Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
At my house we have several traditions in preparation for the Christmas celebration. One of those is to light the advent wreath in expectation of Jesus – “the Light of the world” – coming into the world and our lives. A much sillier tradition is that we have a little elf, who we have named Jeffrey, who visits us and watches my kids and reports back to Santa. It is amazing the difference in their behavior when the elf is present. I was somewhat flummoxed by this at first, as I felt they should be on their best behavior at all times anyway. But I have gradually learned to appreciate the moral effect that our elf Jeffrey brings to the household.
The truth is that we adults are just the same as my children; all of us behave better if we know that we are under observation. It is ironic then that we, as Christians, profess that we live under the observing eye of God, yet we behave at times as if this were not the case. The Bible tells us “From heaven the LORD looks down and sees all mankind; from His dwelling place He watches all who live on earth— He who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do.” (Psalm 33:13-15). The story of King David is instructive for us in this regard: although he was a “man after God’s own heart,” David forgot that he was under the authority of God and strayed from God and committed adultery, had a good man killed and deceived his people about it. As the King of Israel, he believed that he was immune from observation of the people. However, the prophet Nathan came and revealed to David that he could not hide his deeds from God and so, confronted with the truth, David repented and asked for forgiveness. We can learn much from this story of David’s struggling with sin and receiving grace, but today I hope we can remember that whatever we do in every minute of our lives, we do it unto the Lord. As Jesus said, “There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.” (Luke 12:2-3). We don’t need an elf to remind us to be moral, just and righteous this Christmas season. Selah.
Steve

The weather is fantastic this time of year and it is great to be outside. I was playing baseball the other day with my 8 year old daughter Faith and my 6 year old son Luke when an event occurred which gave me further insight into human nature. After the third time that my son hit one into the woods full of briers, I decided that we needed to flip the field around and hit from the deck area into our yard. My son then wanted to run the bases clockwise so that what was previously first base could continue to be first base. After I explained that the base was now third base and that in baseball one runs the bases in a counter-clockwise direction, he proclaimed that he wanted the run in the direction and order that he deemed best - clockwise. This had now become a “teaching moment,” and I began to explain to him about the rules of baseball and that you cannot always do whatever you want. I have reflected upon that conversation with my son, and I realize that his desire to play the game his way is an affliction that besets all of us. We want life to go our way and we get frustrated when we cannot force our version of the rules upon life. The Bible explains it well, “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” (James 4:1-3). During these difficult times we live in, it can be so easy for us to get frustrated and angry because things are not going as we would like. Like my son, we must realize that we cannot always get what we want. Remember to ask God for the things that you need and not for the things you desire. Selah.

In Christ,
Steve

Several Sundays back we celebrated Pentecost – the great event in Acts 2 when the Lord empowered the Disciples with His Holy Spirit to be His witnesses throughout the world. This not only was the birth of the Church but also reminds every believer that he or she is called by God to step out into the world in the power of the Spirit to share the love of Christ. In our Church we give people many opportunities to be “Pentecost” people throughout the year, but during the Summertime there are an especially high number of chances to serve and witness for Christ. We have mission trips planned to the Bahamas and Kenya in June, we are still hosting groups to serve in our area hurt by the flood that need welcoming and hospitality from our Church, and we have opportunities for people in Paulding County to serve during Vacation Bible School and River of Life. Jesus promised that His Spirit will empower you and lead you into all truth, therefore I am asking you to pray and seek to know where God wishes you to be His witness in the upcoming weeks of Summer. God bless you so that you can be a blessing to others. Selah.

In Christ,
Steve

Insights from a Snowy Day

What a beautiful gift God gave us in the blanket of snow that gently covered our area several days ago. Faith and Luke were amazed at everything about the snow – the way it crunched under their feet, the way it muffled the sound and made the world look and sound differently, and the way they could fly down the hill in our neighborhood on their inner tubes. This was their first real experience with sledding and we celebrated by going in the evening and the next morning (I admit that Dad enjoyed it too). Our favorite part of the first day when it was snowing so heavily was a trip into the woods behind our house. The woods had become a magical place of wonder, each tree seemingly painted white by God. Through the dimming light and with the muffled sound, it seemed as if we had truly entered a different world – Faith exclaimed that it was like Narnia. In pondering how a blanket of snow can change a barren woods into a wonderland, I remembered one of the most mystifying teachings in the Bible. The Apostle Peter charges us to live as stewards of God’s grace, “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” (1 Peter 4:8). I struggle sometimes to balance my convictions of justice and righteousness with my desire to be compassionate and merciful. While I know that this will be a life-long process of understanding true Christian discipleship, it is enlightening to look out at the transformative beauty of a snowfall on a wintry landscape and remember that love covers over a multitude of sins. Selah.

