Jumbo Tron Prayers and “TheKingsChristmasList”

Jumbo Tron Prayers and “TheKingsChristmasList”

How To Get Published--in 43 minutes

In talking with my wife last night, she reminded me of all the incredible things we've seen God do in the last year and half to get to this point where the book, "The King's Christmas List", is being published by one of the largest publishers in the world. She said, "you should blog about that, and how the adventure of trying to re-define Christmas is still going on right now!" She is so smart.

For those of you who don't know, I started my own Real Estate Development and Consulting business in 2002, after the "VERSION 1.O" of my Christmas mission failed. We struggled for two years, but in 2004 I got to start a 9 home little neighborhood here in Sarasota. By 2005 I had put together the land for a 56 lot and 72 lot neighborhood. My future seemed soooo bright : ) But then came 2006 and the worst real estate crash in a generation. Bright to Dark...almost overnight! But it took me almost two years of banging my head against a dead market to realize it.

At the end of 2008, I was really seeking the Lord's guidance. I was frustrated and pretty much depressed. But the Lord met with me. He encouraged me by reminding me that He is always working for my good, that he delights in bringing beauty out of ashes. He helped me re-connect with my deepest dreams and longings, to remember the creative ideas he had put on my heart.

"The King's Christmas List"...I had written it over 6 years before, intending it to be a short video on the Christmas "Gift of Giving" website. Then the thought "came into my mind", what if we tried a house swap in Nashville--it's the closest "creative town" to us. It sounded crazy, and I just knew Kristen would say "Keep your Hobbies in your hobby closet!"

So I almost fell over when she said, "That's a great idea, I'll put our house on Craig's List in Nashville." My head was still spinning when 43 minutes later, a Christian family from Nashville, who had never done a house swap either, decided to look on craig's list, and emailed my wife saying they were interested!!!!!!!!!

I didn't realize it then, but I was published. God had it all worked out. It would take almost a year to sign the contract, but looking back, I see how in God's economy, it was already done and done!!! Awesome! I love Him so much! He really is the best DAD in the universe. Wait till you hear what He did July 2009 in Nashville! Blessings-ej

"I Hate Death"

Those were the words of my wife this morning as she heard that Buster, the family dog, had died. She was surprised that she was crying--the dog had never been trustworthy with our kids. But I understood her tears. Buster was a part of our family, a part of our lives--and death hurts. It's a strange void, it feels unnatural. Emma, almost 9 asked some questions, trying to understand; Grace, 6, cried and said, "but I didn't get to say good-bye; and Chloe, 4, said "Oh well, Buster's in Heaven! At weast we get to see him in heaven."

When I think of the oil spill, and the images of dead or dying animals and birds--I believe we and our children are bumping up against this one terrible realty--We Hate Death! And we should! Because, joy of joys, God Hates Death! That's what I will tell my kids tonight as we talk about Buster, or the oil spill. God hates death (and the chaos of this world) because it is NOT natural. His plan for us was a perfect world! In fact, he declares the death and chaos of this world His enemy --"and the final enemy, Death, will be overthrown...Death itself will be swallowed up in victory!" Chloe was right--death, sickness, pain are not the end, in fact they are a terrible aberration to be endured until the coming victory of the True King.

Giving something that's a sacrifice

Yesterday I read Emma the "finished product" of "The King's Christmas List". What really surprised me was how when we got to the point where she feels like she should give her precious "Cherry Bear", she gave out a painful sigh. "Oh Cherry Bear" she said with pained voice that reminded me just how much that old stuffed animal meant to her.

Even thought she still has Cherry, she was feeling the loss, the sacrifice represented in the story. Now I think it is very important that we do not pass on to our kids a "martyr syndrome", but at the same time, there are times when we are called to true sacrifice. I thought about it myself and wondered when the last time was that I gave something that made me feel I was giving a part of myself. I was also reminded of when Yeshua's disciples were impressed with how much the rich were giving to the temple, but Yeshua was impressed with the widow who gave just 2 pennies to God. His words show again just how deeply and lovingly God knows us--"She has given more than all the rest COMBINED, for she has given all that she has to live on."

Emma's deep sigh helped me understand the struggle this woman must have gone through--"I have two pennies that might buy me a couple loafs of bread, maybe some seeds for my garden, or I could just go give all that I have to God." I've heard this story so many times but never really connected with the sacrifice, the immense trust in God that was at work in this widow's heart as she made her decision. I think that is what I take away today, giving yourself and your time and your treasure SACRIFICIALLY is all about trust. Trust that God is a better keeper of "all that you have to live upon" than you are. Responding to that nudge in your spirit to give something precious, something that hurts, NOT for the sake of giving, but out of response to the Spirit's leading, puts you in deeper connection and dependence upon the Creator...and that's a very good place to be. It's the place you, and I, belong.

