No place like home for Christmas Eve

What an unusual Christmas Eve. Boy did we ever get a white Christmas. I hate to cancel any service because I know someone is really counting on the experience to connect with God and with others, but we had no choice today. Hope everyone has a warm place to spend Christmas Eve and that even though we can't get together in the sanctuary, we can all worship and keep Christ at the center of our Christmas celebration. Thanks to the music team that prepared and the families who were looking forward to the experience with us. See you Sunday morning!

Last Sunday evening, my message was "Five ways to get to know Jesus Better" and I told you I would blog the five points. I have misplaced my notes, but Marsha took notes on a kleenex, so at least I don't have to wait to find my notes. Paul talks about his desire to know Christ in Philippians 3:7-10. You can get to know Jesus:

1. By reading what the Scripture says about Him. When you read what He said (written in Red), try meditating on it for a few days.
2. Through your own experiences with Him. We should keep a record of what He does in us and for us each day, for our own reference and for posterity.
3. Through the experience of others with Him.
   
4. Through what the Holy Spirit reveals to you about Him. Jesus told us that the Holy Spirit would help us remember what Jesus said.
5. Through books and articles people you will never meet have written about Him. Some lived hundreds of years ago, some never spoke the language you speak, but their experience with Jesus is a matter of history because they took the time to write it down.
   

Growing in your knowledge of Jesus is essential for you to have a growing faith. Of course, we could wait till we get to heaven to know Him more, but He would like for us to know Him now for our sake and for the sake of those with which we can share Him.

Thanks to everyone who made Easter weekend fantastic. Thousands of people enjoyed being a part of our Easter Egg Hunt at Wantland Stadium. Hundreds of hours of volunteerism made it an experience far more than hunting eggs, but in fact an opportunity for our church to connect with our community and share our love, and more importantly, Christ's love for them. Sunday was a grand celebration of the Position of Authority and Power and Glory in which Jesus Christ has been placed eternally. I want everyone who experiences who we are and what we do at COTH to know who Jesus is and to feel compelled to honor and trust Him. He is the 'difference maker' for each of us as we experience His power and His will in our lives.
This Sunday, Chad, our youth pastor, is our Sunday morning speaker. Let's keep the excitement of Easter alive and come expecting God to speak to us and to lead us to a deeper understanding of His will and purpose for us.

Easter is like Christmas except rather than celebrating Jesus' coming as a baby, we are celebrating that He conquered death and resurrected after being in the tomb three days. Both were extraordinary miracles. When you talk about Jesus, you will always find yourself talking about miracles. When you welcome Him into your life, you will find yourself experiencing miracles. I would encourage you to believe in Jesus and trust Him with everything in your life, and don't be surprised when you see that where Jesus is, nothing is impossible.
Hope to see you Sunday for a Grand Celebration of Jesus' Victory over our sin and the grave.

Sorry I missed a few days. I haven't missed reading, just had trouble logging on to blog. I am still amazed with the content of these chapters. How can the authors gather so much clear explanation about love? I am convinced this is the best I have read by far. The other thing that amazes me is that they deliver it in such brief segments. I can't wait to study the next chapter each day, and this week sure did not disappoint me. For instance, day 24, love vs. lust... says lust is in opposition to love. It means to set your heart and passions on something forbidden. It's time to expose lust for what it really is - misguided thirst for satisfaction that only God can fulfill. Then, day 25, Love forgives... says forgiveness has to happen, or a successful marriage won't. This is the area of marriage you have to get good at. And then today, day 27, Love encourages... deals with expectations being unfulfilled. Divorce is nearly inevitable when people refuse to allow their spouses to be human. So there needs to be a transition in your thinking. You must choose to live by encouragement rather than expectations. Near the end of the chapter, the author asks, Don't you want married life to be a place where you can enjoy free expression of who you are, growing within a safe environment that encourages you even when you fail? Your spouse does too - and love gives them that privilege. This is really good stuff. Let's keep reading!

The information in Day 19 and Day 20 is no doubt the most important information in the whole book. Only though having the power of God and the love of God in our lives are we able to love the way Love Dare is leading us to love. Ask God to show you where you stand with Him and ask Him for the strength and grace to settle this important matter of where you will spend eternity.

It is enjoyable to be studying the love dare book during Valentine's Day weekend. I hope a lot of couples are experiencing new life in their marriage because of the contents of this great book. Even if you are not in a "couple" relationship right now, no doubt you are enjoying learning more about what love really is and how God wants His love to be in you to make a difference in others all around you. Page 81 says each of us comes into life with an inborn hunger to be known, loved, and accepted. God will use you to meet that need in others, and for those of us who are married, to meet that need in our mate.
I like the way the book continues the theme of Love "Dare". Page 76 says There is no guarantee that anything in this book will change your spouse. But that is not what this book is about. It's about you daring to love. If you take the love dare seriously, there is a high likelihood that you will be personally changed from the inside out. Page 83 says The reality of intimacy always takes time to develop, especially after being compromised. But your commitment to re-establish it can happen today-for anyone willing to take the dare.