Are You Merry This Christmas

My church has been blessed to have Dan Garrett bringing the message for the last several weeks. This week's sermon was so encouraging that I wanted to try to put it in print. This is my version of what Dan shared based on what it said to me.

The Google definition of mer·ry is...

1. Full of high-spirited gaiety; jolly.
2. Marked by or offering fun and gaiety; festive: a merry evening.
3. Delightful; entertaining.

Difficult circumstances, disappointment, loss, financial strain or fear of an uncertain future has the potential to steal the joy from the Holiday Season. These issues are not anything new. Mary and Joseph, the wisemen and the shepherds likely had issues too.

Mary was dealing with being an unwed mother, forced to take a road trip, on a donkey, at full term. Joseph was the husband of the woman taking a road trip, on a donkey, at full term (and not the father of the baby). The wise men had to admit that they couldn't explain the unusual star and leave their comfort zone, and the shepherds had to leave their flocks unattended to go see a baby.

They most likely felt helpless, vulnerable and out of control. This is a recipe for depression. According to a leading psychologist, these hopeless feelings are at the root of most situations that cause individuals to seek professional help for depression.

BUT, Jesus chose to leave heaven and became that baby in a stinky stable. He chose to come to die so that we can be forgiven and enjoy His presence in our lives forever. This is a reason for joy!!

Joy to the world does not mean that I have to be perky all the time. Life is tough! But we can choose to focus on the gift -- Emmanuel -- God with us. When we choose to shift our focus, from the difficult circumstances of life, to the God who loves us so much that He sent His Son--We choose JOY.

Once Mary, Joseph, the wisemen and the shepherds experienced the wonder of that first Christmas it is likely that they never looked at life the same again. They saw that God's plan in the difficult circumstances had a wonderful, and amazing outcome and purpose. Likely, they trusted Him to continue to be in control and work all things together for good as Romans 8:28 claims He will.

My prayer for my friends, my family and myself is that this holiday season and in the months ahead we will be filled with joy because God is with us and He is in control.

Next on my "Reading List"

WHAT’S SO GREAT ABOUT CHRISTIANITY

by Dinesh D'Souza

From the book jacket:
Is Christianity true? Can an intelligent, college-educated person really believe the Bible? Or do the atheists have it right? Has Christianity been disproven by science, debunked as a force for good, and discredited as a guide to morality?

Bestselling author Dinesh D’Souza (What’s So Great About America) approaches Christianity with a skeptical eye, but treats the skeptics with equal skepticism. The result is a book that will challenge the assumptions of both believers and doubters and affirm that there really is, indeed, something great about Christianity.

“With scholarship and eloquence that reminds me of C. S. Lewis, Dinesh D’Souza addresses the urgent questions of our time, such as ‘Is Christianity believable in the face of the discoveries of modern science and modern scholarship?’ His answer is a resounding yes. More than a decisive refutation of atheist attacks, this is a powerful, affirming, genuinely exciting argument for Christianity. You may want to carry this one around with you.”
—Reverend Robert H. Schuller

D’Souza reveals:
Why Christianity explains the universe, and our origins, better than atheism does
Why Christianity and science are not irreconcilable, but science and atheism might be
Why the alleged sins of Christianity—the Crusades, the Inquisition, the Galileo affair—are vastly overblown
Why atheism is a demonstrably dangerous creed—and a cowardly one
Why evolution does not threaten Christian belief
Why atheists fear the Big Bang theory
Why Christianity is the ultimate defense of man’s free will
Why ultimately you can’t have Western civilization—and all we value from it—without the Christianity that gave it birth

Provocative, enlightening, a twenty-first-century successor to C. S. Lewis’s Mere Christianity, Dinesh D’Souza’s What’s So Great About Christianity is the perfect book for the seeker, the skeptic, and the believer who wants to defend his faith.

“Responding to the current epidemic of atheist manifestos, Dinesh D’Souza applies just the right balm for the troubled soul. Assembling arguments from history, philosophy, theology, and science—yes, science!—he builds a modern and compelling case for faith in a loving God. If you’re seeking the truth about God, the universe, and the meaning of life, this is a great place to look.”
—Francis Collins, director of the Human Genome Institute

Talk about a challenge!! I have to admit, I have had to rely on my dictionary regularly!! However- the information in this book is very compelling and neccesary knowledge for a Christian who wants to be able to defend his/her faith in today's society. Not light reading, but worth the effort.

