December is a month when people celebrate miracles

December Desire

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READ: Revelation 22:1-5

They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. —Revelation 22:5

December is a month when people celebrate miracles. The Jewish tradition of Hanukkah—the Holiday of Lights—commemorates the time when a small amount of oil lasted 8 days and kept the light in the temple from going out. And Christmas celebrates the coming of the “Light of the World,” God in human form—Jesus.

A miracle is generally thought of as something that contradicts nature. But a true miracle is the introduction of God’s supernatural power into our world in a way that suspends the laws of physics as we understand them.

In December, it seems that more of us are willing to suspend disbelief and entertain the possibility that “nature” is not the final authority. Even the non-religious yearn for miracles. Deep down, everyone wants to believe that darkness, disease, and death can be overcome.

Perhaps the most wondrous thing about miracles is that it is God’s nature to do the supernatural. The closing chapters of Scripture assure us that this “December desire” for all to be well will become a reality: “There shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain” (Rev. 21:4). God will one day bring to an end the unnatural rule of Satan and begin His righteous reign as the rightful Ruler of the universe. —Julie Ackerman Link

Thank You, Lord, that although we live in a world
where Satan’s shadow obscures Your glorious light,
we eagerly anticipate the day when Your full glory will once again illuminate all creation. Amen.

A miracle needs no explanation to those who believe in God; to those who don’t, no explanation is enough.

The Power of 5

What is it? It's a Bible reading plan. You commit to reading the Bible at least 5 times per week. We commit to helping you. As a church family we will read the entire New Testament together in 2008!

Click here for January - June Reading Schedule

Click here for July - December Reading Schedule

Why 5 times? According to research conducted by Back to the Bible’s Center for Bible Engagement, those who engage in Bible reading four or more times per week experience life much differently than those who don’t! Indeed, statistics show a much higher level of health and stability despite life’s constant challenges.

What are the stats for
less than 4 times?

Those who DON’T read at least 4 times a week are much more likely to have:

· marital infidelities

· drug dependencies

· financial crisis

· emotional sicknesses

· other undesirable behaviours

Based on the significance of these findings, we decided to create the Power of 5.

It's simple. It's dynamic. It's life-changing.

Here's how it works:

· Look for the weekly reading schedule in your weekend church bulletin

· Commit to read one chapter each weekday.

· Count on us for encouragement!

What's the power behind the Power of 5? Taking in God's Word is the power; doing it at least 5 times a week is the plan.

[ Credit / Source: Heritage Park Alliance Church ]

From Today's Daily Bread

November 29, 2008

A Convenient Christianity

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READ: Matthew 16:24-28

Whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. —Matthew 16:25

So many television programs, so little time to watch them. Apparently that’s what our culture thinks, because now technology allows us to see an hour-long program in just 6 minutes or less! The Minisode Network has pruned episodes of popular series into shorter, more convenient packages for interested viewers. “The shows you love—only shorter” is how it’s advertised. All to make our life more convenient.

Some have tried to make the Christian life more convenient. They choose to practice Christianity on Sunday only. They attend a religious service at whatever church makes them most comfortable. They give a small offering and are nice to fellow churchgoers—nothing that requires much effort on their part. That way they can have the rest of the week to themselves, to live as they please.

That would be a convenient Christianity. But we know that following Jesus is a lifestyle and not a Sunday-only convenience. Being a “disciple” calls for giving up our lives for Him (Matt. 16:25). It’s about living as Jesus calls us to live, daily giving up our plans and purposes for His. A relationship with Him causes us to be concerned with our thoughts, decisions, attitudes, and actions—all to make our life joy-filled for us and pleasing to God. —Anne Cetas

The Christian life is more than just
A prayer of faith made in the past;
It’s dedicating every day
To live for Christ and what will last. —Sper

Faith in Christ is not just a single step but a life of walking with Him.

The Way

John 14:6 (New Living Translation)
6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.

Acts 4:12 (New Living Translation)
12 There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”

John 3:36 (New Living Translation)
36 And anyone who believes in God’s Son has eternal life. Anyone who doesn’t obey the Son will never experience eternal life but remains under God’s angry judgment.”

1 Timothy 2:5 (New Living Translation)
5 For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus.

1 John 5:11-12 (New Living Translation)
11 And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life.

Evangelism

August: Evangelism

Every notable advance in the saving work of God among men will, if examined, be found to have two factors present: several converging lines of providential circumstances and a person.

Let My People Go: The Life of Robert A. Jaffray, 50.

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Read about A. W. Tozer

August 15

Evangelism: Gospel Implications

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men,
teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should
live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age.
--Titus 2:11-12

The fact is that the New Testament message embraces a great deal
more than an offer of free pardon. It is a message of pardon, and
for that may God be praised; but it is also a message of
repentance. It is a message of atonement, but it is also a message
of temperance and righteousness and godliness in this present world.
It tells us that we must accept a Savior, but it tells us also that
we must deny ungodliness and worldly lusts. The gospel message
includes the idea of amendment, of separation from the world, of
cross-carrying and loyalty to the kingdom of God even unto death.

