I have a confession to make...

I love Christmas music. I love Christmas music all year long. Yeah, I'm one of those guys. But before
you go judging me, I just have one thing to say about it. Just as we sing songs to celebrate the Resurrection at any time of the year, I think the Incarnation of our Savior is also worth singing about at any time of the year. O Come, All Ye Faithful should be just as common as O Happy Day.

With this in mind, it was much to my delight that, as I was eating my breakfast this morning, three Christmas songs in a row came on my shuffled Spotify playlist. The normal reaction the typical person would make to this would be to instantly skip to the next track. But not me. I just sat back, and let the lyrical heralds song their carols of praise over me.

One of those songs, in particular, stood out to me. Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus by Folk Angel began playing and it just took me captive (see video below). "Come, thou long expected Jesus / Born to set thy people free / From our fears and sins release us / Let us find our rest in Thee." Wow! What a powerful paragraph! As I began to listen to this song, I started to remember that the Incarnation was all about my freedom. I am free because the Creator of Everything took on skin and bones in order that he could bear my sin. He became an insignificant, fragile, and dependent little cry-ball so he could rescue all of humanity from the incredibly oppressive power of sin and death. Every time I remember this, it blows my mind!

They went on to sing, "Let every heart / Prepare Him room / And heaven and nature sing / And heaven and nature sing." At this point, I felt the conviction hammering into me. Let every heart prepare Him room... Wow! How relevant this is for my life. So many things are going on in my life that I sometimes allow my heart to be filled up with a hundred different things, and it leaves little room for Jesus. One of the most spiritual things I can do is to take almost everything off my heart's plate and prepare room for the One who deserve my all. Sometimes this looks like saying no to a lot of things, but when I begin to be satisfied with Jesus and experience the unending joy that overflows from my heart, I realize that the more room I prepared for the "long expected Jesus," the more it was worth it.

So I wonder about you. How are you preparing Jesus room? And how are you finding your rest in Him? I encourage you to make this a priority just at He made you His priority when he came as a little baby two thousand years ago so he could set you free.

I'm writing this as I am driving down the long winding roads of Wisconsin. My rock star wife is in the drivers seat and we are on our way to my new job as high school pastor in Bismarck, ND. It's really exciting to be moving into this awesome new chapter of our lives, but I'm also caught reflecting on the times we had back in Illinois for the year or so that we were there.

Our last few days in the area were spent hanging out with lots of junior high and high school students. We received numerous cards and letters from all kinds of students telling us how we have impacted them. It was really hard not to cry after each one. It was amazing to see how Jesus had worked through us to leave a legacy in their lives. What a privilege!

So as I reflect on our legacy, here are the 3 Lessons I Learned After I Left a Legacy:

1. Most of the time, you never know how deep you have made it into someone's heart until separation causes them to share it with you. So do your best to be a positive example in everything you say and do. A few days before we left, we had a party to which we invited every student in the youth group. And some of the students that came we students I didn't remember every really getting to know that well. But as students began to share with us the impact we had left in their lives, I can only remember being so amazed at how God had worked. I honestly didn't remember ever saying anything important to some of them. But God allowed us to go deeper into their hearts than I ever imagined.
2. You can never quantify the legacy you have left. So never give up on someone who seems "hard to get to." One particular student comes to mind when I write this. He was that kid who always hung out in the back of the crowd during the songs chatting it up with his friends. He never seemed to be serious about the Lord. His dad even confided in me that he has had numerous conversations with him to try to get him serious about Jesus, school, or even work. But it seemed that he was a "dead end." Nothing seemed to get to him. But when I opened up my home to have a Bible study, he was one of the most faithful attenders. And out of nowhere - it seemed - this student began to get hungry for the Word. And a hunger like that is hard to put a number on. I only pray that Jesus continues to increase that hunger. Time will only tell, but he might be the next Hudson Taylor, and go anywhere God calls him.
3. You never know how your legacy is perceived. So make it as much like Jesus as you can. This story doesn't actually come from my time in youth ministry, but from my time working in the secular environment. I ran a coffee shop on the west side of Chicago for the last year an a half. One of the women who worked for me was Ana. She was a single mom from Guatemala, and she only worked for me for the last month or so that I was there. But on one of my last days there, she said to me, "I'm not a Christian, but my dad is a pastor and he works a secular job along side that. And though I'm not into that sort of thing, I admire him a lot. I know it's probably not the 'Christian' thing to say, but already I can sense this aura around you just like my dad. It makes me feel at ease." And as the Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians 2:15-17, this "aura" about us is Christ's presence in us, and is noticeable to both God and other people. And I am so grateful that God worked in me to make that "aura" obvious to Ana so that she could feel comfortable around knowing that I was a follower of Jesus.

What about you?

What kind of legacy are you leaving? And what are you doing today to make your "aura" more like Christ?

One of my favorite movies to watch when I was in junior high was The Rookie (2002). It is the story of Jimmy Morris, a high school baseball coach who makes it to the major leagues and becomes the oldest MLB rookie ever. In the movie, there is a scene where Jimmy was doubting whether or not to actually try
out for the major leagues and pursue his life-long dream, or to stay in his hometown teaching high school science and coaching varsity baseball. To gain clarity, he asks the advice of his father. The response he got was a phrase I will never forget. He said, "Son, it is alright to be doing what you want to do until it is time to start doing what you were meant to do."