AS I thought about how to "re-define" the whole Christmas experience for my kids, I knew I just had to start with Yeshua--I mean it is HIS birthday. And when I thought about birthday parties, I thought about kids' experience of this other important part of kids lives. To this day, I think we all get a little excited about recieving something special on our birthdays--even if we've been turning 36 for the last 17 years! So it's a great start for kids to think about Yeshua, and how he feels about his birthday. Then, every kid goes to birthday parties, and they would feel terrible if they didn’t bring a gift. So I thought, "What if, after 2000 years, a little girl got invited to the Jesus’ birthday party, and out of her desire to give a gift to the King, helped us all re-discover Jesus’ Original Christmas List!?!"

One of my favorite passages from the bible has always been Matthew 25 where the king tells the righteous, “Whatever you give to the least of my brothers and sisters, you have given to me.” With some poetic license this became the King’s Christmas List-

“To all who want to give me a gift, BEHOLD!
Give food to the hungry and clothes to cold,
Give care to the poor both young and old,
Whatever gift you give to a person in need, is indeed,
A gift you have given to ME!”

All it took was seeing the amazing impact this tradition of giving to Jesus on Christmas day has had on my three girls (Emma 8, Grace 6, and Chloe 4), and I couldn't wait to share it with you and your family. Chloe, last thanksgiving (just recently turned 4) had an assignment in Sunday school where she drew the “hand turkey” and then wrote what she was thankful for on the feathers/fingers. My wife and I were so moved when among “mom”, “dad”, and “my sisters”, on the pinky she wrote “the poor”. Kids’ hearts are so pure and sweet, I just can’t wait to hear stories from your children as they take on the adventure of giving. That’s why the book ends with a website, TheKingsAdventure.com, a kid and family friendly site that lets you and your kids explore the world and decide where they want to give—through such great groups as World Vision and Blood:Water Mission.

One last thing, just to show the potential difference we can all make—the money spent at Christmas just on candy for stockings is more than the budget of the American Heart Association, The American Cancer Society, and Habitat for Humanity…COMBINED. I can’t wait to see where our children will lead us in this, the greatest of all adventures!

How "The King's Christmas List" started

I thought some of you would be interested in hearing a little bit about my background and how this story began to grow over 8 years ago now...

Going "way back", I graduated with honors from Harvard University in 1991 with a degree in English Literature, and my parents thought I had lost my mind when I turned down UCLA and Georgetown Law to go to Siberia! They probably had a point—but I had a chance to go work with a church that was coming out of the darkness of Communism and I wanted to make a difference. Wow, that seems so long ago now. But the experience was amazing, so I then spent the next six years as a Harvard University Chaplain and as the Boston Metro Director for Real Life---a campus fellowship with over 400 students involved not only at Harvard, but also on campuses such as MIT, Boston University, and Boston College. During my time there, I had the awesome privilege of leading teams of college students to share their lives and their summers in places like South Central L.A., Uzbekistan, and Kyrgzstan (Central Asia).

When I met my soon to be beloved wife, Kristen, in 1998, I had started my own non-profit organization (RISK—Relationships In Serving Kids), but quickly realized that though I loved ministry, I hated raising money…not a recipe for success when starting a family! So after we got married in 1999, we moved to Sarasota, Florida (to be near Kristen’s mom and dad) and I started my own small business in consulting and real estate. By 2000, we were expecting our first child, and in 2001 my sweet little Emma Rose was born. It was that year, as I faced my first Christmas as a dad that “The King’s Christmas List” was born inside me.

I will never forget driving home from work in December 2001, listening to NPR, and hearing a socialogist talk about his study of rituals:

“Every culture has rituals that inculcate in the children the most deeply held values of that society. American culture has but one TRUE ritual, where everything stops—songs are sung that everyone knows by heart, feasts and parties are the norm. Of course, this ritual is Christmas and it is very effective at inculcating American materialism into our children."

I still remember the chill that ran up my spine—as the sad, ironic truth hit me hard. I was determined not to let Jesus’ birthday be used to teach his littlest children to be more concerned with “getting” than giving. Thinking about my own powerful, early memories Christmas, I decided I wanted to create a new family tradition, a “ritual” per se, that would give kids a fun and meaningful way of experiencing the true spirit of Christmas, and the true Spirit of Christ. I was determined to change Christmas for my kids, and I could only hope, that someday, it might help other families do the same. (to be continued)

How to be a Lazy YET GOOD parent--rule #1

Anyone who has small children knows how incredibly exhausting it is--so my wife and I have laughed about some of the ways we have learned to be a "Lazy YET good parent." Basically, we have established some "rules" that allow us to make parenting just a little bit easier. The first rule is this--You're kids are playing, doing something safe, all by themselves and you find yourself thinking "What if you did this too?" DON'T SAY IT! : ) Why? because without a doubt, you share you're little suggestion, and now the kids want you to join in. Suddenly, one of those oh so brief moments when you're getting a little break is, yep, over! Now the game, whatever it might be, is not complete without you. So the first rule of "Lazy yet Good parenting" is, if you're kids are actually learning to play by themselves at something, enjoy it. Keep your suggestion to yourself! You and I both know they will be asking you for something before long, so take a breath and a mental break. You'll be a better parent for it in the long run.