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Gifts and Giving

Gifts and Giving...2009 has been an incredible year of growth and expansion...a new campus in Morrison, a new facility for our WP Campus and the first ever Christian radio station in Tanzania! Thank you for your commitment to the vision God has set before us and your generous giving to see it realized. In the midst of a challenging economic climate, God has continued to provide and He is doing it through you...so thank you!

I believe 2010 is going to be so "amazing" that it will cause years past to pale in comparison! (More on that next week) As we continue to share God's message of hope with those who are far from Him, I want to invite you to prayerfully consider a year end gift above and beyond the tithe that will be put toward the following initiatives...

Campus Development...We will be launching another campus in 2010

Compassion (serving the under-resourced)...Tanzania Partnership

Capital Investment...equipment and real estate

Your giving toward these initiatives will last long after the cookies are gone and the decorations are packed away! God can use your gift-however big or small-to accomplish more than you could ever ask or imagine. (EPH. 3:20) What if all of us gave a year end gift equivalent to what we spent on Christmas gifts this year?  My prayer for you and your family...

May the Lord cause all grace to abound toward you, so that at all times, you'll have all that you need for every good work. May you be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. (2 COR. 9:8,11)

Immanuel

IMMANUEL. I love that name for Jesus in light of all it represents...specifically, the context in which God revealed Himself as Immanuel and in turn, the practical implications it has in my life as a follower of Christ.
 
I find it interesting that the term or name Immanuel only appears three times in the entire Bible in light of its significance. One of them is in Matthew's account of the "Christmas" story....
Matthew 1:23 (NIV) "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"--which means, "God with us."

To really appreciate what Matthew intended to communicate by using the name Immanuel, we have to go back to the original prophecy. We'll do that this weekend as we continue our series Christmas Classics with the song, "O Come, O Come Immanuel".
 
The good news is this...because of Christmas, you don't have to go through life alone. Imagine how different our lives would be if we all lived in light of the fact that God is with us?!

Singing

SINGING. I know, I know...you're thinking, "Why are you talking about singing?" Hear me out on this one. Whenever Jesus enters the scene, there's a reason to sing! Re-read the Christmas story and you'll see that singing and rejoicing surrounded the very first Christmas. (LUKE 2)
 
We sing because we serve a God who makes us joyful and gives us a reason to sing. King David wrote most of the Psalms declaring his joy to God. He sang because he had a song.

God loves it when we sing to Him! There's another reason why we should sing. What's that? Singing changes us. Singing isn't just a declaration of joy...singing has the power to make us joyful! So when should we sing?
 
PHIL.4:4 (NIV) Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
 
Does it seem strange to you that a man in prison would be telling those who are not in prison to keep on rejoicing? Our inner attitudes do not need to reflect our outward circumstances. Let me say it this way...It's a choice to rejoice!
 
"Joy to the world. The Lord is come! Let earth receive her King. Let every heart prepare Him room. Let Heaven and nature sing!"

Because of Jesus, we have reason to sing! Sing because He's given you a song. Sing when you don't feel like it and He'll give you a song. Join us at one of our campuses this weekend with a song in your heart. I'll be there making a joyful noise!

Classics

CLASSICS. Some of you love the holidays, while others of you loathe them. Why? For some of you the holidays are filled with great memories and family traditions. For others of you, it's that time of year when the pain of loneliness and loss is intensified.
 
Whatever direction you tend toward, one place we find common ground is in the music of Christmas. Many of the traditional carols are filled with a message of hope and life. Thus the attraction to and love for the classics. They sing of something that we're all looking for...something our souls long for...joy, peace...a time when all oppression shall cease and we can sleep in heavenly peace!
 
I'm confident that this series is going to meet all of us right where we're living. What's true for you and I is true for your family and friends as well...looking for joy and peace in the midst of the added chaos and stress that accompanies this time of year. Therefore, I want to encourage you to take advantage of this "easy invite" series and invite someone to join you at whatever campus you attend.
 
I'm already praying for them to respond favorably to your invitation. By the way, if you bring a friend, you have permission to peak when the opportunity for response is offered. Both of you will never be the same!