Lighten the Load

As we all are into a new year there is no doubt that a number of items have come up for us to do. Maybe we have some goals that require a new discipline? Maybe this season of winter has had an affect on our energy. Maybe we are feeling a little overwhelmed with keeping up the family items and personal lists. The commute is a bit longer. Weather is altering our normal schedule. All of this comes at us and can feel a bit overwhelming.

I remember a pastor saying to me one time...I am so busy that I need to pray for two hours instead of one. He reported that this time out, enabled his time in to be incredibly productive. His stress lowered and his ability to stay focused on the main things proved this principle out. It proved scripture out as well... Matt 11:28,29 states: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."

I am continually learning to lean on Jesus, finding rest In Him and experiencing the truth of His gentleness. It is a hard lesson to learn for someone like me that likes to be in control and feel a sense of accomplishment from my To Do list. May we all learn to take this scripture to heart. Go to Him and let His love surround you in a fresh way ...do that today.

Pastor J

On the Ready

I used to drive a Ford Thunderbird...wait for it here comes the good part....SC. Now SC means supercharged. It had a more than a little extra. This was not your fathers T-Bird. It was a black, lean, T-topped driving machine. I have no idea about gas mileage, that was back in the day when gas was a tad cheaper (90's).

Anyhow it had such potential at speed. I loved to be on the highway and punch it. In fact for a passenger it was always fun to watch that head flip back toward the headrest. I am totally serious it would go and quickly. I didn't need a lot of speed driving around neighborhoods, but I found the passion for the power on hills, to pass someone, and of course for good ol fun.

This week I will be sharing the passage in Romans that challenges, even commands us to keep our spiritual fervor. We often equate that fervor with some high energy emotional action. That can be true, but that is not all fervor is. In fact fervor and zeal, passion are necessary in our Christian journey, sometimes to overcome hills, sometimes to pass by obstacles, sometimes just for good ol fun. Christianity should be loads of fun, I hope you are having a good journey.

Maybe we need to change our thinking...because I can't live at some high emotional level, but I can be on the ready to press the gas and see that spiritual passion rise to the occasion. There are some keys to staying fueled up - so I hope to see you Sunday it could be huge.

blessings

Pastor Jay

To Do

Its a New Year with lots to do already. Well as we all know this area and time of life many opportunities will be available to us. Things we can do, things we will do, things we may or may not do. However scripture tells us some things to do. What if we took the things that speak to our character and way of life from the word of God and made them a part of our To Do list.

Romans 12:9-21 is one of the most profound piece's of Paul writings to the Roman church and it literally reads like a list of things TO DO. So join us this Sunday as we kick off a new series and maybe a new way of approaching our spiritual walk.

As we begin this Sunday, we will take a look at love and how it plays an integral part of who we are as followers of Christ. Love should be part and parcel of who we are. Be encouraged but also challenged that we are commanded and encouraged to love. Let's learn to really love the actual way God has written to us....Unconditional, sacrificial, love.

Be blessed

pastor J

Merry Christmas

Have you ever wondered why we say Merry Christmas? Modern day use of the word merry means festive or cheery; but hundreds of years ago, merry also meant peaceful and blessed. Thus, when you say Merry Christmas you are literally wishing someone a peaceful or blessed Mass of Christ(although Christmas can also literally mean Christ is sent). As protestants, we don't celebrate mass, but rather attend services or church. On Christmas Eve at Horizons,we usually gather for a service of carols,communion and candle lighting to celebrate and remember that Christ has been sent and we are called to remember His cradle, His cross and His crown and share that hope and light and love with others.

From our hearts to yours - Merry Christmas! And may Christ be the center of your Christmas this year.

Pastor Rich

Preventive Maintenance

Often times we act on need or impulse. I continue to learn this valuable lesson of preventive maintenance. We can do some things today to prevent failure, sickness, issues that come in life. I get my oil changed and I ensure that all my fluid levels are up to make sure my car is operating at  high level.  I take my vitamins, eat my green vegetables, exercise, all to stay healthy. It's much easier to maintain than deal with sickness.

As we begin to start the holiday season, excess become our buzz word.  Hey its the holidays let's indulge in all the goodies, pile on the helpings we may say.  I am not denying that human side of us that likes to let our hair down for some temporary yummies.

When it comes to our spiritual well being, that is our spiritual health; what are we doing to prevent crisis?  It is incredibly important to maintain our spiritual nature. We are constantly at war with our fleshly nature, as it is in  constant state of being fed. We must feed our spiritual nature. We can't live on a Sunday only meal, we must dive into the word, get into fellowship, and pray "continually".  When we take these proactive steps, we can avoid many of the pitfalls in life. Not all of them, because occasionally they have purpose and we learn and grow from them and manage through the trial. Scripture encourages us to live by the Spirit.

Romans 8:13,14 "For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God"


I would encourage you to read more in Romans 8 as this is a marvelous chapter to help us sort out the spiritual nature and the power of God's love as we put to death the misdeeds of the flesh.

Life has its challenges let us all be "More than Conquerors" as we learn and grow together.

Pastor J

Wide Eyed Wonder

I love the wide eyed wonder of a child when it comes to the Christmas season. I can still remember the uber joy of my kids on Christmas morning. They still get excited; but there is something special about those early years. On Sunday, our movie is Elf - a funny movie that has some great themes. One of those themes is the special innocence of the main character and his overjoyed expression about all things Christmas.

As we grow older, we lose some of that wide eyed wonder. My prayer for you this Christmas season is that you will rediscover some of that awe in the remembering of the Christ child being born in a manger; the King of Kings come in the form of a babe so that we might experience the fullness of God's grace.

I look forward to seeing you this Sunday.

Rich

Happy Thanksgiving & Sunday

I will go home this afternoon(it's Wednesday) and begin hours of preparation along with others - so let's just say a total of 25 hours by different people in our group will be spent to prepare a meal for 13 of us that will gather on Thanksgiving day for at most an hour long meal, What's the point - that a lot of life is about preparation - the hard work of doing something for those few meaningful moments.

But I love those meaningful moments. In the crazy world that most of us live in around here; it is these special moments of connectedness that mean so much. Pastor Jay is preaching from the movie Home Alone this coming Sunday and there are some valuable spiritual lessons to be learned from not living life alone. But we have to be intentional about those relationships and put in the preparation for those meaningful moments. My encouragement for all of us is to be more intentional about our connectedness.

I pray that you enjoy your Thanksgiving and that you will have a blessed Holiday season. See you Sunday.

Pastor Rich