reflections

reflections

Advent 5 – O Come, O Come Emmanuel

A visual montage of the Hope, Peace, Love, and Joy of Christ set to the song, O Come, O Come Emmanuel, sung by Bebo Norman. A reflective moment as you approach towards Christmas Eve.

Advent 4 – Joy

As Jesus Christ our Messiah and King came into the world in a lowly manger, the angels announced the good news that a Savior has been born. Proclaim the Joy that Christ brings during the Christmas season or any time of the year. Rediscover the joy of the miraculous virgin birth and the prophecy fulfilled in scripture.

Advent 3 – Love

 Jesus is the true Shepherd who searches out and finds his sheep among the scattered flock. His sheep know him, and they follow his voice. We remember that our Savior is our Shepherd of Love during the Christmas season or any time of the year. Jesus Christ died on the cross and his substitutionary death brings the abundance of life to mankind.

Hope – Advent 1

For 400 years, Israel had waited and hoped for the promised Messiah. The prophecy of Isaiah was fulfilled in that a virgin would bear a son and His name would be called, Emmanuel, “God with us.” Christmas demonstrates our Hope in Christ and recounts the journey of Mary as she discovers her role in humanity with the miracle of the virgin birth of Jesus Christ
Joy

Have a joy filled week

Recently we attended a wedding. Not such a common event in our diary currently, but what a blessing to be part of a joyful occasion. Because the wedding was out of town, there was even more enjoyment travelling to the event through our beautiful New Zealand spring countryside. Even the weather was a cause for joy, as the sun shone every day. Our current church wide study “The Life You’ve Always Wanted” devoted a section to joy and the importance of pursuing joy. I found this very thought provoking.…

Living by faith

Living by faith. Recently, I was listening to a few new worship songs during a devotional time. One began to play that immediately caught my attention. It’s title: Give me faith. It made me realise that faith alone is not something I often ask for or sing about. As I began to dwell on the lyrics, and search the scriptures, the importance of asking for faith became clear to me. If we are a people who are called to live…

Love is the final fight

The Life of John Perkins I’ve spent some time recently, reading about the life and work of John M. Perkins. An African American minister and civil rights activist, who grew up in the middle of the civil rights movement in America. His life has been devoted to unity and love. He has a powerful testimony of seeking to have Christ like love, in situations that would be hard for anyone to live through.  This reaches past the anger and hate…

Distractions!

Recently, the Holy Spirit has been drawing my attention to the fact that I have been letting the world, the everyday and the busy become distractions and draw me away from Him. I have been slipping into an attitude of complacency.  The seemingly immediate needs of the day-to-day demand my attention and my desire for security, for rest and for significance creep in. Despite feeling the pull of the priorities of the world in recent times, I have also during…

Infinite worth or infinite worthlessness?

“Christianity preaches the infinite worth of that which is seemingly worthless and the infinite worthlessness of that which is seemingly so valued.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer At the end of another week, I often look back on days dominated by things that may seem important at the time, but in the end hold no value in God’s view of things. God’s values are different from ours and I seem to keep running after that which God doesn’t. God ran after us, whereas I’m…

Messiness

We live in a messy world. We are surrounded by messy situations in our relationships, our families, our friendships, our parenting, our bodies, our hearts, our priorities, our businesses, our jobs, our schools, our homes, our churches, our government, our country, our world – it is not hard to feel down about the mess things are in. This is no surprise to God though. The world is not how he intended it to be. We live with sin in our world and in a broken relationship with our…

Citizenship

My family and I recently arrived in New Zealand after spending our entire lives as residents and citizens of the United States. We’ve had to adjust to new ways of doing things and new ways of thinking about the world. Often, some event will remind me of the way things were done in America and create a longing for the things I miss. I tolerate most diet fizzy drinks, but I actually like Diet Dr. Pepper. Unfortunately, New Zealand doesn’t sell it. My favorite restaurant, Skyline Chili, is…
Shadows

Shadows

Shadows My eyes shifting around me Always followed by shadows There is no escaping their folds, Cast by your glaring brightness The closer I come, the thicker they fall Hanging off the skin of my back Dragging me down, gripping and tearing But as I look to you they disappear I had thought: the brighter you shine, The tighter their hold Now I see: the brighter you shine The further they dissolve Light pours through the shadows, Tearing the veil…