Say "Yes" to God!

During this holiday season I kept seeing the commerical for the movie "Yes Man" with Jim Carrey. It got me to thinking as I was reading 2 Corinthians 1:20...who else can say "amen" to God's promises but us, to whom they are given. To say "amen" is like saying "yes , I believe it". Can we say "yes" to all of the promises that God has made to us? The scriptures are filled with HOPE for us his children. From Genesis to Revelation, God has spoken to us...and waiting for us to take hold of them and to make them our own. Here are a few of my favorites: "I will be with thy mouth and teach thee what thou shalt say." Edodus 4:12
"The Lord is the strength of my life; of who shall I be afraid." Psalm 27:1
"Greator is He that is in you, than He that is in the world." 1 John 4:4
We need to live our life knowing that God's promises are true and a reality for each of us. It is crucial that we take hold of His promises and live our life as if we were saying, "Amen"(yes) to everyone of them.

Patience & Prayer

In reading the book of James1:4 & 12, James spells out the results that will happen in the life of the Christian who possesses the virtue of patience. James says this person will be perfect. Obviously this does not mean he will be sinless. Rather it means he will be mature. The Christian in whose life patience has worked becomes mature in Christ Jesus. Well I think I am mature (well at least in age)... but I am still working on this patience thing. When difficult situations come into our lives...it is not simple the ability to bear things; it is the ability to turn them to greatness and glory.

Many of you know that Tammi our middle daughter is a missionary in the Dominican Republic and was renting her home. We were notified that they will be moving out within just a few weeks. This is of concern because this will put a financial burden on her until we can rent the home again. I am praying for patience in this situation. God is good (all the time) and I know he will work in this situation as well. However, the difficult part is letting God be in control and not me.

Christians need to prepare for the coming of the Lord by grounding themselves firmly in the Word of God.

Our Lord comes...

I am new to this blogging thing...but I wanted to be able to share opportunities for others...so here it goes.

For many people, panic mode shifts in as we turn that calendar to December. For most of us, Christmas is one of the busiest times of the year; shopping, baking, decorating, parties, people and gifts. We tend to move in a fast and furious pace. I really struggle at this time of year…not wanting to disappoint anyone. For many (including myself) we let the expectations get out of hand at times. A friend shared with me that for them Christmas seems empty. It is a mixture of a stressed out household, maxed-out credit cards, and cranky relatives. The tasks at hand seem to be overwhelming.

However, we may not have all of these things done, but one thing is for sure…Advent is here! For us as Christians this is a time for us to not only to look back and celebrate our Lord’s birth in Bethlehem, but also to look forward to our Lord’s return. Advent is a gift that helps us to stop, look, and listen to the wonderful promises of our faithful God. He sent His Son as that baby in a manger. He sent this Savior to live, die and rise to restore us and He called us into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord through Baptism. God keeps his promises…he touches us in this present moment in our lives. We may be in a broken world but we are HIS people and He is faithful. We are called to be in fellowship with him and share that hope with others around us. He can make that difference in our lives in the midst of joy and struggle. God is faithful, and that is why we celebrate this road to Christmas each year. Christ is come, and Christ will come again!