened up the door for me to talk to my Mom.  Amazing results!”  J. K.

“Next time, tell us how mad we were going to make the devil!”  C. C.

“I would never have done these things without the LE90X regimen.  Thank you!”  K. C.

LE90X is now progressing through the pilot phase.  We expect it to be released in the summer of 2011.  More details will follow as we get closer to the date.  Stay tuned!

J. Mark Jordan

Keith L. Smith

 



Out of Shape

The fitness craze reigns!  Sweat suited walkers and joggers, with their obligatory earbuds, mingle with roadway traffic, advertisers hawk weird contraptions designed (so they say) to chisel pounds from mountains of flab, nearly every magazine features exercise regimens ranging from office-chair calisthenics to extreme workouts, and exercise centers are as ubiquitous as Subways and McDonalds.  It’s cool to be fit.

It is true that we have a mandate for the stewardship of our physical bodies.  The body is the temple of the Holy Ghost and it is not to be defiled by abuse or disuse.  But, Paul also told Timothy, “Workouts in the gymnasium are useful, but a disciplined life in God is far more so, making you fit both today and forever.”  1 Timothy 4:8 (MSG).  The priority goes to spiritual fitness over physical fitness.  Indeed, true spiritual fitness makes a place for physical fitness. 

It is tragic for Spirit-filled people to be spiritually out of shape.  Anemic, meager prayer lives, little or no fasting, people struggling to read more than one verse in the Bible on occasion,  sporadic church attendance, inconsistent giving—all of these lapses pose serious threats to spirituality in general.  With many church services cut to one or two times a week, we need to intensify our personal efforts to regain an acceptable level of spiritual fitness.  Why?  Because, if we are not in shape spiritually, we cannot execute basic Christian principles.

It would be unthinkable for a commander to send green, untrained troops into the battlefield. Even if the most sophisticated weapons systems or ingenious strategies were given to them, without physical fitness they would be doomed from the start. Neither would any football coach teach players their blocking assignments, passing routes and game plans and proceed to send them into a game weak and out of shape. The best plan in the world will not succeed if it cannot be executed.

Despite this need for training, many Christians run from spiritual disciplines.  The rugged training regimens of the past have evolved into the softness of focus groups, elective series, seeker sensitivity and ministries designed to build self-esteem and self-actualization. These methods have been useful in establishing rapport with people and we have benefitted from a more user-friendly atmosphere in the church. But the downside has been that people are largely unfit—and thus unprepared—for the battle of spiritual survival. The Scriptures issue stern warnings about the spiritually hostile territory that we occupy and point out a very different approach. They remind us over and over to be watchful, alert, strong, filled with the Spirit and proficient in the Word. Far too many out-of-shape Christians, fat with the outward trappings of Christianity but lazy in spiritual disciplines, have become easy prey for Satan who “walks around as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”

The Bible does not use the term “spiritual fitness”, but we do know that the persons whom God used had to go through intense training. The exercises consisted of persecution, loneliness, isolation, deprivation and hardships of every kind, along with spiritual encounters and tests of faith. Moses was in training for forty years before he led Israel out of Egypt. Paul was dispatched into the Arabian Desert for three years before he began his ministry. Jesus himself went into the wilderness and fasted for forty days and nights, culminating in the temptations of Satan. The purpose of these adverse situations was to help each one to become battle-ready for the task ahead. Of course, we must take care not to claim that works, legalism or human effort make us worthy or accepted by God. We are saved by grace. We do, however, contend with the flesh in this life and we are instructed to overcome the carnal nature. This is why Paul wrote, “But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.” 1 Corinthians 9:27 (NKJV) These observations provide all the impetus we need for getting into shape.

Actually, spiritual fitness finds its basis in the routines of physical fitness. The number of similarities that exist between the two is amazing. When you understand this correlation, physical exercise will enlighten spiritual exercise and fitness. Physical exercise concepts have definite spiritual counterparts. For example:

Resistance: Just as you feel resistance by picking up weights or pulling on elastic bands, when you begin to pray and read the Bible with determination and purpose, you will meet with resistance. And yet, it is resistance that strengthens you and builds you up. “But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” Hebrews 5:14 (NKJV). Spiritual victory comes through resistance. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7.

