Category: Brother Al (Page 20 of 68)

I have been following a court case in Finland where government prosecutors have described quotations from the Bible as “hate speech.” I take personal interest in this case because I am of Finnish descent. After taking an ancestry test, my sister informed me that we are 98% Finnish. My roots are in the old Suomi Synod of the Lutheran church. I still remember the pastor of my home church preaching in Finnish. So, I take a special interest in what goes on in the “old country.”

The case involves two Christian leaders in Finland: longtime member of Parliament Paivi Rasanen and Lutheran Bishop Juhana Polhjola, who have been brought to trial for writing and publishing, respectively, a pamphlet explaining Christian teachings about sex and marriage.

Ms. Rasanen (the pamphlet’s author) explains, “My writings and statements under investigation are linked to the Bible’s teaching on marriage, living as a man and a woman, as well as the Apostle Paul’s teaching on homosexual acts. The teachings concerning marriage and sexuality in the Bible arise from love to one’s neighbor, not from hate towards a group of people.”

Paul Coleman, a human rights lawyer with Alliance Defending Freedom International who is helping represent Rasanen and Polhjola at the trial, commented that “it was very surreal” to observe Rasanen and Pohjola being questioned about details of Christian theology. It gave the two Christians the opportunity to preach the gospel in court.

Coleman noted, “Finnish trial attorneys who had been in and out of court every day for years, said they didn’t think the Bible had ever been read out like that in prosecution.” Never has a Finnish court had to decide if quoting from Scripture could be a crime. He described the trial, “as a modern-day inquisition or heresy trial. And the heresy was that Paivi [Rasanen] and Bishop Juhana were on trial against the new sexual orthodoxy of the day.”

Human rights observers see this trial as an important marker as to whether Western governments’ persecution of citizens for their speech and beliefs will increase. U.S. House members said in a public letter that the Finnish government’s prosecutions of these Christians for their religious beliefs “raises serious questions regarding the extent of Finland’s commitment to protect religious freedom for its citizens.”

For me, this trial is a “wake up” call to take nothing for granted as the biblical worldview in Western culture steadily erodes. It is difficult for me to comprehend how quoting the Bible is now viewed as hate speech by some in a nation in which Christianity was foundational to its existence. It shows how far and deep opposition has grown to biblical Christianity throughout Western civilization.

This reminds me that all civilizations are like grass that can wither or flowers that will eventually fail. Isaiah tells us, “The grass withers and the flowers fail, but the word of our God stands forever” (Is 40:8). Remember Jesus told us, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (Luke 21:33).

Western civilization may be withering and failing, but God’s word will remain and accomplish its purpose. The new orthodoxy of the post-Christian West is not God’s thoughts. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Is. 55:9).

Take heart – and submit anew to God’s word revealed in Scripture: “So is my word that goes out from my mouth; it will not return to me empty but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it” (Is. 55:11).

I never thought I would find myself agreeing with Vladimir Putin.  In a speech on Oct. 22, 2021 in Sochi, Russia, Putin strongly criticized the “woke” social justice warriors in the United States and Europe. This former lieutenant colonel in the KGB argued that they behave just like the Bolshevik Communists did in the former Soviet Union. “We see with bemusement,” Putin noted, “the paralysis unfolding in countries that have grown accustomed to viewing themselves as the flagships of progress.” 

The West is ruled by a “dogmatism bordering on absurdity,” he asserted, noting that “cancel culture” is nothing more than “reverse discrimination,” and teaching children that sexuality is flexible as potentially “a crime against humanity.” Wow!  These are strong words coming from a dictator. Yet, in my opinion, he is holding up a mirror so we can see what we really are becoming.  

Putin noted further, “The advocates of so-called ‘social progress’ believe they are introducing humanity to some kind of new and better consciousness…their prescriptions are not new at all.  It may come as a surprise to some people, but Russia has been there already.”  Later in his speech he said, “I repeat, this is nothing new; in the 1920s, the Soviet couture [Rabindranath] Tagore came up with [was] the so-called ‘Newspeak,’ believing they were creating a new consciousness and coming up with new values.”

