Good day, dear friends.
Consider the passage from Micah 5:2 "You, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old." It is a reference to a small, insignificant town in Judah. Who could possibly come from that town that would be "important" in the eyes of the world?
Most of the world knew Joseph Barbera, the artist partner of Hanna-Barbera, the production company that gave us Yogi Bear, The Jetsons, The Flintstones, etc. If you look for a bio looking for more history on him, you will note that he was born in Brooklyn, New York. But I'm troubled that next door to my church in Mission, Texas, in front of this now abandoned theatre, the Rio, there is a state historical plaque that says that the artistic partner of Hanna-Barbera was born in Mission, Texas. I called the owners of the theatre, whose parents bought the theatre from Senor Babera, a man originally from Spain who opened the theatre first called Concordia, but later sold it to the Flores family. For many years I was intrigued by what the young Barbera did and imagined while playing there in South Mission, only to grow and become this man who blessed the world with characters of endless entertainment. It's a mystery that perhaps Texas Monthly magazine could explore.
The real question is where are you going? Where you're from is important, it has helped to shape who you are today, but it should not limit nor dictate what you will ultimately become. I'm from Kingsville, and I never knew that Jim Morrison of The Doors fame, lived there and attended my elementary school (some years prior to my being there!) while his dad was stationed at the Kingsville Naval Base. Did some of the Kingsville area influence his music? Again, Texas Monthly, step on in.
Where are you going? What will you allow God to make of your life? Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the "house of bread," "city of David," and became who he became, guided and used by God. You can be no different in your service to God and others, if you will surrender your life to God. You won't be a messiah; we already have one, but you can be a servant of He who was born to bring us victory over sin and death.
PRAYER: Lord, let me discover where I am going. Use where I am from to shape me into being your person. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
e.v.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
WHERE ARE YOU GOING?
Good day, dear friends.
Consider the passage from Micah 5:2 "You, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old." It is a reference to a small, insignificant town in Judah. Who could possibly come from that town that would be "important" in the eyes of the world?
Most of the world knew Joseph Barbera, the artist partner of Hanna-Barbera, the production company that gave us Yogi Bear, The Jetsons, The Flintstones, etc. If you look for a bio looking for more history on him, you will note that he was born in Brooklyn, New York. But I'm troubled that next door to my church in Mission, Texas, in front of this now abandoned theatre, the Rio, there is a state historical plaque that says that the artistic partner of Hanna-Barbera was born in Mission, Texas. I called the owners of the theatre, whose parents bought the theatre from Senor Babera, a man originally from Spain who opened the theatre first called Concordia, but later sold it to the Flores family. For many years I was intrigued by what the young Barbera did and imagined while playing there in South Mission, only to grow and become this man who blessed the world with characters of endless entertainment. It's a mystery that perhaps Texas Monthly magazine could explore.
The real question is where are you going? Where you're from is important, it has helped to shape who you are today, but it should not limit nor dictate what you will ultimately become. I'm from Kingsville, and I never knew that Jim Morrison of The Doors fame, lived there and attended my elementary school (some years prior to my being there!) while his dad was stationed at the Kingsville Naval Base. Did some of the Kingsville area influence his music? Again, Texas Monthly, step on in.
Where are you going? What will you allow God to make of your life? Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the "house of bread," "city of David," and became who he became, guided and used by God. You can be no different in your service to God and others, if you will surrender your life to God. You won't be a messiah; we already have one, but you can be a servant of He who was born to bring us victory over sin and death.
PRAYER: Lord, let me discover where I am going. Use where I am from to shape me into being your person. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
e.v.
Consider the passage from Micah 5:2 "You, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old." It is a reference to a small, insignificant town in Judah. Who could possibly come from that town that would be "important" in the eyes of the world?
Most of the world knew Joseph Barbera, the artist partner of Hanna-Barbera, the production company that gave us Yogi Bear, The Jetsons, The Flintstones, etc. If you look for a bio looking for more history on him, you will note that he was born in Brooklyn, New York. But I'm troubled that next door to my church in Mission, Texas, in front of this now abandoned theatre, the Rio, there is a state historical plaque that says that the artistic partner of Hanna-Barbera was born in Mission, Texas. I called the owners of the theatre, whose parents bought the theatre from Senor Babera, a man originally from Spain who opened the theatre first called Concordia, but later sold it to the Flores family. For many years I was intrigued by what the young Barbera did and imagined while playing there in South Mission, only to grow and become this man who blessed the world with characters of endless entertainment. It's a mystery that perhaps Texas Monthly magazine could explore.
