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.