Merry Christmas!

Wishing you all a very wonderful Christmas, and blessings for the new year.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeard with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on wholm his favor rests." When the angels had left them and gone into ehaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."
Luke 2:8-15

Remember the Reason for the Season is JESUS.

The Gift of the Blessing

By Leanne Konrad

I'm sure over the years I've been given hundreds of Christmas gifts... some I remember others I don't. I remember a set of blue suitcases, new Christmas pajamas, a care bear, a little baking set, and a very special letter.
My parents had just finished reading a book called "The Gift of the Blessing" and decided that for Christmas that year each of their kids would receive a letter of blessing from them. I still have mine 15 years later and I will always treasure it. It outlined the gifts and talents my parents saw in me, the character traits they admired in me and the things they daily prayed for me. I have read it often and it has been a huge encouragment to me.
This year, why not use the space on your Christmas cards to write more than "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year"? Take a moment and think about what makes a certain person so special to you... use your Christmas cards as an opportunity to give the "Gift of the Blessing". If you do I promise your card will be around long past Christmas.

The Free Gift

By Jane Welsh

Last month I was shopping at "Save On Foods" and I saw on the computer screen at the checkout that I had enough "Save On More points " for a free iPod. I wondered if there was a catch so I inquired at the Service Desk. No catch. More than that, I did not even have to order it. They had one there. In the box. Pristine perfect. What a gift I thought. A bonus from the groceries that I had to buy anyway. So I took my iPod home and then began to figure out how to use it. Well, I got so far and then when I could go no further in figuring it out, I had to phone the Customer service number printed on the little brochure in the box. The lady was helpful, up the point when she asked me to look for a certain icon on my computer. Three times I told her I could not see it. The lady must have had patience, because I was about to say the icon was not there a fourth time, when I saw it.
It had been there all the time.
I just could not see it.
There. Right in front of me.
At Christmas time we remember the free gift that God sent to us in the form of Jesus. To be born as a baby and to grow up and die on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. God’s grace. Pristine perfect. The Perfect Gift. Up until the age of 22, Christmas time had just been another holiday for me. Then there came a time when I saw my need of Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. He had been there all the time. I just had not seen Him. There. Right in front of me.

There is a line in the Christmas carol, "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" that says, "Veiled in flesh the Godhead see Hail the incarnate Deity"

God became flesh. God became human. We see God in Jesus Christ.What a privilege we have to see and receive the free gift of salvation through God’s Son, Jesus.

Food For Thought...

A friend just sent me this in an email. I wanted to share it here... I don't know who wrote it, but doesn't it just make you think!?

Does God exist? This is so true!! This is one of the best explanations of why God allows pain and suffering that I have seen. It's an explanation other people will understand:

A lady named Sheryl went to a beauty shop to have her hair cut and her nails painted and trimmed. As the lady began to work, they began to have a good conversation. They talked about so many things and various subjects. When they eventually touched on the subject of God, the beautician said: "I don't believe that God exists."

''Why do you say that?" asked Sheryl, who has MS.

"Well, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God doesn't exist. Tell me, if God exists, would there be so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children? If God existed, there would be neither suffering nor pain. I can't imagine a loving God who would allow all of these things."

Then Sheryl thought for a moment, but didn't respond because she didn't want to start an argument. The beautician just finished her job and the Sheryl left the shop. Just after she left the beauty shop, she saw a woman in the street with long, stringy, dirty hair and not groomed at all. She looked dirty and unkempt.

Then Sheryl turned back and entered the beauty shop again and she said to the beautician: "You know what? Beauticians do not exist.''

"How can you say that?" asked the surprised beautician. "I am here, and I am a beautician. And I just worked on you!''

"No!" Sheryl exclaimed. "Beauticians don't exist because if they did, there would be no people with dirty, long, unkempt hair, like that woman outside.''

"Ah, but beauticians DO exist! What happens is, people do not come to me.''

"Exactly!" affirmed Sheryl. "That's the point! God, too, DOES exist! What happens is people don't go to Him and do not look for Him. That's why there's so much pain and suffering in the world."

Hall of Faith - (Part one)

I was struck by something in the sermon today. Our Pastor was reading a verse from Hebrews 11, and he said, "this is the 'Hall of Faith' chapter in the Bible." We think of Hall of Famers, and their contributions to the world... Hockey: 300+ career goals, 1000+ games played, one game wonders, you name it... But that's not all... there are Halls of Fame for Country music, Aviation, Rock and Roll, Baseball and all other sports, Science and Engineering, and the list goes on and on... seriously, you should Google "Hall of Fame" if you want to see how many Halls you can try to get your name on.

But the difference that struck me with the Hall of Faith, is that these men listed in Hebrews 11 weren't in a contest, or sports challenge trying to get recognized for their great abilities... rather, they usually were simply following God's commands and they seldom received the rewards while they were alive.

What does it take to be inducted into the Hall of Faith?

What is FAITH??

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. Hebrews 11:1-2

What did these guys hope for? They wanted to please God. That was it. That was their goal. So how were they equipped? Were they men of valour and courageous as kings? Not usually!

By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead. (vs. 4)

Did you catch that? Abel died... and part of the reason was because of his faith. He didn't get a reward for living in faith, at least not that he saw on this earth. But his eternal reward outshines all that we could hope for here. God approved of his actions because it says, "God spoke well of his offerings."

PLEASE GOD...

By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (vs. 5-6)

TRUST GOD...

By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. (vs. 7)

Would you have done what Noah did? The people in Noah's day had never even seen rain, so to talk about a flood was pure foolishness by their standards. But Noah stood his ground, build his ark and let his faith in God be the guide. What God said to do, he did, and for that he was saved along with those who would listen to him. Have you seen the movie "Evan Almighty?" It is a modern day telling of Noah's Ark. Although the whole world doesn't get wiped out like in the Bible story of Noah, it shows faith in God, and how we need to trust God even when we can't understand.

LET GOD GUIDE.... GO.....

By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
By faith Abraham, even though he was past age-and Sarah herself was barren - was enabled to become a father because he considered him fitful who had made the promise. And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore. (vs. 8-12)

Wow- Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born. Sarah was 90. God keeps his promises. Just follow his leading, and believe.

BELIEVE AND DO.....

All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country-a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. (vs. 13-16)

There is more to it than just believing... you must live by faith, which implies action. To say you have faith means nothing, without doing something with it you are speaking meaningless words.

If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. (James 2:16-18)

Have you been inducted into the Hall of Faith? Do your actions back you up?

This is where I had to turn the page for verses 17-40 of Hebrews 11... so this is where I'll stop. If you want to read the entire chapter click here for Hebrews 11. I will come back soon to write the rest!

Women of the Bible

In January, we will be starting a study on Women of the Bible. We will take a look at a different woman each week for the 8 week study. So, here's my question... which women would YOU be most interested in studying? I have a few in mind, but I would love to know which ones most interest you for a study.

Thanks for leaving a comment!

ps- remember that even if you don't go to our church, you can be a part of this study, right here on this blog... so please feel free to leave a comment as well, with your choice for women of the Bible to study.

Spinning...

Sammy recently discovered spinning. So cute! He spins until he can't stand up anymore and then he falls on the floor and lays there until he can get up and do it again. This week I've been feeling like I'm "spinning" too, but it seems I don't have the time to lie on the floor and recover! Makes me think of something a pastor of mine used to say... "Remember that God created us as human beings not human doings".
Hope you can all find some time to just "be" this weekend!!

"Be still, and know that I am God" Ps.46:10