One Last Resource...

 A friend of mine attends Colonial Church of Edina.  She passed this link on to me - and I think they have some wonderful devotionals!

I thought I'd share it with you:

http://www.colonialchurch.org/category/adventdaily/

Passing the Peace

Another neat Advent devotional...
http://www.endhunger.org/cgi-bin/mojo.cgi?flavor=archive&id=20111219081323&list=advent

Sunday Recap

Another wonderful Sunday (I love the Advent season...)!

The choir performed their Christmas Cantata - bells, choir, solos - beautifully done!  And a thoughtful, unique program.  Jennifer does a splendid job providing us with magical moments of music!  Thank you, Jennifer, Choir, and Bells!

After worship was our cookie party - a fellowship hall full of amamzing treats!  Cookies, reubans, shrimp, and...  Egg nog!

Such joy filling our spaces - such blessings.

Transforming this Christmas

Another neat devotional resource...  Great for those experiencing challenges and struggles this time of year.

http://www.adventdevotions.net/default.asp

Advent Smartphone App

I'm liking this one!  It's great for kids - little games, stories, videos, etc. for each day of Advent!

(And fun for those of us who are kids at heart!)

“The Journey” Smartphone app is based on the new book by the Rev. Adam Hamilton, but it also functions as a standalone Advent calendar. The app, available for iPhone, iPad and Android devices, opens with seven unlocked activities for children. A new one (videos, coloring sheets, puzzles, cards, Bible quizzes) opens daily starting Dec. 1. 

Following the Star

As we take a break from "The Story" until January, I thought I'd post some wonderful Advent resources.

This is a devotional that you do online, piece by piece...  Beautiful and peaceful.

Enjoy!

http://www.d365.org/followingthestar/

Sunday Recap

Ohmygosh!  What a spectacular Sunday!

Pastor Deb was here to present the check from the sale of First UMC's building - a time of honoring the heritage and ministry that the building served in that community and prayerfully passing on the gifts to be used in ministry in our now-merged congregation.  Tears were shed, smiles beamed, and joy was shared at the possibilities of a future together!  (And thank you to Jim T. for the kind words of thankfulness - a shared sentiment from all our hearts, I'm sure.)

The Children's Christmas Program was amazing - beautiful, funny, and so wonderful.  The speaking parts were right on, the solos were perfect, and the little angels were adorable - as always!  (If anyone has pictures they could share - please send them to me!)

After worship, we partied in the Fellowship Hall with a chili lunch, table games, rewards for the picture project, and making new friends.  A lovely way to spend part of our afternoon!

The Holy Spirit was present in joy and laughter today!  A great kick-off to the holiday season!

Don't Forget to Wish for the Best

Here’s something that might bring back memories for some of us. Think back to Christmases of our

childhood: what was the symbol of all our Christmas wishes? How about the Sears Wish Book? Do you
remember it from when you were young? We would hopefully page through the giant catalogue, circle
our choices in pen, and pray that Santa would deliver our requests on Christmas morning.

The first Sears Wish Book was printed in 1933. Over time it has diminished in size and was even discontinued at one point. It was revived in 2007, but the current books are nothing in size compared to the
books some of us can remember from our youth. Children today don’t really need one. They have the
Internet and their high tech toys to cruise the information highway to identify their holiday “wants.”

But “back in the day” the Sears Wish Book helped us answer the seasonal question: “If you could have
anything for Christmas, what would you ask for?”

You may not need the Sears Wish Book today, but you have some wishes too, don’t you? Next Christmas
how would you answer the question, “If you could have one thing in the world, what would it be?”

Solomon had to answer that one. He asked for wisdom. And God gave it to him. But by the end of his
life he had accumulated more and more: more gold, more horses, more wives. He had it all and wanted
more. In the midst of all these gifts he lost sight of the Giver. He turned away from God and lost it all.

Another King gave us another path to follow. He had it all and gave it all . . . for us. In the Christmas
season, or any season for that matter, you can guard yourself from the tyranny of too much stuff by giving.
Simply give so that others can simply live. That’s what the King born as a baby in the manger did.

