Mike Edmisten Follower of Jesus. Husband of Nicki. Father of Ryan & Brock. Communicator of the Word.

Swim & Stand

In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. (Thomas Jefferson)

Keep Santa in Christmas

I wrote about ACC's giving tree ministry in yesterday's post. That reminded me of something I posted last year. Thought I'd give this post an encore to help us keep everything in perspective.

You don't have to look far for a church sign or billboard reminding you to "Keep Christ in Christmas." Obviously I'm in favor of keeping Jesus in Christmas since the whole thing started as a celebration of his birth. Kind of silly to have a birthday party and leave out the birthday boy.

But I'd like to make a case for keeping Santa Claus in Christmas, too. I know some Christians who choose not to do the Santa thing with their kids, and that's fine. I know others who include Santa in their Christmas traditions, and that's ok too. (My family falls in the second camp, for whatever that's worth.)

Whether you choose to participate in the modern day version of Santa Claus or not, there is a lot of value for remembering the actual historical man called St. Nicholas. Legends about this man abound. It's difficult to separate fact from fiction when it comes St. Nicholas, but this much is widely accepted to be true. He was a bishop in what is now modern-day Turkey. He was very wealthy but also quite generous. His primary concern was for the poor, so his wealth and generosity were directed toward those in need.

It was St. Nicholas' extravagant giving to the poor that made him legendary…not bringing presents to those who are already over-stuffed in every way.

Again, I really couldn't care less whether your family includes Santa in their Christmas tradition or not. But I do care very much about the legacy of St. Nicholas.

Who do you know that is need? Who is lonely? Who could use a little extra dose of Christmas cheer? And what can your family do to help them?

I hope you have a little St. Nick in your holiday this year.

A Psalm 37:21 Church

Psalm 37:21 has become one of my spiritual linchpins. It simply says, "the righteous give generously."

The word "righteous" can be defined as "doing what is right in God's sight." If you want to live a righteous life, a life that is pleasing to God, you will give generously. If you're not a giver, then you are not a righteous person. But God is pleased, honored, and glorified when we give.

I am so blessed to be part of a church family that gets it! Every Christmas, ACC has a "giving tree" in the church foyer. The tree lists the needs of several local anonymous families who are having a rough time. Our church family purchases Kroger gift cards, as well as a lot of gifts for some kiddos who might otherwise have a pretty sad Christmas morning.

In November, I was talking with my friend, Rhonda, who coordinates this ministry. We were talking about the number of kids we could realistically handle for the giving tree this year. Long story short, we went big. We had more kids on our list this year than ever before. It was a huge step of faith. But we both believe in God's power and ACC's generosity, so we went ahead with it.

ACC, you brought the house down! It was so cool to see Rhonda and her husband, Jeff, gathering all the gifts together after church on Sunday. The foyer was full of Christmas presents! Seriously, it looked like Santa's workshop had exploded!

To quote Jeff, "What an awesome church." Couldn't have said it better myself. ACC, you amaze me.

Because of your generosity, a lot of families will be able to get their basic necessities. And a lot of kids will have something to look forward to on Christmas morning.

"The righteous give generously." Right on.

Final Christmas Services

I am loving our Vintage Christmas series! So cool to feel the buzz in the building.

We've got two more worship experiences in our Christmas series. You do not want to miss this Sunday. Christmas Sunday is a very special day at ACC. Got some fun moments as well as some very powerful elements in store for you.

Then we'll wrap up the Vintage Christmas series on Christmas Eve. Our Christmas Eve service is at 9:00 pm. This is a really special time for families to come together and remember what this whole Christmas thing is all about. We packed the house last year and I have no doubt that we'll do it again this year.

Don't miss the final two services in this series. God's got some great stuff planned for us!

Happy Birthday Brock!

Hard to believe, but our little boy is one-year-old today.

ACC Christmas Party

Looking forward to the annual ACC Christmas party tonight. I love this event because it throws a bunch of people together who don't normally connect.

The gift exchange is a lot of fun. Actually, it can get a little vicious. We do the whole "steal the gift you really want" deal. Some people are cutthroats!

It's gonna be a fun evening.

Songs You Love to Hate

Some pretty deep stuff on the blog this week, so I decided to lighten the mood.

Ever year, I take an informal, very unscientific blog poll. In a season of beautiful carols and festive holiday music, what is the Christmas song(s) that makes you cringe? What song causes you to change the station on your radio immediately?

For me, the worst Christmas song EVER is Wonderful Christmastime by Paul McCartney.

