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FIVE QUESTIONS TO ASK DURING THE STORM

10/8/2024

NOTE: THIS WAS A SERMON I SHARED BEFORE THE RECENT STORMS ON THE EAST COAST. WE NEED TO KEEP THE PEOPLE IN THESE AREAS IN OUR PRAYERS. This is mainly for believers going through the storms of life. Going through these hurricanes, you will also face storms within.

MAX LUCADO TELLS THE STORY
Chippie the parakeet was a happy little bird, content every day to sit on his perch, swinging and singing to his little heart’s content. One day Chippie’s owner took the initiative to clean out his cage. She took off the attachment from the end of the vacuum hose and stuck it in the cage to remove the sediment from the bottom. Just then the phone rang. She turned to pick it up and had barely said hello when "ssopp!" Chippie got sucked in!
As you can imagine, the bird owner gasped, dropped the phone, turned off the vacuum and ripped open the bag. Inside, there lay Chippie, still alive but stunned by the trauma. The bird was covered with all the terrible grit and grime that fills vacuum bags, so the owner did the only thing she could think to do. She grabbed him up, raced to the bathroom, turned on the faucet, and held Chippie under running water. Then realizing poor little Chippie was soaked and shivering, she did what any good bird owner would do, she reached for the hair dryer and blasted the little guy with hot air. Poor Chippie never knew what hit him.
   A couple of days after the experience, the reporter who first wrote about the event talked to Chippie’s owner. He asked how the bird was doing. She said, "Well, Chippie doesn’t sing much anymore-he just sits and stares."
   It’s no wonder. One minute the little guy was swinging and singing, and before he knew it, he was sucked in, washed up, and blown over. If that doesn’t turn your song into a blank stare, nothing will. (From Max Lucado, In The Eye Of The Storm, p. 11)

Some storms come into our lives quickly - we do not expect them - they just come unannounced.

Every one of us has STORM STORIES we share.
   Tornadoes, hail storms, snow storms, and sheer winds—we’ve experienced it all and have seen the destruction and damage to homes, buildings, and trees.
   THE WEATHER CAN BE CHALLENGING TO ENDURE –
   SOME STORMS ARE MORE DIFFICULT TO ENDURE THAN WEATHER.
Most of you have weathered the STORMS OF LIFE.
Have you ever asked: “Am I going to make it through this storm?”
WE WILL all go through storms - and at times, we will wonder, "Where is
God?" or we wonder, "Does God even care?"
Listen to DavidPsalms 69:1-3
1 Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck.
2 I sink in deep mire, Where there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and the floods sweep over me.
3 I am weary with my crying out; My throat is parched;
My eyes grow dim with waiting for my God.

Isaiah 43:2 (NKJV) When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.

LET'S READ a STORM STORY on the lives of Jesus' disciples
MATTHEW 8:23-27
23 Now, when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him.
24 And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep.
25 Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!”
26 But He said to them, “ Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.
27 So the men marveled, saying, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”

THOSE WHO FOLLOW CHRIST CAN COUNT ON DIFFICULTIES.

THE FACT IS STORMS COME INTO OUR LIVES.

   1. The Lord does not hinder the storms.
   - He led them into the ship.
   2. His presence did not exempt them from danger.

   3. Following the Lord, being in His will, does not exempt us from the storm.

Mark 4:37 (NKJV) And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat so that it was already filling.
During these storms the winds seem to blow from all directions at the same time, for they rush down a narrow gorges in the hills and strike the water at any angle.
The storm is called "seisms" which is the word for earthquake. The waves were so high that the boat was hidden in the trough as the crest of waves towered over them.

JESUS WAS ASLEEP!
This is the only time we find Jesus asleep, and it’s in a storm.

Mark's Account reads: ”TEACHER, DO YOU NOT CARE THAT WE ARE PERISHING?"

* THE MORE WE FOCUS ON CIRCUMSTANCES, THE MORE THEY PREDICT DISASTER.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face.
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the Light of His glory and grace.

THERE ARE REASONS STORMS COME INTO OUR LIVES:
WE MUST DISTINGUISH BETWEEN STORMS THAT ARE PROVOKED AND STORMS THAT GOD APPOINTED: HERE ARE FIVE QUESTIONS WE SHOULD ASK OURSELVES:

1ST QUESTION: IS THIS STORM PART OF NATURE ACTING OUT ITS ROLE?

