It's that time of year again! Yep that's right, get the popcorn out, make the hot chocolate, and start the fire as you put on a classic Christmas movie. There's not much better than watching the movies we have seen over and over again which still evoke memories and emotions connecting us to the Christmas season. Christmas movies help us remember our loved ones both past and present in our lives and focus us on the true meaning of the holiday. The movies also give us spiritual messages to incorporate in our lives.


So let's look closer at the 6 best Christmas movies and the spiritual messages we can receive from them this holiday season.  


#6. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Dr. Seuss)

Of course we start here! What better story than how the Grinch found love for himself and others. This realization helps us all know that ultimately its not about us this Christmas season. Selfishness and greed are very real parts of the world. We must evaluate our thoughts and motives to make sure they are what's best for the community, not just ourselves.


There is a purpose behind the holiday that brings us together as a community to sing, laugh, and give thanks. The Who's accepted the Grinch with loving arms without reservation. And so are we called to this season to be inclusive with those around us inviting them to experience the living Christ in their lives. The Grinch was able to change because this radical love that persisted over his desire for material things.

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Message: Focusing on others, not yourself brings joy


​#5. Miracle on 34th St. 

This classic always makes the top list because of its positive, uplifting message. It makes us check our greedy thoughts at the door and reminds us there is something greater than ourselves. Faith is inextricably linked to belief. This film helps us recognize that believing can make all the difference in our lives. Believing opens our heart to possibilities and the mystery of the divine. So believe and know there is something more than meets the eye. The birth of Jesus gives us all something to believe in this season.

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Message: Faith makes miracles possible


​#4. Elf

This newer Christmas classic keeps you smiling throughout the film. It evokes happiness and joy as we laugh at the goofy idea and antics of Will Ferrell's character. In todays fast paced world this movie strikes home telling us to be aware of how we are investing our time. Our focus on obligations and responsibilities pulls us away from the real things that matter in this world. Elf tells us its ok to say no as we turn our time and focus to what really matters. Figuring that out is the challenge left for you.  

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Message: Find what matters in life to you and hold it close


​#3. The Christmas Story 

"I just won a major award!" The Christmas Story is either a movie you love or hate. Either way the movie takes you through the life of a boy named Ralphie who faces many dilemmas, challenges, and situations throughout the flick. The hilarious experiences Ralphie goes through gives him an array of emotions to which he has to manage. I believe this film speaks to how there is so much to learn in life through experience. Experiences shape who we are and who we are to be. We learn and become wiser as we live through the decisions we make in life. Through all of this God is always with us. We are never separated from the divine presence.

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Message: Life is to be experienced, go out and enjoy it


​#2. Christmas Vacation

Clark Griswold's perfect Christmas is shredded to pieces with the unusual and unfortunate events that transpire. However in the end he recognized the gift of truly being with family or those you care about despite all else. The Christmas season is meant to be shared with others. Whether its sledding, decorating lights, or drinking eggnog this movie reminds us how important it is to spend the holidays with people. So go be with someone you care about or invite them to do something.  


Message: Share the holiday season by being with others


​#1. It's a Wonderful Life 

​The angel Clarence says to George Bailey, "Each man's life touches so many other lives, and when he isn't around he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he?" This classic takes us on a roller coaster as we learn how a life can impact another's. George Bailey needed this experience to help him see the meaning behind his life. I hope all of us can find that meaning and purpose in our lives. Believing we have a purpose creates hope even if we don't know what it is. It helps us search spiritually to continually find where God is placing me and what God is asking me to do. We create meaning by loving others and doing what is needed in the moment. I hope this Christmas season you find meaning through your love of others.  

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Message: By loving others we impact their life in unforeseen ways

Merry Christmas! I pray that you all find the divine in your life this Christmas season! 

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This week watch your favorite Christmas Movie!

Where do I even start with these questions? 


Questions About Disconnection With God

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Why do I feel so disconnected at times from God in my life? Is it me or is it God just not wanting to be with me? Did I do something that God turned away from me? How do I stay steady spiritually when I don't even know where I am most days? ​

Why do I hear all these amazing testimonies from others but I have none for myself? Couldn't God just talk into my life and make this easier? How often do most people pray?  Is it ok to fall asleep why you are praying? How do people stay focused in prayer without their minds wandering?  


