It Was...

It's Christmas Eve, and starting to get a little late. I can tell because my family is on their second game of the night. The first one, which will remain nameless is a card game that was created some time in the 1960's. It was one that had been in the cupboard for quite a while that we've never played before.

It was awful.

Actually, the game itself was awful. The banter of my family, namely my wife and oldest son was priceless. I caught the boy cheating twice, and he fessed up to doing the same on three other occasions when he didn't get caught. His intent was to speed up the game so we would all be put out of our misery, sooner rather than later. My wife simple piled on.

It was hilarious.

We had ribs tonight. Oh yes, they were delicious! The sauce and the way the meat fell from the baby back bones - saaaweeeet! Voted my wife's best ever. And then the shredded potato dish with sour cream and cheese, YES! And the homemade Christmas cookies, hmmmmm!

It was amazing.

Yes, I'm still on a diet...especially after tonight. Because I'm only consuming on average 800 to 1000 calories per day the old taste buds have been literally scrubbed clean. Now everything not on the diet tastes like pure cream with different flavorings. But before those close to me start to 'blow a gasket,' things didn't go as far south as I might have described. I'm pleased to report that my stomach is actually larger than a walnut, proving that previous analysis on this issue was faulty on my part. How do I know this? I ate a walnut and still had room. But get this, I still got full quite quickly. The potato dish which is not on the diet, as yummy as it was I only managed a tablespoon's worth. The ribs were exquisite but I got the rack with the least amount of sauce - which was fine - simply because I thought I might go into convulsions from the sugar high. I did enjoy half of one of my favorite sugar cookies with food-colored confectioners powder for frosting. It was MUCH better than I'm describing.

It was fantastic.

You want to know what is better? It was the time around the tree opening presents and seeing our kid's eyes light up. They are all older and more mature now, two in high school and one in his last year of middle school. There are very small attempts to appear "cool" and "not too excited" when they get something that they've wanted. But after the first round of gift were opened, it turned into "wahoo" time.

It was wonderful.

I looked over at my lovely wife tonight as the kids were opening presents and once again realized how marvelous it is to be parents of these great young people. God has been so good to us; He's seen us through great times as well as the difficult days. We've grown together as a family over the years and experienced God's blessing in ways that only such a unit who knows Christ can realize. Tonight a student from the High School is in a Portland hospital in a desperate fight for her life against cancer. We paused tonight during dinner when her name came up. The oldest son stepped to the plate and prayed the prayer that longs to be heard.

It was powerful.

We're within a day of the night we celebrate the Savior's birth. Certainly it was awful, having to come into this world in a stable.

It also had to be somewhat hilarious as I'm sure Joseph and Mary weren't stoics who didn't have a sense of humor. I mean what critters had to be looking on when the Christ-child was born. There surely were moments of levity.

It must have been amazing for this young couple, the wonder of childbirth and yet a young man remembering the visit of an angel in a dream, receiving that key message that kept him in this marriage. The young woman as well, in the midst of wonder as to how all of this trouble caused by a supernatural conception would come to this very moment in time.

And then what was it like for wide-eyed shepherds to show up at the stable, after their encounter with a host of angels, singing as the proverbial heavenly choir? That had to be fantastic. What did they say? Did they talk excitedly about what they had seen, or was it so fantastic that they could literally say nothing and only bow in reverence? And the visit of the wise men? I don't know if it was that night or sometime later. All I know is that "fantastic" doesn't do justice to that sight...

You know the events of that night had to all be wonderful on so many levels...

But the real message behind Christmas is the fact that Jesus came in the first place, living the way that He did, displaying the works of God the Father the way He did, and the manner in which He communicated the eternal truths of heaven. And then going to the cross and raising again from the dead. The only word for that comes to mind is that what Jesus did was "powerful."

Emmanuel, "God with us." And still with us today...

Have a great day tomorrow! I'll catch up with you soon on this blog as I'm taking time off again on vacation to enjoy my family. Do yourself a favor and enjoy all of your important relationships this week!

Blessings!

More Proof

Enjoyed Christmas Sunday yesterday!