And my wish? That you visit the manger and find him.

Time to get BOLD

Wanna follow in David's footsteps and walk closer to God?

This is a big and bold action challenge. 

If you have a person or two in your life who are mature in faith and really care about you, consider meeting with them and humbly inviting them to speak truth into your life...  any time.  Let them know that you will seek to prayerfully listen and receive their words, even when those words are difficult.

The Trials of a King

Our role in life is to point people to God by the way we live our lives, prioritize, make decisions, treat people, and speak to people.  This is how we align our lives to the Upper Story.  We live each day with the notion that we are to be Jesus to the people around us.  This also includes how we handle life when we sin.  The world is watching.
David's response to the consequences of his sin reveals the character of God.  We see that God maintains God's role as holy and just.  We see a gracious and loving God who restored the relationship between God and David.  We see God redeeming the scandalous relationship between David and Bathsheba by placing their son Solomon in the lineage of God's son, Jesus.  We see God doing this over and over again - in addition to Bathsheba God placed Tamar in the lineage, along with Ruth and Rahab.

Applications for this week:
God wants us to walk in righteousness so others can see God through us.  God wants us to be like Uriah, who does right and lives his life with integrity, even when he could get away with things.  God wants us to be like Nathan, who had courage to confront a friend who had taken a wrong turn.  But God also wants us to be like David when we sin and hurt others.  The way we respond in those times can also give people one of the best glimpses of God.  God is gracious, forgiving, restores us.

Confrontations

This week, in the story of David and Bathsheba, we see David commit a series of horrible sins...  And later, when God sends the prophet Nathan to confront him about his sins, David simply says, "Yes.  I have sinned."

No excuses.  No lies.  No rationalizations.

"I have sinned."

Ask yourself:  How do I respond when people confront or correct me?  Am I like Saul, covering my tracks?  Or am I like David, listening, receiving, and repenting?

Pray this week that God will put people in your life who love you enough to confront you about your sins.  Invite the Holy Spirit to soften your heart so that you will humbly receive their words of conviction and correction.

Sunday Recap

What a lovely Sunday!

We started during the Education hour with Jake and Melissa sharing their life and faith story - and what a story it's been!  We thank them for letting us be witnesses to their faith in times of struggle and challenge - and for letting us surround them with love and prayers!  Everytime their beautiful kids come running through the church door, we are reminded that God is present - everyday.

Worship was filled with Sandy's beautiful harp music and the sacrament of Communion; as well as one more story about King David (the juicy story about Bathsheba - and the amazing forgiveness that God gives) before we take a break from "The Story" for the rest of Advent.

After worship about 16 people went out to lunch at Old World Pizza and enjoyed a meal over wonderful conversation and lots of laughter!  12 of us then went over to the AMC theatres to watch some movies!  I haven't heard reviews on "Arthur Christmas" or "Happy Feet 2" yet, but "The Muppets" was a blast!

So many wonderful things happening at St. Paul's UMC - stories shared, stories read, and new stories being written!  It's a blessing to be a part of this community!

Chapter 12 Reflections

1.  List 3-5 lessons that you can apply to your own life from the episode of David's sin.

2.  God used Nathan to confront David about his sin.  Has anyone ever confronted you about a sin in your life?  Who has permission to be your "Nathan"?

3.  Compare David's confrontation with Nathan to Saul's confrontation with Samuel (p. 133 and 115-116).  What does David seem to understand that Saul does not?

4.  Psalm 32 (p. 135) shows what David felt like when he kept his sin a secret.  Do you have a secret sin?  How does keeping it secret affect you?

5.  After David's baby died, he arose and worshipped (p. 134).  What does this say about the nature of worship?  About David's ability to release the past?

6.  King David grieved over his son Absalom's death, even though Absalom had betrayed him.  Why do you think he reacted this way?

7.  David was not excited to give his time, money, and effort to building a temple he would not even live to see.  Is giving easy or hard for you?  How can you be a more cheerful giver?

