White as Snow: How Nature Reminds Us Of Who God Is

by Jonathan Minnema

The storm this past weekend was one of the most intense storms I have seen in the last few years. Most people spent a large part of their Saturday shoveling snow and a large part of Sunday hunched over from back pain. While snow can sometimes be a nuisance and can even be really destructive, it can also serve as a reminder for who God is and what he does for us.

Isaiah 1:18 says, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow.” When we see the snow falling it can remind us of how great a savior God is to us, how he cleanses us from our sins and makes it as white as the snow. Every time I see snow, I am reminded of that verse. Here are a few other verses that show the character of God and how nature can remind us of who God is.

Psalm 51:7

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;

wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

 

Isaiah 40:26 

Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.

 

Hosea 6:3

Let us acknowledge the Lord;

let us press on to acknowledge him.

As surely as the sun rises,

he will appear;

he will come to us like the winter rains,

like the spring rains that water the earth.

 

Lamentations 3:22

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;

his mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness.

 

Isaiah 44:22

I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud

and your sins like mist;

return to me, for I have redeemed you.

 

Psalm 103:12

For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;

as far as the east is from the west,

so far does he remove our transgressions from us.

 

Deuteronomy 32:11

God is like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them aloft.

 

Psalm 103:15-17

As for man, his days are like grass;

he flourishes like a flower of the field;

for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,

and its place knows it no more.

But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him.

 

Psalm 72:6

May God be like rain falling on a mown field,

like showers watering the earth.

 

Genesis 9:13

I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.

 

2 Samuel 23:4

God is like the light of morning at sunrise on a cloudless morning, like the brightness after rain that brings grass from the earth.

 

Know any other verses like this? Share them below.

The Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards

by Jonathan Minnema

The New Year is a time for resolutions, a time when we motivate ourselves to become better people. Some of us resolve to go the gym every day, some resolve to read more, or spend more time with family, or pray every morning.

Three hundred years ago a pastor and revivalist by the name of Jonathan Edwards also made a list of resolutions. Seventy resolution, in fact. At the time he wrote them he was nineteen years old, yet they governed how he lived his life every single day until he died. Because he guided his life according to these resolutions he became the greatest theologian in American history and one of the greatest thinkers of all time. Here are a few of my favorites resolution from his list of seventy:

Resolution 1. Resolved, that I will do whatsoever I think to be most to God’s glory, and my own good, profit and pleasure, in the whole of my duration, without any consideration of the time, whether now, or never so many myriads of ages hence. Resolved to do whatever I think to be my duty, and most for the good and advantage of mankind in general. Resolved to do this, whatever difficulties I meet with, how many and how great soever.

Resolution 7. Resolved, never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do, if it were the last hour of my life.

Resolution 16. Resolved, never to speak evil of anyone, so that it shall tend to his dishonor, more or less, upon no account except for some real good.

Resolution17. Resolved, that I will live so as I shall wish I had done when I come to die.

Resolution 25. Resolved, to examine carefully, and constantly, what that one thing in me is, which causes me in the least to doubt of the love of God; and to direct all my forces against it.

Resolution 28. Resolved, to study the Scriptures so steadily, constantly and frequently, as that I may find, and plainly perceive myself to grow in the knowledge of the same.

Resolution 31. Resolved, never to say anything at all against anybody, but when it is perfectly agreeable to the highest degree of Christian honor, and of love to mankind, agreeable to the lowest humility, and sense of my own faults and failings, and agreeable to the Golden Rule.

Resolution 33. Resolved, always to do what I can towards making, maintaining and establishing peace, when it can be without over-balancing detriment in other respects.

Resolution 40. Resolved, to inquire every night, before I go to bed, whether I have acted in the best way I possibly could, with respect to eating and drinking.

Resolution 42. Resolved, frequently to renew the dedication of myself to God.

Resolution 53. Resolved, to improve every opportunity, when I am in the best and happiest frame of mind, to cast and venture my soul on the Lord Jesus Christ, to trust and confide in him, and consecrate myself wholly to him; that from this I may have assurance of my safety, knowing that I confide in my Redeemer.

