Christmas Anticipation

Being raised in the church of Christ I never heard much about Advent. I hope that I will not offend anyone talking about it here, but in the last few years I have been drawn more and more to the concept of the season of Advent. I do know that the season we celebrate as Christmas was most likely not when Christ was actually born and that this is a sensitive issue in many of our churches. But when I look at the history of Advent and what it represents I am not sure why we would be opposed at setting aside a time where we are more intentional about focusing in on the coming of our Lord, not just as a baby but the fact He will be coming again one day. I am thankful that I am part of a church whose eldership has agreed with us participating in some Advent activities. We began tonight (since Advent begins this Sunday) and will continue for the next four weeks. We had a special time of scripture reading, singing and lecture on preparing our hearts and making room for Jesus. I don't know about anyone else, but I so much need this focus as it is way too easy for me to get caught up in all the commercialism (buying trees, decorations, presents, food, etc.) and totally be oblivious to the real reason for the season.

If you are interested in exploring more about advent there is some good information on the following websites. There is particularly some good ideas on how to celebrate this time in your homes with your family.
http://www.faith-at-home.com
http://thebillabong.info/otm_adv/otm06_p2.html
http://www.cptryon.org/prayer/adx/xcust.html
http://www.makedisciples.com/Christmas/advent.htm
http://www.spirithome.com/advent.html#meaning

If you know of other sites, please let us know about those as well.

And if you disagree with this post you are welcome to give your point of view here too. It is with a sincere heart that I enter into this dialogue and really have no intention of offending anyone. I think this is exactly what Paul is referring to in Romans 14:5-6 "One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord."

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone

I will not be posting next week as I will be traveling out of town for the holidays. But wanted to wish you all a very blessed Thanksgiving. I posted this picture from CrossDaily.com. For a very reasonable price you can find great graphics and powerpoints or if you don't mind their watermark you can download the same items for free. (Double click on the picture for a larger and clearer view).

Media Warning: The Golden Compass

I'm sure all of you have heard it through the grapevine about the "Golden Compass" but if you've been under a rock here is a warning I added to our Bulletin which will run from this Sunday until a week after the movie opens.

Parental Media Warning: The Golden Compass
This seemingly benign movie hides a dangerous purpose. The Golden Compass is based on a series of books that are outspokenly Atheistic and Anti-Christian. The filmmakers have modeled the look and feel of the movie after the popular Christian movie The Chronicles of Narnia but the intent of these too movies couldn’t be further apart. Although the film may have been partially sanitized for production, the author hopes it will encourage kids to read the unfiltered books. Obviously, atheism and immorality aren’t new in the media but this is new major push to market it to children. For more information feel free to talk to Trey and Cecelia.

Well welcome to the messed up world we live in folks. The film looks to have great special effects and even boasts Nicole Kidman in a staring role. The author calls these books the "anti-Naria."

I am very disappointed in New Line Cinema to air such a blatant Christian bashing movie. (Yes, the movie has been sanitized but they are pushing the books which haven't been.) What is insulting to me is that there are hundreds of children's books which aren't for or against Christianity and they didn't choose one of those. (At least they should have learned from Narnia that Christian movies do well in the box office!)

I suggest we all do a little research the next time New Line releases another family film, I don't like the idea of packaging atheism and anti-Christian sentiment in a bright wrapper to attract kids. Hopefully, this movie will tank at the box office and they will get the idea in the only language Hollywood understands "$ $ $".

Booked My Reservation

So today I booked my reservation for the Christian Education Conference. Have you?? I did have trouble using the number in the brochure and had to go online and use the 1-800-325-3525 listed on the Sheraton's website. Don't let yourself get wrapped up in the upcoming holidays and forget.

I was looking through the brochure again today and once again getting excited about some of the speakers I personally know.

Suzanne Martin and I met at the last Glen Eryie conference. We were at the airport and she needed a ride so she rode with Steve, Kerry and I to Glen Eryie site. It was fun to meet someone new and learn more about her ministry in Nashville. Part of what I love about CEC is being able to catch up with old friends. This year will be a special blessing because I will not only get to see Suzanne but will also get to hear Suzanne speak. I am fascinated by her workshop title "The Journey Begins Here; Preparing the Child for the Path".

I don't remember how long ago it was that I met Eddie Plemmons. Woodmont Hills had a conference that I was blessed to attend. Their children's ministry was so innovative and helped me understand better the Large/Group, Small/Group concept. I also enjoyed learning about their Wednesday night program for 3rd-6th graders where they made movies. The J.A.M. (Jesus and Me) movies are quality movies made about different Bible characters. I bought several of the videotapes (pre DVD era) and have used them numerous times in ministry. My kids have loved them because kids star in them. Then we in the Dallas area were excited when we heard Eddie had moved to the Dallas area to work with the Farmers Branch church. We have a monthly meeting of area children's ministers and looked forward to having him in our midst. Under his leadership Farmer's Branch began a Family Worship that had such a positive impact that the Farmer's Branch school district has allowed them to present the values based lessons to their schools. Eddie is now back in Tennessee, and it will be exciting to hear what the Lord is doing in his current ministry. I see where one of his topics is on casting vision and who better to share with us where the kind of creativity he has exhibited comes from?

