New to Me

It’s a brand-new year. The page is blank. The expectations we have for ourselves are positive, bright, reachable, attainable and measurable. Most of us figure that next year will be better. It is a great sentiment and it all begins in our minds. A long time ago someone told me that when you think it, it will happen. If you think 2009 will be a great year, it will be.
But to be a better year you will have to do more then just think it. As Nike used to say, “Just Do It!” So many people want things to happen in their lives but they never take the steps to make it happen.
A good number of years ago, my dad purchased his first computer. On his own he went into the store to take a look. He is one of those shoppers that commission sales people love to come in their store. A young man walked up to him and asked if he could be of any assistance. Half hour later, dad walked out to the car with more computer then most people would ever need. But, he was happy.
Once home he called up the “kids” and a number of us went over and got him started. Hooked him onto the server, got him an email address and all the other things that go with getting started. He was thrilled until we left him alone with the computer. After one hundred and ninety hours of playing solitaire he was on the phone again. We taught him a few more things and left again. At that point, he called up Mohawk College and took an introductory course in computers. The oldest student at Mohawk that year. He made it happen.
For all of us, life is a hands on experience. Things don’t just happen because we just think about it. We are proactive. We have to take the cat by the tail . . . not literally. You know what I mean.
This time of year is no different. We can sit and hibernate over the winter sitting in front of the tv. OR you can make it happen. You can do it with your weight, which by the way is usually the number one resolution at new years. You can do it with healthy eating, you can do it with what you read, watch on tv or listen to on your ipod. You can do it in your spiritual health as well. The more positives we put in our lives the more we will get out of life.
So I encourage all of you to take that step of having a better year this year then last. While stuck inside due to the weather, start by memorizing this verse and making it your verse for 2009. Have a great year!!! I will.

“Not that I have already reached the goal or am already fully mature, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus. Brothers, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God's heavenly call in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:12-14

Joy To The World

Merry Christmas! Have a Merry Christmas. Or to our English friends, Happy Christmas!
We wish you a Merry . . . What’s that mean anyway. How many times have you heard that this year? How many times have you heard or read about its Christmas and not Seasons Greetings? After all, what does Seasons Greetings mean? If you follow some of their trains of thought, you find something like this. What is the season? Well, it’s winter. And I say, what’s so good about being cooped up inside for four months of the year. Well, except for those that go south.
Yes, it’s Christmas. To some that doesn’t mean much except a time of gifts and giving. If you are reading this column right now, it probably means more to you then you may admit. But then again we have heard it before, many times before. Many, many times before. And that’s not always good.
For us church folk, we have heard it so many times we can almost recite the passages of Matthew and Luke in our sleep. HEY YOU! Wake up in the back row. Yes, you, the one talking in your sleep. I noticed it on Sunday. People who are so familiar that they moved onto other things in their minds until the scripture reading was over. And you thought I wouldn’t notice . . .
You know, but that’s too bad and so sad. One of the most important happenings has become so familiar that we dismiss it and say to ourselves, same things, different years. We forget that this is a historical fact that is substantiated by real people in real places far, far away. They were visited by real angels. Yes, real angels. And a choir like no one in this world has ever heard since. No offence to Christmas Choirs this year or last year or . . .
It’s a story of a first time mom. With a child that has come, in unexplainable ways. And what about those sheep herders and the story they told this young mother. Within hours of sunrise these rough men with wind blown faces had been all over town telling everyone what happened and about a little baby, who would save the world. Yes, real men talking about a real baby. That in itself is a miracle.
You see that it’s all real. It’s the only thing this world needed then and needs now. A child coming into the world to save it from itself. To save us from our sin drenched selves. The Lamb of God, come to touch our lives. Your life. My life.
Merry Christmas, what’s it meaning? It means the world to us who believe. We wish you a Christmas filled with the wonder of the Christ child. If you don’t know Him now, meet Him today.
Joy to The World, The Lord Is Come!
Merry Christmas, Rob

