You can't have CHRISTMAS without CHRIST!

I Luke 2:1-4, 6-19 Around the time of Elizabeth’s amazing pregnancy and John’s birth, the emperor in Rome, Caesar Augustus, required everyone in the Roman Empire to participate in a massive census— the first census since Quirinius had become governor of Syria. Each person had to go to his or her ancestral city to be counted. The purpose of a census like the one Luke describes is to be sure that everyone is appropriately taxed and knows who is in charge. Mary’s fiancé Joseph, from Nazareth in Galilee, had to participate in the census in the same way everyone else did. Because he was a descendant of King David, his ancestral city was Bethlehem, David’s birthplace. Mary, who was now late in her pregnancy that the messenger Gabriel had predicted, accompanied Joseph. While in Bethlehem, she went into labor and gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped the baby in a blanket and laid Him in a feeding trough because the inn had no room for them. Nearby, in the fields outside of Bethlehem, a group of shepherds were guarding their flocks from predators in the darkness of night. Suddenly a messenger of the Lord stood in front of them, and the darkness was replaced by a glorious light—the shining light of God’s glory. They were terrified! 

Messenger: Don’t be afraid! Listen! I bring good news, news of great joy, news that will affect all people everywhere. Today, in the city of David, a Saviour has been born for you! He is the promised Anointed One, the Supreme Authority! You will know you have found Him when you see a baby, wrapped in a blanket, lying in a feeding trough. At that moment, the first heavenly messenger was joined by thousands of other messengers—a vast heavenly choir. They praised God. 

Heavenly Choir: To the highest heights of the universe, glory to God! And on earth, peace among all people who bring pleasure to God! 

As soon as the heavenly messengers disappeared into heaven, the shepherds were buzzing with conversation.

Shepherds: Let’s rush down to Bethlehem right now! Let’s see what’s happening! Let’s experience what the Lord has told us about! So they ran into town, and eventually they found Mary and Joseph and the baby lying in the feeding trough. After they saw the baby, they spread the story of what they had experienced and what had been said to them about this child. Everyone who heard their story couldn’t stop thinking about its meaning. 

Mary, too, pondered all of these events, treasuring each memory in her heart. 

                   Merry Christmas

Why are we afraid of Silence?

1 Kings 19:11-12 

Eternal One: Leave this cave, and go stand on the mountainside in My presence.

The Eternal passed by him. 

The mighty wind separated the mountains and crumbled every stone before the Eternal. This was not a divine wind, for the Eternal was not within this wind. After the wind passed through, an earthquake shook the earth. This was not a divine quake, for the Eternal was not within this earthquake. After the earthquake was over, there was a fire. This was not a divine fire, for the Eternal was not within this fire.After the fire died out, there was nothing but the sound of a calm breeze. And through this breeze a gentle, still voice entered into Elijah’s ears. He covered his face with his cloak and went to the mouth of the cave. Suddenly, Elijah was surprised.

Eternal One: Why are you here, Elijah? What is it that you desire? 

    Today's world is non-stop and NOISY!  The only quiet we can find is often after we go to sleep?  However, even our sleep is sometimes bombarded by leftover noises from our life.  Blaring TVs selling youth serums and stronger bodies, endless pain and suffering from biased news casts or senseless movies filled with all too realistic story lines.  Endlessly playing in the background to cover up our Silence.

God is still speaking to us just as He was Elijah on Mount Horeb, not in the wind, nor the earthquakes or even the fires of life but in a still small voice.

A voice best heard in the Silence.

Why are we afraid of the silence?

Does it make us remember loves lost,  past regrets, or our many mistakes?  

Maybe it reminds of fears?  

        Fear of death?     Fear of life?    Fear of failure?

    For whatever reasons, we constantly numb our minds with noise.  Any and every distraction to cover up the quiet.  Stillness is a word to be feared and avoided.  Every waking moment must be filled or we aren't being productive members of society.  

    A wise man once said,"silence is golden", but every golden moment is filled with echoes of distraction.

Why?

Because.......

Silence makes us Stop.

   Silence makes us Listen.

        Silence makes us Reflect.

Silence can bring us Peace.  If we would only listen for HIS still small voice.

Let's try it out!     Listen!    NO.   Stop and really Listen.

     Can you hear God's voice whispering?    

              "I love you."     "I have great plans for your life."    "I'm here waiting patiently for one moment of silence, so you can hear me."

If you don't know him it's as easy as ABC.

Admit ....... That you've sinned and need forgiveness

Believe ..... That Jesus died on the cross and rose again for your sins to be forgiven.