So go right now to http://www.christianeducator.org/cec/cec_2008_broc.pdf, print the brochure and send in your registration. Early Bird registration will expire on December 21st and that is just five weeks away!!

The Power of Prayer

Steve and I subscribe to a magazine called Pray. This month's issue has an article called"Real-Life Stories of Healing". I wanted to share some of them as a testimony of what can happen when a group comes together in prayer.

"Pockets of transformation are springing up worldwide out of the faith and prayer of believers who took God's promise to heal the land literally and are dedicating themselves to living out 2 Chron. 7:14. Here are a few examples:

*In Fiji, people are overjoyed at God's response to their pleas of repentance. In one village. He lead believers to repent for the generational sin of cannibalizing the first missionaries to their island. The Fijians invited that missionary's descendants to receive their humble apologies. In turn the family offered their forgiveness in a moving ceremony that was covered by CNN. Since then, believers have taken as much time as needed to seek God and make certain that they have left no sin unconfessed. Not only have they experienced healing in their relationships, but they also are witnessing the restoration of a coral reef and the return of an abundance of fish. Also in Fiji, a toxic stream running through the village of Nuku suddenly was purified as a result of intentional repentance for generational sin. What is even more amazing is that the water is still polluted above and below the village, but it is clear and healed as it flows through the community.

*In the Canadian Artic, original inhabitants of the land and those who came later held a reconciliation ceremony. As they repented and rededicated a particular plot of land. God overwhelmed them with His quick response. Two days later, 15,000 caribou, a mainstay of life in that area that had been scarce, suddenly showed up at the very spot that the pray-ers had rededicated.

*In Guatemala ever since villagers in the mountain town of Almolonga pleaded for God's healing, the community has been in a state of transformation. More than 85 percent of residents are now followers of Jesus Christ. Jails have closed, churches have replaced bars, and the people are experiencing a healing of the land through faster growing cycles and large crops."

I love reading these kind of stories. Testimonies are powerful. They help us to keep or eyes fixed on that Ephesians 3:20 God that can do so much more than all we ask or think. We would love to hear some stories about how God is answering prayers in your churches and communities.

The Ministry Work Week

So, most of my friends have Monday - Friday jobs and I find my Sunday-Thursday life doesn't always match up with their experiences. Their lives have a clean weekend break and I feel my life circles the two poles of Wednesday and Sunday Bible Classes. Yes, you could say I'm bi-polar.

Here it is Tuesday, a day for most of my friends holds no special meaning, but for us ministers its the day you get ready for Wednesday.

They ask, "Why not get ready on Wednesday for Wednesday?"

I respond, "I often do take care of little details on Wednesday for that night but I spend Wednesday planning for Sunday."

They grow more confused and ask, "Why not get ready for Sunday on Thursday?"

I sigh and try to patiently respond. "Thursday is the day I clean up from Wednesday, then do some things for Sunday. And don't ask about Monday, that's when I clean up from Sunday."

Often the "weekend" is lost in the shuffle. Running church errands on Friday, and stopping by the church Saturday night aren't uncommon for me, and many of you are the same way.

This is one of the reasons I really enjoy the CEA Conference! Yes, it means spending extra time to plan for Sunday and Wednesday before I leave. But it also means when I'm there I'm off the the church calendar rollercoaster. Also, I spend time with all of you! People who can truly sympothize with the bi-polar work week.

I neglected to write last week as we were preparing for our Oct 31st "Pumpkin Pandemonium." We invited neighborhood kids and our kids friends to come and trick or treat in our church. It was a lot of prep but when I looked around that evening and thought about my Wed/Sun driven schedule it didn't bother me at all! How could I when some of my elders were in costume handing out candy to kids and people felt ok just coming into the church off the street and mingling with our families?

Whenever I feel the Ministry Work Week wearing on me I need only remind myself what a blessing this job is to get up the energy to spend Tuesday focusing on Wednesday, and Thursday focusing on Sunday. That way when the kids are in the building we can spend every minute focusing on Jesus

Media Evaluation Source

Several years ago we were blessed at Richardson East to bring in Al Menconi to speak to our parents and teens. I had heard Al speak at the Children's Pastor's Conference in San Diego and thought he had an excellent presentation on why we should be concerned with what are children were being exposed to through the different realms of media. I remember the statement that Al made that impacted me the most was "we have a tendency to tell our children what to think instead of teaching them how to think." Al teaches parents how to help their children think biblically. His premise is you ask questions based on Scripture or spiritual principles. He basis a lot of his training around Colossians 2:8 "Don’t let others spoil your faith and joy with their philosophies. Their wrong shallow answers built on men’s thoughts and ideas instead of on what Christ has said." (The Living Bible)

Spend some time on Al's website http://www.almenconi.com. You will find a wealth of information to share with your parents. Al says that we should all realize "we are in a spiritual battle for the souls of our children. The entertainment industry aims its weapons at the heart and soul of our families. In the media’s hands, TV programs, movies, videos, music and computer games are the weapons aimed at our homes and hearts. Their philosophies and messages are the ammunition that shoots down Christian morals and beliefs".

Even if you cannot bring Al to speak at your church, your parents and staff will be blessed if you will share his website as a resource that they can use to help them in the teaching of their children. I have not been blessed with children of my own, but have found this website to be useful in my own evaluation of media and as a good resource for me to use in talking to my nieces and nephews. Check it out and let us know what you think?