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Christmas gift ~ for your consideration

CHRISTMAS GIFT for your consideration. 12.3.09

Good Day~

Today it feels like winter outside—at least as winter-y as Southern California gets.

The calendar page has been flipped from November to December; my tree has already been up a week, covered in beautiful white lights, and Sarah Machlachlan is crooning “What Child is This?” on my kitchen CD player. ‘Love this time of year. Last week or so, I mentioned giving a gift to the Christ Child, contemplating what that… Continue

Added by Christine on December 3, 2009 at 6:26am — 2 Comments

What did you learn? 1 Thessalonians 5.23-28

WHAT DID YOU LEARN?

1 Thessalonians 5.23-28

“May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this.

Beloved, pray for us.

Greet all the brothers and sisters with a holy kiss.

I solemnly command you by the Lord that this letter be read to all of them.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with… Continue

Added by Christine on December 2, 2009 at 9:25pm — 1 Comment

Lessons for Living ~ 1 Thessalonians 5.12-22

LESSONS FOR LIVING~ a summary ~ 1 Thessalonians 5.12-22

Good Day!

Paul is wrapping up his letter to the Thessalonians, and he summarizes proper behavior, which can almost be divided into areas of responsible living. (In the following, the Scripture will be underlined, and the explanation will follow it.)

Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love… Continue

Added by Christine on December 1, 2009 at 10:15pm — No Comments

Can you tell me the date? 1 Thessalonians 5.1-11

CAN YOU TELL ME THE DATE?

1 Thessalonians 5.1-11

Now, Brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all sons of the light and sons of… Continue

Added by Christine on November 30, 2009 at 9:45pm — 1 Comment

A Hope Like No Other ~ 1 Thessalonians 4.13-18

Today, we look at "A HOPE LIKE NO OTHER" - for the new folks joining us, we are toward the end of Paul's first letter to the young believers in Thessalonica. . . in which he addresses the subject of Jesus' return.

Good Morning.

I went to high school in the 70s, which was the decade in between . . . in between the radical movement of the 60s and the upwardly mobility of the 80s. It was then that I also developed a view of the second coming of Jesus that was also ‘in… Continue

Added by Christine on November 29, 2009 at 8:41pm — No Comments

Thank you, God

A prayer~

Good Morning, Father.

It is the day before Thanksgiving, and I should like to get out of the maelstrom of activity in and around me, and say ‘thank you.’ Oh, God, how easy, how normal it is to concern myself more with what is around me, than a ready awareness of your greatness. As I open the psalms, David’s words elevate my thinking: "The Lord reigns, he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed in majesty and is armed with strength"1

Teach me how to rightly… Continue

Added by Christine on November 25, 2009 at 10:12pm — No Comments

The holidays . . . no more rucksacks

THE HOLIDAYS. . . no more rucksacks

I love this time of year. Some people get really stressed out by the holidays—not me—heck, I’ve been playing Christmas music since the day after Halloween. The only thing is, when Thanksgiving Day gets here, it goes so fast! When Christmas Day finally gets here, it is over far too quickly for me. I’ve been thinking that maybe both of those are so because I don’t really prepare my heart all that well in advance.

I should like to give Christ a… Continue

Added by Christine on November 24, 2009 at 8:53pm — No Comments

Get intentional ~ 1 Thessalonians 4.11-12

GET INTENTIONAL

11Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, 12so that your daily live may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody. 1 Thessalonians 4.11-12, NIV

Good Day~

From a reader in Amman, Jordan, to an aspiring actor in New York, to my super-busy advertising art director neighbor, the scourge of busy-ness really hit home with folks last week.… Continue

Added by Christine on November 23, 2009 at 9:22pm — No Comments

Love, and the Traveling Pants ~ 1 Thessalonians 4.9-10

Love, and the Traveling Pants

9Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. 10And in fact, you do love all the brothers throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers, to do so more and more. 1 Thessalonians 4.9-10

Good Morning.

There are so many ideas about love, aren’t there? The Greek word for love Paul uses here speaks of brotherly love, of kinship. It appears that the Thessalonians had… Continue

Added by Christine on November 22, 2009 at 9:48pm — 3 Comments

DO this. . . DON'T DO this. . . sex - 1 Thessalonians 4.1-8

DO this. . . DON’T DO this. . . Sex

"Finally, brothers we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.

