Purpose Day

Today is the fifth day of Kwanzaa–Nia, which, in Swahili, means “Purpose.” I’ll admit I’m not very familiar with Kwanzaa, but the “happy holidays” controversy got me curious about other celebrations going on around me besides Christmas, so I read a bit about it. Without going into great detail, each day of Kwanzaa has a principle on which to meditate and act upon.

It’s appropriate that today, just two days before a new year, has been designated as Purpose Day. The meaning of the verb form of purpose is to set as an aim, intention, or goal for oneself; to resolve. For Kwanzaa, Purpose Day involves community purpose as well as self:

To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.

My personal purpose day involves completing my resolution plan of attack, so, in effect, I’ll be joining in with others who spend the day focusing on their purpose. And focusing on our purpose is key as we ponder our goals for the coming year.

For us to be successful, every day will be purpose day because each daily task should lead toward an ultimate result. Without that end in mind, it’s difficult, if not impossible, to stay motivated and implement the day-to-day habits that will be required to attain our goals.

For example, if my goal is to lose weight, my daily routine must include healthy eating and exercise. If I’m not reminded daily of my purpose–goal, intent, resolve–behind these changes of habit, it will be all too easy to slip back into my comfort zone and continue making the same poor choices that got me to this size in the first place.

In the past, I’ve blogged several series–one on non-fiction writing, another on perking up prose, etc., and I’ve been contemplating what should be my next blog series. Today I’ve decided. I once conducted a workshop called “Design Your Own Luck,” which is essentially a goal-setting series. I began compiling those notes into what will hopefully someday become a book. I’ll post the overview tomorrow, and then, Lord willing, on New Year’s Day, we’ll get going on the series.

Spend a little time today considering your purpose. Ask God what His purpose for you is.

Have a blessed day!

Take Me Out to the…Movies

What are you doing May 19? Personally, I plan to attend my daughter’s high school graduation. But I may go to the movies on the 20th.

You’ve probably heard about the upcoming major motion film: "The Da Vinci Code." The media is full of buzz about it, along with another Christ-bashing film, "The Beast," coming to theaters on June 6, 2006 (6/6/06–very cute).

So why would I want to go to the movies on the opening weekend of such a slam to Christianity?

Below is an excerpt from an recent email that originated with Janet Batchler that Christians are circulating about the weekend of May 19. I found it on James Watkin’s blog:

"What can we as Christians do in response to the release of this movie? I’m going to offer you the usual choices — and a new one.

Here are the usual suspects:

We can ignore the movie

The problem with this option: The box office is a ballot box. The only people whose votes are counted are those who buy tickets. And the ballot box closes on the Sunday of opening weekend. If you stay home, you have lost your chance to make your vote heard. You have thrown your vote away, and from Hollywood’s point of view, you don’t count. By staying home, you do nothing to shape the decision-making process regarding what movies will make it to the big screen.

We can protest

The problem with this option: It doesn’t work. Any publicity is good publicity. Protests not only fuel the box office, they make all Christians look like idiots. And again, protests and boycotts do nothing to help shape the decisions being made right now about what movies Hollywood will make in the next few years. (Or they convince Hollywood to make *more* movies that will provoke Christians to protest, which will drive the box office up.)

We can discuss the movie

We can be rational and be ready with study guides and workshops and point-by-point refutations of the lies promulgated by the movie.

The problem with this option: No one’s listening. They think they know what we’re going to say already. We’ll lose most of these discussions anyway, no matter how prepared we are, because the power of story always trumps the power of facts (why do you think Jesus taught in parables?!). And once again: rational discussion of history does nothing to affect Hollywood’s choices regarding what movies to make.

But there’s a fourth choice

On May 19th, you should go to the movies. Just go to another movie.

Save the date now. May 19th, or May 20th. No later than Sunday, May 21st — that’s the day the ballot box closes. You’ll get a vote, the only vote Hollywood recognizes: The power of cold hard cash laid down on a box office window on opening weekend.

Use your vote. Don’t throw it away. Vote for a movie other than DVC. If enough people do it, the powers that be will notice. They won’t have a choice…

Let’s rock the box office in a way no one expects — without protests, without boycotts, without arguments, without rancor. Let’s show up at the box office ballot box and cast our votes. And buy some popcorn, too.

May 19th. Mark your calendars now…"

I checked out the Coming Soon web site and frankly, there aren’t a lot of movies coming out against "The Da Vinci Code." Personally, I’m hoping "Goal: The Dream Begins" from Touchstone will still be in theaters that weekend. It sounds like a good story. It opens May 12.

Pass along the news. And take someone out to the movies.

The False Meaning of Christmas?

Is it just me, or has anyone ever heard someone use the phrase, "the false meaning of Christmas"? We hear about the "true" meaning of Christmas nearly every year, but I’ve never heard anyone discuss the "false" meaning of Christmas, although I’ve witnessed it.

This year we’ve probably all heard a lot of hype about "holiday" trees and store clerks saying "Seasons Greetings" instead of "Merry Christmas." Some have banned certain retail chains for their lack of acknowledging the birth of the Holy Child; others are bombarding the ACLU offices with religious-themed Christmas cards; some claim that since we have no way of knowing the date of Christ’s birth for certain, we should ignore the whole shebang; and even of churches who have taken a day off from church due to high production costs and low expected attendance. Do those actions portray the "true" meaning of Christmas?

Maybe it’s just me, but I believe that Christmas is about giving.

• It’s about God giving His Son so that we can have hope of life eternal, even if the date of that gift didn’t occur on December 25th.
• It’s about families giving of their abundance to those who are less fortunate.
• It’s about giving our money to feed the homeless.
• It’s about giving our time to shop and cook and entertain friends and family.
• It’s about churches giving their means to serve others and spread the good tidings of great joy.

And, maybe it’s just me, but I think all the sudden need for political "correctness," (that’ll be a whole ‘nother blog!) is NOT about preventing the possibility of offending those from religions other than Christianity; it’s about removing ALL religion from our lives. Christians and Jews have lived in harmony for decades during the Christmas season. In the past, those Jewish people whom I’ve wished a "Merry Christmas," have simply smiled and said, "I’m Jewish." Then they have greeted me back with "Happy Hanukkah." I offered them a Christian holiday greeting and they responded with a Jewish one. Very appropriate on both sides. No law suits. No violence. No hurt feelings.

Is not all religion about giving? If a person is truly religious, that person will understand if we don’t make a greeting specific to their belief. But those who are opposed to religion in general are the ones to be feared.

Tonight I’ll be privileged to join in a celebration of the "true" meaning of Christmas. Each year, a group of women from our church hosts a Christmas party for a residential facility for mentally retarded women. It is the best Christmas party I attend each season. The family of each of these ladies comes and they exchange gifts, sing Christmas carols, and eat and laugh and enjoy each other’s company. It’s an awesome experience. And I believe those of us who host the event are more blessed than those we host it for, even though they have a great time. Why? Because, it truly is more blessed to give than to receive.

I hope each of you will be able to be blessed by giving of yourself this holiday season.