As we wrap up the year 2007 I like to take the time to reflect on events that have taken place in my life. Last night over a date at Chili's, my wife and I named the top three events that were most exciting in our lives and also the top 3 trying events we had experienced as well.
Some of my most memorable highlights for the year were:
1) My baby's 1st B-Day.
2) Arriving at Family Church/Going into full-time ministry.
3)Getting into our new house two nights before Christmas.
4) Getting to see my daughter run down the hall Christmas morning.
5) Knowing what truly matters for eternity this Christmas.
6) Being humbled by the outpouring of love and giving by Family Church.
Some of our more trying times.
1) Leaving our previous church.
2) Trusting God for the finances we needed until we got stable income.
3) My daughter having a seizure then being hospitalized.
4) Being without a home for 3 months.
"I don't mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us." (Philippians 3:12-14)
For some of us 2007 was a great year, but for others it may have been a difficult one. For some it might have been a year of mistakes and failures. I encourage you with the same words Paul did, "Forget the past and look forward to what lies ahead."
I pray you go into the year 2008 with extreme focus on God and Family!
Monday, December 31, 2007
Sunday, December 23, 2007
It's not your birthday!
Being out of our house, having my daughter hospitalized, etc. during this month of December has brought intense focus on what Christmas is really about and what it is not. The words of my pastor burn in my spirit, "If it doesn't matter for eternity it doesn't matter!". Now I love the Christmas season more than anyone. "The trees, lights, parties, etc. but this year we haven't had any of that...well except some great parties! We will be in our house tonight but we have seriously contemplated putting up a tree, decorations, etc. due to the fact that God is teaching us some things. Things we should know. Things we should have known. Yes, Christmas is a time for giving, a time for family, and a time for friends certainly BUT, Christmas is a time to celebrate the saviour of the world coming to make a way into a relationship with HIM! It is HIS birthday not ours! It is so easy to get distracted with all the commercialism and everything else out there. This year, we need not go through the motions! We are celebrating what truly matters! Our Saviour! Our sins are forgiven! Our health!
What was Jesus first Christmas like? He spent it poor, in a barn, with animals, with stench, etc. The Saviours? Yes!
"And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them." (Luke 2:6-7)
Happy Birthday Jesus!
What was Jesus first Christmas like? He spent it poor, in a barn, with animals, with stench, etc. The Saviours? Yes!
"And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them." (Luke 2:6-7)
Happy Birthday Jesus!
Thursday, December 20, 2007
E3 Christmas Party
E3 Student Ministry of Family Church celebrated Christmas this year at the magnificant home of Martin and Vanessia West. If you've never seen their home all you need to do is drive past it on Hwy 34! What a place! The West have been involved in student ministry for a long time and when they built their home they did it with student ministry in mind. We had a wonderful time in the game room and also in their "theatre room" on the third floor in which we will be watching the LSU Tigers play for the BCS National Championship! Thanks Martin and Vanessia for opening up your home to students!
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Reflection of who He is...Love in Action
(inside father-in-laws house as small group arrived)(above left is the outside of our almost finished new home) (middle is when Gracen was hospitalized. People strolling her in a little red wagon)
"Beck, I've been around a lot of churches, a lot of Christians, and a lot of different denominations through the years and I've NEVER seen anything like this. They are the real deal."
Those were the words that came forth out of my father-in-laws mouth after three car loads of people and students came over and fed us and also left us with a touching card. Most of you know we came to Family Church early in the year and God has continued to do nothing less than miraculous things in our lives. We now serve in full-time ministry at Family Church and are about to move in our brand new home on our land. We have been in my father-in-laws house for over three months now and are anxious to move in my Christmas.
What does Christ look like? Should we see Him when we look at the lives of other believers? Is it easier to talk about Christ than to live like Him? Why don't we see believers share and give like they did in the book of Acts? My family and I have witnessed the believers of Family Church give like I've never seen give. You don't ever hear about it, why? Because they don't advertise it...they don't let there right hand know what the left is doing..but I wanted to take a second and give God praise of the love that we have received. Many people went in together to buy us a 3 ton heat/air unit in which we did not have at our other house-it was very expensive. My daughter had a scary episode in which she was hospitalized for five days. I saw Christ in people coming and giving us clothes to wear and food to eat. I saw Christ in the women who came to relieve Jodi and walk my baby girl around in a little red wagon. I saw Christ in people who came and worked, some 16 hours straight, free of charge to get our house done. I saw people come and work in the cold wet rain to get the outside of our house cleaned up. I could go on and on and it not stop. We have been amazed and humbled. The thing is, we aren't the only story, there is multitudes of stories we see happen week in and week out. It is a lifestyle and preached from the pulpit.
What if we all pitched in and helped? What if we all walked out what we so proudly talk out? What if we truly reflected Christ? Praise be to God.
