I was in one of those "big box" stores over the weekend - and Santa was strolling the aisles wishing everyone a Merry Christmas. I told my wife, "It was fun to see Santa. I was just a little surprised to see him carrying pepper spray on his belt." (OK, I made that part up.) But the thought never would have occurred to me, except for that crazy Black Friday and all the headlines. People getting pushed, punched, sprayed, hospitalized, and even shot - all in the frenzy to get some coveted item cheap.

Well, there was this image on a news organization's website that was almost laughable - if it weren't more sad than funny. Pictures captioned with the day's major headlines kept rotating across my screen. First came the photo of pre-dawn bargain-hunters massing outside the store - caption: "Shoppers Show Up in Droves." Next picture - hundreds of thousands of Egyptians massing in a square in their capitol city, and it said: "Crowd Swells in Cairo's Tahrir Square."

You're right! They were there trying to bring down at that time a dictator. I smiled - and then I sobered - at the contrast. One crowd fighting for bargains. Another crowd fighting for freedom. I was ready to put those pictures side-by-side with the caption of my own: "So what are you fighting for?"

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Black Friday Battles."

I'm not against bargains. I like them. But the contrasting agendas of those Black Friday crowds were reminders to make sure that I'm investing myself in the battles that really matter. Even though there are less important battles that constantly jockey for my attention and for my time.

We find our lives filled with the pursuit of more house, more money, more Facebook friends, more fun, more title, more commitments, more sports, more gadgets, more entertainment. We dance to the music of a culture that tells us what we must have, what we must see and do. We put our energies more into having than giving, into activity - more than relationships, into maintaining church programs - more than moving out to reach people who are clueless about our Jesus.

Christians choose to define themselves by the ten percent that divides them rather than the 90% that unites them. Couples fight over petty differences instead of fighting for their marriage. Relationships between family, friends, business people often focus on the insignificant rather than what really matters and really is important. Church folks fight over music styles and personal slights instead of fighting for the lost and for the hurting people just across town.

Jesus said to stop running after all these "temporaries" that possess the lives of people who live like this world is all there is. And our word for today from the Word of God says, in Matthew 6:32-33, "seek first the kingdom of God." In other words, the things that God thinks are worth living for and fighting for. Like the hard work of a happy marriage, strong relationships, building kids who have a Jesus of their own. Like the ever-living, never-dying souls of the people you know, and the powerless and broken people who break the heart of Jesus and ought to break ours.

I love this high tribute to David, the "man after God's own heart." It says, "He fights the Lord's battles" (1 Samuel 25:28). After all, those are the only ones worth fighting.

Maybe it was the dumb voices I did. But the kids used to love it when I read "Winnie the Pooh" to them. Tigger with his irrepressible "hoo-hoo!" bouncing everywhere. And Eeyore with his head down and his ever-present gloom. I'd rather be Tigger than Eeyore maybe without the bouncing. I mean, I want to be the one to leave sunshine in the room, not storm clouds.

That's not so easy. There's plenty to make us Eeyores: overheated schedules, grumpy folks, medical battles, family tension, too little sleep, long delays, aggravating pain, and aggravating people who are a pain. And then there's the antidote - thanksgiving. Well, actually, giving thanks. That may be the difference between being the joy-bringer or the joy-killer.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Tigger, Eeyore, and Thanksgiving."

The "inventors" of our Thanksgiving exemplify that difference. According to H. U. Westermayer, "The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts. No Americans have been more impoverished than those who, nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving."

There's Thanksgiving, the holiday. Then there's thanks-living, the lifestyle. It's the difference between the dirty window and the blessing glasses. Yep! See, when I look out a dirty window, the whole world looks yucky. Even the really good stuff is dimmed by all the caked-on dirt that's coloring my view.

If you've decided your role in life is "victim," it's going to be hard for you to see much that's positive through that window: abused, neglected, abandoned, misunderstood, passed over, or wounded - that's real hurt. But to let those who hurt you define you? That's a self-imposed sentence of despair; denying the many good things because they don't fit the victim narrative - living as a prisoner of your past.

