Happy Holidays

Good Morning Everyone,

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. I hope you enjoyed my last post about our Christmas tree. You will be happy to know that we were able to get a Christmas tree with all of its pieces and it is beautiful.

I want to share with you today something that I did last week. A week ago today I had the privlege of attending the stage production of "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" . I am not sure how many of you are familiar with this book turned play turned movie. I highly recommend you check it out.

This play centers around a church's annual Christmas pageant. Every year the same children play the same roles in the nativity story. That is until the neighborhood bullies the Herdman's are incorrectly informed that if they come to church they will get refreshments. Hilarity ensues as the un-churched Herdmans attempt to find their way in the pageant.

All throughout the play the majority of churchgoers treat the Herdmans as outsiders. They see them as a bad influence on their children and wish that they would spend there time anyplace but their church. As I sat there watching this play I was struck by something that has caused me to spend a whole week soul searching.

How many times do we treat people like the Herdman family? How many times do we meet people who obviously need the Lord but simply wish that they would go someplace else other than "our" church. The truth of the matter is that the church is not ours to begin with so we need to throw that idea out completely. I firmly believe that all of the people who read this blog have never told anyone that they wished they would just go someplace else but sometimes our actions say it.

This is a time of year when people's hearts sometimes turn towards God. While we do not believe that this is the time of year Christ was born we can still use this time to reach out to people. If people's hearts are turned towards the Lord then by all means lets take them by the hand and lead them to the father.

I hope as you read this that you have never been treated like the Herdman children. I especially hope that as you read this that I have never treated you like the Herdman children. If you find yourself in a position this holiday season to reach out to someone then by all means do it. It was this time about a year ago my family suffered some pretty big blows to our faith. What we remember most are all the people who rallied around us and helped us come to be in the place we are today. I encourage you to seek out the Herdmans in your life and help bring them to the Lord. Merry Christmas, happy new year, God bless!!!!

Be Strong and Courageous,
Paul