The real question is where are you going? Where you're from is important, it has helped to shape who you are today, but it should not limit nor dictate what you will ultimately become. I'm from Kingsville, and I never knew that Jim Morrison of The Doors fame, lived there and attended my elementary school (some years prior to my being there!) while his dad was stationed at the Kingsville Naval Base. Did some of the Kingsville area influence his music? Again, Texas Monthly, step on in.
Where are you going? What will you allow God to make of your life? Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the "house of bread," "city of David," and became who he became, guided and used by God. You can be no different in your service to God and others, if you will surrender your life to God. You won't be a messiah; we already have one, but you can be a servant of He who was born to bring us victory over sin and death.
PRAYER: Lord, let me discover where I am going. Use where I am from to shape me into being your person. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
e.v.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
STAYING CONNECTED
Good day dear friends.
We had a special time together during our "Grief and the Holidays" luncheon yesterday. I shared the first part of 1 Corinthians and I reminded them of the probable sadness in Heaven before that first Christmas. God had the plan for salvation and God asked Jesus to come to the earth, so there had to be a goodbye time between God and His Son. The Bible does not mention this and I could be way off, but bear with me! God surely said, "I will always be with you," to Jesus; and Jesus must have said, "We will be together again soon." Both knew they would stay connected through prayer.
We had a special time together during our "Grief and the Holidays" luncheon yesterday. I shared the first part of 1 Corinthians and I reminded them of the probable sadness in Heaven before that first Christmas. God had the plan for salvation and God asked Jesus to come to the earth, so there had to be a goodbye time between God and His Son. The Bible does not mention this and I could be way off, but bear with me! God surely said, "I will always be with you," to Jesus; and Jesus must have said, "We will be together again soon." Both knew they would stay connected through prayer.
Human connectedness is trying to get better every day. We have the technology to reach every corner of the world. One good example of how connected we are happened this Friday night when we pulled into our daughter's driveway and unpacked our things. We couldn't find one important bag that had my meds and Nellie's makeup. Both are sure fire disasters-in-the-making! My first thought was simply, I'll do the wedding and leave immediately home because I can't be without my meds. My daughters all said, no, call HEB and they'll know what to do. Next morning I called the pharmacy at little HEB and asked if they sent medicines or could call the local HEB and the girl said, just go by the local pharmacy and they'll know what you need electronically. Great. And long story short, they found my records, sold me another month's supply of two of the three meds ($5 for 30 pills versus $7 for 2) and I was able to stay until Sunday.
Of course, human connectedness is not what it should be nor can it compare to prayer. Christmas is all about being connected to God. We can't forget that. The hustle and bustle of this season can take our thoughts and priorities elsewhere, but God still awaits our call.
PRAYER: Loving God, help me stay connected to you today and all days. In Jesus' name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day!
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
Monday, December 18, 2006
UNEXPECTED BLESSINGS
Good day dear friends.
Please don't forget for those in the SM area, that today at 12 noon we're hosting a luncheon entitled, Grief and The Holidays. We'll have a short devotional service, then share a meal. It's our way of helping those who have lost loved ones during the past few years better cope and know they are loved. Please keep this event in your prayers.
Last week was a marathon meeting week as usually happens in most churches facing the end of the year and a coming charge conference. By Wednesday at my second night meeting I had forgotten when a particular discussion had taken place about some items and when I looked at my calendar it had just been on Monday. By Thursday, I was trying to arrange for someone to lead the wedding rehearsal in Mission, TX for my niece's wedding, while trying to finalize the funeral that was keeping me here on Friday. A dear friend accepted to rehearse the couple and the families, and the arrangements for the funeral went smoothly. On top of all this Thursday was the day Caty was to return home on her first solo flight on American Airlines from Dallas. After two doctor appointments for Nellie and Sarai, they and Carli and myself went to breakfast at a local place. A dear Emmaus brother came in and we spoke briefly about the day and upcoming Walks and he met our daughters. As we got up to leave, the waitress came and said, "Sir, there's a mistake on your bill I have to correct it." Normal thinking says, she didn't charge enough and now I'm going to have to deal with that. Then she returns and says, "I'm sorry about that sir, but your bill's already paid for!" She smiled and we smiled for I knew what had happened. First, unexpected blessing. Thank you, Lord.
