Pastor B My Life, Oakwood, Parent Cue, Students, Summer

The Shepherd and Overseer of your Soul

Sheep are mentioned over 500 times in the Bible.  One reason is that they play a part in relating the imagery of the Shepherd and his Flock to Jesus as the Good Shepherd. The followers of the Good Shepherd are… well… SHEEP.  With this in mind, many thoughts about sheep have come about.  First off, sheep are thought to be really stupid.  Stories I have heard involve sheep mindlessly following the other in front of them, no matter what is going on, so if a Shepherd put a staff out for one sheep to jump over and then took it away for the next sheep, the rest of the sheep would “follow the leader” and jump in the same spot.  Secondly, we hear out of Luke 15 that 100 sheep could be doing fine and then one of them might go astray, so the Good Shepherd has to run after that one that decided somehow to just wander off, even though the routine is the mindless following.

So does that make us STUPID SHEEP, and is Jesus greatly placing prominence on Himself and belittling humankind?

Being less and less agriculturally inclined in society today, and not in the business of raising sheep, I discovered what many people may already know.  Sheep actually have some distinct attributes that put them at a higher IQ than one can imagine.

  1.  They are right below Pigs in IQ and can be considered the same level as cattle.  MOOOOO!!!
  2.  Sheep can actually recognize facial features and remember them for years.  Take that iPhone number kazillion and one!
  3.  Sheep can pick up on different emotional states pretty easily.  (In a BAAAAAD mood???)
  4.  Sheep can also express their emotional state by the various sounds they make.
  5.  Sheep can self-medicate themselves and graze on needed nutrients depending on their current physical status
  6.  Sheep also can distinguish between voices and know when their name is called.

Wow!  Maybe sheep are smarter than we think! With all these amazing facts (and believe me there are more from sheep enthusiasts), maybe Jesus is wanting us to feel more than “stupid.”

John 10 paints a picture of a Good Shepherd that knows His sheep.  He calls them by name.  He protects them.  He gives them abundant life. He oversees every aspect of their lives.  In fact, He oversees the deepest part of our inward being.  The keeper of the our mind, will, and emotions.  The place that we tend to keep hidden behind the outside, natural part of ourselves.  Our Souls!

Maybe Jesus is revealing His true heart to us and the heart of the Father for mankind.  All we need to do is respond to the call when we hear our name.  He willingly lays down His life for US, the SHEEP!  Do you know His voice?

or better put… DO YOU KNOW THE SHEPHERD AND OVERSEER OF YOUR SOUL?

Peter was asked to do something by Jesus.  “FEED MY SHEEP” Those words must have echoed in his mind for the rest of his life.  After denying Jesus on the road to the cross, he finds a place of forgiveness and reconciliation.  Then he is given a noble task.  To follow Jesus and point others to the Shepherd of the Sheep.

Maybe those thoughts settled in his mind in a way that gave him the wisdom to encourage his flock with these words:

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
1 Peter 2:24‭-‬25 ESV

The comfort we can find in Peter’s words lands on the word RETURN.  The truth is all of us have strayed away from the heart of the Father.   We have something within us that decides to wander away, even when we do a good job of following most of the time.  Peter understood the word “RETURN,” and brings comfort in this truth.  YOU CAN RETURN TO THE SHEPHERD AND OVERSEER OF YOUR SOUL.  Just as Peter did.  We all have the ability to RETURN.

Where are you today?  Wandering?  Following?  Listening to the Voice of the Good Shepherd? 

YOU CAN SIMPLY RETURN

Pastor B Culture, My Life, Oakwood, Parent Cue, Spring

6 Ways to Believe the Truth and Not the Lies

This post really spoke to me as a parent, as a Middle School Pastor, and as a person seeking to walk with JESUS. The added bonus is the fun idea of a game to find the TRUTH!

This post first appeared on ScottKedersha.com under the title, “What Lie Do You Believe that Gets You Into Trouble?” Check out the Scott Kedersha’s Blog here

6 Ways to Believe the Truth and Not the Lies

I’ve found myself playing a game I don’t like the past few weeks. Not that I don’t love games. This one, however, I don’t really like to play. It’s a game I have to play whenever I struggle with insecurity and comparison.

You can’t buy this game at Target and Amazon won’t ship it to you. The game is called Spot the Lie, and I learned it many years ago from Watermark’s lead pastor, Todd Wagner.

Todd plays the game with his kids. The concept is simple—whenever something doesn’t seem right or promises something it can’t truly deliver, you need to spot the lie, lest you think the lie is truth.

