The Egg, The Carrot And The Cup of Coffee

“O taste and see that the Lord is good”!

Once again, I am without internet service... and that means that my email tends to pile up.  As I write this, I still have over 1400 email to go through!  There is the never ending "junk mail" that seems to slip through the filter that must be gone through and new addresses added and/or eliminated.  


In addition, we receive a lot of correspondence from churches and friends. Some of our friends frequently send me other things that they think I might like. Sometimes it’s a joke or something humorous.  Who doesn’t enjoy a good laugh now and then? Nevertheless, I nearly always look at what is sent to me before I delete it, and occasionally, if it is something especially good, I will save it or forward it on to a “chosen few”.

Although much of what we tend to receive over the internet is just silly fluff of no value, every now and then, I receive something that makes an impact on me, or really causes me to think. I frequently get articles that have to do with cancer treatment or prevention and other health related issues. 


Some emails tend to just make me frustrated or angry! Those are usually political in nature! 


I regularly get things that have to do with religion or being a Christian, some of which are very good and thought provoking or I receive an illustration or an example of a simple Biblical principle, one that is presented in such a unique way that it catches my attention and surprises me. Frequently, those items cause me to examine myself - my thoughts, attitude, motivation, etc.    

When I received the following article, I especially loved the simple, yet powerful message that it presented. It was sent to me by a precious friend and sister in Christ and, although Julia is about ten years younger than me, she is a woman of godly wisdom beyond her years.  Anything that she sends me by email is always worth reading. Below is the article:

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A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose. 

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil; without saying a word. 

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a cup. 

Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me what you see."
 
"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.
 
Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. 

Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled, as she tasted the full-bodied flavor and smelled its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, "What does it mean, mother?"
 
Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. 

1.  The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. 
2.  The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its insides became hardened. 
3.    The ground coffee beans were unique, however.  After they had been boiled for a while, they had changed the water. 

"Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean? 

Ask yourself, “Which am I?” 

1.     Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt, become soft and lose my strength and stability?  

2.     Am I the egg that starts with a soft and compliant heart, but changes with the heat? In the beginning, did I have a fluid and changeable spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become resistant and rigid? Does my “shell” look the same, but on the inside am I unmovable with a inflexible spirit and  a hardened heart? 

3.     Or, am I like the coffee bean?  

The bean actually changes the hot water...or, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, the bean begins to release it’s fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, you allow yourself to be elevated to another level.  

You release the sweet “aroma” of the Holy Spirit and give those around you a “taste” of the rich life you can have when you know the Lord as your personal Savior.  

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How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?
 
The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the best of everything that comes along their way.  

When you know Christ Jesus as your Savior, He makes it possible to do that!  How do I know?  Because I have seen it & experienced it in my own life.  I especially see this truth evidenced in the lives of those Christians who live in areas where they are TRULY persecuted for their belief in Christ!  

Christian who stands without wavering or compromising, living for Christ without embarrassment or apology and with an unmovable faith and undying love for Christ and the cross, leaves an undeniable “sweet aroma” in the world around them! 

There are those who don’t want to smell the “air of truth” and so they deny “the scent” even exists, but that doesn’t change the reality!  The sweet aroma of a Christ-filled life nevertheless exists and is  a fact!  It is an irresistible, alluring “fragrance” that cannot be denied!!!  

Unbeliever, don’t you think it’s about time for you to 

WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE!!

“Mas” CHRIST in Christmas!

I heard an excellent Christmas message recently by Pastor Heath Hogue of Open Door Baptist Church.  In his message he pointed out that, in the Spanish language, the word “mas” means “more” in English. The whole thrust of his message was that we need  “mas” (or more) Christ in Christmas!  And I totally agree!  

While it is a fact that many will not give a moment’s thought about “the reason for the season", the sad truth is, that many Christians will also go through all the hustle and bustle of gifts and get-togethers and hardly give a thought to the Christ of Christmas.  Meanwhile, the “God haters”  want any and every mention of Him completely gone!

Last Christmas, I received an email that made me aware of a whole new objection to celebrating Christmas... And this email was from a pastor!  

I have reprinted most of our communiques of last year below.  The pastor’s comments are in bold blue and my replies are in black.  I have deleted names and a few details for the privacy of the gentleman who emailed me.  

What is YOUR opinion of Christmas?

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Bah Humbug! Instead of December 25, I opt for Sept 30th, when He was actually  born, and calling it Incarnation Day where He is celebrated, not materialism, paganism and the highest Mass of the year.  It should be a day of service for Him and gifts for Him, not us.   Bible college and bible study ruined this day for me.  It is an unholy feast day.   No wonder the Puritans banned it.

Dr XXXX  XXXX

Luke 22:31,32

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Dear Dr. XXXX,

    Please, Forgive me if I am misunderstanding the tone of your message.  I am not trying to sound offensive, and I hope I'm not overstepping my bounds by replying to this but... I believe that Christmas is what WE make of it!   Sometimes, we must forget about what everyone else is doing.  People are "gonna do what they're gonna do" ... and Satan will always be around to sway, change and pervert anything true, good, or God honoring! 

