Dreams

Happy New Year's Eve. I hope that the last day of the year can be your best day of the year. I hope that you can focus on all of the positive things rather than the things that you failed to do. Like most of your New Years resolutions.

This morning, I want to talk a little bit about your dreams. Not your dream job, dream vacation or anything like that, but the dreams you have when you sleep at night. Weird topic right? I really didn't know what I was going to post about today until I started reading the book of Matthew. I just finished the book of Luke last night, so I figured Matthew was a great place to start. So in the first two chapters of Matthew, Joseph has two dreams.

Matthew 1:20-21: But after he has considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save people from their sins." 

This isn't a Christmas message, I want to focus on the dream and the idea that dreams are so important and that Spirit can communicate to us through them.

Matthew 2:19-20: After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Jospeh in Egypt and said, "Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child's life are dead." 

What is communicated in those verses is not what I want to talk about, the dream is what I want to focus on.

Reading these verses about dreams reminded me of two things that happened this summer. First, it takes me back to my time in China. When I was in China, we had a discipleship coach with us the entire time. His name was Gus. Gus was the absolute man. Gus is from Orange County California and I haven't met anyone in my life like him. His love for the Lord is so radiant and he is such a light to all. This man has been through so much and yet he praises the Lord like no other. So what does Gus have to do with dreams? Every time Gus prayed aloud for the team each night, he would pray that we would have good dreams and that God would protect our dreams. I had never in my life heard anybody pray about having dreams at night. At first I thought it was weird. I can't lie. Like who prays for dreams? As the three weeks went on the idea grew on me. Nearly every night in China we would switch roommates and one night I got to room with Gus. Before bed, he prayed for both of us, and like usual, prayed for our good dreams. It was such a sincere prayer in every way. The more and more I think about it, him praying for our dreams finally clicked. I started doing it and some pretty cool things happened.

Fast forward three months and it's August. I had said some prayers for good dreams but it has never really been a consistent prayer for me because I easily forget to add the part about good dreams. Side note: Next time you pray, pray that God protects your dreams and that you have good ones, it might seem a little weird but it's so cool. Okay back to August. I had been praying for my dreams and on August 9th I got a text from one of my friends.  (I have shared this before) He texted me and told me that he had a dream the night before the 9th (which was my birthday) that he had died and was going to heaven but he couldn't get there. He went on to tell me that I was right there beside him in that dream the entire time and that he new that I was there to help. In his dream he knew that the date was August 18th.  I asked him when he told me about it and if he believed in Jesus and he told me not yet. I asked him if he wanted to meet up on August 18th to talk and he agreed. We met up on that day, talked for a couple of hours and he ended up giving his life to Christ on that day. One of the greatest days of my life. God is so crazy good and so powerful. The Spirit allowed him to dream that night and his life was saved because of that. I know that God works in amazing ways, but how amazing is it that I learned about praying for your dreams, I prayed for dreams, and my friend had the most amazing dream and his life was saved? All within three months. Really puts me in awe. That is a perfect reminder to that we need to be patient with what God is teaches us and that we don't always see results right away. It takes patience.

Dreams. They're amazing. I hope and pray for all of your dreams and that God can be present in them and that they can change your life.

~ Happy NYE & Stay Safe ~

Relentless

Being relentless in the way you do things causes you to go from good to great to unstoppable.

I want to touch base on the idea of being relentless as you wrap up the year 2017. Relentless is a book written by Tim Glover and it is one of the best books I have ever read. Relentless challenged me to dig deep and reach a whole new level of mental toughness. I would love to get into a lot of detail but I just want plant the idea of being relentless in your mind. I hope that the idea of being relentless transforms your mindset as you enter 2018.

The following is a section from the book:

"Relentless is about never being satisfied, always driving to be the best, and then getting even better. It's about finding the gear that gets you to the next level...even when the next level doesn't exist. It's about facing your fears, getting rid of the poisons that guarantee you will fail. Being feared and respected for your mental strength and toughness, not just your physical abilities. Whatever is in your class, empty it right now, and let me refill it from scratch. Forget what you thought, what you believed, whatever opinions you have...we start over right now. Empty glass. Those last few drops are mental barriers that will prevent you from being better."