Putin even talked about spiritual values: “We have a different viewpoint, at least the overwhelming majority of Russian society… We believe that we must rely on our own spiritual values, our historical tradition and the culture of our multiethnic nation… Looking at what is happening in a number of Western countries” notes Putin, causes Russians to be amazed at certain destructive practices, “which we…have left, I hope, in the distant past.” 

Putin even quoted Martin Luther King as reflecting true values: “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by their character.”  He then gave this warning: “The debate over men’s and women’s rights has turned into a phantasmagoria.  Look, beware of going where the Bolsheviks once planned to go – not only communalizing chickens, but also communalizing woman.  One more step and you will be there.”  

Men, this is an indictment of our culture coming from a dictator. Putin is calling us to “wake up.”  We are headed towards a soft, therapeutic form of totalitarianism, where we prefer personal pleasure over principles, including political liberties.  We are being deceived by our leaders and the elite media. When truth is missing and those in leadership completely disregard God, we are in trouble.

Before becoming Pope John Paul II, Cardinal Karol Wojtyla made this remarkable prediction: “We are now standing in the face of the greatest historical confrontation humanity has gone through… We are now facing the final confrontation between the Church and the anti-Church, of the Gospel versus the anti-Gospel. This confrontation lies within the plans of divine providence; it is trial which the whole Church…must take up.” 

Cardinal Wojtyla believed the church will come out of the confrontation much stronger and alive in the Spirit.  Men, are you ready for difficult days? Habakkuk knew judgment was coming.  So, he prayed: “I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled.  Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us…I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my savior” (Hab. 3:16, 18).

Have you ever heard of Takotsubo Syndrome? Better known as broken heart syndrome, Takotsubo Syndrome is on the rise in America. This syndrome can mirror a heart attack, causing chest pains and shortness of breath after the heart muscles weaken.  “It generally happens after a severe emotional or physical event, such as a breakup, car accident or even a surprise birthday party,” according to Dr. Susan Cheng, who led a study published by the Journal of the American Heart Association.  

Studies have shown a clear connection in how the heart and the brain react together when things like anxiety or stress are present. According to the Mayo Clinic, broken heart syndrome is often preceded by an intense physical or emotional event.  More Americans are living with broken hearts and the painful feeling now comes with a severe diagnosis.  The Covid pandemic, political unrest and increased social isolation due to technology have only increased the health impacts that Americans are experiencing. 

Men, do any of you have a broken heart due to shame, failure, disappointment, etc.?   The Lord is aware of our broken hearts and can bring healing. “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Ps 34:18).   “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds (Ps. 147:3).  The NET says, “[He] bandages their wounds.”  Only God can bind up the wounds of a broken heart.  Isaiah prophesied about Jesus when he wrote, “He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the prisoners…” (Is. 61:1).  

The prophet Hosea lamented the spiritual adultery among the people of God.  He continually reminded them of God’s tender, caring love for them.  Speaking of Ephraim, God relayed through Hosea: “Still, I stuck with him. I led Ephraim. I rescued him from human bondage, but he never acknowledged my help, never admitted that I was the one pulling his wagon, that I lifted him, like a baby, to my cheek.” (Hosea 11:3-4 Message).  Phillips says, “Yet they never knew that it was I who healed their bruises (v. 3b).   Can you picture Jesus, leaning over and kissing you on the cheek, healing your bruises and pulling your wagon loaded with burdens?

Henri Nouwen continually emphasized that the heart is the center of our lives. “But,” he says, “it’s also there that we are most alienated from ourselves. We know little or nothing of our heart.  We keep our distance from it, as though we were afraid of it. What is more intimate is also what frightens us most. Where we are most ourselves, we are often strangers to ourselves.” We are, he observes, “strangers in our own house.” 

As men we can live as strangers in our own houses, living with broken hearts. We do our best to cover up the ache inside.  But like a tooth ache; it just does not go away. We are uncomfortable when we become aware of the intensity of the pain.  Years ago, I learned an important principle from the poet Robert Bly.  He said, “The way to a man’s heart is through his pain.” We must go through the pain, not around it.” 

