Sunday Night Reflections

A Few Thoughts From an Amazing Day (Christmas Edition)...

• Our worship was a little different today - all Acapella
• Wrapped up our Christmas series "The Miracle of Christmas" with the message the miracle of the method.
• I am amazed at how we try to figure God out especially in light of Isaiah 55 
• Remember; The cost of obediently following God’s plan is always worth it for the prize of drawing near to God.
• We had our best Christmas Eve service ever; following our worship I had the opportunity to baptize my daughter-in-law's father - Good stuff!
• Thank you worship team for pulling off another great worship event Friday night.
• Well my family blessed me with several good books this Christmas.
• Most interesting title; The devil in pew number seven.
• Book I am looking to reading the most; If God is Good
• As 2010 comes to a close, I am thinking more and more about what makes God smile.
• Our church family was reminded today that even at Christmas, tragedy can be devastating, PBCC family, please keep Becky, Wanda and Clyde in your prayers this week. 

Sunday Night Reflections

A Few Thoughts From an Amazing Day (actually weekend)...

• Attended our Preschool Christmas Pageant Friday Evening - what a great presentation, Tracey and her team did a wonderful job.
• Saturday Night attended a "Medieval Christmas" at Northside Presbyterian Church. The teens did a wonderful job with their presentation as well.
• Today we focused on the Message of Christmas - God communicated and still communicates with us in a language we can understand.
• His message is simply this; Know Me and Draw Near to Me!
• If we would just respond to His message a majority of our whoas would be fixed.
• What is God saying to you today? Are you listening for his voice?
• Linda did a wonderful job with "Mary did you know?" 
• Worship team did a great job today - good mix!
• Just in case you are wondering, Wanda Ross makes wonderful Banana Bread!
• I am humbled by the generosity of some people.
• If you have not seen our food pantry ministry in action you are missing a blessing, they are a great group of people ministering to those in need.
• How can the Dolphins beat the Jets and lose to the Bills?
• By the way there are 5 shopping days left.

Sunday Night Reflections

A Few Thoughts on an Amazing Day...

• Preached on the "Moment of Christmas" today from Galatians 4:4.
• I am comforted by the fact God has perfect timing.
• I am also glad God has given us a time for everything.
• Are you numbering your days?
• Since the past cannot be changed and the future is uncertain, the only alternative is to live in the moment! 
• The fact there are are only 12 days 'til Christmas is frightening.
• Today we learned many people were not ready for the first coming of Jesus, I fear we are living as if people are not ready for his second coming either.
• Thank you Michele for the communion thoughts regarding "Where is the line to see Jesus"
• I was so proud of our preschool's float for the Palm Bay Christmas Parade.
• Staff Christmas Party tomorrow night - should be fun.

Family Christmas Party

Today my family met at the Mandarin Church of Christ in Jacksonville for our annual Christmas party. Of the possible 78 members of my family, 47 of us were able to make it this year. We laughed, shared good food (Note, If you have not had venison sausage you do not know what you are missing) and recalled old stories about our family. Here are just a few highlights of the day...

• A tip of the hat to Troy and Nancy they were such great host and hostess.
• One of my uncles has written a book.
• More of my cousins are on high blood pressure medication (The curse of being a Tison)
• There seemed to be a few more babies than last year.
• Chatted with sister in law, who is sending her only child to Texas for a new job.
• Collected 6 new jokes for sermons down the road.
• One of my aunt's asked me when I was going to retire, not for a while!
• Everyone had a picture taken with my grandfather, BTW he turned 94 in September.
• We teased the nieces who were brave enough to bring their new boy friends to the family gathering. 
• Granddad passed out gift cards to all the grandchildren 12 and under, been a long time since I got one of those gift cards. 
• My grandfather told me how much he appreciated my post a few months back regarding lessons I learned from my grandfather, He told me he did not know how much those things mattered to me - I will cherish that comment the rest of my life!   

Kathy and I traveled 324 miles to attend our Christmas party today, and I am glad I did, there is something about being with family that warms the heart, thrills the soul and reminds us we are not individuals, but a part of something greater. I am so proud of my family and I am looking forward to next year's gathering. Like the years before it will be a great gathering, BTW, Uncle Robert, be sure to bring the venison sausage!  

How can we forget?

Today has come and gone and there has been very little talk about what happened 69 years ago. 69 years ago Japanese airplanes attacked Pearl Harbor. The attack on Pearl Harbor caused more than 2,300 American military deaths, according to the National Park Service. Of those, 1,177 were crew members on the USS Arizona. The attack was the impetus for America entering World War II, for the next 4 years our nation sacrificed, changed habits, sent young people off to war and did what ever it would take to preserve freedom. I understand next year, the 70th anniversary, there will be a big salute to the men who served and died at Pearl Harbor. With the men who served  at Pearl Harbor age 85 or older, just how many men will we salute? 