Resolution 65. Resolved, very much to exercise myself in this all my life long, namely with the greatest openness I am capable of, to declare my ways to God, and lay open my soul to him: all my sins, temptations, difficulties, sorrows, fears, hopes, desires, and everything, and every circumstance.

Resolution 67. Resolved, after afflictions, to inquire, what I am the better for them, what good I have got by them, and what I might have got by them.

Resolution 68. Resolved, to confess frankly to myself all that which I find in myself, either infirmity or sin; and, if it be what concerns religion, also to confess the whole case to God, and implore needed help.

Resolution 70. Let there be something of benevolence, in all that I speak.

You can find the full list of resolutions here.

Join the conversation:
What are some of your resolutions?
How do you intend to pursue a deeper relationship with Christ this year?

More Than Just the Winter Blues

by Sandy Lynn Bober

“You had a son, you must be so HAPPY!”

I have heard this phrase countless times in the past three months. The Lord blessed us with three beautiful girls and this past September blessed us with a handsome son. I should be so happy. Not only because of my four healthy children, but because of a loving husband, a great group of friends, a comfortable lifestyle and most importantly because of my Savior’s love. But something happened to me this time that I never experienced before: ANXIETY.

Those of you who know me know I am a carefree personality and it takes a lot to shake me. Those of you who know me know I am quick to get back into the swing of things and carry on with little hiccup. I know myself and that was what I expected after Troy was born. In fact, that’s what happened. Life went on with an extra little bundle strapped to the outside of my body and life was GOOD.

But as these weeks have gone by, the person I have become and the feelings and thoughts I have, are from a person I don’t know. I am OVERWHELMED, I am IRRITABLE, and most detrimentally, I am ANXIOUS.

Why am I sharing this?
Because I know that the Lord is stronger than these feelings and with His help I can overcome these feelings.

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I realize that most likely I am suffering from a case of Postpartum Depression. But knowing you are depressed does not make the depression go away. I am thankful for so many godly women who have talked with me and PRAYED with me and for me over these past few weeks. I am appreciative of the Scriptures that I can turn to and lean on when I am overcome with feelings that are not normally me. I am more in love with my husband as he has graciously looked for new ways to love me and ENCOURAGE me. I am more SENSITIVE to other moms who may be experiencing some of these same frightening feelings. I am more DEPENDENT on the Lord for daily strength to help me overcome these daily feelings of anxiety and irritability that are not me!

Some of my favorite verses in the Bible are found in Philippians and are verses I have been meditating on often these past few weeks.

Philippians 4:6-8 tells us, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

Are you feeling overwhelmed? Are you irritable? Are you anxious? Then please let me encourage you to spend quiet time alone with the Lord and in his word the Bible. Please let me encourage you to seek out godly people in your life to come alongside you and encourage you. Please do not be silent, but speak out and find comfort in the Lord and in the relationships that the Lord has given you.

I want to thank so many people who have prayed for me and have come alongside me during these weeks.
I truly am a blessed woman!

2016…Another Trip Around the Sun

by John Bandstra

The New Year is HERE…time for those resolutions again?

Well, here we are at the beginning of another annual orbit around the sun…the time when approximately 45% of Americans make New Year’s resolutions, only to find very quickly that what they earnestly desired to do was not only unsustainable, but in the end, simply unattainable. Generally speaking, the average person doesn’t do well with New Year’s resolutions. We mean well, but the problem is…we are all human! So, let’s not go that route in this post, OK? Let’s talk about ‘subtraction rather than addition‘...let me explain that.

