January 9, 2012 by Worship Director.

He [God] never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of His understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. - Isaiah 40:28-29

Many are starting this new year deeper in debt than the year before.  A moment’s weakness may cost months of regret.  Financial instability can make life difficult, make us feel powerless, make us fearful of what lay ahead.  But our God is strong in our weakness and powerful in our feebleness and fear.

He can take control of our finances if we allow Him.  He can raise our bottom line and bring us into the black if we use divine accounting, that doesn’t always seem to make sense.  The more we give, the more we get, the less we have to fear in our finances or anything else.

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January 7, 2012 by Worship Director.

We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. - 2 Corinthians 4:7a

The human body is a fragile thing.  Just a fall, a few days without water, exposure to temperatures too cold or too hot; and our bodies will cease to function. It is not our physical frame, a shell of flesh and bone, wherein we find our real strength, but from the inexplicable spark within that drives us to go on when there seems to be nowhere to go.  It is an ineffable quality that fortifies our emotions and steels our mental toughness beyond mere corporeal matter.

For Christians, we know that it is God living in us that generates that power which holds us together when our frail vessels should fall apart.  While it is unlikely that one would put a treasure in brittle clay container, God came to live inside the vulnerable human heart to make us stronger than we could ever be without Him.

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January 3, 2012 by Worship Director.

For it is the light that brings a rich harvest of every kind of goodness, righteousness, and truth. - Ephesians 5:9

Nothing can grow or prosper in darkness.  A healthy harvest requires just the right amount and intensity of light and heat.  The energy of the sun cannot be seen as it rains down on the earth, but its effect is unmistakable.

So it is when the heavenly Son reigns over us in ways we cannot always perceive, yet His power manifests itself in our actions and activates a chain reaction of right choices resulting in blessings and abundance for ourselves and others splashed by its glow.

Power your decisions by the Christ light and energize the harvest you bring home.

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January 1, 2012 by Worship Director.

Jesus spoke to the Pharisees again. “I am the light of the world,” He said, “whoever follows me will have the light of life and will never walk in darkness.”  - John 8:12-14

What is past is done, beyond our ability to intervene, and is fading into misty memory.

What lies ahead, yet unseen, to be greeted with anxiety or eager anticipation – the difference may be the light in which we choose to illuminate our way.

In the stark, white, glare of the sun we see only the spectrum of colors our physical eyes allow and can’t reach past the shadows cast by obstacles in our path.  In the light of the Son, our hearts see far beyond present realities and into future possibilities; where shadows cannot obscure our vision or impair our perspective. With Jesus as our light source, there is no darkness that can consume us, confuse us or condemn us to a life of fear or aimless wandering.

Step into this new year with His light within you and your future will be brighter than ever before.

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December 25, 2011 by Worship Director.

The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.  We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. - John 1:14

Before He sprung into the mortal world, before the starlit night, God was known only in scrolls and stories of old; distant, dusty, far away. He made the Word jump off the page, out of memory, and into life. Hands, feet, heart, embodying the Love that had always been, but rarely experienced.

The miracle of His birth, the magnetism of His life, the misery of His death and the majesty of His resurrection demonstrate the glory of a real and personal God.  Grace, unconditional love, undeserved forgiveness all brought to life in the form of a Baby; gentle, vulnerable, irresistible.

Joy to the world – the Lord has come – to all who have made room for Him!

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December 23, 2011 by Worship Director.

And when they were come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down, and worshiped Him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto Him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh. -Matthew 2:11

The Wise men brought the most precious gifts money could buy to present in worship to the Messiah.  But their real gift began long before they found the Child; it was in the seeking, the study, giving their time and engaging their hearts in the search for the Savior.  They believed without seeing, taking a journey of faith that may have seemed unending, but that brought them the satisfaction of a lifetime.

The gift they gave was themselves.

The gift they received was priceless.

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December 21, 2011 by Worship Director.

But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, cleanses us from all sin. - 1 John 1:7

Christmas is a festival of lights.  It is a time when we celebrate the Light of the World born on earth, by the light of a heavenly star.  But if the spark of Christ is not born in our hearts, shining through our life, lighting our way, then we will miss the brilliance of Christmas and continue our stumbling through a world of darkness.

Once ignited, we can’t hide the light or live without its warmth.  How can we keep it to ourselves while so many others are still out in the cold and dark? Through our gifts to the church, we can light the way and spark more flames, for many more people, than we can do on our own.

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December 18, 2011 by Worship Director.

For God is Spirit, so those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth. - John 4:24

It’s not just at Christmas time that we worship the Christ Child.  It’s not just inside a church building or event that He is present with us.  Our God doesn’t live within time and space as we do, nor is He contained in a book or limited by our understanding.  By focusing on His Truths (like love, compassion, surrender, service) and following by faith alone, we can connect to His Spirit so that every breath is worship and every step has purpose.

During this season, if we stop long enough to listen, prepare ourselves to hear, and execute God’s plan as revealed to us, we can then resume our lives with a fresh understanding of how we can become new every day.

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December 14, 2011 by Worship Director.

I’m staying alert and in top condition. I’m not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself.   – 1 Corinthians 9:27, The Message

God’s plans for us always involve His plans for others.  Our lives have a complicated plot line with the entrances and exits of many, many people: main characters, supporting players, comic relief, tragic figures, some with recurring roles and some that simply brush pass us as they cross through. Executing His plan for us requires that we be aware of how our story will impact all the others.  Be alert to those around us, be conditioned to recognize the opportunities before us, and be ready to respond in a way that will show them how to execute God’s plan for their lives.

Through our efforts we can prepare the way for others to have the most meaningful Christmas ever.

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December 11, 2011 by Worship Director.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” - Jeremiah 29:11

God laid the plan.  It is our job to execute the plan; to move the strategy into implementation and live it out through faith and focus. We may have many “make it work” moments, but that is just part of the adventure story. The best stories all have twists and turns, challenges and antagonist’s tricks, but they also end in happily-ever-after. That’s the tale that has been crafted for us between the covers of our life, but we must turn the first page to begin the hero’s journey.

Christmas is the perfect time to embark, a moment when our stories can intersect with the greatest story ever told.  When we allow the master author, map maker and strategist to design our plan and write our life, we can be assured of a happy ending.

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