Some storms come out of nowhere; the weatherman missed it.
I remember a storm at Lake Williamson. We were all asleep in our bedrooms, and suddenly, lightning struck a tree in our front yard. The ground shook, and it woke everyone up. Our daughter, a teenager, ran into our bedroom. When we went outside, we discovered that when lightning struck the tree, it exploded the root system of the tree. There were ditches where there were roots.
When storms come, lean on Jesus.
"Learning to lean, I’m learning to lean,
I’m learning to lean on Jesus
Having more power than I ever dreamed, I’m learning to lean on Jesus."

As we learn to lean on Jesus during a storm caused by the weather, we learn to lean on Jesus during the other storms that come into our lives.

2ND QUESTION: IS THIS STORM BECAUSE OF DISOBEDIENCE?
SOMETIMES, WE GO THROUGH STORMS OF OUR OWN DOING BECAUSE WE DISOBEY GOD.
Jonah went to sleep guilty on a ship...HE DISOBEYED GOD... He woke up to find God's judgment...

Jonah 1:3-7 (NKJV) 3 But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. 4 But the Lord sent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was about to be broken up. 7 And they said to one another, "Come, let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this trouble has come upon us." So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah.
IllUS.—a little boy was playing with/ his sailboat at the edge of a lake…it got away from him, and he couldn’t reach it. He didn’t want to lose it, and ingeniously, he thought of a plan. He started picking up rocks and tossing them on the other side, past the boat. The waves brought the boat back to him and his outstretched arms. And when we drift away from the Lord, He sometimes does the same, and the storm drives us right back into the arms of Jesus!

3RD QUESTION: IS THIS A STORM TO AWAKEN US, TO BRING US BACK TO GOD?
-The prodigal son wanted to have it his way, and his way led him farther away from home… Sometimes, as the little boys boat, we drift away from God.
Luke 15:17-18 (NKJV) 17 But when he came to himself, he said,
'How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you,

He woke up in the storm of sin and disillusionment and followed the trail back home…

People will be coming back to God in the near future, and we need to be ready to minister to them.

4TH QUESTION: IS GOD TEACHING ME SOMETHING DURING THIS STORM?
SOMETIMES STORMS ARE THERE TO TEACH US SOMETHING.

James 1:2-5
2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

Instead of asking God, “Why am I in the storm?” ask God, “What are you teaching me?”

5TH QUESTION: IS THIS STORM SPIRITUAL WARFARE?

In Mark’s account, He rebuked the wind. Mark 4:38-39 (NKJV)
38 But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?" 39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!" And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

“Rebuked” is the same word used when casting out a demon.
Jesus intentionally went to the other side to cast out demons from a man who would tell his story of how Jesus had set him free and transformed his life. The next time Jesus came, 4,000 people came to hear Jesus' message. This storm intentionally tried to stop Jesus from ministering to this man.
You may face a spiritual battle when speaking to someone about Jesus. Don’t let the storm stop you from bringing God’s message to someone who needs to hear and come to Jesus.

GOD ALLOWS US TO GO THROUGH STORMS SO WE CAN KNOW HE IS MORE POWERFUL THAN THE STORM.

Psalms 89:8-9 (NKJV)
8 O Lord God of hosts, Who is mighty like You, O Lord? Your faithfulness also surrounds You.
9 You rule the raging of the sea; When its waves rise, You still them.

French poet Paul Claudell wrote, “Jesus did not come
to do away with suffering
or remove it; He came to fill it with His presence.”

CONCLUSION:
He is Lord of All
   1. He controls the elements
   2. They marveled at His miracle
vs 27 "What manner of man is this?"
Psalm 93:4, "The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea.

LESSONS:
   1. Do not start out on anything in which God will not accompany you.

   2. Distinguish between the storms which you have provoked and the storms which the Lord has appointed. One you REPENT the latter you PRAY FOR WISDOM!

   3. Remember: Even when it seems God does not care – He Does! ….He was there all the time
   4. Be assured: JESUS CHRIST IS IN CONTROL.

In the presence of Jesus, the most terrible storms have become calm.
In every storm that shakes the heart, there is peace in the presence of Jesus.
Sometimes, he calms the storm; other times, he calms you.

He can calm the storm,
Cause the sun to shine again.
I know the master of the Wind.
Do you know the
   Master of the wind?

