Matthew 1:23  
“BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON,
AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL,” which translated means, “ GOD WITH US.”

We will never know his name and he is probably the one man you would not want to be in the story of Christmas. The Innkeeper. One wonders if he ever realized he was the one who turned the young couple away that night or if he ever became a follower of Jesus. All we know is that he was too busy or to consumed with the moment to entertain the majestic. Thousands of years later much has changed yet much has not. While we now have lights, heat, cars and computers often we suffer from the same problem that faced the innkeeper; too consumed with life, too caught up in the mundane to experience the miracle. 

As we come to this joyous celebration of Christmas, don’t miss the miracle of it all while dealing with the mundane. God robed in flesh, came and dwelt with His creation so that our lives and eternity could be changed forever. Jesus, Emanuel, God with us, Savior, Prince of Peace and Mighty God. However you want to say His name, don’t miss the moment. Jesus, the reason for the season. Let’s not forget it!

Acts 17:6  
…they began dragging Jason and some brethren before the city authorities,
shouting, “These men who have upset the world have come here also.

You may have seen the news this week where Albert Pujols signed a contract that will pay him a quarter of a billion dollars to hit a baseball for the next 10 years. That is nearly $155,000 a game or $51,000 each time he goes to the plate. As I read the news my mind went to the scripture that said, “these are they who have turned the world upside down.” It’s amazing what the world calls right side up and upside down. We pay a baseball player a quarter of a billion dollars to hit a baseball and our teachers 50,000 to teach our kids. We make sports the priority of our kid’s lives and church an after thought. I think what the world calls right side up is really upside down and there needs to be another revival that turns “the world upside down.”

Luke 2:10  
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold,
I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

Christmas. What a wonderful time of year. If we aren’t careful we will allow the commercialism to cause us to miss some of the great treasures of Christmas. Whether it is hanging the stockings, decorating the tree or hanging lights on the house, these are all opportunities for making great memories. Life Connections too is a place to make good memories. 

Yesterday we had a good group who helped with Breakfast with Santa, we left feeling better about ourselves after hearing the laughter of others and sharing the love of Jesus as we invited them into our church. Tonight we will have a good time of fellowship with our annual Christmas Gathering and next week we get the chance to see what is an always-entertaining Kid’s Christmas Program. In a couple of weeks we will go out and carol our neighbors, while we may not be the most talented caroler’s, we always leave with lots of memories and laughter. Our Evening in December Christmas Concert is a great time to invite someone out to hear the sounds of the seasons and let them feel the difference that the Spirit brings to a song. Finally, invite someone to be a part of our Christmas Eve Service at 5 p.m. Share the season with others, make some memories and make Christmas 2011 one of the best ever.

Anyone else notice what seems to be happening to Thanksgiving? It’s becoming a necessary inconvenience that’s getting in the way of Black Friday. Gentry put it so well this week when he said, “Its amazing how fast people went from being thankful to being greedy.” It’s likely few Americans took time to reflect on the goodness and blessings they have because they were too busy getting ready to get their next want. If early settlers would step into our homes they would shutter at our priorities and lack of thankfulness. Early Thanksgivings were filled with a spirit of heart-felt thankfulness not only at Thanksgiving, but also throughout the year. They understood that God had helped them survive harsh conditions, given them shelter and provided food. Their needs had been met and that was enough.

Thanksgiving, the day we all pause to reflect, remember and give thanks for all the good things that God has brought to our homes and country.  Early settlers had faced many difficulties, hard weather, death and understood and appreciated all the things that God had done for them and realized that without Him they probably would not have survived. While this year has had its share of difficulties, it pales in comparison to what those who celebrated the first Thanksgiving faced. We have experienced God’s great salvation, live in the greatest country in the world and for the most part, we all have been blessed with wonderful health, spent the year with a roof over our head and food in our refrigerators. Here at Life Connections we have seen God do miraculous things and experienced his wonderful presence many times. We have fun times together too; Bagels and Bunnies, our first Strawberry Festival and Fall Festival.