The highlight was at the end where we did our own rendition of the latest "ministry gadget" called "cardboard testimonies" (go to YouTube and do a search - pretty neat stuff). At the conclusion of the service about 20 people from Faith stood in front of the congregation with a piece of tag board with a sentence about their life before Christ, or at a point of crises, and then showed the Christ-delivered outcome on the reverse.

It was powerful.

The longer it went, the more tears flowed in the place. Soon the platform was overflowing side-to-side with these grateful followers of Jesus Christ whose lives had been transformed. Many of them were crying, the worship team behind them was crying, and LOTS of folks in the audience were crying. Did I mention I was crying too? The impact of the moment was incredible - just more proof that Jesus Christ changes lives. I was also struck once again by the Word of God coming alive. And so I quoted:

"They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; Revelation 12:11 NIV

Yes, they did...and we will.

New Staff at Faith

I'm pleased to share that on Sunday at Faith we will introduce Ben and Karie Odell as new, volunteer pastoral staff. Ben and Karie come to us from our sister church in Lake Oswego, Oregon, and also did their internship at Klamath Falls, Oregon. They have a precious little girl named Mikayla.

The Odell's background is in the area of children's ministry. Their purpose in joining us at Faith is to experience a wide array of church ministry, preparing them for their next position as Senior Pastors. The Odell's should be with us for about a year. Be sure to welcome them on this Christmas Sunday!

Surprises

Went to my daughter's Christmas concert last night. It was incredible! She is in the ninth grade choir - that did really well. But I was blown away by all of the awesome talent there is at Mountain View High School. The director has been around a while and clearly has the music department at the school hitting on all cylindars! I left thinking that we should have been going to these concerts all these years WITHOUT our kids being involved.

There are many surprises in life like the one I've just mentioned. They come in all shapes and sizes. For example, I never thought that seeing the Grand Canyon would be that big of a deal, except that it simple is. When we got there, one look took your breath away. What a privilege to see that wonder of God.

I'm reminded of many other surprises, but none as big as the expression of the one who comes to church or experiences the presence of for the first time. The presence of God changes the complexion of any "church" experience. Our motto at the church I serve is, "Experience Authentic Faith." If means that even when we don't feel God near, we are still experiencing a real, authentic faith that believes anyway. But when there is a tangible sense of God's nearness...oh my goodness...WOW...AWESOME!

Fresh "Remains" Now Availible

The latest "Remains from Sunday" is now available by clicking here. It is the latest message preached at Faith Christian Center on December 14, 2008.

A Church Like That

We had 26 at our church staff and spouses luncheon yesterday. It was wonderful! I am so blessed to serve among such awesome and talented people! As I looked out over our bunch yesterday I could see it in their eyes. It was that look that believed something wonderful was about to happen.

I'm so looking forward to this next year. I know in the natural I'm not supposed to be. The economy and the downtrend in housing in our area has bitten many of my friends to the quick. It has been difficult, but for those who've placed their trust in the Lord have found Him to be faithful.

Always.

So, back to 2009. I'm really excited. There is a sense of expectancy about what may happen in the days ahead. Sundays at Faith have become, "Miss at your own risk," days. That's really it - I just don't want to miss because I'm afraid something awesome is going to happen and don't want to be left out.

I love being part of a church like that, where anything is possible because of God's presence at any moment. Healings can take place, miracles can occur and as a general rule people genuinely love and care about one another.

I know what you're thinking. This whole description sounds a whole lot like family and Christmas.

You're right.

Hope of the World

Wow, it's Christmas Sunday already!

Pastor's across America are thinking a praying toward Christmas Sunday this weekend. I'm really looking forward to it. The message title at Faith will be, "The Power Behind Christmas." I'll be speaking on the reason why Christ came the way that He did and how He changed so many lives - and still does so today.

I'm grateful that I'm one of those lives.

So, we prepare to celebrate across our great nation and around the world the fact that Jesus came. Men have tried to legislate against that fact time and again, they take away nativity scenes and sets, abolish a very American ritual of putting up a Christmas tree, all because it reminds them of the first syllable in the name of the holiday. Try as they might, the truth is the truth. The famous Scripture says, "God so loved that He gave His only Son..." The way He came, Emmanuel, "God with us," the hope of glory and the hope of the world!