Repetition: Physical fitness routines involve repetitions because the more times an exercise is repeated, the more that physical strength is built up. In spiritual fitness routines, repetitions are not meaningless forms of busy-work or droning intended to induce a trance-like state. Rather, they are purposeful exercises that hone the believer’s spiritual acumen. Moreover, the more repetitively one prays and reads the Bible, the repetitions become new and edifying to the inner person.

Flexibility: Failure to engage in physical activity for a long period of time results in stiffness of the joints and muscles. As people start working out again, they have to work through their body’s stiffness to achieve a state of flexibility. Optimum spiritual fitness means inner resiliency and flexibility of the spirit, along with the ability to absorb life’s blows without being broken or crushed. Spiritual fitness allows you to bend and not break. 

Nutrition: Serious physical fitness adherents pay attention to the food they eat and the liquids they drink. They train themselves to maintain a healthy and nutritious diet because ingesting poisons or toxins found in junk food negates any progress they make in exercise. Again, the spiritual parallel is easily seen. Consuming the Word of God and rejecting the trash of the world only makes sense. “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” Psalms 119:11. 

Atrophy: Studies have shown that muscles begin to atrophy within three days of deactivation. “Use it or lose it.” That’s the reality of the physical fitness world. Spiritual faculties must also be kept fresh, well used and continually challenged to remain effective. Regardless of how fit a person “used to be,” he or she must stay active in order to stay spiritually fit. Just because you were physically fit in high school or in the military doesn’t mean that you have “paid your dues” and are exempt from exercise for the rest of your life. Maybe you addressed the needs of the spiritual being when you were a child or a young adult, but it is not sufficient for today. In case you haven’t noticed, your spirituality has atrophied. You need to hit it again and then stay active and engaged.

Are you out of shape?  Sign up a membership to the prayer room.  It is time.

“The vision must be followed by the venture. It is not enough to stare up the steps—we must step up the stairs.”  (Vance Havner.)

Thank God for My Wife

One of the greatest pieces of advice I received from my elders was that “your wife will make or break your ministry.”  When I was a single, young evangelist, I had no idea how important this advice was at that stage of my life; now, forty years later, it is worth its weight in gold (which is saying something at today’s prices!)  Having had this long to reflect on my wife’s value to me and to my ministry, I understand to a much greater degree what my elders meant. 

Wives of men in other lines of work are not nearly as prominent in their husband’s profession as is the minister’s wife.  She shares his vision, his burden, his heartaches, his achievements, and his entire public life perhaps more than any other, whether they be celebrities, politicians or performers.  Her choices of staying out of the limelight, pursuing her own career or asserting her independence are extremely limited.   How she handles all of this has been the subject of a number of books written by minister’s wives over the years.  I don’t propose to duplicate their thoughts here, but I would like to say some things from a pastor’s perspective. 

The minister’s wife has to accept the fact that she is part of the team.  She may not have been called to the ministry (although some wives are), but, because “these two shall become one flesh,” she shares the call of her husband as though it were her own.  If she just lives with it outwardly, but inwardly resents or rejects it, she makes it difficult for her husband.  It she accepts it enthusiastically, even if she feels inadequate, she can be a powerful contributor to his ministry.  I have known both types over the years.  My wife took her place as a team player from the very beginning and I have been immeasurably blessed.

The minister’s wife has to be pleasant and likable.  Her husband does not leave in the morning to go to work and come home eight hours later, maintaining a defined difference between the world of the office or factory and the home.  Whether it is a professional or a social interaction, she interacts with the same people that he does on a regular basis.  Unpleasant mannerisms, inappropriate talk, and offensive ways hurt his leadership in the church.  My wife loves people and it shows up in many ways in the church.

The minister’s wife does not choose the place or the people of her husband’s ministry.  If she is married to her husband’s call, she follows him wherever God wants him to go.  If that place happens to be in a difficult climate, or miles from her extended family, or among people with whom she shares little in common, she submits to those circumstances and embraces them.  In tough situations, she creates the happiness of home that her husband and children need.  My wife ended up in the church her father pastored, but that has had its own set of challenges.