Confess ...  Tell someone that you've asked Jesus to be your Lord and Saviour

                                                            Just Listen 

Cracked Pots

2 Corinthians 4:7-9
But this beautiful treasure is contained in us—cracked pots made of earth and clay—so that the transcendent character of this power will be clearly seen as coming from God and not from us.
We are cracked and chipped from our afflictions on all sides, but we are not crushed by them. We are bewildered at times, but we do not give in to despair.
We are persecuted, but we have not been abandoned. We have been knocked down, but we are not destroyed.


It can sometimes feel like LIFE is beating you up.  I bet you've felt like this at least once lately.  It has nothing to do with age, gender, marital status, position or even attitude.  We are earthen vessels and sometimes the choices we make in life or the directions we take can leave something damaged.  We can become broken by life, cracked by circumstances.  But in the hands of a master gardener a cracked pot can spring forth in beauty.  

Consider a tulip bulb?  It is nothing when it's planted, ugly, plain and seemingly dead when th gardener puts if into an earthen vessel.  Many months of cold lifelessness and it shows no signs of the beauty within.  The vessel its in can be chipped and cracked by the weathering of time, of life.  Yet at just the right moment, after just the correct amount of time the bulb sprouts with new life and the true beauty within becomes evident to all who see it!  

In the hands of our God the Master gardener, we contain a beautiful treasure waiting to spring up out of cracked earthen vessels to reveal the treasure God has planted inside each of us.  

Maybe it's time for you to seek out the Master, ask him to stir up the treasure inside your earthen vessel.  Don't be ashamed of how much damage you see, don't let the shame of how badly you think things appear to others keep you from finding out what your treasure is.  Just seek God.  Just give the Gardener what you have.  Just trust Him to bring out the beautiful treasure and reveal His glory in your life.

If you don't know him it's as easy as ABC.

Admit ....... That you've sinned and need forgiveness

Believe ..... That Jesus died on the cross and rose again for your sins to be forgiven.

Confess ...  Tell someone that you've asked Jesus to be your Lord and Saviour

Angry angry angry

     Anger.  How does allowing our flesh to get angry, hinder our Christian walk?  Is it ok for Christians to get angry and perhaps “get back at someone” for a wrongdoing?  The world says that if someone hurts us we have every right to retaliate and let him or her have what is coming to them.  What does the Bible say about anger?  Is it ok to get angry?  Let’s take a closer look at what the Bible says about anger.
     There are several scriptures that address the issue of anger but Ephesians 4: 26-31 explains what is expected of us when we get angry.  "In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.  He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.  Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.  And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.  Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.
     According to this scripture are we to be condemned for getting angry?  Are we no longer a “Good Christian” if we let our flesh get angry?  The world would look at us and say there is no way we are Christians if we allow ourselves to get angry.  But the Bible says we are not to sin in our anger.  What does that look like?  What does that mean for us?  Yes we are going to get angry and upset with others.  Jesus got angry at the tax collectors in temple but we are not to sin in our anger.  Ecclesiastes 7:9 says “Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools.”  We are not to go around just looking for something to fight and argue about.    If you find yourself in the heat of anger and seem to not be able to control your temper just do what God did in 2 Kings 17:18  “So the LORD was very angry with Israel and removed them from his presence”.

Remove yourself from the situation.  That is what the Bible says we are to do.

I Know Where There's WATER

                                                           Lake Mead

      A friend recently visited Lake Mead and took a picture of it's beautiful cerulean waters.  Unfortunately, these waters are drying up due to a severe drought in the western United States.  Lake Mead is the main water supplier for the more populated cities in Southern California.  This lack of water has many concerned about what will happen if it drys up altogether?   

John 4:13-14 Jesus said, "Drink this water, and your thirst is quenched only for a moment. You must return to this well again and again. I offer water that will become a wellspring within you that gives life throughout eternity. You will never be thirsty again."

             Wellspring is defined as a source or supply of anything, inexhaustible.

Aren't you thirsty?  Thirsty for more of God?  The world says God is dead and we are our own god, BUT God says I AM the wellspring in this dry and thirsty land, come to me and I will give you living water!  The world is filled with fake "moisture", drugs, alcohol, pornography.  There are so many ways people strive to quench their thirst for ?something?   

God is ready for this generation to be truly THIRSTY for more of Him.  Stop living a dry barren life and drink deeply of the one true God.

If you don't know him it's as easy as ABC.

Admit ....... That you've sinned and need forgiveness

Believe ..... That Jesus died on the cross and rose again for your sins to be forgiven.

Confess ...  Tell someone that you've asked Jesus to be your Lord and Saviour

Drink deeply and find the Wellspring!    

#Perceptions--Seeing the world through God's eyes: Be a Light

#Perceptions--Seeing the world through God's eyes: Be a Light: (1 Thessalonians 5:4-8 My brothers and sisters, it will be different for you. You do not dwell in the darkness, so that day will not surpris...