If you have read this, please comment.

Lies Women Believe

We began working through "Lies Women Believe" by Nancy DeMoss in our Wednesday night class at church about 6 weeks ago.

I have found it to be very insightful and again challenging. The book is based on the premise that Satan lied to Eve in the garden and because she believed the lie, she acted on the lie and the entire human race has been in bondage to sin ever since. Satan's tactics have not changed and he still lies to us whenever he gets the chance. If we believe his lies, we will act on them and our choices and actions will lead us into bondage also. We can be freed from bondage if we can recognize the lies and replace them with the Truth.

So far we have covered the chapters about lies women believe about God, sin, themselves, priorities and marriage.

The challenge comes when you recognize that you have clearly accepted a lie and now must change your behavior to be in agreement with God's Word.

One lie that really challenged me - that word again - was the one that states: I can get by without spending time with God every day. After all these years there are still days when I stay in bed until the last possible moment and then rush into the day without taking time to receive my marching orders. When will I learn? Once again I am making the commitment to be more consistent about my quit time.

If you have read this book please comment about your "challenging" revelations and how you are handling the Truth now that you know.

The Shack

This book by William P. Young has raised quite a bit of controversy. I have just finished reading it and found that it was very insightful and well written. I'm not a theologian so I'm not going to try to deal with the finer points, but I was challenged by what it said about love and judgement. I like to read books that challenge me and this book did accomplish that end.

In Chapter Eleven, Mack has an encounter with Sophia - a personification of God's perfect wisdom. When he is invited to be the judge, Mack claims that he has no experience at judging to which Sophia replies,

You have already proven yourself very capable, even in our short time together. And besides, you have judged many throughout your life. You have judged the actions and even motivations of others, as if you somehow knew what those were in truth. You have judged the color of skin and body language and body odor. You have judged history and relationships. You have even judged the value of a person's life by the quality of your concept of beauty. By all accounts, you are quite well-practiced in the activity. . .

. . .By what criteria do you base your judgments?. . .

. . .Judging requires that you think yourself superior over the one you judge. . .

To which Mack comes to the conclusion that:

. . .All his judgments had been superficial, based on appearance and actions, things easily interpreted by whatever state of mind or prejudice that supported the need to exalt himself, or to feel safe, or to belong. . .

There is more about judgment in this chapter that is worthy of thought and
consideration, but these are the things that challenged and convicted me. I am often guilty of passing judgment, and when I do it hurts me and hurts others. I need to learn to love and leave the judging to God.

On the subject of love, the character called Jesus says,

"All I want from you is to trust me with what little you can, and grow in loving people around you with the same love I share with you. It's not your job to change them, or to convince them. You are free to love without an agenda." p. 181

I am often guilty of withholding my love in an attempt to try to control the people closest to me or to force them to meet my expectations. Focusing on loving them, rather than fixing them, certainly makes a big difference. It does free me to love unconditionally. I recently had a conversation with my 25 year old daughter, Bonnie about these issues. She said that judgmental attitudes and the feeling that she had to live up to a certain standard in order to be accepted had made her want nothing to do with the church now that she was grown and could make her own choices. While she continues to seek a relationship with Christ and to live her life in a way that glorifies Him, she is not actively serving with a body of believers.

While I’m not advocating that we should embrace a “tolerant,” anything goes mindset, I do think that it is very important and often a very difficult task to communicate love and acceptance while teaching truth.

What do you think?

Intimacy or Isolation

I just have to share with you this paragraph from "Twenty Piece Shuffle"-

"Ironically, true intimacy is probably also one of our greatest fears. Most of us spend a tremendous amount of time, energy, and money creating an image of ourselves to sell to the world around us--an image based on what we would like to believe about ourselves, if we didn't know better. An image more acceptable, we hope, than the unlovely self we are sure would be rejected if it was discovered. Fearing to be truly known, we hoist an image and carry it before us like a shield , protecting the vulnerable, tender inner core in which we truly dwell. The more we succumb to this fear, the deeper we descend into isolation and the more convinced we become we must hide the "awful truth" about our deepest selves."

I have to admit that this quote was very descriptive of the way I often feel. What do you think about it?

I've been thinking

I have been reading some interesting books recently about what the church of Jesus Christ was designed to be vs. what it has become. I have been a member of First Christian Church for 26 years and it has been a very positive and very important part of my life. I thank God for the opportunity to be a part of the body of Christ. People in my church reached out to my husband and I when we were very lost and headed for disaster. I am in no way condemning the corporate worship that is the church of America today. What I am thinking is - "is that all there is?"

