Christmas

What an exciting day we had today at church! We started a new series entitled Christmas, and looked at Matthew 2:2 "Where is the One who has been born king of the Jews? We saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him." You can listen online by going to http://www.ffconthehill.com/ and click listen to sermons or check it out on iTunes under Faith Family Church. Here's some highlights...

Show It!

Thank God! Call out His Name! Tell the whole world who He is and what He's done! Sing to Him! Play songs for Him! - 1 Chronicles 16:8 The Message

The first thing that David did was identify who/what to be thankful for. David the Psalmist mentions no one specific, but God alone. There's none more deserving of our praise and gratitude! Thank God for His grace, mercy, faithfulness, care and provision that He continues to bless us with.

Your Gift Will Take You Places

Proverbs 18:16 NKJ "A man's gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men."

Thanksgiving is just a few day away, and 'Black Friday' advertisements are starting to increase. I actually enjoy getting out to the stores the day after Thanksgiving... shopping for the right gift and getting a great deal. This proverb isn't about 'how to brib your way to the top', or how to kiss someone's butt to make a good impression; it's talking about knowing your potential and living up to it.

Don't Make It Difficult

I'm one who is drawn towards challenges, but I don't like to deal with things that are difficult. I love the challenge of marriage, but I don't what a difficult marriage. Parenting is challenging, but it doesn't need to be difficult and complex. Pastoring is a challenge, people are challenging, but they don't have to be complicated and difficult.

We can make simple things difficult or more complexed and entangled than they really need to be. For some people, church can be difficult: they feel they have to be perfect or look a certain way. Often church people, the insiders, make church difficult for those who are non-church goers. Expectations to behave in certain ways, do this but not that, you shouldn't say that but you should say this. The natural gravitational pull for all churches is to taylor the church for church people. 

Man vs. Wild

You've probably heard or seen the show where a gentlemen documents his survival techniques in remote places of the world. Living off the land and surviving the elements with only a back pack of common belongings. He making his own shelters, eats whatever he can find (snakes, insects, plant-life), conquering anything from rivers to mountain tops and deserts.

If you're like me, you'd say things like: "I would never do that." What we mean is: "IF we were given the choice to do those thing OR stay at home in our warm beds, have a nice home cooked meal with regular food; I would choose to never do that." BUT... if we weren't give the choice and found ourselves as a survivor of a plane that crashed in a romote place and for the sake of living... there's no doubt that we would do whatever we could to make it out!"

DRIVES ME NUTS...

I believe you can tell a lot about someone by the things that they are passionate about. I also believe that you can tell just as much about someone by the things that drive them nuts. Well... what does this tell you about me?

THINGS THAT DRIVE ME NUTS!

• it drives me nuts when people 'one up' your story just to have the final word
• it drives me nuts when I don't get everything done that I set out to accomplish in a day at work
• it drives me nuts when people say "I can't" and they haven't really given any effort to try
• it drives me nuts when I allow the opinions of others to second guess what's in my heart

Christmas Spirit... Spirit in Life

I know that we are still a few weeks out from Thanksgiving, but I can't help it... I LOVE CHRISTMAS! I enjoy all if it: the celebration of the life of Christ, crowds of people, eggnog lates, white lights, decorations, shopping for gifts, music, bundling up for cold weather, snow, time with family and friends, etc.

The way some people view Christmas is the same outlook people have about life!

Happy Birthday

My last Blog had a verse that the Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy about following the pattern he lived as he followed the teaching of Jesus Christ. I can't help but thinking about the influence my mom had in my life. This past August my mom died of a heart-attack... today my mom would have celebrated her 69th birthday.

Patterns

1 Timothy 1:13 -  What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus.

The Apostle Paul was a mentor to Timothy, and gave a bold statement; pattern your life after mine. This may sound arrogant, proud or presumptuous, however Paul recognizes that patterns are important to life. I have some questions and thoughts stirring from this verse.