As the hour approached for Caty's flight, we started praying for her, as we had pretty much been doing all day, but our cell phone rang and it was Caty crying. She had been dropped off at the wrong airport. She should have been at Love Field, but they left her at DFW. This discovery came after she tried checking in at the kiosk there at DFW. I told her to find an agent to try to help her check in, then this call comes in. The call ends due to the great service we have with our carrier and then next thing we hear is that the agent there when he saw Caty crying said, "Don't worry baby, we'll get you home!" and placed her on the next flight out of DFW coming to Austin. Caty didn't notice his name but gave us a description so that we could write a thank you letter to the airlines for their doing this for her. Caty arrived safely home about an hour after she should have, but we were thankful.
God is good. And this season of preparation should teach us that. God is so good and so loving that He sent Jesus for us. All that we have in the Gospels and the New Testament center on the awesomeness of God's love through Jesus Christ. What can we do about it? Be good ourselves! It's so easy during this time of year to get angry at traffic, crowds, long lines, cashiers, etc. And that's what the world expects. But what the world didn't expect was for God to act in the way of Christ. And the world doesn't expect us to act like good people. But let's show them. Let's be more Christ-like in the way we interact with one another.
Let that be the best Christmas present we give today.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
Please don't forget for those in the SM area, that today at 12 noon we're hosting a luncheon entitled, Grief and The Holidays. We'll have a short devotional service, then share a meal. It's our way of helping those who have lost loved ones during the past few years better cope and know they are loved. Please keep this event in your prayers.
Last week was a marathon meeting week as usually happens in most churches facing the end of the year and a coming charge conference. By Wednesday at my second night meeting I had forgotten when a particular discussion had taken place about some items and when I looked at my calendar it had just been on Monday. By Thursday, I was trying to arrange for someone to lead the wedding rehearsal in Mission, TX for my niece's wedding, while trying to finalize the funeral that was keeping me here on Friday. A dear friend accepted to rehearse the couple and the families, and the arrangements for the funeral went smoothly. On top of all this Thursday was the day Caty was to return home on her first solo flight on American Airlines from Dallas. After two doctor appointments for Nellie and Sarai, they and Carli and myself went to breakfast at a local place. A dear Emmaus brother came in and we spoke briefly about the day and upcoming Walks and he met our daughters. As we got up to leave, the waitress came and said, "Sir, there's a mistake on your bill I have to correct it." Normal thinking says, she didn't charge enough and now I'm going to have to deal with that. Then she returns and says, "I'm sorry about that sir, but your bill's already paid for!" She smiled and we smiled for I knew what had happened. First, unexpected blessing. Thank you, Lord.
As the hour approached for Caty's flight, we started praying for her, as we had pretty much been doing all day, but our cell phone rang and it was Caty crying. She had been dropped off at the wrong airport. She should have been at Love Field, but they left her at DFW. This discovery came after she tried checking in at the kiosk there at DFW. I told her to find an agent to try to help her check in, then this call comes in. The call ends due to the great service we have with our carrier and then next thing we hear is that the agent there when he saw Caty crying said, "Don't worry baby, we'll get you home!" and placed her on the next flight out of DFW coming to Austin. Caty didn't notice his name but gave us a description so that we could write a thank you letter to the airlines for their doing this for her. Caty arrived safely home about an hour after she should have, but we were thankful.
God is good. And this season of preparation should teach us that. God is so good and so loving that He sent Jesus for us. All that we have in the Gospels and the New Testament center on the awesomeness of God's love through Jesus Christ. What can we do about it? Be good ourselves! It's so easy during this time of year to get angry at traffic, crowds, long lines, cashiers, etc. And that's what the world expects. But what the world didn't expect was for God to act in the way of Christ. And the world doesn't expect us to act like good people. But let's show them. Let's be more Christ-like in the way we interact with one another.
Let that be the best Christmas present we give today.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
ALL I ASK
Good day dear friends. As many have already heard, a dear Rotary brother and neighbor of ours, Mr. Carl Anderson, died yesterday. He had been battling cancer for a short time. Carl was a past local president and District Governor in Rotary. His funeral will be at our church on Friday afternoon at 1 p.m. Visitation is Thursday evening at Pennington's. Please keep Lu and her family in our prayers.
