what I think I thought…

So I sometimes rub it in that I get to enjoy great weather out here in AZ…while my friends and family back in IL and KY endure winters wrath…with that being said…enjoy this little video my Student minister and Childrens minister put together today at the church…

enjoy

It has been a fun couple of weeks…

This Giving Back Christmas series has been more exciting for me than I could have ever imagined.  I love hearing the stories of people Pursuing God and Caring for people…

Let me share just a little bit about what has been and is going to be done…God willing…

·         The Price life group is helping a couple in Chino whose garage burned in which their business was housed.  They aren’t able to clean it up so on the 20^th of Dec. we are going to get a dumpster and do it for them.  Contact: Jason 848-6482

·         We are raising money for a friend to move into her new apartment! (We still need $125 for her deposit) We are also looking for people to help us pack and move her into her new place on Dec. 31st! (Call Tammy Chriss @ 499-0136 for more info!)

·         We are collecting coats, blankets, hats, and anything else that will keep the homeless a little bit warmer this winter. On December 20th the Celebrate Recovery Group from The Heights will be distributing these donated items to the homeless in Granite Park and the downtown square.  (Call John Fabiano @ 533-6359)

·         I am collecting blankets, coats and warm clothing to help with the Coat Drive for the Homeless! (Call Beth Williams @ 771-0321)

·         As we gift to Jesus this year why not give a shower for the young mothers at the Community Pregnancy Center.  You can also collect money for a big ticket item like a car seat, baby bed, or stroller.  The mothers can “buy” the item with their “mommy dollars” that they receive thru the Center’s Learn and Earn program.  (Call Barbara Edens @ 771-0779)

·         On December 23rd we will be serving a very nice Christmas Dinner to a few of the families involved with the Community Pregnancy Center.  Our dinner will be our special gift as we set the tables with real china and silverware, have a few decorations and some gifts. IF YOU ARE STILL LOOKING FOR A WAY TO GIVE CHRISTMAS BACK, PLEASE CONSIDER JOINING US!  (Call Scott DeJoseph @ 925-8121  I need to know by Wednesday the 17th)

·         Our College Life Group went to the nursing home to make crafts, play games and do a lot of fun visiting!

·         Vernon Rodgers’ Life Group is adopting a family for Christmas (Call Vernon @ 775-8754)

·         Brandon Huard’s Life Group is adopting a family for Christmas (Call Brandon @ 771-3709)

·         Our Life Group collected a large amount of non perishable food and clothing and $125.00 which was donated to Community Cupboard, The Veterans Hospital, and Church on the Street. God Is Great!  (Bill Berry)

·         After church on December 7th, we stopped by the grocery store and bought groceries.  On our way home we stopped by a neighbor’s house to share with them in their time of hardship.

·         The Junior High Youth Group went to the VA Hospital and decorated for Christmas.

 

Isn’t that amazing?  And I know this list is far from exhaustive.  Let us know what you or your group is doing…we want to be able to celebrate the stories together.  So please drop me an e-mail.

 

I also want to take a moment and remind you about the Christmas Eve Services.  I got to sit through a rehearsal yesterday…it is not something you are going to want to miss.  It is the story of Christmas told in a new and different way…and my wife is singing…so you know you are going to want to be there!

Seriously though…it will be a great time to gather your friends and family together and celebrate the coming of the Savior together. 

We are having 4 services this year…the times will be 4:00, 5:30, 7:00, and 8:30.  The service will last about an hour…and there should be plenty of room for everyone…so please invite your friends and neighbors and join us.

 

Christmas is 10 days away…I hope your celebration this year really is the celebration of the Advent.

 

 

So Kelli and I got to go away for a few days this week….my beloved University of Kentucky Wildcats were playing basketball in a tournament in Vegas (which they won BTW).

So we spent a couple of days there.  Didn’t really do much…hung out in the room, went to the games…and spent one afternoon walking the strip. Here are a few thoughts from my experience there…

It is hard to ignore the sexual overtones…from the billboard ads promoting the Hotel shows, to the many strip clubs (…I mean Gentleman’s clubs…), the little yellow newsstands plastered with porn…and the men and woman clicking their call girl business cards on nearly every corner…I wish I could say it had no  affect on me…but that would be lying to you  and me. 

What you see is not what you get.  Nearly everything is a façade…walking past Caesars Palaces…I couldn’t help but knock on the large “granite” building…expecting a cold hard stone to greet my knuckles…I was a little disappointed to hear the hollow thud of plaster and plywood instead.  The Canal in the Venetian was cool…with the ceiling painted like the sky…but the echo of thousands of people let you know, you were not outside.  The Gondolas were neat…but again, what you see it wasn’t what you get…the boat was maneuvered by a trolling motor…no paddle needed.  New York New York, Paris, Bellagio…all cool…but not the real thing.  It is a town built on selling what isn’t real…to people looking for a get away from reality. 

Fake love.  Imitation satisfaction. Costumes. These are real in Vegas.

God reminded me of a verse about 6 hours into our Vegas Adventure…Romans 5: 20…”As people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful kindness became more abundant.” (NLT)  Or as the old KJV puts it, “Where sin abounded, Grace abounded much more.”

 There are great churches in Vegas…and I am glad.  How rewarding it must be to share Grace with people who might actually believe they need it.