I go from Bob Cratchit to Ebenezer Scrooge in an instant when I hear that song. Just a few of those "ding, dong, ding, dongs" and I'm ready to punch Santa and kick an elf.

So what holiday songs do you hate? Let the comments roll.

Sacred Reminder

Saw this on Scott Hodge's blog this morning. Had to pass it on. So simple. So true.

The only thing that is sacred is the mission.

The programs aren't sacred.
The methods aren't sacred.
The ministries aren't sacred.
The service times aren't sacred.
The communication style isn't sacred.
The committees aren't sacred.
The bylaws aren't sacred.
The denomination isn't sacred.
The style of music isn't sacred.
The color of the carpet isn't sacred.
The font that's used in the bulletin isn't sacred.

Sometimes we just need to be reminded.

A Word For All Who Preach & Teach – Part Three

In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us. (Titus 2:7b-8, NIV)

In this third and final installment of this series, we'll focus on the third characteristic that Paul gives for the biblical teacher: soundness of speech.

When I teach, I often ask myself these kind of questions. If I were sitting in the crowd, would I believe the words I'm saying? Would they motivate me to action? Would they dramatically impact my life? Would they draw me closer to Jesus? Would they make me want to come back for more?

Realistically, we get 52 Sundays a year to teach. That means that our words had better be solid, sure, and true.

I can't stand it when I hear a preacher or teacher say, "I think this means…" or, "Here's what this passage means to me…"

I don't give a rip about what you think. I want to know the truth.

Don't tell me what it means to you. Tell me what it means.

I also can't stand it when someone in a teaching role feels a need to "flower up" their message or lesson with big, religious sounding words. Most of our people don't know the meaning of words like propitiation, or theophany, or amillennialism, or dispensationalism, or eschatology.

Also, most of our people don't ever use words like thee, thou, or thy in their conversations. Why use them in your message or lesson?

Use the apostles' as your example. They went to different and varied cultures, speaking the truth in the cultural vernacular. What's more important? That people think you're really smart or that people understand the gospel message? It's a no-brainer.

This weekend, go preach and teach with authority and power. It's a heavy burden to carry, but if you are faithful to your calling, God will empower and bless your teaching in ways you can't even imagine.

A Word For All Who Preach & Teach – Part Two

In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us. (Titus 2:7b-8, NIV)

In part two of this three-part series of posts, let's talk about the second characteristic of the Biblical teacher: seriousness.

I don't think that Paul was suggesting that we can't use humor in our teaching. It's a very effective tool. I don't insert humor in a message just to do it. But I do use it whenever it fits. I've found that if people laugh at something, they also remember the context of the message or lesson.

The seriousness that Paul is talking about isn't a lack of humor; it's the seriousness with which we approach our role as a preacher/teacher. I am deadly serious about preaching God's Word. Every week, I spend a lot of hours prepping my message for the coming weekend. And it doesn't stop when my transcript is written. Once the writing is finished, I practice my delivery. I never preach a message on Sunday before I have preached it 3-5 times to a roomful of empty chairs.

I've met a lot of preachers who are content to pull off a "Saturday night special." If you happen to be one of those preachers, you need to repent or find a new job. You are doing a huge disservice to the church. You are mishandling the Word of God. You are not living up to the standard for a teacher set forth in Scripture.

I've known a lot of teachers who are willing to walk into a class and wing it. I don't care how old your class members are…they can be toddlers or they can be senior citizens. It doesn't matter. If you are their teacher, then you owe it to them to take your role seriously. Put in the time necessary to prepare your lesson. If you're not willing to do that, step down from your teaching post. You don't deserve it.

Can you tell this a hot-button for me? The reason I feel so passionately about it is because I spent the first few years of my ministry getting it wrong. I would wing it quite often. And I'll never forget the day when a man named Mark put it in perspective for me.

I preached a message that I actually put in the time and prayer and effort to prepare. Apparently it showed, because on the way out the door, Mark looked at me and said, "You're a good preacher when you try."

Wow. Gotta love that kind of honesty. I thought I was fooling everyone. I thought I was good at winging it. I thought if I threw something together at the last minute, it would be fine. It wasn't. Mark taught me that lesson with one sentence at the church door.

Thankfully, God has helped me grow tremendously in this area. I wouldn't dream of not giving every single message my very best effort. I would never dream of standing up to teach God's people without hours and hours of prayer and preparation ahead of time.

Put in the time. Take your teaching role seriously. God will honor and bless your efforts.

Third and final installment of this series tomorrow.