The minister’s wife must realize the importance of her influence.  She may be unaware of it at first, but she has influence by virtue of her position.  People watch closely what she does and what she does not do.  In church, they watch her worship.  They watch how she responds to her husband’s preaching.  If she says “amen” to something, it indicates what she values.  In ministry, they watch her leadership and commitment level.  She cannot relax her guard and indulge in an “I don’t care” moment.  She is an advocate, a coach, a teacher and a counselor through her every expression.  I thank God for a wife who never thinks twice about exerting the right influence in the congregation.  She complements my ministry by the way she lives.

The minister’s wife must exemplify the teachings and convictions of her husband.  What a dilemma it would put me in to know that my wife did not believe the things I taught or deliberately and openly opposed me.  She would undermine any stands I took on holiness issues or any convictions I had about doctrinal positions.  Preachers’ wives have destroyed the ministry of their husbands because they did not want to live in accordance with his teachings.  Some ministers have had to choose between saving their marriage or maintaining their congregation.  I am thankful for a wife who shares the same convictions that I have.  I have never been ashamed or embarrassed by some incident in which she was involved.  She has always been a staunch advocate for the things I teach.

The minister’s wife must guard her husband’s reputation.  The reputation of a minister is more fragile than that of any other profession, yet, the nature of his work puts him at risk of losing the very name that he need the most to pastor his church.  Because a minister has to deal with so many individual’s lives up close and personal, the minister’s wife has to be acutely aware of appearances and potentially dangerous situations.  Nothing hurts a church or a community more than a scandal outbreak which involves a minister.  The minister’s wife must watch for any scheme to compromise her husband’s integrity.  She does this through a watchful eye and fervent prayer.  My wife knows who I counsel, the passwords to all my accounts and she has the privilege to open my mail.  I need to give her that openness so she can do her job of protecting me.

The minister’s wife must live her life in full view of the congregation.  Everyone in the congregation knows the business of the preacher’s family, especially of his wife.  They notice how she dresses, how she wears her hair, the words she uses in conversation, and the way she handles her children.  Word gets around about how she keeps house, who her friends are and how “high on the hog” she lives.  Whatever she does is taken as permission or even a recommendation to do the same.  Her position dictates the high level of interest that people take in her life.  Sometimes, this put intense, personal pressure on her.  I thank God for a wife who has never complained about this pressure.  She just accepts it as part of the ministry. 

The minister’s wife cannot allow her church duties to interfere with her family’s life.  While keeping up with all of her duties at church, the pastor’s wife must simultaneously maintain a safe zone at home, free from tension and pressure.  The home life must not be the rehash arena where all the church’s problems—and problem people—and discussed.  I thank God for my wife who protected our home from distractions and made it a place of pleasant memories and good times.  While our children were growing up, they never knew about the heartaches and difficulties of pastoring the church.

The minister’s wife must fulfill the role of the “mother” of the church.  Perhaps the one role that includes all the other roles she must play is when the minister’s wife is seen as the mother of the church.  Just as small children run to mom when they are hurt, scared or just needing comfort, so also the pastor’s wife is the one to whom the people run when they need love and encouragement.  She has to be willing to open her arms wide and gather in the hurting ones, fuss over them and make them feel good again.  Thank God for my wife who does this even better than the pastor.  Many times when I am ready to go, she is still somewhere between the pews listening to a heartbreaking story, talking to someone and lifting them up. 

Yes, I thank God for my wife.  She carries the load of the church along with me.  Her stability and strength of character have buoyed my efforts as pastor.  I could never calculate how valuable she has been to me and the church over the twenty-six years that we have pastored.  This little poem says exactly what I have in my heart. 

–J. Mark Jordan

The Pastor’s Wife

We often hear of Heroes on the news at night,
How someone went into a fire To save someone else’s life.

But, there’s another hero that we never hear about,
Though Her love and dedication are never in a doubt.

Often took for granted…Never glorified,
Still she keeps on going for the person by her side.

She stands beside him everyday no matter what is thrown their way,
For he was called from above To spread the message of “GOD’S LOVE”.

And just as he was called…She was hand picked too.
for it takes someone Special to do what she must do.

And though he may get the Glory and he may get the Fame,
She will stand beside him in Love and Help him just the same.

She’s the person he turns to when he needs a friend,
She will always be there till the “Glorious End”.