It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality, that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in… Continue

Added by Christine on November 19, 2009 at 8:57pm — No Comments

A Cord of Three Strands ~ 1 Thessalonians 3

A CORD OF THREE STRANDS

Finally, when we could stand it no longer, we decided to stay alone in Athens, and we sent Timothy to visit you. He is our brother and God’s co-worker in proclaiming the Good News of Christ. We sent him to strengthen you, to encourage you in your faith, and to keep you from being shaken by the troubles you were going through. But you know that we are destined for such troubles. Even while we were with you, we warned you that troubles would come soon—and they did, as… Continue

Added by Christine on November 18, 2009 at 9:43pm — No Comments

Heightened Awareness - the devil and his ways

HEIGHTENED AWARENESS – The devil and his ways

Yesterday we talked about the schemes of the devil—how his entire purpose is to lie, steal, accuse, and destroy. Without doubt, another way he gets at us is through busyness.

Take a look~

Satan called a worldwide convention. In his opening address to his evil angels, he said, “We can't keep the Christians from going to church. We cannot keep them from reading their Bibles and knowing the truth. We cannot even keep them from… Continue

Added by Christine on November 17, 2009 at 10:17pm — 4 Comments

The Purpose-Driven Life of Satan ~ 1 Thessalonians 2.17-20

The Purpose-Driven Life of Satan

17 But, Brothers, when we were torn away from you for a short time (in person, not in thought), out of our intense longing we made every effort to see you. 18 For we wanted to come to you—certainly I, Paul did, again and again—but Satan stopped us. 19 For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? 20 Is it not you? Indeed, you are our glory and joy. 1 Thessalonians 2.17-20

Good… Continue

Added by Christine on November 16, 2009 at 9:11pm — 2 Comments

Are you strong enough to stand? 1 Thessalonians 2.14-16

Good Morning.

Today, we find out what we’re made of, as we examine what others have endured for the sake of Christ. . .

14 For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, for you also endured the same sufferings at the hands of your own countrymen, even as they did from the Jews, 15 who both killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out. They are not pleasing to God, but hostile to all men, 16 hindering us from speaking to… Continue

Added by Christine on November 16, 2009 at 9:17am — No Comments

The heart of a pastor ~ 1 Thessalonians 2.9-13

Please check out today's passage~

Today’s Scripture:

9 Don’t you remember, dear brothers and sisters, how hard we worked among you? Night and day we toiled to earn a living so that we would not be a burden to any of you as we preached God’s Good News to you. 10 You yourselves are our witnesses—and so is God—that we were devout and honest and faultless toward all of you believers. 11 And you know that we treated each of you as a father treats his own children. 12 We pleaded with… Continue

Added by Christine on November 12, 2009 at 10:01pm — 3 Comments

Value-Added Integrity ~ 1 Thessalonians 2.1-8

Good Day~

As we turn the page to chapter two, it would appear from the text that Paul stood accused of another agenda besides just preaching the gospel. In response, he decries any impure motives, trickery, or flattery in winning people to Christ. Rather, Paul writes, ‘we speak as messengers approved by God’, or as ‘men approved by God’ to preach the Good News. Take a look--

1 Thessalonians 2.1-3 You yourselves know, dear brothers and sisters, that our visit to you… Continue

Added by Christine on November 11, 2009 at 10:26pm — No Comments

HOLY SPIRIT RADICAL ~ 1 Thessalonians 1.4-10

Good Morning,

"For we know, brothers loved by God, that He has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. The Lord’s message rang out from… Continue

Added by Christine on November 10, 2009 at 9:30pm — No Comments

NOT SOMEHOW. . . but victoriously! 1 Thessalonians 1.1-4

Paul, Silas and Timothy,

To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

Grace and peace to you.

2We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers. 3We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 4Brothers loved by God, we know that he has chosen you. 1 Thessalonians 1.1-4, NIV

Good… Continue

Added by Christine on November 9, 2009 at 9:36pm — No Comments

Moving On................1 Thessalonians 1 11.08.09

Good Morning,

Today the Gospel moves into Europe!

I take you now to Acts chapter 17 for this exciting stop on Paul’s second missionary journey. . .

“Paul and Silas then traveled through the towns of Amphipolis and Apollonia and came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. As was Paul’s custom, he went to the synagogue service, and for three Sabbaths in a row he used the Scriptures to reason with the people. He explained the prophecies and proved that the… Continue

Added by Christine on November 8, 2009 at 8:53pm — 1 Comment

Shalom from Galatia

Shalom, brothers~ podcast:

“I am amazed that you have so quickly deserted him who called you by the grace of Christ, and that you have so soon gone over to a different gospel, a gospel which in point of fact is no gospel at all. What has really happened is that certain men are upsetting your whole faith and are aiming at reversing the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven were to preach the gospel to you, other than that which you have received, let him be… Continue

Added by Christine on September 27, 2009 at 8:07pm — No Comments