Luke 1:37  
For nothing will be impossible with God.  
(NASB)

I really wasn’t thinking about it but as she ran ahead of me I realized, “I’m watching a miracle.” The doctors had told her parents she would never walk, much less run, but the doctors hadn’t considered the “God factor;” that with God all things are possible. So in a little Pennsylvania  church service when many came expecting nothing of God, God reached down and touched a little girls legs and she walked, not just a few steps but for the rest of her life. If you ever see my wife Mary run, she runs with a smile on her face and now you know why, because she wasn’t supposed to walk, much less run.

Isaiah 28:10  
For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept;
line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:

It was just a little move, three miles to be exact, but that little move changed our lives so much. Our lives have more peace, our home is quieter, we buy groceries at a different grocery, gas at a different gas station. We eat at different restaurants and bank at a different bank: all by moving just three miles.

Reflecting on how much our lives changed with such a small move made me wonder what would happen if we would just make a little move in our spiritual priorities. Make God’s house a little more of a priority, pray a little more often and with more intensity, fast regularly with resolve or find ourselves lost in God’s Word a bit more. What might happen? It might change our lives a lot. It might change our attitude about our job and family, it might cause some of us to become more involved in our church and with our church family or it might just bring a little more faith, hope and peace to your overall life.

What I do know is this, a little movement can make big changes. Why not give it a try? Make the move to get closer to God, and see how much better life might be.

Psalms 68:19a  
Blessed be the Lord, who daily loads us with benefits…

This is a story passed along by James Larson, my pastor as a young man.

A young man was getting ready to graduate college. For months he had admired a sports car at dealership and knowing his father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted. On the day of his graduation his father called him into his study. His father told him how proud he was of him and how much he loved him. He handed his son a gift box. Curious, but disappointed the young man opened the box and found a leather-bound Bible. Angrily he raised his voice at his father and said, "With all your money you give me a Bible?" and stormed out of the house, leaving the Bible on the desk. Many years passed, the young man was successful in business, had a beautiful home and wonderful family, but realized his father was old and he had not seen him since that graduation day. Before he could make arrangements, he received word that his father had passed away and willed all of his possessions to him. When he arrived at his father's house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart. He began to search his father's papers and saw the still new Bible, just as he had left it years ago. With tears, he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages. As he was reading a car key dropped with a tag on it. On the tag was the date of his graduation and the words...paid in full.

While there wont be a car in every Bible I promise if you will read His Word you will be blessed. He daily loads us with benefits!    

Out of Touch? It's Not a God Problem
10.16.11

Psalms 18:6a  
In my distress I called upon the LORD, And cried to my God for help; He heard my voice out of His temple…

It was nearly the perfect storm. The Internet had gone out, we had cancelled home phone service months earlier, Mary’s phone had died and my battery was going critically low. We were nearly at the point of absolutely having no ability to communicate with anyone. While in one sense it was nice to do some time traveling back into the seventies and have some freedom from the phone and technology, there was also some panic. What if our kids needed to get a hold of us, what if there was an emergency; there would be no way to contact anyone. Has anyone ever tried to find a pay phone lately? Thankfully my battery made it, the next day a new battery fixed Mary’s phone and the Internet was restored. Back in the loop and back to reality. 

Being unable to communicate with others for a couple of hours is one thing, but being out of contact with God is another. If the communication is lacking between you and God it’s not on God’s end; God is always available, His phone never breaks down and He never slumbers or sleeps. So if there is a problem its on our end; we choose to disregard His call, fail to communicate with Him or decide His input is irrelevant to our life. Out of the contact with God? Get on your knees and get back in touch, He’s waiting!

Selah. David used the word in the Psalms often. It means to pause or rest. The pause was a moment where music was played with no vocals or some believe God wanted the reader to take moment and reflect on, or think about what was just read. Others say that David got so excited after writing a portion of a Psalm that he had to take a selah, a break and worship the Lord. Whichever it was, a Selah was an important part of a Psalm and even today it’s what gives a song character.

