Is Christmas just for Kids?

I admit it I am a kid at heart! Growing up in a large family in a small rural Mid-Western town, I have stored some really good memories, and of course they are somewhat romanticized. Magical snow-falls on cold nights, sledding on a hill that at the time seemed a lot longer and steeper than it is today, drinking hot chocolate with large melted marsh-mellows that left a mustache on my upper lip but did warm up my chilled to the bones body! I remember Christmas Eve services at my church where we held candles while singing "Silent Night" at midnight and then heard the church bells ring as the service ended. Now that was pretty cool. I remember all 5 of us kids "sleeping" in the same room on Christmas Eve and waiting the next morning for our parents to drink their coffee before we could come downstairs, open our stockings first and then taking turns (youngest to oldest and one at a time) opening our presents and saying thank you after each one.
Good memories as a kid for sure, and later as a Dad myself I did my best to create memories for my girls. Whether it was decorating the house, letting them pick out the real tree, and decorating it with the sounds of really old Christmas music playing in the background. We would read my collection of Christmas stories while drinking hot chocolate and picking out a local family to share the 12 Days of Christmas with as we anonymously put a package on the front steps, rang the door bell and ran before they could see us and never knew who did it!
But my girls are grown up now, and just a couple weeks ago I helped my oldest and her husband decorate their very first tree and listen to the same corny Christmas music that she has to play! It can be depressing not having little ones around, but I truly want to focus on the gift of God and everything that goes with it. I don't want to get caught up on racking my brain out trying to come up with that just right gift for the special people in my life in hopes that they will really, really love it or hope that those who choose to give me a gift will give me just the right one so that my fragile ego will be stroked just enough to feel good!
No, instead I want to experience the knowledge from head to heart that God truly loved me enough to send His perfect Son to take my place and pay in full the penalty for my waywardness that my efforts and good deeds could never do. I am amazed that God would replace my filthy rags of niceness and good works that will always fall short with a royal robe of His righteousness that Christ Himself will put on me. I can barely take in that He chose to adopt me, give me an inheritance that has a value that cannot be measured and that God would not just choose me but use me, that He would give me a new identity, a new name and allow me to come boldly before Him with confidence all because of what Jesus did by being obedient instead of keeping His rightful, comfortable throne in Heaven and leave it for a humble, smelly stable. That He would choose to be spat on, wrongly accused, mocked, beaten beyond recognition and then endure for awhile the cross and be separated from His Father all so that we could be set free from sin and be forgiven.
He has changed the world, the fact that the world stops and celebrates Him is amazing, but that we worship temporal gifts instead of the true gift and the great gift giver must sadden Him immensely. May Christmas 2010 become the year when we all bend down on our knees and take the time to worship and adore what this season and holiday are all about! Oh Come Let Us Adore Him, Christ the Lord!

A Paradigm Shift in True Christianity!

Question - Why are most Christians here in the United States not radically different than the many believers in other countries who are literally being imprisoned, tortured or dying because they are willing to stand up and stand out for their faith? Answer - because churches here are spending so little time helping new believers truly "get it". They are often in too big of a hurry making sure the new believer fits into their culture than helping them really fall deeply in love with God. Most mature believers have become saturated with the world and fitting into a bland form of religion. The church in the U.S. has for the longest time been far more interested in how many members or attenders they have, how many programs they provide, who has the nicest facilities, children's programs, student ministries and worship experience instead of walking a new believer by the hand to the point where transformation is taking place and knowing and living out scripture is an obvious part of their DNA. Is what churches are teaching/modeling about following God really making a difference? I don't think so, look around you and see the results of what I call the "Have to" principle and has almost always trumped the "Want to" principle. What I mean by this is we spend so little time helping new followers fall so deeply in love with God that they want to spend time with Him, reading His words, memorizing and meditating on it. Worship is alive and authentic, giving time, money and gifts are want to and not have to, and true community is something those where those on the outside looking in desperately want for themselves. Instead we communicate verbally and non-verbally that going to church services, being in a Life Group, serving and giving are the deal. THEY ARE NOT THE DEAL, but they can be a result of the true deal!