Our hearts are very fragile.  We might not think this is the case. We can put on a good front and pretend.  But the truth is that we cannot mend a broken heart.  Only the redeeming love of God can reach down and begin to put all the pieces back together. Trust me, it is a lifelong process. Don’t waste another day, trying to self-medicate your pain or patch up the wounds with excuses. 

Amos the prophet was not what we would consider a “professional holy man.”  He was an ordinary layman, a shepherd, and a fig grower.  When confronted by Amaziah the priest, he declared, “I was neither a prophet nor a prophet’s son, but I was a shepherd, and I took care of sycamore-fig trees. But the Lord took me from tending and said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel” (Amos 7:14-15).  Imagine if you were called from your normal work routines to go prophesy against the sins of your religious community!

Amos was a man of great courage, with a sense of moral righteousness and social justice.  “He [could] see clearly that the softness and corruption at the heart of Israel [would] make her fall easy prey to the invader.  The future is so clear to the prophet that he sees the Assyrians advancing to the attack some years before they did in fact set out” (Phillips).   Today, who are the ones warning our nation about being soft and unprepared for what is coming at us?

Amos warned the people: “Woe to you who are complacent in Zion, and to you who feel secure on Mount Samaria” (6:1).  Amos, simply an ordinary man, was concerned about the material prosperity, along with the decay of moral values and the oppression of the poor brought about by wealth in the hands of the few.   He was giving fair warning of the near future. The prophet uttered those famous words, “Prepare to meet your God, O Israel” (4:12).  Men, have you prepared for what is coming at us?”  

In 3:2-8, God warns the people not to relish their status as His chosen people. Their supposedly intimate relationship with the Lord meant they were to live with a greater sense of responsibility. God was holding them accountable.  “From among all the families on the earth, I have been intimate with you alone” (Amos 3:2 NLT).  Men, with privilege comes the call to be people of faith. 

Amos pointed to nature and its expected results. “Does a lion roar in the woods if he has not cornered his prey?” (3:4 NET).  “Does a bird swoop down into a trap on the ground if there is no bait?” (3:5 NET).  Then he mentions, “If an alarm sounds in a city, do people not fear?” (3:6 NET).  The prophet asks, “Does disaster come to a city unless the Lord has planned it?” (3:6 NLT).  God is warning us now.  Are we paying attention?    

These were not idle threats.  Consider v. 3:7-8: “Certainly, the Sovereign Lord does nothing without first revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.  A lion has roared! Who is not afraid?” A lion that has roared is ready to pounce.  The Lord will act.  The bird is found in the trap through no fault but its own. The people needed to examine their decisions, desires, and ambitions – to see their complicity.  Instead of casting blame, we need to repent. 

Amos 3:2 in the NLT asks, “Can two people walk together without agreeing on the direction?” This question awaits an answer. There is an incompleteness to it, leaving the future undetermined: the lion is still roaring; it has not yet devoured its prey (v. 4).  There is still time to escape.  Amos is prophesying in a period of grace, between warning and disaster, making clear the Lord’s message to the people.   I challenge you to ask your closest friends, “Are our decisions, desires and ambitions centered on Christ and building his Kingdom?  How can we live more in line with his will and purposes?” 

Brad Littlejohn recently wrote a revealing article in World magazine entitled, “One lesson of the pandemic? Humility.” “The Covid-19 pandemic has been an invitation for humility,” notes Littlejohn, “the humility to know that we are only part of nature, not its masters, and the humility to remember that whatever choices we make are constrained by the choices of countless others.”

We need to remember that we live in a “world of tragedy.” This idea is hard for our culture to accept since we see ourselves having mastery over the forces of nature. Instead of being humbled by the virus, we have played the blame game, insisting that someone else is responsible. We prefer to believe that what happens in our world must be the product of human causes.