For example:

  • Snickers promises to satisfy. While it certainly does for a few short moments, the flavor quickly goes away but the calories, energy drain, and sugar crash stick around.
  • Those new cars that spouses buy for each other at Valentine’s Day and Christmas? You know the ones that show up in their driveway with a big red bow on them? Those cars are awesome until the first bills come in or the newer model comes out. That new car won’t satisfy your desire for stuff and an extravagant purchase won’t fix your hurting marriage.
  • The praise you get for crushing it at work, in the sermon, in the basketball game—fleeting. Great in the moment, but it goes away, replaced by the praise for another or a failure right around the corner.
  • Any commercial ever made for any game or toy for your children! They look so happy in those commercials. LIES!

You Must Spot the Lie

In each of these situations, you must spot the lie so you don’t believe something that won’t ever come true.

Another way to play this game is when your brain tells you things that just aren’t right. For instance, you might tell yourself:

  • I’m unlovable.
  • I’m a fraud and I’m not good enough.
  • Or, I’m the worst and everyone is better than me.
  • My kids dislike me and my spouse and friends do too.
  • This team would do better without me.
  • Me, me, me, I, I, I… you get the picture.

For whatever reason, the last few weeks, I’ve really struggled with comparing myself to others. I desire their gifts, acclaim, and praise, and in the process I tear myself down and believe the lies.

Instead of losing this battle, I’ve had to play a lot of rounds of Spot the Lie. You might need to play this game as well. At some point, we all do.

6 Ways You Can Win at Spot the Lie

1. Fight the lies with truth.

Read God’s Word. Memorize scripture. Meditate on Truth. Ultimately, we can learn so much about our identity not from others, not from the world, not from the praise of man, but through God’s Word. Here are a few verses (with a brief synopsis) you might want to check out (and memorize):

  • John 1:12 – You are a child of God
  • 2 Corinthians 5:17 – You are a new creation.
  • Genesis 1:27 – You are made in the image and likeness of God.
  • Galatians 4:7 – You are a child of God and a co-heir with Christ.
  • 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – You were bought at a high price.
  • Romans 8:1 – There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Side note: You need to know the main reason I write what I write is because I need it as much, if not more, than you do. Reading these verses is good for my soul, and helps me Spot the Lie and believe Truth instead!

2. Pray for change.

Ask God to give you the wisdom you need to stop believing the lies and instead believe truth. Sometimes my brain goes crazy and spins out of control. In those moments, I ask God for His wisdom (James 1:5).

3. Listen to good songs filled with Truth.

A few I’ve listened to the last few weeks:

  • Lauren Daigle’s song, “You Say.” I love this new song, and in it Daigle rightly says we should believe what God says about us.
  • “Who You Say I Am” by Hillsong Worship. In this song, I’m reminded that I am a child of God, I’m chosen (by God), and I am who He says I am (not who the lies tell me I am).
  • The hymn, “My Worth is Not in What I Own.” Recently recorded by Shane and Shane in their Hymns, Vol 1 album. The lyrics remind us to boast in knowing Christ, not in what we own, our wealth, might, or wisdom we posses.

4. Focus on others.

When I start to play the self-pity game, I instead choose to encourage and think of others. When I take the focus off myself, I can encourage those around me. In Romans 12, Paul reminds us to use our gifts. My gift is encouragement, and I love how Romans 12:8 says if your gift is encouragement, then encourage others! Whatever your gift is, use it/them, for the glory of God and for the good of others.

5. Fight the sin of comparison.

Too often we coddle our sin or just think it will go away. I want to fight my sin, whether it’s lust, anger, or comparison. John Owens famously said, “Be killing sin, or it be killing you.”

6. Engage others.

In those moments when I believe the lies, I want to run away and hide. I feel guilt, shame, and embarrassment, and the last thing I want to do is let others in. Rather, I know I need others to speak truth into my life, wound me with love, and encourage me. I need others to bear my burdens (Galatians 6:2) and to shine light into the darkness of my sin and lies.

You might have some other ways you have to fight the lies. Please share them below in the comments section.

On a much lighter note, I do love games. Here are three fun ones I recently started playing with friends and family.

  • One Night Ultimate Werewolf – like mafia, but quicker. Great party game.
  • Dutch Blitz – super fun card game. Our family loves it! “A Vondferful Goot Game.”
  • Psych! – great party game you play on your iPhone. Especially fun if you know each other well. We especially like the “And the Truth Comes Out” deck.

Your Turn:

  • How do you fight the lies in your life?
  • What scriptures would you add to the list above in point #1.
Pastor B My Life, Oakwood, Spring

God, the Inventor of Love

C.S. Lewis

“God, who needs nothing, loves into existence wholly superfluous creatures in order that He may love and perfect them.

