Do Christians Make Too Much of Christmas? I Say, "No!"

“The Word became flesh,” John 1:14 says, “and made His dwelling among us.” Theologians have said that this is a way of saying that Christ pitched his tent among us because the word used for made his dwelling is “tabernacled” or “tented”. God uses the metaphor of a tent to describe the body Jesus came to indwell because our bodies are like tents that house our spirits while we are here on earth. They are temporary dwellings which we will cast off when we leave this earth.

            The single most amazing concept of Christianity in my mind is that;

The eternal God who created all things

Created people as the crowning glory of his creation

And He loved them so much

That He became one of them

To redeem them from sin and damnation

To eternal life in His own family.

To do that, the eternal God, who is Spirit,

Took on human flesh---a body.

He became incarnate or en-fleshed

Because it would take a real human death by the Son of God

To pay for the sins of humanity.

            Ideas come and go in popularity like fashions. One idea that is fashionable in Christianity right now, that I reject, is the idea that we Christians put too much emphasis on Christmas because we have just caved into the commercialization of it.

            That is wrong. The birth of Christ is presented in the Bible as one of the top turning points of history. It ranks right up there with creation, the cross, the resurrection, and the Second Coming because it was God becoming one of us to save us all.

            When we celebrate the birth of Christ, we are celebrating God’s work of redemption which is the very heart of His purpose for the course of time. We are celebrating the very meaning of our lives.

The Hope of Haiti

Haiti's problem has been the corruption from the top of the culture at the presidential level to the mafia's blood-sucking at the ports to the punks on the street intimidating their neighbors to the men who abuse their children and wives and then eventually abandon them. This is why Haiti has been dysfunctional as a nation and the poorest nation in the western hemisphere.

Haiti is a failed state. It can't protect its citizens. It can't provide the basic services of water, sanitation, just courts, fair elections, and free markets where its citizens can live in peace, dignity, and prosperity.

The question is, "Why?". The answer is that Haiti has not had a critical mass of spiritual moral truth to guide it. Haiti is a free-for-all dog-eat-dog society. Foreigners have come in droves to Haiti with compassion for its people. As a rule, Haitians do not show this compassion and self-sacrifice for each other that foreigners show to them. They don't have the same spiritual moral view of humanity.

This is why the humble country doctor, Francois Duvalier, who became president went nuts in office and used his office to rape the country economically. His son Bebe Doc multiplied his sins of raping the country. There was great hope for the humble country priest, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who became president. But he was defrocked by The Church for his heresies and he turned into a self serving maniac who also raped the country economically for his own power and gain and he armed street thugs to carry out revenge against his political enemies.

Christianity is the hope of Haiti because it can provide the right spiritual moral view of life and humanity and because it is gaining enough influence to create the critical mass for change.

Genesis 1:27-28 provides the core philosophy of life and humanity that can save Haiti. It is the description of how God created people in his image and commanded them to be his regents to do good on the earth. It says, "So God created man in his own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it [using all its vast resources in the service of God and man]; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and over every living creature that lives on earth."

The image of God in man is the core moral philosophy about humanity that gave rise to the prosperity of Europe and America and is gaining traction wherever Christianity is gaining a critical mass of influence. The image of God in man is man's high spiritual and intellectual capacity to relate to God at a high level forever. The image of God is unique to humanity. Angels are not even said to have this level of greatness and value.

There are three key consequences of the truth that we are created in God's image:

• All people are created equally. 
• People are created to create.
• God loves everyone. 

The first consequence of human equality is greatly needed in Haiti where racism has been the norm from all groups to all groups. Whites, blacks, mulatoes, and indigenous people have all in the history of Haiti abused and hated the others. Haitian presidents in modern times have tried to harness and incite the racism of the darker blacks who are the majority against the lighter blacks. They have also sought to harness a racism against all foreigners whether they are American, French, British, or whomever. 

The hope of Haiti is a spiritual moral view of human equality. Human equality can only be fostered and protected in a society where the key elements of democracy are in play. Those are fair elections, the rule of law, and a free press. 