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Bitterness is baggage to heavy to carry!

6/4/2024

Bitterness is baggage too heavy to carry, baggage we need to drop and walk away from…
When we internalize our pain, resentment, and bitterness usually take root in our lives.
Have you ever known someone who is bitter? They weren't born that way!
It is like the man whose wife asked him how he wanted his eggs for breakfast. He said he wanted one fried and one boiled. When she served them to him he looked at them and grumbled, "You boiled the wrong one!"
When you are hurt, you have two choices: Retaliate or Forgive.
When you retaliate, you are on the same level as the one who offended you. It means you are taking God’s place in administering justice.
God expects us to forgive as Christ forgave us.

Ephesians 4:31-32 (NKJV)
31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.
32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.

Forgiveness IS AN ACT OF THE WILL.
It is a choice that we make...
There is a difference between forgiveness and trust: Forgiveness is an act that sets you free from the past and from the bondage of the one who hurt you. Trust is a commodity that is earned. You give or receive forgiveness - it is freely given. Trust is earned...
CHOOSE IN OUR HEART TO FORGIVE. Don't wait until you feel like it; you may never feel like forgiving!
Be kind and tenderhearted in all that you do.
Focus on what the person needs and not on what they have done. Be ready to forgive. We shouldn't have to think about it or pray about it—just do it!
There is no way to avoid getting hurt. Getting hurt will come, but the question is how will you respond?
You can choose to internalize the hurts and become embittered. We can choose to retaliate and escalate the situation. Or, we can choose to forgive! The choice is yours.
Photo by Rajdeep Mitra on Unsplash

NEW EVERY MORNING: HOW TO ACCOMPLISH OUR GREATEST GOAL.

1/5/2022

In Charles Schulz's "Peanuts" comic strip, Lucy asks Linus, "Do you think people ever really change?" "Sure," replies Linus, "I feel I've changed a lot this past year." Lucy says, "I meant for the better." - Robert C. Shannon, 1000 Windows,

REFLECTION: Looking back on the last 9 months of this year:

What have I learned?
What should I have done differently? Why?

3. How am I different now than the beginning of the year?

2 Corinthians 5:17-18
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; Old things have passed away, all things have become new. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciles us to Himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.

The reason for this blog is to remind us “God is reconciling us (literally restoring our relationship with Him), making us new, to become more and more like the One we follow: Jesus Christ.” There are obstacles we face, things in our lives which hinder us from becoming new yet at the same time God is woking in our lives to reconcile us to Himself to give us opportunities to minister to others.

Ever notice how a new car has a smell about it. How an old car has a distinct odor about it. Most things around us disintegrate, you begin to realize the new becomes old.
How about new shoes... They smell good... Old Shoes - Smell… you keep them on the porch

The place I grew up - Russell KY, ARMCO Steel (which no longer exists), The Aroma - well after a few months you don't even notice it any more.
LIKE AREA AROMAS WE GET USED TO THE OLD AND SETTLE IN.
We desire something new, We want adventure. But we settle for status quo, literally "the way things are now"
Which do you desire most? The new or the old?

TO HOLD THE NEW ONE MUST LET GO OF THE OLD.
How do we do this?
Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

LESSONS TO FOLLOW TO FINISH THE RACE... TO ACHIEVE THE GOAL.

“Precepts instructs us what things are our duty, but examples assure us they are possible.”

"Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles."

THROW OFF HINDRANCES
"One of the best indicators that you have entered the race toward transformation is to discover that certain things, which before never bothered you - now you are aware they are a hindrance.
The more you run the race the more conscience you are of weights.
(1) SELF
. . . burdened with the unbearable weight of ourselves. Joseph Joubert (1754-1824)

(2) Unforgiveness

No one is able to stand up indefinitely under the weight of carrying a grudge.
You don't have to carry a backpack of unforgiveness the rest of your natural life.
Ephesians 4:32 (ESV) 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

(3) Fear
Every person is confronted with fear at some point in his/her life.

Philippians 4:6-7 commands us to, "Be anxious for nothing but let our requests be known to God in prayer and His peace will guard our hearts and minds (NKJV)."

One of my greatest fears when I was younger was heights. I decided early to face my fears and climb.