It took Jesus 3 years with 12 guys and honestly they did not get it until Jesus left and sent the Holy Spirit for them to be different. If 3 years of daily time with Jesus wasn't quite enough back then, how can we presume to think a 4 week Sermon Series on transformation, and then herding them into a Life/Small Group will do the trick?

Spending time helping believers get it requires first and foremost helping them have "right thinking" about God and authentic Biblical thinking. Often times this means "un-doing" a lot of false truth, misconceptions and have to's. This process cannot be hurried!!! How can it be? If George Gallup and George Barna are correct regarding how many people here in the States claim to be Born Again Christians and not just Protestant's than why hasn't this world and country become something other that what it is...A MESS? I declare that we must take time to help new followers get how much God loves them, all that He has done for them and all that they are in Him. If they get this, the overflow of the hearts and their minds will become transformational in how they live. Look at Acts chapter 2 and what you will find is a radically different church than what we see in 99% of churches today. People cannot be transformed through a single service or program, how many followers have been taught the great commission found in Matthew 28? I know many can recite this verse, but seriously when we are commanded to "teach everything that Jesus was and did" how many Christians know what this is? Instead we have a Biblically illiterate society, I have witnessed this everywhere I go to speak or worship. It's not because churches are not providing classes and programs, for I think it's being provided, it's just that we do not have disciplers or mentors (whatever you want to call them) taking the time to walk alongside a new follower until he or she gets it. We cannot pass go and collect $25 here, this part is critical.

Jesus taught the Seed Principle found in the Gospels (Matthew 13/Luke 8) when He told the story about 4 kinds of seeds. Only 1 in 4 produced fruit. I don't know about you but that is a horrible statistic!! I am going to begin praying and fasting for a transformational movement where all we do is help people "get it" before we ask them to go public about it, where we really walk alongside new followers while they fall in love with God, and not the do's and don't of religion and church, but a radical way of seeing God for who He really is, what He has really done and who we are in Him. Who will join me, or lead me to whom can I join to see this into reality? I know it starts with prayer as it must come first and foremost through faith in God. Believe me, God wants this, grieves over it not being here already and wants us who are secure in our faith to pass this onto others! May God ignite a new Christianity here in the States that overflows out of hearts that are fully in love with Him.

60 Years is Quite Amazing!

I am flying out of Florida tomorrow to go back to my hometown in Illinois to gather with all of my siblings, my daughters, son in law, their nephews, nieces, their kids and their grandkids to celebrate something truly amazing. My Dad and Mom married each other 60 years ago this month! That's a long time and worth celebrating!!! As with any kid growing up back then there were things I didn't like, that I suffered through, and things I wished were different about my parents and family. It's taken some years of thinking, writing and talking things out to come to a very good and accepting place about my life! And we didn't even have that much dysfunction! But growing up the 4th of 5, and with the 3 ahead me being high achievers and popular didn't make it easy for me since I was neither particularly smart, athletic or popular! I eventually caught up in many ways, but what I KNEW and could count on was that I always had the love and support of my parents and my family. My folks showed love and verbalized it too. And a part of their legacy is the reality that the 5 of us off-spring all love each other deeply, would do anything for each other and those around us, and that we are pretty close!

We are planning a fun and hopefully memorable celebration, a catered dinner, a photographer, an open house, some gifts and speeches! All of this to honor them and they deserve it!!! They have seen a lot happen in history since 1950, they raised 5 kids without microwaves and a dishwasher, we had one car for many years, one tv without a remote control, we shared rooms. There were Dr. and Dentist visits they probably could not afford, Christmas and birthday presents that made any luxuries impossible, and sacrifice was a regular part of their lives. Most of our vacations were spent visiting relatives or camping,and we didn't mind at all. I can't imagine what it was like paying for school supplies and clothes at the beginning of each school year! My Dad worked a factory job even though he truly wanted to be a history teacher, and my Mom worked mostly as a Florist. I can't imagine they had much money left over after a trip to the grocery store, but we never lacked for anything. They loved on as best they knew how, made sure we were honest and respectful and didn't swear, or we would get our mouth's washed out with Ivory soap. They came to our sporting events (well Mom didn't, she couldn't stand watching). They even put a couple of us through college even though they never went.

