"How can we ever repay the debt we owe to the Savior? He paid a debt He did not owe to free us from a debt we can never pay." I've been thinking about this profound statement a lot recently. If Christ had not FREELY chosen to surrender Himself to the suffering of death on the cross, none of us would have had even a hint of an opportunity to make it to heaven. I expect to explore this further this coming Sunday.  Some Scriptures to consider are:  Revelation 13:8; John 10:18; John 12:23-33; and Hebrews 9:22.  See you on Sunday.  

Christmas Program--New Presentation of Timeless Message

Looking forward to the Children's Christmas program tomorrow at our regular church times and the Christmas fellowship time at 9:15 - 10:15 a.m. This will be a great time to meet new guests. The kids presentation is just a great new way to present the timeless Gospel. See you tomorrow. 

Hope in God in the face of terrible difficulties

I've recently watched most of "The Nativity" DVD again. It has gotten me to thinking about the high cost of God working in our lives. Consider how it was for Mary to be told she’d have a baby w/o being married. What kind of ostracism did she and Joseph have to bear—simply because they were blessed w/ the greatest honor of all. 

What do you think? --Was Mary blessed or saddled with a terrible burden?  I'd love to hear from you.

I just read an article linked to my facebook that Kirsten Powers has recently come to faith in  Christ. To refresh your memory, Kirsten is a Democratic contributor on FOX News and was heavily involved in the Clinton Administration. Her story of coming to faith is intriguing because she tells how she came to Christ only VERY reluctantly. One of the things she said was that her fears gave way to joy as she was being pursued by "The Hound of Heaven".  Joy finally won her heart and I am convinced that joy is the central quality of the life Christ gives us.

Looking forward to seeing many of you at "Heaven Is for Real" this Friday at Mitchell Wesleyan Church at 5 pm or 7:30 pm.  Otherwise, join in the joy of worship on Sunday morning here at MWC!  God bless you!

I am praying for a great outpouring of the saving grace of Christ at our "Heaven Is For Real" event this coming Friday, 5 pm & 7:30 pm. This is a golden opportunity to bring curiosity seekers to hear the Gospel, and I believe each of us should be getting some tickets to give to friends or neighbors to come with you to this event. The Todd Burpo family will tell their riveting story that has become a New York bestseller for several years running.  We only have a few tickets left.  See you on Friday...with the friends you've brought.   

If deep satisfaction in Christ is to be our aim in life, we will face serious challenges to this objective. Just this week many of us were crushed by the inexplicable loss of another brother in the Gospel, Brian Anderberg. How do we pursue joy genuinely while grieving the loss of a dear friend and brother? As John Piper said, "If joy in God were merely the icing on the cake of Christian commitment, this pursuit of joy in Christ would be insignificant." But I'm convinced our satisfaction in God is what we were made for. 

I think Philippians 1:20-21 has some clues for us in this life pursuit for joy. Join me tomorrow morning to explore this passage in light of life's heartaches and our necessity of pursuing joy in Christ.

The words of Jeremy Taylor, the 17th century Anglican bishop, continue to haunt my mind: "God threatens terrible things, if we will not be happy."

I think he's right, but it raises a whole bunch of other questions. For instance...

• Does that mean if I'm not happy I won't go to heaven when I die?
• What if I'm not by nature a "happy" person?
• If I have to endure terrible tragedy in life, do I dare mourn?
• If Jeremy Taylor is right, why don't Christians emphasize God's intent that we be happy more?

Another thought on this, the Bible is indiscriminate in its pleasure language: joy, satisfaction, happiness, contentment... it's all used interchangeably in the Bible. How do I take pleasure in God consistently when life is such an emotional roller coaster? And what if I don't delight in God now? How do I get it? 

I intend to explore this some more this coming Sunday 8:15 a.m. and at 10:30 a.m. Hope to see you there.