Merry Christmas!

As we celebrate the birth of Jesus once again in our world and lives. May you like Mary take it all in and hold the significance of this birth in your heart and may it also be reflected in the way you live your life so that God's kingdom will become a reality here on earth as it is in heaven!

Peace on earth!

(Signing off for a couple weeks... Back January 10!)

Take Time...

In the final days of hustle and bustle, don't forget to take time to reflect on what Christmas really is about. Don't get caught up in your lists and chores that you miss the wonder and awe of God in the flesh, living among us, in us and through us! Don't miss the joy and delight of seeing God at work in and through you!

Help Youth Tonight...

The Youth will be wrapping presents for you tonight from 6-9 p.m. at the Ministry Center (302 South Blvd) for a donation. The money raised will help them get to National Youth Conference in Colorado and to go on some workcamps this summer.

Beautiful Feet!

Do you think your feet are beautiful?

I don't! In fact, I think feet are ugly! Yet many of us do all kinds of things to make our feet look beautiful! Some of us cover them with shoes! Some get pedicures, paint the nails, wear toe rings or ankle bracelets or get tattoos on them in the hopes of making them beautiful. But I have news for you... it doesn't work!

But you can have beautiful feet. Isaiah 52:7-10 says that it's not how are feet look that makes them beautiful, it is what they DO that makes them beautiful! He says that feet on the go for God are beautiful! He says that those who go out to share the Good News and Peace of God have beautiful feet. He says that those who proclaim God's salvation and that God's reign has come have beautiful feet!

And he says that when we use our beautiful feet to do all of that a new song will rise up and the eyes of the world will take notice of God's reign.

So, my prayer is that our feet will be beautiful as we go and share God's good news and peace, announce his salvation and reign.

10:30 is on!

Community of Joy will have it's 10:30 worship gathering today! We will not have our 9 a.m. which will give the roads time to clear up and the sidewalk crew time to shovel.

Thanks to all who are helping get ready to gather.

Please feel free to stay home if you are at all uncomfortable traveling. We do not want anyone to get hurt coming to worship!

Mark Batterson's "Primal: The Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity"

I just finished reading my advance copy of Mark Batterson's about to be released book "Primal: The Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity." Having already read Mark's previous books, I came to this book with HIGH expectations. He didn't let me down. It is a good read and I found it very helpful. In many ways, Mark has put into writing some ideas that I have had for a number of years now.

The book's guiding image of peeling back the layers of all that Christianity has evolved into to get back to the "primal" nature of Christianity is a helpful image. The book is designed to take an indepth look at what was most important to Jesus.... the great commandment. Mark writes, "we have a tendency to complicate Christianity. Jesus simplified it: Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. If we are to live out the essence of Christianity, we must commit to being great at this Great Commandment."

And then Mark devotes the chapters in the book to taking a look at what each of those four ways we are to Love God might look like in our world and lives today.

I HIGHLY recommend reading this book and look forward to Mark's next. For more on this book, check out my quotes in previous posts in the last week.

One Fact the Matters a Whole Lot!

In my daily Bible reading today from 2 Peter is this verse..."But do not ignore this one face, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day. The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance." (3:8-9)

The one fact is the Lord loves you! And he desires to see you be free of all that binds you. He desires to see you live an abundant life in his spirit!

What an awesome fact that is!

God is faithful and his faithfulness extends to me and you! WOW!

The end has come....

We are discontinuing our Saturday Night 5:35 at Community of Joy after this Saturday December 19. It has been a good thing to try, but was not achieving the results we had hoped, so for now...

I want to be clear, that I in no way see this as a failure! It would have been a failure not to give it a try when it was such a burning desire I had and it would have been a failure not to recognize it wasn't working and keep beating it. But we gave it a try and now I realize that it isn't the right time and we move on.

I am grateful to the Leadership Team for allowing me to give it a try!

Growth

Here is a thought for today... " A mind stretched by a new idea never returns to its original shape." Oliver Wendell Holmes.

Rediscovering the Wonders of Scripture

Another awesome thought from Mark Batterson's new book, Primal: The Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity.

"The quest for the lost soul of Christianity always leads us back to the Bible. But rediscovering the wonders of Scripture requires more than reading. That's where the quest begins, but that's not where it ends. Not if you want to get it into your soul. You have to meditate on it. Then you have to live it out. Meditating on it turns one-dimensional knowledge into two dimensional understanding. Living it out turns two-dimensional understanding into three-dimensional obedience....Reading without meditating is like taking one glance through the kaleidoscope without turning it. So many colorful and beautiful patterns of truth remain undiscovered simply because we think we've seen everything there is to see when we haven't seen anything yet."

