War on Christmas?

The lights are starting to flicker. Decorations are starting to appear. The shopping has begun. Favorite movies commemorating family, joy, and tradition are being advertised.  December is upon us!

Happy holidays!  Or, um, Merry X-mas!  Wait, what?  How about we enjoy a rich dark cup of coffee in a nondescript, red-paper-cup!

wpid-Photo-20151110062811890First: That whole Starbucks cup thing was, at best, a total misrepresentation of Christianity. At worst it was a holiday hoax perpetrated by anti-christian media.   Maybe, and I know I’m going out on a limb here, maybe Starbucks just has an incredible advertising and marketing team.

christmas-18Second: In the original language of the New Testament, Greek, the word for “Christ” is a word that begins with the Greek letter that is pretty much the exact same letter as the English letter X.  So originally, Xmas was simply an abbreviation of the word Christmas.  It was not a grand conspiracy to take Christ out of Christmas.

game-planThird: How about we develop a game-plan for having a wonderful, joyful, incredible, family holiday season?

Here are some suggestions to get you started…

  1. Forget about any supposed “war on Christmas”.  Just celebrate with your family.  Read the original story and rehearse the significance of Jesus’ birth together.
  2. Go ahead and wish people a very Merry Christmas. Even people whose nick-name may very well be “scrooge”.
  3. Speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15).  This is a great time of the year to share God’s love and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
  4. Pray that Christians in general will focus on things that matter.  Pray that we would be peaceful warriors in the culture war!
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by Pastor Clegguart Mitchell on November 30, 2015  •  Permalink
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Posted by Pastor Clegguart Mitchell on November 30, 2015

https://clegguart.com/2015/11/30/war-on-christmas/

A Box of Chocolates

7098_dtEvery year around the holidays my grandmother would purchase Russell Stover boxes of assorted chocolates.  Lots of them.  (Wow, just thinking about this makes my mouth water.)  Anyway, she always had the chocolates out for family and friends who happened to stop by for a visit.

Motivated, of course, to help my grandmother resist these tiny temptations I would eat as many as possible on every visit.  I had actually become so familiar with these delightful sweets that I could identify them by color, shape, swirl, or just looking at the edges.  Of course the very best way to identify them was to  gently press your finger into the bottom of each one.

Those chocolates were amazing!  (I had to beat my sister to the box in order to get the good ones.)  Some of them had soft creamy centers and some had hard candy centers.  Some had peanut butter, some had caramel, and some had toffee.  Some of them even had peanuts, almonds, or walnuts in the center.

Now let’s be honest here. That pretty well describes any local church family.  Some people are hard, some people are soft, and some people are just nuts covered in chocolate!

One of the key strengths of the Church is that we are not all identical.  Why do I say strength?  Because the watching world looks at this local group of drastically different individuals and marvels at our unity and the deep affection we have for one another (see John 13:34-35; 1 Corinthians 12:12-27; Ephesians 4).

How is this unity amidst such diversity possible?  It is only possibly through the blood of Jesus Christ.  The Apostle Paul said, “For in Him [Jesus Christ] all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross” (Colossians 1:19-20).

Through the precious blood of Jesus Christ we now share the same heavenly Father (John 1:12-13), the same Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:13), the same Body (the Church; Ephesians 1:22-23), the same heavenly Destiny (Revelation 21:1–4), and we share the same holy Calling (1 Peter 1:16)!

  • Do you know God’s peace? Romans 3:10-23; 5:8; 6:10-11, 23; 10:9-10, 13
  • If you DO know God’s peace: Romans 12:18; Romans 14:19; 2 Corinthians 13:11; Ephesians 4:3; Colossians 3:15; James 3:18
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by Pastor Clegguart Mitchell on October 28, 2015  •  Permalink
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Posted by Pastor Clegguart Mitchell on October 28, 2015

https://clegguart.com/2015/10/28/a-box-of-chocolates/

Worldliness Weed-Killer

RX-DK-SSH10002_weeding-out_s4x3.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.1280.960If the world is not rooted out from our hearts, it will devour us. There must be weeding if the good seed of grace is to grow. But what weed-killer can we use against the spirit of the world?

Here is a potent, three-fold formula from the Bible:
1. Recognize that love of the world is the enemy of the love of the Father (1 John 2:15). You cannot have both. You must choose one only. Make the right choice.