Home and Hope

Sometimes it's the simple things that grab hold of our heart...

My wife and I were out at a couple discount grocery stores tonight, purchasing food for baskets to go to some needy families in the community. Before you think we're that special, it is a project that our women's ministry is doing at Faith. Some money was donated and it fell to my wife to collect as much food as possible to go with the large amount of food already donated by our ladies. We were looking for good, identifiable brands marked at a great discount. While I'm certainly not above eating off-brands (more often than you can imagine - off-brand corned beef hash is a favorite), I also don't want to communicate that the body of Christ is cheap when it comes to loving and giving to others.

It was a bit comical trying to get 30 of each item and then getting all these products into shopping carts. Did you know that 30 maple syrup bottles act an awful lot like bowling pins? Or that jars of jelly in those cheap, plastic grocery bags are perpetually on the edge of disaster as those same bags stretch, hiss and break over an asphalt parking lot? Talk about a Faith Journey Adventure...

Okay, it really wasn't that bad - I've just written hyperbole.

I think what I enjoyed most was the look on people's faces. A shelf stocker in his early 20's mentioned, "Party?" I just so happened to have 23 boxes of Honey Comb cereal in my cart - what was that guy thinking? Then again, single fellows his age understand cereal on a completely different level than the rest of the population. In there mind, cereal can be eaten all day long, day after day, week after week and month after month, only to be spoiled occasionally by a Top Ramon/Cup of Noodles craving which is actually cheaper per meal than cereal. But hey, mom isn't around to tell him that Captain Crunch with Crunchberries isn't always the best idea for subsistence.

I know what you're thinking...I miss those days too...

My deal was hot dogs. I was a connoisseur of the Safeway brand (I was too cheap for Ballparks ). Ate them a lot the first three months out of college (hey, I lived on campus and had a meal ticket - and I used it because I was too cheap to go out). After those first three months of consuming the mystery-beef-parts-collection in a strangely consistent shape and size, I suddenly stopped eating them. The problem? I work with people and a fellow can only smell like that stuff for so long. Besides, I was completely sick of them by that time.

Captain Crunch anyone?

I've been joking but having food to eat IS a big deal. The families we are helping are in homes, but actually homeless. They all have children and all of them have lost their homes and are living with relatives or friends. Some are in cars and use a friend's house to cook and get cleaned up. Even when I was single and eating lousy, I had a place to live, a fridge to open and parents to call for a handout. When the chips were down (clam dip comes to mind), I could always go home.

Oh yes, that's what I was writing about. Sometimes it's the simple things that grab our heart, like the privilege of having our own place to call home...

Two thousand years ago the Savior was born to the world to create a bridge for mankind to have an eternal home worth looking forward to. It is not lost on us that He himself arrived in a lowly stable. It wasn't a home. His family had to be out of town when Jesus was born because of a census being taken (they had to go to Bethlehem from Nazareth as it was the origin of Joseph's family, Christ's earthly father). And so, Jesus at the time of his birth was literally homeless.

As I conclude, it is amazing today that my heart is Christ's home - just as the heart of every Christian. Talk about a lot of places to call home...

Give the homeless hope this holiday season and beyond...and give yourself hope by giving Christ a home in your heart.

Two New 'Remains' Now Availible

The two latest manuscript messages preached at Faith are availible by clicking here. You can also access the link in the right column by clicking the "Weekly". Enjoy!

Deluge

I've been slammed the past couple of days and haven't been able to blog - so I'm playing catch up - lots of great things going on right now. A few moments ago I received the following YouTube from my Assistant Superintendent. It is an amazing song that so describes Faith right now. It's by a band called Deluge and the title of the song is "Open Up the Sky." Enjoy!

Just Like Gold

Just got in from a long but outstanding service at the prophecy conference I am at. Completely awesome tonight!

As I sat in the presence of the Lord, there was that sense of "awe" and "wonder" at the sense of God's nearness. Tonight this presence could be described as a tangible heaviness...in a good way. It's one of the few kinds of heaviness that you don't want a weight-loss program. Another kind is that of precious metals - you like the weight. Come to think of it, tonight really was like gold...

