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HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

2006 has arrived!!

Did you make any New Year's resolutions?

In the past couple of weeks I've heard folks say... "I'm going to lose 60 lbs. in 2006." "I'm not going to eat any chocolate in 2006." (Yeah...right!! Like that's going to happen!!) "I'm going to start an exercise program in 2006." My guess is... most of these have been broken already (as I munch on a piece of Dove dark chocolate!!)

So, how 'bout making some resolutions that you've probably heard before...but are most definitely…  ( Click for more )

I'd like to pass along this precious story as we enter into the final days leading up to Christmas Day...the birthday of our Lord & Savior - Jesus Christ!

"My son, Nicholas, was in Kindergarten. It was an exciting season for a six-year old. For weeks, he'd been memorizing songs for his school's "Winter Pageant."

I didn't have the heart to tell him I'd be working the night of the performance. But, unwilling to miss his shining moment, I spoke with his teacher. She assured me that I could attend the dress rehearsal the morning of the performance.…  ( Click for more )

Why did God give us such a wonderful, priceless gift . . .the gift of Jesus Christ?

Why such extravagence? Why did He do it?

I'm sure that many of you have been frantically stalking the malls and wearily walking the aisles in the department stores searching for just the perfect gift to give to the love of your life! I'm talking about that extra-special gift for that extra-special person.

Why do you do it?

I know why!!

You do it so you'll see their jaw drop in disbelief! You do it to hear the squeal of delight and astonishment! You do…  ( Click for more )

There is a family in our church that is very excited. They just learned that their granddaughter and her husband are going to be adopting a precious little boy in the next few weeks. This is something they have been praying for and working towards for months. They can't wait to embrace their little 'gift from heaven'!

Now, can you imagine these prospective parents saying..."Well, we're anxious to adopt little Johnny, but first we want to know a few things. Does he have a house to live in? Does he have any money for his school tuition? Does he have a…  ( Click for more )

"...without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." - Hebrews 11:6

Belief and unbelief in the same person; is that possible? Does your faith ever waver? Are we a REAL Christian if it does? Can a person question God's existence, wondering about his ability to provide for us; did he really love us enough to die for us? Can we even ask those questions and not be immediately condemned? First of all, we must realize that there is a difference between…  ( Click for more )

Tomorrow is THANKSGIVING! A day set aside to give thanks to the Lord of the harvest!

I do believe that Thanksgiving is one of my favorite days. You wanna know why? Because the media can't seem to commercialize this special day! Have you noticed that in recent years all the hype and advertising jumps right from Halloween to Christmas...completely ignoring Thanksgiving. Even the very word 'Thanksgiving' can't be commercialized..."THANKS - GIVING"! I think if we're not careful we will allow our culture to slowly erase this day of remembering to…  ( Click for more )

Albert Einstein, the great physicist, was once traveling from Princeton on a train when the conductor came down the aisle, punching the tickets of each passenger. When he came to Dr. Einstein...Einstein reached into his vest pocket. He couldn't find his ticket, so he searched another pocket. It wasn't there either! He looked in his briefcase but just could not locate his ticket. As a last resort he looked in the seat beside him...still no ticket! The conductor said, "Dr. Einstein, I know who you are. We all know who you are. I'm sure you bought a ticket. Don't…  ( Click for more )

It's a couple of days after Halloween and it seemed that everything about Halloween focused on that which made us AFRAID! The decorations were scary...the costumes were frightening...the music was eerie! All this was done to create feelings and emotions of fear deep within us.

Just wondering...are you 'afraid' of God?

I know that when I was growing up I literally feared God! I was afraid that I would die and have to stand in front of His judgment seat. I was afraid that He was ready to zap me for everything I had ever done that was bad...and believe me,…  ( Click for more )

I know a lot of ministers who despise weddings. They just don't find any joy in performing a marriage ceremony.

I, however, thoroughly enjoy weddings...they are such a delightful event. I enjoy the pre-marital counseling...the anticipation of the grand event...the decor and the candles...and I really get into the food at the wedding reception. Bring on the cake!!

Weddings in Jesus' day were even more fun...because the celebration lasted for an entire week! And although Jesus was on a mission to save the world - He still took time to attend a wedding at Cana…  ( Click for more )

Most of us are aware that for centuries now we have been polluting the earth...smog, hazardous waste, etc. We live a short distance from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park ... and Park Rangers there are greatly concerned about the increasing pollution from car exhaust.

But...did you know that we're also polluting space? Experts say that enough high-flying debris has accumulated to raise the possibility of collisions in space. We have many necessary satellites circling our planet, but it is estimated that over one million small pieces and many large chunks of metal…  ( Click for more )

Have you ever failed God ... repeatedly?

Have you ever wondered how God reacts when you fail?

Do you ever feel like everything is going along just fine and then satan sneaks in and knocks you down flatter than a flitter by reminding you of your horrendous failures? He is such an expert at making us feel worthless, guilty and not deserving of God's love, grace and forgiveness.

Whenever these moments overwhelm you...take a l-o-n-g look at John 8:11.

Jesus is speaking to the woman caught in the act of adultery. He speaks lovingly to her and says..."I don't…  ( Click for more )

I believe that one of the things that breaks God's heart today is for Him to see how His 'body' has become so fragmented and divisive.

It seems that so many churches are in their 'holy huddles' spending most of their time, energy and resources defending their stance, justifying their opinions, and judging other Christians...than they do in being obedient to Jesus' command for us to 'GO', make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. And then to teach these new disciples to…  ( Click for more )

"Come near to God, and God will come near to you." - James 4:8

Have you ever tried to have a daily quiet time and just can't seem to be successful at it? Do you have a difficult time concentrating? Can't seem to stay focused?