I recently read an interesting take on New Year’s resolutions in an article directed at church technical directors, who are notorious for cluttering their lives on an almost daily basis. Their days are filled with considering new equipment purchases, new worship enhancing concepts, training volunteers, countless hours of editing, trying to satisfy the entire congregation’s desires, and doing all that in a ‘normal’ work week. An interesting point made in the article was an examination of the origin of the word, ‘decide’. In the original Latin, the ‘de’ means ‘OFF’ and the remainder of the word in Latin is ‘caedere’, which means ‘CUT’. Put those together, flip it around, and the Latin root of the word ‘decide’ means to ‘cut off’ or ‘determine’.

With that in mind, rather than dream up a New Year’s resolution (or ten) that we won’t keep (addition), perhaps we should make it easier on ourselves this year. Maybe we should simply make some decisions as to what to STOP doing in 2016 (subtraction)…things that we either knowingly or unknowingly jammed into our lives in 2015! We don’t need to all be geeky technical and media directors to have cluttered our lives with unnecessary stuff, especially living in this ever consuming information age, as well as physically living in the crazy NY/NJ Metro area. The stress that we inadvertently add to our lives is not doing us much good. Some experts say that “approximately 44% of Americans have experienced higher stress levels in just the past 5 years alone.” So, it seems that stress would be a good thing to “CUT OFF” or subtract, to improve ourselves physically, emotionally, but more importantly…spiritually.

As we view the absolutely chaotic world around us, there are many fearful uncertainties looking ahead to 2016, but those things we can surely leave to our Sovereign God to take care of. It is definitely disturbing to us all, to be witnessing the rapid rise of evil in the world, Christians being tortured and martyred, and just the general Godlessness of our own American society, but those things should not add to our stress level. God is surely in control of all that, right? We are not in control of the course of human events…He is, and He’s got it totally under control. We have personal things to attend to.

There are certainly areas in our personal lives, that we ourselves can take immediate action on (with God’s help, of course)…things that we can do now to lower our personal stress levels. The reason why that should be important to us, is that being stressed (or just even WAY too busy), can not only negatively affect our personal lives, our professional lives, but it can also affect our spiritual lives and our worship of our Sovereign God. Stress can keep us from focusing in on the sermon, cause us to stare at our watch in church, or worse yet, our smartphones! If we don’t check our stress at the church door before we enter a worship service, our minds may wander the entire time we’re sitting there. Stress can even cause us to forego gathering with other believers altogether, in favor of maybe, a more stressful alternative. If stress is a problem for you, ask God to help you with that, and leave that stress issue with Him before entering your house of worship. If stress is truly overwhelming you, to the point that you find it almost impossible to function, then make it a point to see your pastor or Christian counselor about that ASAP.  There is surely hope!

I found this excerpt from “Stress and Your Marriage” by Rick Roepke to be very helpful to me.
“The spiritual impact of stress:
The most serious impact of excess stress is its effect on our spiritual health. When we feel overloaded with stress, we may feel disconnected from God and even resentful or guilty that we feel stress. This happens most often when we feel over-stressed while doing an activity or event that we feel God called us to do.

‘Where is the grace I need to do this task?’ is a question we may direct to God during excessive stress. Guilt and resentment may inhibit us from praying because we feel sinful or unworthy. Scripture tells us, however, that we should go to God first, taking all of our guilt, resentment, stress, and questions to the One who can meet all our needs. Paul said, ‘Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.’ Philippians 4:6-7.

Too often we become so problem-focused that we fail to see the solutions to our situation. We become stressed when we think that our need exceeds our Source. God said to seek Him first, but often He is the last one we go to for help. By resting in the truth that God is more than able to meet our every need, our bodies, hearts, and spirits will be protected from stress overload. Now is the time to create a personal plan to help manage stress and face problems. Both the challenges and rewards of doing this will promote a healthier environment for you, your spouse, and your children.”

So, perhaps this is the year to mainly concentrate on what we jammed into our already busy lives in 2015 (and previous years)…and do some serious subtraction. It is surely different for each one of us. I for one, am going to stop taking work home with me. For others, it might be less stressful to actually TAKE work home to get out of the hectic office! But whatever the case, cutting some stress out will only benefit us all in the short and long term. None of it is worth it.

