Month: December 2018

Visiting Mom for Christmas

/ pastorpete51 / Leave a comment

Why not make plans to visit a nursing home this Christmas? It may be the most valuable Christmas gift that some will receive this year!

pastorpete51's avatarWalking With Lambs

Maybe your first memory of your Mom is her sitting you on her lap to tell you a story. Later it meant coming home from school and smelling cookies baking in the oven. As an adult maybe time with her meant a special dinner at her favorite restaurant and photographs of her holding her grandchildren. But for some seeing mom this Christmas means a drive to visit to her in the nursing home.

You might be thinking “Well that is not the situation in our family” or “Yes that’s true, our pastor ought to do something about it!” But the opportunity to visit someone’s mother is available to all of us. The sad fact is that of the 1.4 million* nursing home residents in the United States, less than 30% will receive a single visit from a family member, friend or neighbor in an entire year. P1030465

Why not consider organizing…

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Seeing His Star

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Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold wise men from the east came to Jerusalem saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw His star when it rose and have come to worship him.       Matthew 2:1-2

The wise men began their journey when they saw the star. It was such an amazing sight that they packed their bags and left their homes to discover where this king was to be born. Though tradition holds that they traveled for 12 days, the Bible doesn’t tell us the length of their journey. What we do learn is that along the way they lost sight of the star.

In our everyday lives as Christians somewhere between the hills, deserts and valleys we also lose sight of the star. When the wise men lost their way they did what some of us hate to do, they asked for directions! But when we get spiritually off course we shouldn’t be afraid to ask for help. God is pleased to offer His guidance. The interesting thing is that the wise men got their new trip route from the same source we have access to today, from the Bible! God’s word pointed them directly towards Bethlehem and then we read these words:KIMG0900

After listening to the king they went on their way and behold the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was.  Matthew 2:9

 

 

Real help for Real trouble

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Sometimes it is comforting to hide behind a wall of silence in an attempt to maintain an appearance of okay-nes. But walls and pretending do nothing to help.

The reality is that every day without God’s help we are free falling ever deeper into the dark abyss of fear. How wonderfully loving of our God who always knows the truth to have His grace available to us when we cry out. And through all our trouble it has never been God who is hidden from us but we who have hidden our faces from Him.