Church of the Nazarene

 From My Utmost Devotional Bible:

One of God’s Great Don’ts  Psalm 37:8

It is one thing to say “Fret not,” but a very different thing to have such a disposition that you find yourself able not to fret.  It sounds so easy to talk about “resting in the Lord” and “waiting patiently for Him” until the nest is upset–until we live, as so many are doing, in tumult and anguish; is it possible then to rest in the Lord?  If this “don’t” does not work there, it will work nowhere. This “don’t'” must work in days of perplexity as well as in days of peace, or it never will work.  And if it will not work in your particular case, it will not work in anyone else’s case.  Resting in the Lord does not depend on external circumstances at all, but on your relationship to God Himself….

Fretting springs from a determination to get our own way.  Our Lord never worried and He was never anxious, because He was not “out” to realize His own ideas; He was “out” to realize God’s ideas.  Fretting is wicked if you are a child of God.

Have you been bolstering up that stupid soul of yours with the idea that your circumstances are too much for God?  Put all “supposing: on one side and dwell in the shadow of the Almighty.  Deliberately tell God that you will not fret about that thing. All our fret and worry is caused by calculating without God  (Utmost)

 1) THE GIFT OF LISTENING…
But you must REALLY listen.
No interrupting, no daydreaming,
no planning your response.
Just listening.

2) THE GIFT OF AFFECTION…
Be generous with appropriate hugs,
kisses, pats on the back and handholds.
Let these small actions demonstrate the
love you have for family and friends.

3) THE GIFT OF LAUGHTER…
Clip cartoons.
Share articles and funny stories.
Your gift will say, “I love to laugh with you.”

4) THE GIFT OF A WRITTEN NOTE…
It can be a simple
“Thanks for the help” note or a full sonnet.
A brief, handwritten note may be remembered for
a lifetime, and may even change a life.

5) THE GIFT OF A COMPLIMENT...
A simple and sincere,
“You look great in red,” “You did a super job”
or “That was a wonderful meal”
can make someone’s day.

6) THE GIFT OF A FAVOR…
Every day, go out of your way
to do something kind.

7) THE GIFT OF SOLITUDE…
There are times when we want nothing better
than to be left alone.
Be sensitive to those times and give
the gift of solitude to others.

THE GIFT OF A CHEERFUL DISPOSITION...
The easiest way to feel good is
to extend a kind word to someone,
really it’s not that hard to say,

WIllie B. Guina
Servants Of The Lord Prayer Group

THE BEST GIFTS THIS SEASON:

To a Friend Loyalty
To an Enemy Forgiveness
To your Boss Service
To your Child A good example
To your Father Honor
To your Mother Gratitude and Devotion
To your Spouse Love and Faithfulness
To Yourself Respect
To All Men Charity
To God Your Life!!

– Author Unknown

We all get excited for the holidays. If our expectations are too high,
we are let down with a jolt. The result can be the old holiday blues.

So what is the problem? We look for joy in all the wrong places. We
look for holiday joy in the glitter of lights, in beautifully wrapped
packages, and in all of the material things of the season. We also
expect family reunions to be ultra spectacular. We especially expect
this time of year to transform other relationships into Cinderella
experiences. Then comes the crash when our expectations are not met.
Our traditional home cannot live up to the glitter on TV. Those other
family members turn out to be real people, just as we are. The fantasy
bubble bursts in our faces! Amazingly enough, the Bible warns us in
advance: “Thus I considered all my activities which my hands had done
and the labor which I had exerted, and behold all was vanity and a
striving after wind and there was no profit under the sun” (Ecclesiastes
2:11).

Yes, without God, all our expectations, all our striving, and all our
relationships, are empty. When we look back, it seems as though we
have been striving after the wind. This holiday season can wind up the
same way if you have unrealistic expectations.

So, get some perspective! Remember that we celebrate the birth of
Jesus at this time of year. He is God in human form and He is calling
you to believe in Him? Without Him, this season has no meaning. It is
merely glitter and hype, which turns out to be “vanity and a striving
after wind.” To avoid the holiday blues this season, turn away from
the glitter and hype. Turn to Jesus Christ!

