The No Turkey Thanksgiving

This year, there will be no turkey for me. In fact, there has never been. My family doesn’t celebrate Thanksgiving, even though I’ve always wanted to–stuffed turkey, gravy, and all.

At the same time, I’m glad that I don’t get to drown under the holiday frenzy. Lately, it feels like these holidays are only an excuse to shop and indulge in consumeristic habits (Black Friday, Christmas presents…). We feel festive, we feel joyous, but the true reason behind the origin and celebration of holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas are not even mentioned anymore. 

So many people have a big Thanksgiving dinner and even hold hands while saying grace, but they haven’t really taken the time to thank God for what they have. The celebration of Thanksgiving is not so much about the dinner; it’s about the attitude of gratitude. Christmas is not so much about giving, but about celebrating Jesus’ birth for our redemption. If these holidays lose their essence, there is no use in celebrating them anymore.

Sometimes, I think we can get caught up in the turkey, the full belly after dinner, and the bargains. We forget what’s most important: reflecting on the goodness of God toward our lives, thanking Him for the blessings He has given us. And this is not just a one-day thing; we must exercise this daily.

So for you, Thanksgiving celebrators, go enjoy your yummy dinner! My mouth waters as I think about it! But remember that the turkey doesn’t make Thanksgiving. A thankful heart makes Thanksgiving.

I will celebrate Thanksgiving, no turkey and all!

The mysteries of John Mark McMillan

I can’t help but dedicate one of my blog posts to John Mark McMillan.

Just recently, I stumbled upon one of his [new to me] songs from The Medicine album, “My Only” and I’ve had it on repeat continuously. I can’t help it.

There’s something magical and mysterious about his songs. They give me the truest glimpses of God I’ve ever been able to find through music. His lyrics are raw, verging into the gutsy and gory, at times. But his deep, country voice somehow finds a way to make it sound like a folk masterpiece.

And that’s what I like about him. He’s unconventional. He talks about real brokenness and redemption with no makeup on. He is not afraid to admit that he struggles with God and pain, and sometimes He cries out in desperation for answers. He doesn’t try to hide or sugarcoat how needy and naked we are. And when we see ourselves this way, we are able to admire a great God who covers us in undeserving grace. His songs are the epitome of beauty in the broken.

John Mark sings from the heart. His lyrics are the most beautiful metaphors I’ve encountered. His voice overcomes me. That man has a true gift!

Enjoy some of my favorites from JMM:

“My Only” from The Medicine

“Carbon Ribs” from The Medicine

“Closer” from The Song Inside the Sounds of Breaking Down

“Who Is This” from Economy

And of course, I could not leave behind “How He Loves” from The Song Inside the Sounds of Breaking Down. Pay special attention to what JMM sings around 6:25.

Unexpected Twists

Photo Credit: Crushable.com

I don’t watch Real Housewives, but I have seen bits of the show while scanning the TV. The show centers around glamour, opulence, and drama in the lives of the housewives. It shocked me when I unexpectedly found out that one of the housewives’ husband, Russell Armstrong, committed suicide just recently. Excerpts from The Vancouver Sun article below:

On Bravo’s “Real Housewives” franchise, a main character is affluence. It takes all forms: private planes, posh mansions, thousand-dollar shopping sprees. And it seemed Russell Armstrong and his wife, Taylor, who appeared on “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” had been living up to the lifestyle. Last season, Taylor threw a $60,000 party for their then-4-year-old daughter [...].

On Monday night, Russell Armstrong, 47, was found dead in an apparent suicide, and facts began to emerge Tuesday that raise questions about how the program presented the couple and whether the resulting glare of publicity played any role in his death.

For one, it appears the Armstrongs were far less wealthy than viewers might have surmised. Russell Armstrong, who described himself as a venture capitalist, was a struggling entrepreneur who racked up $12 million in debts in the tech bust [...].

” ‘The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,’ I think, was (Russell’s) downfall. The TV show put a lot of pressure on him to produce financially. You’re on a show with a couple like the Maloofs, who are verifiable billionaires, and you’re not,” said friend William Ratner [...]

[Click here to read the complete article]

This unfortunate event reminded me of a movie I saw that left quite an impression. I decided to watch it because I was looking for something light and humorous, and the movie ended up being quite unexpected–but in a good way.

THE JONESES: Highly recommended. Contains a couple of scenes to fast forward, but it has a great message and an unexpected twist.

If you haven’t seen it, go rent it and watch it! And then, comment and tell me what you think. 

Tonight… But why not tomorrow?

I found this article via Mark Driscoll’s Twitter, “Friends With Benefits Mirrors Growing Teen Epidemic“. It talks about how movies such as this one reflect teen culture today: accepting casual sex as normal, diminishing the importance of responsibility and thinking about consequences. I would go even further and say that music is playing an even bigger role into this.

"Give me everything tonight
For all we know we might not get tomorrow
Let's do it tonight"

"If only For Tonight
You Could be the Only One
You Could be the Only One For Me
Only takes Tonight"

"Oh, let's not think about tomorrow tonight
Just live the moment"

"Live like there's no tomorrow
'Cause all we have is here, right now
Love like it's all that we know"

These are the lyrics to some of the hits that are playing on the radio right now. It seems like the most predominant word in all this club/dance/house hits is the word Tonight. Scan through the radio and you just might prove my point. The word in and of itself is not wrong; the problem with it is the underlying message:

“Don’t think about consequences!”

“Forget about self control”

“Don’t wait till tomorrow”

“What matters is here and now”

“Do whatever you feel like doing right now”

And all these are usually said in a sexual context. I will be adding to the noise by delving too much into how our consumeristic habits affect our whole lives; how technology has made everything so instantaneous that waiting for anything has practically become a curse. No one wants to wait for their online package to arrive in a week. No one wants to wait and save to buy a laptop or whatever. And no one would certainly wait until marriage for sex! Because I don’t want to wait till tomorrow or till next month or till next year. I want it right now, tonight! [Instant Gratification]

The Bible is very clear about the importance of waiting. Patience is one of the fruits of the Spirit, probably one of the hardest to exercise and master; very important nonetheless. And when God commands us to wait till marriage for sex, He is not just trying to make our lives miserable. His commands have our best interest in mind–but that’s a subject for another day.

To wrap up, I want to leave you with a question Pastor Adam Greenfield, from Riverside Christian Fellowship, said while preaching at my church a few Sunday mornings ago:

“What do you call a person who gets what they want whenever they want it?” SPOILED.