A Great Goal for 2008

“Be lifted high…” were the words that we sang this morning in worship!  How I loved singing those words!  They really  expressed the desire of my heart that God would be lifted up in my life!  Worship was so meaningful to me this morning.  Worship is such a vital part of my Christian experience.  It is always so good to lift up the Lord in our hearts and with our voices.

“In my life, Lord, be lifted high.  In my world, Lord, be lifted high.  In my love, Lord, be lifted high.”

As we look forward to a new year, 2008, there could not be a more inspiring goal for our lives than those words, “Lord, be lifted up…in my life, in my work, in my family, in my words, in my thoughts, in my decisions, in my relationships, in my actions, in all I do!”  That’s my prayer for me, and for you.  May Jesus be the center of our lives in 2008!

“…whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”   1 Corinthians 10:31  

 

What the world needs is love!

Two days ago our world was sent reeling into mourning and grief once again as we heard the terrible news from Pakistan that former Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto, was assassinated.  Mrs. Bhutto was an articulate, caring, and courageous woman.  She believed strongly in democracy and wanted to see the best for her country and people.  She steadfastly stood against terrorism and knew that there were great risks involved in her stepping back into the political arena.  The world will be watching to see how events unfold following Mrs. Bhutto’s untimely death.

As I sat listening to the hourly news broadcasts covering the assassination, I also heard within my spirit the words of the angelic chorus (on the night that Jesus was born), “Peace on earth, goodwill to men.”  That sounds kind of crazy when you are watching tragic events unfold before your eyes.  But those words are true!  They are God’s Words!  They are God’s Words to the people on this earth whom He loves very much.  In fact, God loves this world so much that He sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to rescue all of us from the consequences of our selfish decisions and give us new life!  This is what Christmas is all about….Christmas is God’s Good News for people in every country.  Our world needs this message of   GOOD NEWS today!

I have been especially blessed this Christmas season to be reminded again how important Jesus is to the world.  In fact, in the Old Testament Jesus is called “the desire of the nations.”  Isaiah calls Him “the prince of peace.”   Jesus came to reign in men’s hearts so that they could find forgiveness, peace, reconcilation, and hope.  A popular song in the 60s said, “What the world needs now is love, sweet love.”  I echo those words.  That’s what our world needs today–love!  I pray that we who embrace Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord will lead the way with our lives, and our words, to give witness to God’s love for all people.   

Let us also pray for holy boldness and courage to stand up against evil forces in our world today and resolve to be completely abandoned to God’s will and purposes!

“In the world you will face troubles and sorrows, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”   John 16:33  

Merry Christmas!

We have had a joyful and meaningful morning today opening gifts and sharing our love for one another.  We have also given thanks and praise to our Heavenly Father who gave us the best gift of all–His Son, Jesus Christ!  Our family realizes that Jesus is why we celebrate Christmas!  After opening our gifts this morning, Mary Lou fixed a delicious breakfast which we all enjoyed.  We have been calling family and friends all across the country this morning wishing them the same joy and blessings that we have experienced.

It has been so good having Matt home with us for Christmas and getting to enjoy hearing him play his guitar.  He tells us that his new CD is doing well and he has quite a few concerts scheduled for the new year.  That’s exciting!  We pray for him and his music that God will use it to touch the hearts of many young people.  Jon and Michelle are in Arizona this morning enjoying Christmas with Michelle’s family.  How exciting that must be!  Everyone will be so glad to see them and hear how things are going in their lives.  Jon and Michelle have just completed several weeks of classes for adoption and are awaiting a special gift that will be coming to their home in the near future.  Pray for them, if you would, that God would direct in every way as they await that special call.  They both have so much love to give to a child!

From our house to yours….WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Receiving God’s Promise

Mary, the mother of Jesus, is such an excellent example to us of someone who received God’s promise and believed that God would do what He had spoken to her!  One day God sent the angel Gabriel to Mary to announce to her that, “she would bear the Son of God. (Luke 1:32)”  When Mary questioned how this would be (since she had not had relations with Joseph to whom she was betrothed), Gabriel told her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy offspring shall be called the Son of God.  (Luke 1:35)”  It’s beautiful to see that Mary responded to God’s promise with FAITH and received it into her life, and let God work His will to His glory.

