Dear Friends of Life Connection Church,

•  We have an after church cover dish Christmas party coming up in next Sunday: Dec 13 after church.  Email Brent@lifeconnectionchurch.org and tell him what you are bringing or sign up on Sunday.  We need more main courses. 
• We will be having our Midnight Christmas Eve Service at 11:45 pm on Christmas Eve.  We will sing Christmas carols, have a candle light service, communion, and celebrate some baptisms at midnight on Jesus’ birthday. 
• If you have not been to a midnight service you have to come, it is a really special time. If you have been planning on getting baptized, how cool would it be to be baptized at midnight on Christmas morning?  Email me if you want more baptismal info.

Your brotha from anotha motha

Royal

It seems like any family relationship that is normally even the least bit strained becomes magnified or more tense during the holiday season.   Some family relationships are so messed up,   its easier to not spend time together and maybe even healthier.  You do need to ask yourself if you have done what you can do on your side to fix it.  Some may never be fixed or take years since you are dealing with other people involved who may never be ok with the relationship or may continue in behavior that keeps it complicated and unhealthy.

There is an article in Christianity Today by Conrad Theodore called Holiday Negotiations - How to divide the holidays so that both extended families are happy.  

Theodore writes, ”If you’re anything like many of the readers we hear from, you’ve probably experienced some in-law tension that stretches beyond the reach of the holiday battles for time. And these unpleasantries can cause some real damage to your marriage. Here are some tips from Dr. John Townsend, the co-author of Boundaries for Marriage (Zondervan), on how to choose change and create an open, working—if not wonderful—relationship with your in-laws.”

1. Reality-check. Find out if there really is a problem or if it’s merely your perception. Sometimes we react to others based on our experiences, which can cloud judgment. To help gain a proper perspective, ask a trusted friend to observe and verify your perception of the situation.

2. Do a self-inventory. After you’ve identified the problem, ask yourself how you might be contributing to it. Jesus reminds us that we must first deal with our own actions before we help others correct theirs (Matthew 7:1-5).

3. Be direct. If you are passive in dealing with your in-law problems, you may begin to withdraw emotionally from them. Confront your in-laws gently but directly. Though you may need to involve your spouse, don’t avoid dealing with the problem personally. Let them know how you feel and that it gets in the way of being close to them. They may react with hurt, withdrawal, or anger. Or they may be surprised at what they learn and thank you for letting them know.

4. Choose your battles. Choose to end an issue by setting new limits or by simply adapting to it. If the conflict creates havoc in your marriage, you and your spouse may want to negotiate how and when you spend time with in-laws. If the issue is simply annoying, then you may want to let it go and enjoy the healthier aspects of your relationship.

5. Strengthen your role as spouse. Though you and your spouse love your parents, you should be more aligned with each other than with them. When a spouse isn’t loyal to his or her mate, there may be a “leaving and cleaving” problem (Genesis 2:24). This problem is exhibited in behaviors such as needing parental approval or respect, being afraid to confront parents, going to parents for self-image support, being emotionally or financially dependent on parents, or feeling responsible for parents’ emotions. If your spouse struggles with these issues, let him or her know how you feel and how his or her actions affect your sense of safety as a couple.

Read the rest of the article here…..

Do you worry about money?  Most money problems stem from poor management, not low income….

This is ten minutes of a talk I gave at Life Connection Church on Nov. 22, 2009.  It is part four of four of a talk called “Managing God’s stuff.”

Tomorrow  is the first Sunday of advent.   We will light the first candle which represents Hope.  Advent begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas and ends on the day before Christmas. Thus it begins on 29 November 2009 and ends on 24 December, Christmas Eve. 

We will celebrate the last day of advent with our Midnight Christmas eve service.

The main reason for the Season of Advent is to recognize the first and second coming of Christ….

Ps 25:10  The Lord leads with unfailing love and faithfulness all who keep his covenant and obey his demands.

Luke 21:25-36    “And there will be strange signs in the sun, moon, and stars. And here on earth the nations will be in turmoil, perplexed by the roaring seas and strange tides. 26 People will be terrified at what they see coming upon the earth, for the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 27 Then everyone will see the Son of Man coming on a cloud with power and great glory. 28 So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near!”

  29 Then he gave them this illustration: “Notice the fig tree, or any other tree. 30 When the leaves come out, you know without being told that summer is near. 31 In the same way, when you see all these things taking place, you can know that the Kingdom of God is near. 32 I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass from the scene until all these things have taken place. 33 Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.

 34 “Watch out! Don’t let your hearts be dulled by carousing and drunkenness, and by the worries of this life. Don’t let that day catch you unaware, 35 like a trap. For that day will come upon everyone living on the earth. 36 Keep alert at all times. And pray that you might be strong enough to escape these coming horrors and stand before the Son of Man.”

Royal

Lisa and I got hooked on the Muppets when our kids were little.  We would be watching Sesame Street with them and then we look around and the kids had gone off to play and Lisa and i were still watching.

Lots of people were following Jesus.  Most just wanted to see Him do miracles and hear some incredible teachings, but some, really wanted to be His followers, His disciples.  Jesus said to them, “Before we go up this hill, there are some things you need to know.  It’s not easy to follow me.”

I struggle with the fact that, in our American world, we are surrounded by Christians in every arena who are silent about their convictions.  I believe most are silent because they are unsure.  They are unsure, not in their salvation, but in the power of their faith. 

Why?  They are not living their faith.  One has to live it to know it.  Faith is a LEAP.  You have to Listen to God through the Word, others, and the Spirit.  Then you have to Engage and live it out in your mind, values and convictions.  Then it is important to actually Apply the Word of truth to your every day life.  And when you do, you will Produce the fruits of the Spirit.   L.E.A.P

the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!  Gal 5:22

When you produce Christian Spiritual fruit you will become more confident to live and speak your convictions.  You can not convincingly present someone you are not.

Below is a video I came across done by Ronnie Bruce, a film student at Temple University.  It is a Typography Animation project for class using a poem by Taylor Mali (www.TaylorMali.com). 

I don’t know the title of the poem, but it suits this post….

The Bible teaches us that there are actually times in Heaven when God and the angels celebrate…..  And it is about us….

Christians have a problem.  Many people avoid Christians because Christians don’t act like Christ.  People were drawn to Christ becaus of His joy.  If Christians were to be more joyful like Christ, people would be drawn to Christians.