If you know me very fairly well you know that I have the word 'Relentless' tattooed on my chest in Greek. I got it because being relentless is something that I have tried to be in every part of my life. I hope that when people see it for the first time and ask me that I can share about the things I have worked so hard for in my life. I am not posting this to talk to you about my work ethic. I am sharing what it means to be relentless because I genuinely care about everyone and would love to see you all to put it to the test so that you can achieve your goals. Not just achieve them but to go above and beyond what you think is even possible. I encourage you to never be satisfied. That's a little weird to say, but I mean it. It is something that has always worked for me. I have always been hard on myself and I always think that I can do better. No matter what it is. I can think of the best basketball games I ever played and there are still so many things that I know that I could have done better. Not being satisfied fuels me to work extra hard in everything I do. I am curious, have you ever found that gear that you didn't know you had? I bet you have once or twice. Finding that extra gear is what turns you from good to great to unstoppable. Put in that extra work, work when others sleep, read when others play video games, do what you know other people aren't doing. Be crazy in what you do! You won't regret it, I promise. So what, you might become exhausted, but that's what makes you unstoppable. That is what leads you to success in all areas of life. You have to be mentally tough to do all of those things. Being mentally tough is what makes you unstoppable. When you can add mental toughness to your physical talents, musical talents, whatever it may be, you put your self on a whole other level. Lastly, as the year winds down, I encourage you to empty your glass. Refill it to start this new year. Empty it completely. Get rid of all any drops that might still be in there.

I hope that this post encourages you to be relentless in all that you do and you will go from good to great to unstoppable.

Don’t take anything for granted

Don’t take anything for granted

We are currently on our way back from a nice little business trip in Ontario, Canada. By business trip, I mean we went to get two wins and that is exactly what we did. I have been sitting on this bus for over an hour now trying to think about what I want to post about. There is one thing that I have kept wanting to post about but usually just switch it up and keep telling myself that I will wait. I believe that tonight is the night to talk about it. I want this post to be about not taking anything for granted. 

How many of you have taken something for granted in your life? Probably most of you. How many of you have taken something for granted this year? I would assume that most of you could attest to that as well. How many of you have taken something for granted this week? Probably a couple of you. Unfortunately, it becomes easy to take things for granted, simply because life flies by. We go through so many different seasons in our lives and sometimes we get caught up in not giving it your all in your current season? 

This topic has been on my mind for lot of reasons. One of the reasons is that I miss playing basketball with my best friends. One of my best friends got a concussion back in the beginning of December, healed up and when we were playing in Florida last week he got another one. I think I have been on the court playing with him twice in the entire month. I am not saying that I don’t like playing with my other teammates because I do, I would do anything for them. I love them all. My other best friend has been hurt on and off as well. Thankfully he is feeling a little better now, but it seems like he was getting banged up every single day. When that happens, I miss playing with those guys so much. Last night when we were playing Great Lakes Christian I got kneed in the head and didn’t play the rest of the game, or the game today against Windsor. It sucks because I would do anything to be out there with my teammates but sometimes the unexpected happens. 