The second consequence of human equality is the world view that people are created to create. Christians are creators because they have this view of life. They create churches, schools, hospitals, businesses, non-profit organizations, and good government because they believe they are created in the image of the Great Creator who endows them with the capacity to co-create using their god-given intelligence and the resources of the earth and social cooperation. 

The average Haitian expects Haiti to be made better by the giving of outside foreign sources. The economic mentality of Haiti is to be takers not makers. That mind set can only lead to endless poverty and un-empowerment. Haitian Christians are trying to change that. They want to create churches, schools, hospitals, factories, businesses, new products, new services, and better government by their involvement in it. To become a nation of makers instead of takers, Haiti must establish the core elements of capitalism. They are ownership of property and businesses, freedom from extortion by criminals and the government, moderate taxation and regulation, and courts that protect contracts and ownership rights. Haiti has to get rid of the mafia culture that extorts business and drives prices through the roof. It has to get rid of the mafia style of governance that steals the money of the people and does not use it to create the core infrastructures of water, sewer, garbage collection, honest police, decent streets and fair courts. 

The third consequence is God's love for everyone that is expressed in its fullest form in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Haiti needs full religious freedom. Christianity recognizes that true faith is a personal choice and an act of the will that cannot be and should not be coerced. Therefore Christianity does not seek to impose its beliefs on others by law but it demands the human freedom to exercise its spiritual powers of prayer, preaching and providing for those in need. Then people can decide for themselves. The hope of Haiti is not to make Voodoo illegal. Voodoo will always be part of Haiti's history and there will always be some who practice it. The point is that Christians just need freedom to fully express their faith. When that happens it can grow to become a key influence that shapes society in a spiritual and moral view of humanity that blesses society. No persecution of any religious group should be allowed in Haiti. The only constrains on religion should be when people break laws that are reasonable laws in the name of their religion. No one should be allowed to murder another person or steal their goods or liberty in the name of a religion. 

There is great hope for Haiti because the Christian movement is growing. There are many churches that preach this high moral view of humanity. Many schools are religious schools that teach it. There is a strong Christian influence on the radio in Haiti. Thousands of Christian organizations and thousands of Christian from around the world have come to Haiti to provide food, water, sanitation, education, reconstruction in the name of Jesus Christ and in the name of God who has created us in his image.

The UN and the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) like USAID and OXFAM who are in Haiti and who have come to Haiti since the earthquake of January 12, 2010 are important. They are providing key core infrastructures to get Haiti back on her feet, but they are not the hope of Haiti. In time the best thing they can do will be to leave Haiti and the best thing that can happen will be for the Haitian people to rebuild their own society with a strong moral and spiritual view of humanity that promotes human equality with democracy, that promotes human creation of wealth with capitalism, and that promotes human spiritual dignity with religious freedom and protection for all religions, including Christianity. 

If these things will happen, Christianity will flourish in Haiti and it will will strengthen democracy, free market wealth creation, and religious freedom even more. The result will be a virtuous cycle of  growing faith and social development. Haiti could become the jewel of the Caribbean with the right view of life that is inspired by Christian ideals. 

Visiting Haiti-OMG

This week I traveled to Haiti with my wife, Greg, and my friend and construction manager Dennis Mould. We were hosted by missionary Tom Franklin who is based in the Dominican Republic. Since the earthquake that devastated Haiti on January 12, Tom has spent 30 weeks doing rescue and reconstruction work in Haiti. 

On Day One we traveled from one side of Port au Prince to a town on the other side of it to visit a Haitian pastor named Pastor Fresnor in the town of Leogone. That was the epicenter of the earthquake and it got the worst of the recent hurricane.

We traveled in security convoy style because Haiti is one of the most dangerous places in the world for this kind of excursion. Our lead vehicle carried the shotgun in case we had to extricate ourselves from a mob. The following vehicle carried food for Pastor Fresnor, medical supplies in case of an emergency and three body bags in case we needed to assist in body removal, which has been the norm since the earthquake.