As a nation we went into management mode, assuming that Covid was simply another problem that modern science and government could solve. But we are slowly realizing we are not in charge. We are, submits Littlejohn, “at the mercy of the awesome forces of nature, which God wields in judgment to remind us of how small we humans are.”

The word that comes to mind is “arrogance.” Merriam-Webster gives the following definition: “exaggerate one’s own worth or importance often by an overbearing manner; showing an offensive attitude of superiority; characterized by arrogance.” The Psalmist warns, “The arrogant cannot stand in your presence; you hate all who do wrong” (Ps. 5:5).

God will not allow the arrogance of men to go unanswered: “The arrogance of man will be brought low, and the pride of men humbled; the Lord alone will be exalted in that day, and the idols will totally disappear” (Isaiah 2:17). Covid could be evidence of this taking place. In Isaiah 13:11 the Lord tells us, “I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their sins. I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty and will humble the pride of the ruthless.”

We cannot hide our arrogant intentions from the Lord. “Woe to those who go to great depths to hide their plans from the Lord, who do their work in darkness and think, ‘Who sees us? Who will know?'” (Is. 29:16). The pandemic is opening our eyes to our arrogance. “You felt secure in your wickedness. ‘No one sees me,’ you said. But your ‘wisdom’ and ‘knowledge’ have led you astray, and you say, ‘I am the only one and there is no other'” (Is. 47:10 NLT).

Men, we are witnessing the humbling of our nation. The pandemic has only exposed the “whitewashing” we have done, by ignoring the cracks in the very foundation of society. “Because they lead my people astray, saying, ‘Peace,’ when there is no peace, and because, when a flimsy wall is built, they cover it with whitewash, therefore tell those who cover it with whitewash that it is going to fall…When the wall collapses, will people not ask you, ‘Where is the whitewash you covered it with?'” (Ezekiel 13:10-12).

In our corporate arrogance we continue to believe the message of peace, while our flimsy walls are covered with whitewash to hide the cracks. Men, this kind of whitewashing cannot go on. Joel warns us, “For the day of the Lord is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty” (Joel 1:15).

Take heart, however, because we belong to a kingdom that cannot be shaken: “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our ‘God is a consuming fire.’” (Heb. 12:28-29).

All over the nation a Mama Bear Movement is on the rise, impacting the political landscape across America.  According to The Daily Citizen, “these moms are a diverse group of ordinary women motivated to protect their children from an aggressive and progressive agenda being pushed by special interest groups who believe they know what is best for all children.”

The movement gained momentum during the pandemic as moms began to ask questions about the school curriculum, reviewed books in the school library, and learned what was being taught in the classroom.  It became clear to those in the movement that schools “were promoting racist curriculum in the name of racial reconciliation, teaching sexually explicit and abusive material in the name of sexual tolerance, and willfully jeopardizing the safety of children at school in the pursuit of affirming the transgender movement.”

So, Mama Bears all over the country, “motivated by the instinctual need to protect their children…began to courageously push back at school board meetings, write op-eds for local papers, speak at rallies, and organize protests, all the while refusing to be silenced.  It remains to be seen if this will be a lasting movement.” 

I, for one, admire the Mama Bears. It seems they have been encountering deeply entrenched practices and policies, and are also creating a ruckus, for the National School Board Association even asked the Department of Justice for help, fearing that Mama Bears could be “domestic terrorists.” Can you imagine this taking place in America?  Goodness, these are Mama Bears watching out for their cubs.  I submit to you, men, that should the DOJ enlist the FBI to investigate Mama Bears, we are in a real battle for who has final authority in our families.

I pray that Dads reading this blog will say, “enough is enough.”  We need fathers and grandfathers to stand up and fight for their families alongside the Mama Bears.  If there was a parade to protest the intrusion of the state into the family, I hope there would be Papa Bears marching in the front showing the same passion as the Mama Bears. 

We are to defend and protect our families.  Scripture is clear: children are a gift from God given to parents to raise under the Lordship of Jesus and his kingdom. “Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.  Children born to a young man are like arrows in a warrior’s hands.  How joyful is the man whose quiver is full of them!” (Ps. 127:3-5a NLT). 