Most of us live for today. Life is changing and we embrace today and prepare our hearts and minds for tomorrow. That is except for Christmas. It seems that Christmas brings out in us a great admiration of the past. People in our past, things in our past, or as the song from last week ends, “And tales of the glories Of Christmases long, long ago.”
Years ago, our world had a familiarity that we seemed to cherish. The Beaver Clever type world we lived in. I have been told that times change. In the nineties we were told that change is not only coming but it needs to be embraced. Now, almost a decade into the twenty first century, our world and our churches are almost being fired off on the tip of an arrow. And it won’t be long until that is replaced by change being fired out the end of a gun barrel.
So, now for just a moment, sit back, take a moment and think of those “Christmases long, long ago.” Got that picture? Hold it. I see that smile! I know, I have not only done it a hundred times already this year but I have also experienced one of those moments recently.
At the beginning of last week, our two daughters needed some help with their two daughters. It seemed like the two of them had important “stuff” to do in the chaotic world they live in with their text messages and emails. So, grammy and grandpa offered to step in for a night during the week and take care of them. First we had to pick them up, take them to Kid Zone and then wait. Three hours later, after their time at church, they were picked up and driven to our home where I found them fast asleep in the spare room.
You have done it, and so did I. Stopped for a moment and looked in on them to make sure they were covered up and all was well. But it is what happened in the morning that put the past into the present. Memories and times past came flooding back as I climbed the stair to go and get them up and ready for school. It’s been a while since I did the same thing with two other sleeping beauties. There they were, as I watched with delight, those beautiful sleepy morning faces.
It wasn’t long until it was time to say, as I had so many times before, “Lets Go! We are going to be late.” And yes, we got away in time to make the bus, forgetting one lunch in the process. Some things never change. After I dropped the second one off at school, I drove away smiling to myself and remembering a part of yesterday today.
This Christmas, return to where you came from, if only for an hour, and experience the wonder and grandness of joining others in worshiping the King. Christmas with Him will be just as beautiful this year as it was long, long ago. After all, “Jesus is the same, yesterday, today and forever.”
Something to experience.
Rob

It's The Most Wonderful Time of The Year

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year”

Remember Andy Williams singing those words sometime during his many TV Christmas Shows? You can’t get through, or should I say, I can’t get through Christmas without singing those words many many time. Fortunately for everyone else, I sing when I’m alone. The problem is, I don’t remember enough of the song to sing it all the way through. But really, the rest of the song does not pay attention to what the wonder of Christmas is. It is not really about the kids’ jingle belling, holiday greetings, parties for hosting, marshmallows for toasting, or mistle toeing. Most children and children at heart believe the wonder is all about the gifts. Making lists of gifts, buying, wrapping, giving and getting gifts.

We do all the gift things due to one priceless gift given to the whole human race two thousand years ago by God, He gave us the gift of His Son. He didn’t give this gift because He needed to, He gave us His Son as a result of His unfathomable mercy and grace. Grace is getting what you don’t deserve; mercy is not getting what you do deserve. They are both ours in Christ. In doing this for us He took our sins away and invited us into a close relationship with Himself. One priceless gift; one awesome God.

How can we give back to Him? He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. The only things we can give Him are our hearts and our talents in service to Him. If you have not given Him this gift, do it this Christmas. Then share God’s gift. Give the gift of Christ this Christmas by passing Him on. His gifts to each of us are always for someone else as well.

Christmas is spiritual, full of gifts and gift giving. Let’s not forget to give the gift of Christ this Christmas. It’s the one gift among all the others that is truly priceless.
Just something I sang about.
Rob

First Week of Advent

If you are reading this, you probably are up and moving. Like me you climbed out of bed, placed both feet on the floor and made your first major decision already. Maybe you have made more then the decision to put one foot in front of the other. Just maybe you have made many decisions and now you are having lunch, supper, dinner or just relaxing at the end of a full day. Every day is filled with decisions. They come in all kinds of sizes as well. I was once told that of all the decisions we make in life, 50% will be wrong. That my friend is scary, and scarier to some more then others. Looking back to yesterday, the wrong ones, really didn’t matter. The other 50% seemed to be all right, well, yesterday anyway. How about you? What is your average? How are you doing making decisions? You know, there are people who seek to escape making decisions and failing and they do one of two things. One group becomes so paranoid, and they don’t venture outside their comfort zone due to fear of making those wrong decisions. Then there are some who let people make all their decisions for them. That way they have a 100% right decisions’ average. Recognize anyone like them? I’m reminded of this when I read the story about Mary, the mother of Jesus. Here comes the angel Gabriel. Now think about this for a minute. The angel said to her a number of things; 1. Don’t be afraid 2. You are favoured 3. You are going to have a baby without Joseph. Which statement do you think she heard? That’s what I think to. A young dark haired brown eyed young 15-16 year-old girl who has learned to make right decisions. (That’s number two). Put yourself in her position. Or is this what you would have said to Gabriel, “Hey Gabriel, I’ve made a lot of decisions and my average is quite good so, do you think you could ask someone else because I would really like to keep my average up?” If it was me, that thought might have gone through my head. And a few others including, “Are you crazy!?” Or maybe run as fast as you can in the other direction. (And that’s number one). But God knows best. He knew how a seemingly wrong decision would be a right one. He knows and that’s all I need to know. Just maybe, we can trust Him to take our mistakes and make them better. “ Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all ways acknowledge Him and he will straighten out your way through life.” Must have something to do with changing a negative decision into a positive? Something to think about. Rob