One of things that I have taken for granted in my life has been playing basketball games in the Dominican Republic. Our team goes every other year and this past summer we went. We played 7 games while we were down there. Seven games in three days. That’s a lot. The very first day we played three games. Playing three games in the United States in one day might not be as bad, but in the D.R. it was extremely tough. The gyms are incredibly hot, the style of play is totally different and the refs suck. When we played our third game that first day I had never been so tired while playing basketball before. It wasn’t because I wasn’t in shape either. It was so hard. Fast forward three days and it’s our last day of games. We were planning on playing two games on that last night and no more games the rest of the trip. Paul wasn’t going to play due to injuries he was dealing with. Gage didn’t play either because he has knee surgery over the summer. So, we were already short two bigs. Things started getting out of hand during the game. Pickle, one of our freshmen, broke his ankle and we were all affected by the pain that he was going through. A couple of possessions later, Grant takes a hard elbow to the head and is bleeding all over the court. As this point I am thinking, let’s just get this game over with. My two best friends were hurt ad couldn’t play and it seemed like everyone was getting hurt. I remember finishing that game with the mindset that we still had one more game left and I was going to give it everything I had in that last game because it was the last time I was probably ever going to play a basketball game in that country. The game ended and it was time to warm up for game number 2. Ryne told me right before the start of the game that he wasn’t going to play me. I don’t blame him either. Everything that could go wrong seemed to be going wrong. I would way rather be healthy for our season here than one game in the D.R. It was the right decision for sure. I was sad though I can’t lie. I remember going over to Paul and putting my arm around him and I was so emotional. I told him that it wasn’t the same playing a game without him and Grant and that when we can play together that I am going to never take it for granted. Not just them, but all my teammates. A big reason why I was so emotional was because I didn’t give everything I had in the previous game. When I look back at it, I was so selfish for doing that. I am not saying that I went out and gave it 50 percent of what I had, I gave probably 90 percent because I wanted to save a little bit. I took the moment for granted and it sucks looking back it, but I won’t let it tear me down. That moment taught me a valuable lesson. When you take things for granted you not only miss out on things but the people around you might miss out as well. Our games that night were in the town where we usually played all our games when we were there. The people from that town would fill the stands and cheer us on. All of the kids at the game were the kids who would come to the clinics that we put on in the morning for them. The kids who gave 110 percent during every drill we put them through taught me so much. It just didn’t carry it over. What was right in front of me, I took for granted. 

I hate to admit that I didn’t give it my all at something I am so passionate about but I want to be as honest with you as I can be. 

This post had a lot to do with the things I have taken for granted and I hope that you can learn a lesson from my mistakes. I encourage you to be in the moment. Every second of every day. Today is a blessing and tomorrow isn’t promised. Remember that. 

End Times

End Times

Do you ever think about the end times? End times being the end of the world. Does that ever cross your mind? Do you think that the end of the world could be during our generation? It certainly seems like a possibility. I think that it’s something we need to think about. You don’t have to have a negative attitude about it either. 

In Luke 21 there is an entire section of scripture about the destruction of the temple and signs of the end times. Verses 10-11: “Then he said to them: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.” When I read those verses, I feel like it’s a perfect description of our world today. There certainly isn’t world peace and nations always seem to be raging war against other nations. There are great earthquakes and natural disasters that seem to happen nearly every day. Does anybody remember back in the Fall where our country was hit by some of the strongest hurricanes in history? Hurricanes, wildfires, earthquakes, all works of the Lord and all things that seem to be happening more and more. Those disasters stink but do you think that God uses them for a purpose? I believe he uses it as a wake-up call. Back in the Fall I was getting scared that the world was going to end soon. Sure, that sounds a little weird but I seriously thought about it every single day. I am remembering attending Lifeworks on a Thursday during that time and one of the worship songs we sang was about how amazing God’s power is. In the moment of fearing the end of the world I couldn’t help but praise God for all the amazing things that he is doing every single day. Maybe you don’t view those things as a wake-up call, or think about them at all. But I encourage you to view it as that. 

Luke 21:12-19: “But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you. They will hand you over to synagogues and put you in prison, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all because my name. And so, you will bear testimony to me. But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. You will be betrayed even by your parents, brothers and sisters, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. Everyone will hate you because of me. But not a hair of your head will perish. Stand firm, and you will win life.”

