Holiday or Holy Day

What is it?

One or the other.....or both?  A reason to be off work, a time to behave and not argue politics, a breather in this hectic rat race, a good reason to not avoid your family, your church, your nearby Walmart, what?

There is a song on my practice CD for the church Praise Team that says "Jesus made Christmas a Holy Day".  As we enter the season of most busy-ness as well as business, it is an opportunity to notice not just the generosity and the selfishness of the people around us, but also the reason for everybody's season:  "Now just why is it we do this again?"

As we see the lights, the displays, the festive decorations, the ugly sweaters, I wonder.....what would this world be like if we all celebrated the Holy Day just as hard as the holiday.  If we got as excited about the Savior as we did the shopping.  Before you say "Hey Jack, you are the worst when it comes to spoiling your Grandkids!", and I am guilty as charged (since they were born, I have always whispered in their ears that I really am Santa Claus) let me throw myself on the mercy of the court and say how easy it is for us to get carried away.

Let me challenge us all, then.  Let's find a balance in these next few days.  Take a minute and celebrate the Savior.  Read Luke 2.  Sing Away in a Manger.  Love on your greatest gifts:  your kids and grandkids, brothers and sisters, your parents, your crazy cousins, your friends.  It's not just the greatest shopping season of the year, but also the season of advent.

My rant is done.  Let me leave you with a song I wrote a few years ago.  I don't know if I will have the opportunity to sing this in public this year so I will share it here.

First Born  

What took place that Christmas Day?
What transpired that Christmas Morn?
What inspired the Angels song, "Unto us a Child is Born"?
Who could love so much that day?
Whose anointing without end?
Who could know enough to say
Peace on Earth, Good will to men?

He's the Morning Star who leads the way
He's the First Born of a brand new day
He's the Reason why we need to sing
He's the Reason for this offering.

His Name is Jesus, Jesus
What more can I say, what more can I give
He is Jesus, Jesus
What more can I say, what more can I give

He is Jesus.

In the flow

Jack

There's No Place Like Home

So, after months and months of wondering and wandering, we find ourselves in a Dorothy frame of mind, "There really is no place like home!"  Before you tell me that this picture doesn't look like Judy Garland, or Kat McPhee, or whoever your favorite Dorothy might be, this is my favorite, my daughter Hannah.

So here we are, back from a tour of OZ, and clicking our heels, and we have a home church again.  Frances and I have chosen FreeLife Church of Winder as our place, and we could not be happier.  Our Pastors, Joel and Regina Talley, and the FreeLife family have taken us in with loving arms and have accepted us.  As two people who are not known to "church hop" the last months have been taxing to say the least.  Understand as I say this, that Walk on Water, our home base for the last 6 years, will always hold a special place in our hearts, and we hope and pray for the best for them and for Pastor Angie Burgess as she leads them into the next phase of their history.  May God Bless Walk on Water Church.

So here we are, getting involved in our new church.  Joel and Regina have set an aggressive vision for FreeLife Church and the programs in place, Music, Children's Church, and Youth have an excellence that most churches this size cannot boast.  Pastor Joel is known nationally as a great evangelist, revivalist, and Bible teacher and now Pastor.  You won't find a harder working man anywhere in ministry.   Frances and I are now leading worship on Wednesday nights and we love the freedom and the flow that we have stepped into at FreeLife.  This is a worshipping church and we are blessed to be a part of it.

So, get to the point, Jack.

Ok.  here it is.  If you have a home church, jump in there with all you have and let's do great exploits for the Kingdom of God.  If you do not have a church home, let me invite you to come to FreeLife Church in Winder Georgia and join us as we build this thing together.  If you are free Wednesday Nights at 7 join us for Power Hour and see what I am talking about.  No flying monkeys, no witches, no yellow brick road (except for the pollen right now), but truly no place like it.

In the Flow again, finally!

Jack