Deut. 6:4-9 and Exodus 20:12 are devoted to family. Indeed, the fourth commandment is the one commandment with a promise: “Honor your father and mother, that your days may be long in the land which the Lord your God is giving you.” The implication is undeniable.  When family life is neglected, it will not go well – period.  The breakup of the family means culture crumbles. Repairing the family as an institution is not the task of the state or any other institution. 

The family is the basic building block of human community.  Proverbs repeats in various ways the need for instruction of children.  For example: “My son, keep your father’s commands, and do not forsake your mother’s teaching… For these commands are a lamp, this teaching is a light, and the correction of discipline are the way of life” (Prov. 6:20, 23).    

I encourage fathers to wholeheartedly join the Mama Bears.  We could use some strong, passionate Papa Bears standing on the frontlines of the battle for the family.  Remember it is a battle.  They are coming for our children. 

According to a new survey from the World Economic Forum (WEF), the fastest growing threat to our planet since the COVID pandemic is “social cohesion erosion” which is simply “unrest due to change.” According to the WEF, it’s “perceived as a critical threat to the world across all time spans…and is seen as among the most potentially damaging for the next 10 years.” Further, “social cohesion worsens upon rising divisions and polarization in society… erosion also lurks in the fissures created by opposing viewpoints on vaccines and on face-mask mandates, and in the rallying cries for long-awaiting racial justice in historically oppressed communities.”

This is a story of crumbling civil society, fractured by conflicting forces from within. Included in the causes for this erosion are youth disillusionment, social security collapse, and livelihood crises. The report maintains that when paired with “mental health deterioration” things get even scarier: “All of that could come as a slow burn with fallout covering the next decade.”

“Risk-mitigation efforts” are possible, according to the report. This would include poverty alleviation, human health improvements, and basic resources security. While citing geopolitical rivalries, the report expresses the hope that “countries come together to ensure common benefits” while working together to share what should be universal resources.

Klaus Schwab of the WEF has talked about the need for a “Great Reset” which he has now rebranded as the “Great Narrative.” The world needs to unite around a new global story. He and the WEF want to help “imagine the future, design the future, and then execute the future.”

I thought of Isaiah 14:24-27 when I read of Mr. Schwab and the WEF. It is God who is in control of the future – not the WEF. “Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will stand. I will crush the Assyrian in my land; on my mountains I will trample him down. His yoke will be taken from my people, and his burden removed from their shoulders. This is the plan determined for the whole world; this is the hand stretched out over all nations. For the Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him? His hand is stretched out and who can turn it back?”

Alec Motyer gives a succinct description of the sovereignty of God described in this passage. “Assyria was the current superpower, as Babylon was the rising superpower. Isaiah offers a prediction to be fulfilled within the lifetime of his hearers as an assurance that the more remote prediction of the fall of Babylon is equally certain.”

God crushed the Assyrian Empire in 612 BC when Babylon conquered it. Isaiah in this passage extols the sovereignty of God. He asks, “Who can thwart the Lord?” (v. 27). No one can seize the outstretched hand of God. As the Grace & Truth Bible states, “The Lord Almighty is not merely a reactor to historical happenings. He propels history, directing it for his sovereign purposes.”

Men, there will be a lot of chatter regarding the great “arc of history” in the days to come. Remember: the “Great Narrative” is in God’s hands. Listen to His challenge: “Why would you ever complain, O Jacob, or whine, O Israel, saying, ‘God has lost track of me. He doesn’t care what happens to me’?” Don’t you know anything? Haven’t you been listening? God doesn’t come and go. God lasts. He’s Creator of all you can see or imagine. He doesn’t get tired out, doesn’t pause to catch his breath. And he knows everything inside and out.” (Is. 41:27-28 Message).