So, before all the battles among nations, earthquakes, and various signs from heaven, you will be persecuted. I don’t like learning that you will be persecuted by everyone, even your family. I am not the biggest fan of that. But, I guess that is just how it’s going to be. One of my favorite verses in the entire Bible is Luke 21:17: “Everyone will hate you because of me.” I don’t like it because of a prideful stand point or anything, but it’s always been a verse I can rely on for comfort. In my life, not everyone has always liked me, I am sure that is how it is with more people. Whenever it has been made known that someone doesn’t like me or someone won’t stop poking fun at me, I go back to this verse and rest in it. That verse means so much to me. It reminds me that I don’t have to have approval by other people, if I got God I’ll be alright. He is all I need.  What a great reason to be hated for right? It tells me that I must be doing something right. I am not saying this a great verse for everyone. I try to be as loving of everyone as possible, but I think if you don’t stand for anything in life and are a victim of this world, that you cannot really say that people hate you because of God. I hope that makes sense, and I hope I didn’t offend anybody by posting that. 

I am also a fan of Luke 21:19: “Stand firm, and you will win life.” That is such an encouraging verse. I like to win, I don’t know about you, but if all I must do to win is stand firm in my relationship with Christ than I am going to do that to the absolute best of my abilities. 

Back to end times. I think one of the reasons the rapture has happened yet is because not everyone has been reached. There are unreached people groups across the world. Unreached people groups are literally people who are unreached. You cannot get to them. They are people who have no idea that there is a God that exist. When I was in China in May, we met a Chinese missionary who travels to these unreached people groups. I will never forget that man saying that the only reason the rapture has happened is because there are millions of people who haven’t been reached yet. That motivates me like crazy. I can’t imagine living a life not knowing who the creator of everything is. It breaks my heart. 

I want to close with the last couple of verses in Luke 21. I hope that this post was encouraging for you. I know it was a lot, but I hope it encourages you to think about end times in a good way. If you can take away one thing from this post, I hope that you remember that if you stand firm, you will win this life. 

Luke 21:34-36: “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap. For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.” 

I hope that this post doesn’t sound negative either, about the world ending and all that. I feel that what I put may have made it sound that way. I want to remind you to not just get caught up in focusing on the negatives, rather think about the positives as well. Think about all the amazing things that God is doing in your life. God not only showers blessings in your life but also miracles. Your life is a miracle. Let that settle in. If you focus on all the negative things it’s easy to forget that God is our refuge and our strength. 

~ Be careful & Stand firm ~ 

I am preparing you

This afternoon I will be sharing a devotional from the Jesus Calling devotional book. I assume that many of you have heard of this book before. My mom just got one for me for Christmas and it's a great little devotional book. It's perfect if you have 5 minutes of free time and want to be encouraged.

December 27

I am preparing you for what is on the road ahead, just around the bend. Take time to be still in My presence so that I can strengthen you. The busier you become, the more you need this time apart with Me. So many people think that time spend with Me is a luxury that they cannot afford. As a result, they live and work in their own strength-until that becomes depleted. Then they either cry out to Me for help or turn away in bitterness. 

How much better is it to walk close with Me, depending on My strength and trusting Me in every situation. If you live in this way, you will do less but accomplish far more. Your unhurried pace of living will stand out in this rush-crazed age. Some people may deem you lazy, but many more will be blessed by your peacefulness. Walk in the Light with Me, and you will reflect Me to the watching world.

Isaiah 64:4 - John15:5 - Psalm 36:9

I absolutely love this devotional. This one specifically. Life is so busy. I don't really know of anyone who is not busy. Even people who don't play sports are busy because they're involved in other things as well. Business is just part of life. It's such a easy thing to get caught up in. It's the way our culture works. Everything is time oriented. You get put in a daily routine, and go through your days doing the same thing over and over again. When you get in that routine you can't live life using your own strength. You might thing that you can and you can probably make it a decent amount of time, but how much better is life when you depend on God's strength and trust Him in every situation. That is where your life will change. Take some time apart from your busy life and rest in his embrace. I see people in the coffee shop where I like to read and write every day who say, "I feel like you're in here everyday, how do you have time." Believe it or not, I rely on God's strength and trust in him to provide me with the extra energy to use it on Him. When you spend that extra time with Him, sure some people might think you are lazy and that you don't care about school or whatever the case may be but that is just deception. Many people will be blessed by your peacefulness. How eye opening and encouraging is that? Before I became disciplined with reading my Bible, I would see people who were reading their Bible's in public and I would always be encouraged. Even with being better at it now, I am still encouraged when I see people reading their Bible's, it makes me so happy. 