Unthankfulness, for whatever reason, breeds some ugly offspring. In Romans 1, God describes how humans end up doing unthinkably depraved things and where that downward slide starts. "They wouldn't worship Him as God or even give Him thanks...their minds became dark and confused" (Romans 1:21 NLT). Okay, here it is. Unthankful heart - dark mind, bitterness, resentment, depression, anger, rebellion against God. They come from an ungrateful heart.

Yes, you can choose to go through life looking out your dirty window, seeing all that's wrong. Or, you can choose to put on your blessing glasses that enable you to live, not in denial of the bad stuff but celebrating the goodness of God all around you if you have eyes to see it.

And those blessings are always there: the ever-changing masterpiece of the Ultimate Artist all over the sky, the yard, the smile of a friend, the laughter of that child, the roof over your head, the food in the fridge, the job you have, that person who cares. We call them "God-sightings."

Actually, thanks-living isn't just an option for a follower of Jesus. It's a command. "Always be joyful." How am I going to do that, for heaven's sake? Well, in our word for today from the Word of God in 1 Thessalonians 5:16 and 18, where it says, "Always be joyful." It also says, "Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Jesus."

When you look at life through blessing glasses, all kinds of good things blossom: joy that's from what's happening in your spirit, not your situation, peace that banishes anxiety, faith that sees a God who's bigger than whatever is bigger than you are.

Thanksgiving's a great time to become intentional about collecting blessings, not burdens. Living "with gratitude in your hearts to God."

For me, that thanks begins, not at a turkey-filled table, but at an old rugged cross where I once again allow myself to be leveled by the love of my Jesus who took my hell so I can spend forever in His heaven.

Thanksgiving and thanks-living begin with the love that will never let me go.

When our kids were growing up, the early morning shift around our house was particularly exciting. I was getting ready for a full day, three kids were scrambling to have what they needed for school, my wife was playing maid, chef, valet, and chauffeur. Man! In the rush, a lot of our communication was basically non-verbal. For example, one morning I was shaving and thinking through this endless list of things I had to do that day - all the Lord's work, of course. I was mulling over a sermon, radio programs, an important appointment that day, an event I was planning, and my son popped in. Now, I must have somehow succeeded in telegraphing how much I had on my mind (the Lord's work, remember? Right.) - he disappeared as quickly as he had appeared. Then, as I was praying about all the Lord's work I had to do that day, I remembered an important decision my son had to make that day, one that he probably needed to talk to his father about. I had just missed the Lord's work.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Mission at Your House."

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from John 4:30. Jesus has just had a transforming conversation with this Samaritan woman He met at a well, and she goes back to tell her village about the Messiah she has just met. The Bible says, "They came out of the town and made their way toward Him." The disciples, who have been in the village shopping for groceries, are just focused on trying to get Jesus to eat some lunch.

But with these unreached Samaritans streaming out of the village toward them, Jesus says, "Do you not say, 'Four months more and then the harvest?' I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest." To Jesus' disciples, this village was just a rest and refueling stop. Apparently they were looking ahead to some great future ministry and missing the ministry right under their noses!

Sounds like this father shaving, thinking about the ministry he had ahead of him and missing a son who needed some ministry right there. All too often we're like what I was that busy morning or the disciples were that lunch time in Samaria. We miss the work of God that's right under our nose. In fact, you don't even have to leave your home to do the Lord's work. Actually, the work of God begins at home! That's one reason the qualifications for spiritual leaders in 1 Timothy 3 tell us that it must be someone whose relationship with their spouse and their children is healthy.

So we often fill up our lives with ministry responsibilities, only to reach other people's kids while missing our own, to bring blessing to God's house while neglecting our first responsibility - the congregation at our own house. Many husbands and wives, children and parents have been the victims of a distorted view of God's work - that you have to leave home before you start doing ministry. You know, your family may be the most important ministry you will ever have.

This doesn't mean you withdraw from every spiritual responsibility outside your home, but it does mean you take care of the Lord's work at home first. Maybe your unbelieving family member would be better reached by your staying home with them sometimes than by your going to a meeting to pray for them. Your mate, your child may need your ear, your encouragement, your counsel. And they may need it at least as much as anyone you're going to see at your meeting.

So look around your house for those needs that are there before you go charging off somewhere else to start doing the Lord's work. Sometimes the most important Lord's work you have to do is right there under your nose!