Those were the words that came forth out of my father-in-laws mouth after three car loads of people and students came over and fed us and also left us with a touching card. Most of you know we came to Family Church early in the year and God has continued to do nothing less than miraculous things in our lives. We now serve in full-time ministry at Family Church and are about to move in our brand new home on our land. We have been in my father-in-laws house for over three months now and are anxious to move in my Christmas.
What does Christ look like? Should we see Him when we look at the lives of other believers? Is it easier to talk about Christ than to live like Him? Why don't we see believers share and give like they did in the book of Acts? My family and I have witnessed the believers of Family Church give like I've never seen give. You don't ever hear about it, why? Because they don't advertise it...they don't let there right hand know what the left is doing..but I wanted to take a second and give God praise of the love that we have received. Many people went in together to buy us a 3 ton heat/air unit in which we did not have at our other house-it was very expensive. My daughter had a scary episode in which she was hospitalized for five days. I saw Christ in people coming and giving us clothes to wear and food to eat. I saw Christ in the women who came to relieve Jodi and walk my baby girl around in a little red wagon. I saw Christ in people who came and worked, some 16 hours straight, free of charge to get our house done. I saw people come and work in the cold wet rain to get the outside of our house cleaned up. I could go on and on and it not stop. We have been amazed and humbled. The thing is, we aren't the only story, there is multitudes of stories we see happen week in and week out. It is a lifestyle and preached from the pulpit.
What if we all pitched in and helped? What if we all walked out what we so proudly talk out? What if we truly reflected Christ? Praise be to God.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
A timely word...
"Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall." (Psalm 55:22)
Have you ever been going through something and you received a timely word either from someone or from something you read? I was driving to the church the other morning when I read the above scripture off of a church sign off of Hwy 557. God's word brought both life and encouragement to my spirit!
For most people Christmas is a time of celebration, joy, and family. But for others, it can be a very difficult time. Maybe they've lost loved ones and this is the first Christmas without them or maybe they are experiencing some other trial or difficulty.
The word of God tells us to "give our burdens to the Lord and he will take care of us." How refreshing is that? To know that we don't have to carry our burdens alone but that Jesus Christ will carry them and take care of us!
Sometimes our burdens seem so heavy and at times too much to bare. Sometimes they seem so large that they could crush us dead! God's word tells us that "He will not permit the godly to slip and fall." What encouragement!
Lord, today we give ALL our burdens to you. All our worries to you! All our cares to you! Lord, lift them from us that we won't be crushed! Lord, thank you that you will sustain us!
Have you ever been going through something and you received a timely word either from someone or from something you read? I was driving to the church the other morning when I read the above scripture off of a church sign off of Hwy 557. God's word brought both life and encouragement to my spirit!
For most people Christmas is a time of celebration, joy, and family. But for others, it can be a very difficult time. Maybe they've lost loved ones and this is the first Christmas without them or maybe they are experiencing some other trial or difficulty.
The word of God tells us to "give our burdens to the Lord and he will take care of us." How refreshing is that? To know that we don't have to carry our burdens alone but that Jesus Christ will carry them and take care of us!
Sometimes our burdens seem so heavy and at times too much to bare. Sometimes they seem so large that they could crush us dead! God's word tells us that "He will not permit the godly to slip and fall." What encouragement!
Lord, today we give ALL our burdens to you. All our worries to you! All our cares to you! Lord, lift them from us that we won't be crushed! Lord, thank you that you will sustain us!
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Source of Power
The other night as several of us were working on the electrical aspect of our house someone went to the breaker box outiside to shut off the power. Now there were several lights within the house that went out after the breaker was cut off. When the main source of power was shut off all the "lights" went out throughout the house...It was dark.
We need to be constantly aware of our source of "power".
"But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything will reward you." (Matthew 6:6)
Don't forget amongst the choas of the holidays to keep prayer your first priority. Notice in the above scripture Jesus said, "When you pray". Not "if" not "if you have time", but "when you pray." Jesus never allows us an excuse not to pray!
Pastor David Yongi Cho who pastors the largest church in the word said, "No prayer, no power.'
Don't allow the enemy to try and cut off your source of power this week. Stay connected and allow your light to shine! People are depending on us and we need the power of the Holy Spirit to be with us to help others and to fight the attacks of the enemy.
We need to be constantly aware of our source of "power".
"But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything will reward you." (Matthew 6:6)
Don't forget amongst the choas of the holidays to keep prayer your first priority. Notice in the above scripture Jesus said, "When you pray". Not "if" not "if you have time", but "when you pray." Jesus never allows us an excuse not to pray!
Pastor David Yongi Cho who pastors the largest church in the word said, "No prayer, no power.'
Don't allow the enemy to try and cut off your source of power this week. Stay connected and allow your light to shine! People are depending on us and we need the power of the Holy Spirit to be with us to help others and to fight the attacks of the enemy.
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