I love a good plan. Actually, I love any plan I make. I add the clarification because once I make a plan in my mind I have a hard time changing and deviating from my original plan. My plan may be threatened by another person’s opinion. Or the timing of my plan does not work. Or the cost turns out to be prohibitive. The most likely reason my plan needs to change is that it simply was not a good plan from the beginning. I get frustrated with changed plans and tend to need a little time to regroup. Why is this?
It’s a Small World. Did you think of the classic Disneyland ride? Or maybe you thought of a situation when you encountered the same people, events, or situations in an unexpected place? How about discovering someone knows a person you also know? All of these make sense. The Bible teaches the world of Noah and his family after the flood was literally “a small world.” It was up to eight people, Noah and his wife and his sons and their wives, to populate the entire earth. The only possible way this could happen is by God’s grace, wisdom, and power.
Examining one’s life using the “Past, Present, and Yet to Come” formula is a hallmark of the Christmas season thanks to Charles Dickens. One of the reasons that “A Christmas Carol” is so long-lasting and beloved is because it rings true in our lives. We can relate to examining our lives in this way and I believe we can grow because of it!
One of the great themes of the Christmas season is joy. We sing; “Joy to the world, the Lord is come!” We see the word joy in decorations, lights, and Christmas cards. And above all we feel joy deep in our souls knowing our Savior has come.
“I’m with you.” There might be no more comforting words in times of trial, suffering, illness, or loneliness. Someone’s presence in our lives is priceless. This is the Christmas message of God to us - “I’m with you.” The promise of God in Isaiah many years prior has come true in Jesus. This kept promise brings peace, joy, hope, comfort, salvation, and eternal life! Christmas is closely connected to the gospel - In fact Christmas IS the good news of Jesus.
What amazes you? I mean what makes you stand in awe and wonder. In some respects we are jaded by movie special effects and technology that we take for granted. But there are things in our world today that genuinely awe us. For some it is God’s creation - both the animal kingdom and the earth’s beauty. For others it is music, sports, or art. Some are awed by design or architecture. Others are awed by the taste of a gourmet meal. Whatever it is for you, there are things in this world that awe us. God has created all of us with the ability and propensity to be awed.
Happy Thanksgiving! I pray you would have a day of giving thanks to God while enjoying peaceful rest.
When we gather at The Rock this Sunday it will be the first Sunday of Advent! I want to dedicate this email to simply listing the events/services this December:
I can’t imagine the feeling of starting life over after losing a home to fire or flood. Even more so if a loved one is lost in the tragedy. People have experienced this recently in our area. Some respond with a matter of fact attitude of “life goes on.” Others struggle to cope. But I’m deeply inspired when traumatic events happen in people’s lives and they respond with faith and trust in God. Sadness and loss, yes. But clearly seeing God’s blessings and promises as still true in their lives.
There are things in life that are recommendations for our good - eat healthy, exercise, get plenty of sleep, etc. Then there are things in life that are commanded by law - pay your taxes, obey traffic laws, don’t murder anyone, etc. We tend to easily recognize the difference and act accordingly. But too often we think commands in the Bible are only recommendations. They maybe are for our good, but are optional. One of these is the command to give thanks.
I hate forgetting things! I would love to always remember fully and perfectly. But I don’t. I forget names. I forget chores. I forget birthdays. I forget appointments. I imagine you can relate to this at some level. But God never forgets. He never struggles to remember our names. He remembers everything - even the things we forget about ourselves! But in the Bible we see ways that God remembers that are specific to His nature.
I love November. Fall is in the air - even in sunny Southern California! Football season is totally geared up. The whales are starting to come down the coast. Men are growing mustaches for “Movember.” (to raise awareness of men’s health issues, such as prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and men’s suicide) We are already smelling the turkey and pumpkin pie. And most of all, our hearts are turning toward God in thanksgiving for who He is and what He has done!
You’re invited! In most cases, this is a comforting phrase. Being invited means we are a part of something and someone is thinking of us. We are invited to celebrate with family and friends at birthdays, weddings, and seasonal events. We are invited to participate in ways to serve our neighbor, such as Family Promise. We are invited to study the Bible and pray together as a church family. Invitations are special.
“Push yourself to your limit!” Many of us have been encouraged in this way to achieve something great in our lives. Just last week, Eliud Kipchoge pushed himself to the limit and ran the first marathon under two hours. He had a team of people pushing him to keep up a world record pace. To achieve this feat he had to physically and mentally push himself beyond what he had ever done before.
We once took a trip where everything went wrong. The housing was weird. The food was gross. Half of the group got the stomach flu. People fought with each other. One of the cars broke down on the way home. It was a disaster! Most of us can relate to something in life where everything went wrong.
One of our family’s favorite Sesame Street sketches is Kermit the Frog teaching kids about journalism. His classic quote is; “Asking questions is a very good way to get answers!” The simplicity and humor of this reminds all of us that answers to life’s difficult questions might only require us to ask good questions. This Sunday my sermon is titled; “Questioning God.”
America has an odd infatuation with celebrities. We can’t get enough information about their lives. We want to know where they eat. What they are wearing influences many. Who their friends are matters. And we especially want to know about their love life! We long to have the kind of love that the tabloids present as fun, sizzling hot, and deep meaningful romance! The problem is that most of the time it is an unrealistic facade.
Our world can be harsh. The business world tends to not care much beyond the bottom line. In entertainment stars are the talk of the town one moment, and yesterday’s news the next. In sports there is another player who is faster & stronger coming up behind the present superstar. At school students need to find their group and fit in or else they will be simply left out. On social media people put forward their best, and not always their most honest, face risking ridicule, or even worse, being ignored. We could use some mercy and grace.
In our modern life people suffer from anxiety in many different ways. It seems as a society we are more anxious than ever. There are, of course, valid reasons to be anxious - world events, politics, life threatening illnesses, finances, raising children, depression, and so on. God is not unaware of our anxiety. In fact, the Bible addresses anxiety in many different ways:
It is too easy to watch world events unfold on the news and do nothing. Sure, we feel deep compassion and pray, but find ourselves at a loss to follow up and do more. This Sunday we will hear from our youth about one way to compassionately help our global neighbor. Then we will look to the Bible to show us how to trust in Jesus as our everyday sufficiency. Come worship in song, prayer, Bible reading, Bible teaching and fellowship around the dinner table - yes there is a BBQ after church!
I recently had a conversation about what kind of movies and TV shows I like. I found a common theme in the types of shows I like - an honest portrayal of human depravity. Don’t get me wrong, I have no interest in celebrating sin in any way. But I am fascinated when stories explore how and why people do wrong. Ultimately, I’m interested because these shows make me think of two biblical truths:
