The Lord Gives and the Lord Takes Away - Blessed be the Name of the Lord.

  The title of this post is a quote from from Job 1:21 and it describes my life this past year. Life is full of change. Some changes are more dramatic than others but change is one of the few constants in our lives isn't it? As the church I serve in has been in transition I have seen many people and staff leave the church.  It's been hard to say the least, I treat church like family and I hate it when people leave for whatever the reasons. If you love others, than you hurt when they are no longer a part of your life on a consistent basis. But the Lord has brought more new people in and is bringing a new Lead Pastor. I am excited for the people and staff of Southbrook as this new era of Godly Leadership begins.

  Tears of joy and tears of sorrow.  Just in the past month I saw my dear Mom pass from this life into the hope she had in Jesus for a life in Heaven. My brother, sisters, my Dad and my wife Karyn were surrounding her when she breathed her last breathe.  It was so very peaceful and I am so glad she is no longer suffering. I miss her and so do the many who knew her.  But tears of sorrow were replaced with tears of JOY as I was literally flying home from my Mom's Memorial Service in Illinois. While I was in the air my oldest daughter Brittany delivered Noah Thomas Rivera into the world as her husband Thomas coached and encouraged her through the birth of their son, which makes me a Grandpa! Talk about the circle of life. As we landed I couldn't hold the tears back, tears of sorrow and tears of joy.

  It's the season of family and friends gathering together to sing and celebrate, to participate in passed on traditions or create new ones.  It's also a time to reflect as we look back on one year and head into the next.  I am an optimist to be sure, but honestly I am not sure where anyone can place their hope other than God.  I get it that religion and church politics have turned many away, the holier than thou smugness, the fact that all Christians are hypocrites and that many a Pastor has become a captive to the same form of pride called entitlement that many celebrities, sports figures and politicians get sucked into.

   But....and this is the point to this blog - it is the Lord who gave you life, gave you much to make a great life. And it is the sin of this world that also damages and destroys. Put your hope in God, He is faithful, people are not.  People come and go but the Lord is full of love, compassion, mercy and grace.  Whatever your experience with church or God has been in the past, please know this He is waiting with His arms wide open for you because He is crazy about you. Next year I may not be around to write this blog, you may not be around to read it. Make the most of the days you have!!!  The Lord gives and the Lord takes away - blessed be the name of the Lord!

Are You Missing Out?

If you are like most Christ followers you can't wait to get with others to passionately worship God and express what's on your heart for Him through singing. Corporate worship is fairly easy - we go to church where skilled singers, players and production people lead us in giving God praise, thanks and express His worth. But that's only for so many minutes once or twice a week at best. If you are like me - that's just not enough! There is something we can do, but many people miss this. Are you ready? Personal worship! No, I do not mean worshiping yourself - I mean worshiping God on your own throughout the week. Regardless if you play an instrument or sing. Here are some ideas.

- Write God a love note. Sounds corny but that's really what praise/thanksgiving/songs are anyway.
- Listen to praise/worship cd's/create Pandora/Spotify Stations or burn your own cd/playlist, then get alone and listen or sing with these. Your heart will fill up with more love to express to God.
- I start my daily time with God by reading a few pages of a book called "10,000 Reasons to Praise God For" very creative!
- Be still and listen in silence - God can reveal Himself during this time. During my silence I begin to think of all the reasons I love God, His character and all that He has done for me and is to me. See Psalm 46:10.
- Take a walk in nature but really take the time to discover. Don't make this an exercise walk, make this about the creativity of God. How leaves are shaped, how many varieties of trees and plants, birds, and animals there are. But don't worship creation, worship the creator while you enjoy His creation.

We were meant to worship God all of the time, worship should be something you just can't do enough of. And of course, our lives, the way we conduct them is worship (see Romans 12:1-2). Don't wait - start today!