The prophet Micah lived in a time when both Israel and Judah were “characterized by moral and religious corruption, social oppression, political intrigue, economic injustice, personal vice, deception and treachery’ (NLT Study Bible).  During his lifetime, the northern kingdom of Israel fell to the Assyrian Empire (722 BC) and the southern kingdom of Judah came close to the same (701 BC).  God allowed this because of the ungodliness of people who presumed upon the Lord’s goodness: “Yet they claim to trust the Lord and say, ‘The Lord is among us. Disaster will not overtake us!” (2:11 NET).   

Micah “paints a terrible picture of the decay of ordinary justice, the abuse of power by the courts’ judges, and the prevalence of bribery…lust for money has invaded the religious sphere and priest and prophet have grown accustomed to favoring the rich and brow-beating the poor…He sees the evils of society not only as the heartless exploitation of the weak by the strong, but a failure to grasp the meaning of true religion” ( J.B. Phillips). 

In Chapter 7, Micah grieves over society’s decadence.  Looking for the godly was like looking for fruit after the harvest had already ended: “…There is no grape cluster to eat and no fresh figs that my stomach craves” (7:1 NET).  As he walked through the city, he grieved that he could not find an honest person anywhere: “What misery is mine” (7:1).  Wickedness had become widespread, with the whole fabric of life seeming to unravel. The people were without law, justice, and righteousness. 

People took advantage of each other, creating an adversarial culture that lacked trust. “Faithful men have disappeared from the land; there are no godly men left.  They all wait in ambush to shed blood; they hunt their own brother with a net” (7:2 NET).  With the lack of faithful men, the vacuum left in society invited violence.

Government had become corrupt, to the point where those in authority plotted and maneuvered to satisfy their personal ambitions. “They are experts at doing evil; government officials and judges take bribes, prominent men announce what they wish, and then they plan it out” (7:3 NET).  They were basically crooked: “The best of them is like a thorn; their godly are like a thorn bush” (7:4 NET). 

Micah is fully aware that God was now bringing punishment on the people. “But your judgement day is coming swiftly now. Your time of punishment is here, a time of confusion” (7:4b NLT). In the midst of all this, Micah gives fair warning concerning relationships. “Do not rely on a friend; do not trust a companion!” (7:5 NET).    

Even worse was the mistrust and conflict in the family. “For a son thinks his father is a fool, a daughter challenges her mother, and a daughter-in-law her mother-in-law; a man’s enemies are his own family” (7:6).  Men, can you see how relevant Micah’s words are today, as we witness the decline and fragmentation of civil order and family life? “Where there is no trust or confidence, and when occurrences are multiplied throughout a city and nation, the general situation deteriorates to a frightening degree” (Bible Speaks Today).

In this confusing time, Micah encourages us keep our eyes on the Lord: “But as for me, my eyes look for the Lord.  I will wait for the God who will save me; Yes, my God will deliver me?” (7:7 Phillips).  Men don’t allow the political voices of our day to get your eyes off Jesus. Lead your family daily in discussions of scriptural truth as it relates to the here and now. 

During this past Advent season as my wife and I prepared to welcome Jesus anew into our story, I enjoyed reading many inspiring thoughts of Jesus coming to live among us.  But after reading the following tweet, I must say I was disturbed.  I could not get the one sentence out of my mind. 

On Christmas Eve, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont sent out the following tweet: “It was the labor movement that brought you the holiday weekend.”  The day before, Sanders had tweeted: “The Democratic Party must once again become the party that stands for the working class in this country.”  To me, this is mixing ideology with religion. 

I have intentionally tried to stay out of politics in this blog, instead taking my stand on “Jesus and His kingdom.”  But Senator Sanders’ quote was just too much for me. The message seems intended to change the narrative of Christmas.  Associating the labor movement with any religious “holy day” seems to warrant outcry – if not at least a good bit of clarification.

When looked at through one lens, this sitting senator seems to imply that the Christmas tradition was brought by the labor movement to a culture starving for some “Good News”.  However, it was the angeI of the Lord who told the shepherds, “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people” (Luke 2:10).  I respect the Senator for his courage to foster positive change in our country.  I do not, however, share the view that “the labor movement” is responsible for Christmas. 