He creates the universe, already foreseeing – or should we say “seeing”? there are no tenses in God

– the buzzing cloud of flies about the cross, the flayed back pressed against the uneven stake, the nails driven through the mesial nerves, the repeated incipient suffocation as the body droops, the repeated torture of back and arms as it is time after time, for breath’s sake, hitched up.

If I may dare the biological image, God is a “host” who deliberately creates His own parasites; causes us to be that we may exploit and “take advantage of” Him.

Herein is love. This is the diagram of Love Himself, the inventor of all loves.”

― C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves

Pastor B Uncategorized

Recommended Parent Resource: Passport2Purity

As a parent of a Middle Schooler myself, I was pleasantly surprised with the result of the Passport2Purity setup. Laura and Katie spent a weekend in San Antonio talking through each session and spending quality time together the Summer before her 6th grade year. I am so thankful for Family Life and one resource that has set our continuing conversations in this stage of life up for success!

With Passport2Purity® you don’t have to be an expert!The getaway kit equips you to cover what can seem like awkward topics in a fun and engaging way.

GETAWAY KIT INCLUDES:

1 Tour Guide for the Parent

1 Travel Journal for the preteen
including 25 follow-up devotions

8 CDs containing 5 sessions, memory songs, and downloadable MP3s.

SESSIONS INCLUDE:

BEGINNING THE JOURNEY
Challenges, Traps, and Choices

RUNNING WITH THE HERD
Friendships and Peer Pressure

READY FOR AN UPGRADE?
Changes in Him, Changes in Her

DESTINATION: LÉ PURE
Setting Boundaries

CROSSING THE DATE LINE
Seeing Dating DifferentlyPassport2Purity® Travel Journal
Replacement Kit

Our children’s innocence is under attack, and parents cannot win the battle with a single awkward “birds and the bees” talk or a strict set of rules.

-Dennis Rainey

Pastor B Uncategorized

The reward a Texas couple found in a bottle from 1962

By Dr. Jim Denison

Reading Time: 4 minutes

While walking on the Gulf Shore near Corpus Christi, Jim and Candy Duke found an unusual bottle. It contained a note explaining that the bottle had been released in 1962 by scientists studying the role of water currents on the movement of shrimp.

Here’s the good news: if the person finding the bottle completed and mailed the enclosed postcard, they would receive “a fifty cent reward.”

The current lab director offered to pay the Dukes as promised, though it would cost the agency fifty-five cents for a stamp and three dollars to print the check.

What was the most powerful computer in 1962?

I’ve been thinking about some of the changes to our culture since 1962.

Technological advances are an obvious example. In 1962, the most powerful computer in the world was the Ferranti Atlas. It filled a room, took six months to assemble, and was difficult to keep running for ten minutes at a time.

Technology has revolutionized our lives, but its advances are a double-edged sword: they have put mobile computing in our pockets but also fueled the plague of pornography and provided a platform for terrorist recruiting.

In 1962, the Civil Rights Act was still two years away. Governmental legislation soon advanced the biblical mandate to reject racism (cf. Galatians 3:28), but other legislation has overturned centuries of biblical morality regarding marriage, gender, and the sanctity of life.

The Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1962 celebrated groundbreaking discoveries“concerning the molecular structure of nucleic acids and its significance for information transfer in living material.” This work was foundational to genetic advances that are revolutionizing medicine today. However, these advances could also enable eugenic alterations that would redefine and threaten the future of our species.

In 1962, President Kennedy announced the goal of putting a man on the moon by the end of the decade. Thomas Kuhn’s book, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, was a landmark event in science, history, sociology, and philosophy. Global travel was making the world smaller for cultural exchange and educational advancement.

However, the academic rejection of absolute truth and objective morality was also gaining momentum. The “sexual revolution” was one manifestation of such relativism. As Mary Eberstadt has documented, this “massive experiment in chaos and confusion” has radically and negatively impacted our culture.

What problem is the root of our problems?

Many of the technological, legislative, medical, and academic achievements of the last fifty-seven years have clearly improved our lives. But have they improved our souls?

Are humans more moral as a species today? Would you say that the overall moral trajectory of our culture is positive or negative?

What is the problem at the root of our problems?

The answer is a reality our culture considers so outdated and Puritanical that we seldom discuss it. But ignoring something makes it no less real and can make its consequences even worse.

The Bible diagnoses our root issue: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). The problem of sin cannot be solved by technology, legislation, medicine, or scholarship. We can regulate it through laws and meliorate some of its effects through education, medicine, and technology.

