So you think you know Christmas?

Every year we jump into the Christmas holiday with so much joy, angst, and a lot of preconceived notions of what really happened in the nativity scene and surrounding story. So I wanted to give you a quick quiz (don’t worry if you just finished finals) to see what you know about what really happened that night. Take the quiz and sharer your score below in the comment area, also if you have disputes I will try to address them so leave them in the comment below. Have fun!

[polldaddy type=”iframe” survey=”56487CD214B01ADB” height=”auto” domain=”jelson” id=”christmas-bible-quiz”]

an open letter to NTR

** Now that we getting settled here in Jefferson City and I have some thoughts I wanted to get down on paper. I apologize that it has taken me so long but here they are.**

Dear NTR family,

I wanted to take the chance, through this letter, to bid goodbye to each one of you. I want you to know how much you have meant to me and my family over the last few years. Through you I have learned much about my weaknesses and strengths. I have had my faith challenged, my pride exposed, my eyes opened, my heart pricked. I have shed many tears for you, and prayed for you each by name. When I left I said that I would never forget a single one of you and I was completely serious. NTR is one of the most unique places I have ever worked, in so many ways. Like every other restaurant I have ever worked in we are a dysfunctional family, but a family at that. The stories, the fights, the celebrations, the achievements, and the [vivid] memories will not leave my mind and for that I wanted to take this time to thank you. I wish all of you a very bright future and know that I love you each much more than any of you will ever know.

Soli Deo Gloria (Glory to God alone),

Jon C. Nelson

Here is what I know…

… I am NOT the smartest man on the planet. In fact, 32 year old Jon looks back at 22 year old Jon and thinks, “that guy was a moron!”

But, I know some things then that I still know now and I want to take some time to share them with you, and though structures and strategies will change over the course of my life these things will never change, it’s what I go back to every time I am tempted to throw in the towel. I know…

About 10 years ago I was lost as the day is long.
Someone invited me to church.
I [clearly] heard the Gospel there.
It changed my heart,
and, until this day it continues to change my thinking!
I want everyone on the planet to have this experience!!!
The majority of the planet is NOT having this experience, including some of the people we are in relationship with, and this bothers me daily
I believe the local church has been commissioned to IMPACT, not ISOLATE from, the world!!! (Acts 1:8)
I believe if “Christians” would shut the heck up about the HOW (the methods) and focus on the PERSON who needs Christ and be willing to do WHATEVER it takes to reach them then we would accomplish so much more than we could ever imagine. Please stop trying to clean the fish before they get into the boat.
I believe (as Charles Spurgeon said) that the local church IS the hope of the world. Jesus established her, died for her and spent a lot of time in the Bible speaking to her. If Jesus says the church is important, then it’s important (regardless of what Andrew Sullivan says in Newsweek).

I don’t know what our church I will look like in 5-10 years from now, I have no idea what will change; however, I do know that the 10 convictions I have listed above WILL be the same and we will still be doing everything we can to reach as many people as we can for Christ!

What about you?

Forgive but please don’t forget

So I do not usualy watch the Grammys and this year was no different, but when I return home from work and jumped on Facebook and Twitter, I only seemed to be able to read about it. The next morning I went online to see if I could find the performances and I was completely surprised. Usually, all of the performances on the Grammys are not good, in my opinion, but this year seemed to be the exception. Though the performance of Nicki Minaj moved Hip-hop back [somewhere between] 15 to 20 years the other performances were amazing. Bruno Mars, Alicia Keys and Bonnie Raitt, Jennifer Hudson and more. Seriously, if you have not seen any of the footage you should check them out here.

Anyways, I noticed something that disturbed me and I wondered how many people were as disturbed at The Grammys choice to showcase so much of Chris Brown. If you remember Brown was arrested and subsequently convicted for assaulting his then-girlfriend Rihanna on the eve of the 2009 Grammys,but his acceptance speech after winning best R&B album included no act of contrition whatsoever .

It seemed odd to me that Chris Brown performed twice and won an award in front of the woman that he assaulted. I also realize the the Grammys are by no means the moral compass of my life but it did make some truths clear.

Chris Brown is a great entertainer, his performances were great.
Based off of his abilities and album Chris Brown deserved to dance, sing, and get an award.
For Rihanna, this whole night could not have been easy at all, I could only imagine.

Reality is that Grammys and music industry are built for fame and seems to be much quicker to forgive Chris Brown than most communities built for Christ are.

This is where it becomes hard for me and the place where I would love for you to weigh in. I have not been hurt [physically] like Rihanna before nor have I had to watch the perpetrator be rewarded with the most illustrious award in the industry that I work. I can not imagine what it must feel like to be in that place, but I also know that the Bible is clear that I am to forgive as I was forgiven. This is where you will see me differ with convential wisdom that says:

“Forgive and Forget”

I don’t have the ability to forget nor is it my job to forget the Chris Brown’s of my life, but it is my job, as a Christ follower to forgive. I do not know that the Christian community, as a whole, does a great job in this regard despite the fact that our salvation begins with the forgiveness of more heinous crimes than that of Chris Brown.

I would love to know some of your thoughts…

You are not extraordinary, you are just ordinary…

…just like everyone else on this earth.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02vku-6fZWQ]

I know it seems to be a harsh statement but it is a true statement that needed to be said. Between X-Factor, American Idol, America’s got Talent, and other talent/ reality shows you see the tryouts that make all of us laugh profusely but in retrospect are a by -product of one of two [really] sad things.

They are just trying to get their 15 minutes of fame or…
They have been lied to and truly believe they are a good _________ (you fill in the blank)

You see we hear a mantra that is shaping our thinking when it comes to our lives. I have heard it so many times before and I thought no one actually believed it until I began to listen what my peers and culture had to say. They both screamed to everyone I knew that:

“I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggone it, people like me.”

Now at first I saw nothing wrong with this message until it morphed into “I’m unique, I’m better than everyone [at something], and doggone it, people need me! The [basic] problem with that message is the whole thing! You are not unique, I am not unique, we are just ordinary people. I promise you that there is someone taller, stronger, more beautiful, talented, intelligent, etc. than you are. The problem is that we begin to buy this lie hook, line, and sinker. This in turn subversively begins to shape the way we speak, live, and how we interact with our world.

As a Christ follower realizing this about myself was disconcerting to say the least. When I look at the Dr.Pepper commercial (featured above) it’s a prime example of what I am talking about. All it is doing is impressing on you that you are special when really the only extraordinary thing about you (as a Christ-follower) is the Holy Spirit that resides in you.

Please hear me, every Christian has the opportunity to be extraordinary, the word simply means “beyond what is ordinary”. Unfortunately, in our culture, we have satisfied this desire with celebrities. We have become voyeurs of the “extraordinary” when the Lord wants to give us extraordinary lives of our own. As Christians we need to stop walking around like pigeons with our breast puffed out and look to what could make us extraordinary.

Do you want to be extraordinary? If you are born again, the Holy Spirit lives in you, you have the extraordinary One on the inside. However, you must be willing to let what may seem ordinary work in you the character necessary to be extraordinary.

You are a Christian…right?

A friend from work texted this to me and I laughed immediately. He said that it reminded him of some of the conversations that we have had about Christ and His church. I would love know your reaction to this….