What To Do With Your "Third Week Of March"

When Pope John Paul died, a man named Rogers Cadenhead quickly registered the web address
http://www.benedictxvi.com/, thinking this might be the name chosen by the new pope. When Cardinal
Ratzinger was elected Pope, he did choose the name Pope Benedict XVI, causing some to question what
the Vatican would do to get the rights to that domain name.

Cadenhead didn’t ask the Vatican for money. Instead, in a humorous manner on his blog he suggested a
few things he would trade for:
1. Three days, two nights at the Vatican hotel.
2. One of those hats (referring to the bishop’s hat).
3. Complete absolution, no questions asked, for the third week of March 1987.

Wonder what Rogers did the third week of March in 1987? Me too, but does it really matter? Most of us
have at least a week for which we’d love to have total forgiveness.

We discover in The Story that David did. One day when the army is at war, David, who is the commander
of the nation’s military, neglects his duties and stays behind. He sees Bathsheba, seduces her, gets her
pregnant, murders her husband, and tries to cover up his actions by deceiving his general and soldiers.
Then he marries Bathsheba and she bears their child.

It looks as if David will get away with all of this. But he doesn’t. God sends his prophet Nathan to confront
David by telling him a story about a poor man with one lamb. David knows something about sheep
and shepherds, so he listens. Nathan says that the poor man has a rich neighbor who needs to slaughter a
lamb to feed a guest, but instead of taking one of his many sheep he steals the poor man’s one lamb.
David is incensed and says that man should be put to death. Nathan then declares, “You are the man!”

At that moment David must have wished he had bought a domain name that he could swap for absolution.
He may have wanted to make excuses. Explain things away. Blame it on Bathsheba for taking
a bath in broad daylight where he could see. But instead of making excuses, David confesses. “I have
sinned against the Lord” (2 Sam. 12:13).

And God did with David’s sin what he will do with yours and mine. He put it away (Psalm 103:12-13).

You can do what David did. Whatever your “third week of March” might be, sit down with it, yourself
and God. Confess your sin. And then let another shepherd from Bethlehem forgive it. That’s better than

any domain name you might secure.

God's People Are Walking With Us Too

In our personal deserts and seasons of waiting, we need to remember that God is with us.  But we can also take comfort in knowing that God's people are walking with us too.  Think about a family member or friend who is in the midst of a hard time.  Pray for them.  Ask God to use you as a conduit of God's love, a visible reminder that God is with them, caring for them.  And ask them how you might come alongside to offer care and support.

From Shepherd to King

Although Saul was tall and handsome and LOOKED like a great choice for a king, he distorted the character of God by acting in a cruel and greedy way.  God replaced him with someone who would more accurately represent God's character and God's plan, but he was the last person people would have picked to be king.

God's criteria in choosing the second king was to find a man after God's own heart; a person with the same priorities that God has; someone who loves people and cares for people.  If David would risk his own life to get one of his dad's smelly sheep back, God reasons, "To what extent would he go to get one of my people back?"  God knows that's the kind of king Israel needs, because that represents God's heart accurately to the world.

God can use our disobedient lives as God did Saul's to work out God's upper story plan, even though we miss out on the blessings.  And on the flip side, God will likely take us through a season of testing, even when we're being obedient, in order to equip us for the assignment ahead of us.

David is a good king, but that's not all there is to his story.  As we have been seeing in our journey through the Old Testament, this story carries clues in it, pointing to what is yet to come:  God's ultimate plan to redeem everyone.  David was from the tribe of Judah, from the city of Bethlehem.  The prophets in the Old Testament are going to tell us that the one who provides a way for us to come back into a relationship with God will be from the tribe of Judah, born specifically in the city of Bethlehem, and he will be the king of all kings.  In addition, kings in the Old Testament are referred to as the "anointed one."  When Samuel anointed David with oil (1 Samuel 16), the spirit of the Lord came upon David.  As he led Israel in obedience to God's work, he was empowered by the Holy Spirit.  He was the anointed one.  The Hebrew word for "anointed one" is "messiah."  David was the messiah in the lower story of the Old Testament.  His reign points us to the Messiah in the upper story, the one who is God incarnate, who we will meet in the New Testament.