We continue to affirm that God is in control and has a wonderful life available to us if we so pray and here is our study guide for today:
Tuesday: In 1 Kings 19:9-18 we find a passage of someone who asks of God something very important. Read this passage and discover what was being asked of God and how God responded to the need.
Here is that passage from 1 Kings 19:9 At that place he came to a cave, and spent the night there. Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" 10 He answered, "I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away." 11 He said, "Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by." Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" 14 He answered, "I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away." 15 Then the Lord said to him, "Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king over Aram. 16 Also you shall anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel; and you shall anoint Elisha son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah as prophet in your place. 17 Whoever escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu shall kill; and whoever escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall kill. 18 Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him."
How sad it is to hear a servant of the Lord declare, "I alone am left." Elijah says that twice in this passage. And come to think of it, his appointment to First Israel had not gone like he nor God would have liked. The chairperson of the Church Council and the Pastor Parish Relations committee had not only abandoned ship, they did all they could to sink the thing! They didnt' believe word one of what Elijah tried to preach; the Commandments were viewed with disgust, they destroyed church property, and they even killed those who sought to serve God. I too would be praying, "I alone am left," as would you.
Elijah had a very rough, dangerous time being God's prophet to Israel during his ministry. It became so bad that he sought to flee from church work, as do so many. Dr. Terry Teykl said on Sunday that he has many colleagues in ministry who "lust for Home Depot," meaning for a job there instead of behind the pulpit. Thank God most of us are not being threatened with our lives, though our livelihoods is bad enough, but God sends Elijah on a retreat. He is sent to a mountain retreat where he stands to await God to pass by him. You know the story. A great wind passes by, destroying almost everything in its path. Then comes an earthquake, then a fire, but in none of these was the Lord God. There came sheer silence, where Elijah was able to hear God's voice. God answered Elijah's prayer; named new officers for the church, and promised to bless those who had remained faithful to Him.
Doesn't it sometimes seem that everything and everyone around us, seem to be on the path of destruction? This lesson teaches that even in those times when we take that approach or view of our lives, God is still in control. Though God has the power of great wind, earthquakes, and fire, God comes to us when we pause, seek to be alone with Him, and allow God to speak to us. When was the last time you prayed in a way that you only asked for God?
PRAYER: Loving Father, I confess that too often when I pray, I do all the talking and all the asking. Today I ask for You to come and be with me. That's all I ask. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
We continue to affirm that God is in control and has a wonderful life available to us if we so pray and here is our study guide for today:
Tuesday: In 1 Kings 19:9-18 we find a passage of someone who asks of God something very important. Read this passage and discover what was being asked of God and how God responded to the need.
Here is that passage from 1 Kings 19:9 At that place he came to a cave, and spent the night there. Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" 10 He answered, "I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away." 11 He said, "Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by." Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" 14 He answered, "I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away." 15 Then the Lord said to him, "Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king over Aram. 16 Also you shall anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel; and you shall anoint Elisha son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah as prophet in your place. 17 Whoever escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu shall kill; and whoever escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall kill. 18 Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him."
How sad it is to hear a servant of the Lord declare, "I alone am left." Elijah says that twice in this passage. And come to think of it, his appointment to First Israel had not gone like he nor God would have liked. The chairperson of the Church Council and the Pastor Parish Relations committee had not only abandoned ship, they did all they could to sink the thing! They didnt' believe word one of what Elijah tried to preach; the Commandments were viewed with disgust, they destroyed church property, and they even killed those who sought to serve God. I too would be praying, "I alone am left," as would you.
Elijah had a very rough, dangerous time being God's prophet to Israel during his ministry. It became so bad that he sought to flee from church work, as do so many. Dr. Terry Teykl said on Sunday that he has many colleagues in ministry who "lust for Home Depot," meaning for a job there instead of behind the pulpit. Thank God most of us are not being threatened with our lives, though our livelihoods is bad enough, but God sends Elijah on a retreat. He is sent to a mountain retreat where he stands to await God to pass by him. You know the story. A great wind passes by, destroying almost everything in its path. Then comes an earthquake, then a fire, but in none of these was the Lord God. There came sheer silence, where Elijah was able to hear God's voice. God answered Elijah's prayer; named new officers for the church, and promised to bless those who had remained faithful to Him.
