count your blessings

Ephesians 1:3 NLT

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.

We really are blessed. Look around and count your blessings rather than loathing or complaining about what you don’t have. That is easy to do, confusing our problems with our blessings.

When we are distracted, we will not see what God is doing. Have you noticed that?

Signs of the Christmas season are all around. The lights and the decorations. The music and the holiday festivities.

All around us are also needs that stand open for us to help with. Can you do something about those? I did not ask if you can fix the problems of the world. I did not ask if you can change all the people who are struggling or the governments that seem to be missing the most important. I asked how can you help?

I assert that one of the best ways to help is to recognize how blessed you are. Count your blessings. Name them. Write them down. Stop and thank God for the blessings. Some of those are people, and tell them how blessed they make you. Thank God for what you do have and not what you don’t.

That recognition will make meeting needs a little easier.

Last Sunday we handed our people at church a small bag with some items to give away this week. It wasn’t much. In each bag was a card that pointed people to some videos and to our church services. My prayer is that each recipient will see or hear or know who God is AND how much God loves them. I cannot wait to hear how those little bags impacted some lives, but we might never know. But God knows.

Recognize your blessings, and then choose to be a blessing to someone this weekend and this Christmas season!

Job 29:13 NLT

I helped those without hope, and they blessed me. And I caused the widows’ hearts to sing for joy.

Psalm 31:19 NLT

How great is the goodness you have stored up for those who fear you. You lavish it on those who come to you for protection, blessing them before the watching world.

We are blessed to be a blessing to others!

NOTE: there will be a work day at our new campus tomorrow, December 11th, beginning just after 8am. Come out and help. Then plan to join us for worship this Sunday at 10:10 and Saturday for our addiction ministry worship at 6pm.

Have you heard of EDITH BURNS?

Edith Burns was a wonderful Christian who lived in San Antonio, Texas . She was the patient of a doctor by the name of Will Phillips. Dr. Phillips was a gentle doctor who saw patients as people. His favorite patient was Edith Burns. One morning he went to his office with a heavy heart and it was because of Edith Burns. When he walked into that waiting room, there sat Edith with her big black Bible in her lap earnestly talking to a young mother sitting beside her. Edith Burns had a habit of introducing herself in this way: "Hello, my name is Edith Burns. Do you believe in Easter?" Then she would explain the meaning of Easter, and many times people would be saved. Dr. Phillips walked into that office and there he saw the head nurse, Beverly. Beverly had first met Edith when she was taking her blood pressure. Edith began by saying,"My name is Edith Burns. Do you believe in Easter?" Beverly said, "Why yes I do." Edith said, "Well, what do you ...

wash feet, sharing hope

John 13:4-5,14 NLT So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, 5 and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him… 14 And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. Jesus set the example we follow. He served. He valued and gave value to others. That is why we choose to serve. For 18 years our church has shared an outreach called back2school, and for 16 of those years we have chosen to give students brand new shoes and socks as well as washing their feet. It is one of the most important parts of this event. Washing feet is a humbling experience where both the give and the receiver learn how to share some moments that might change their lives. Jesus said we should do this. See the verse above. Follow His example, do what He did, and give far more than you will ever know....

Catalyst ticket arrived

My ticket to the Catalyst Conference, in Atlanta Oct 8-10, just arrived. I'm excited!

Michael Harrison's e-devotion

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