Happy Holidays

As I embark on the half way point of my "winter break", I want to wish all of you happy holidays! For those of you that I go to church with, you are drumming up a way in your mind to ex-communicate me from the church for saying happy holidays. This year, as in the recent few years, the media, shopping malls, restaurants, local business, and the general public has opted to use the phrase "Happy Holidays" instead of Merry Christmas, universities and other school systems are taking a "Winter Break" from classes instead of Christmas break. This is our time Christians.......stand up for CHRISTmas. When someone says to you "Happy Holidays" quickly return a smile and a "Merry Christmas"...don't back down soldier, this Christmas, make it a point to say merry Christmas, and stay away from the worldly "Happy Holidays."

I am sure you have all gotten some type of forward reminding you to keep Christ in Christmas, or some of you have taken measures to put a sign in your front yard stating to "Keep Christ in Christmas." Evangelicals have used this season to stand up and say "Merry Christmas" when they check out at Walmart. This is a great way to keep Christ in Christmas when everyone around us is trying to kick him out.

But that is not why I am writing tonight. I am not patting anyone on the back saying "great job...put the check on your report card for this year and drop it in the tithe box on your way out." I write to say "What now?"

Now that we have all made it our point when we are out in public to keep Christ in Christmas, it seems that we stop. We put Christ in Christmas when the calendar hits December 1, and take Him out of our conversation once we hit the stores on December 26th hoping to get wrapping paper 50% off. What our world doesn't need is a million evangelical's eager to chant Merry Christmas during the month of December, and ready to hang up our badges after Christmas.

Our world, our co-workers, our classmates, the people ringing up our socks at Walmart.....they are LOST!! They don't need elf Christians. What are elf Christians? Well, you see, Santa has to have someone make his toys at the North Pole. Elves make toys for all of the children, and Santa delivers them. Elves have the perfect job. Elves only work from after Thanksgiving until December 24th. Then, they are done. Elf Christians are the same! They work from the day after Thanksgiving until Christmas, and they are off the rest of the time.

When are Christians going to start keeping Christ in their speech all the time? Are Christians clocking out after Christmas? We should not be clocking out. 1 Peter 2:10-12 says

^"10Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

¹¹Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. ¹²Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us."

We aren't supposed to only be different around Christmas time by saying Merry Christmas, but we are to always be different. We are to constantly live our lives to glorify God, keeping Christ in not only Christmas, but the whole year round.

Philippians 4:8-9
⁸Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. ⁹Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Begin keeping Christ in your thoughts causing your lives to be different. Proclaim the Savior!

Daniel Doss Band

Well, this past September, the Christian Music world was hit with a scrumschuluscent (in the words of Will Ferrell on SNL) new album from the Daniel Doss Band. After spending a little bit of time with Daniel this summer, I saw a man "seeking after God's own heart." You will find many instances in the Christian music industry that bands are in the business to make money, and to make a name for themselves. Often times they will do this by subtly adding something positive into mainstream or secular music, and referring to themselves as a Christian Band. The Christian music industry has fallen into making some true junk, and have really missed the mark on the art of good music tied in with great Biblical lyrics. Worship leaders and Christian recording artists have attempted to fit in with the culture. The idea behind that is wonderful. We should meet people where they are, however too often, in the evangelical Christian's attempt to meet them where they are, they instead join them where they are in their futile attempt to become like the culture.

Daniel Doss and his band, however, are polar opposites. Daniel is the real deal that truly can be considered a "man after God's own heart." The Lord has blessed Daniel with an incredible talent that he gives all the glory and credit to God. There are some great Christian musicians and artists out today like Daniel Doss. He truly seeks the glory of God in his music as well as his entire life. He is the real deal.

Check out his new album "Love Like Rain."

Also, Daniel has been nominated for the Breakout Artist of this year. Go vote for him.

Vote for Daniel Doss

Future Mission Trip

Well, I am a Public Relations major, and for that major I have to take an entry level course of Mass Communications. It is the one class that everyone hates. Not because it is hard, or that it requires a lot of work, because it doesn't. In fact, it is completely the opposite. So much so that it is a joke. Anyway, there is a point to this story, so stick with me. We were assigned to do a book report on a book at least 100 pages. Some of you guys in seminary are probably cringing wishing you had a book report like this, and the book only had to be 100 pages. So, I chose The Biography of Jim Elliot. I was kind of a slacker because it only has 128 pages. I had been reading things such as "All Things for Good"- by Thomas Watson, a brilliant puritan. So, this was going to be light reading. It was indeed very easy reading, and I flew through it in a few short hours. But, during the reading, God began to burden me for the unreached people groups. If you don't know the story of Jim (I refer to him in first person as if I knew him like I know Gavin) then you really do need to pick up one of his many bios. Basically, Jim surrendered to the mission field as a young man, went to Ecuador doing some humanitarian work such as building schools, air strips, and meeting the natives of the Auca tribe. In the process of doing all of this, the Auca tribe kills him and three of his buddies. After reading this, I proceeded to go to the International Mission Board's website and check what kind of trips they were offering and maybe I would find one that was to an unreached group. I did some research and prayer over the next week or so, then I finally found one to Senegal. Later that evening, I met with a good friend of mine Andrew Brown, who shares my passion for God's mission overseas. As we were talking, I told him to be praying for me, that I was praying about going to this unreached people group in Senegal...and that I wanted him to go with me. Since mid-October, Andrew and I have been praying with our families about the possibility of going to an unreached people group in West Africa. We are looking at the IMB with the trip to Senegal, and we are also exploring the option of going to Burkina Faso through Friends in Action (Andrew's previous employeer) and New Tribe Ministries. I will keep you updated as details come to the surface, but it would be a trip with the two of us, a translator, and a GPS to go to a couple of different unreached tribes in the designated country. Please be in prayer for us.

First Blog

Well, I guess it was only a matter of time. Dr. Mohler does it, my friends at seminary do it, my roommate does it, so I guess I kinda have to follow suit. Hopefully I will be able to post once a week or so, but no promises. I still don't exactly know how all of this works, but no need to worry, I will soon figure it out.