Application possibilities for this week:

* God wants to use us like God used David.  God wants to use us to point others to Jesus.
* Don't underestimate the younger crowd!  Remember, David was only 16 years old when God first came to him.
* God doesn't choose us by our outward appearance, but God looks into our heart.
* We need at least one Jonathon in our lives, who sees God's good plan for us and believes in us.
* If God is going to use us, it will certainly involve a season or two of testing and equipping.
* We must keep pointing people to God no matter what season we are in.

Tuesday Reflections

Think about a time of waiting in your life, when you felt that God was refining (working on you, making you better) you.  Reflect on the lessons you learned while you waited.  Have you carried them forward into the present day?  Were there any lessons you missed that God stills wants to teach you?

Reflections on Chapter 11

From Shepher to King...

1.  Contrast God's view of David with man's view of David.  Would you say you are winsome in the world's eyes?  How does God see you?

2.  Who or what are the giants in your life that need to be faced with courage?  How can you equip yourself to do this?

3.  Think of a time when jealousy has somehow overtaken you.  How can focusing on the Upper Story help you conquer those feelings?

4.  Review the exchange between Saul and David at En Gedi (p 123-134).  What does Saul's response to David's offer of grace teach you about God's grace?

5.  "The Lord does not look at the things human beings look at.  People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." (p 117)  What words or acts of encouragement can you offer today to others (from family to strangers) based on God's view of them?

6.  When David wanted to build God a temple, God redirected him, just as God sometimes constrains our best intentions because God wants us to serve God in other ways.  How has God redirected you?  Looking back, was this initially disappointing?

An Example

Just like the people of Israel in Samuel's day and junior high school kids today, we can be prone to imitate and follow bad examples.  Think through your behaviors, practices, shopping patterns, clothing choices, language, hobbies...  anything you might do because someone else does it.  If you identify something that is unhealthy, ungodly, or offensive, commit to ending that behavior!

Let's shine God's light from the ways we share love, hope, and grace in our lives! 

Happy Thanksgiving!  May your day be blessed with all that God offers you - in family, friends, shelter, food, warmth, and love!

Standing Tall, Falling Hard

It would appear that when Hannah's womb is opened, it is simply a matter of a tender God working things out in the lower story for a desperate woman, which would be partly true.  She gives Samuel to God, makes him a new little robe every year, and God gave her five more children.  But there's an upper story going on at the same time.  Samuel grows up to be a man who will deal with three distortions in Israel.

When God allows the people to have a king, that's not the way God envisioned the lower story of Israel, but it's not going to change the outcome of the upper story.  Even when God allows things that aren't God's perfect will, God will still accomplish God's desire to provide a way back to relationship with God.  The BEST way for people to see God is for God to be the king of Israel with no layers of management between God and the people.  But God honors our free choice, and allows us to try things our way.  Even when God allows us to follow God's conditional will instead of God's perfect will, which is a change to our lower story, we still have to follow God.  As long as we do, everything will work out.

Saul misrepresents or distorts God.  God's upper story plan is to reveal God's self as just and holy, and get us back through God's relationship with Israel.  But people are going to get the wrong idea of God because Saul is misrepresenting God as cruel and greedy.  Once we start messing with the upper story image of God, God steps in and stops us.  God honors the lower story distortion of asking for a king, but now that it's affecting the upper story plan, God intervenes and makes a change.  The upper story WILL take place.

Application tips for this week:

1.  We are all representatives of God.  The New Testament church is the body of Christ.  We represent Christ to others.  If we are the only "Bible" some people will ever read, then we don't want to distort the image of Jesus to others.  This doesn't mean being perfect, it means not pretending we are!  Authenticity is the mark of a true representative of Christ.  Phoniness in Christians keeps people from Christ.

2.  We need to be more like Samuel who walked with God all the days of his life.  In preparation to take our story into our whole community, let's agree together that we're going to trade all phoniness for authenticity; we will not conform to the world, but be transformed by God.  We will not misrepresent Christ but portray a pure picture of him that shows acceptance, love, grace, and the offer of life that is truly life!