A Descendant of Joseph
By Jon Walker

“And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was obviously pregnant by this time.” (Luke 2:4-5 NLT)

~~~ ~~~ ~~~

God uses your family to direct you toward his purpose. The family into which you were born was not the result of an accident; God spoke you, quite deliberately, into your mother’s womb. You are a unique blending of the DNA, heritage, and characteristics of your parents.

Jesus had a family too. We tend to think of Jesus in terms of his heavenly Father, or as the son of Mary, or the heir to David’s throne. But he had a flesh and blood family that God used to move Jesus toward his holy purpose.

When we think about the heritage of Jesus, we might think about his lineage from King David, yet Jesus became a carpenter because that was his earthly father’s trade. Can you imagine that, when the local townspeople looked into the face of Jesus, they saw a hint of Mary in his smile or his eyes? Because of his family obligations, as the oldest son, Jesus waited until he was 30 years old to begin his public ministry.

What does this mean?

God is using your family to work his purpose in you – He placed you in your family to help you develop Christ-like characteristics. Hopefully, those characteristics are developed through positive role models, relationships that encourage and support you as you learn to be more like Jesus. But even if you’re in a difficult situation, God can still use your family to develop a Christ-like character.

WHO STARTED CHRISTMAS?

This morning I heard a story on the radio of a woman who was out
Christmas shopping with her two children. After many hours of looking at row after
row of toys and everything else imaginable. And after hours of hearing both
her children asking for everything they saw on those many shelves, she
finally made it to the elevator with her two kids.

She was feeling what so many of us feel during the holiday season time
of the year. Overwhelming pressure to go to every party, every
housewarming, taste all the holiday food and treats, getting that perfect gift for
every single person on our shopping list, making sure we don’t forget anyone
on our card list, and the pressure of making sure we respond to everyone
who sent us a card.

Finally the elevator doors opened and there was already a crowd in the
car. She pushed her way into the car and dragged her two kids in with her and
all the bags of stuff. When the doors closed she couldn’t take it anymore
and stated, “Whoever started this whole Christmas thing should be found,
strung up and shot.”

From the back of the car everyone heard a quiet calm voice respond,
“Don’t worry we already crucified him.” For the rest of the trip down the
elevator it was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop.

Don’t forget this year to keep the One who started this whole Christmas
thing in your every thought, deed, purchase, and word. If we all did it,
just think of how different this whole world would be.

– Author Unknown

 1 CORRINTHIANS 13 CHRISTMAS VERSION

If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows, strands of twinkling
lights and shiny balls, but do not show love to my family, I’m just
another
decorator.

If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas cookies,
preparing gourmet meals and arranging a beautifully adorned table at
mealtime, but do not show love to my family, I’m just another cook.

If I work at the soup kitchen, carol in the nursing home, and give all
that
I have to charity, but do not show love to my family, it profits me
nothing.

If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and crocheted snowflakes,
attend
a myriad of holiday parties and sing in the choir’s cantata, but do not
focus on Christ, I have missed the point.

Love stops the cooking to hug the child.
Love sets aside decorating to kiss the husband.
Love is kind, though harried and tired.
Love doesn’t envy another’s home that has coordinated Christmas china
and
table linens.
Love doesn’t yell at the kids to get out of the way, but is thankful
they
are there to be in the way.
Love doesn’t give only to those who are able to give in return but
rejoices
in giving to those who can’t.
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures
all
things.
Love never fails.
Video games will break, pearl necklaces will be lost, golf clubs will
rust.
But giving the gift of love will endure.
Merry Christmas!

– Author Unknown

Bring your spouse for this month’s Board meeting.

All Church pot luck dinner. After the morning service. Bring at leasst 2 food dishes and sty for a time of fellowship.  No PM service.

Our annual Gift for Christ Offering will go towards the Local Compassionate ministries. This ministry mets the needs of families in our community through out the year.