Be a Light

(1 Thessalonians 5:4-8 My brothers and sisters, it will be different for you. You do not dwell in the darkness, so that day will not surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light. You are sons and daughters of the day. We are not created of night, nor are we owned by darkness. So then let’s not give in to sleep or wander around in a stupor as some do, but let’s stay awake and in control. You see, sleepers sleep through the night, and drunkards drink the night away; but since we belong to the day, we should stay sober and in control, covered with a breastplate of faith and love and a helmet of the hope of salvation. 1 Thessalonians 5:5).  

Did you ever have one of THOSE days?  

When you felt like you had missed it?  Even if you didn't know what IT was, you just knew somehow that you had passed by and not noticed IT laying in your path?  Maybe there was so much darkness surrounding you from the world you didn't feel like your light was bright enough to see it?  God sees things from a different perspective than we do!  Imagine sitting in a completely dark room. One so dark your eyes hurt straining to try and see something, you've probably done this a a kid?  Now imagine seeing a tiny speck of light in the distance.  What happened to the darkness around you?  

Even the smallest light is able to push back the darkness and stand out!  That's what God wants us to do.......stand out!  Everywhere we turn lately, darkness is staring back at us.

Isn't it about time we stood out as Christians?  For far too long Christians have taken a back seat to the things of the world, to the darkness.  We have been silent and covered our light so we won't offend others, but isn't it time to become the Children of the Light. 

Sometimes, it is hard to shine!  The good news is that we are not called to make our own light but simply to REFLECT the light of Jesus.  

SHINE for JESUS.

#Perceptions--Seeing the world through God's eyes: Integrity

#Perceptions--Seeing the world through God's eyes: Integrity:     Integrity Integrity - The quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness, the state of being ...

Love

What's Love got to do with it?

 

 1. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I ganin nothing 1Cor 13: 1-3

 

What are three ways you show someone you love them?

1.

2.

3.

 

What would it be like if people don't walk in God's perfect Love?

1. But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy. 3. heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good. 4.treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,

5. having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power.  2Tim 3:1-5

  

How do you get real Love?

       Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 so we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us.  God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.  17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the Day of Judgement, because as he is so also are we in this world.  18 there is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fewar.  For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.  19 We love because he first loved us.  20 If anyone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has been cannot love God whom he has not seen. 1John 4:16-20

 

 

What are some examples of false love?

1.

2.

3.

  

What kind of power comes with "real" love? 

17 And these signs will accomplany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons:  they will speak in new tongures; 18 they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover." Mark 16: 17-18

Integrity

 

 

Integrity

Integrity- The quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness, the state of being whole and undivided.

Can we say of this world today that integrity is easily found? Where can we show integrity in our own lives? What are the consequences of not walking in integrity? These questions may come to mind when we consider the meaning of the word integrity but would we be able to demonstrate this quality if we faced a real trial.

Daniel and his friends were able through their faith in God to be men of integrity in a world completely removed from the one they had been raised. They were completely removed from their homeland and family and taken into an alien place where no one ate the same foods or had the same orals or worshipped the same God. Yet they had the integrity to stand up and ask to be allowed to do things the right way. Not the popular way, not the easy way and not even the expected way but the right way. Through your reading of Daniel chapter 1 take time to ask God for a deeper insight into the places inside your heart where integrity is ingrained or where you lack the needed integrity to withstand the worldly things encountered daily. If you find anything that would separate you from serving God with integrity ask Him to help you to be an over comer in that area. Let the Holy Spirit speak to your heart in such a way that you know, that you know, what is the correct and perfect way to walk in integrity.

Read Daniel Chapter 1

What would you do?

Psalms 25:21
Psalms 26:1-5
Matthew 5:41
Choose the more excellent way.

Beginnings

 

     It seems insurmountable!  How can we possibly make this happen? What in the world was I thinking?  

    Thoughts are sometimes the greatest obstacles we face, when  God asks us to step out and do a new thing.  Since God planted the vision to start this class in January, we have had quite a few stumbling blocks.  

    First of all, social media is not the way I interact with others.  I had never blogged, tweeted or posted  anything in my life.  I prefer to talk and interact with real people.  It was big day when I was able to text my first reply where everything was spelled correctly.  Buffy, on the other hand is much more accepting of new things and as a result has a much better grasp on social media.  Being a female she is a born multi-tasker and able to respond electronically and verbally with ease.

    It seemed at first that we were simply going to do a bible study class with young men and women who had graduated from Youth group and were not yet evolved in some form of ministry in the church.  God, however sees things from a much greater angle of vision. The class grew from just a study of Daniel and Ruth to a life study of Integrity and Committment.  It was no longer a weekly class held in the church building but now a group with unlimited members who would be able to interact via social media and only meet once a month as a physical group.  Perceptions was born!  What God intended was what He always calls us to do--See the world through His eyes!