Questions About Scripture

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I mean did Jonah really get eaten by a whale and survive? Or is it just a myth that provides ways for us to find faith? How long can you survive if you are eaten by something anyways?

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Did the whole city of Jericho really come crashing down because the army walked around it? Was it just poorly built or was there some weird shift in the foundation?

How does evolution work with the creation story? Was it literally 7 days or is that just a worldview that has been passed through generations? How do dinosaurs fit into the stories from scripture? 


How is it these are the only writings in time that make up the word of God? Doesn't God act throughout time making the Bible just part of it? Does God still speak today?  And if God did how would that become scripture?  ​

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Questions About Jesus


Did Jesus really walk on water as that seems impossible? And why wouldn't he do it all the time if he could? Does this mean Jesus could also fly?  Was he really born from a Virgin or did God just act within the world events that transpired?


​Was Jesus born as the Son of God or did he become someone we look to as divine because of his life and message? Was he always kind, or did he ever show other extreme emotions? How was Jesus during his teenage and young adult life? Did he ever make any bad choices? 

What would Jesus think about society today? Who would he be a champion for now? What about his message still speaks to me? What would he think about social media?  And how would he use it to carry about his works?  How would he change church today?  What would be his primary focus of ministry?  

I wonder how people will take a whole blog post of questions?  

Maybe this will cause others to question things in their faith this week?  

Our guest blogger this week is Caleb Brian! Caleb is a self-sustaining seventy in Community of Christ who lives in St. Paul, Minnesota with his wife Tiffany and dog Ramona. They attend the St. Paul Community of Christ. He works as a Product Development Specialist at 3m (think Post-It® Notes and Scotch™ Tape). He has a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin and an undergraduate degree from Graceland University. Caleb spends his free time playing summer softball and winter volleyball. He also manages a vegetable garden and goes hiking as much as he can. Again we are very thankful for Caleb bringing his thoughts with us this week.  

The beginning of time seems to always come up as a hot topic in the “war” between science and religion. A reading of Genesis 1 would posit that God spoke the universe into being, created contrasting pieces, and worked out all the small details within it. It’s a beautifully written creation story that reflected some sense of understanding of who we are in the vastness of space.  Science on the other hand would say that the beginning of the universe took place via the Big Bang and that all matter that at one moment that had been highly compressed into a single dot erupted due to some unknown event to grow and swirl and splinter into the universe we observe today. It’s a compelling theory that reflects some sense of understanding of the visible universe around us.  And why do the two have to compete? 


13.8 billion year ago (give or take a few) something happened that caused a chain of events that led to Earth that led to organisms that led to humans. I believe that God could be in that space and watching over that expansion in ways that we still do not comprehend. Intriguing enough, it was a Roman Catholic Priest, Monsignor Georges Lemaitre, who is credited with the idea of the expanding universe that came to be referred to as the Big Bang theory. ​

For example, I was sitting in a discussion about recycling today. How, in the 1950s, consumerism shifted from durable materials to disposable materials and our rate of consumption has only increased from there. I’m constantly tempted to get the newest phone, but the one I have now is working just fine for what I need it to do. I look in my closet often at the vast array of shirts I have that I can wear to work and get bored sometimes because they are the same shirts I’ve worn for a few years now.


​A stunning statistic in our discussion this morning was that in the 1930’s women would have maybe bought two pieces of clothing a year and kept it for 5 years. Today the amount of clothing items purchased has jumped to 65 a year, and they’ll only be worn on average 3 times. Now, some could argue that is the increased purchase power we’ve gained in the last 80 years, but at the same time the science of clothing has changed in such a way that these goods are no longer made to last or at least to hold interest for long periods of time.  ​

My final example for this post is this. As the future of the church continues to feel uncertain and undefined, the church has much to learn from the freedom to ask questions which is present in science. When we allow ourselves the openness to explore our faith and understand the things that we believe and why we believe them I feel that makes us stronger. If cell biology had stopped when Robert Hooke first described cork cells in the 1600s we wouldn’t have many of the medical advances that we have today.