To be strictly technical, these latter truths are corollaries of the
gospel, and not the gospel itself; but they are part and parcel of
the total message which we are commissioned to declare....

To offer a sinner the gift of salvation based upon the work of
Christ, while at the same time allowing him to retain the idea that
the gift carries with it no moral implications, is to do him untold
injury where it hurts him worst. The Set of the Sail, 19-20.

"Lord, help me to proclaim the truth, the whole truth, and nothing
but the truth as I present the Gospel today. Amen."

Have the Attitude of Christ

Philippians 2:1-11 (New Living Translation)

New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers.

Philippians 2

Have the Attitude of Christ

1 Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? 2 Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.

3 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.

5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

6 Though he was God,^[a]
he did not think of equality with God
as something to cling to.
7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges^[b];
he took the humble position of a slave^[c]
and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form,^[d]
8 he humbled himself in obedience to God
and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

9 Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor
and gave him the name above all other names,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

Footnotes:

1. Philippians 2:6 Or Being in the form of God.
2. Philippians 2:7 Greek he emptied himself.
3. Philippians 2:7 Or the form of a slave.
4. Philippians 2:7 Some English translations put this phrase in verse 8.

Special Music Guest- Ramona Nouneh

Blessings!!

Ambrose University College

God is good...all the time!!! All the time...God is good!!!

How to Stay Motivated When You’re Fatigued

Like an open city with no defenses is the man with no check on his feelings. Proverbs 25:28 (NAB)

*** *** *** ***

It’s not unusual for people to become disillusioned, discouraged, and fatigued about halfway into a difficult challenge. When I start to feel the fatigue, I look to Proverbs 25 and remember that my feelings are not a reliable measure of how things are going.

We’re to trust wholeheartedly in God and put no faith in our own perceptions (based on Proverbs 3:5 NJB).

Our feelings come from a variety of sources – past, present, and future. But feelings often lie; they’re not always a reflection of reality. Plus, life is complex and we must often live with mixed feelings: “Even in laughter the heart may ache, and joy may end in grief” (Proverbs 14:13 NIV).

People often compare life to a roller coaster of hills and valleys, but actually life is more like two rails on a railroad track. One rail represents the good and positive in your life; the other represents the bad and painful in your life.

You’ll always have both at the same time! There will always be something good and something bad happening in your life. We can’t expect everything to be good for one month and then everything to be bad the next month. There’s always a mixture of both, a blending of both bitter and sweet.

However, we can choose the focus: “When others are happy, be happy with them. If they are sad, share their sorrow” (Romans 12:15 NLT).
© 2008 Purpose Driven Life. All rights reserved.

Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., one of America's largest and best-known churches. In addition, Rick is author of the New York Times bestseller The Purpose Driven Life and The Purpose Driven Church, which was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th Century. He is also founder of Pastors.com, a global Internet community for ministers.

Grace

Ephesians 2:8 (New Living Translation)

8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.

Ephesians 2:8 (The Message)
The Message (MSG), Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson, [The Message at Navpress] [NavPress]

7-10 Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It's God's gift from start to finish! We don't play the major role. If we did, we'd probably go around bragging that we'd done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.

Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer

Read about A. W. Tozer

April 26

Prayer: Be Patient

Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in
prayer.
--Romans 12:12

Think of the kernels of grain, the seed, that the farmer plants in
the ground in the fall of the year. How patient the farmer must be!
Throughout the long, cold winter the seed is dormant. There is no
evidence at all that it is there--covered by the cold earth itself.
The snows come and go. The ground freezes and thaws. Does the
farmer lie awake at night worrying that those seeds he placed in
the ground may be ineffective? He does not. He knows that spring
will come!

And in due course, the sunshine of March or April warms the air.
Spring rains water the ground. The farmer knows then that it will
not be long until green shoots suddenly break out from their
covering of earth. And in their own time, great waving fields of
grain are ready for the harvest. The farmer's faith in the seed he
planted is fully justified.

Likewise, God wants us to be patient with every prayer and
petition we sincerely send up to that heavenly altar. Our praying
done in the Spirit cannot be ineffective. It is as though God is
saying to us: "You have planted the seed. You have prayed for My
will to be done and for My kingdom to come on earth.... The
effective prayers of my son, Jesus, will join with the effective
prayers of righteous men and women. Be patient and put your trust
in Me, day by day!" Jesus Is Victor!, 122.

"Lord, I'm tempted to jot down, 'Give me that patience, and give
it to me now!' That's so typical of our hurried mind-set. Change
that mind-set for me today, Lord, and give me a patient,
steadfast faith, with a willingness to wait for the harvest.
Amen."

