Prediction? Pain.

I don't normally do this, but I feel compelled to tell you something ...

my predictions for the NFL playoffs.


Care to share your predictions as well?


NFC:
(5)NY Football Giants beat (4)Tampa Bay Buccaneers
(6)Washington Redskins beat (3)Seattle Seahawks

(5)Giants lose to (2)Green Bay Packers
(6)Redskins lose to (1)Dallas Cowboys

(2)Packers lose to (1)Cowboys


AFC: (I know ... nobody cares)
(5)Jacksonville Jaguars beat (4)Pittsburgh Steelers
(6)Tennessee Titans lose to (3)San Diego Chargers

(5)Jaguars lose to (1)New England Patriots
(3)Chargers lose to (2)Indianapolis Colts

(2)Colts lose to (1)Patriots


Superbowl ... well, I know what I WANT to happen, but I'm not so sure. I have to go with it even though I have my doubts ...
Patriots perfect season comes to an end as Romo pulls a Joe Namath to win Dallas a record 6th Superbowl victory (bringing them to 6-3 in "the dance")


CAVEAT: These are my predictions, but not necessarily what I'd like to see happen. Given my druthers, I'd rather see the Patriots lose to the Jaguars or at least the Colts.

Beating the Colts would be ideal to avenge our close loss in Superbowl V back in 1971.

Get your rest, TO. We're gonna need you in the playoffs.

How would "one and done" be for the Patriots?

Okay ... I'll admit it: Hater in the house.


Your predictions and/or preferences?

when a rapper gets a shiny new tooth

(The following is an article I wrote that was in the Murphy Messenger.)

There are just a few shopping days left until Christmas, so I hope you’re on top of things.

Of course, “tis better to give than to receive,” but we will be receiving some things with varying degrees of joy. Some gifts we will really appreciate and others … uh, well, we say to ourselves, “It’s the thought that counts.” But, is it? Is it really the thought that counts?

Is it better to get a dynamite gift that didn’t require a great deal of thought? For example, a sizable gift card to your favorite store.

Or is it better to receive that thoughtful gift that doesn’t really jazz you? For example, that fruit cake that nobody will eat (no offense intended to my late Grandma Collins) or the Right Guard I got from my Great Aunt one year (was there a hidden message?).

There is a possibility, however, that we’ve created a false dichotomy. It is possible to have a gift which is the product of heartfelt thought but is also a great gift in and of itself.

This is seen in Christmas and the reason for the season. In giving Jesus to the world, God has expressed His love:
“God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Roman 5:8)

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

Jesus was given as the only means of salvation from the penalty of our sin. We owed a debt we could not pay and Christ paid a debt He did not owe.

The reason we give gifts is because such a great gift was given to us. Our gifts will always pale in comparison with regard to heartfelt thought and intrinsic value, but as followers of Christ we love because He has loved us. We forgive because He has forgiven us.

Let me encourage you to show your appreciation for such a wonderful gift by selecting one of the churches advertised in this edition to participate in their Christmas services or any Sunday service. With “New Year’s Resolutions” right around the corner, put “finding a church home” on the list, but in the category of those you actually intend to keep.

(Here's are some suggested means of finding a good church.)

We don’t always have great joy when we write out the “Thank you” cards for the fruit cake or the deodorant, but there is much joy in gathering to celebrate the dear Savior’s birth.

“O Come, Let Us Adore Him, Christ the Lord.”

Merry Christmas,
Gunny

My place is with you. I go where you go.

Just some thoughts on the need for God's presence in our lives, our need to walk with God.

(N.B. That's our need to walk with God; He has no such "need.")


"Abide With Me"

Abide with me! fast falls the eventide;
The darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide!
When other helpers fail, and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, O abide with me.

Swift to its close ebbs out life's little day;
Earth's joys grow dim, its glories pass away;
Change and decay in all around I see:
O Thou who changest not, abide with me!

- Henry Francis Lyte (1793-1847)


"You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless till they find their rest in you"
-Augustine, Confessions


He has told you, O man, what is good;
and what does the LORD require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?
-Micah 6:8 (ESV)

Sometimes it's just that simple and it's simply just what we need.

I could be, but no. Half Irish, half Italian, half Mexican.

Living in this "melting pot" it can be hard at times to know much about our ancestry. Adoption can complicate matters even further.

For example, my mom was adopted and until she was 26 she didn't know the identity of her biological parents.

Recently she found out even more about our lineage, particularly our country of origin, Bohemia.

In addition to myself, another Bohemian of prominence is John Huss, a pre-Reformer we spotlighted recently. Completing the trifecta would be a little Bohemian Rhapsody.

Bohemia is now (the western) part of the Czech Republic, formerly Czechoslovakia. Bohemia has Germany as its western border, Poland to the northeast, and Austria to the south.

(G'Day, mate!)

My ancestry is of the Lucash family, which immigrated to the United States in 1854.

My great great great great grandparents were Johann Georg Lucash (b. 1753) & Anna Zottin (b. 1760), both from Prague, the capital of Bohemia.

My great great great grandparents were Joseph Ignatz Lucash (1793--1868) & Josepha Elizabeth "Lizzie" nee Kraus. Joseph Ignatz Lucash was 61 years old when his family left Prague for the United States, traveling by ship from Bremen, Germany, to New Orleans, after which they traveled up the Mississippi River to St. Louis.