Having  “selah” moments in our own lives is important. As lives become more hectic we often forget to pause or rest and in so doing we often miss important moments in our lives. We fail to hear the need of a spouse, the cry of a child or the hurt of a friend. More importantly, when we don’t take a selah, we forget to reflect on the goodness of the Lord or miss when the voice of the Lord trying to speak to us. May I suggest that like David we take “Selah’s”. Take one on Sunday to come to church. Take one in the middle of the week to be at Bible Study. Take some to be at prayer meetings and take them daily or frequently in your home or life to reflect on God’s kindness, grace and mercy. If you do so, you’ll find life the music of your life will sound much better. Lets stop the noise and take a selah today. 

Luke 18:38
And he called out, saying, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
 

I guess I was being a little too casual. I picked up the tube, squeezed a little paste on my toothbrush and proceeded to brush my teeth. Instantly I knew something was wrong, instead of that minty fresh taste there was this creamy odd taste. What I thought was toothpaste was actually Benadryl. I don’t know how the Benadryl got there, but what I do know is that as soon as I realized there was a problem I corrected it. 

I sense the same could be said of David. He had got a little too casual in his walk with God, found himself immersed in sin but then when confronted by the prophet Nathan, he quickly repents and made things right with God. When the blind man (someone with a problem) found out that Jesus was near he cried out, “have mercy on me;” in other words, Jesus I have a problem and you have a solution for me right now.

 
Churches without committed people are simply smorgasbord churches; places where people soothe their conscience, are entertained by music and ministry and gather for fun events. John wrote to one of the churches in the book or Revelation saying, “I wish you were either hot or cold…you have left your first love.” That church had the “smorgasbord” mentality and it was both immature and dangerous. The people at smorgasbord churches pick and chose which parts of the Bible they want to obey, often attend only on Sunday or when it’s convenient and rarely invest in prayer meetings, fasting or spending time with others in the church. When crisis come, they blame the church, the leadership, often walk away from God and take no responsibility for the crisis that has arisen in their life.

As Pastor of Life Connections I am asking those who make this place their home to be committed, we can’t be a “smorgasbord church,” it s a matter of eternity. As for me, give me everything on the menu. I want to make heaven my home.

Ten years ago our lives were changed. Every American knows exactly where they were when the news began to break that four airliners had been hijacked and were being used as bombs. I had just pulled into the parking lot of the college where I worked, I set in a surreal state trying to comprehend what was happening and how I was going to handle the situation in my classes. America changed that day; we lost freedoms and realized we were vulnerable. There was a sense of pride that swept across the land, Americans went out and bought flags, played patriot music, chanted U.S.A. and turned to God in prayer. 

The attempt of these evil men was to put fear in Americans, they wanted us to stop living, to cower and loose faith in our God, but it didn’t happen. Instead we rallied, we fought back, we prayed and we showed the world what it meant to be an American. While we will never forget the pain and hurt it brought to so many lives, we have went on; we still fly in planes, still believe that Jesus is the only true God and still believe that America is the best place in the world to live.

“God Bless America, I’m proud to be an American, U.S.A., U.S.A.,” say it however you want. It’s still the greatest place in the world to call home and I am proud to be an American.

Risa and I were spending some quality time together recently when she spoke up in our conversation and said, “Mom, don’t try to open a door God hasn’t opened for you and don’t try to close a door God hasn’t closed yet.”  At the time I thought, how reflective for a twelve year old. She really spoke into my heart.

Often, we hear that we should wait on God to open opportunities for us but how often do we reflect on “closing a door”.  She really made me ponder this thought.  God often opens doors for us and we step through the door with faith and confidence to a new dream, a new adventure or a new season in our lives with high expectations.  Ready, with all of our heart, to fulfill what God spoke to us about. But all to soon, we meet opposition, things do not go as we expect and doubt settles in. We begin to doubt the door God opened in the first place so without His permission we begin to close the door. Our dreams crash without us ever seeing what God had intended for us to accomplish.