I would like to take this moment to introduce to you,
a LOVELY unsung Hero for whom GOD hand-picked to spend Her life
as The Pastor’s WIFE.

Donna Golden, Georgia, USA



Tree Planters

Big oaks and cottonwoods dominate Olander’s tree population, no doubt owing their existence to the forgetfulness of squirrels and the snows of cottonwood seeds that inundate the Midwest every June. Park walkers know about other species too, like Douglas Firs, Honey Locusts, Sycamores, Sassafras, Black Walnuts and a variety of maples and evergreens. These weren’t all random plantings. Tree planters, themselves a rare species, envision those legendary poems of God where most only see empty space. They measure time in decades and centuries, not months and years. The hurried pace that pushes of the rest of us has no effect on them, and they make time their friend. I envy them. I love trees too, but I lack the interminable patience of the people who plant them. Today, when I see a tree by the trail or across the lake, I see heart…a life…a planter’s statement of faith in their vision. God, grant me the faith to plant a vision today.



A “Brand” New Gospel

I am always fascinated by the way cutting edge ideas impact the church.  One example of this is a marketing buzzword of our day, branding.  Gail Goodman, a marketing specialist and entrepreneur, explains that “Your brand is what differentiates your business from the competition. Your brand is what you do and how you do it—and how you communicate that to the world.” 

From the consumer’s perspective, we all have favorite brands, whether they are clothes, food, toothpaste or automobiles.  We may not even remember how or why we developed a loyalty to the brand, but it is a strong bond.  Usually, people stick with brands that they tried out for the first time and never changed, but they also gravitate toward the recommendations of trusted friends or acclaimed experts.  Brand loyalty, however, is not nearly as strong as it once was.  Better products, more effective advertising or packaging that is more eye-catching is often enough to make people switch.  In fact, the product may even be inferior, but many people will still go for it if the marketing is better.

Warren Wiersbe once said that the church is not in the manufacturing, but the distribution business.  No one is going to manufacture a better product than the one produced by full salvation as described in the second chapter of Acts.  Yet, the branding of the product is left up to the distributors.  If we fail to differentiate the Apostolic message from the generic brand of Christianity, or, if we do our work in an inefficient, ineffective way, or, if we wrap our product in dull, drab colors, or, if we fail miserably to broadcast the message, then we cannot be as successful as the product calls for us to be.  One wonders what would happen if “Lemon Laws” were in effect for churches!

The question is begged:  what kind of advertisement are you for the kingdom of God?  I believe that every born-again Christian should inspire great interest in what he or she believes.  We are either out to change the brand loyalty of the world or we simply confirm to the world that they have something just as good as the product we offer and they needn’t bother to change.  Paul said, “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. (2 Corinthians 4:7 NIV).  It’s not eye-catching packaging that makes the difference; it’s the real, heart-felt experience, the authentic life, the difference-making factor that causes people to want what we’ve got.

Take a critical look at the personal branding you are placing on the gospel.  By virtue of the fact you are a consumer, you are also an example of the quality of the product.  Listen to the way you talk.  Is your conversation fill of faith, hope, optimism and righteousness?  Look at the way you spend your time.  Is it productive, God-focused, service-oriented?  Look at your relationships.  Are they healthy?  Are they filled with love and integrity?  Look at your discipleship.  Are you praying?  In the Word?  Faithful?  Do not depend on what comes out of headquarters or national programs for the branding of the gospel in your personal world.  You are the best determinate of the reaction and response to the gospel that the unchurched will ever have.

Your brand is your signature of endorsement placed at the bottom of your Christianity.  In the stores, top quality merchandise of which the designer is especially proud, bears his or her signature.  The thinking is that anything they put their name on has got to be good.  With the gospel, we don’t have to worry about the quality of the product.  We do, however, have to put our own name on it.  Is it time for a “brand” new gospel?

Your Body, God’s Gift

(The following piece is a look at a project that Keith Smith and I are working on at the present.  We will release more and more of the details as we head toward the finish line.)

What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.  1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (KJV)

God created us tripartite:  body, soul and spirit.  The body is the physical part; the spirit is the life activity; and the soul is the part that makes each of us unique.  Think of it as an iPod:  it consists of the device itself, the electrical current, and the media recorded on it.  These three aspects of each person are inseparable until our final day on earth.  You are a creation of God and all things related to your physical being have a huge impact on your spiritual being.  Therefore, the care of the body bears a vital relationship to spirituality.