My great great grandfather was Joseph B. Lucash, Sr. (August 2, 1852-December 3, 1926), who was born in Prague. My great great grandmother was Anastia "Anna" Vratney (April 6, 1863-March8, 1918), who was born in Austria.

Their daughter Laura Evelyn Lucash (11th of 14 kids) married Earl Edwin Keck (d. 1969), my great grandparents.

I had never met any of the above ancestors with the exception of Laura Evelyn Keck (nee Lucash), whom the family called Nana.

However, Joseph Ignatz & Lizzie Lucash and Joseph B. & Anastia are buried in Freeburg, Illinois, which I confirmed during a trip to St. Louis in October. I must say, it was good bull walking around a cemetery seeing monuments to my ancestors as there was a large population of Lucash family represented.

I found myself much more interested in my ancestry than I would have thought. I'd known the Germanic heritage from my father's side of the family and that may have fed my affection for the Fatherland the many times I've been there.

Now, however, I really would like to make a trek to Prague at some point and visit the land of my ancestors, physical and of the faith (i.e., Huss).

Do you know your origin and have you had an opportunity to visit?

(*Some of this information I obtained via a webpage run by my 93rd cousin (or thereabouts), highlighting the History of the Lucash Family. He was even kind enough to add our family; I'm listed at 1.5.11.1.1.1.)

It could be, perhaps, that his shoes were too tight. Or maybe his head wasn't screwed on just right.

(*The following is adapted from an article that appears in this week's edition of the Murphy Messenger.*)

How Do You Respond to Christmas?

People respond to Christmas in various ways.

Some celebrate with decorations inside and outside the house. Some respond by demonstrating love to others, including gift giving. Some rejoice in the great gift of the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, mystified by the miracle of the incarnation.

Yet others see Christmas as merely a time to be fleeced by the department stores, and so they resent the whole Christmas season.

Others vent their hostility toward Christmas (e.g.). Some respond by destroying the Christmas decorations of others. Last year, I remember the children of a family in dismay as they examined a lacerated inflatable Santa and a decapitated Rudolph.

Those hostile to Christmas brought sadness to a family that was hoping to share joy with others.

A variety of responses is nothing new. When Jesus was born, some responded by traveling to worship, but others responded with animosity, like Herod who saw Jesus as a threat and murdered every male child under age 2.

Sadly, some respond with hostility to Christmas and any semblance thereof because they are hostile to Christ.

How do you respond to Christmas? Is it a time of joy and kindness? Is it a time of remembering that great Gift that was given for us as God sent His Son who would die so that others might live? Is it merely a time of commercialism? Is it a time of loneliness?

In my front yard I have a sign which reads, “Wise men still seek Him.”

Yet, it's the fear of the Lord that is the beginning of wisdom (Prov 9:10). We must realize that Christ is not an impotent baby, but God in the flesh and One who is not to be trifled with.

Wisdom dictates you greet Christ not with hostility, but in humility seeking forgiveness through His death on the cross.

I hope we all remember the true meaning of Christ’s birth and respond with faith in our hearts and kindness to others.

You go now. No trouble.

This afternoon a former student of mine, Pastor Benji Magness, posted some thoughts from Mark Dever's book What Is a Healthy Church?

These helpful suggestions deal with the issue of how to leave a church and are at the end of the post.

It's important to leave in the right manner, but it's also important to leave for the right reasons, right?

Or to put it another way, it's important to not leave for the wrong reasons, right?

What are valid reasons to leave a church?

One blogger has offered some suggestions (e.g., Preaching and Doctrine).

From my experience as a pastor and in speaking with other pastors, few things are as demotivating or discouraging as when someone leaves the church. For most, it's nearly impossible not to take it personally.

So, pastors, what are some reasons people have had for leaving your church? Which do you find valid? When would you counsel folks that it's right for them to leave?

It seems to me there are 3 questions we could ask and hope to answer:

1. What are valid reasons to leave a church?
2. What are invalid reasons to leave a church?
3. What are reasons that necessitate departure?

I'm going to try to attempt to answer these over the next few posts, but highly welcome your input.

I have become convinced over the years of something I would not have affirmed in the past. Is it ever a sin for a person to leave a church? I would say, "Yes," there are certainly times when a person should not leave.

If there are valid reasons, then there must be invalid reasons. If those reasons are invalid, then leaving is sinful. Right?

Your thoughts?


From Mark Dever's What Is a Healthy Church?

Quick Tips: If You’re Thinking about Leaving a Church ... Before You Decide to Leave

1. Pray.
2. Let your current pastor know about your thinking before you move to another church or make your decision to relocate to another city. Ask for his counsel.
3. Weigh your motives. Is your desire to leave because of sinful, personal conflict or disappointment? If it’s because of doctrinal reasons, are these doctrinal issues significant?
4. Do everything within your power to reconcile any broken relationships.
5. Be sure to consider all the “evidences of grace” you’ve seen in the church’s life—places where God’s work is evident. If you cannot see any evidences of God’s grace, you might want to examine your own heart once more (Matt. 7:3–5).
6. Be humble. Recognize you don’t have all the facts and assess people and circumstances charitably (give them the benefit of the doubt).

If You Go

1. Don’t divide the body.
2. Take the utmost care not to sow discontent even among your closest friends. Remember, you don’t want anything to hinder their growth in grace in this church. Deny any desire to gossip (sometimes referred to as “venting” or “saying how you feel”).
3. Pray for and bless the congregation and its leadership. Look for ways of doing this practically.
4. If there has been hurt, then forgive—even as you have been forgiven.