2. THE SIN THAT SO EASILY ENTANGLES:

1 John 1:9, IF we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Only one way to have a new beginning –
CHOOSE TO END THE OLD! PUT ON THE NEW.

Christ came that we might have a new beginning, a new birth. John 3:7
New things in the new creation
A new Aim - new goal: become like Jesus.
A new Activity, walk by faith
A new Assurance - HOPE!
A new Determination -

Proverbs 16:3 Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.

When God is in it, When God is helping us, We accomplish the goal

Adrian Rogers, Sermon, “All Things New” Acts 9,
“A Christian is not just somebody who's become nice, he becomes new. He doesn't just turn over a new leaf. He receives a new life. We are TRANSFORMED radically and dramatically. A Christian is not like a tadpole that has become a frog. He's gone through a series of changes, but basically he's same creature. No, a Christian is more like a frog who has received the kiss of grace and become a prince.”

Paul gives a simple daily process
Ephesians 4:22-24 ESV
22. ...PUT OFF THE OLD SELF, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires,
- QUIT GOIN BACK TO THE OLD
23 AND TO BE RENEWED IN THE SPIRIT OF YOUR MINDS,
- THE BATTLE IS THE MIND
24 AND TO PUT ON THE NEW SELF, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

We show the way by following Jesus and allowing His Word and His voice to lead us to full transformation.
God is not finished working on me and He is not finished working on you either.

Lamentations 3:21-23 ESV
21 But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: 22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

Take a moment and invite God to do something new in your life.

Reflection Questions;
What would you like to change about yourself in the next three months?
What are your plans for spiritual growth in 2023?
What one word would you pick as a theme for your life in 2023?

A song sang by George Beverly Shea in Billy Graham Crusades,
"I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back."

This is the attitude we must take on for our selves, "I have decided to follow Jesus."

December 25th, 2021

12/25/2021

I love the Christmas Story.
The Story of How God stepped into our world of human existence...to bring transformational change so that we might step out of our story of no hope into His story…
A Story of Hope, of Love, Joy, and Peace.

Think about who the message was first announced to:

Luke 2:8-17 (NKJV)
"Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.
10 Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.
11 “FOR THERE IS BORN TO YOU THIS DAY IN THE CITY OF DAVID A SAVIOR, WHO IS CHRIST THE LORD. 12 "And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger."
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
14 "GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST, AND ON EARTH PEACE, GOODWILL TOWARD MEN!"
15 So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, "Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us."
16 And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger.
17 Now when they had seen Him, THEY MADE WIDELY KNOWN THE SAYING WHICH WAS TOLD THEM CONCERNING THE CHILD.

The sheep that grazed in these fields in Bethlehem belonged to the High Priest.
Every lamb was declared by the priests to be unblemished and they were separated to be SACRIFICED in the Temple in Jerusalem during PASSOVER.

In the middle of these fields was a structure known as the MIGDAL EDER or the “Tower of the Flock.” This tower was used by the priests who oversaw the shepherds.
   By remaining in the Tower the priests were able to keep them-selves from becoming unclean.

During lambing season the sheep were brought to the tower from the fields, in the lower level was the birthing room for sacrificial lambs. Being under special rabbinical care, these priests would strictly maintain a ceremonially clean birthing place.
   Once a lamb was born, the priests would place the lamb in the hewn depression of a limestone rock known as "the manger" and "wrap each newborn lamb in SWADDLING CLOTHS," preventing it from thrashing about and harming itself so it could be inspected for the quality of being "without spot or blemish" (The Jewish oral tradition & Alfred Edersheim, the Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah).

The Shepherds live in a contaminated world in the fields as they were constantly walking about in excrement and touching dead things, and both activities left them in a state of ritual impurity according to law, they were considered unclean.
   What is interesting,
it would be these unclean, disenfranchised shepherds of Bethlehem that would be the first ones God would ask to visit his Son.
The first one’s to HEAR AND BE A WITNESS of Good news were the lowest class in society… The neighbor down the street you wish lived in another county.

GOD VALUES PEOPLE.

Ie. PEOPLE MATTER TO GOD
John 3:16 (NKJV) For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

When we begin the value people as God does we begin to see people thru God’s eyes - we begin to look at them with love and Grace.

