MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Merry Christmas!!! I hope you all have had a great Christmas today as you have celebrated the true miracle of Christmas. The true miracle of Christmas is Jesus coming, living, and dying. It's not about gifts, Santa, or deliciously good food. If you think about it, it's about love and redemption. Love so deep God came down and died on a cross. Even though the Christmas day is drawing to an end, always remember God's love! Have a great new year, too. I will be praying for you. Any specific things to pray about?

Bell-Ringing!

Yesterday we rang bells for the Salvation Army. Considering the week, it was a good day to ring bells (probably the best in the week). It went pretty well. Afterwards, we went and ate at Pizza Hut. Yes, we do get jokes about bell ringing. :p Happy early Christmas! What are you doing for Christmas? Do you have any fun and special traditions? Merry, merry Christmas friends!

Happy Christmas and Happy New Year!

Wow, isn't that so crazy how this year is almost over? Man, I am excited to say '10. Are you excited about Christmas and the New Year? Do you have any New Year's resolutions yet? Our lesson at youth group this week was about the true miracle of Christmas. The true miracle of Christmas is that God came down (not just another baby) to die on the cross. Can you believe how much He humbled Himself? He humbled Himself so much to come down AS A BABY and be born in a stable. He humbled Himself so much He died on the cross for our sins. He could have zapped the people mocking Him dead right then-but He didn't. And then He chose from the dead! He defeated death and sin by raising from the death. And when He resurrected, He proved who He said He was. Isn't He amazing?!

Go and be Jesus to the world!

We complain that we can’t see God. We want to see him, we want to touch him, to hear his laughter. We want his arms of love to surround us when we cry, to hold us tight and whisper in our ear, “It’s gonna be okay.” We dream of the day when we will be with him, forever. But we want him here, to be with us now.

Is he? Perhaps he is here, with us now, but we aren’t seeing him. Then again, perhaps we aren’t looking. Maybe we are looking for him in the wrong place. Instead of searching for him in the pews, we should walk the streets of the ‘hood. Go, feed the homeless. Hold the baby of a fourteen-year-old girl. Gaze at children’s faces, children who deal drugs. Children who are in gangs. Fathers who beat their children. Girls who should be laughing and playing but are locked in the slavery of prostitution. Go to the hypocritical Christians who only toss money at the homeless. They think they help. But they don’t give the homeless what they need the most: love.

Do you love these precious people? They are just like you, people that Jesus came to die for. And when you look in the faces of these dirty, starving homeless as you scoop of bowls of soup, you are looking in the face of Jesus.

Do you even see these people? Before you can touch them, love them, help them, you must first find them. Jesus is crying gently as He turns to us "Sunday Christians" and asks, “Do you see me now? Can you hear me? I am crying; are you listening? You want to see me but you ignore me when I am right before you! These people…They are rejected, lonely, and broken. But I died for them, too! Go to them. Go to them and love them. Put them above yourself. Don’t just give them a couple wadded up dollars, give them love. And tell them this: That I loved them so much I died for them.” Go and be Jesus to the world!