Preparing for Christmas

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
We are entering into one of the most important times in the year; a time that is so important for the Church to celebrate properly – especially in our fast-paced culture. The season that I am talking about is Advent – the season of waiting for the celebration of the coming of the Lord at Christmas. We are living in a culture that is increasingly negative to the concept of waiting which makes the season of Advent uniquely pertinent for teaching and reminding us of the value of waiting for God. I have discovered that I can easily become irritated with having to wait in lines, wait for food at a restaurant, or wait for information to load up on my computer. The irony of this is that as the processes of life become quicker and more available, my expectation level of speed and efficiency goes up in proportion. While this is a reasonable reaction, I also know that the time I spent in the jungles of South America I had to learn the practice of patience. I also learned something even more valuable -- that in slowing down and spending time alone with God and my thoughts, I grew more in wisdom, knowledge, and faith than I did at any other time in my life. In a culture where I was forced to become more deliberate in my living, I learned the wisdom of “be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). Advent is the season of the year when the Church speaks a different word than the culture. Our culture leads us to frenetic activity to prepare for Christmas as we think about gifts, parties, activities and schedules in the month of December. While these things are good and help us to celebrate Christmas, Advent also reminds us that we need times of quiet, solitude and meditation to grow spiritually to fully understand the meaning of Christmas. The meaning of Advent is in the waiting. Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; ‘great is Your faithfulness’. I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him." The LORD is good to those whose hope is in Him, to the one who seeks Him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. (Lamentations 3:22-26). Selah
Steve

One Nation Under God

We live in a time of tremendous change and upheaval in our society. While it is both exciting and frightening to live in these times of uncertainty and possibility, I hope that we as a people never forget the importance of morality and a religious voice as we seek our way toward the future. We live in a democratic republic based on the belief that all people are created by God as equal, therefore we each have a voice in the shaping of our society. James Madison, in writing several of the Federalist Papers, understood that in giving so much power to the people there was a strong peril that the nature of the government would be largely determined by the morals of the people. Democratic action can easily devolve into decadence if the majority of the people are guided by self-interest rather than moral vision. In his Presidential Farewell Address in 1796, George Washington prophetically warned all Americans against this, “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens. The mere politician, equally with the pious man, ought to respect and to cherish them. A volume could not trace all their connections with private and public felicity. Let it simply be asked: Where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert the oaths which are the instruments of investigation in courts of justice? And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle. It is substantially true that virtue or morality is a necessary spring of popular government.” We must remember that the Bible also teaches, “The plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of His heart through all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD . . .” (Psalm 33:11-12). Selah.
Steve

The Mystery of Alligators

Since I was a small boy I have been fascinated with alligators. How could a creature so large and strong both run and swim with such agility to capture prey? Several weeks ago my wife, children and I went to the Okefenokee Swamp in South Georgia to see alligators in their natural habitat. We got on a boat to travel several miles into the Swamp, and as my daughter Faith was driving the boat we suddenly saw a gator rising out of the black water in front of us. Upon seeing this ferocious beast swimming beside our boat, I was reminded of the many great unknown aspects of life. I was reminded of God using crocodiles as an example of the limits of human understanding in his response to Job’s questioning (see Job 41-42). Many of the most important aspects of life require us to take a courageous step into the mystery of the unknown: marriage, child-rearing, job choice, committing our lives to Christ, etc. As Paul writes of both marriage and our relationship with Christ, “As the Scriptures say, ‘A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.’ This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one.” (Ephesians 5:31-33). In order to live with mystery, we need faith in order to live. There is an importance of faith in many aspects of our lives; but the most important is our relationship with God. Ask God to give you the courage to step boldly into the unknown of life, because “we walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7). Selah