Signs & Wonders Blog

During my childhood, I enjoyed watching Christmas specials on TV. This past Wednesday, I found one on YouTube I don’t recall seeing before. “ Christmas Lost and Found ” featured the claymation characters Davey and his talking dog Goliath. In this 1965 production by the Lutheran Church of America, Davey repeatedly complains, “I don’t feel Christmas.”  Davey tries various things associated with the holiday such as putting up lights and eating Christmas cookies. His dad also gives him money to purchase a tree from a new kid named Kenny. After Davey bought presents for his family and friends, Goliath suggested his owner now felt the Christmas spirit. Davey replied, “All I got is no money left.”  Meanwhile, Davey’s sister Sally set up a nativity scene in their home. That inspired him to gather his friends and perform a Christmas pageant in the town theater. Davey portrayed one of the wise men singing “We Three Kings of Orient Are.” Sally played Mary. Goliath insisted on being a ...

Among the things that make the holiday season memorable are family traditions. One dictionary defines tradition as “the transmission of customs or beliefs from generation to generation.” While growing up in Moorhead, Minnesota, my family had our share of Christmas rituals. One of them was my sister Tanya and I taking turns opening up the little flaps on our advent calendar. My immediate family always opened presents on Christmas Eve after Dad came home from work in the late afternoon (or in the morning if he had the day off). Tanya and I passed the time by played the board game Monopoly , which often took two hours to complete. Sometimes we also went to a candlelight service at the Lutheran church we attended across the river in Fargo, North Dakota. Later that night, I would get together with my mother’s side of the family at Grandma Tweiten’s house. Often we ate a light dinner but then always sang Christmas carols before opening presents. Eventually, my Aunt Gaye added a tradition...

While witnessing to Muslims, they object to Jesus being called “the Son of God” because Allah (the Arabic word for God) supposedly had no sons. When I quoted John 3:16 to one Muslim in particular, this man got hung up on the word “begotten.” He thought it only referred to the result of a sexual union.   The words “begot” and “begotten” are used numerous times in the Bible, usually in genealogy listings. Those words have other uses in Scripture besides records of human offspring . Look at The Message Bible’s rendering of John 1:9-13… “The Life-Light was the real thing: every person entering Life he brings into Light. He was in the world, the world was there through him, and yet the world didn't even notice. He came to his own people, but they didn't want him. But whoever did want him, who believed he was who he claimed and would do what he said, He made to be their true selves, their child-of-God selves. These are the God-begotten, not...

Many of you are probably familiar with the Christmas TV special “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” This stop-motion animated classic has one memorable character nicknamed “Bumble”, an Abominable Snowman that initially terrorizes the frozen north. But in the end, the monster is tamed and seen putting the star on top of a Christmas tree. This story illustrates a spiritual truth: even the worst of sinners can be redeemed. It appears the Abominable Snowman has increased in popularity. I've seen him in people’s yards as a Christmas decoration even in Florida, where it hardly snows. The New Oxford American Dictionary defines  abominable  as “causing moral revulsion. The Bible lists specific things that are “abominations.” Here are a few of them: “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination.” - Leviticus 18:22 “These six things the LORD hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that d...

One thing that makes the holiday season special is music exclusively heard this time of the year. As a Christian, I now prefer hearing Christ-centered songs as opposed to those glorifying Santa Claus. Nevertheless, I have fond memories of various tunes associated with Christmas. Here are a few of them: “ The Chipmunk Song ” - This David Seville hit reached number #1 in 1958. I first heard it on the radio sixteen years later when I was ten. Earlier that year, I got my first Panasonic tape recorder and had already created similar recordings. I discovered that recording myself while using batteries low on power and then plugging in the AC adapter for playback at regular speed resulted in high-pitched voices.  “ Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer ” - During first grade, I repeatedly listened to an old 78 rpm record of this Gene Autry hit. While doing so I imagined my own music video featuring other kids from school performing on it. I also remember classmates singing a parody of this ca...

While walking around downtown San Antonio last Sunday, I noticed this “homeless Jesus” statue in front of a church. I didn’t examine the accompanying plaque but assumed it was inspired by Matthew 8:20,  “…the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”  Later, I learned it quoted Matthew 25:40 (ESV),  “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.”   The Lord certainly wants us to be compassionate to the less fortunate. That doesn’t mean He wants us living like them. One thing that repels sinners from Christianity is religious folk promoting the idea that Jesus was poor. A few celebrities have more sense than some church-going people. Pamela Anderson told one interviewer, “I don't know anybody…that would have people gambling for His underwear. That was some fine stuff He wore.” Jesus had to be prosperous because the Roman soldiers who crucified Him gambled for His expensive undergarments. Anderson went on to...

Christmas has many traditions associated with it. Unfortunately, there are religious ideas about the holiday without Biblical foundations. One reason for that is certain Christmas carols. For example, “The Little Drummer Boy” sings “I am a poor boy, too.” Jesus temporarily gave up heavenly riches but that doesn’t mean He was born poor. His stepfather Joseph had the resources to travel to Bethlehem and would’ve spent money on lodging if there was room for them at the inn. Meanwhile, a group of wise men brought treasures to the Messiah. Speaking of which, most people assume there were three wise men as in the song “We Three Kings of Orient Are.” Matthew chapter 2 doesn’t mention the exact number of wise men but refers to three types of gifts they had: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Notice these gifts were presented to a “young Child”…not a baby. Verse 11 also mentions them coming “into the house”…not before a manger. Therefore, the wise men didn’t see Jesus at the same time as the...