Doesn't it sometimes seem that everything and everyone around us, seem to be on the path of destruction? This lesson teaches that even in those times when we take that approach or view of our lives, God is still in control. Though God has the power of great wind, earthquakes, and fire, God comes to us when we pause, seek to be alone with Him, and allow God to speak to us. When was the last time you prayed in a way that you only asked for God?
PRAYER: Loving Father, I confess that too often when I pray, I do all the talking and all the asking. Today I ask for You to come and be with me. That's all I ask. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
Monday, December 11, 2006
I AM
Good day dear friends. We celebrated an Advent message on Luke 21:25ff called, "God's Wonderful Life for You." This was a message about hope and faith even in the midst of suffering and uncertainty.
Here is today's study guide: Monday: The Bible is filled with passages of those who “want to know.” Either more about God or what God is planning to do. Please find and read Exodus 3:13-15. This is a passage about what God promised to one of the first servants to go and ask something of someone else before a great thing God was going to do.
Here is that passage from Exodus 3:13 But Moses said to God, "If I come to the Israelites and say to them, "The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,' and they ask me, "What is his name?' what shall I say to them?" 14 God said to Moses, "I am who I am." He said further, "Thus you shall say to the Israelites, "I am has sent me to you.' " 15 God also said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the Israelites, "The Lord, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you': This is my name forever, and this my title for all generations.
You can unlock many closed doors by knowing someone's name. To send a letter to the CEO of a certain company, will probably take you to a huge bin where those letters are seldom if ever read. If you know the CEO's name and address it to him/her, s/he may not personally read it, but someone close to him/her will and you will get results. Moses didn't know about CEOs but he did know about the power of knowing someone's name, so he asks the living God, "Who shall I say sent me if they happen to ask?" Moses is told, "Tell them that I am has sent you." The God of all life has as His name, I am, a statement of being more than of a name.
What does that mean to us today? That God still is and always will be. The God of long ago is still the God of today. The God who was the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and all the rest, is your God. Think about what can come after God's name: I am with you. I am stronger than what you face. I am able to overcome the obstacles and struggles in your life. I am never going to forsake you. I am going to take you with me for all eternity, etc.
PRAYER: Thank you I am, for being with me and for being my God. Let me live my life in a way that shares that faith with others. I pray in Jesus' name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
Here is today's study guide: Monday: The Bible is filled with passages of those who “want to know.” Either more about God or what God is planning to do. Please find and read Exodus 3:13-15. This is a passage about what God promised to one of the first servants to go and ask something of someone else before a great thing God was going to do.
Here is that passage from Exodus 3:13 But Moses said to God, "If I come to the Israelites and say to them, "The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,' and they ask me, "What is his name?' what shall I say to them?" 14 God said to Moses, "I am who I am." He said further, "Thus you shall say to the Israelites, "I am has sent me to you.' " 15 God also said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the Israelites, "The Lord, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you': This is my name forever, and this my title for all generations.
You can unlock many closed doors by knowing someone's name. To send a letter to the CEO of a certain company, will probably take you to a huge bin where those letters are seldom if ever read. If you know the CEO's name and address it to him/her, s/he may not personally read it, but someone close to him/her will and you will get results. Moses didn't know about CEOs but he did know about the power of knowing someone's name, so he asks the living God, "Who shall I say sent me if they happen to ask?" Moses is told, "Tell them that I am has sent you." The God of all life has as His name, I am, a statement of being more than of a name.
What does that mean to us today? That God still is and always will be. The God of long ago is still the God of today. The God who was the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and all the rest, is your God. Think about what can come after God's name: I am with you. I am stronger than what you face. I am able to overcome the obstacles and struggles in your life. I am never going to forsake you. I am going to take you with me for all eternity, etc.
PRAYER: Thank you I am, for being with me and for being my God. Let me live my life in a way that shares that faith with others. I pray in Jesus' name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
ADVENT AND THE SEARS CATALOG
Good day dear friends.
Here is an Advent message based on 1 Thess. 3:9 How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy that we feel before our God because of you? 10 Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you face to face and restore whatever is lacking in your faith. 11 Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus direct our way to you. 12 And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we abound in love for you. 13 And may he so strengthen your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.