Praying on Behalf of Others

April 24, 2008

Praying on Behalf of Others

By Robert H. Schuller

"Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him." – Acts 12:5

I was taught in seminary, "Never assume that a person who is in a death coma is incapable of hearing. They probably just can't respond."

The call came that Stanley Reimer, a beloved friend and a beautiful elder on our church board, was on his way to the hospital with a heart attack. "He may not live until they get him to the hospital," I was told.

A fast drive to the hospital. "He's still alive," they told me when I arrived. "He's in intensive care."

As I stepped into Stanley's room, his doctor drew back from the bed, dropped his head and said, "He's alive – but probably not for long, Reverend Schuller." Without another word the doctor left.

"Stanley," I spoke softly, but strongly, my lips only inches from his ear. "Stanley, it's Dr. Schuller. I've come to ask God to save your life! Stanley, I telephoned the church. Countless prayers are being sent to God right now for you. Stanley, you had a twenty-minute cardiac arrest. You're hurt – badly. But you will recover, Stanley!"

Tears filled his eyes and rolled down his cheeks. He heard me! "I hear you, Stanley! Your tears are speaking when your lips cannot. You heard me!" More tears came – his and mine.

In a matter of hours, Stanley's eyes opened. Speech – slurred but understandable – returned! He recovered, not completely, but enough to live, laugh, talk, and pray joyful prayers for another ten years. And he never forgot that day when the miracle of new life was given by God in answer to others' prayers on his behalf.

Intercessory prayer is where our faith in a living, loving God grows and glows.

* * *

Thank You, God, for the people in my life who have stood in the gap and prayed for me when I didn't even know I needed it. You have sustained and protected me through others' prayer. Use me to do the same. Amen.

* * *

Easter 2008 at Fairview Alliance Church

Click here to view the Easter 2008 Photo Album on Picasa Web Album

Enjoy, be blessed!!

Read or Get Out of the Ministry

March: Pastoral Ministry

The work of a minister is altogether too difficult for any man. We are driven to God for wisdom.

This World: Playground or Battleground?, 86.

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Read about A. W. Tozer

March 25

Pastoral Ministry: Read or Get Out of the Ministry

A wise man will hear and increase learning, and a man of understanding
will attain wise counsel.
--Proverbs 1:5

When a very young minister, I asked the famous holiness preacher,
Joseph H. Smith, whether he would recommend that I read widely in the
secular field. He replied, "Young man, a bee can find nectar in the
weed as well as in the flower." I took his advice (or, to be frank,
I sought confirmation of my own instincts rather than advice) and I
am not sorry that I did.

John Wesley told the young ministers of the Wesleyan Societies to
read or get out of the ministry, and he himself read science and
history with a book propped against his saddle pommel as he rode
from one engagement to another. Andy Dolbow, the American Indian
preacher of considerable note, was a man of little education, but I
once heard him exhort his hearers to improve their minds for the
honor of God. "When you are chopping wood," he explained, "and you
have a dull axe you must work all the harder to cut the log. A sharp
axe makes easy work. So sharpen your axe all you can." The Size of
the Soul, 33.

"In the busyness of life, Lord, help me to always guard time to
sharpen my axe. Amen."

WATP , 4 Fast Miles

Lifehouse Everything Skit

Personal Life: Be Thou Exalted

January: Personal Life

Some things may be neglected with but little loss to the spiritual life, but to neglect communion with God is to hurt ourselves where we cannot afford it.

The Root of the Righteous, 9.

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Read about A. W. Tozer

January 22

Personal Life: Be Thou Exalted

The Lord lives! Blessed by my Rock! Let God be exalted, the Rock of my salvation! --2 Samuel 22:47

O God, be Thou exalted over my possessions. Nothing of earth's treasures shall seem dear unto me if only Thou art glorified in my life. Be Thou exalted over my friendships. I am determined that Thou shalt be above all, though I must stand deserted and alone in the midst of the earth. Be Thou exalted above my comforts. Though it mean the loss of bodily comforts and the carrying of heavy crosses, I shall keep my vow made this day before Thee. Be Thou exalted over my reputation. Make me ambitious to please Thee even if as a result I must sink into obscurity and my name be forgotten as a dream. Rise, O Lord, into Thy proper place of honor, above my ambitions, above my likes and dislikes, above my family, my health and even my life itself. Let me decrease that Thou mayest increase; let me sink that Thou mayest rise above. Ride forth upon me as Thou didst ride into Jerusalem mounted upon the humble little beast, a colt, the foal of an ass, and let me hear the children cry to Thee, "Hosanna in the highest." The Pursuit of God, 101-102.

"In my increasing knowledge of You, Lord, and as I spend more time in solitude and silence before You, this prayer becomes so logical. Be Thou exalted in my life. Amen."