I want to encourage you today, if God opened a door for you, He wants to fulfill and finish what He started in you. Don’t allow the enemy to steal and run away with your God given opportunity!

Mary Hudson

He is not here! Though they had rolled a stone in front of the opening, roped and sealed the entrance and put guards in front of the tomb, when Mary came to visit the angel proclamation the unthinkable. Jesus had risen. The guards were gone, the rope and seal lay on the ground, the stone rolled away and Jesus was gone! There was no news that the Pharisees and those who despised Jesus could have hated to hear more. He had predicted it and now he had fulfilled it; Jesus had returned from the grave! All that remained was an empty tomb that became the icon for all who need hope. If Jesus, who had healed the sick, opened the blinded eye and caused the lame to walk could return from the grave, then there is no situation that was beyond hope.

What do we celebrate today? A cross? No, an empty tomb! Look in it, see it empty and know that whatever you are going through, whatever sickness has invaded your body or whatever trial is going on in your home, that just as Jesus overcame death He can overcome in your situation. Today is a day of hope, a day of celebration, He is risen!

The calendar said that Spring arrived two weeks ago, by the temperatures we’ve had and the snow that flew last week, we would be hard pressed to convince anyone that it was indeed Spring. While the weather says winter, if you would look closely there are signs that say it is truly Spring. Tulips are showing their colors, trees are budding and the grass is starting to turn. So yes, while there is still snow flying, spring is near.

The changing of the seasons reminds me of change that often happens in someone’s heart. Often we look at people and say, “winter.” They are cold and indifferent, but if you look carefully, often they are beginning to show signs of change, maybe not so much externally, but internally; a softer heart, a more joyful countenance or maybe a different attitude toward life in general. All signs of a change in their lives, “spring” has come and growth is happening. What to do to help the process? Water their lives with prayer, sprinkle seeds of hope and faith in their lives and finally, be an encourager. Want to see growth in someone? See the positive when the climate doesn’t. Spring is near!

 Formed. It is not something that happens instantly; forming something takes time, it is a process. Watch a potter working with a piece of clay; molding, shaping and reshaping. It is a process. Watch artist paint on a canvas, a little color here, a little color there, shading and toning. Once again it is a process. Watch a sketch artist design a picture; a line here, shading there heavier in some places, lighter in others. It is a painstakingly slow process. Watch any of these three artists and you will realize that there are some things that just take time.

In Galatians Paul says that he longs for Christ to be formed in them. Note that he is writing to people who have experienced the new birth, yet though they have been saved they are not yet like Jesus. Being like Jesus is a process. It takes times. He breaks, bends, molds and refines us through successes, failures, good times and bad. There are times when we struggle in the process and other times are quite smooth. Regardless of what may be happening in your life, His goal is the same in each of us; to make us like Him. 

Nehemiah 9:15  
You provided bread from heaven for them for their hunger,
 You brought forth water
from a rock for them for their thirst,
 And You told them to enter in order to possess
…

Change; not a word that we necessarily like, but definitely a part of life. How many of you are still wearing the same clothes you were wearing ten years ago. Even if you could still get in them, styles have changed and you have followed. Driving the same car you drove ten years ago? Probably not. Too many miles, to many problems and probably to much rust. Life makes us make changes, it moves on and we must also, but how about in your spiritual life?

The children of Israel looked into the Promise Land and decided they would rather stay where they were than face new challenges. The result, they spent 40 years wandering aimlessly. They decided they would be satisfied with wilderness when a land with abundant blessing awaited. God brought them out to bring them to something better. I wonder how many of us live the same kind of life.  God saves to bring us to a better place. Yet many live year after year at the same place or circling in their wilderness. I have a challenge for you in 2011, do something bold, trust God, go somewhere spiritually. Make some spiritual changes.