2. Remember that it was the world that crucified Christ and that it took the sacrifice of the Cross to deliver you from it (Gal. 6:14). How can you negotiate with the spirit which plotted the assassination of your Savior?

3. Reflect on the fact that the world, in this sense, is transient and ephemeral (1 John 2:17); it is not a solid investment. Devote yourself instead to having “treasure in heaven” (Matt. 6:19-21).

~  From Sinclair Ferguson

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by Pastor Clegguart Mitchell on July 10, 2015  •  Permalink
Posted in Change, Walking with wise men...One line at a time.

Posted by Pastor Clegguart Mitchell on July 10, 2015

https://clegguart.com/2015/07/10/worldliness-weed-killer/

Bacon, Egg, & Cheese Day!

fairfax-fare-egg-and-cheese-english-muffin-with-bacon-2Friday morning has become something of a special treat in our house.  It’s “Bacon, Egg, & Cheese (did I mention bacon?) Day”!  I did not intend for it to happen, but I have become the unofficial cook on Friday mornings.  Honestly, it just doesn’t get much better than a hot cup of coffee and sizzling bacon, so I’m not complaining!

On this particular morning however, three of our children are not feeling well, nobody in our house got much sleep, and everyone was exhausted.  Even my coffee seemed to be dragging its feet this morning.  It’s been a long week and nothing has really gone “as planned,” at all.

So there I was, bacon on the griddle, bread in the toaster, skillet warming, eggs ready and music playing in the background.  I even had Noah contentedly sitting in his bouncy seat so Jenny could take care of some laundry.  Picture perfect. Until…

The bacon wasn’t cooking, Caleb was coughing and begging, others were wandering around in the kitchen (in the way), a couple kids disappeared, and I even tripped over the baby’s seat, twice (he did not notice and he was not injured in any way).

Hannah let me know that I’d been turning the griddle down not up.  Grace informed me that she was “starving to death.”  The egg pan got too hot.  I burned the first round of toast.  Apparently there was even a lego controversy that morning; should the castle tower have a door or not?  Oh, and Caleb informed mommy that “daddy would not give him a drink of water.”

Eventually everyone did enjoy their, albeit crispy,“Bacon, Egg, & Cheese” breakfast.

Here is the point: Go and hug your wife (and your mom), tell her how amazing she is and how much you genuinely appreciate her.  Express your love and praise for her clearly and audibly.  Believe me, you do not do this enough.

Proverbs 31:28 “Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her.”

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by Pastor Clegguart Mitchell on April 24, 2015  •  Permalink
Posted in Family, Food For Thought
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Posted by Pastor Clegguart Mitchell on April 24, 2015

https://clegguart.com/2015/04/24/bacon-egg-cheese-day/

The Spring

5981072921_85f00f6334_zHere is the spring where waters flow, 

To quench our heart of sin:

Here is the tree where truth doth grow,

To lead our lives therein:

Here is the judge that stints the strife,

When men’s devices fail:

Here is the bread that feeds the life

That death cannot assail.

The tidings of salvation dear,

Comes to our ears from hence:

The fortress of our faith is here,

And shield of our defense.

Then be not like the swine that hath

A pearl at his desire,

And takes more pleasure from the trough

And wallowing in the mire.

Read not this book in any case,

But with a single eye:

Read not but first desire God’s grace,

To understand thereby.

Pray still in faith with this respect,

To bear good fruit therein,

That knowledge may bring this effect,

To mortify thy sin.

Then happy you shall be in all your life,

What so to you befalls:

Yes, double happy you shall be,

When God by death you calls.

~ From the first Bible printed in Scotland, 1576~

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by Pastor Clegguart Mitchell on April 10, 2015  •  Permalink
Posted in Food For Thought, Poetry, Walking with wise men...One line at a time.
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Posted by Pastor Clegguart Mitchell on April 10, 2015

https://clegguart.com/2015/04/10/the-spring/

“Frozen” Cereal?

15833676258_80c302e68b_z 2Oh wow,  I just heard my dad’s voice, quoting my mother, coming out of my own mouth.  Nooooo!  It cannot be.  (*hanging my head and sighing audibly.)

