Blessed is the Nation Whose God it the Lord - Psalm 33:12

This past Sunday evening, I felt impressed for us as a church to pray for our nation and for our new President. Before doing so, I took the time to look at the Bible and see what God gives for us as instruction on this. i would like to encourage you to go to our church website http://www.ffconthehill.com/ and listen to the podcast entitled Pray for our Nation.

Many people believe that 'separation of church and state' means to outlaw the two from mixing. I believe God intended, as America did with its early forefathers, that God be the foundation of our Nation's government.

Regardless of how you filled out your ballot, we must understand that this is not our only voice, if any thing it's our most limited voice. The greatest voice is the voice lifted in prayer and supplication. The apostle Paul, who was mistreated and falsely accused by the government of his time and thrown in prison more than any other follower of Christ tells us in 1 Timothy 2:1-4: "I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone - for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth."

If we truly desire to live our lives in accordance to God's Word, and believe that God's Word our all sufficent rule of faith and conduct, then this is to be our posture and position as followers of Christ. This does please the Lord... and that's how I want to live my life!

Indescribable Jesus

Today is Sunday, and we have had 4 days worth of snow! So much so that we contemplated what we should do with our services. We kept our service schedules and had great turn outs, awesome energy, passionate worship, and served FREE LATES for the first service. People drove in our Western WA blizzard, and some even walked to church... WOW!

Our focus was how Jesus is The Indescribable Gift and I read a writing from D.S. Lockridge entitled The Indescribable Christ. It was his best attempt to describe who Jesus is. It' inspired me and our church to see Jesus and know Jesus in this way. Here it is... enjoy and Merry Christmas!

“He’s enduringly strong, He’s entirely sincere, He’s eternally steadfast. He’s immortally graceful. He’s imperially powerful. He’s impartially merciful. He’s God’s Son. He’s a sinner’s savior. He’s the centerpiece of civilization. He stands alone in Himself. He’s unparalleled. He’s unprecedented. He’s supreme. He’s preeminent. He’s the loftiest idea in literature. He’s the highest idea in philosophy. He’s the fundamental truth in theology. He’s the miracle of the age. He’s the only one able to supply all of our needs simultaneously. He supplies strength for the weak. He’s available for the tempted and the tried. He sympathizes and He saves. He guards and He guides. He heals the sick, He cleans the lepers. He forgives sinners, He discharges debtors, He delivers captives, He defends the feeble, He blesses the young, He serves the unfortunate, He regards the aged, He rewards the diligent, He beautifies the meek. Do you know Him?Well, my king is the king of knowledge, He’s the well-spring of wisdom, He’s the doorway of deliverance, He’s the pathway of peace, He’s the roadway of righteousness, He’s the highway of holiness He’s the gateway of glory, He’s the master of the mighty, He’s the captain of the conquerors, He’s the head of the heroes, He’s the leader of the legislators, He’s the overseer of the overcomers, He’s the governor of governors, He’s the prince of princes, He’s the king of Kings and the Lord of Lords.His life is matchless. His goodness is limitless. His mercy is everlasting. His love never changes. His word is enough. His grace is sufficient. His reign is righteous. His yoke is easy and His burden is light.

Well, I wish I could describe Him to you. But He’s indescribable. Yes...He’s incomprehensible. He’s invincible, He’s irresistible. I’m trying to tell you, the Heavens cannot contain Him, let alone a man explain Him. You can’t get Him out of your mind. You can’t get Him off of your hands. You can’t outlive Him, and you can’t live without Him. Well. The Pharisees couldn’t stand Him, but they found out they couldn’t stop Him. Pilate couldn’t find any fault in Him. Herod couldn’t kill Him. Death couldn’t handle Him and the grave couldn’t hold Him. That’s my king!He always has been, and He always will be.

I’m talking about He [who] had no predecessor and He [who] has no successor. There was nobody before Him and there will be nobody after Him. You can’t impeach Him, and He’s not going to resign. We try to get prestige and honor and glory to ourselves, but the glory is all His. Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever, and ever, and ever, and ever. How long is that? And ever, and ever, and ever, and ever, and when you get through with all of the forevers, then "Amen."

Oh I wish I could describle Him to you! ~ By D.S. Lockridge

Let It Snow... Will it Snow?

Luke 2:19 NKJ "But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart."

Here in Western Washington we don't really get a lot of snow. So when we, do I love it... but what I hate, is all the hype of getting snow and getting none! Like a little kid, I anxiously await the snow to fall, looking out the window all the time, hoping to wake up to the muffled silence of white snow covering the front yard and the streets. The crazy thing is that just up I-5 one community got 23 inches! Here in Milton... zero, zilch, nada! I don't understand it.

How does this apply to the verse? Mary was visited by an angle declaring that she had found favor and was chosen to give birth to Jesus, the one who was promised to set all mankind free. Imagine the 9 months of questions, anxiously awaiting for this to happen, and wondering of what all that means. Who did she tell? Who could she tell that would believe her and understand? How could you keep something so amazing to yourself?

Then the time to give birth comes and there's no fancy hospital, but stable. No nursing staff, barn animals. No immediate family there to witness and share in the event, but unknown shepherds who were visited by a choir of angles. And when they found Jesus and told Joseph and Mary of how they heard of it, the bible tells us that she pondered all this in her heart. Did she really understand what was happening? Was she disappointed?

Of all the people that we think should have or could have been notified, these unknown shepherds received a singing telegram of the worlds greatest gift given to God. We don't even know their names. Why did they receive this incredible news (23 inches of snow), that all people were looking out their life's window, anxiously awaiting hope and relief?

In the midst of Mary's pondering, she still believed, and put her faith into action by doing her best to raise up her first born son, who happens to be Jesus (no pressure). For two years she is living on edge, being visited by the wise men who tell her that King Herod wants to kill Jesus and calls for the massive killing of all male children two years old and younger. Did Mary understand all that she was getting herself into?

Sometimes we experience the unexpected while anxiously waiting our expectations to come falling out of the sky! When the anxiously anticipation doesn't happen and we get the unexpected, we ponder in our hearts too. The economy takes a nose dive and our retirement is loss, we get notice that we are being laid off of our job, the doctor finds a lump that they aren't sure about, your teenage daughter tells you that she's pregnant, or your parents tell you that they are getting a divorce... all these things can lead us to not understand and to ponder: "God, don't you care? Where are you?"

The truth is; He's right there. We may not understand it, we may not be comfortable with it, but that's doesn't mean that God's not aware and doesn't care. God often gives us enough information to get us moving forward toward His plan because if we knew all the details, we would run the opposite direction. Christmas is about hope in the midst of uncertainty and questions. It will snow... a new day is coming, His faithfulness will come to past!

God, many of us are looking out our window of life, anxiously waiting for a breakthrough, an answer to our life's situation. In the midst of our pondering, may we never stop believing in the message of Christmas! There is hope for our finances, healing for our bodies, restoration in our relationships, the best to come for our kids! We look to You and believe... it will snow!