Today is December 26, also known as “The Day After.”  Just as John 3:17 has lived in the shadow of its more famous predecessor, December 26 is the day that is privileged to follow Christmas.  It’s the day when we clean up, throw away, and rest.  Some families have a tradition of opening a gift on Christmas Eve; none that I know of save one for The Day After.

This morning, the morning of The Day After, I’m sitting at the table with my second pot of coffee and thinking about the past few weeks.  Here are a few of my reflections:

• Christmas in America has become more than a season.  It now begins before Halloween.  The fourth quarter should be renamed the Christmas quarter.
• Many people are trying to do Christmas differently.  They are trying to simplify and are more intentional about how they spend their money.
• People are crazy.  Anyone who waits for hours in the freezing cold just for a chance to buy a large screen TV is crazy.
• Family time is important.  It is ironic, however, that the holidays often make it harder to spend time with those who matter most to you.
• Worship on Christmas Day is significant.  We encourage families to worship together on Easter yet encourage them to take the day off when it’s Christmas.  We had over 300 people for worship on Christmas Day and most of them were not regular attenders.

Those are just a few of my reflections?   How about you?

Over the last six weeks, I’ve begun playing racquetball again.  The last time I played racquetball was in 1988 in Decatur, AL., and all I remember is drinking a Fresca afterwards.

I’ve been playing with a few friends from Mountainview, including our newest pastor — Mark Scott.  He only seems like a nice guy when he preaches; get him on the racquetball court and he shows no mercy.

To help improve and get in better shape, I’ve been playing what they call “lunch time shuttles.”  The idea is simple: you play to fifteen points or fifteen minutes, whichever comes first.  Win and you move up a court.  Lose and you move down a court.  It’s been a great way to get playing time while also meeting people from the community.  On a typical shuttle day, at least twenty to twenty-five people show up.

Not all my movement has been to a lower court.  OK, most of it has been but it’s still a lot of fun.  Except when the ball smacks you in the buns.  That’s never fun.

Finished week two of my E4U class “Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters” last night … and even more guys showed up!  I’m a bit slow at times but I’m beginning to think we’ve tapped a nerve.  Not only do we have almost 40 guys in the class, but they’re tuned in as well.

Now I’m starting to think we need something after this, a next step of sorts.  It’s not easy being a dad – whether you have a son or daughter or both.  And our culture is making it increasingly difficult as well.  It encourages immodesty where we prefer modesty … and on and on the battle goes.

One thing this class has reminded me of is this: most men want to be good dads.  The motivation is there but the know-how might be lacking.  God can work with the person who lacks the skills but has the heart.  Unfortunately, we do have men in our society who have no desire to be dads, even though they may be fathers. But give me the ones with desire and we’ll have a blast.

So, what do think would be good next steps after the class finishes?

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Romans 14:7 … For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone.

You’ve heard it said, “No man is an island.”  It’s true.  How we live impacts those around us — either intentionally and directly, or unintentionally and indirectly.  Regardless of intent, our lives will leave a residue on those we come into contact with.

How we live impacts those around us, and so will our deaths.  Not just in the sense of grieving a physical loss but also the loss of potential or hopes or dreams.

Give thought to how you’re living and the influence it is having on those around you.  And give yourself a few moments to reflect on how your death will leave the world around you.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 … Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

On New Year’s Day, we received word that Tonya’s brother had been found dead in his apartment.  Needless to say, we were stunned.  Tonya went to be with her parents early in the week and the girls and I followed on Friday.  His funeral was on Saturday.

I have done nearly one hundred funerals in my lifetime.  No funeral is easy because you are straddling the fence between life and death.  Besides my mom and dad’s funerals, this was the next hardest funeral I’ve ever had to do.  When it was over, it felt like I had just finished preaching twelve sermons back-to-back.

The week leading up to the funeral was a week of reflection.  Tony died young — only 46 years old.  Life is short, unpredictable.  Tomorrow is not guaranteed. 

You might be in your twenties and feel invincible.  You might be in your forties and think you’re at half-time.  The truth is, today is the day the Lord has made and tomorrow will be a blessing bestowed by Him.  Are you living life on purpose?  Are you living like your hair is on fire?  That’s my way of saying, are you living with a sense of urgency?

Make every moment count.  Love your loved ones.  Live well.

May God’s peace and favor rest on you.

