ExtraChristy

A Light in the Darkness Marj Carpenter told a story about a light in the darkness at her election to moderator of the nationwide Presbyterian General Assembly that she repeated later in her book, And A Little Bit Farther. She went to visit a church in Serbia. Fighting had ruined the power grid so they were traveling in complete darkness. Finally, in the distance they could see flickering candles. Members of the church were waiting for them outside in the cold, dark night, holding candles to light their way. Marj cried a bit telling us that she realized they did not know when they were coming, so they had been standing in the road for hours, lighting the way, hoping that the travelers would see the way to a warm welcome in the great darkness.

I sometimes think of Marj when I see Christmas Lights on houses lighting up the darkness. I always remember her story on Christmas Eve at our Candlelight services as I look out on the congregation lighting up our part of the world.

I hope you are a light for those searching for you. And when you are searching, I hope you find someone waiting with the light on.

You Are Light to Others

“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.- Matthew 5:14-16

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Do You Hear What I Hear? Tinnitus is common this time of year. I'm not talking about the medical condition which affects some people, like me, year round. We hear a tone. or a ringing, constantly. Sometimes the ringing is so severe it interferes with sleep and hearing.

Tinnitus is from the Latin word for “ringing”. Around here Salvation Army bells are already ringing almost constantly. They call me back from my own concerns, shopping at the mall or the grocery store, to remember others. Others like those I don't see or hear in the store or mall. The poor, the homeless, the unemployed, and the disabled. The bell should be constantly ringing.

I hope you are well and warm, employed and secure this and every day. May you be thankful for all of those blessings and may the only ringing in your ears be the call to share with thanks those blessings with others.

Feast on the Words of the Lord

The time is surely coming, says the Lord God, when I will send a famine on the land; not a famine of bread, or a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord.
- Amos 8:11

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Bucket for Life and for Others The Bucket List is a fun movie about two senior citizens that travel the world to see and do things before they "kick the bucket". Luckily for the story, one of the men is very rich and can finance these indulgent excursions. There is another bucket image talked about by Tom Rath and Donald O Clifton in the 2004 book How Full is Your Bucket? and popularized in children's books. The idea is that we all have an invisible bucket, not to kick but to hold good thoughts and feelings about ourselves.

We also have an invisible dipper. When used to fill the buckets of others with praise, thanks and thoughtfulness, our bucket is filled as well. But when we take from the buckets of others with mean words and harsh actions, our bucket's level of goodness is diminished as well.

This expands the golden rule to as you do to others, you do to yourself. I hope you fill someone's bucket today and not dip into theirs, so that your bucket is filled and not kicked.

Christ Pours Himself Out for Others

Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness.
- Philippians 2:1-15

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You Can Tell A Christian...but not much Two youth returned to church after about a year away. One change was that their interesting hair styles were now buzz cuts. I found out another change. Part of the reason they have been away was time at Army boot camp. They both had joined the service! Do you wish there was an easily visible way to gauge someone's Christianity, patriotism, danger to you? In poker, one looks for a "tell" in other players. A "tell" is a visual cue that reveals how good or bad the player's thinks his or her cards are. What is a "tell" for Christian?

Many quick and easy Christian tells have been promoted, you get current lists many places and historical lists in a few places. The problem is the various lists don't match, some items even contradict one another.Maybe our youth can give us a clue for a good tell. When someone enters the service, of their nation or their savior, it involves sacrifice.

Hope someone can tell you're a Christian today, without you using words to tell them. If you're not a Christian, I hope what you see in the loving way we play with others reveals how good a hand we Christians have.

Great Love Shown in Sacrifice

No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends.
- John 15:13

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Excuse me...I have to take this. The church I serve is participating in the [url=http://www.adventconspiracy.com]Advent Conspiracy[/url], an effort to worship fully, spend less, give more and love all for Christmas. One of their promotional phrases is "Give Presence" They encourage giving ourselves and our attention to those we love instead of presents of things. It is called relational giving where you give your full presence to someone you love instead of a closet stuffer.

Some ideas are: making plans to spend the day with the person in an activity they enjoy: (hiking, bird-watching, train spotting, a massage, road trip, campout), planning a movie night where you bring the DVD and popcorn, coupons for child-care or a game night. More ideas are at www.rethinkingchristmas.com

I hope you give the gift of your presence to those you love during the days leading up to Christmas which is the celebration of God giving his presence to us in the baby Jesus.

The first Christmas Presence

'Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel',
which means, 'God is with us.' - Matthew 1:23

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