I believe that, just because the world and others around us are making Christmas a materialistic focal point, a "gimme-gimme" self-centered club, or a "who can give the most expensive gift" competition, sure doesn't mean that I have to do it!  Satan's classic ploy has always been to take something holy and change and pervert it into something unholy!  

However, I have determine that, in my heart, my life and my family that I will do just the opposite! Why can't Christians take an "unholy feast day" that the Puritans banned and turn it into a Holyday (not just a "holiday") of showing love, honor and glory to God Almighty for His unspeakable Gift to mankind?  Now that will have Satan hopping mad! (By the way, I was just wondering.  Are those the same Puritans that persecuted my Baptist forbearers?) 

Moreover, when I read your words, I thought you sounded unhappy, maybe even miserable about it all, or perhaps a bit bitter.  I would imagine that the way you feel is probably affecting all of those around you.  I just wonder if this makes the Heavenly Father feel glad... or sad?  It seems to me that, possibly, the only one who might really be pleased that you feel this way about Christmas  is...  well... the same one who is responsible for making Santa Clause the focal point!  Is it likely that your cynical, negative, bah-humbug attitude is just as bad as what others are doing?  

I also believe that we should give gifts to others... that this is a sign of our love.  But, we should be reasonable in our spending and do it in the right way and with the right motive, etc.   Really, we don't even have to spend money if we don't want to! After all, the best gifts are when we give something of ourselves!  We can do something for someone or, write a thank you note to someone that has had a profound influence on our life.  We can spend time with family or with someone that is lonely or... just reach out to someone in need, etc.   God gave us that example, too!   

 That is exactly what He did when He was born in a stable... He did something to prove His love for us  (John 3:16   For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son...), He spent "time" with lowly lost man (Matthew 1:23   Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.), 

He reached out to meet our need... we needed a Saviour (John 3:17   For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.).

He "bought" us the gift of eternal life... and paid the high price of His life's blood for it (Romans 5:8   But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.), !  

And it is freely given to anyone who will accept it! (Romans 6:23   For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord) (Ephesians 2:8   For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: ) ( Romans 14)

Moreover, there is one other thing about Christmas that convinces me to keep celebrating it.  Christmas is one of the very few of our national holidays that acknowledges Christ!  I may be wrong but, I believe that whether they celebrate it or not, most of the world has at least heard of Christmas.  Even though it is a pagan, materialistic, high-mass, unholy feast day for, probably, the majority of those who celebrate it, it is enough of an acknowledgement of the existence of Jesus Christ to make Satan and the heathenistic, godless crowd furious!!  They can't stand what Christmas stands for and they are doing all within their power to erase the name "CHRISTmas" from the face of the earth, and anything that even hints of the name of Christ, His birth, or His very existence!!!  If it is bothering my enemy, Satan, and his crowd, then that says a lot, as far as I am concerned!  For me, that is enough to make me want to defend it and celebrate "long and loud".   I want them to know Whose side I am on.  I want them to know that I believe in the Christ of Christmas!  I believe that He is the true Reason for the Season!!!!

I know that Jesus was not born on December 25, but so what!  I believe that the important thing is, that we acknowledge and celebrate that He was born!!!  I'll tell you what, Dr. XXXX, if you want to celebrate on September 30th and call it Incarnation Day, that's fine with me!  In fact, I'll cheer you on!   As long as you are celebrating the birth of the King of Kings I won't "rain on your" parade"!  But please, sir, don't rain on mine!  What does it really matter whether we celebrate on December 25 or September 30?  The only really important thing... is that we take the time to celebrate that the God of the Universe came to earth and was born to die for our sins!  

Jesus is the reason for the season!

Merry Christmas and God bless!

Debbie Lane

Missionary to Honduras
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Hmm, yes, the Puritans did persecute the Baptists but not nearly as badly as the Catholics whose high Mass you are defending.  The mass is an abomination that re-crucifies the Lord maybe a million times a day around the world.  Yet, we Baptists celebrate the highest mass of the year.   We, Baptists also claim to be people of the book and lovers of truth yet our fondest moments are tied to a day of lies for not only is the day off but many of our rituals are tied to paganism that you as missionaries are sent to free people from such things.  You do not see irony in that?  I would not say that I am bitter, but the older i get and the more I study I am amazed that we got locked into such traditions of men when the first century Christians would not even fast on the same day as the pagans.  Indeed, for many years His birth was not celebrated for as glorious as the birth was, it and his life of miracles and ministry would be vain if not for the Cross and resurrection, which is what they celebrated.  And even, that we have polluted with pagan rituals and even though He was the Passover Lamb we do not celebrate it on the Passover but rather on a time tied to other pagan rites as well as because of pagan Anti-Semiticism.  

You worry if God is happy with my attitude.  I am concerned that He is not happy with our capitulation to such things.  I seriously doubt He is happy with any of it Paul said that we were to come out and touch not the unclean thing for the Belial and Christ cannot share the same table and yet these pagan perversions are just that, a seating of Christ and Belial at the same table and justified because we have attached such warm feelings to them.  Baptists like to claim that we are 1st Century type Christians and yet from the history and writings of those folks they would have pronounced anathema on both holidays that are not holy days. 