Somehow, we for many years were on the Sears catalog mailing list. I don't know if everyone with an address, much like spam on email today, received a catalog or not, but we were sure thankful for the annual what-we-considered "big" Christmas Catalog. We expected it. Each day in that time of year we knew it would not be long before we would get that huge catalog loaded with color pictures of the world's greatest toys! We knew Santa wouldn't bring us the ones we wanted, for some odd reason, we chalked that to being on the Naughty List most of the year anyway; but it didn't stop my brothers and I from laying on the cold floor and going through the book page by page playing the "I claim this!" game. Whichever toy caught your eye if you could place your finger on it first, that toy would be yours.
Had that game been true I would have a warehouse filled with toys or at the very least the landfill in Kingsville, Texas, would be brimming full of broken, discarded toys. Advent is that time of year when we as believers know that the celebration of the birth of our Lord is coming, but it should also be a time when we know that our Lord is coming again. Nellie and I went to see the new movie "The Nativity" and we both highly recommend it. It is the story of the year before Christmas Eve and portrays with much honesty the scenes that might have happened outside the biblical story. The story shows the expectancy of the people for the need of a Messiah to come. In a scene prior to the birth, Mary and Joseph stop outside Bethlehem and visit with a shepherd. Joseph explains that most shepherds lived alone for most of their lives prior to sitting at the insistence of the shepherd for the night was cold and Mary was shivering. The man shares his fire with the couple and relates how his father told him that everyone has a gift to share, and that Mary's gift was that which was inside of her. Mary asks what his gift was and the shepherd replies, the gift of not giving up hope for that which is to come.
Advent is like the text above, we wait by being in prayer for each other, looking forward to face-to-face fellowship, helping one another in those areas of weakness of faith, knowing that one day our faith will be complete.
Advent is our saying in our prayers, "Come, Lord Jesus, come."
PRAYER: Come, Lord Jesus come. May the words of our childhood Sunday school song be real today: Into my heart, into my heart, come into my heart, Lord Jesus. Come in to stay, come in today; Come into my heart, Lord Jesus. Amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
e.v.
Here is an Advent message based on 1 Thess. 3:9 How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy that we feel before our God because of you? 10 Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you face to face and restore whatever is lacking in your faith. 11 Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus direct our way to you. 12 And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we abound in love for you. 13 And may he so strengthen your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.
Somehow, we for many years were on the Sears catalog mailing list. I don't know if everyone with an address, much like spam on email today, received a catalog or not, but we were sure thankful for the annual what-we-considered "big" Christmas Catalog. We expected it. Each day in that time of year we knew it would not be long before we would get that huge catalog loaded with color pictures of the world's greatest toys! We knew Santa wouldn't bring us the ones we wanted, for some odd reason, we chalked that to being on the Naughty List most of the year anyway; but it didn't stop my brothers and I from laying on the cold floor and going through the book page by page playing the "I claim this!" game. Whichever toy caught your eye if you could place your finger on it first, that toy would be yours.
Had that game been true I would have a warehouse filled with toys or at the very least the landfill in Kingsville, Texas, would be brimming full of broken, discarded toys. Advent is that time of year when we as believers know that the celebration of the birth of our Lord is coming, but it should also be a time when we know that our Lord is coming again. Nellie and I went to see the new movie "The Nativity" and we both highly recommend it. It is the story of the year before Christmas Eve and portrays with much honesty the scenes that might have happened outside the biblical story. The story shows the expectancy of the people for the need of a Messiah to come. In a scene prior to the birth, Mary and Joseph stop outside Bethlehem and visit with a shepherd. Joseph explains that most shepherds lived alone for most of their lives prior to sitting at the insistence of the shepherd for the night was cold and Mary was shivering. The man shares his fire with the couple and relates how his father told him that everyone has a gift to share, and that Mary's gift was that which was inside of her. Mary asks what his gift was and the shepherd replies, the gift of not giving up hope for that which is to come.
Advent is like the text above, we wait by being in prayer for each other, looking forward to face-to-face fellowship, helping one another in those areas of weakness of faith, knowing that one day our faith will be complete.
Advent is our saying in our prayers, "Come, Lord Jesus, come."
PRAYER: Come, Lord Jesus come. May the words of our childhood Sunday school song be real today: Into my heart, into my heart, come into my heart, Lord Jesus. Come in to stay, come in today; Come into my heart, Lord Jesus. Amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
e.v.
