Guest Blog - Mike Ilse

Today's guest blogger is Mike Ilse - one of our Elder Team members and a leader on the Praise Team. Here's what's on Mike's heart and mind:

What’s the most money you have ever spent on a Christmas gift? Or, how about this, what is the greatest gift you have ever given or received?

This year Nancy and I seem focused more on getting to Germany to visit our daughter Jessica and son-in-law Phillip than we are Christmas shopping. The thought of crowded malls, traffic, and salesman peddling their wares is especially unappealing to us this year. Most of the time you don’t even see God and compassion beyond the glitz.

As you’re faced with giving gifts and following Pastor John’s message of More Compassion, Less Consumption, consider this:

Our good friend’s Greg and Erin Richmond introduced us to a ministry called “Gospel For Asia”. Through this organization you can purchase, for an underprivileged family or missionary in another country, an animal ie.. pair of goats, pig or milking cow, in the name of a friend or family member. Gospel For Asia will send a card to that family thanking them for the gift you gave in their name. (How about a Pig for a Pastor). How awesome to bring a Christmas to a family that might not otherwise have one and replace the Glitz with a Savior.

There are other ministries that do the same as Gospel For Asia. More Compassion. Less Consumption. Check it out!!

Guest Blog - Audie Lawley

This week as I'm away listening to God, I've asked several of our staff and elders to be guest bloggers. We start today with our awesome Children's/Creativity Pastor Audie Lawley.

Last week as i was pondering a question for the nametags....i was reading and rereading the paragraph about the shepherds on the night of Jesus' birth when a thought crossed my mind...How far where the shepherds from Bethlehem?
I knew the NIV says nearby and i then thought how cool it was, that not only where they 'nearby' physically, but they also must have been 'nearby' spiritually, because it was an immediate response they made... somehow they had to have had hearts that where primed to receive the news of the birth of Christ, because it says they ran, not walked or thought about it they said let's go and then took off and then 'told everyone' in ways that amazed people after seeing Him....
And what was it that so impressed them when they arrived and say just a tiny newborn wrapped in dirty stable rags, and two young dirty tired parents who had just had a baby. What was so amazing about that scene, that would cause these shepherds to leave that stable unable to even contain the wonder of what they had seen? What did they see that actually affirmed the message of the angel...that this little baby was the Savior that they had been waiting all their lives for?
So it made me think again.....what a weird conversation that must have been between Mary & Joseph & the shepherds.

M & J resting, or trying to in a nasty stinky stable with their little fella and then some shepherds come running in wanting to know if he was the promised Savior, is this the Messiah. Then taking a look and seeing how it really was just a little itty bitty baby....i'm sure then M& J told their story and it amazed the shepherds and affirmed the angels message and of course we know it affirmed for Mary what her heart all ready knew...her son was indeed going to Rock this World!
So it made me think again...how close am I to bethlehem or even how far am i from bethlehem? am i like the shepherds who are ready to to receive an unexpected and strangely delivered message from God? would i drop everything and run towards that message or would I drop everything and run away? the honest answer is I don't really know!

I hope if while I was dragging my nasty green trash can to the street tonight, you know just doing a normal chore in my normal life, and an angel came and said I got some news your gonna wanna hear and i got a place your gonna wanna go check out, cuz there is something you need to see....that i would take off running to the message. So....in my normal every day life, i need to be prepared to hear such a message, by staying in His word, by seeking His will, by doing all i can to draw nearer to Him so that I am ever ready to run when asked!

This Week

I've expressed to you before my rhythm of having time to be in God's presence in solitude.

I need it every morning.
Monthly, I need a day and night away to clear my thoughts and focus on Him.
And yearly, I need a week to go away and remove all the distractions and reconnect with God in a deeper way.

This next week is my annual week away. I've done it the first week of December for 3 years now. I'll be gone to a small place in the Hill Country, leaving all my technology behind (OK, I take my cell phone but only turn it on at night to call my wife).

Just the other day I was emailed a great little article on the discipline of solitude. I encourage you to read it - click here - because it's something that not just pastors, but ALL of us need.

And I ask you to pray for me this week. That I will humbly listen . . . and hear.

Golden Compass - The Right Direction for You and Your Kids?

Over the past several weeks I've received many emails about a much advertised movie that is going to hit the theaters on December 7th - The Golden Compass.

As you know, I normally don't spend time critiquing cultural events. Largely because if they emanate from popular culture we should expect them to have the perspective of the world. And then depending on our conviction, we should either use them to better understand our world and those around us; or leave them in the newspaper.

That being said, from the perspective of a Father and a Pastor, I am concerned about what I've read about the underlying direction of this movie. And much of my concern has to do with the target audience being children.

We cannot and MUST NOT bury our heads in the social sand when it comes to our children whose young hearts and souls need our guidance.

With that in mind I have collected several articles below that talk about Philip Pullman himself (author), the trilogy of books which this movie is based on, and the movie itself.

I encourage you to be as 'wise as a serpent' and use the below before 'inhaling.'

The first three links are different websites and then the last portion is part of an email also with links in it.

And then, please comment back and let us know what you think . . . . .


http://www.pluggedinonline.com/thisweekonly/a0003516.cfm

http://www.christianinformation.org/article.asp?artID=117

http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/compass.asp

There is a new movie coming to theaters December 7. You should be forewarned about The Golden Compass. The target audience for the movie is children, and it is being promoted in some schools. The Golden Compass is based on a book trilogy that promotes atheistic views, likely to be reflected in the movie.

For more information on The Golden Compass, click here to read the column by AFA's Rebecca Grace. You might also want to read an article from Chuck Colson's Prison Fellowship. Click here for the article.