“What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun? All their days their work is grief and pain; even at night their minds do not rest. This too is meaningless.” Ecclesiastes 2:22-23 NIV

Enter the conversation:
What are some ideas you can share with everyone to reduce stress in our lives?
What will you “cut off” that you added into your life from previous years?

 

Doing Life Together

by Pastor Mark Rolling

Have You Considered Joining a Life Group?
This question has been pondered by many in our church family. As you may know, Hawthorne Gospel Church seeks to foster an environment that encourages continued spiritual development as a disciple of Jesus Christ. The goal of this article is to consider the definition of a life group along with its identifiable components that enable them to accomplish their purpose. This is the first of several articles that will further elaborate on life groups.

What exactly is a life group? What is their overall purpose?
A workable definition of life groups that has been adopted by our leadership is the following: A life group is a small and intentional group of people committed to doing life together in authentic community as followers of Jesus Christ. Their overall purpose is to enable one to grow in their relationship with God so that they may become more effective in fulfilling the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). The group generally needs to be small enough so that it can reach a level of intimacy not easily achieved with a larger group of people. This type of group can be very encouraging for both newer believers as well as those who have been followers of Christ for a longer period of time. It can also be quite challenging as we willingly place ourselves in a vulnerable position.

 

There are several elements that can aid in the fruitfulness of this ministry.
Firstly, a life group will allow believers to connect more readily through consistent and authentic fellowship. Secondly, life groups foster spiritual growth through a steady diet of God’s word (biblical discussion) and intentional prayer. Finally, life groups afford one the opportunity to engage in acts of service whereby our faith is genuinely expressed to those around us – actual life application. These types of events may be incorporated into the fabric of any particular life group as scripture encourages us to love, not in word only, but with actions and in truth (1 John 3:18).

 

Life groups are another tool being used by God to foster growth and spiritual maturity within this local body.
As you consider God’s plan for your life, our prayer is that you remain open to what God may want to accomplish through these vital relationship experiences. As the Scripture states, our desire is to know Christ better as we “reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13). Perhaps, life groups can become an integral part of your spiritual journey as you press on to know the Lord.
To God be the glory!

With the New Year upon us, perhaps this is the year for you to make an intentional step towards ‘doing life’ with fellow believers, rather than attempting it on your own….by joining a Life Group at HGC!

Contact Pastor Mark Rolling or visit the Life Group page at www.hawthornegospel.com to learn more.

The Little Drummer Boy

by Dave Seidman

Or, My Hate-Love Relationship with My Least Favorite Christmas Carol!

While I grew up with a family that valued music, and have played a number of instruments over the years, the sound of drums was not a welcome one to my ears.
In fact, one Christmas I wanted to buy a drum set for my nephew, you know, so that his family could experience the joy of a drum set in the house. But I decided not to, out of fear of what my brother would do to my family in retaliation.

Maybe that’s why the Little Drummer Boy carol was so irritating to me. The image of a little boy banging away on a drum, without any purpose other than to make noise, made me wince every time the song came on the air. Besides, how did a little guy with a drum end up at the manger anyway? Was he a shepherd boy, whacking at a sheepskin stretched across a wooden bowl? The Magis’ cabin boy? A runaway from a circus? Haven’t seen a lot of crèches with this guy in the mix.

Then one day I had an epiphany. That’s a spiritual revelation (something particularly appropriate for this time of year). The Little Drummer Boy wanted to give baby Jesus a gift and he only had one thing to give. And he clearly didn’t hold back! My revelation was that I have so many more things to give to Jesus – how many of these do I hold back? I argued with myself. Didn’t I give him my heart quite some time ago. Wasn’t that enough? But I have been holding back – my time, my attention, my reading, my resources…In fact, every one of us has more gifts than you can shake a drumstick at.

Suddenly, the Little Drummer Boy was an inspiration, a role model! Thinking he had nothing, especially compared to the outpouring of gifts going on around him, he realized he did have one thing he could give, and he gave it wholeheartedly.