About three months ago I read Pagan Christianity by George Barna and Frank Viola and learned that most of what Christians do in present-day churches is not rooted in the New Testament, but in pagan culture and rituals developed long after the death of the apostles.

This was a real eye opener for me. My "non-denominational" denomination born out of the Restoration Movement teaches that we are Christian only- There were a number of preachers in different religions and sections of America during that time who started to emphasize a return to the pristine Christianity of the New Testament. Many of whom claimed as their motto, "Where the Bible speaks; we speak; where the Bible is silent, we are silent".
So, why do we do what we do like we do it? and is it effective? Are we accomplishing the work that Jesus called us to do?

This week I learned that a member of our church has some very disturbing family issues. The issue is hush hush and few people know about it and no one is doing anything about it. I don't know what to do. I'm not supposed to know!

I am asking myself what would Jesus want me to do when a new book comes into the store on our autoship new release program from David C Cook. "The Twenty Piece Shuffle" by Greg Paul addresses the issue of taking off our "everything is just fine" masks, getting real and meeting the needs of those around us. Jesus cared passionately about the needs of the poor and downtrodden. To be honest I have not.

Also this week, Jerry Easterwood came and talked to our Sunday School Class about The Compassionate Care Clinic. Hmmm, what a coincidence--NOT.

I don't know what God is calling me to do, but I know I can't do it alone. If this message resonates with you, please comment.

Hope for a Blessed Marriage

Last Friday I was asked to testify at a friend’s custody hearing. As we waited for our turn to go before the judge, we witnessed several other cases that were called before my friend’s case. I came away with an enormous feeling of sorrow. I realized that without the grace of God I could very well be waiting in the same line.

I want to share some of the resources that I feel have contributed to the fact that my husband and I recently celebrated our 28th Anniversary and our seven children are secure in knowing that their parents love and honor each other.

Our marriage did not start out on a firm foundation, but we were both determined that divorce was not an option. Therefore, we could either be miserable for the rest of our lives or learn to make it work.

First and foremost in God’s plan for guiding us along the right path was the Family Life Conference “A Weekend to Remember”. We have attended four times. At the conference I learned that God created and ordained marriage and has a plan for how it should work. The world’s plan for marriage that I had known was very different and very flawed. The conference laid out God’s plan and provided direction.

A book that made a big impact in teaching me to be a better wife was, “A Woman After God’s Own Heart” by Elizabeth George. Many books I read about making marriage better left me feeling discouraged because they required a mutual effort. He wasn’t always as receptive as I would have liked. I felt that if he would - then I would - and then we could be happy, but he won’t - so I can’t - so there is no hope. This book taught me that I should treat my husband with love and respect whether I felt like he deserved it or not out of obedience to Christ. Christ is always deserving of my obedience and the Word does command wives to honor their husbands. This mindset helped me to be more loving even when I didn’t feel like it. Lo and behold my relationship with my husband improved dramatically!

Finally, I will mention one other book that has taken our relationship to new levels of joy and satisfaction. “Reviving Your Romance” by Terry and Barbie Franklin is a 40-day devotional that helped us to talk about deep issues that are rarely discussed. Talking about these things made us feel closer than ever before.

Please be encouraged. God loves you and has an amazing plan for your marriage. He wants it to be a source of joy and delight. If you will trust Him and seek His will, He will take you from wherever you are right now to a place of abundance. He did it for Danny and I and He will do it for you too!

Welcome

Retailing in the 21st Century

This blog is my attempt to take advantage of another available avenue to help keep The Savior's Touch Christian Bookstore and Homeschool Supply Store open for business.

We greatly appreciate the support of the people and churches in the area who use our store to provide for their Christian Resource needs.

I have been managing the store for just over a year now and give God all the glory for a 20% increase in sales. Unforunately, expenses have increased by about 25%!

Soon, we will be turning up a new website which we are hoping will allow us to be profitable.

We feel that the purpose of The Savior's Touch is to provide a place where people can come when they are hurting and talk to someone who can lead them to the love of Christ as much as it is a place where believers can come to buy stuff.

We have many experiences each week that convince us that God is using The Savior's Touch to minister to the needs of the community. If our store has been a blessing to you, would you consider posting a comment. We could use the encouragement.