First, the senator seems to be total disregarding history. Christmas, which celebrates the birth of God’s only begotten Son by the Virgin Mary has been celebrated for 2,000 years all over the world.  The early labor movement may have played a role in President Grant’s 1870 declaration of Christmas as a federal holiday, but regardless of Grant’s declaration, the birth of Jesus would still be celebrated.  The light might go dim, but it will never go out. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it” (John 1:5 NLT).  Certainly not a U.S. Senator’s voice.

Secondly, equating the “labor movement” with Christmas can be perceived as bordering on idolatry.  Could it be that a human construct, which has helped many Americans raise their standard of living, has become a religion for some?  I grew up among iron miners in Northern Michigan.  I see how labor unions have helped struggling families. My people were solidly union.  But Senator Sanders, only the gospel of Jesus Christ can save us.  The elderly Simeon, upon seeing the baby Jesus, proclaimed, “For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people.” (Luke 2:30-31). 

Thirdly, Christmas (the birth of Christ) really happened. The Creator of the universe sent his Son into the world, to bring all of us together through his death on the cross. Christ’s birth, death and resurrection happened so we could have the peace our world so desperately seeks. “For God was pleased to have his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross” (Col. 1:19).

Finally, our contemporary, secular world will never drown out the music heard throughout the heavens, giving worship and praise to Lord Jesus.  It will go on for all eternity. “To him, who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever” (Rev 4:13).       

As a football fan, I read with interest the news that coach Bronco Mendenhall recently resigned as head football coach of the Virginia Cavaliers.   It came as a shock to the administration and especially the fans – particularly because the team won nine games and went to the Orange Bowl in 2019, and the university’s program has been quite successful with Mendenhall as coach.

The coach said it was 100% his choice. “He has done an exceptional job of not just transforming the program, but elevating the expectations for the program,” noted Virginia Athletic Director Carla Williams. Referring to Mendenhall’s impact on the players, Williams said, “He is more than a football coach, and the impact he has had on these young men will be a positive influence for the rest of their lives.” 

Reading between the lines, I take it that Coach Mendenhall is a man of integrity, with a wholesome character that rubbed off on his players.  But in terms only a coach could have expressed, Mendenhall said that after “31 years of straight football…I need to step back from college football.”  He felt he had to “reassess, renew, reframe, reinvent with my wife as a partner [my emphasis] our future and the next chapter of our life.”  He and his wife Holly were celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary this year, so he felt this was the best decision for him to make.  Even his wife was shocked.  But the coach felt he needed to do this to be “the very best person I can be moving forward.” 

Wow! I really admire this coach!  You could tell in his short video on Twitter that sincere words were coming from a man who had his priorities straight.  Not many coaches would walk away from a successful program to “renew, reframe, reinvent, and reconnect in his marriage.”  I tip my Kansas State football cap to the coach.  I wonder: how many coaches would walk away from the fame and glory that accompany a successful football program?   

What can we learn from the Coach Mendenhall’s example?  First, he certainly is an exemplar in establishing the right priorities for marriage.  He thought of his wife as a “partner in the next chapter of our life.” 25 years is a milestone in any marriage.  In the next phase of their marriage, he wanted to his wife’s input as his “partner” as he attempts to “reframe, renew, and reinvent” his marriage.  That takes some serious relationship work on his part. 

Men, I encourage you to include your wife in all those transitions in life and have the courage to include her as an equal partner in reevaluating your marriage.  It could be an anniversary, the empty nest, or even a physical move.  For my bride and me, it was our recent move to a senior apartment away from the lake. It was a mutual decision. I thank the Lord since the move was more difficult for me than it was for my bride. Judy helped me to “step back” and continually reevaluate the decision we had made together.

Secondly, the coach had the courage to say to the world, “My marriage is more important than my coaching career.”  My hunch is that the coach was more concerned about improving his marriage of 25 years than becoming more successful with the “X’s and O’s” of the game of football.  He was not willing to sacrifice his marriage on the altar of the Virginia Football program.  Men, tending to the demands of your marriage is more important than the demands imposed on you by your chosen career.