God’s Word reminds us that we’re all one body with many members and many gifts (1 Corinthians 12). Those gifts have a purpose.
“What do you have that God hasn’t given you?” Paul asked (1 Corinthians 4:7 NLT).
“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms,” said Peter (1 Peter 4:10 NIV).

The little percussionist got it – our gifts are for giving back, not holding back! Actually, God demonstrated that (while we were sinners, by the way) long before the Drummer Boy.
“…He himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else…” (Acts 17:25 NIV)
“God…richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.” (1 Timothy 6:17 NIV)
“Every good and perfect gift is from above.” (James 1:17 NIV)

After all, this is what we really celebrate at Christmas time. Our Heavenly Father didn’t hold back. He loved us so much He gave the greatest gift of all – His one and only Son. Our Little Drummer Boy got that, and unconcerned about comparing himself to what everyone else was giving, gave everything he had back to Him.

“Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” 2 Corinthians 9:15

Join the conversation
How would your days be different if you acknowledged each morning that everything you have is a gift from above?
Do you feel inadequate, comparing your gifts and talents to what others have? Are you waiting to perfect yourself before using your gifts for God’s work? Is that what God is waiting for?

Christmas is Here!

by Pastor Dave Schuit

I think that we can agree that Christmas is one holiday that most of us look forward to. Christmas sets some good vibrations running through our society. For many of us Christmas is a very happy, nostalgic time of year. Part of that is because at this time of the year we expect, and want to have, and want to feel certain pleasant “Christmassy” feelings – right?

You will sometimes hear people say things like: “That really puts me into the Christmas spirit.” Or, “I’m having trouble getting into the Christmas spirit this year.” What does that mean? It means that they have captured or they are having a difficult time capturing those pleasant feelings that we associate with Christmas.

Here is an old “recipe” that captures the spirit of Christmas for most of us here in America. Now we might add or change a few ingredients in this recipe but many of them we would keep.
Here is the recipe:

A dozen favorite Christmas carols
1 kitchen full of Christmas smells
1 table full of way too much food
3 cups of family Christmas traditions
A bushel of presents
1 decorated Christmas tree
Sprinkle in the shopping
Shake over it some wintry weather – preferable snow
Put in an extra cup of Christmas cards
Christmas lights on the house
Add the family and friends
Sprinkle in some good cheer
Stir together and add a cup of nostalgia and memories of Christmases past.
Bake and serve fresh.

True, it is a bit corny, but it does captures a lot of those things and feelings that we associate with Christmas.

But what would happen if all these things were taken away or were not there for us,
what difference would that make in our Christmas celebration?

For example, my wife and I raised out family in Tanzania, East Africa. December is one of the hotter months of the year because the rains have begun. Any possibility of snow would be seeing it on top of 19,000 foot Mount Kilimanjaro. Outside everything is green and lush. The trees are in full bloom and tropical flowers are growing everywhere!

One year when we thought we would make Christmas special for the kids with a live tree. While doing some shopping in the country of Kenya we cut down a small pine tree from up in the highlands and brought the tree on a 12 hour trip back to Tanzania. We carefully hooked up the solar powered lights and it was beautiful! After three days, though, I can confirm that pine trees do not go into dormancy in Africa as needles were everywhere! But so many of those things that we often associate with Christmas were not there!

There were no malls for shopping. Family is 10,000 miles away. Presents are limited.

Well, you get the picture! We all admit how easy it us to get lost in the Christmassy traditions, lights, shopping, gift giving, and feelings of the season and miss out on the meaning of it. So, how does one stay focused on the real meaning of Christmas regardless of your situation or what country you are in?

I really like the way that Paul looked at Christmas! From his letters it looks like Paul took for granted that his readers already knew about the events of the Christmas story – what happened in Bethlehem, Mary and Joseph, the star, the wise men, the manger, the shepherds, etc. Paul doesn’t really talk about these things – he does not have any major passages in his letters that mention these events like we have in the gospels.

