A Season of Transformation

Christmas is my favorite time of the year. However, every year, I let the busyness of the season overtake my time to reflect. This year, I'm determined to take more time to reflect on Advent.

Our church has provided some great resources for reflecting during this time. There is a printed guide and also a daily interactive guide that will provide a unique vantage point on weekly themes. As we meditate on the transformations that Christ’s birth brought to our world as well as the transformations that are promised upon Christ’s return, I hope you will have the opportunity to reflect on the season too.

By Rev. Scott Seaton on Emmanuel's blog:

Today marks the first Sunday of Advent, a time of preparation for Christ's coming (the Latin word adventus means "to come"). On one level, the Church prepares for Jesus' "Second Coming." His sudden and dramatic return will be a time of sweeping transformation, ushering in the new heavens and the new earth. So it's altogether appropriate that Emmanuel's Advent devotions will center on the theme of transformation. This week, we consider the change from light into darkness. Step into a darkened room, turn on the light switch, and the place is suddenly transformed. How you walk in it, what you see, even how you feel--everything is suddenly and dramatically different.
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Happy Thanksgiving!

Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!

Serve the LORD with gladness!

Come into his presence with singing!

Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!

For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.

Psalm 100

Beauty Will Rise

This is probably the most honest 12 songs I have ever heard from a Christian artist. All I can say is WOW!

From Steven Curtis Chapman's website:
The result is "Beauty Will Rise," a stunning body of work inspired by a circumstance no father should ever have to endure. Steven is unflinchingly honest in his exploration of grief and loss. He asks the questions we all ask when horrible things happen to the innocent, yet throughout the album hope shimmers, faith becomes more real and even more precious, and the peace that surpasses understanding leaps from the page and becomes palpable.

Who are You God?
Cause You are turning out to be so much different than I imagined
And where are You God?
Cause I am finding life to be so much harder than I had planned
You know that I"m afraid to ask these questions
But You know they are there
And if You know my heart the way that I believe You do
You know that I believe in You
But still I have these questions

... from "Questions"

And, yet, he sings about how God is in control and how He is faithful.

I will proclaim it to the world
I will declare it to my heart
I will sing it when the sun is shining
I will scream it in the dark
You are faithful, You are faithful
When You give and when You take away
Even then still Your name is faithful
You are faithful

...from "Faithful"

I Am Thankful for...

I'm sure you've seen this, but I really like it.

I AM THANKFUL FOR ...

THE TEENAGER WHO IS NOT DOING DISHES
BUT IS WATCHING TV, BECAUSE THAT MEANS
HE/SHE IS AT HOME AND NOT ON THE STREETS.

FOR THE TAXES THAT I PAY, BECAUSE IT
MEANS THAT I, AM EMPLOYED.

FOR THE MESS TO CLEAN AFTER A PARTY,
BECAUSE IT MEANS THAT I HAVE BEEN
SURROUNDED BY FRIENDS.

FOR THE CLOTHES THAT FIT A LITTLE TOO
SNUG, BECAUSE IT MEANS
I HAVE ENOUGH TO EAT.

FOR MY SHADOW THAT WATCHES ME
WORK, BECAUSE IT MEANS I,
AM IN THE SUNSHINE.

FOR A LAWN THAT NEEDS MOWING,
WINDOWS THAT NEED CLEANING, AND
GUTTERS THAT NEED FIXING, BECAUSE
IT MEANS I HAVE A HOME.

FOR ALL THE COMPLAINING I HEAR ABOUT
THE GOVERNMENT, BECAUSE IT MEANS
THAT WE HAVE FREEDOM OF SPEECH.

FOR THE PARKING SPOT I FIND AT THE FAR
END OF THE PARKING LOT, BECAUSE IT
MEANS I AM CAPABLE OF WALKING AND
THAT I HAVE BEEN BLESSED WITH TRANSPORTATION.

FOR MY HUGE HEATING BILL,
BECAUSE IT MEANS I, AM WARM.

FOR THE LADY BEHIND ME IN CHURCH
THAT SINGS OFF KEY, BECAUSE IT MEANS
THAT I CAN HEAR.

FOR THE PILE OF LAUNDRY AND IRONING,
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE CLOTHES TO WEAR.

FOR WEARINESS AND ACHING MUSCLES
AT THE END OF THE DAY, BECAUSE IT
MEANS I HAVE BEEN CAPABLE OF WORKING HARD.

FOR THE ALARM THAT GOES OFF IN THE
EARLY MORNING HOURS, BECAUSE IT
MEANS THAT I AM ALIVE.