But we cannot change the underlying human condition: “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23a). The consequences of our sin nature are spiritual, emotional, relational, and–eventually–eternal death.

Here’s the solution: “But the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23b).

How can temporal work bear eternal fruit?

If healing bodies could save souls, the apostles with their miraculous healing ministries would have gone into health care (cf. Acts 3:1-10; 5:15-16; 20:9-10). If technology could save souls, Jesus would have used his divine omniscience to revolutionize carpentry and other industries (cf. Mark 6:3).

If scholarship could save souls, Saul of Tarsus would have continued with his remarkable academic career (Acts 22:3). If laws could save souls, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus would have sought political leadership through their roles in the Sanhedrin (Mark 15:43; John 3:1).

Let me be clear: God calls his people into medicine, technology, academics, and legislative service today. These are vital and valuable roles in our society. But they cannot save souls. Nor can the sentences I’m typing right now or the words I spoke in church last Sunday.

Only the Holy Spirit can convict of sin and save sinners (John 16:8). Only God has the miraculous power to make us a “new creation” so that “the old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

As a result, the most valuable way to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39) is to share Jesus with them. The greatest gift you can give is the good news of God’s saving grace and transforming love. You’re not forcing your beliefs on others–you are offering them the only antidote to the deadly poison of sin, the only chemotherapy that cures spiritual cancer, the only path that leads to eternal life.

If you and I see our vocations as opportunities to model and share Jesus’ transforming love, our temporal work will bear eternal fruit. But only then.

When will the moon be destroyed?

The largest “supermoon” of the year was visible last night. At 221,734 miles from earth, it is closer to us right now than it will be at any other time this year.

However, our relationship with our closest celestial companion is not permanent. According to one scientist, the earth and moon will be destroyed in about five billion years when the sun swells enough to incinerate them both.

When (or if) that happens, eternity will only have begun. 

POSTED FEBRUARY 19, 2019

Pastor B Oakwood, Parent Cue, Spring

Discovering Your Gifts

SPIRITUAL GIFTS LIST:

“WE HAVE DIFFERENT GIFTS, ACCORDING TO THE GRACE GIVEN US.” ROMANS 12:6

Click here for the LeaderTreks Blog Article

As followers of Christ, we have all received special God-given abilities that are a part of how the Lord has uniquely wired and gifted us. When we begin to identify these gifts, we are able to use them more effectively as well as grow more comfortable with who we are and how we’ve been designed – which is why we’ve complied them into a spiritual gifts list.

With definitions and scriptural connections the spiritual gifts list below covers 15 different spiritual gifts, which can be used for your own assessment or teaching your students. Looking to go deeper? LeaderTreks offers a comprehensiveSpiritual Gifts assessment.

BELIEVING – Faith – Definition: Believing is a special God-given ability to trust God’s will and act on it, with an unwavering belief in God’s concern, presence, and active participation.

This gift is listed in 1 Corinthians 12:9 where is is translated as “faith” or “special faith.”

COMFORTING – Mercy – Definition: Comforting is a special God-given ability to understand and come alongside people who are troubled or suffering, bringing them comfort, insight, and hope.

This gift is listed in Romans 12:8 where it is usually translated as “showing mercy” or “showing kindness.”

DIRECTING – Leadership – Definition: Directing is a special God-given ability to instill vision, motivate, and guide people to work together effectively to achieve worthwhile goals.

This gift is listed in Romans 12:8 where it is usually translated as “leadership” or “he who leads.”

DISCERNING – Discernment – Definition: Discerning is a special God-given ability to distinguish between truth and error, good and evil, and to show good judgement in matters involving character and relationships.

This gift is listed in 1 Corinthians 12:10 where it is usually translated as “distinguishing between spirits” or “discerning of spirits.”

ENCOURAGING – Exhortation – Definition: Encouraging is a special God-given ability to affirm, uplift, and restore confidence to individuals who are feeling discouraged or defeated.

This gift is listed in Romans 12:8 where it is usually translated as “encouraging” or “exhortation.”

EVANGELIZING – Evangelism – Definition: Evangelizing is a special God-given ability to effectively communicate the Good News of Jesus Christ to non-believers so they can respond and begin to grow in their faith.

This gift is listed in Ephesians 4:11 where it is usually translated as “evangelists.”

GIVING – Contributing – Definition: Giving is a special God-given ability to contribute cheerfully, generously, and regularly to the church and other important ministries, causes, and people in need.

This gift is listed in Romans 12:8 where it is usually translated as “contributing to the needs of others” or “he who gives.”