I hope that today's post was just as encouraging for you as it was for me. 

~ you are loved ~

The North Pole

Last Christmas, my husband and I had a unique and special experience at the airport. I’d like to share it with you, to remind you of the spirit of Christmas.

Every year Bethel mens basketball plays at a tournament in Florida, the week before Christmas. Last year’s tournament was in Miami. My husband and I arrived at the Detroit Metro airport, McNamara terminal. We walked into the terminal and immediately heard a jazz band playing Christmas music as travelers walked into the airport. The band members were all dressed in some type of Christmas attire, and the mood in the airport was joyful and upbeat. Everyone had a little extra bounce in their step. We were also greeted by [fully-costumed] Elves standing at the entrances to the airport. That made us laugh a little! We each got a friendly “Hello, and Merry Christmas!” Unlike typical experiences entering the airport, where people are rushed and stressed, the airport had an unusual and welcomed Christmas spirit. I was immediately happy as I hummed along with the band.

The Delta check in line where all the travelers were filing in to was moderately long. We noticed another Delta check-in counter right beside the one with all the passengers, so we walked over to that one because there was no line. We approached the Delta agent and she politely smiled and said, “You may be in the wrong line; this plane’s going to the North Pole.” My husband and I smiled and looked at one another. I immediately had several thoughts rushing into my head. I’m sure the puzzled looks on our faces were priceless. I was thinking , “Wait, there IS a North Pole?!” Because she was obviously serious! Then I thought, “Wait, who actually goes to the North Pole?” “Did she just say what I think she said?” Then she politely directed us over to the longer Delta line. No one else was in line behind us. My husband and I sheepishly walked away, clearly puzzled, and asked each other what that was all about? I asked him as we walked away, “Who flies to the North Pole?” We got in the line and continued to process that conversation, all the while still feeling the total Christmas spirit, as the elves continued to greet people and the band continued to play Christmas music.

When we got up to the counter, the older gentleman asked us the usual check in questions. We took care of our luggage check in, and he bid us farewell. We turned to leave, and I had to ask! I said, “Sir, we were in the other line over there, and the agent told us that plane was going to the North Pole.” He smiled, a knowing smile, and answered, “Yes, it does!” My husband and I again looked at one another and he observed our confusion. We looked over to that counter, and there was now a family getting checked in there, parents and a child.

The man explained, “Delta offers a flight to the North Pole for children who are terminally ill and this is probably going to be their last Christmas.” I felt like I wanted to cry at that moment, but I still had so many questions. Thankfully, he continued, “The plane taxies around the runway for an hour, without ever leaving, but it simulates a flight. When the plane “lands”, the families exit and enter a hangar set up as “The North Pole” where Delta workers have created a North Pole experience for the sick kids.” He went on to say that he and his wife worked it for years and years, and eventually couldn’t take the sadness of the families, knowing it was their last Christmas with their child. I was looking down, trying to hold back my emotions, it was one of the most beautiful things I’d ever heard of.  I raised my head up to make eye contact with him, to see him teared up and struggling to tell us the rest. Once more, I looked over to the family at the check in, and was so overcome with sadness. My husband and I all exchanged a final look at one another, and we all slowly just offered kind smiles as we turned to walk away. I don’t think my husband and I talked for several minutes, as we just tried to take in what we’d just heard. At that moment, I knew I’d never forget that conversation for the rest of my life.

You can read more about this if you google “North Pole Fantasy Fights.” I have read through a couple of the write-ups. There are several airports across the USA that host this event. Looks like airport personel, retired airport workers, and volunteers make this event happen. Maybe that is something to consider helping with in the future? Sounds like a life-changing event, and a beautiful way to bless hurting families.

Praying you’ve been able to experience the joy of Christmas this season.

Rosemary Fisher

What does Christmas mean to you?