Monday, December 04, 2006
ARE WE A PRESENCE BASED CHURCH?
Good day dear friends.
We were so blessed by the visit of Rev. Dr. Terry Teykl, a man of God with a wonderful testimony and witness. He spoke at our three worship services and in the afternoon shared a mini-seminar on The Presence-Based Church.
His text for the traditional services was from Exodus 33: Now Moses used to take a tent and pitch it outside the camp some distance away, calling it the "tent of meeting." Anyone inquiring of the Lord would go to the tent of meeting outside the camp. 8 And whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people rose and stood at the entrances to their tents, watching Moses until he entered the tent. 9 As Moses went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and stay at the entrance, while the Lord spoke with Moses. 10 Whenever the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent, they all stood and worshiped at the entrances to their tents. 11 The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent.
His key verse, as to why the Lord inspired him to write this book was verse 11: "The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend." This is the way to have a presence-based relationship with God. Dr. Teykl correctly mentioned we too often seek the hand of God to move something in our favor. We rarely seek to know God and to experience God as one would experience a friend. Instead of being like Moses, we're like the frightened and confused people that didn't know what to make of God talking to Moses. Sadly, as Terry mentioned, we say to our pastors, "You take care of the spiritual stuff - that's what we pay you for!"
The Presence Based Church is one who, as individuals and corporately, seeks the face of God to guide it and strengthen it to do the ministries with which it was entrusted.
Are you truly seeking the face of God or are you comfortable just sitting back, listening, and leaving? Are you taking the prayer list home and faithfully praying for one another as Jesus asked? I see so many just throw their prayer lists in the recycle bin. I don't know what the thought is behind it, but I know if my name was on the prayer list I would want everyone from my church praying for me. Come to think of it, my name or the fact I fall in that category called "Pastors," Leslie's name and mine, stand in need of your prayers. And what about those magnets with our children's names on them? I thankful so many of those names went home and are on refrigerators being prayed for; I pray that those neglected and left on the table are not being preyed on. We're not yet a Presence based church...
PRAYER: Loving God of Presence and Power, visit each person who read this and who was in worship yesterday. Make the words planted yesterday and today through this devotional come to life and let it bear great fruit for You! I pray in Jesus' name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
e.v.
We were so blessed by the visit of Rev. Dr. Terry Teykl, a man of God with a wonderful testimony and witness. He spoke at our three worship services and in the afternoon shared a mini-seminar on The Presence-Based Church.
His text for the traditional services was from Exodus 33: Now Moses used to take a tent and pitch it outside the camp some distance away, calling it the "tent of meeting." Anyone inquiring of the Lord would go to the tent of meeting outside the camp. 8 And whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people rose and stood at the entrances to their tents, watching Moses until he entered the tent. 9 As Moses went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and stay at the entrance, while the Lord spoke with Moses. 10 Whenever the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent, they all stood and worshiped at the entrances to their tents. 11 The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent.
His key verse, as to why the Lord inspired him to write this book was verse 11: "The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend." This is the way to have a presence-based relationship with God. Dr. Teykl correctly mentioned we too often seek the hand of God to move something in our favor. We rarely seek to know God and to experience God as one would experience a friend. Instead of being like Moses, we're like the frightened and confused people that didn't know what to make of God talking to Moses. Sadly, as Terry mentioned, we say to our pastors, "You take care of the spiritual stuff - that's what we pay you for!"
The Presence Based Church is one who, as individuals and corporately, seeks the face of God to guide it and strengthen it to do the ministries with which it was entrusted.
Are you truly seeking the face of God or are you comfortable just sitting back, listening, and leaving? Are you taking the prayer list home and faithfully praying for one another as Jesus asked? I see so many just throw their prayer lists in the recycle bin. I don't know what the thought is behind it, but I know if my name was on the prayer list I would want everyone from my church praying for me. Come to think of it, my name or the fact I fall in that category called "Pastors," Leslie's name and mine, stand in need of your prayers. And what about those magnets with our children's names on them? I thankful so many of those names went home and are on refrigerators being prayed for; I pray that those neglected and left on the table are not being preyed on. We're not yet a Presence based church...
PRAYER: Loving God of Presence and Power, visit each person who read this and who was in worship yesterday. Make the words planted yesterday and today through this devotional come to life and let it bear great fruit for You! I pray in Jesus' name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
e.v.
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