When Jesus was preaching in Judea, Luke 15:1-7, the establishment, the Pharisees and Sadducee’s “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
They had no concern for the lost…
But Jesus is concerned.
Jesus hung out with people who are different…. When Jesus ministered to people, He modeled valuing people.
   Isaiah 53:6 (NKJV) All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
Here is one lesson:
EVERY PERSON DESERVES A PRESENTATION OF THE GOSPEL AT HIS OR HER LEVEL OF UNDERSTANDING.
Luke 19:10 (NKJV) for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."
   WE ARE TO LOOK AT PEOPLE THROUGH THE EYES OF GOD...

11 “FOR THERE IS BORN TO YOU THIS DAY IN THE CITY OF DAVID A SAVIOR, WHO IS CHRIST THE LORD.

SAVIOR:
  "Jesus" "Iesous". Jehovah our Savior.
Matthew 1:21 (NKJV) And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins."
-- J. Sidlow Baxter once wrote…
“Separate Christmas Day from Good Friday, and Christmas is doomed--doomed to decay into a merely sentimental or superstitious or sensuous "eat-drink-and-be-merry" festivity of December.
The Manger and the Cross,
The birth and the death,
must always be seen together,
if the real Christmas is to survive with all its profound inspirations; for "the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister; and to give His life a ransom for many." Awake, My Heart. Christianity Today, Vol. 40, no. 14.

His MISSION was to SEEK AND SAVE THE LOST, to SET THE SINNER FREE – to TRANSFORM His or Her life…
There are at least Four Aspects of Sin He Saves us From

     1. Jesus saves us from the NATURE of sin

Jesus saves us from our sinful nature by making us a new creation in God
     2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

     2. Jesus saves us from the POWER of sin.
HE FORGIVES US - RELEASES US FROM THE GRIP OF SIN
     Sin enslaves you to your passions.
  Jesus delivers us from the power of sin.
      John 8:34-36 (NKJV)
34 Jesus answered them, "Most
assuredly, I say to you, whoever
commits sin is a slave of sin.
35 And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.
36 Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.

     3. Jesus saves us from the GUILT of sin.
HE ENABLES US TO FORGIVE OURSELVES
     One of the most destructive consequences of sin is quilt.
It renders us incapable of love.
It torments us in our failures and keeps us bound in the past
Jesus saves us from
     the guilt of sin Helps us to let it go.
Therefore: Here is a new rule of life
Romans 8:1 (NKJV) There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

     4. Jesus saves us from the eternal
     consequences of sin.
The ultimate end of sin is death

Romans 6:23 (NKJV) For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Which side of this comma are you living today?

HE GIVES US A NEW DESTINATION: TO LIVE IN HIS VERY KINGDOM WITH HIM FOREVER.
        THIS IS THE MESSAGE OF THE CHRISTMAS STORY: GOD BECAME MAN TO RESCUE FROM THE GRIP OF SIN TO BRING SALVATION - DELIVERANCE; to TRANSFER US INTO HIS KINGDOM OF LIGHT.
JOHN 1:14 The Word became flesh and dwelt (literally Tabernacled) among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only son from the father, full of grave and truth.”
Parable of the Birds, By Louis Cassels
It was Christmas Eve and the man's wife and children were getting ready to go to church. But He wasn't going! And he said to wife; I simply can't understand what Christmas is all about.
It had been snowing all day and it was beginning to snow harder as the man's family rode-off without him to church. And he pulled up a chair and started to read the newspaper. A few minutes later there was a thudding sound at the kitchen window. When he went to see what it was he found a flock of birds out in the back yard.
They had been caught in the storm and in a desperate search for shelter were trying to fly through the kitchen window. Well he was a good man; a kind man; so he tried to think of something he could do so the birds wouldn't freeze. So he put on his overcoat and boots and stomped out thru the deep snow thinking to himself; "The barn, that will give them a nice shelter". So he opened the barn door and turned on the lights; but the birds wouldn't go in.
So then he thought food will bring them in. So he tromped back to the house; got some bread crumbs and sprinkled a trail with them on into the barn.
But the birds ignored the bread crumbs and went right on flopping around helplessly in the snow.
So he started walking around and waving his arms, trying to shoo them into the barn, but they scattered in every direction except into the warm, lit barn. So the man thought to himself; "they find me a strange and terrifying creature and I can't seem to think of any way to let them know that they can trust me". And so puzzled and out done he thought about that fact for a little.
     Then he thought, "If only I could be a bird myself for a few minutes I could lead them to safety".
     If only I could be a bird myself.....
Just then the church bells began to ring sending out the glad tidings of Christmas. That man stood silently for a minute and then sank down on his knees in the snow.
     And he looked toward the sky and he whispered "now I understand! Now I see why you had to become man...to show us the way...to save us from the storm.