We go to many other pagan tribes and have them drop all their rituals when they come to Christ.  We fuss at the seeker churches for turning the church into an entertainment center and watering down the Gospel yet Christ Mass was placed on the the 25th to coincide with Saturnalia in order to entice the pagans to convert.  That was one of the first seeker church movements.  The Evangelicals are now using old Catholic methods to do the same thing.  The Reformers did not reform enough and we Baptists who like to say we did not come out of the Reformation, though some did, also have not reformed enough.  

Would you want your birthday celebrated on a date three months from when it happened?  Would you like it if we held it at a honky-tonk and gave gifts to everyone but you and maybe not even invite you?  Would you not rather have it on the correct day or at least closer to the right day and celebrated in a manner more respectful?   I do not believe that the Lord is honored by the compromises the Church has made over the centuries.  Rather than try to bless the mess it would be a better testimony if the Church dropped these holidays and moved to Incarnation Day, if we must celebrate His birth, and put the Passover Lamb's resurrection remembrance where it belongs as well. After all, the Holy Spirit did come to lead us into ALL truth so why not be truthful in our holi(y)days?   If that is raining on a parade, then so be it, and may it be a monsoon!

Shalom and Maranatha!

Dr XXXX XXXX

Luke 22:31,32

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I believe you misunderstand what the majority (and I don't believe I am exaggerating) of Baptists are celebrating! I have read and reread my reply to you and I cannot figure out how you misunderstood my defense of celebrating the birth of my Savior as defending high mass just because they are on the same day.  (Hmmm, Maybe YOU celebrated it as high mass and that is why you feel so strongly against it now. )  As I thought I also stated clearly, CHRISTmas is what YOU decide to make of it.  Just because we do not know the exact date of His  birth or resurrection (even though we can  figure out the approximate time) doesn't mean we can't celebrate them.  Just because the pagan churches and the world choose to celebrate pagan traditions, selfish materialism, Santa Clause and Bunnies and Eggs on the same dates as I choose to celebrate His birth, death and resurrection, does not mean that I am going to cease to celebrate them in such a way as to bring honor to Him and teach my children and grandchildren the truth!  

Some of my kiddos in Honduras are not sure when they were born and so we have picked a day to celebrate all of their birthdays at once.  They are not offended in the least that we are not celebrating on the exact day of their birth... they are just thrilled that we are celebrating it!  They are not upset that everyone at the party gets a gift either!  In fact, you have probably heard of "party favors".  In Honduras, it is the custom to give every child at the party a gift... yet they all are very much aware of whose birthday it is and, even the birthday child is not offended, but enjoys giving out the favors to their friends.  If I heard that the day that I had chosen to have the birthday celebration for my Honduran children fell on the same day as "Gay Pride Day"  or " Happy Pagan Leader Day"  or anything else, I would still  continue to celebrate on the same day.  Everyone would know (just as they do when my family celebrates the birth of Christ) exactly who and what was being celebrated by how we did so!  I would have no fear at all that anyone would think that I was promoting sodomy or honoring paganism. 

In our home, we did and do give Jesus gifts on Christmas... and our day is completely centered around Him.  When my husband was a pastor here in the States, our entire church did the same thing!  

When our children were small, we had a birthday cake for Jesus and sang Happy Birthday to Him.  We had "gifts" for Him under the tree.  My children are grown and married now and I have six grandchildren.  If you had talked to my grandchildren today as I did, you would have had no doubt what they had celebrated either!  (And it certainly wasn't Santa Clause!)  

We do agree, and it is true (and I believe that I made that clear earlier) that for  the majority of  the world, it is a materialistic focal point, a "gimme-gimme" self-centered club, or a "who can give the most expensive gift" competition".  I also understand how Christmas started out.  But that does not mean that I am sanctioning what others did or do today, or that I'm trying to "bless this mess”,  as you put it. Instead, I am trying to “redirect the the focus”!

Since the God haters are trying to wipe out Christ and any semblance of His existence from the Christmas season, I feel that some of us must have done something right, or they would not feel so threatened... and I, for one, am not going to do anything that might cause anyone to think that I am siding with those who are trying to wipe Him out!

I realize that there is nothing that I can say that will change your mind, and that is fine.  And you certainly will not change mine.  In spite of how you feel, or what you may think of me and others who celebrate Christ's birth, I believe that my Heavenly Father is pleased with what I am doing on Christmas.  He knows my focus, He knows my heart.  And I refuse to let Satan, the pagans, the world or anyone else rob me of the blessing and joy of remembering and celebrating what Christ has done for me.

I believe that I really do understand where you are coming from... and I can respect that.  And, if someday I hear that someone is celebrating Incarnate Day, I will probably celebrate it too.  I don't think we can celebrate and praise Him too much!  Anyway, why don't we just agree to disagree.  We've got a bigger, different battle to fight... and a lost world to reach!  

I hope I will not be offending you to wish you a Happy New Year!  If I am... then.... please…

 just don't tell me, okay!

For the King until He returns,

Debbie Lane 

Missionary to Honduras