It is alright to be doing what I want to do until it is time to start doing what I was meant to do. This phrase has stuck with me ever since. Recently, however, it has been reverberating in my mind like a gong. I don't like to make major plans for my future often. But I had set a course in my life in one direction and God had a different plan. I was running a new cafe that had just opened and I was loving it when God decided that it was time for me to start doing what I was meant to do. He had plans for me to be in full-time ministry in the context of the local church. And though I had my sights set on full-time church ministry for a long time and I have trained extensively for this, it took a little bit of convincing for me to get on board with God's plan. I had my own plans! I wanted to keep doing something that I was good at! I wanted the security of the known! But God wanted to bless me and use me in amazing ways. So I caved in and let God have his way - which would have happened anyway, whether I wanted it or not. (He has this thing with getting his way in our lives.)

A lot of times, I think most people are like me. We like to keep doing things that we are comfortable with and that we know we are good at. And sometimes we pass up opportunities for greater things because we are scared of the unknown and the difficult. We don't like God to change our plans because we don't know how it will turn out. But Hebrews 11:6 reminds us that we are most pleasing to God, and thus the safest, when we are living by faith and seeking after him. In other words, God is really happy with you when you follow his lead even though you don't know what's going on!

So I wonder, whose plans are you living by right now?

Are you allowing God to change your plans? And can you get excited for God to mess up "your life"?

What must you let go of in order for God to be on your hearts throne?

   I was recently rushing home from work, pumping the most upbeat Christian hits form Air1, texting at

stoplights and checking Instrgram at the same time, driving with my knees, and trying to weave between the self-righteously slow speed limit-drivers (who happen to be taking up both lanes!). I was getting more and more frustrated with how unaware of other people lots of drivers can be. I mean, don't they know that each person tailgating them is in a massive hurry ??? Maybe you have lived this irony before too. Or maybe you just think I am a loony hypocrite - and I'll admit it, I probably am. (Gosh, I hope my mom isn't reading this.)

   Then this 30 second devotional thought came over the air. The lady was talking about how Jesus lived an unhurried life. He was intentional to live in the moment and not let future worries and present distractions pull him away from giving his full presence to every one he was currently with. This thought hit me so hard. So hard. I was doing the exact opposite at that moment. I was rushing because I just enjoyed the feeling of being busy and in a rush. It made me feel important, for some reason.

   As I continued to drive home, Jesus was speaking loud and clear to me. "Brant, you need to slow down and just be present. You need to stop being in such a hurry. You are important when you are giving your presence to the present. You make a bigger difference by slowing down and letting the stress slip on by. Give yourself to those around you, and live in the moment. The future will take care of itself. But I am in the present...wanting you here with Me." Wow! I immediately took my foot off the gas, got in line behind a boring speed limit-driver, and loosened up behind the wheel. I was freed in that moment to just be present, and not have to be in a hurry.

   I can tell you with confidence that when you live in the moment and let the future come when it comes, you will experience a freedom and relaxation that you are probably not used to. You will not only feel better, but people will begin to feel more comfortable around you. When you are not worrying about the future, you can devote your attention to those who are in your present circumstances. Even Jesus said in Matthew 6:34 that we need to let tomorrow worry about itself. So let go, sit back, an enjoy the current moment God has given you. It might be the best part of your day so far.

   So, unhurry up and be in the present with Jesus!

When I was younger, my family had a little book on the coffee table by Sam Parker called 212: The Extra Degree. The basic premise of the book went like this,

At 211° water is hot. At 212°, it boils. And with boiling water, comes steam. And with steam, you can power a train. The one extra degree makes the difference.

 The main purpose behind the book was to encourage you to make the extra effort - to increase your production or hustle by an extra degree - so you can accomplish more amazing things in your life than you ever thought possible.

I was just thinking about that little book today when the Lord brought a passage of Scripture to mind. In Matthew 5:38-42, Jesus speaks about the retaliation passage from Exodus 21:23-25. He says that it is really about a deeper point, which is that God was setting up a system among his people that people were treated fairly and were protected against exploitation. But, if people would just show love to everyone around them, even if they are trying exploit them, the culture would be totally different! Translation: Love everyone, no matter who they are. Talk about mind-blowing! Fleshing it out, he says,

But I say to you, 'Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him to miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.

I truly believe that if every Christian took seriously the command of Jesus to go the extra mile, we would see something happen that would shake the foundations of our culture and leave everyone in awe of the grace of an amazing Savior. Just like it only takes that extra degree of heat to unlock the powerful potential of steam, it might just be that extra mile you go to love the people in your life who are hard to love that will unlock the transforming power of the gospel in your school, work place, or neighborhood.

My challenge to you today is this:

1. Ask God to bring someone (or some group of people) to your mind who is really hard to love (even though they desperately need love).
2. Gratefully remember how unlovable you were to God when he saved you.
3. Ask God to fill you with love for this person (or people).
4. Make a plan to show love to them in a tangible and personal way.

When you do this, you will unleash the glory of God into your culture and, over time, you will transform it.

Dare to go the extra degree!