Luke 2:11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
How have you experienced Jesus today?

Philip Brooks wrote the Hymn we sing of Bethlehem:
Listen to the words of the last verse:
O holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us, we pray;
Cast out our sin, and enter in, be born in us today.
We hear the Christmas angels the great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us, our Lord Emmanuel!

Jesus wants to walk into your life and build a relationship with you and invite you into His Story of Grace.

Will you ask Him to come into your heart?
John 1:11-12 ESV
“He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,”
   Rev 3:20 (ESV),
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in...

—————————————--
There are people in your community who are hungry to experience God –

Who can you tell this story of Hope and Grace?

hope

12/7/2021

Four Lessons about having hope…
1. WHEN YOU COME TO JESUS YOU FIND LIVING HOPE

1 Peter 1:3-5, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!  According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a LIVING HOPE through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guided through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
  Have you received Jesus in your life?
  Where is this living hope expressed in you?
  What does this hope bring into your life?

2. ONE BENEFIT HOPE IS RESOLVE:  IT DECLARES “I’M GONNA MAKE IT.”

Think about an army surrounding your town, you cannot get out, no-one, no products or produce can come in.  You are hungry, you have little food. You are living in anxiety and see no hope for tomorrow. This is the scenario Jeremiah is writing from, Listen to JEREMIAH, who is living in Jerusalem at the time that the Army of Babylon has surrounded his city.
Lamentations 3:19f (TMSG)
I remember it all-oh, how well I remember-the feeling of hitting the bottom. But there's one other thing I remember, and remembering,
I KEEP A GRIP ON HOPE:
God’s loyal love couldn't have run out, his merciful love couldn't have dried up. They're created new every morning. How great your faithfulness! I'm sticking with GOD (I say it over and over). He's all I've got left. GOD proves to be good to the man who passionately waits, to the woman who diligently seeks. It's a good thing to quietly hope, quietly hope for help from GOD. It's a good thing when you're young to stick it out through the hard times. When life is heavy and hard to take, go off by yourself.
Enter the silence.
Bow in prayer.
Don't ask questions:
WAIT for HOPE to appear.
Quavah Hebrew word picturing when you pull a cord tight - you feel a tension till there is a release.  And the tension creates expectation - hopeful waiting…

Several years ago the noted British journalist Malcolm Muggeridge was a guest at a breakfast in Washington, D.C. ... When he had finished his speech, he made a number of comments about world affairs, all of which were very pessimistic. One of the Christians present asked, "Dr. Muggeridge, you have been very pessimistic. Don't you have any reason for optimism?"
Malcolm Muggeridge replied, "My friend, I could not be more optimistic than I am, because my hope is in Jesus Christ alone." He allowed that remark to settle for a few seconds, and then he added, "Just think if the apostolic church had pinned its hope on the Roman Empire!" -- Richard Halverson in The Living Body. Christianity Today, Vol. 39, no. 9.

OUR HOPE IS IN JESUS:

Isaiah 9:6 (ESV)
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor Mighty God, Everlasting Father Prince of Peace.”

The tension today is real yet we have resolve - we will not give up - we keep holding on to hope.

"My hope is built on nothing less,
Than Jesus blood and righteousness
I dare not trust the sweetest frame
But wholly lean on Jesus name.
On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand,
All other ground is seeking sand,
All other ground is seeking sand.

  Do you have this Hope? Is it evident in your life?

3.  ANOTHER BENEFIT OF HOPE IS IT TRANSFORMS YOUR ATTITUDE…
Two gold miners in the mountains of Colorado struck it rich and begin to go into town to make their claim on their mine.  They agree they will not tell anyone about the gold they found.  Yet when they walked into town everyone began to get excited because gold was found - the men never said a word - hope of a better life was written on their face and everyone who saw them followed their hope.

Living hope is seen on the face of those who serve Jesus.

