Sensational Christmas

We love this time of year. Spending time together, all the homemade goodies & great food, seeing extended family, etc. Of course, the kids can't wait for the presents!

Years ago, when I gave my heart to Jesus, Christmas began to take on a deeper meaning. And it's that Spirit that always seems to be present during our recent "Carols, Candles, and Communion" service.

As we celebrated Christ's birth as a church family, the entire experience was especially meaningful as we pulled up to the table of the Lord and remembered His birth, life and death for us. The message leading into communion was from 1 John 1:1-9.

The passage starts by addressing the senses, "which we have heard...seen...and our hands have touched." And that's exactly what Christmas does for me and so many others. It touches our senses. The lights, food, carols and family time all bring our senses to alert and draw us into the holiday. But the most moving expression isn't from festivities or family; but from the "life that appeared" on that first Christmas day in the form of a baby.

And the Apostle John reminds us that this is to make our "joy complete." Even the angel heralded the same message to the shepherds, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people (Lk. 2:10)."

How about you? Do you have the joy of Christmas this season? Or have the distractions of Christmas kept you from experiencing the real joy, Emmanuel- God with Us. I pray that you have a sensational Christmas by being able to sense the presence and experience the joy of Jesus.

A Friend Loves at All Times

This week while I was praying, a familiar passage of Scripture came to mind found in Proverbs 17:17 which says, "A friend loves at all times." It caused me to take a moment to reflect about God's love for me, and His friendship.

First, the simple fact that God would call me friend still blows me away. Words cannot express how unbelievable it is to have the unchanging, sovereign God say, "I'm your friend."

Secondly, He even shows us what true friendship is all about: unselfish love. A love that doesn't think about self first, but rather makes the other person the object of friendship and love.

And lastly, His love is constant. It doesn't fluctuate. We don't find it only when we are doing well and are lovable. No, His love is there even when we are unlovable.

And isn't this the litmus test for our all of our relationships? Do we love selflessly at all times? Or do we allow the down times to pull us away from our friends? I believe the true test of one's character is found in their ability to love people at all times. Even when people are unlovable or have done something that causes us to lose trust in them. For a "friend loves at all times."

Christmas Toy Giveaway

Sunday was a fantastic day for Englewood. It was our annual Christmas outreach where we invite families from the community to join with our church family to experience the Christmas message and a toy giveaway. Both services were packed and I couldn't be more proud of the staff pastors and tons of volunteers who made this day possible. You continue to amaze me with your love and devotion for our community and the Lord. I pray God will reward you for your service to Him and the Kingdom.

The children's program, "Angel Alert" was great, as usual. The kids looked so cute and they did a wonderful job ministering through song, scripture and drama. I love watching them smile after they "nail" their line or song. But the absolute best part were the numerous people who raised their hands to accept Christ after both presentations. Our children, ministering to the families of the community--Awesome!

After the invitation for salvation, we passed out gifts to every child in the building. It was so much fun sensing the anticipation in their faces and seeing them reach out to receive their gift. What joy comes in giving. This marks the ninth year in a row that we have blessed the community and our children with gifts on Christmas. Ministry can be so much fun when you are serving others!

4 Principles of Pearl Harbor

This past Sunday (Dec. 7, 2008) my message was entitled, "A Date Which Will Live in Infamy." The title, of course, comes from the well known speech given by Franklin D. Roosevelt the day after Japanese aircraft bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

In 2007, our family was able to take our first trip to Hawaii (hopefully not our last!). Without a doubt, one of the major highlights was touring the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu. Very humbling to experience a place where so much pain and suffering happened. It is an important and interesting part of American history, and simply fascinating to go there.

On the USS Arizona Memorial and checking out the ship below with Braeden

On that day in American history, 2,280 military personnel lost their lives, 1,109 were wounded and 68 civilians also died. The sad thing about that day is that it didn't have to happen. Or at the very least, the results of the attacks could have been less damaging.

Consider this...

• Intelligence department intercepted messages about the coming attack, but didn't forward the entirety of the messages to the commanding officers in Oahu, Hawaii.
• There were warnings of Japanese spies in Hawaii, but they weren't found or captured.
• The morning of Dec. 7, military personnel manning the sonar saw a massive amount of aircraft coming toward them, but it was considered U. S. B-17's coming from the mainland.
• And finally, a sub periscope was seen in the harbor before the attack. Despite this, there was no alert given.

Here are 4 Principles of Pearl Harbor that we can learn from...

