The Frustration of Advent

I remember growing up that Christmas was always a letdown. No matter how great it was, no matter how good "Santa Claus" was to me, I was always left at the end of the day wanting more; not more stuff, not more food, just more. I grew up knowing that Christmas was Christ's birthday. We went to church and sang all the Christmas carols, including "Silent Night" by candlelight on Christmas Eve. I wasn't satisfied, though. It wasn't until later, several years after I came to faith in Christ, that I realized what was missing. I was getting plenty of Christmas, but I was missing Christ. Even through all the church's Christmas celebrations, I was still missing Christ at Christmas.

What Is Adoption?

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Image from  http://adoptiongiftsonline.com/

"What does it mean to be adopted?" 

This question was posed this morning on the Facebook page of my church, Garden Valley Bible.

At first, I formulated the Sunday School answer in my head. Being adopted means that someone chooses to love you forever and invites you to live with them. Generally, children are adopted because their biological parents cannot take care of them for whatever reason or they simply don't want the responsibility of raising a child. 

The post went further and said, "Please take a moment and reflect upon what you have today as His adopted son." This prompted further word study into the issue of adoption.

The Dishwasher of Forgiveness

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I have to tell you a story that touched my heart this morning as it reminded me of the forgiveness and grace we have received.

Believe It or Not, You Are A Worshiper

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This is a rough outline of my notes for my talk with the youth group at my church last night. The big idea and some main points came from my reading of this great little book by Louie Giglio called The Air I Breathe: Worship as a Way of Life. I encourage you to go get it.

If You, Who Are Evil...

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Matthew 7:9-12

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

⁹ What man among you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰ Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? ¹¹ If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

Image: renjith krishnan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I was thinking about this passage today with regard to serving others. Garrett has been sick with strep throat this week. It is usually his and Vivian's job to unload the dishwasher. Vivian came to me and said, "I am going to do Garrett's dishes for him." Aaahhhh! How my heart melted!

I heard her in there working away with such happiness about the good thing she was doing for her brother. So, what did I do? I helped her with her part and Garrett's part of the dishes, and I rewarded her with two shiny quarters, which is gold for an almost six-year-old.

I don't write all this to brag on myself or my daughter, even though I'm proud of her. I just started thinking about this verse and thought if I, being evil, would help and reward my daughter for her heart of service to her brother, how much more will our Father in Heaven come alongside us, help us, and reward us when we lay down our rights and serve one another?

Just a few thoughts for this afternoon. Anything to add?

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Why Twelve Stones?

Joshua 4:19-24 "The people came up from the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and camped at Gilgal on the eastern limits of Jericho. Then Joshua set up in Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken from the Jordan, and he said to the Israelites, "When your children ask their fathers in the future, 'What is the meaning of these stones?' you should tell your children, 'Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.' For the LORD your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, just as the LORD your God did to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed over. This is so that all the people of the earth may know that the LORD's hand is mighty, and so that you may always fear the LORD your God."

I have a picture on my desk that always makes me smile.

Four Reasons To Be Like a Child

Matthew 18:3 "I assure you," [Jesus] said, "unless you are converted and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."

Jesus' disciples had been arguing about who among them would be the greatest in the kingdom. It's so easy to look at them and scoff at their silliness. Don't we do the same thing, though? Don't we judge our lives and the lives of others in the church by how much we've done for the kingdom? It's especially easy for those of us in public ministry to look at our accomplishments and think that Jesus has a special place reserved for us because of all we did for him.

Jesus turns this argument on its head when he says, "Unless you're like a child, you won't even ENTER the kingdom." The magnitude of this saying of Jesus bears investigation into the qualities of children that Jesus loves and how we should pray for grace to exhibit those qualities in our own lives.

Who Is Fighting For You? [Blog Re-mix]

This is a guest post I originally wrote for another blog. I thought I would share it here for you.

Exodus 14:13-14 Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still." 

What a pep talk!

Go In the Strength You Have

Judges 6:14 The Lord turned to [Gideon] and said, "Go in the strength you have and deliver Israel from the power of Midian. Am I not sending you?"

This verse jumped off the page to me as I was reading the scriptures a couple of days ago. It seems so relevant to where I am in my journey right now. That may seem like a stretch to say, but bear with me.