Hope

When you take an honest look at the world around us and some of the tragedies that seem to frequently take place, it's easy to get discouraged and become depressed. If you combine that with our present economy, it's no wonder that people are struggling so much right now. During this time, it's easy to lose hope, but that is the one thing we must never let go of. Hope is a small word, but it packs quite a punch. I love what King David said in the Psalms, "But as for me, I will always have hope." If you have hope, it doesn't matter what life throws your way. My prayer for you today is that God would give you a fresh dose of hope for whatever you face. Hope is actually the title of our new Christmas series that starts this Sunday. It would be awesome to have you as our guest this Sunday. Maybe a little hope is just what you need.

Seizing Your Moment

For the last few weeks, PBS has been airing this incredible series by Director Ken Burns titled, "The War". I love history and for some reason especially the history of WWII. The series follows three towns in the United States and the impact the war not only had upon the soldiers but everyone at home as well. The interviews are awesome, and they show up close and personal all that we have to be thankful for. In one interview, someone stated that, "we knew that Hitler had to be stopped so it made all of the sacrifices worth it." That generation knew that their life had purpose, so they seized the moment that was before them. I am so grateful they did. What about you? Have you ever thought about your life purpose? I think that most of us minimize the impact that our lives can have upon others. I realize that we're not in the middle of a World War, but that doesn't mean that there are not causes both locally and globally that we can't make a difference in. We get too caught up in the busy day to day to see the big picture. I encourage you find creative ways that you can use your gifts,talents, or resources to help others. I believe in doing this we truly seize our moment and experience life at its best.

Rescue Service - As Shanon and I traveled down 35W after church on Sunday, we had to slow down for a very strange sight. A truck ahead of us was smoking badly and traveling at a slow speed over on the shoulder. They weren't in need of immediate help, but it was obvious that the truck had seen its better days. I have to admit what was written on the side of the truck made me laugh. It read, "24 Hour Rescue Service." No, I am not making fun, but I could just see in my mind's eye a family broken down on a deserted road when this guy shows up. They're thinking, "This is the Calvary. After he rescues us, who will save him?" Isn't this just like most of us? It's very easy for us to access the faults in others but neglect our own needs. Listen. We live in crazy world today that moves at such a fast pace that it's very easy to become overwhelmed by stress and burned out. The simple demands of a career and our family can many times consume us. We want to make a difference in the world and share the love of Christ with others, but through time our own relationship with Christ can wax cold. Take the time to keep growing in your walk with Christ, and as you draw near to Him he promises to draw near to you. Out of the overflow of what he is doing in you, he will begin to do amazing through you. In essence, before we can rescue others we have to first allow Christ to rescue us. Have an awesome day!

The Connection That Counts

How did we function before e-mail and the Internet? The speed at which our computers operate and the speed of our Internet connection is nothing short of amazing. All of that changed for me last week with the arrival of one of our recent thunderstorms to our area. My blazing connection to the world wide web at the church became very sporadic to say the least and at times slowed down to a crawl. I would sit at my computer in an almost lifeless stupor watching and waiting for the little green bars to fill the box and send my simple e-mail. I knew there was a serious problem, so I checked all of my connections and even called a technical support person who wasted an hour of my life with no solution. In a state of emergency, I had to resort to hanging out at Panera Bread to use their wireless for three hours to send some files and art work.(I think they felt sorry for me and kept giving me free pizza samples!) Yesterday, my Internet company sent out a technician to find the problem. Upon inspecting the lines near the road, he found that our cable had been completely severed from the recent storm. It didn't matter what I did on my laptop or with the wires in my office. The connection that counted the most was severed. The same is true for us in our lives. When the storms of life hit, we often look in all the wrong places for the solution. In Colossians 1:16, the Bible teaches us that we were made by God and for God. In other words, we were made for relationship. It is that connection with Christ that brings the love, joy, and fulfillment that our lives so desperately need. He is the connection that truly counts. Have a great week, and we hope to see you this Sunday as we talk about "Getting Connected".