Wonder

At Christmastime my sense of wonder heightens, I love watching children get excited about Santa, toys, decorations and parties. I love how one moment the Christmas Spirit seems bigger than life and people are generous and kind, but then we get stuck in traffic or Black Friday sales and cause riots and get mean and selfish. How are these things possible? This makes me wonder.

In the Book of Corinthians "God made Him who knew no sin to become sin so that we might become the righteousness of God." Wonderful! Amazing! It didn't start with the birth of Christ and it didn't end with the death/sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Christianity is the only religion where God works His way towards us since it's impossible to work our way to Him. That causes me to be in wonder and realize how wonderful God is toward me and all of us.

As I close I leave you with an illustration; if I went out a bought you a Christmas gift, wrapped it, tied a bow around it and placed your name on a card on it, is it yours? You have the knowledge of the gift, I could describe the gift even, but the reality is that is not your gift entirely until you receive it. Many people know about God, Jesus and His offer to completely forgive us of all of our sins. But knowing about it will not change a thing, it's only when you personally receive that gift by asking for it, believing it and trust in what He says He has done. Knowledge is never enough, it's about the experience! I hope you will wonder a lot about why the world has celebrated the birth of God's gift for 2000 years!

The greatest gift you can ever receive is complete forgiveness, unconditional love, and a place with God for eternity. Jesus is the reason for this season and it makes me be in wonder and awe.

Got A Second, Make A Choice

Everyday we have choices to make, lots of them. Maybe too many choices! Growing up in a small town we had 2 grocery stores, 2 Gas Stations, 5 TV Channels and 5 Churches. Choices were limited, and our minds were not inundated with constant thinking through which things to choose, and not too much about the consequences.

Today, there are so many choices, from a million products in grocery stores, 500 TV Stations 24 hours a day, more churches than you can shake a stick at. With so many choices we just get stressed out by them. At McDonald's there was a hamburger, a cheeseburger, coke or orange, and Chocolate, Vanilla and Strawberry Shakes. Not today!

People do the same with God. Many follow Him only when there is a crisis, at holidays, when someone dies, or when it's popular, which it isn't too much anymore. But God chose us while we were sinners, enemies of the Cross, He created us, saved us,

loves us, is crazy about us, empowers us, surrounds us, lives in us, is for us, never leaves nor forsakes us. He even sings over us, has a special new name and body for us, gifts us to serve and proclaim Him and even lets us represent Him. I just have a quick question, why would you not choose Him?

Foundations are tricky things, I am no construction or engineering guy, but I have heard wild stories of houses, buildings and roads where the foundations weren't solid and it meant disaster. Billions of dollars of worth of destruction happened because of poor planning/research, or acts of nature.

Our lives need foundations because disasters will happen. These disasters may not even be our fault, but something may go wrong because of either poor planning or a natural disaster. We will need a strong foundation in order to survive and thrive. Take some time to think about what you are building your life on that is strong enough to count on. Most people will say family, friends, health and traditions. Those are good, but let's face it, family and friends are NOT 100% reliable. People die, get sick, move away or there is a disagreement that divides.

Those of you reading this know me well enough, (I think) to know that I have built my foundation on God and the Bible. They have stood the test of time and truth! The truths found in them have sustained people for thousands of years. I admit there is controversy in some parts of the Bible regarding slavery, religious wars and the mistreatment of people. People are flawed and that's why we need God. People come and go, philosophy's become out-dated, historic buildings and even modern ones that supposedly are indestructible have fallen! Building your life on top of God and His truth will be the best thing you can do.

I close with John 14:6, Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life, no one can come to the Father (get to Heaven) except through me". You don't have to crumble when disaster comes, God is for you, He will never leave you, He is faithful! People and organizations will let you down. There are many wrong things said about God, the Bible and the church all under the subject of "organized religion", but part of the reason Jesus came was to get rid of religion and have people live in freedom and love. A local church is full of people who are in process, but as God takes over our lives people will see a difference. A life filled with love, forgiveness, generosity, unity, and crosses barriers that prove God is a foundation worth building upon.