Hey Friends,

The question for the day and for the weekend at FPC is, ”Have you been Scrooged?“  We are using Christmas Classics during our next three weekends to celebrate Christmas and teach the eternal truth of the Advent. So have you? Been Scrooged, that is?

To be Scrooged by society and sadly, our own choice, is to end up where you never wanted to. As a child Ebeneezer Scrooge never dreamed he would end up a greedy, hateful, and hated man with no friends. Look around you – are you where you thought you would be now? Did you grow up to be the person you planned? Did your life turn out like you dreamed it would?

Far too many are Scrooged! There are so many reasons for it, and one of the greatest reasons is the path you picked to walk. Every road has a destination. Many walk roads without considering the conclusion or the consequences of the trek.

Which paths are you on? Marriage? Money? Relationships? Eternity? Which God do you serve? Scrooge chose gold as his god. Money is a merciless master and the world has a wicked whip. Ebenezer asked, if he changed his course, could he change his destiny? Without question he could –  with the help of God.

Christmas is about a change, of course. Do you need a course correction? You can be another Christmas miracle!

If you are a Christmas miracle, then let others know they can be one too. Help others to change a course of corruption and destruction. Christmas is the perfect time. Use the season to touch souls and hearts. They are ready, are you? What plans do you have to touch others this Christmas season?

Just a Christmas thought for the day.

Pastor

Hey Friends,

If you have ever tried to grow any type of plant or garden you know how  hard it can be. I have met some people with a green thumb, but many more have a brown thumb. Many people can’t even keep a plastic plant going. As I have tried my hand at growing stuff and learned of the difficulty, I have found a great aid. It is fertilizer. No matter what you are trying to grow, fertilizer helps. From manure to miracle grow it is awesome.

God has given us some fertilizers to help us in our spiritual growth. One we will deal with this weekend at FPC is Transformational Teaching. Jesus said in John 3:36: “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life…” Notice the Lord links belief to obedience. This may be a subtle difference in today’s church culture, but it is huge regarding our growth. Today we link belief with belief. That is, we can learn the Bible and not do what the Bible says, and think that is O.K. Where did that come from? Jesus is linked to transformational teaching. Not just information and inspiration, but transformation. We are talking about life change! That is why He came.

What are you doing to fertilize your spiritual growth? Well, you are reading this blog so you are doing something – and you care! What else do you do to cultivate life-changing teaching?  Let me list some ideas for your consideration:

1. Attending weekend worship and applying it to your life
2. Bible self-study
3. Books,  CDs, conferences, radio, TV and others
4. Podcasts: many are free but just be careful who you listen to – the waters are full of  sharks
5. Being involved in a small group and application of  what is taught

There is much fertilizer yet few who use it. The Bible says, “In the last days there will be a dearth of hearing.” We have a lot of teaching, but what about hearing and changing? You be the judge of the Miracle Grow you will  use.

Yours to count on,

Pastor