2011 is knocking at the door, with 2010 only having a few more hours.  I know it’s a sign of growing old but it’s hard to believe we’re ten years into the 21st century.  I’m not sure I’m any better at reflecting now than I was ten years ago, but here it goes …

My family continues to be my greatest blessing.  Persistent and patient, my wife landed a job with Douglas County Schools and is already making her mark.  I know that as parents and colleagues interact with her, she will continue to make a great impression. 

Our daughters continue to blossom.  I’m encouraged by the friends they make and how they each lead in their own way.  As “grown-up” conversation becomes more possible, it is such a joy to hear them express themselves.

On the ministry front, this has been the first full year out of twenty that I have served in an associate role.  It has its ups and downs.  Fortunately, I have opportunities to do the things I love: preaching, teaching, and leading people – only in different amounts than what I have been used to.

It was ten years ago that God placed three life goals on my heart.  They were to be a part of a church-planting church, to reach my generation for Jesus, and to invest in the next generation of church leaders.  This reaffirmation of my calling remains as firm as ever.  It’s what gives me purpose as well as leading to frustration when those goals seem stalled.

2010 has been a learning experience for me … learning how to be a better husband and father … learning what it means to be a Christ-follower first and a pastor second … learning to contribute as a passenger on the bus and not the driver.  I know that God never wastes an experience; we do.  From that perspective, I want to learn as much as I can from 2010 so that 2011 can be even more productive, effective, and enjoyable.

May you enjoy these last few hours of 2010.  And remember … the best way to start a new year is with a good night’s sleep.

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Yesterday, Tonya and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary – hard to believe but only getting better with each year.  We stayed in downtown Denver at the Oxford Hotel, a place that has been in existence for over one hundred years. We enjoyed a great production of “A Christmas Carol” and a late dinner at McCormicks.

Twenty years ago we got married in Memphis during a tremendous rain storm.  After the wedding and reception we rode off in a limousine (complete with Tonya popping her head out the sun roof, much the way the Queen of England would do).  We spent our first married night in Memphis, our second in Jackson, Mississippi, our third in Pascagoula, and in many different cities ever since.

Tonya was raised in a minister’s home and for some reason decided to marry one, too.  I have often told people that congregations hire me just to get her.  It is probably more true than I realize.  She had been more than I could have asked for in terms of a helper, counselor, and friend.  Her judgment has kept me from making mistakes I would have blundered into on my own.

As I watch her with our daughters, I see the woman I hope our girls will become.  Tender-hearted, faithful, patient, and resilient.  She is one who puts her love of God above all and it shows.  I see our daughters doing the same and it brings me such joy.

We have journeyed many miles in twenty years, literally and figuratively.  San Diego, San Francisco, Atlanta, and Denver. We left the denomination we both grew up in; not an easy choice or transition. It came with conflict and hurt feelings.  We started a new church from scratch when it would have been more comfortable to stay where we were. We made the decision to close down that same church even though it had become a third child to us.

At each step of the way, her concern was simply that we be following the call of God.  There were many opportunities to do what was comfortable but that has never been our objective. And I do mean “our” objective because it has been a shared journey.

Lord willing, if we are blessed to celebrate our 30th anniversary, it will be with children off to college, grayer hairs on our heads, and more creaking in our bones.  I’m not sure what those next ten years might hold but I do know who I’d like to be holding.

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If you’re going to be in a car for 10-12 hours, why settle for McDonald’s?

On our drive through Kansas yesterday we hit Topeka around lunchtime.  For those of you who don’t know, Topeka is in Kansas (and happens to be the capital).  Pulling out my HTC EVO, I did a quick search for Topeka restaurants and found one that had been featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.

Bobo’s Drive-In on 10th Avenue was fantastic.

It’s been there for over 50 years and doesn’t appear to have changed much.  We opted for the “step up” seating, which was inside and consisted of a few booths and a counter.  It was packed!

We ordered steakburgers, French fries, onion rings, and spicy cheese sticks. The steakburgers were smashed thin and had excellent taste.  The onion rings were outstanding.  I’m not normally a big onion ring fan, but when I saw a plate go by, I was sold.

Even going to the bathroom was an adventure. You passed through the kitchen, went down the stairs, and around a corner.  The basement shows its age, which for me, only added to the charm.

If in Topeka, check it out.   I know we will.