1 Peter 3:15 (NKJV)
…sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the HOPE that is in you, with meekness and fear;

4. HOPE NOURISHES EXPECTATION
(IT GIVES YOU SOMETHING TO LOOK FORWARD TO)

Lucy and Linus were sitting in front of the television set when Lucy said to Linus, "Go get me a glass of water." Linus looked surprised, "Why should I do anything for you? You never do anything for me."
"On your 75th birthday," Lucy promised, "I’’ll bake you a cake."
     Linus got up, headed to the kitchen and said, "Life is more pleasant when you have something to look forward to."  May 23, 2016

Titus 2:13 (NKJ) looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God & Savior Jesus Christ
    Do you display this hope in your life?

Jesus Christ is coming again:
C S Lewis reminds us three things concerning His coming:

He is Coming.
We do not know when.
Therefore we must be ready.

When we live as though Jesus could come at any moment - this anticipation keeps us pure…

1 John 3:2-3 (ESV)
Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that WHEN HE APPEARS we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.  AND EVERYONE WHO THUS HOPES IN HIM PURIFIES HIMSELF AS HE IS PURE.

OUR HOPE IS IN JESUS CHRIST.
COMING TO JESUS GIVES YOU A LIVING HOPE
   WHICH INSPIRES YOU - YOU’RE GONNA MAKE IT.
IT A HOPE THAT WILL TRANSFORM YOUR ATTITUDE.
A HOPE THAT WILL EXCITE YOU ABOUT TOMORROW.

The Christmas carol “O Little Town of Bethlehem”   “Yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting light; the hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.”

Are your hopes and fears “met in Jesus?”

Make sure your fears during these days of anxiety drive you to hope in Jesus!

"people will observe the difference in your life"

4/1/2018

One Friday long ago Jesus cried, “It is finished,”
The earth shook as He traveled into the realm of death. It was Friday afternoon.
THEN
SUNDAY MORNING CAME.
The sun rose and some had an impression something was different.

They soon became aware of the deference: TRANSFORMATION
TRANSFORMATION BEGAN AT THE INTERSECTION
OF CRUCIFIXION AND RESURRECTION.

Romans 4:25
“He was delivered up for our trespasses EXECUTION
HE TOOK OUR PLACE
and raised for our justification.” HE RECONCILES US TO GOD

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV)
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
- Watchman Nee, “Our old history ends with the cross; our new history begins with the resurrection.”

Resurrection is not just a past event in history
It is the present power working in our lives today!

THE REAL PROOF OF JESUS RESURRECTION IS THE DIFFERENCE OBSERVED IN THE LIVES OF HIS DISCIPLES AFTER HIS RESURRECTION. Those early Christians were beaten, stoned to death, tortured and crucified. Every conceivable method was used to stop them from talking. Yet the message is found unchanged to this generation today!
...nothing less than a witness as awesome as the resurrected Christ could have caused those men to maintain to their dying whispers that Jesus is alive and He is Lord!"

Do you Believe?
What have you done about it? Have you put your trust, your future in His hands?
OUR CHOICE:
Two choices in life: Receive or Reject.

John 10:10 The thief comes...
to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: - OUR OLD STORY
I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it
more abundantly. - OUR NEW STORY

You will not leave this conversation the same as you come face to face with Jesus, the resurrected One, and receive Him into your life...

John 1:12 (NKJV) But as many as received Him, to them He have the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.

As you receive Him, live for Him daily, people will observe the difference in your life also.

Journey to significance

3/20/2018

, "As you wander in life let this be your goal,
Keep your eye on the donut and not on the hole."

As we journey in life, at some point, we become aware of the influence people have had on our lives.
Some have had a negative influence, they are the ones who focus on the "hole."
Other's have had a positive, encouraging influence on our lives; who "keep their eye on the donut" instead of the "hole." They enjoy life, see possibilities all around to make a difference in other people's lives and intentionally act upon these opportunities.
People are like elevators, they either lift us up to another "floor" or they take us down to the basement of life.

As we become aware of the influence we have with others from day to day we decide to either lift up
or tear down, encourage or discourage the people we come in contact with from day to day.
As we lift up others we begin the Journey to Significance.

John Maxwell, "To be significant, all you have to do is make a difference with others wherever you are, with whatever you have, day by day." The Power of Significance.

How can you intentionally "make a difference"
with others today?
Who comes to your mind?

As you ponder these questions, The Adventure Begins.
We will Explore the roadblocks or obstacles we face
and the milestones we must pass on our
Journey to Significance.