It's Saturday morning. And we have no obligations other than getting Courtney to her Life::Redefined Christmas party tonite. (which, get this: they are still having a time of worship, a special speaker, and then the party....I LOVE it. They still get the Word of God into them, even on a party nite!!) God is good.....We finally have some snow! We only received about 6 inches (I'm guessing...there might only be about 4 on the ground) but it is lightly snowing again this a.m. and I am enjoying it!
The gifts are all wrapped for Xmas Day. Claire's 10th birthday is tomorrow and her gift is wrapped. I just have to make her the cupcakes she requested for after church. She wants Chinese food so my husband will pick that up after the 11 a.m. service. Tomorrow, the Celebration Choir will be doing most of the worship service so we are looking forward to that. We always have a fantastic Christmas service the Sunday before Jesus' birth.
And...speaking of Jesus' Birth:
This book is fantastic!
When I first picked it up (my husband received it as a gift from the Youth Ministry I believe) I thought it was just another book for seekers. I enjoy Max Lucado and his writing style so I decided to at least browse through it.
I think I like his writing style because he writes like a poet. And he paints pictures with his words.....remember...I am a naturalist and a sensate (somewhat) so I enjoy this type of writing style, especially when it comes to Christian books.
I decided to read it because I thought it might be good to share with my neighbor at some point. As soon as I began reading it, I was engrossed!
This book is PERFECT for Christians to give as gifts to unbelievers or people who are seeking out God.
It has 4 main sections:
The Gift of a Savior (mainly about the birth of Christ)
Ransom for Sinners (about Jesus' Death on the Cross)
Bounteous Grace (dealing with just what the word "grace" means.....this was my favorite part and an excellent reminder for those of us who have walked with the Lord for any length of time)
The Choice (excellent for people who have not yet received Christ as personal Savior)
I have posted one of my favorite quotes from the book over on my sidebar under the little coffee cup picture and the heading "Great Quotes"....go check it out!
I also like what he says here:
"Ponder the achievement of God.
He doesn't condone our sin,
nor does He compromise His standard.
He doesn't ignore our rebellion,
nor does He relax His demands.
Rather than dismiss our sin,
he assumes our sin and,
incredibly, sentences himself.
God's holiness is honored.
Our sin is punished....
and we are redeemed.
God does what we cannot do
so we can be what we dare not dream:
perfect before God."
(pg.81)
He doesn't condone our sin,
nor does He compromise His standard.
He doesn't ignore our rebellion,
nor does He relax His demands.
Rather than dismiss our sin,
he assumes our sin and,
incredibly, sentences himself.
God's holiness is honored.
Our sin is punished....
and we are redeemed.
God does what we cannot do
so we can be what we dare not dream:
perfect before God."
(pg.81)
And this: "...so what do we do with this gift? What does it have to do with our daily existance? It has everything to do with it. Our task on earth is singular---to choose our eternal home.". Max goes on to say that we can afford many wrong choices in our lives. Things like choosing the wrong career, the wrong city, the wrong house and even the wrong mate. We can survive all those wrong choices. Then he writes: "But there is one choice that must be made correctly and that is your eternal destiny."
At the very end of the book, he walks readers through the plan of salvation.
I am leaving this book on our living room coffee table, hoping my daughters will pick it up to read through. Although they both have accepted Jesus as their personal Savior, they are young. This book is a good one to keep as reminders of just what God did....He gave us a very precious Gift.
And one day, when our children are no longer living in our homes, they, too, will need to make that choice about their eternal destiny. I often think that they are "saved" because we are raising them up in the church and it is expected. But....I don't always have the confidence that they will continue to follow Christ once they are on their own. I don't worry about it, but it does flit through my mind every once in awhile.
So...the more I surround them with good reading material, and have spiritual discussions, the more I learn to trust my Father in heaven to complete the work that He has begun.
And one day, when our children are no longer living in our homes, they, too, will need to make that choice about their eternal destiny. I often think that they are "saved" because we are raising them up in the church and it is expected. But....I don't always have the confidence that they will continue to follow Christ once they are on their own. I don't worry about it, but it does flit through my mind every once in awhile.
So...the more I surround them with good reading material, and have spiritual discussions, the more I learn to trust my Father in heaven to complete the work that He has begun.
Do you own this book? Do you own any Max Lucado books??
Which ones do you own? (we own several now and I highly recommend all of them!)
If not, think about purchasing one.....they make an excellent addition to a Christian home library.
Which ones do you own? (we own several now and I highly recommend all of them!)
If not, think about purchasing one.....they make an excellent addition to a Christian home library.
1 comment:
I love Max Lucado books. I own a few. Can't remember which off the top of my head (and I'm too lazy to get up and hunt them out. LOL.) One of his devotionals was instrumental in helping lead my friend to the Lord. He has such a beautiful way of telling things.
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