Family Survival Kit? Some things are better untried

By request here is the video from yesterday, I especially like the "Sleepy Time Brat Darts" Enjoy.

Relationship resources for today's message

I mentioned a couple of resources from today's message. One was the book the DNA of relationships. You can get it on AMAZON.com, I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to seriously improve your relationships.

A second resource is the National Institute of Marriage which offers intensive marriage counseling in both Branson, MO and Rome, GA. The website of this organizations is www.nationalmarriage.com/


If you want more information on "Core Fears" use this link
Core Fear Test

More on Core Fears and Connection and Control
Core Fears

MP3 Audio on DNA of Relationships


Article on the "Fear Dance" by Dr. Robert Paul
Egypt to the Promised Land

Blessings,
Jesse Waggoner

Open your Present

A few years back at a family Christmas get-together, the house was filled with presents and persons. I am sure you know something of this kind of gathering. It consisted of two grandparents, a couple of great grandparents, several children, a few in-laws, a bunch of grandkids, a trio of pets and some assorted family friends. When the time came the kids began the opening their presents, followed by the adults. Finally, there remained one nicely wrapped box. It had no tag or name listed. It remained unopened until we could figure out what to do with it.

Salvation is also a gift: "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23). It cannot be purchased or earned through our good deeds; it only can be accepted on the basis of faith. "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8). Faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ is the only way to open the gift of God.

What of the unopened gift? Finally someone was selected to open it and it was directed to the right recipient. Perhaps this Christmas there is still one gift you have not opened. God is waiting to give you the gift of salvation.

What does it mean?

Think of the last nativity scene you saw. What if you had no knowledge of the Christmas story and your assignment was to deduce the story from that picture of the circumstances of Jesus birth? Would you conclude that the baby was of some importance since he is surrounded by crowd of shepherds, farm animals and middle-eastern nobles bearing gifts? But if is He has such notoriety why a bed of hay, and why a barnyard maternity ward? I think for the uniformed it would not really make sense. The nativity set would generate more questions than answers.

It is only with the backdrop of the Bibles account does it all make sense. In its pages you learn of the Fathers love, the Sons obedience, the angels worship, Marys wonder, Josephs faith, the shepards diligence, the wisemens persistence and the worlds Savior. I am looking forward to spending the next trio of Sundays to take us all back to the manger and lets be amazed again at what we find.

Treasure Hunting

So have you started your Christmas shopping yet? Friday was the largest shopping day of the year for retailers and has earned the title “Black Friday.” The police department in Philadelphia is credited with coining the term due to the heavy traffic jams in the city on this busy shopping day. For online retailers, the Monday after Thanksgiving is known as “Cyber Monday” and is usually the peak of their virtual traffic. So what drives all of this frantic activity? It is the desire to obtain the perfect gifts for family and friends, and to do so at a bargain!

Sometimes we miss some special gifts tucked into God’s Word. They are hidden to us because the culture of the Bible is foreign to us and the original languages of the Bible are quite different than English. It takes a little extra effort to find treasures that are perfect for our lives. Tonight we will continue our treasure hunt as we seek to find some hidden treasures from God’s Word. We will step deep into that which is beneath the surface to find nuggets of truth. So join us tonight at six; it will be more fun than Christmas shopping!

Living out of a suitcase

For most of the week just past I have been staying in a hotel and I have been living out of a suitcase. I am glad to being back in Charleston, in my own home, sleeping in my own bed, and today to be back with you. But there is something one can learn from living out of a suitcase. I am (for a brief time anyway) able to live quite well with only a limited amount of stuff, and even at that I usually pack more stuff than I really need. But maybe I am not the only one who is a little “over packed.”

In 1 Peter 2:11 the apostle Peter appealed for believers to live a life of purity because believers are “Pilgrims” or travelers in this world. In essence, this side of heaven, we are all “living out of a suitcase.” Our real home is with our Lord --our present location is only temporary. But during this trip we often overload ourselves with baggage we were never meant to carry. Our God really wants us to travel light by casting our burdens of worry and care on him (1 Peter 5:7). As we look at another portion of God’s Word that provides for us some amazing reasons to trust God, I hope you will leave with a little less baggage today. It is my prayer that God will cause you to trust Him more today. Will join me in praying that God will help us all do a little unpacking?

Additional Helps for Fathers

Here are the books I mentioned in my Father's Day sermon. Any or all would be a blessing to you and your family.