1. Pearl Harbor's Pride- They thought they were untouchable. Nothing could happen. Read Pro. 16:18; Ps. 10:4; Lk 18:11-16; and James 4:6.

2. Pearl Harbor's Warning- listed above were all the warning signs that were given. Because God loves us, He gives us many warning signs as well to make us change course. Many times we don't see and hear them because we aren't paying attention.

3. Pearl Harbor's Price- The price that was paid for having too much pride and not listening to the warning signs were great. On top of the men and women who lost their lives, nearly every aircraft was destroyed or damaged, 8 battleships were sunk or destroyed, 2 destroyers were sunk and several other warships. The price is great if we don't examine ourselves for weaknesses (see 2 Cor. 13:5; Mt. 7:22,23; Mt. 7:13,14).

4. Pearl Harbor's Power- There was an incredible display of Japanese power that day. But there was also a tremendous display of U.S. power and resolve. As believers, we have power that is beyond our strength (see 1 Jn. 4:4; 2 Cor. 10:3-6; Ps. 91:11; Ps. 68:1).

Are you listening to the warning signs God is placing in your life? Are they quiet, gentle warnings or have they become obvious and loud? Swallow your pride, heed the warning signs, count the cost, and lean on God's power. He cares for you, loves you, and wants what's best for you.

Snow Day & Spiritual Endorphins

Two of the greatest words in the English language: "No School"!

We actually got our kids back out of bed last night to come and hear it on the news. No school in Independence today. SNOW DAY! There was fist pumping, jumping, high-fiving, lots of "Wooo baby!", etc.

Wonder if anybody has ever done a study on the amount of endorphins released in children upon hearing the phrase "No School"? I still kinda get pumped up myself! It's a definite euphoria trigger.

I'm very thankful that I can be at home with my boys. We slept in, I made a big breakfast, and we're going to chill out today; maybe catch a movie and wait for church tonight.

You know, I've just had a stirring in my spirit and an excitement about the service tonight. I don't know why; for all intents and purposes it's a normal Wed. night. But God has been saying to me, "Are you excited to enter my presence? I have something for you and I'll meet you there."

Does being in God's presence to wait upon Him, worship Him, and hear His Word excite you? Does it release some spiritual endorphins in you? Does it trigger a joy and a hunger for God in you? It can and it will. Read Psalm 16:11

Bull Riding Video

Below is a short video used as support for the Live Like You Were Dying message series. Okay, Brian did a little indoor rock climbing instead of "Rocky mountain climbing", but that's a real 600+ lb. Brahma bull he rides for 2.1 seconds. The guy said 2.1 is actually very good for a first timer. Trust me when I say it has been 3 weeks since that ride, and Brian's backside is still very bruised and sore!

Overall, we received a lot of great testimonies about the series and we hope people were challenged. Here's the video:

I almost forgot-- one of the coolest things that we were able to do for the series was to hand out these LLYWD bracelets. God put it on the heart of a guy in our church, so he had them made and donated them to us. It reminds us all that God gives us just one life. We must love deeper, speak sweeter, forgive others, and live with a sense of eternity- Psalm 90:12.

Elements of a Close Friendship

We are currently going through the Beth Moore DVD bible study series, "A Woman's Heart, God's Dwelling Place" during our women's Connect Class on Sunday mornings. FYI- Connect Class is our attempt at a trendy name for Sunday School! Hey, there's a "cool" name for everything now.

The study has been truly awesome. I look forward to watching Beth teach every week. This week's lesson was out of Exodus 33 and examines the presence of God. As Beth taught, she compared God's presence to a close friendship. I really liked what she had to say, so I'm sharing it here as well.

Elements of a Close Friendship:

1. Secrets- When you have a close friendship, you know personal things that aren't publicly known about that person. On the contrary, when you have to say to someone, "It's none of your business!", what you are saying is 'you and I are not that close'. Our heavenly Father will never say that to us. Read John 15:13-15

2. Small Talk- Close friends are able to talk about the ridiculous stuff. The trivial. (For me, Jennifer, the Twitter-able). There are no awkward moments of silence. We are experiencing the close presence of God when everything we say to Him does not have to be so profound. Just talking to Him. Like the old song says, 'He's as close as the mention of His name'.

There are friendships and then there are close friendships. There is God and then there is the presence of God. We all need friends, but we are sharpened and changed by close friendships. And we surely must try to learn as much as possible about our loving God, but NOTHING is as important as experiencing His presence continually in our lives.