On the way we saw the worst of the worst. Whole sections of the city are leveled. Rubble has been cleared out of the roads enough to drive, but that is about it. Tent and tarp cities have been set up everywhere. Their national White House lies in ruins. 

At Leogone we pulled over in a semi-rural area to eat our lunch, which consisted of Army Meals Ready to Eat. We had to stop where there were very few people to avoid creating a mob. Then we went over to meet Pastor Fresnor. The Pastor is 70 years old. His church and house were leveled. They run about 950 each weekend in worship. Some of their people were killed in the quake. Some were killed in his building and they had a very hard time getting the bodies out. The odor became so bad, the surrounding village almost rioted to force them to pay for heavy equipment to get in and clear enough of the rubble to get the bodies out. 

Pastor Fresnor is a godly man. He is eager to rebuild and reopen their school. He has some young men in training who are ready to be the next generation of leaders. Their lot is cleared down to the original concrete floor and they are now meeting under a makeshift porch and tarp structure for worship. Before leaving we prayed for Pastor Fresnor and I gave him a donation from our church. 

As we left this community, we drove down dirt roads in the village that were so packed with people buying and selling and going to and fro. The press of people was amazing. It reminded me of a few places where I traveled in India. The people were gracious and patient with our trucks coming through, but you could easily imagine it becoming an uncontrollable mob. 

We drove back across Port au Prince taking a different route that went through the middle of downtown. It looks like a bombed out scene from World War II. Incredible. 

We finally made it back to our base camp after dark. When the sun goes down, it is bad because there was no electricity. Very few people or businesses had generators for lights. There were a few people with oil lamps but it was very dark. 

Despite the horrible conditions, there is still a spirit of hope. The people are on the move doing their daily business. The people do have food to eat. The non-governmental organizations like USAID and UNICEF are providing food, and water, and some sanitation services. The people wear amazingly clean and attractive clothes. That seems a miracle in itself in this dusty desperate place. 

We were glad to get back to our base camp in Croix des Bouquets. To get there you pull off the main road you drive down some very bumpy and small dirt roads. The base camp is surrounded by a high concrete wall that is topped with concertina wire. When we arrive the security guard opens the big metal gate for us to drive in and shuts in and locks it. Whew. Inside we live in a very basic concrete house structure and we sleep in tents that are on the roof. That is the safest place in case of earthquake aftershocks. 

On Day Two we had work to do. We visited Pastor Destini in our same community of Croix des Bouquets. His house and church were also leveled in the earthquake. Pastor Destini and his wife are living under tarps. Like Pastor Fresnor, Pastor Destini is an educated and intelligent man who has family in the U.S.. Both of them could move to the U.S. but they both stay because God has called them to minister to their people in Haiti. 

Tom Franklin's immediate focus is to get a house built for Pastor Destini and to get his church rebuilt on a larger scale to take advantage of the great potential here. Pastor Destini will run a school again for the many children in the area who need it and he is capable of running a seminary to train future Haitian ministers. I would love to see some of our people go and help in those schools. 

Tom Franklin was thrilled to have our construction manager, Dennis Mould, there. They worked out a lot of things for the construction projects. We spent most of day two working on how to install and how to figure the materials for the wall system that they will use in Pastor Destini's house. It consists of blowing concrete onto a preformed panel, then finishing it. It is a popular method of construction throughout central America. It is earthquake proof and it uses locally available materials. 

That night we attended the Wednesday night worship service at Pastor Destini's church. His wife, Carmen, is a sweet and gracious lady. The ladies of their church had made crepe paper flowers and decorations for the  little open air lean-two church where they meet. We were honored by their hospitality. 

They speak and sing in Creole and they get with it. The have a little generator that ran two lights under the temporary structure and it ran their sound system, key board, and electric base guitar. Pastor Destini asked me to preach for them so I did and he translated. I brought a message of encouragement to them and they seemed to appreciate it. They have a lot of young people in their church that are smart and a great picture of the potential future of Haiti. 

