Christmas Love!

The first of the fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22,23 is love. God, through the work of His Spirit, wants us to grow in this area of love.

"Love" is not about getting, but about giving. John 3:16 states, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son...." Love is thinking about what is best for others before yourself. Love is about GIVING.

So, during this Christmas season, remember that God loves you so much. That's why he gave his son Jesus to us. You can show God's love to others during this season as you give your time, your talents, your help, gifts, a smile, an encouraging word, and more!

May God's love encourage you today as you share His love with others!

Where the Wild Things Are

We recently talked about "Where the Wild Things Are." In this book (and movie) a boy named Max wants to be King of the Wild Things. He sometimes misbehaves and gets in trouble. I think it's because he's having problems at home and he doesn't quite know what to do. Sometimes he is mad. Sometimes he is lonely. Sometimes he feels sad. When things are going bad, we can have different feelings...and that's okay. It's good to talk about those feelings then.

The Bible helps us know how to react and what to think when things aren't going very good.

Don't forget, just because things aren't going good, that doesn't mean that God has stopped loving you. He still does! And He says, "I will never leave you or forsake you!" Hebrews 13:5.

People in the Bible also had challenges. David is one of them. He would talk to God about his problems when he was sad or when he was angry or when he was lonely. Read some of these scriptures. How do you think David felt?

Psalm 27
Psalm 57
Psalm 30
Psalm 31
Psalm 69

You could read one of these each day of the week if you want.

These writings by David remind me that sometimes life is tough, but God still loves us. His plan is for your good...and He is cheering you on! Don't give up. Talk with God about this like David did. Maybe you want to write down some of your thoughts and prayers like David did.

I hope you made it to kids church, because we talked about this and SO MUCH MORE!

See you soon. Have a great week with Jesus!

Intercessory Prayer

To "intercede" means "to stand in the gap." When we intercede for others, that's called intercession. It means that we stand between two people who need our help.

A lawyer is a person who intercedes for another before a judge.

A person who steps into a middle of a fight to protect another person may be called an intercessor.

What Jesus did for us at the cross was an act of intercession.

Read about Abraham and how he interceded for his nephew Lot in Genesis chapter 18 and 19:1,2 & 19:14-29.

Abraham spoke to the Lord on behalf of the innocent. He was "making intercession." When you speak to the Lord so others will be saved, that's prayer. That's is intercessory prayer.

Who can use your prayers today? Take some time and make a list and then pray for them. If you keep that list, and keep on praying, you will see that God is a God who answers prayer!

The Return of Jesus!

What an incredible week we have had!

Clowns from Georgia, Washington state, Arkansas, Illinois and Minnesota were with us this week in our Wednesday kids clubs and in our Sunday morning service. That was a blast!

This week our focus was on John 14:1-3. In these verses, Jesus said, "I will come back and take you to be with me."

Did you know that Jesus is alive, and he is going to come back to take those with him who love him and are ready to go?!

In Luke 14:15-23 Jesus told a story that helps us understand that Jesus wants everyone to be with him, but some people just have excuses. Take some time to read that today!

When Jesus calls to us, let's not have excuses. Let's be ready to go!

The Parable of the Sower

We had a wonderful time Sunday morning as families joined together in the main sanctuary for worship. Over twenty people also followed the Lord's instruction in water baptism.

At the beginning of Mark 4, Jesus shared a story about a farmer. Take some time this week to read this story together as a family. Do you remember the four soils? Which one are you like? Maybe you are like different soils at different times. That happens to everyone. Our goal should be to have our hearts be like good soil.

Take some time today to open your heart to the Word of God. God wants to grow you spiritually!