In just a few words - they were rock steady and always could be counted on. They remained faithful to each other even though they are two very different people. As we gather this weekend there will be 4 generations of Conklin's and a long and wonderful legacy passed on! Here's to you Don and Dorothy Conklin, congratulations on 60 years of marriage, that is quite amazing and so are you Dad and Mom!

Welcome to the Family

This past weekend my oldest daughter Brittany married Thomas Rivera up in N.E. Georgia. Of course a family wedding can be a pretty big deal, but when you are the Father of the Bride, well, it was my first! I need to admit something from the get go, I screwed up quite a bit these last 4 years while they dated. I am not saying it was all my fault, but I need to take responsibility for my actions/lack of them. I am a Father that has been pretty protective of my girls and I have prayed for my daughter's spouses since the day they were born. I prayed that their husbands would love God first and foremost, my daughters next and then take great care of them by providing for them and bringing out the best in them! I messed up because I made it nearly impossible for Thomas to reach the standards I had in my head and heart. I became a very judgmental and self-righteous person, and it spilled out in other area's of my life.

Fortunately, God and some special people in my life who have a lot of wisdom and were willing to speak the truth in love to me, helped redeem the situation. Thanks to Karyn, my Mom, Tim Popadic and Dick Walker!!! And thank you Holy Spirit for convicting me gently, and for author John Piper's writings which help steer me in the right direction. I have much to learn and a long way to go on this journey that's for sure! All that to say that in that final hour I call 11:59:59, I was able to sit with Brittany and Thomas and confess sin, seek forgiveness, walk in repentance and start fresh! Thank you Britt and Thomas for grace and forgiveness. I always wanted a son and now I have a son-in-law whom I want to get to know a lot better and do fun, masculine and spiritual things together.


I write this to express to you that no matter what you've done or not done, or what's been done to you, it's never to late for redeeming it all!! Hope is a powerful thing and I want to give you some if I can. I didn't see a way out of my mess up and knew I had pushed my daughter and Thomas away by my self-righteous behavior. But, thankfully through a teachable spirit and an incredible God, the best outcome prevailed. If there is a relationship in your life that needs healing and reconciliation, or a wrong that needs righting, or some sin that needs confessing, I just want you to know that it's never too late! God wants us to live in peace and harmony, with love and grace lavished all over each other. Swallow your pride (not easy to admit or do) and make the move toward everything God wants for you (wherever possible make your amends). The results of this are incredible!!! They lighten your load, bring freedom and allow you to have hope for a great present and future.

My family drove 2,000 miles roundtrip over the weekend to be together for this joyous occasion and we all had the time of our lives! What was also amazing was how much easier my family accepted and loved on Thomas than I ever did previously. Thomas, welcome to the family!!!

Pastor in Disguise

As most of you know I was in full time ministry as an Associate Pastor for 25 years, I was also a College Head Coach, and a High School Coach, but really I have been a Pastor most of my adult life. These last few years I have been working in the Optical Field to put food on the table. I have learned ,and it has been a great place to be light and salt way outside the walls of a local church. Most first time patients I help have no idea I have been in ministry, though through these 3 years I have many repeat patients, and there have been many wonderful conversations regarding spiritual matters. I have even preached at a local church through some patients of mine who are Elders at their church and invited me to preach. This was a very cool experience. Last week one of my patients (I think a very wealthy one as he had a driver/attendant) came into the store and wanted me to fill a couple prescriptions, as we conversed he looked at me and said, "you are so spiritual, you are like an Pastor in disguise"... It was to me a wonderful compliment in so many ways.
Truly I can't wait to get back into full time ministry (my calling from God) but what a cool thing for a stranger to pick up on what God has called me to be and sees in me!