I can't begin to tell you what an impact reading and meditating on the bible has made in my life, but it is HUGE! I've been reading it regularly for over 20 years now and I still see new insights that impact the way I live my life.

I highly encourage everyone to begin the journey of reading through and meditating on the Bible each day... it WILL change the way you live your life!

Arguing with God

Loving Mark Batterson's new about to be released book, "Primal:A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity."

I've been reading it a little each day, but find it hard to put down. I am finding some great thoughts and nuggets.

Here is a thought that struck a chord with me.... "You cannot win an argument with God. If you win, you lose. And if you lose, you win."


Think about that for a while!

Shared Blessings....

Another quote from Mark Batterson's new book, Primal. This one goes right along with Community of Joy's Blessing Teams concept.

"The blessings of God are never ends in themselves. And if we use a blessing selfishly, the blessing actually turns into a curse. The blessings of God are always a means to an end. And the end is blessing others. We are blessed to bless."

Acting and Reacting...

I am enjoying reading my advance copy of Mark Batterson's soon to be released book, Primal:A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity". When I am done, I will post a more complete blog entry, but for now, I want to share some awesome nuggets.

Mark writes, "In my experience, it's much easier to act like a Christian than it is to react like one. Anyone can put on an act. But your reactions reveal what is really in your heart. And if you love God with all your heart, you won't just act like it. You'll react like it."

Some Pictures from My Fishing Trip

Here are some pictures from my recent fishing trip!

What a day!

What a day today was!

It began at 2:40 a.m. for me when the alarm rang too early... but up I jumped and got myself ready to start the day. Met Glen Costa at his house at 4 and then we traveled to our destination in Crisfield ... arrived at 4:45.... what we thought was 15 minutes early, turned out to be 1 hour and 15 minutes early.

The rest of the gang joined us and the captain and mate and soon we were on our way... for me, it was my FIRST ever Rock Fishing trip. And what a trip it was!

After our nearly hour ride to our spot in the Tangier Sound, we put 20 lines in the water and began the trolling. Before the fish got on... we drew straws to see who would reel in the first one. I was the lucky guy! So, when the mate said, "Fish On!" It was my turn. It happened to be on the longest line (340 yards out) and after what was a tiring reel, I landed the BIGGEST fish of the day and of my life! It weighed 38 pounds and was 44 inches long! I almost traded my slot to go second so that I could see how it was done before my turn... glad I didn't as the second guy reeled in the smallest fish of the day. One that my fish could have eaten in one bite!

It was one special and memorable day! Thanks Glenn and Captains Curtis Johns Sr and Jr. They are great captains!

Not Just About Me!

I received a very nice email from a friend who was encouraging me regarding my recent diagnosis of diabetes. He was so happy that I was taking it seriously. Seems his father has diabetes too and chose not to watch his diet, etc. Now he is experiencing eye trouble, feet trouble, and kidney trouble. And it is not just affecting him. It is affecting the whole family. My friend's mom has to drive his dad everywhere because he can't see. My friend's dad is missing out on lots of things he should be enjoying because of limitations due to his diabetes.

Really made me think! Taking care of myself and keeping my diabetes under control is not just about me! My diabetes also could affect my wife, my children, my future grandchildren and my aspirations for my life. That is reason enough for me to take good care of myself. I will monitor my carbohydrate intake (watch my diet), take my medicine, see my doc regularly, monitor my feet and eyes. I don't want to miss out on a thing! And with diabetes, it can be controlled.

The Gifts you have are NOT yours!

Reading in Romans again today. And one of my favorite chapters in Romans.. # 12 says... "Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord and there are varieties of activities, but the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the COMMON GOOD." 12:4-7.

All the special gifts God has given you are NOT given to you for your benefit. They are given to you for the benefit of the body. For the benefit of all of us. For the benefit of the world. For the benefit of others. NOT YOU! How is that for encouragment?!

It should be! God gives each of us a gift or two so that we can use those gifts for the benefit of others in order that his kingdom might become a reality here and now!

The challenge is to stop hoarding the gift and use it!

Won't you allow God to use you for his glory? Won't you allow the gift you have to make a difference in the church, in the community, in the world?

Audacious Hope....

This year for Advent at Community of Joy, we are reflecting on God's AUDACIOUS HOPE offered to us especially using the prophecies of Isaiah to guide us.

On Saturday and Sunday, I defined Audacious as the blatent disregard for normal restraints. Think about that in relation to the hope God offers us in Jesus. The creator rubs elbows with the created... now there is a blatent disregard for normal restraints!

Here are some Biblical thoughts on hope from my Daily Readings from today. "And not only that, but we boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character and character produces hope and hope DOES NOT DISAPPOINT us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us." Romans 5:3-5.

"What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave his up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else?....Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?... No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:31,32,35,37-39