I reached out to people for today's post and here is what I got in reply. Thank you for all who helped me out. 

Christmas is many things. One that God has been teaching me through advent season is that Christmas is hope. Christmas is Jesus entering into the chaos of the world. After years of silence, God answered in an unexpected way through Jesus, the question "how long?." Christmas is for everyone- the marginalized and the vulnerable. This changes the world and it changes me. Christmas is about this celebration that God has met us where we are, which leads to a cross. A time to worship and celebrate that hope has come to you and me. Christmas is the reminder that Jesus came for me and hope saves.

-Trisha Cousino

Christmas means so much- sure, it’s wonderful to spend time with my family and friends while laughing heartily  until time passes. However, it means so much more to me than solely spending time with others; it’s also an opportunity for us to grow in our faith. If we are able to grow as individuals, though our faith, we can then prosper even more- we can share our growth with others and find happiness in our progress as individuals.

-Reagan Stohler

Christmas to me means being together with family and all the traditions a family has. I love being home, just spending time with my siblings and parents. My family has never been big into buying lots of gifts. The time we spend with each other means more to me than any gift I could receive. And, for as long as I can remember, I have always valued being with family over the holidays. As I have gotten older, that desire has only gotten stronger. The traditions that my family has are both fun and sentimental. And some, as silly as they might be, still mean so much to me. 

-Lorraine Gamble

Hey bro, to me, Christmas is obviously about celebrating the birth of Jesus! What an amazing story it is!! It is also about taking a break from our normal schedules to be with family and relax!!

-Eli Miller

Luke 2:11

“For today in the city of David there has been born for you a savior, who is Christ the Lord.” 

Christmas is almost here and I think it’s easy to lose sight of what this special day is really all about. Of course the decorations, cookies, presents, Santa, and Rudolph are all fun things to look forward too on the 25th but this date is so much more than the tradition of a jolly man in a red suit leaving some gifts under the tree. 

At least for me, when I was a kid I didn’t really have the concept of Christmas right. But as I’ve grown into my faith it’s clear to me that He is the reason for the season. 

In the scripture stated above, Christ is born! Baby Jesus was God’s gift to us. As I’ve grown up I’ve learned that this gift is something not to take lightly. Sure, I’ve been given some gifts from family that if I lost or broke it I would never hear the end of it, but this is an everlasting gift given to all of us that cannot be broken. This is a gift that’s more than temporary change or things–He offers us new hearts that will last for eternity. 

Unwrap it 

God wants us to open His gift today, tomorrow, Christmas day, New years Eve! Whenever it may be this gift is front and center of all the other gifts you got this holiday season waiting to be unwrapped by YOU! 

On Saturday I went to our churches Christmas Eve service, and our head pastor Mark Beeson said something that really spoke to me. He said, “How would you feel if you bought an expensive well thought out gift that you couldn’t wait to give someone and they didn’t open it?” And I thought about it some more–I would be kind of upset, maybe a little offended. But Mark wasn’t speaking about us–he was speaking about God’s gift. Maybe some people may not think they are worthy enough for this gift. They’ve made too many mistakes that there’s no going back. No no no. that’s not the case at all. God doesn’t care that you made wrong actions or decisions that had been made in the past. The one decision He cares about is your decision to unwrap His gift this Christmas.

sIn

The middle letter in the word sin is I. We aren’t all perfect, but when you put yourself before God and his glory you are bound to sin through your thoughts, temptations, actions, words, etc. I want to put emphasis on the fact that WE AREN’T PERFECT. We all fall short of the glory of God. But, if we claim that we have not sin we are simply calling God a liar. 

Sin is one of the many reasons for you to unwrap God’s gift this Christmas. 

A gift of Love

God intervened because of love. This gift is the biggest gesture of love for us. He gave us Jesus to receive the gift of forgiveness, peace, and eternal life through Jesus. And our gift back to Jesus is worshipping Him, accepting Him into our hearts, and opening the greatest gift you could ever receive. 