God has given all of us many promises in His Word.  He wants us to receive those promises!  He wants us to believe!  He wants us to trust Him completely to do what He says He will do!  He wants us to know how much He cares about our lives, our troubles, our struggles, and the things that bring us pain.  He wants us to know that He is interested in all the things that are going on in our lives. 

Sometimes the sorrows and griefs of life can cloud our way.  Sometimes life’s circumstances can seem to have us heading in “dead end” directions.  Sometimes people can hurt us and disappointments can knock us off of our feet.  But in the midst of all that life hurls our way…God gives us His precious promises that we can HOLD ON to!   Promises to encourage us.   Promises to comfort us.   Promises to bring us His peace.  Promises to give us strength to go on.  Like Mary, God wants us to receive His promises into our lives and BELIEVE that He is able to do what He says He will do!  When we do that, He will work THROUGH us to glorify His name!  Friend, let God’s promises live in your life today!

“For nothing shall be impossible with God.”    Luke 1:37   

One of the Joys of the Holiday: Family!

Today has been such a meaningful day!  Mary Lou and I met Jon and Michelle at Bob Evan’s for breakfast and had just a great time together.  From there we ran a couple of errands and then headed back home.  Early in the afternoon we had a gift exchange with Jon and Michelle and that was so special.  They stayed all afternoon with us and then we shared a Christmas dinner together with them.  Mary Lou outdid herself as usual–minute steaks, mashed potatoes, green bean cassarole, and buttermilk biscuits.  Ummmm…..ummmm.  To top it all off, we each enjoyed a piece of ice cream cake!  Awesome!  We feel so blessed to have had this special time with family. 

Tomorrow Jon and Michelle fly to Arizona to spend a week with her family.  It will be so nice that they can be with Michelle’s family for Christmas, too.  Since we have visited out there over the Christmas holidays before, we know what a treat will be in store for them!  As the holiday song says, “There’s no place like home for the holidays!”  How true!

Matt will be coming in Sunday evening.  He leads morning worship at his church in Muncie, Indiana, tomorrow morning.  It will be great having Matt home.  Mary Lou already has plans for some scrumptious meals while Matt is here.  We will take in a Christmas Eve service, and have our gift exchange here with Matt and Grandpa and Grandma on Christmas morning.  The day after Christmas Matt heads out for Michigan where his band will have a concert.  We are so proud of both of our boys and how the Lord is at work in their lives.

I hope that each of us will be sure and set aside some special time in the next couple of days to quiet our hearts and give thanks to God for the wonderful gift of His Son, Jesus Christ, who was born on this earth so that He could bring us God’s love and forgiveness.  He is God’s light who comes to bring hope and meaning to our lives.  Jesus reminds us how much God really values each one of us.  Let’s not forget that the baby born in Bethlehem’s manger, also went to a cross and died an agonizing death for each of us so that we could be rescued from our sins and receive eternal life.  What a wonderful time Christmas is to share that GOOD NEWS with others!

“Silently, how silently, the wondrous gift is given.  So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of His heaven.  No ear may hear His coming, but in this world of sin, where meek souls will receive Him still, the dear Christ enters in.”

I pray that you will open your heart to Jesus this season, and let Him fill you with His love, His peace, and His joy!

Life is precious!

Mary Lou and I just returned home from Missouri where we attended the funeral of Aunt Jeanette’s husband, Ronnie Cox. Ronnie was the kind of guy that was always smiling and always brought a smile to your face! Ronnie had a good story or joke everytime you were around him. He was the life of the party! He made everybody feel good. He was the kind of person you really enjoyed being around. Ronnie had a great passion for life. He had great respect for others, and was constantly bringing words of encouragement to those he was around. He will be greatly missed.

As I sat in the funeral service, I was reminded how precious life is! How valuable each day is! What a gift from God each day is! Every day we have unlimited opportunites to be a blessing to others, or to be a help to someone in need. Every day we can bring a smile, or a word of encouragement to someone. I believe God wants us to live with passion and zeal. I believe God wants us to see the value in each and every day, so that we can live it for His glory!

We will miss Ronnie and his beautiful faith in Jesus Christ. He has left us a wonderful legacy to continue. Let us be about the Lord’s work with joy and enthusiasm today! Let us count THIS day as a blessing and gift from God!

Make someone smile today!

“Blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” 1 Peter 1:3