Categories
Christmas holiday

The Creepy Side of Christmas

Cartoon of a girl and someone with a bag over their head. The girl says, "I know what you mean. 'Santa Claus is Coming to Town' gives me the creeps too."

Cartoon of a girl and someone with a bag over their head. The girl says, "I know what you mean. 'Santa Claus is Coming to Town' gives me the creeps too."

Some of our American Christmas traditions can be creepy. Elf on the Shelf comes immediately to mind. It was creepy enough for me when I thought Santa Claus was watching my every move as a child. I didn’t need a visual reminder in my house reporting back to the big guy. I was tempted to put a bag over my head and hope the whole espionage thing would blow over!

There is a strong German influence in southwest Ohio. Since coming here, I’ve heard about Krampus, a half-goat, a half-demon Bavarian character that would punish children during the Christmas season. And I thought Santa was a strict dude!

Ich habe Angst vor Krampus!

It is so antithetical to the original Christmas story. The son of God is born in a manger among barn animals. He already knew we messed up. He came to give hope, joy, and peace.

Today is the third Sunday of Advent. If you are walking by a mall Santa or an Elf on the Shelf today. Relax! There’s no need to put a bag over your head and hope the yuletide espionage passes over!

Categories
Exercise motivation Running

No One Wants to be Just a Number… or do They?

Man running into a sunrise

Man running into a sunrise

This morning, I did something I know most guys my age don’t do. I ran eight miles. I don’t say this to brag, because I don’t consider myself an athlete. I didn’t run in high school or college. I only picked it up in my thirties when my weight was creeping up on me and my father-in-law poked my doughboy’s belly!

I say it because it is possible to be active in your fifties and beyond. This came to my mind when I read this Runner’s World article the other day:

5 Runners who Prove Age is Just a Number

In this article, it quotes a study that claims people felt they were too old to start exercising after they turned forty-one years old. Yet the article had five runners who began to run between the ages of fifty and eighty-four. Let that sink in! An eighty-four-year-old decided it was time to start running!

We put too many limits on ourselves. We’d like to start something but we make all kinds of excuses like:

  • I’m too old
  • I’m too young
  • I don’t have the money
  • I don’t have the time
  • I don’t have any talent
  • I don’t know anybody
  • The timing isn’t right

We claim we don’t want to be a number, yet do we allow numbers to limit ourselves? Do we give in to society’s expectations that are neither correct nor fulfilling?

Check with your doctor. If he or she gives you the okay, I encourage you to start exercising. It’s made a big difference in my life since I began this good habit.

Categories
Business motivation

Know Your Customer/Audience

Cartoon of two kids looking at a present. The boy says, "What do you think? Did Mom get me that table saw for Christmas?"

Christmas is less than two weeks away. Have you got that special gift yet? It can drive us crazy searching for the one gift that will light up a loved one’s face. It can be even more difficult to find one that is age appropriate. One year, my eight-year old nephew wanted an axe. While he would have enjoyed it, and all he wanted to do was chop wood, his parents agreed with us he was too young for that special gift that year.

Cartoon of two kids looking at a present. The boy says, "What do you think? Did Mom get me that table saw for Christmas?"

You may not want to give a book lover a table saw. Nor would you want to give a carpenter a book if he or she doesn’t like to read. It’s common sense, but frequently in business, we try to sell a product to a customer that isn’t interested. It just may not be for them.

Gift-giving is a lot like the business of selling. You want to find the right person for the right product or service. Don’t try to force a “gift” onto a customer that just isn’t appropriate for them. They may force a smile and utter, “Just what I wanted.” But if it really isn’t for them, it will soon be cast aside and never used.

Know your customer.

Categories
children's ministry

Why I am in Children’s Ministry: A Video Interview

self caricature of The Yellow Kevins

This is a bittersweet time for me. My church has a monthly video about volunteers who serve in children’s and youth ministry. They interviewed me about my role in children’s ministry. Here’s the video:

Within the video, I explain the strange story of The Yellow Kevins. Thanks to the wit of a kindergartner and fourth-grader, I got to draw a jaundice version of myself.

I also explain what has kept me going in children’s ministry for over twenty-five years. I have loved working with the kids. But I found the bigger reason in a passage found in Psalm 78.

It is a bittersweet moment because my wife will be exiting Salemkids, the children’s ministry, at our church, to pursue what God is calling her to next. It is an exciting, scary and meaningful journey all wrapped up. We’ll see what the next chapter holds.

Categories
motivation

The Challenge of Waiting

Cartoon of people waiting in line. One man says, "I don't normally expect long, Christmas-shopping lines at a convenience store."

Yesterday, I had an appointment. We were making good time on the freeway. the GPS app showed an accident was ahead, but it would only delay us four minutes. Then we slowed down. and we waited….

  • And we waited…
  • And we waited…
  • And we waited more…

Traffic was at a standstill for two hours. We had to cancel the first appointment. Did my wife and me waist our afternoon? It felt as pointless as the couple waiting in my cartoon.

Cartoon of people waiting in line. One man says, "I don't normally expect long, Christmas-shopping lines at a convenience store."

When traffic finally moved again, we decided to keep our dinner appointment with friends. After all, we came this far! It ended up being a pleasant evening. The memory of the two-hour standstill faded. Eventually, the wait did feel worth it! It reminded me of this verse:

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

Romans 12:12 NIV

It resonates with me because my wife and I have been in a period of waiting. We know things are about to change in our life, but we don’t know how or when. We only know it begins when she resigns from her position as a children’s pastor at the end of the year.

We are all forced to wait once in a while. I didn’t feel joyful, patient or faithful in the traffic jam. But how I waited ended up mattering more and led to an enjoyable evening.

Sometimes, how we wait during this time of year is more important than the event we are anticipating.