It's going to take a few weeks to "unpack" the things that I've been catching at these meetings. As I've mentioned in an earlier blog, the content is a little outside of my "box." But really, not that far as I look at it now. I can see what's going on here as it relates to Faith and it makes me excited about what God is doing and where we're headed as a church. A little confirmation is good for the soul.

Tomorrow I pack, go to a couple of sessions and head home. It's Friday, but Sunday's coming and I can't wait.

Better is Better

I've just survived my first day at my first prophetic conference. For the uninitiated, that means the focus is on prophecy...you know, prophets...prophesying.

It was pretty incredible.

We had three speakers today and two long worship sets that were pretty mind-blowing. Yesterday I wrote about looking for the surprises of Jesus. With the things I heard and experienced today, I can safely say, "SURPRISE!!"

Once again I was reminded by today's event of how great God is, that He loves people and longs for the amazing to follow their lives. That's what I want for the people at Faith, for my family and for myself. I don't claim to understand everything there is to know about God and the things of the Spirit. All I do know is that I want to be a better follower of Jesus Christ which will also help me to be a better friend, dad and husband.

Better is just, well, better...

Surprises of Jesus

I'm leaving for a prophecy conference in the morning tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to it. Basically, there are four speakers, modern-day prophets all, who will give what they believe God has put on their hearts for predictions in the new year.

Yes, it's a tad outside of my box...

One of the areas that I'm working on in my spiritual life is that of developing a greater prophetic gifting. Further, we have a number of people at Faith who already function in this area, and I'm needing to get my arms around it in a better way. So I'll be going to the conference.

A friend of mine once told me to, "Look for the surprises of Jesus." I think I'm about to experience some...

Best Investments

Had an interesting day today.

I didn't get much paperwork done, but spent time in prayer with our intercessors, spent time with our decorating crew and spent more time with our staff today after our staff meeting.

Probably some of the best work I've done in a while...

I love being with people, especially the folks at Faith. We are so blessed in so many ways! Our greatest commodity today is time. Where we invest that time matters to God, and should also matter to us. I wish that I could say that I always get my investments right. The truth be told, I fear that too much of my life has been invested in the church and thinking about that subject during off hours to the detriment of my family. That's probably one of the reasons why I played in the Faith's Annual Turkey Bowl last week - because my kids all played in it. I was in pain for the two days that followed, but wow, was it ever a blast! I also had the privilege of "taking down" my two sons. You've seen the "Priceless" commercial. It was all that.

So every day I strive to do better in my relationships;

with the people at Faith
with my family
my friends in the community
and the most important relationship of all - with God.

Those are the best investments I've ever made.

The Majority

I was back in the office for the first time in a week today. It was good to be back to work! I'm one of those insufferable types who feels guilty when they take time off. If it's a week, I usually have to wait until Thursday morning to let the job go. Of course by then it's almost time to go back. Famously, sometimes I actually relax more on two days off instead of seven. But that just isn't fair to my family to go through life with only two days off at a time - ever.

So last week I pulled the plug. I had a Network denominational thing that came up on Monday, so I went off and did that and burned about three quarters of a day of vacation. But afterward, I cut myself off from the computer until Sunday night as I was getting ready for today. I'm now the proud owner of 400 or so unopened e-mails and an abreviated schedule this week as I'm headed to a conference on Thursday with some folks from the Faith.

Wow am I looking forward to writing Sunday's message...

Tomorrow is staff meeting day, along with open time in the afternoon to be together with individual leaders. I serve with some really great people at Faith, each one in their own way a blessing to me and the church body. It was a privilege to be in service myself yesterday at Faith - on my day off. I sat in the congregation "like a normal person" with my wife, and enjoyed it immensely! In fact, the last time I sat with Tami in a service at Faith was a little over ten years ago on our candidating Sunday. I was so proud of the job that our staff did in my near-and-expected-absence. It reminded me that I should probably get away more often...it would probably help me get over being so frustrated...and guilty...and...

Ecclesiastes talks about how a cord of three strands is not easily broken. That's why we need others in our lives to have our backs. Come to think of it, that's why we need Jesus in our lives, to have our backs, arms, legs - everything. Haven't you heard? You and God are a majority...