So I went by the store on my way home the other day.  I was on a simple mission: go in, get a few items (on my list), get out, go home.  As I passed the end-cap of the aisle those mean grocery people had placed a gimmick-cereal there in order to grab the attention of little girls and soft-hearted fathers of little girls; Frozen.

Just to make sure the big softy could not refuse, the cereal was basically just a dumbed down version of Lucky Charms.  It only had two kinds of marshmallows “snow and ice crystals.”  I know…boring colors, right?

Oh yeah, and because Kellogg knows that dads have a hard time denying their daughters happiness, the box is smaller but costs just the same.  Thanks a lot Anna, Elsa, Olaf, Kristoff and Sven.  In my defense it does say, in all capital letters, right across the top of the box “Collector’s Edition”.

So now we’re sitting at the breakfast table with little people eating their Frozen cereal.  They are smiling, fully absorbed in the cartoon images on the box, and bouncing ever so slightly in their seats.  Then it happened.

“Stop eating the marshmallows with your fingers … you are going to eat all of your cereal, not just the colors.”  Aaaaaaahh!  My dad’s voice, my mom’s words, and my own mouth.  The only consolation is that I did not employ the “there are starving children in Africa” line.

Upon recovering from this echo from my childhood, three things quickly cross my mind:

  1. It is not the end of the world if the kids only eat the marshmallows.
  2. I am so thankful for my mom and dad (especially their patience).
  3. As a father I am always influencing my children, always.

“Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger (bad influence), but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord (good influence).”  Ephesians 6:4

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by Pastor Clegguart Mitchell on February 5, 2015  •  Permalink
Posted in Family, Fun
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Posted by Pastor Clegguart Mitchell on February 5, 2015

https://clegguart.com/2015/02/05/frozen-cereal/

Another Interesting Day

10392395_948072435205005_7364522351814597439_nOn Monday, January 26, at 1:55AM the newest addition to our family officially arrived.  In a moment of incredible joy, the kind that erupts with both tears and giggling, little Noah Charles Mitchell emerged to snuggle in his beautiful mommy’s arms.

I’m actually smiling (and fighting a tear) now.  I can’t help it!  There is nothing that compares with that image etched on my heart.  It’s just…powerful…and I am, thankful.

Upon bring our precious little Noah home we discovered that one of the other children has a runny nose, is coughing, and apparently didn’t mind sharing their germs.  So now three of the children have colds.  Man I wish somebody would have suggested that I invest in Huggies and Puffs twenty years ago!

As I hold Noah in one arm while using the other to type, Jenny is resting and the rest of the kids are just beginning to stir.  From the sounds echoing through our house, it’s going to be another interesting day.

Once again I am keenly aware of just how important my role is as a husband and a dad.  On this pre-dawn early morning there are two Scriptures capturing my attention:

1Peter 3:7 “…husbands, live with your wives in an UNDERSTANDING way, showing HONOR to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that YOUR PRAYERS may not be hindered.” (emphasis added intentionally!)

And Proverbs 20:7  “The righteous [dad] who walks in his integrity—blessed are his children after him!

Do you want God to hear you when you pray?  Love your wife by being understanding and honoring to her.  Do you want your children to be blessed by God?  Seek God through Christ and practice integrity.

10955798_948164801862435_3138221462458336295_n

 

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by Pastor Clegguart Mitchell on February 5, 2015  •  Permalink
Posted in Family

Posted by Pastor Clegguart Mitchell on February 5, 2015

https://clegguart.com/2015/02/05/another-interesting-day/

Professional Parents

parenting2As I am writing this we are still awaiting the newest addition to our family.  Everyone in our house seems giddy with anticipation. None, of course, more than Jenny.  Though I’m not sure “giddy” is the right word to describe her eager desire to deliver this child.

You would think that after seven other children I would not be so unsettled.  To be honest, and it’s a little weird to admit, but I feel just as nervous as I did the first time.

Some people act like we must be professional parents.  They respond dismissively saying, “Oh, you have…seven…children? Wow. So, this is just routine for you guys.” Or they use the Gaffigan line, “Well that’s one way to live your life.”   I actually had one guy say to me, “Really? Man, what were you thinkin’?”