During the holiday season, we are often reminded of what the angels declared when the Son of God was born in Bethlehem over two thousand years ago. Luke 2:14 says, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” The New Living Translation of this verse reads, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” Jesus came to reconcile all sinners to the Father but that doesn’t happen to everyone by default. One must choose to be in right standing with God. Still, there are individuals who persist in finding peace apart from Jesus Christ. Some dabble in cults or other belief systems because they want to continue living in sin. Hebrews 12:14 says, “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness , without which no one will see the Lord.” Other unbelievers try to categorize Christianity with other religions claiming they’ve been the cause of every war on this planet. Most everyone wants peace in their house and for their ...

Many traditions associated with Christmas have pagan origins. Rather than make a fuss about them, let’s create traditions that glorify the Lord. When I used to get together with my mother’s side of the family on Christmas Eve, one of my aunts insisted on us singing “Happy Birthday” to Jesus before we opened up presents. That’s a clever way to remind people of the reason for the season. One holiday tradition I am strongly against is parents giving presents to their kids saying they are from Santa Claus. Many people think this is harmless fun. But when I was little and discovered Santa, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy were all fictional characters, I started questioning God’s existence. Parents who don’t tell their kids the whole truth about St. Nicholas are setting them up for a letdown.   A few years ago, one television news anchor got in hot water for speaking the truth about Santa Claus. In response to comments made by a co-anchor regarding gift expectations, Robi...

With the holiday season approaching, many businesses and individuals have already put up decorations. Among them are Christmas trees. A popular carol “O Christmas Tree” originated from Germany as “O Tannenbaum”, which translates as “O Fir Tree.” The original lyrics had nothing to do with Christmas. Nevertheless, I remember singing the German version a time or two while in grade school. Like other holiday traditions, some Christians oppose the usage of Christmas trees. One of my Facebook friends made a judgmental comment that people putting up Christmas trees “are worshiping the devil and have a mental disease.” Before giving my life to Christ, I didn’t have a Christmas tree in my apartment because of the time and expense involved. Instead, I drove up to Mom and Dad’s house for the holidays and enjoyed looking at their decorations. Nowadays, I still don’t own a Christmas tree mainly due to my missionary lifestyle. Once I heard e vangelist Jesse Duplantis talk about the time h...

You better look up Look up into the sky  You better be ready I’m telling you why  Jesus Christ is coming again He’s gathering a list  And checking it twice  Gonna come for those He paid the price  Jesus Christ is coming again He sees you when you're sinning  But hears you when you pray He knows if you are saved or not  So be saved for He is the Way (to the tune of "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" -  new lyrics by T. R. Post   © 20 11)

During my grade school years, classmates frequently picked on me.   Eighth grade was by far my worst year in school.   The increased name-calling and bullying I experienced had me seriously contemplating suicide.   Fortunately, I didn’t follow through with that. One thing that helped sustain me during that difficult year was the music of the Bee Gees.   By 1978 I had become a faithful listener of Casey Kasem’s radio show “American Top 40.”   The Bee Gees had become my favorite group the year before.   So it was exciting for me to see the Brothers Gibb dominate the record charts due to the titanic success of their music from the movie “Saturday Night Fever.” The following year, I got to see the Bee Gees live in St. Paul, Minnesota.   That concert inspired me to write my own songs and briefly learn how to play the guitar.   The Bee Gees had a God-given talent that influenced multitudes of people. However, the reality is that all m...

Three years ago on the day after Christmas, I went to a grocery store with a friend of mine. The store was still running holiday advertisements on their loudspeaker. Not once did I hear the announcer mention the word “Christmas.” When I was a kid, I often heard people say "Merry Christmas" to each other. Since then the world has gradually removed "Christ" from Christmas. In our politically correct society, Christmas trees are now often called “holiday trees.” School districts refer to Christmas vacation as “Winter Break.” They also prohibit religious songs from their music programs such as “Silent Night” in favor of ditties like “Frosty the Snowman.” 2,000 years ago, the apostles were commanded by authorities “...not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.” (Acts 4:18) Today there are businesses requiring their employees to say "Happy Holidays" to customers instead of "Merry Christmas." Some city governments forbid N...

Santa lives at the North Pole. JESUS is everywhere. Santa rides in a sleigh. JESUS rides on the wind and walks on the water. Santa comes but once a year. JESUS is an ever present help. Santa fills your stockings with goodies. JESUS supplies all your needs. Santa comes down your chimney uninvited. JESUS stands at your door, knocks, and then enters your heart. You have to stand in line to see Santa. JESUS is as close as the mention of His name. Santa lets you sit on his lap. JESUS lets you rest in His arms. Santa doesn't know your name, all he can say is "Hi little boy or girl, What's your name?" JESUS knew our name before we did. Not only does He know our name, He knows our address too. He knows our history and future and He even knows how many hairs are on our heads. Santa has a belly like a bowl full of jelly. JESUS has a heart full of love. All Santa can offer is HO HO HO. JESUS offers health, help and hope. Santa says, "You better not cry....