Thank you for journeying with us this Advent Season. Our hearts are so full of gratitude for this group of people who opened their hearts with desire to pay attention to what God might say each day. Continue to make room for Christ and you will be at home in your own soul. As you open your hands in worship, emptiness will be far from you. When you bow your head in reverence, the Lord will lift you up and make His face shine upon you.
We pray that you and your family will experience the miracles of the with-God life this Christmas and all the days of your journey home.
You are the beloved of God on whom His favor rests… never forget that.
With Love,
The Loughrige Family
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given:
Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.”
Thought: In the last 24 hours… we threw a Christmas party for our staff, counseled a grieving family, prayed healing scriptures with a family who received the news of a rare and aggressive cancer, officiated a funeral of a 47 year old husband of 29 years-father of 3 children and 3 grandchildren and finally… just now finished praying with a woman after her radical mastectomy. Life is full of celebrations, questions, grief’s, fear and HOPE. Merry Christmas, Solemn Christmas… whatever is happening for you this year, Christmas is hope in the birth of Christ… the with-God life. He is the thrill of hope, the promise of God’s presence in this world and in eternity. Without God there is no hope! We celebrate the hope of Christmas because the One who came as a baby has given us the opportunity to be born again. Don’t miss it… humans can only produce human life but the Holy Spirit gives us every thing else we need in this life and the next.
Practice: Offer God all of your life… your gratitude, your pain, your questions, your hope. Allow yourself to be born into the hope that is born of the Spirit of Jesus. Live the with-Godlife this Christmas… invite Him into all you see, hear and experience. Let Christ be born in you anew.
Prayer: Jesus, I see the holy night you were born as the hope for my new birth. I receive the birth and ultimately the death of Christ as the hope for the forgiveness of my sins, the healing of my body and the hope for all of my tomorrows.
O! Holy night! The stars, are brightly shining,
This is the night of our dear Savior’s birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error, pining
Then He appeared, and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope; the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!
Fall on your knees! O hears the angel voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was Born;
O night divine!
Truly He taught us to love one another,
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains shall he break, for the slave is our brother,
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Wednesday, Day 25: The with-God life
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God,who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave ustheministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconcilingthe world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to usthe message of reconciliation.2 Corinthians 17-19
Thought: Getting our US in gear. Have you ever wondered what your purpose is? Paul said God is ”entrusting to us His ministry”… meaning the responsibility belongs to us… yes US! That phrase stops us in our tracks. God reconciled us, not counting our trespasses, now entrusts all of us with this ministry of reconciliation for the sake of other peoples eternity. US… that is God’s only plan. The with-God life has the “US factor”. So now what?
Practice: Who does God want you to share the message of reconciliation with today? This week? This Christmas? Invite someone to lunch, to life-group, to church. Jesus is counting on us. Let’s get our US in gear.
Prayer: Reconciling Savior, I am looking for people to share the message with. I choose to say yes to the ministry of reconciliation. You have no other plan but US. I open my heart and my mouth. I pray for the people I will share the message with… let salvation come to their home this Christmas. Amen.
Blue book (Lectionary) Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:16-21
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But when the time arrived that was set by God the Father, God sent his Son, born among us of a woman, born under the conditions of the law so that he might redeem those of us who have been kidnapped by the law. Thus we have been set free to experience our rightful heritage. You can tell for sure that you are now fully adopted as his own children because God sent the Spirit of his Son into our lives crying out, “Papa! Father!” Doesn’t that privilege of intimate conversation with God make it plain that you are not a slave, but a child? And if you are a child, you’re also an heir, with complete access to the inheritance. Galatians 4:4-7
Thought: Papa! Father!” Because of the birth and death of Christ, because the Father sent His Son, we were born into relationship with God. When we say yes to Jesus, we become God’s children and he is our Papa! Father! Those titles make us heirs that are close… intimate. Not the kind of heirs that receive something from someone they have never met.
Recently, we have been packing my (Clare) parents apartment to get them ready to move into the assisted living center they have chosen. As they are packing things, giving things and throwing things out, they are telling their stories. Each item has a description of friendship, pain, love, or laughter. They are 84 and 86, so the narratives abound!!! What they own, is full of their lives. As we pack up or leave with their things, “our inheritance”, we are leaving with something greater… relationship. We understand them more fully …we love them more deeply… we want to come back and be with them… and hear more about their hearts.
As God blesses you with your inheritance; salvation, provision, comfort, counsel, healing (the list goes on)… ask for the “heart” behind it. Get close to your Papa. The with-God life comes with stories.
Practice: Allow the image above to open your heart to your Heavenly Father’s embrace. Meditate on one of the gifts you have received as a child of God. Find God the Father’s heart for you behind the inheritance He gives. Journal or talk to a spiritual friend about what you are discovering.
Prayer: Papa, thank your for this life and family you have given me. I want to hear the family stories. What is your heart, your stories behind wanting me to have what you give? I don’t just want what you give… I want you. Amen
Blue book (Lectionary) Reading: Galations 3:23-4:7
But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you. O Israel, the one who formed you says,“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine.When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.3For I am the Lord, your God,the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.Isaiah 43:1-3
Thought: Our thought today is by guest blogger- Kathleen Loughrige, Connections Pastor
I have called you by name; you are mine. Do you ever feel as if the storms of life are going to overtake you….or that the fire of adversity will burn you? Like maybe God forgot about you? I must admit I have sometimes been afraid that He forgot. That He didn’t hear my cry for help. Then He reminds me….I am His, He is with me, I am not forgotten, He has called me by name. He doesn’t promise that we won’t face difficulty and oppression but He does promise that He will be with us as we go through. We may even feel as if we are drowning, like this will be the one that takes us out, we can’t catch our breath. Then he reminds us that we will not be overtaken, we will not be burned up. He knows our name and He hears us when we call. He has redeemed us. He has called us by name. The Holy One of Israel, the Savior of the world knows our name and He goes through with us.
Listen:
Take a quiet moment to consider the fact that the Savior of the world knows your name. He hears you when you call. He is with you.
Prayer:
Thank you Father that you know my name; I am yours. When fear tries to overwhelm me, you hear my cry for help. I’m thankful that you will never leave me or forsake me. You promise to be with me always, I rest in you, knowing that I am not alone.
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