Merry Christmas

Once again, that time of year has come. It is a time of hope and joy. A time for realization. That is, God is love and in him is no darkness at all. The coming of His Son is special for that reason alone because when the Son came into the world, a great light has shone. Greater than the force and brightness of the sun, even from the days of creation. A light that shines not judgment, but life.

The world is wreathed in hopelessness. But in Christ, hopelessness does not exist. Hope is so much more than wishfulness, it is certainty. In Christ, it is certain, that life is given and that life is abundant and eternal.

As the Israelites would repeat on special occasions, from passages such as Psalm 136, "Give thanks for the Lord is good. His love endures forever."
In the birth of Christ, God's love is injected into our world like medicine from a hydodermic needle.

May this season be joy for you. Not the giving and receiving of gifts, but giving to the need of people. Meeting their needs, such as the work of the Salvation Army and others. But the greatest need is to know Christ. This season is an even greater evangelist moment than Easter time.

The birth of Christ was all about announcements and evangelism. "What are you talking about?" The angel Gabriel and the angels announced the coming of the Messiah, Immanuel, Jesus. They made known that the Savior was coming and had come. The first thing the shepherds did after finding and worshiping the King, was to go out and tell all they saw that the Savior had come.

Can we do no less. "Go tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere. Go tell it on the mountain, that Jesus Christ is born."

From my family and my own heart, I wish you all a Merry Christmas and the hope of joy as you tell the lost that Jesus has come.

Psalm 33:3 The best instrument you have is your heart!

Unique Baptisms

Go to this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q31nA6LCMxE

I'll bet you've never seen anything like this before.

Psalm 33:3 The best instrument you have is your heart!

Here I Am

I'm just doing this to upload a picture.

Psalm 33:3 The best instrument you have is your heart!

Why Guitars Are Taking Over the World?

You may wonder, why the title Guitars Are Taking Over the World for a blog by a preacher/minister.

Well, realizing the importance and fun of blogs, and wanting to further combine my love for guitars and my love for Christ (besides writing and playing spiritual songs and prasie and worship), I wanted an outlet to share with you in a unique way.

Guitar is the most common and loved instrument in the world. More people play guitar then play anything else its seems. Just about everyone can pick up a guitar and strum a couple of chords. Even Walmart and Target sell guitars and guitar related products in their stores.

Because guitars are such an integral part of our lifes, it is a metaphor for how Jesus should be believed in in such a widespread manner, and loved by as many or move people than, well, guitars.

I believe there are few instruments as intimate with the player as the guitar. The violin may be the closest. The guitar becomes a part of the person playing it. They don't hold it to their lips, or reach out to touch its keys, but they strap it to their body, and it lays on the players body, across their chest and belly. The guitar resonates and vibrants and is felt by the player. It is an extension of their body, their hands and arms. It expresses their heart and soul, as no other instrument is capable.

A relationship with Jesus is to be even closer then that. He is to be more than an instrument we pick up from time to time and play with passion--he is to be our whole life and our passion. I want to convey that through the title and more.

Psalm 33:3 The best instrument you have is your heart!

People still have a heart

Some of the biggest news over the past week has been the winter storm that socked most of Missouri. To show how bad the storm was, McDonalds was closed on Friday. Mac's only closes on Thanksgiving and Christmas days.

On Monday, I got stuck on the hill up to our house. That night, when we tried to drive the hill, just after the cruve (about half way up), the van ceased moving forward. When backed down the hill I drove to wide and stuck the front driver's side wheel in the little ditch which was enough to strand the van there.

I tried digging out, but it made worse. On Tuesday morning, our friend Barry brought his big 4-wheel drive pickup and we were unsuccessful. His wheels couldn't grip.

That afternoon, I was beginning to figure how to raise the wheel and place a couple of 2x4's under it to drive out (I'm too cheap to call the wrecker), when a guy in a big Dodge 4x4, painted orange and red. The red were flames. He volunteered to pull me out. He did it easily.

I asked how much and he said, "just a handshake."

By modern standards of ethics and etiquette, when someone does you a favor, you offer a reward or pay them. Which converts a favor into a job. Its not kindness, its business.