But when Paul talks about Christmas he talks about how God sent his Son, God gave his Son, or that Christ Jesus came into the world. These words, sent, gave, came, are not the normal words we use in speaking of a birth. For us a birth is the beginning of a new life. But this is not how Paul thought about Jesus’ birth. For Paul, Jesus’ birth was not a beginning of a new life, but he saw Jesus’ birth as a sending, an arrival of one who already existed prior to being born in Bethlehem and he came to fulfill a set purpose or plan set by God, his father.
In other words, for Paul, Jesus was already the Son of God before he was conceived in Mary’s womb. He was already God’s Son before he was sent to earth to be born in Bethlehem. And so his coming to earth was not so much to be born in order to begin a new life as it was to fulfill a mission that his Father had set for him.

In 1 Timothy 1:15 Paul says: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners… that’s pretty clear, isn’t it? He came into the world to save sinners. That is why he was born. That is why he came. That is why he was sent by his father.

It is easy to get caught up in the good feelings of Christmas and the outward events and trimmings of Christmas. While it is good and proper that we should have all these trimmings – the bottom line is that Jesus did not come to provide us an occasion to sing carols, to eat, to put up colored lights, and to give out gifts – he came to restore our relationship with God so that we could live in fellowship with him as he intended us to do from the very beginning. Understanding this truth has to be the foundation for real Christmas joy and peace no matter what situation we find ourselves and wherever we may live!

From the entire Leadership Team here at HGC,
we wish you all a very blessed and merry Christmas!

It’s a Wonderful Life

by Dave Seidman

As we move away from Thanksgiving and draw close to Christmas, I hope we don’t simply go from counting blessings to counting presents. This time of year is rich with possibilities when one takes time to think about all of the good things God has given us.

A series of studies on the “George Bailey Effect” demonstrates how healthy it is to reflect on the good things we’ve got, especially when one considers how things could have been.

You might remember George, the hero of Frank Capra’s film “It’s a Wonderful Life” (see trailer). When disaster strikes George wishes he’d never been born. His guardian angel, Clarence Odbody, grants him his wish. George Bailey experiences the life of his community as if he’d never existed.

“You’ve been given a great gift, George: A chance to see what the world would be like without you,” says Clarence, Angel Second Class.

Researchers from Harvard, the University of Virginia, and the University of North Carolina measured different groups of people as they reflected on a variety of life experiences. One group was asked to mentally subtract a person or experience from their life. They then reflected on what their life might have been like without their partner or without a certain experience. Subsequent testing showed they were more positive in their outlook than any other group tested; the “George Bailey Effect.” *

Follow-up studies showed similar results when groups were asked to mentally subtract their life in America and their life at their current work – they were more positive in their attitude toward life than others.

Clarence makes a profound statement when he says, “Strange, isn’t it? Each man’s life touches so many other lives. When he isn’t around he leaves an awful hole, doesn’t he?”

Perhaps it might be beneficial for each of us to reflect this time of year on how our lives might be different if we didn’t have a loving family, caring friends, a wonderful church home, and a gracious Heavenly Father. An evening around the dinner table sharing what our world might have been like could prove an eye-opening and humbling experience. We could even end with the words of Clarence – “You see George, you’ve really had a wonderful life!”

Perhaps our greatest riches this Christmas
will come from simply reflecting on the family, friends,
and life God has given each of us – especially the life of His Son.

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Join the conversation:
Looking back on your life is there an individual who had a major impact on who you are?
What might your life be like without that person’s influence?
What person(s) is God calling you to impact in the same way?

* George Bailey Effect PDF

A Cord of Three

by Howard Forstrom

Life Givers is an awesome new ministry at HGC.
In only a few meetings, it is obvious that the group
is making a difference in our lives.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 is so appropriate for our ministry.

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”  Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

The Bible is so right.  We need each other. Those of us that are fighting cancer or other terrible disease know how hard it can be. It is easy to get bitter, angry, depressed and isolated. Together we can encourage, support, pray for and be there for our friends. God, you and I form a powerful cord that cannot be quickly broken.