What I know is that every child is a gift from God that should not be taken for granted (Psalm 127-128).  Every one of our children is totally unique (Psalm 139:13-16).  Every day in our house is new, unusual, and often a fun-filled adventure (Ephesians 6:4).  Every moment is speeding by at sixty-minutes-per-hour (Proverbs 22:6).

The clock may very well be speeding by, and it is.  At the moment though, it feels like its standing still.  So I will keep doing what my beautiful wife and our new baby need me to do right now, pray.

If you are a dad, your family needs you praying for them.  They need you to be the “righteous man” whose prayers “avail much” on their behalf (see James 5:16).  With God, you can do this (James 4:8-10, 12)!

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by Pastor Clegguart Mitchell on January 21, 2015  •  Permalink
Posted in Family, Food For Thought

Posted by Pastor Clegguart Mitchell on January 21, 2015

https://clegguart.com/2015/01/21/professional-parents/

Christmas in Heaven

Golden-Christmas-ornaments-christmas-22229833-904-768I see the countless Christmas trees
Around the world below,
With tiny lights like heaven’s stars
Reflecting in the snow.

The sight is so spectacular
please wipe away that tear
for I am spending CHRISTMAS
WITH JESUS CHRIST this year.

I hear the many Christmas songs
that people hold so dear
but the sound of music can’t compare
with the CHRISTMAS CHOIR up here.

I have no words to tell you
of the JOY their voices bring
for it is beyond description
to HEAR THE ANGELS SING.

I know how much you miss me,
I see the pain inside your heart
for I am spending CHRISTMAS
WITH JESUS CHRIST this year.

I can’t tell you of the SPLENDOR
or the PEACE here in this place
Can you just imagine CHRISTMAS
WITH OUR SAVIOR face to face?

I’ll ask him to lift your spirit
as I tell him of your love
so then PRAY FOR ONE ANOTHER
as you lift your eyes above.

Please let your hearts be joyful
and let your spirit sing
for I am spending CHRISTMAS IN HEAVEN
and I’m walking WITH THE KING.

By Wanda Bencke

(Lysandra Kay Bencke was my thirteen year old handicapped daughter. On Christmas day 1997, Lysandra had a seizure and was in a coma for five days before she died. During those five days I wrote the poem “Christmas in Heaven”. I sent it out in a belated Christmas cards to friends and relatives that year. They also sent it on to other friends and relatives, thus the poem and the story behind it have been changed. )

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by Pastor Clegguart Mitchell on December 25, 2014  •  Permalink
Posted in Family, Poetry
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Posted by Pastor Clegguart Mitchell on December 25, 2014

https://clegguart.com/2014/12/25/christmas-in-heaven/

Ferguson & Friday

8316fdf799cf77f5891fbddc5177c47eIt’s true.  I typically start listening to Christmas music in October.  I start thinking about putting up a tree in early November.  I can’t help it.  This time of the year, between Thanksgiving and Christmas, with gratitude, great food, a sense of anticipation, deer hunting, gift wrapping, and snow (yes, SNOW) it is my favorite time of the year.

This year, at least for now, I have a heavy heart.  I’m writing this on the eve of Thanksgiving Day.  The past two nights have openly displayed the raw depravity of man’s heart.  How?  Ferguson.

Listen, we in America are conditioned to accept rioting and looting on Thanksgiving weekend.  It’s called “Black Friday.”  You know, that day when people are lured into stores so they can trample anyone and everyone in order to get the stuff you want. (Sorry, I meant to say, “take care of their Christmas list.”)

My heart is heavy watching buildings burn.

My heart is heavy listening to the “race” narrative.

My heart is heavy feeling the simple reality of sin unleashed as it destroys all in its path. (Ferguson or Friday)

In the background Christmas music is playing… “And in despair I bowed my head: “There is no peace on earth,” I said, “For hate is strong and mocks the song Of peace on earth, good will to men.” Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: “God is not dead, nor doth he sleep; The wrong shall fail, the right prevail, With peace on earth, good will to men.”

This world is a mess.  We human beings are a mess.  Why?  Because of our sin (Romans 3:23; 5:12).  If we don’t understand that, then we will not understand this: “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:10-11

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by Pastor Clegguart Mitchell on November 26, 2014  •  Permalink
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Posted by Pastor Clegguart Mitchell on November 26, 2014

https://clegguart.com/2014/11/26/ferguson-friday/

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