Though prepared to give the guy money, he was being a Good Samaritan. I thank God for the kindness of thoughtful and caring human nature.

Psalm 33:3 The best instrument you have is your heart!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...

We had to cancel church yesterday. There was no way anyone could get up the hill. Two inches of ice with 15 inches of snow on top and no one to clear it away. We've been sort of stuck on top of the hill since Thursday afternoon.

I haven't been snowed in for a long time, but this big snow has brought back memories of big snow. I remember:

• When I was a kid in Indiana. It would snow before or around Thanksgiving. When we got enough snow in one or two snows, we didn't see the ground until the spring thaw. I remember drifts 8-15 feet high.
• One time, in first grade, we over slept. Mom got me up and hurriedly dressed and fed me. I was late for the bus stop, so they my folks sent me across the back yard to catch the bus on in the block behind us. The snow was so high (for a 6-year old boy) that I didn't catch the bus before it moved on.
• We never missed a day of school because snow conditions were too bad, though we did get out of school one period early my senior year so that everyone could get home before it was too bad. I missed PE that day. I went walking and helped push a couple of people out of snow banks. It was quite fun.
• The kids on our block would get together in the field behind the school and play tackle football. It was great. With several inches of snow on the ground, no one got hurt.
• During Christmas break from school my youth group would go out to a lodge owned by some friends and sled and toboggan down the hill for the afternoon. One time, we took the 4 man toboggan and tried to jump it but broke it in half. I was in the front.
• My freshman year of college, the day before Thanksgiving, it snowed like crazy. They let classes out at 9 AM, instead of noon. The group I was travelling home with didn't leave until after 2 PM. We had a 12 hour drive under idea conditions, but we waited until things were at their worst and it took us more than 17 hours. I got to sit in the back seat of a 2-door Ford Pinto hatchback, going between 24-35 miles an hour until we got to Indiana where the roads were clear.

Just a few snow memories.

Psalm 33:3 The best instrument you have is your heart!

A Foot of Snow

It's been a while since a winter storm has hit our area and quite a while since I've seen so much snow. We got about 2 inches of ice Wednesday night and Thursday. Thursday night we recieved about a foot of snow. It's really pretty. I can even see where the deer have crossed the yard.

We are stuck on top of the hill. I couldn't get the car up the hill yesterday, so I parked it at the bottom of the hill and walked up to the house.

This kind of snow makes a person want to sit in a recliner and do one of several things

1. sleep
2. watch TV and movies
3. or read.

A couple of posts ago, I mentioned the books I was reading. I haven't read them all because a number of other books have now occupied my attention. I suppose I'll get to them soon. I did read Groucho, and two biographies of Presidents Benjamin Harrison and James Garfield.

Now I am reading several other books:

• Blue Guitar by Ken Vose
• Laurel and Hardy, the Magic Behind the Movies by Randy Skretvedt
• The Hollywood Book of Death by James Robert Parish
• My Struggle With Faith by Jospeh F. Girzone
• Help, the Original Human Drama, by Garret Keizer
• Joining Hands byRoger S. Gottleib
• Why I Am a Muslim by Asma Gull Hasan
• Prayers of a God Chaser by Tommy Tenney

An eclectic collection of books I'm sure, but fun, and probably full of sermon illustrations, even understanding certain philosophies and beliefs.

Today is a good day to kick back with a huge cup of coffee in my new Christmas mug and read.

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A couple of PS's about the snow.

1. It is the first tracking snow of the year and it occured on the 30th day of the month. According to folk-lore (which I think is taught in the Farmer's Almanac) we will have 30 days of snow this winter. I may need more books because I will be stuck on the hill quite a bit I imagine.
2. It is interesting how God slows everything down. WE (meaning people) get so self-important and self-involved and busy, we forget the important things and God slows us down to smell the roses, or in this case, to build a snowman. Don't forget the coal for its eyes and the carrot for his nose. Make him a redneck snowman.
3. Doesn't the Bible also say, God washes our sins whiter than snow. What a beautiful picture of purity and hope.

Psalm 33:3 The best instrument you have is your heart!