The Bible makes it clear that the soul and the spirit have an eternal essence, whereas the body is only for this life.  This does not diminish the importance of the body; if anything, it emphasizes our obligation to maintain it as the repository of the soul and spirit.   As Paul, the Apostle wrote to the Corinthians, “If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That’s to prevent anyone from confusing God’s incomparable power with us.”  2 Corinthians 4:7 (MSG).  So, even though our bodies are perishable, they are still God’s chosen method to house His Spirit and to interact with other human beings on earth.

If you have failed to maintain the body that God gave you, you must return to an alignment with the purpose of your Creator.  You are commissioned by God to treat your body with the highest level of respect.  The Old Testament proclaimed the health and well-being of each person as a fundamental part of the Jewish religion.  Personal hygiene guidelines, dietary laws, disease prevention laws and dozens of related customs were imposed upon the people in an effort to keep them healthy.  The New Testament views many of these laws as spiritual applications, but the principle of maintaining a healthy body stays the same. 

Unfortunately, far too many people have neglected their physical bodies.  The kinds of abuse to which mankind has subjected the body boggles the mind.  God never intended for us to become obese, drug addicts, alcoholics, smokers, consumers of poisonous junk food or mutilators of our physical beings.  Proper understanding of the scriptures will turn this around and create new, healthier habits.  If these demands seem extreme, they only show how far you may have drifted off of God’s chosen course.

The purpose in getting you on track with your body goes beyond health, feeling better, looking good or living longer.  Those may be worthwhile objectives, but the real purpose is that this is what God wants!  Keep God’s will as the driving force behind your exercises.  It is your spiritual response to the divine purpose.

Growing Up Ignorant

As I visited my 92 year old mother at the Alzheimer’s facility the other day, and listened as she told me over and over how nice I looked, I indulged myself in a time warp of the way it was light years ago.  Her reassuring words of the present, dentureless, house-coated, form were not that much different from her motherly modus operandi when I was a precocious (or is it capricious?—I always get the two mixed up) child and impossible teenager.  She and my father nearly obsessed on their goal that the kids (my three sisters and I) would know nothing of the trials and tribulations of the family, the church or their personal welfare.  It was tough growing up ignorant.

I grew up ignorant of my weaknesses.  I was told so often that I could do anything I set my mind to do that I very rarely considered the possibility of failure.  It was a crushing blow when I discovered that not everyone liked me and that some bad kids in the neighborhood actually wanted to hurt me.  My mother soon set me straight.  Those kids just needed the Lord and some tender, loving care.  In the meantime, I was not to listen to them.

I grew up ignorant of conflicts in the church congregation my father pastored.  When he emerged from his office after a marathon session with some cantankerous saints (I’m not sure some members meet the “saint” definition) with a smile on his face, he usually asked, “Are you hungry?  Wanna get something to eat?”  Not a word about the bruising battle he just endured.  When we sat around the dinner table, night after night, we talked about his escapades with his nine brothers in Indianapolis, or his latest tool or gadget, or what our uncles and aunts Gus and Helen, Mary and Bill, Amelia and Bill or June and Bill were up to.  (Different Bills, of course.) We were kept in the dark about the problems.

I grew up ignorant of the financial struggles that my parents were going through.  If they had trouble with the mortgage payment or car note, I never knew it.  My mother was famous for her unbelievable finds at the Goodwill or Salvation Army stores, and maybe the reason she shopped there was because of the money issue.  If so, she had a way of turning a liability into an asset so much so that most people were sure she patronized the finest department stores in town.  (That was another little item we discussed at the dinner table!)

I grew up ignorant of difficult family situations, whether the immediate or extended family.  I found out much later about certain failings or misfortunes of family members, but only through the reliable grapevine.  My mother was determined to keep the lid on news that she considered unworthy of broadcasting, even to her children.  She took the scripture seriously that says, “He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends.”  Proverbs 17:9 (KJV). 

