Christianity is a Hard Knocked Life

    This week of Advent is calling us to focus on peace. Yes, peace. You may be thinking "How can there be peace!?!? Look at all the wars, violence, hatred, bullying in the world! Our President Elect is Donald Trump! It's impossible for us to be peaceful!" Simply looking at these worldly problems shows no hope, but lucky for us Christianity is a crazy religion.
    What I mean by that is Christianity is a religion that tells us (its followers) to love everyone...not just people you like or agree with. Everyone includes thieves, bullies, drug addicts, diseased, elderly, Democrats, Republicans, men, women, gays, straights, transsexuals, Trump, Hillary, etc. It even means caring for Chicago Blackhawks fans. How does love translate to peace?
   If you're lacking peace in your life, it's safe to ask the question who am I not loving (expressing charity for)? There is nothing in this world that can cause you to lose peace without your consent. Don't believe me? Look at the death of our Savior and the apostles. They did not fear even though they suffered painful deaths. Every painful experience these people would view it as an opportunity to share in Christ's sufferings. Not only the physical sufferings, but the emotional sufferings as well. Times like when Christ was betrayed by one of his best friends (Luke 22), when all of his apostles abandoned him in his darkest hour (Matthew 26:56), or when an entire crowd got up and walked away while he was preaching (John 6:66).
   Peace isn't about changing the things around us to make our lives easier...it's about changing our hearts so that we can love unconditionally.  That means when faced with someone you don't like, you can make decisions with that person's best interest at heart. If for no other reason, because God loves that person and you love God. There will always be unrest in this world, but peace comes from within your heart.

Make Advent Great Again!

    Welcome to Advent...or as most people say "CHRISTMAS SEASON IS HERE!!!" To those people I say, "Simmer down, we've got a month to go. Advent is a time to prepare for Christmas. Preparing for Christmas means buying gifts, decorating inside and outside, visiting Santa in the store, shopping, and preparing for family to come over. These can be extremely stressful times that push us further from God, rather than closer. So how can we flip this?

    Let's think about this philosophically. What adds to the stress? The amount that needs to be done. The amount of gifts, decorations, Pinterest recipes, etc. What if we simplified it? Maybe a few less decorations, making food that is simple to cook, getting creative with your gifts.

    We have made Christmas into a production, and by the 20th we're ready for Christmas to be over before it's even begun. Christmas is a time to celebrate the birth of Christ by caring for one another. You can't care for someone if you're extremely stressed!!!
    The most important thing this Advent is to prepare your heart for Christmas. Be ready to share the love and joy of Christ with friends, family, and strangers. If that means simplifying certain things, DO IT! Your guests will still be satisfied whether you slave over a meal or simply pull out lasagna from the oven with a few store bought pies. Christmas doesn't hinge on the apple pie you made from scratch, it's how you treat others during such a joyous occasion. You are important, not the material things.