Keep your eyes on Him

Don’t lose sight of what the Holidays are really about. Of course embrace the Christmas traditions. But, be sure to keep your eyes on the greatest gift of Christmas—Him. 

God wrapped this gift with love– accept it with an open heart for an eternal life of peace and forgiveness. Just remember to unwrap with care!

-Allie Piatt

Christmas. I guess I’ve never had to answer the question of what Christmas means to me. The world tells us that Christmas means presents, parties, family and a fair share of stress and spending. And hopefully some pretty snow. But Christmas is THE DAY JESUS WAS BORN! 🙌🏼 The total reason we even celebrate this day is to remember God’s sending of His Son to save us! Ahh, and I’m so thankful for that! The Savior has been born in Bethlehem! If you have a Bible, you can read about this in Luke 2, go check it out! 

-Rosemary Fisher

What does Christmas mean to me: so all my life Christmas has meant gifts and giving and being with family and i was always selfish wanting to give the best gifts and receive the most and a few years back i realized it’s not about how much or the quality it’s about family and being with the ones you love. but this year i’ve realized that it’s not either of those things. Christmas is about Christ and all that he has done for us. it’s about the fact that he died for us. he graced us with the ability to freely spend time with out friends and with our family. His birth and his death is what gives us the ability to love and to laugh and to be free. Christmas is about what Christ did for us and what we can do for others in the name of Christ.

-Megan Richardson 

Emmanuel

Emmanuel is the greatest inheritance. An inheritance is often a gift. What is the greatest gift that you have ever gotten for Christmas. I am sure that you can look back and remember your favorite Christmas gifts that you have ever gotten. I know that some immediately come to mind for me. I think of the sleds my brother and I got when we were probably 6-8 years old. My brother and I used those things for years. I also remember the Cavs tickets my dad got me and we got to go to Cleveland together. Getting the newest video games and movies were always some of the best gifts too. I'll never forget when my sweet mother, discovered the website where you could buy edited (language) movies and she was all about that. If you know my mother very well, this will make you laugh. She would get me so many of those movies. She was even buying movies like Toy Story and Nemo that were edited. I am not sure why but when I look back at it I can't help but smile and be thankful. I look back at the past couple of Christmas' and the gifts I've gotten have been things that I need, and only things that I need. It makes me feel like I am getting older...which I am. Long story short, my brother and I have been very blessed to always get gifts for Christmas and this time of the year is the best mainly because of the time I get to spend with my family. Playing college basketball is amazing and I wouldn't trade it for the world. The time commitment is also insane. I get two and a half days at home and love every single second of it. Any college kids reading this, don't take your time at home for granted. It's such a blessing to be able to spend time with the people you love. 

So why is Emmanuel the greatest gift. Emmanuel means "God with us." Jesus if the greatest gift that there will ever be. I want to share some scripture from John that talks about the gift. 

John 1:1-18: 

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome[a] it.

6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of graceand truth.

15 (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”) 16 Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and[b] is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.

So why is Emmanuel the greatest gift? There are three reasons. 

1.) "In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind." (Verse 4) 

- He has given us life. There is no greater gift than life.

2.) "Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God." (Verse 12-13)

- He gave us relationships and the freedom to have relationships with as many people as we wish. There is no greater gift that being able to have relationships with people. 

3.) "Out of his fullness we have received grace in place of grace already given." (Verse 16)

- Grace is love and there is not greater gift than the God loving us. 

If you struggle to long for a gift like this, here are four ways that you can cultivate longing. I am not going to go in depth with this but rather give you 4 bullet points that correlate directly to scripture. 

1.) preach the mystery (Luke 7:36-50)

2.) come alongside others (Luke 10:25-27)

3.) enjoy or get rid of good gifts (1 Tim. 6:11-19)

4.) learn from others how to long (Luke 10:38-42)

I hope that this encourages you today to understand that the greatest gift of the season is baby Jesus. Emmanuel. God is with us. I also hope that those four bullet points cultivate a longing for Jesus and a relationship with Christ. 

Merry Christmas!