I grew up ignorant of the popular sentiment that our first line of defense against sickness or any other problems in life was science, education, medicine or an outsider’s expertise.  My mother’s first inclination was to pray.  No, no, you don’t understand.  I don’t mean say a prayer—I mean PRAY!  Throw down, hot and heavy, vein-popping praying that started in the living room and ended up in the kitchen.  Not only did Satan or his imps not come into our house, I’m convinced that they put their foot on the accelerator as they drove by!  No, you didn’t mess with my mother when she got into her full-fledged praying mode.  I didn’t realize until much later that her kind of praying was not normal.

Yes, I grew up ignorant.  I didn’t stay that way.  What did happen, however, was that I was allowed to grow up in my formative years in a loving, protected, affirming environment.  I entered the hazards of real life away from home with all the spiritual weaponry and combat gear I would need to fight my own battles.  I am deeply concerned about children who are subjected to firsthand pain and rawness of life with no one to put a protective covering over them.  Maybe they can’t stay ignorant forever, but while they are developing the attitudes and thoughts about life during their maturing years, they need that bubble. 

Misapply these thoughts if you want, and I’m sure somebody will, but by growing up ignorant, I believe I actually grew up smarter.  In fact, I wish there was a lot more ignorance today about a lot of things. 

Many of us remember our good friend, Charley Mahaney, who used to holler to almost everyone, “Hey, Ignorant!”  It might have been more of a compliment than he intended it to be.

Christmas: Reality or Perception?

The oxymoronic cliché that has been with us for a while, “perception is reality,” should not be true.  Indeed, it is not true.  But, if people perceive something to be true, then the factuality becomes immaterial to the induced behavior.  It may as well be true, even if it is not.  Eventually, the perception becomes bigger than the reality that birthed it.

Christmas is one of those perceptions.  Over the years, the way we have celebrated the Christmas holiday has morphed into an event that bears scant, if any, resemblance to its humble origins.  Given the modern version of Christmas, it is incredible that Luke poured everything he knew about Christmas into twenty short verses; Matthew’s story of the wise men spanned all of twelve verses, and neither Mark nor John dealt with any of the particulars of the nativity scene in their renditions of the gospel.  (Talk about missed opportunities!  They must not have known how big this was going to be.)

Christmas, the Holiday, has rumbled along through the centuries, picking up meanings, traditions, customs and celebrations widely and deeply until it has become an admittedly bloated cultural tsunami.  No holiday in the Western World compares to the ubiquitous December event.  The month of December itself has become synonymous with Christmas.  One could almost say that winter is known best for Christmas.  And whence come green boughs and red bows, holly, fir trees, snowflakes, reindeer, sleighs, bells, garlands, carols, turkeys, eggnog, parties, lights, tinsel, little drummer boys, shoes, stockings, milk and cookies, elves, programs, visions of sugarplums, fancy wrapping paper, ornaments, snarled traffic, jammed airports, shopping sprees, maxed credit cards, ribbons, cards, fruit cakes and partridges in pear trees? 

Most of these trappings of Christmas represent augmented perceptions of the underlying reality.  Perhaps the purists would say it’s all a sham. That’s certainly one way to look at it.  But, it is still a real perception, and, sometimes, the perception has value too.  If the first falling snowflake melts on the tip of someone’s nose and creates the perception of Christmas, and, if that perception creates a reverence for Christ, however, slight, I am grateful.  If getting a Christmas card from a relative a thousand miles away who is thinking about you makes you think about Christmas, and if that perception evokes kindness and gentleness in your heart, I am find value in that.  If the perception sparks a quest in some searching soul to burrow beneath all the accoutrements and find Jesus, I am thrilled.  I fear that, too often, the self-appointed “perception police” who are constantly on search and destroy missions for anything they find offensive wind up unwittingly killing the kernel of truth that lies at the bottom of the perception. 

One of these days, all our perceptions will come under the brilliant light of truth, and we may be shocked at the things we thought had credibility but were nothing but empty cultural festivities.  And yet, we may find that even our inaccurate perceptions were useful in that they reminded us of the truth.  At the same time, we must focus on the certainties we have in our grasp.  We know that Jesus came, lived, died, was buried, rose again, ascended to heaven, and is coming again.  We know that He gave us the opportunity, the power and the plan to be saved.  Those are realities, not perceptions!  I’ll take whatever Christmas perceptions are out there if it means that an untoward and materialistic world cannot get away from the reality of Christ!