Over the last several weeks, God has arranged for several encounters. He brought one person into our group just before a big surgery. We were able to pray together and reduce the anxiety and bring peace. Isn’t that what you would want before surgery to receive God’s peace? The friendship that was formed has allowed us to continue our support during and after the surgery. I had the privilege to pray and talk with another who just got a bad diagnosis and was running through tests to see just how bad. We talked about how we can have hope and abundant life even though we have a devastating diagnosis. God has a plan for us and wants us to experience peace, hope and life. Our support will continue during treatments and beyond. Best of all, I was able to bring it all to the Lord in prayer. We prayed for healing, wisdom, skill for the doctors, as well as peace and comfort for the family.

God has a plan for us and wants us to experience peace,
hope and life!

 

Our Life Groups at HGC are supposed to bring us closer to God and also allow us to connect with each other. Every meeting we look into God’s word to see what he has for us to learn. We also spend time in small groups where we can have a more intimate fellowship time which helps us connect with each other.

If you know anyone with a life altering diagnosis, please let them know about our Life Givers Life Group that meets on the first and third Tuesdays of the month downstairs in the Bible House Lounge. We would love to get to know them and help them find hope and life.

If you desire to contact the writer confidentially, email Howard Forstrom

Where’s the Line to See Jesus?

by John Bandstra

One of the greatest joys of being a grandparent is listening to your grand-children’s philosophies and opinions on life. As adults, sometimes we’re just way too grown up to remember the view through a child’s eyes…we just completely miss the beauty of a child’s perspective. I wrote about one of these experiences back in 2013 called “Out of the Mouth of Babes”, which was about my 2 year-old granddaughter Amber’s version of the story of Zacchaeus. I just had to tell that story back then, because it made me absolutely crack up when I heard it. This one is just as adorable!

With the busyness of the Christmas season into full swing, we can easily get caught up in scurrying around the malls to make sure we get those great deals and discounts, as we attempt to find those perfect gifts. While children surely enjoy walking around the stores with us, sometimes they see things completely differently. In their innocence, they often see things that just don’t make sense to them. And sometimes what they say can be utterly profound! This is one of those accounts, told to me recently by my daughter, Christine.

“One day, I took my three-year-old daughter shopping at the mall in December. We passed by the Santa where many kids were waiting in line. She asked, ‘Mommy, who is that?’ and ‘Why are all those kids waiting in line?’ I told her that all the kids were waiting for a turn to visit Santa to tell him what they want for Christmas. A good simplistic answer.

A few days later, with that answer in her mind yet, she was playing with the Little People nativity set. She had gathered together all the other Little People figurines she could find and lined them up by the nativity set. I asked her what she was doing and she replied, ‘They are all waiting in line to see Baby Jesus just like the kids were waiting to see Santa!’ “ PRECIOUS!

Do you remember that song from a few years ago, “Where’s the Line to see Jesus?” by Becky Kelly?
It’s one of my absolute favorites. Take another look to warm your heart a bit!

 

With all the craziness that’s going on in the world today at ever increasing rates, it becomes more and more obvious that people desperately need to visit Jesus, learn of Him, and put their faith in Him as Savior. There is a world of lost people out there, not just in developing countries, but also in our own neighborhoods and families as well.  As Christians, we have been given a mandate in the Great Commission to reach out into our local areas, surrounding towns, and in foreign lands with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Christmastime is an excellent opportunity to strike up conversations. The season is upon us to easily bring up the subject.

“For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” Romans 10:12-15

Join the conversation:
We may not all consider ourselves to be preachers, but we can certainly own beautiful feet! As Christians, we are given opportunities by God each and every day, to reach out to those in our sphere’s of influence with the Gospel. So many are missing the connection of Jesus Christ to Christmas. Perhaps this Christmas, each one of us should commit to engaging at least one person in a conversation about faith in Christ, to help them “see Jesus”. They may just be waiting for you to introduce them to the Savior of the world!

Merry Christmas everyone!