It seems as time goes by we seem to forget the sacrifices people make for us. It is not just Pearl Harbor, we seem to forget the sacrifices that previous generations have made so we can enjoy the blessing of living in this country. Everyone of us are enjoying the sacrifices of someone else's labors. Everyone of us enjoys the shade of a tree that someone else planted. 

I hope we will always remember we are receiving the benefits of others labors and thus we must do certain things so others will enjoy the fruit of our labor. Question; Who are you living for? What is your legacy? I hope you are living in such a way that someday someone will look back over your accomplishments and deeds and be thankful that you lived in such a way they are reaping what you have sowed. How do we leave such a  legacy? 

1. Focus less on yourself and more on others.
2. Prioritize what is really important, ask yourself will doing a particular activity really make a difference 6 months or 6 years from now?
3. Find someone whom you can pour your life into, we all have something we can teach someone else.
4. Spend more time building relationships than building wealth.
5. Follow the golden rule of Matthew 7:12.

Doing these five things will not guarantee you will leave a legacy, but not doing them will probably guarantee you will be forgotten sooner than later.

Sunday Night Reflections

A Few Thoughts From An Amazing Day...

• Our children's ministry did a great job with their Christmas program today.
• I hope we are overwhelmed by the thought of Christmas.
• Begin a new series next week - the Miracle of Christmas. Sunday's message; the Moment of Christmas.
• Starting to lay out the programs for our Christmas Eve service, I think both services will be meaningful.
• I have to admit "How Many Kings" is quickly becoming one of my favorite new Christmas Songs.
• I have been wondering lately, what makes God smile? Here is my list; Children, Christians worshiping with reckless abandonment, A Grateful Heart, Brokenness, Repentance, A church with a mission, prayers from his children. I will have to think about this idea a little more.
• I am looking forward to Heaven.

Now it is Christmas

Tonight I attended Florida Christian College's "Night of Noel". The program included music, readings and a very talented choir. As I sat there I thought to myself now it is Christmas. You see in Florida it is hard to get in the Christmas spirit with temps in the 80's and palm trees on every corner. Tonight it was different - as the choir  sang a variety of songs regarding advent and the nativity there was a sense that it is now time to think about Christmas. 

I am glad I made the trip to Kissimmee tonight it was a nice change of pace and it was great to see how FCC is truly developing a quality music program.  By the way, I cannot say enough for the closing arrangement of Handle's Messiah, what a great way to close out the evening.  

To all who participated in Night of Noel, THANK YOU, your ministry was truly a blessing for all who attended!

Is it Real to You?

Angels, Shepherds, A Virgin, Wisemen, A Star, Prophecy and a Manger. These are just a few of the items that make up the Christmas account found in the gospels of Matthew and Luke. Over the next 3 weeks ministers will preach on the advent and the nativity. For some they will try to put a new slant on the Christmas story, after all they have preached these passages for over 20 years. Others will take a more traditional approach and preach about the Angel's announcement, the shepherd's visit and Mary's obedience. However the real question is not how to present the Christmas story; the real question is how do we make it real? 

I fear we have heard the story so often that it has lost some of its power; after all we have seen the TV shows, sent the Christmas cards and read and reread the gospel accounts to the point we know it forward and backwards, and yet with all that knowledge we still cannot comprehend what God did for us 2,000 years ago. 

 Think about it, God loved us so much...

• He sent His son.
• He predicted His work and his mission. 
• He chose a special girl to carry His son.
• He used angels, shepherds and wisemen in a very significant way.
• He took great care in make sure His son would be the hope of the world.

I hope you take time this Christmas to make Christmas real in your life. I hope you will get beyond the all of the stuff of Christmas (the gift giving, the parties, the rush, etc.) and realize that the Christmas story is more than a story. In fact John 1 reminds us how real Christmas is to each of us.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. 

God became flesh; lived among His people and they saw him as one full of grace and truth - when we realize what this verse means - Christmas will become real to each of us.

When will you be ready?

I am currently reading the Bible via the You Version program provided by Life Church, my particular reading is a plan called "Rediscovering the Christmas Season". Todays reading was about Simeon meeting Mary & Joseph at the temple as they come to dedicate Jesus. Note what scripture says about this encounter...

Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.”  Luke 2:25-32

Simeon says I have seen you (God) fulfill your promise and now I am ready to die. What an amazing testimony, Simeon shows no fear in death because he has absolute trust in God. As I read over those verses this morning, I wondered if I could say the words of Simeon? Are we ever ready to die? I loved what Woody Allen said about death, "I am not afraid to die, I just do not want to be there when death shows up" Simeon lived in such a way as when he saw God fulfill his promise he was ready to go. 

How do we live like Simeon today? These verses give us a few clues...  

• Live a devout or devoted life toward God.
• Practice Righteousness toward others. 
• Patiently wait on God to reveal His will for your life.
• Be Spirit sensitive

Simeon is one of the unsung heroes of the Gospels; he is only mentioned in Luke's gospel, but his one account reminds us every one has the ability to be ready to die, if we will only trust God with our life. May we live like Simeon today, better yet may we be prepared to face death with courage becasue we have trusted God and His promises.