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Doug's Weekly Words

Sept 23rd, 2009

In This E-mail
Doug's Weekly Reflection
Blest2Bless Thoughts
Weekly Update
Preparing for Sunday
Shout Out
Prayers

Christmas Conspiracy-
Somehow I seem to always get to Christmas and it gets busy, I get harried, and I am not able to make the main thing the main thing.  I end up majoring in the minors, and soon it is time to celebrate New Years and I realized that once again I ended up missing Christmas...

I am like the Inn Keeper in the Christmas story.  He doesn't even make it in the Bible, he gets a speaking part in the pageant so we can involve more kids.  All we know is that the Inn was so full that Jesus was born where the animals hung out.  The Inn Keeper was busy with guests, with food and wine, with serving and making money, and all we know about him 2000 years later is that he missed out, he missed the birth of the Messiah.  He could been a part of the greatest story of all time, remembered for years as a man of grace and hospitality, but he missed it all.

Not again this year.  As a community we are participating in the Advent Conspiracy.  You can learn more about the Advent Conspiracy by checking out their video-
http://www.adventconspiracy.org/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVqqj1v-ZBU

There is great info all over the Advent Conspiracy site... and for you Facebooking types, you can become a fan (hot tip, if you are a facebooker make sure you join the FPC Bellingham group)

As we engage in the Advent Conspiracy we will major on the 4 key elements of the Advent Season-

Worship More
Spend Less
Give More
Love All

But we need to start now.  How can you prepare to really worship this December? How can you bring your mind and heart and body to the table and really worship?  Get ready to dance, to sing, to paint, to work to his glory.   Get ready to worship in the morning and worship in the evening.  Worship when the sun is up, and keep worshiping when the sun comes down.  We have so much to celebrate that we could be at it all December and barely scratch the surface.

And then prepare to Spend less- get the word out now- When Christmas morning comes you should not be expecting a gift card or a wad of bill- No more will the objects with high price tags be under the tree.  This year we are doing something much bigger.

Then prepare to really give.  The gift cards don't ask nearly enough of us.  Give a letter, give a song, give a story, give a picture, a hug- There is so much out there that is more than money.  And that money you were going to spend- why not double it and then give it to someone who really needs it- We will come to the final Sunday of Advent and offer up an offering for clean water for people that really need it.

Lastly let us get back to what this whole season is about- Love the people God calls us to love- which would be a pretty large group because He adds in our enemies.  Love your neighbors, love your friends, love your family, love the people of the 2/3rd world who don't have enough clean water.

Maybe this year we might not miss it- maybe this year we will be ready for the birth of the savior- maybe this year we might delve below the trimming and dig into the meat of the season.  The first Christmas turned the world on its head- maybe again this year...

In His Conspiracy,

Doug B.

Blest2Bless-BlestLife Practice- Simplicity- Pray about where you need to simplify

Blest2Bless-One up Your Giving, prepare to spend less and give more this December.