Blessed Christmas and Happy New Year 09

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the world, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.

Too busy for Him?

written by Sarah Chew - redrafted by Japheth

He waited patiently at the restaurant, glanced at his watch and sighed... The waiter approached him and asked,
"Sir, would you like to take your order first? It has been half an hour since you've been here"
"No thank you," said the finely dressed man 'She'll come in a while, maybe she's delayed today"..
He looked out the window and sighed again.. The waiter shrugged his shoulder and went his way.

The clocked chimed nine times, the waited again approached the man and said,
"Sir, it's already 9'o clock and it's getting late, are you sure you don't want to order ahead?"
"Maybe just a coffee," he replied. "I'm pretty sure she's coming soon, I really do believe in her, I just can't wait to spend time with her, listen to her day, gaze at her beauty and tell her how much I love her.." the man said. The waited once again shrugged his shoulders and went to get the order of coffee, "What an irresponsible girl!", the waiter thought, "She should consider herself fortunate to be with a such a fine, understanding and loving man like him." thought the waiter further.

By ten'o clock the waiter was frustrated, for the gentle man was constantly looking out the window and sighing with a heavy look on His face and yet having such hope that the girl he loved was coming.
"Sir, it's 10'o clock, and we will be closing soon. Whoever the girl you're waiting for does not deserve such a fine man as you. You have waited patiently for her so long! What is so special about her anyway?, You have not even eaten yet. I couldn't help but notice that this is not the first time she's done this to you and I remember seeing you here for a few nights in a row without your date."

A tear fell from the man's eyes.
"You don't understand", the man said. "I love her so much that I would give my all for her, Yes, she has not been coming for quite a while but that will never stop me from loving her." he wiped a tear from his eye. "Thanks for the coffee." the gentle man paid the bill, gave the waiter a tip and got up from his seat. With another sigh, the man walked off into the night...

...


She flungs open her room door and dashes for her bed.
"What a great day I've had today!" she mentioned, "Gosh, I'm so tired and worn out after going out for a birthday party and an awesome movie!" she yawns.
The clock chimes 11 times.
"Oh no!", thought the girl, "I promised God I would spend time with Him at 8pm!"
"Well, God knows I'm really really tired after a great time today, I'm sure He understands ;)"
and she drifted off into the night...

God at the improv

taken from a book - butterflies in brazil

As a christian, I believe that God is the creator of all things, and he is ultimately in control. But that doesn't really answer our question. As humans, we are not passive pawns that God shifts and shuttles in a purely deterministic of chess. Our lives are part of a bigger story, and somehow our choices contribute to it. We have a purpose, but we are not puppets. Part of our life's journey is to learn how to surrender to God and cooperate with hiim in shaping our lives around his purpose. Saying that God is sovereign means acknowledging that the story is his, and it is about him. It also means recognising that he has allowed us to participate in the story with him. He's the author and finisher, but we have very importnat roles to play.

Think of it this way: Human history is like an improvisational movie- that's right, not an improv sketch, an entire movie- with God as the writer, director, producer, and lead actor. It's a work in progress, and we, the other improv avtors, have the opportunity to put in a few scene's of our own. We're not just extras in a busy boulevard scene, we're characters with uniques parts, personalities, and idiosyncrasies.

So let's imagine a scene. You're on a date. Let's say it's your first date in a while- you were taking a break from the dating scene, you know, taking some time to clear your head and reconnect with God. In this scene, there are a few things you know the director doesn't want- you can't be a jerk; you can't end up in bed together, you know the limits- but the restaurant, the activity, the conversation, that's all you.

Now, as it turns out, God is also in that scene. You soon discover he's in every scene, though you don't always see him. As you try your hand at this edgy style of acting called improv, you see that God improvises right along with you. And like a good actor, he leads you in each scene with subtle cues and actions. In case you forget the overall story, he's there to help you not ruin the picture, and to find your way back to the plot. God never forgets; he wrote the synopsis, remember?

The direction you go with the evening is your choice: You either advance the plot of God's story, or you digress and distract it. That's why you can't end up in bed with your date: It's outside the plot and would sidetrack the story that God is trying to tell through you. If you allow your scenes to be hikacked by sin, they'll end up on the cutting room floor, because they'll be ruined. But when you let God redeem your life, it can become a great scene, displaying a powerful performance by the main character.

God's brilliance is seen in his ability to work the various parts and players together into a larger story that serves his ultimate purpose. He knows what each scene is for and what purpose it serves in the overall picture. Still, how each scene unfolds depends in part on how the players play it. We can make choices that take a scene in a direction that God did not intend, but when we do that, we hinder the development of the story and don't advance the plot. (If you've ever been to an improv performance and suffered through a sketch that just doesn't work, you know what I'm talking about. It makes it awkward for everyone.) When we take a scene away from the storyline that God has prepared, our actions in that scene become pointless because God won't use them in the final cut. Although God can use even our 'cutting room floor' scenes to refine our character and teach us important lessons, the more we come to understand the roles he has given us to play, the more our lives can become a part of the story God is ultimately trying to tell.

The good news is, He's on the scene, always leading us back to the story. After all, He's the star. The story is His.

Will you be a part of His-story?
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Raising an army that marches on its knees!

Isaiah 52:7 - How beautiful on the mountains are the feel of those who bring good news, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, 'Your God reigns!'

In New York City a guy called John bought a Big Mac for a homeless man; it was the beginning of a lifelong friendship. In Dublin, Lucy's heart felt as if it were breaking as she prayed for friends who didn't know Jesus. In Tennesee, a prodigal stepped inside a prayer room and began the journey home.

The stories of Jesus are still being told. He is alove and moving powerfully in our generation, still comforting those who mourn, answering prayer and making ordinary lives extraordinary.

Stories are powerful; they can evoke anger, ignite truth, inspire hope or invade a person's loneliness with an empathetic hug. Jesus told stories but He also was the story. You've heard of short quotes and personal accounts of God on the move. Life is like a video, there are snapshots capturing parricular moments on people's spiritual journeys. Hopefully they will help you understand God's character better. And when we get our heads around God's character; Prayer, devotion and discipleship ceases to be a technique and becomes and instinct.

That's when we can take our place in an army that marches on its knees, fighting for the Prince of Peace.

Will you join me?
Then check out mypg.wordpress.com!