It's a fact...all of us are busy and distracted!

So rather than spend time with God and listening for His voice, we'll let others spend time with Him and then benefit from their experience. We'll let them tell us what God is saying. After all, isn't that we pay preachers for?!

If that is your approach...if…  ( Click for more )

Have you ever asked for 'patience'?

Have you ever prayed this prayer during an anxious moment..."Lord, give me patience...NOW!"

Have you ever taken a crash-course on patience?

Do interruptions, inconveniences, and irritations test your patience?

Well...I've learned, and I'm sure that you have too, that life is full of interruptions, inconveniences, and irritations . . . [list]The late night phone call after a car accident! A note from your child's teacher! Your boss calls you into his office! You take your car to the mechanic for…  ( Click for more )

As a young man, D. L. Moody was asked to preach a funeral sermon. He began to hunt all through the four Gospels trying to find one of Jesus' funeral sermons.

You know what he discovered? Jesus Christ broke up every funeral He ever attended!!!!

Death could not exist where He was. When the dead heard His voice, they sprang to life.

Jesus said, "I Am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die." - John 11:25-26

Without a doubt...the most delightful miracle that…  ( Click for more )

Do you ever get bummed? Ever feel like having a huge pity-party for yourself? Ever feel like you are nothing?

Would you allow me to encourage you with some gentle reminders of the good gifts that God has given YOU...

[list]He has sent His angels to care for YOU! He has given His Holy Spirit to dwell in YOU! He has given you the church to encourage YOU! He has given you His Word to guide YOU! Anytime you speak - He listens to YOU! He will never let YOU be tempted too much or stumble too far! If a tear appears on your cheek - He is there to wipe it! If you sing…  ( Click for more )

I've noticed in my own life, and even in the lives of other 'mature' Christians, that we sometimes tend to lose our focus and purpose. We get so wrapped up in our church activities, events, programs; we get so used to our circle of friends; we get very comfortable and we begin to say..."Well, this is the way we've always done it!"; and our focus begins to get blurred and our purpose becomes hazy.

Serving Jesus and introducing as many friends as we can into a personal, intimate relationship with Him - - this is our focus! That is our purpose!

Therefore…  ( Click for more )

Just wondering . . . have you ever been around a critical person? In your workplace is there a person who gripes about every single little thing? Is your spouse a nit-picky, critical fanatic? Do you sit next to someone in church who critiques everything...from the message to the music?

Doesn't their negative and arrogant attitude just leave a sour taste in the pit of your stomach?

If you're around people like this...it just ain't a whole lot of fun!!

Criticism can spoil an evening; it can ruin the best thought out plans; and it can certainly restrict…  ( Click for more )

"REPENT! REPENT! For the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" yelled the lunatic on the street corner.

While I was a student at Ohio State University I distinctly recall this unkept, scruffy looking man standing on the street corner of Broad & High streets and yelling "Repent!" and preaching as loudly as he could...all the while shaking his huge Bible in the air. My friends and I would cross the street to avoid him and usually laugh at him and agree that he was just 'one sandwich shy of a good picnic!'

How easily we forget though that the phrase 'Repent! For…  ( Click for more )

"Therefore, I urge you, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind..." - Romans 12:1-2

The Scripture listed above is dealing with 'repentance' - - 'do not conform any longer...but be transformed.' You see, 'repentance' is not a once in a lifetime commitment. It's not simply an apology with a promise to do better. Repentance is a whole new…  ( Click for more )

Have you ever had to go 'church shopping'?

Have you ever moved to a new city and had to visit around looking for a new church home?

It's been determined that one of the top determining factors in choosing a church home is the warmth & friendliness of the church. Whether a church is a warm & caring fellowship can be determined in a matter of moments of entering it's doors!

Being new in a church where everybody already knows each other can be a lonely experience - - particularly if the people in the church are cliquish or exclusive. I know that…  ( Click for more )

I don't know about you...but I have experienced a few times in my life when I wondered if I really mattered to God. I felt so insignificant and was pretty sure that my problems and concerns would seem petty to Him.

Have you ever been down this path?

If you have, guest what? You and I are not the only ones.

You may recall the story in the New Testament when Jairus comes to Jesus. Jairus is the president of the Jewish synagogue and a pretty powerful dude in town of Capernaum. No doubt about it...Jairus is a VIP!! But Jairus' daughter becomes deathly ill…  ( Click for more )

Have you ever been deeply hurt by someone? Do bitterness and anger begin to surface when you remember that incident? Maybe the wound came from a parent. Maybe it came from another relative or a spouse. Or possibly the hurt even came from a fellow church member.

If you're like me (and I'm pretty sure you are) it's natural and easy to react with bitterness, anger, hatred, and maybe even a desire to 'get even'!

But, whoa...put the brakes on! We're not to react with what comes natural...we're to react un-naturally!! That's the challenge…  ( Click for more )

In Romans 12:1 we read that in view of God's mercy we are to ... "offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God; for this is our spiritual act of worship."

So just how do we 'offer our bodies as living sacrifices'? The Bible speaks on various ways to do this and one specific avenue is to SING.

There are 139 verses of Scripture about singing to the Lord (and of course, the book of Psalms is a collection of 150 song lyrics.) Psalm 89:1 - "I will sing of the Lord's great love forever."

Psalm 104:33 - "I will sing to the Lord all my life;…  ( Click for more )