Yesterday was our kickoff of the holiday season with the choir presenting its Christmas cantata. It was another stellar performance after many weeks of practice under the guiding (whip in) hand of Pastor Steve. We thank you for all your hard work and inspiration. Hopefully, the presentation will keep your eyes focused on the “reason for the season.” Not in our giving of extravagant gifts to one another but in God’s giving the most precious gift possible, the gift of His Son, the gift of salvation, of forgiveness, of grace, the ultimate gift of love. Enjoy the season, the decorations, the parties, parades, the giving, but never loose sight of the true beauty, the birth of Jesus!
Paul gives us some standards for Christian living in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-22, but the one most appropriate for this time of year is verse 18. “In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” In everything, give thanks, sometimes easier said than done. When the doctor gives you his prognosis, when your child has an accident or is in financial trouble, when the car dies on a dark deserted road, give thanks? Not always the first thing to pop into our heads. Thank you Lord for this disaster, but … disasters make us grow, and grow stronger. If you don’t exercise your body, it will grow weak and eventually atrophy. Same with your faith. He knows where you are and what you need and He will supply what you need at just the right time. While He may be strengthening you through trials, He may also be strengthening the faith of someone who is watching how you handle your difficulties. Give thanks in all things, it is His will for you. Look at your trials as another blessing. Compared to the rest of the world, as Americans we are ridiculously blessed. I don’t know if God still loves America, but He certainly continues to bless it. Take time, not only this Thursday, but every day to thank Him for all of your incredible blessings, both good and not so!
Because of some personal tragedy that has befallen them, some people think God doesn’t care about them or doesn’t understand their pain. Then why did He send His Son to walk the earth? Why did Jesus walk with the hurting, the sick, the outcasts? Then why did He heal their sicknesses, raise their dead, restore the unclean, feed the hungry? Why did Jesus suffer and die? Why does He tell us to cast all our cares on Him? Because of His great compassion for us, He endured all of our frailities. God understands our pain, even to the loss of a child. He will always be there for us, in any circumstance, with understanding, compassion, and forgiveness, just waiting for us to turn to Him. He has set the example for us to follow. As He has shown compasion on us, so should we do to others. We need to be sensitive to the hurts and needs of others, and not let them get lost as we persue our own agendas. We sometimes get so caught up in our own business, we fail to see the needs of the truly hurting all arouund us. The next six weeks are a great time to start getting serious about showing Christ’s compassion to others. Look around your community, then pray about what the Lord would have you do to show His love to others. No act of kindness is too small when it comes from a large heart of love.
I love it when you ask someone if they go to church and they say the beach is my church or the forest or the mountains. Yeah, they are great places to be alone and spend time with God. Some of my favorite times were when I regularly kayaked two miles out in the open ocean or climbed a mountain alone in a wilderness area and would spend time with God … but that wasn’t church! Church has gotten a bad rap because of so called churches. Church is where Jesus, not man, is the head and His Word is believed and followed. Church is where you go and feel welcomed and loved. Church is where people are concerned about souls and where they will spend eternity. Church is where you are accepted, not because of your social status or worldly accomplishments, but because you are you. God loves you, He made you, He wants you to be a part of His family, and until He takes you home, the Church is where He wants you to be involved. The church is not a building, it’s a body. No church is perfect, too many imperfect people in them, but real churches are working at it. So spend time in nature, get away and get with God, then come back refreshed and be a part of a loving, caring family, His Church!
Why is it so hard to pray? The Creator of all things wants to have a one on one time with you, wants to hear your heart, wants to hear your heart for others, wants to give you answers, but we are so busy with our mundane lives, so pressed for time that we barely squeeze off a quick memo when we get the chance. What is wrong with us? God wants you to talk to Him! Most people will barely listen to what you have to say while God wants to listen to you! We need to be like Daniel. Every day, three times a day, he spent time with God. Even the threat of being thrown to the lions didn’t deter him from his prayer time because he knew from his close relationship, God would deliver him. While we may not be literally thrown into a den of lions, every time we leave the house, to work or school or whatever, we are in the lions den. We need to have Daniel’s close relationship and God wants to have it too. You don’t need to be a pastor, priest, or prophet, your prayers are just as important and powerful. They don’t need to be flowery and theological, they only need to be from you. Take time to make time to recharge your prayer life and then take notes to record what happens. You’ll be amazed!
There are a lot of nasty things and people out there and they can be kind of scary, but, think about this. The One who created all things, hung the stars in place, spun the planets (even Pluto) into orbit, made the waters and mountains and canyons, designed our complex, intricate bodies and did the same for animals and fish and birds, also sent His Son to live among us to show us His love and provide a way for us to be with Him for eternity! Think about that. He created this incredible world for us to live in temporarily and then gave us His Son so we would have a heavenly world to live in permanently! Wow! I guess that’s why Paul and the Psalmist avowed, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” God is definitely for us, that has never been an issue, but are you definitely for God? If you have given your heart to the Lord, then you can boldly say, “I’m not scared!” If the Creator of all things has got your back, what’s there to be afraid of? So, next time satan tries to frighten you with one thing or another, you just tell him, “I’m not scared! God is for me, who are you to even try to go against me?”
Yesterday was our kickoff of the holiday season with the choir presenting its Christmas cantata. It was another stellar performance after many weeks of practice under the guiding (whip in) hand of Pastor Steve. We thank you for all your hard work and inspiration. Hopefully, the presentation will keep your eyes focused on the “reason for the season.” Not in our giving of extravagant gifts to one another but in God’s giving the most precious gift possible, the gift of His Son, the gift of salvation, of forgiveness, of grace, the ultimate gift of love. Enjoy the season, the decorations, the parties, parades, the giving, but never loose sight of the true beauty, the birth of Jesus!
Paul gives us some standards for Christian living in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-22, but the one most appropriate for this time of year is verse 18. “In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” In everything, give thanks, sometimes easier said than done. When the doctor gives you his prognosis, when your child has an accident or is in financia
Because of some personal tragedy that has befallen them, some people think God doesn’t care about them or doesn’t understand their pain. Then why did He send His Son to walk the earth? Why did Jesus walk with the hurting, the sick, the outcasts? Then why did He heal their sicknesses, raise their dead, restore the unclean, feed the hungry? Why did Jesus suffer and die? Why does He tell us to cast a
I love it when you ask someone if they go to church and they say the beach is my church or the forest or the mountains. Yeah, they are great places to be alone and spend time with God. Some of my favorite times were when I regularly kayaked two miles out in the open ocean or climbed a mountain alone in a wilderness area and would spend time with God … but that wasn’t church! Church has gotten a bad rap because of so called churches. Church is where 
Why is it so hard to pray? The Creator of all things wants to have a one on one time with you, wants to hear your heart, wants to hear your heart for others, wants to give you answers, but we are so busy with our mundane lives, so pressed for time that we barely squeeze off a quick memo when we get the chance. What is wrong with us? God wants you to talk to Him! Most people will barely listen to what you have to say while God wants to listen to you! We