​The same is true of our faith, of our growth as Christians, in understanding a God who deeply loves us and yearns for the wellness of creation. No longer is our faith “just because” but it begins to move and breath with a deeper sense of life about it. This deeper sense of life has the added benefit of making our faith community more relevant to our friends and neighbors who are searching for spiritual homes even if they too don’t know how to define them.  ​

A big thank you to Caleb for being our guest blogger and helping us work through this difficult subject!

This week ask yourself how science impacts your faith and vice versa.

Last week at Dialogue and Dessert each participant was asked to rip off the amount of toilet paper they use when they go to the bathroom. After the paper was passed around individuals had to count the number of squares. The number ripped off was the amount of facts they had to share about themselves. For time purposes we capped each person's at ten. 

The group participants openly shared about who they were and the stories that shaped their life. Each one shared well over their amount but it didn't matter because the group was engaged in learning about the person and hearing their story. 


One man shared about going off to war after getting married. While fighting on the front lines he received a Dear John letter. He described the pain he felt and how hard it was for him to endure. But his face brightened as he said "but that opened the door for me to meet my wife, whom I have shared forty plus happy years with." He blessed us with the knowledge that sometimes the bad that life brings is only the vessel for something greater if we allow it. 

In these moments of listening to one another we were all touched and impacted. We had connected part of ourselves to the group. Sharing with others broadens peoples perspectives and helps them understand our viewpoint. It starts with thinking its "them" and "me" but suddenly moves our thoughts to "us." Connection makes us realize we are in this together. Our original perception and thoughts twist into something more real, genuine, and accurate. It is through these connections that life takes us into new seas and boundaries that we never would have expected.  


Let's look closer at how connecting with others impacts our lives! 

What's Behind Human Connections

Whether we are standing in line at Starbucks, sitting next to someone on a plane, or walking in our neighborhood there are always moments we can connect with others. It's a choice to engage in someone else's life. We need social connections! Research out of Stanford Medicine by Dr. Emma Seppala indicates social connections improve our physical, mental and emotional well beings. They go as far as saying "Lack of social connection is a greater detriment to health than obesity, smoking, or high blood pressure."  The info graphic below is an awesome visual from Dr. Seppala about it. 

What I find amazing about this research is that its really about our own subjective perception about the relationships we have. In other words how deep, genuine, and rich are those relationships. I find this is what we are called to do our faith journey's. 

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Executive Coach Dan Foxx provides another interesting perspective on connection in his TEDx talk. He discussed the importance of removing our own ego's by giving ourselves to the connecting moment. 

Connecting On Your Faith Journey


The spiritual connections we make on our faith journey's are of the utmost importance. When I share with others vulnerably or openly sit in the presence of the divine with others our connections deepen. Whether they actually do or not my subjective perspective believes this which is my reality. Faith is always about going deeper and becoming more authentic. When we walk our faith journey's alone we miss the opportunity to connect. 

Jesus connected with others! The scripture focus of our discussion the other night was from Luke 7:11-17 when Jesus came across the burial of a widow's son. Jesus immediately had compassion and was moved to action. He noticed and allowed himself to be connected which ultimately changed the circumstances in the story.


We are called just like Jesus to notice others and connect with them. Through that connection we can allow ourselves to miraculously love. For love changes the circumstances of the moment and calls us to rise forward into new life. ​


​What will that new life be for you? Who will be changed by your decision to connect? 

I really appreciate all those following along! Like us on Facebook! 

Go out and connect with someone new this week! 

In 5th grade, my school offered band class to help elementary kids learn how to play instruments. I was excited to learn and chose the saxophone since that is what my mother and brother both played. I dedicated myself to practicing every night however despite my efforts I could not vibrate the reed to make the right noise with the proper mouth placement. My band teacher, who was used to teaching high schoolers, would become irate at my lack of ability becoming quite loud and boisterous in front of everyone.


​So a month in I switched to playing the trombone hoping that would be the fix. The trombone was easier to play however I still significantly struggled with it. Again the stress mounted on me from the continual pressure and disappointment from my teacher. The original excitement of learning quickly faded and instead became anxiousness and shame for not being good enough. 

I appreciate all of the kind words we have received. Please continue to share with whoever you feel would find comfort in this blog.  

This week tell yourself its ok to think differently from those around you.