One little girl, about six or seven years old, was dressed in a pretty white satin dress with white fluffy socks, patent leather black shoes, and colorful bows in her hair. She sat there and flirted with me and pointed her finger at me during the singing. Afterward she came up to me and recited her French alphabet to me. I sneaked a piece of gum into her hand and she said, "Merci." Then, she wanted to hold my hand the rest of the time. What a little cutie. Her name was Christaline Joseph. 

On day three we went into Port au Prince to visit a construction site that is using a new type of building material. The company is called Inno Vida and it is based out of Miami. They build houses, schools, and businesses using an amazingly simple but effective material. It is sheets of styrofoam that has sheets of fiberglass on both sides of it. It is lightweight, extremely energy efficient, earthquake proof, hurricane proof, and easy and fast to build with. Their company is building with and selling this material all over the world. 

If it is competitive with the more traditional building materials, this could be an amazing material for the building of homes, churches, and schools that we would like to do. Later that day, Tom Franklin, sent the plans for Pastor Destini's new church to Inno Vida for them to give some quotes of materials and or them building it. I am hoping it is viable because I think this material could become a revolution in construction to rebuild Haiti. They are building a manufacturing plant in Haiti that will employ Haitians and it is easy to train and hire Haitians to be the builders. 

We left Haiti with plans to make this our 2011 World Project at PHCC. I plan to lead a team of ten people to to Haiti to work for ten days in March. Then we will have other teams throughout the year. We need to raise funds for construction materials and we need to raise teams of workers. Our work will not change the nation of Haiti, but our work will change the lives of some key people in Haiti. If every church did what we are doing, we would change the nation. The growing Christian movement in Haiti is the most important factor in changing the destiny of Haiti. Our money and work will be going to the single most important thing to change the future of this island nation. 

Next blog will include pictures and my sense of what is truly needed to rebuild Haiti. 

What's Not Getting Done?

What is not getting done in your life, in your business, in your work, in your department that really needs to get done?

That question is the key to the new organization that can take you from where you are to the next level of effectiveness.
 
In Acts 6 the Apostles had the people choose seven men to take over a task that was not getting done. Some widows were not being properly cared for in the church. If the Apostles had been like many of us, they would have tried to do it themselves and they would have done it poorly and other things would have been neglected. But they did it right. They reorganized to keep themselves on their most important work, which was spiritual leadership, and they got other people on the other things that needed done. Voila, they created Deacons. They created a new organizational structure to spread the work and stay on their highest work.

The whole issue came up because of a complaint. It wasn't getting done.

There is a parallel story in Exodus 18. Moses was trying to judge all the people's disputes by himself. He had a back-up of frustrated people like a Motor Vehicle Department. It was killing them and him. People were not being served in a timely manner.

Moses' father-in-law saw it and told Moses to wise up and reorganize to get it done. Moses listened and chose men who could judge people at different levels; thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. Voila, he created the first civil government of Israel.

Okay, so what's not getting done in your life or work? Name the top three things that are not getting done and make a decision for each one. If it is something only you can do, then block the time out in your schedule to do it. That probably means you will have to drop something else that is not as important. If it is something someone else can do 70% as well as you, ask someone else to do it.

It is amazing how much does not get done properly because we spread ourselves so thin on everything and we master nothing. In our own control freak messiah-hood we think we are saving the world and in fact we are only keeping the world from our best and keeping others from joining in with their good work.

So, make your list. What is not getting done. In my own life I wrote these down:
1. My books are not getting written.
2. I am not exercising.
3. My investments are not being managed.

The first two are mine. I have to do these myself. My third one is one that needs to go into the hands of someone who specializes in investment management. So, my next level of organization is to block out time in my schedule for writing and exercise and to turn my investment account over to someone who does that for a living.

I did that a couple of years ago with my taxes. I have been such a control freak on doing my own taxes because I didn't want to pay the professional fees. However, since I have been using a good CPA to do my taxes I have received more tax advantages that have more than paid for my professional fees, plus it has freed up more of my time to do what I do best.

Most of us are a little bit of reorganization away from our next level of success. The place to start is to name the most important things that are not getting done.