LEARNING – Knowledge – Definition: Learning is a special God-given ability to gather, analyze, and share information appropriately with others, leading to greater understanding and insight.

This gift is listed in 1 Corinthians 12:8 where it is usually translated as “message of knowledge,” “word of knowledge,” or “gift of special knowledge.”

MENTORING – Pastoring/Shepherding – Definition: Mentoring is a special God-given ability to guide and support individuals or groups as they grow in their faith and in their capacity for ministry.

This gift is listed in Ephesians 4:11 where it is usually translated as “pastors.”

ORGANIZING – Administration – Definition: Organizing is a special God-given ability to plan, organize tasks, and follow through so that complex projects are completed efficiently and effectively.

This gift is listed in 1 Corinthians 12:28 where it is usually translated as “administration,” “governments,” or “those who can get others to work together.”

PIONEERING – Apostleship – Definition: Pioneering is a special God-given ability to launch new ventures or lead change, confidently moving forward despite uncertainty or risk.

This gift is listed in 1 Corinthians 12:28 and Ephesians 4:11 where it is usually translated as “apostles.”

PROBLEM-SOLVING – Wisdom – Definition: Problem-Solving is a special God-given ability to provide practical advice to that leads to timely, effective resolution of problems.

This gift is listed in 1 Corinthians 12:28 where it is usually translated as “message of wisdom,” “word of  wisdom,” or “ability to give wise advice.”

 SPEAKING OUT – Prophet – Definition: Speaking Out is a special God-given ability to declare God’s truth boldly and publicly for the purpose of correction or instruction.

This gift is listed in Romans 12:6, 1 Corinthians 12:10, 28 and Ephesians 4:11 where it is usually translated as “prophesying,” “prophets,” or “ability to prophesy.”

SUPPORTING – Helps – Definition: Supporting is a special God-given ability to provide practical, behind-the-scences help that frees others to accomplish more than they might otherwise be capable of achieving.

This gift is listed in Romans 12:7 and 1 Corinthians 12:28 where it is usually translated as “helps,” “serving,” “ministry,” “forms of assistance,” or “those who are able to help others.”

TEACHING – Teacher – Definition: teaching is a special God-given ability to organize and clearly communicate knowledge and skills to others, and to motivate them to master and apply what they are learning.

This gift is listed in Romans 12:7, 1 Corinthians 12:28, and Ephesians 4:11 where it is usually translated as “teaching” or “teacher.”

THIS WEEK:

What can you do this week to use your gifts?

What are you going to do?

When are you going to do it?

Is there someone who can keep you accountable?

THINK ABOUT IT
“We cannot get Christ’s gifts without himself.” – Alexander Maclaren (The Epistles of St. Paul to the Colossians and Philemon, Volume 31 of Expositor’s Bible, 1905.)

MEMORIZE/MEDITATE ON THIS VERSE
For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

Romans 12:4-5 (ESV)

Pastor B Culture, Oakwood, Parent Cue

Middle School Parent Cue: Made Series

Fusion Sunday Feb Series
Download Conversation Guide Here

WEEK ONE:

PSALM 139:13-16

Because God made you, you are fearfully and wonderfully made.

Your middle schooler receives mixed messages related to sex all the time. In the movies they watch, the songs they listen to, the things their friends talk about, the social media they see, and even the education they get at school, the messages on sex are both constant and inconsistent, making it difficult for them to know what to really think about the subject.

WEEK TWO:

MATTHEW 5:27-28;
PSALM 139:14a

Because God made us all,
all of us are valuable.

Though your middle schooler may or may not yet be engaging in sexual activity, they’re definitely growing more curious about sex. But don’t worry! Curiosity is a natural part of growing and maturing—something your middle schooler is doing a lot of in this phase. Understanding their curiosity and not totally shutting it down is key to keeping the conversation about sex open between you and your kid.

WEEK THREE:

1 CORINTHIANS 6:18

Because God made sex,
sexual things matter.

Control can be a sensitive subject for many middle schoolers. They long for more authority in most parts of their lives, leading them to act out of frustration over what they perceive as a lack of control. They also struggle with self-regulation in this phase, making boundaries difficult to set and maintain.

WEEK FOUR:

1 THESSALONIANS 4:3-4;
PSALM 139:14a

Because God made you,
you are in control of your own body.

Understanding both their value and the value of others may be hard for your student at times. As middle schoolers, value is often based on immediate feelings. If your student doesn’t feel valued by others, it will make valuing that person (and even themselves) difficult to do.

Pastor B My Life, Winter

Merry Christmas: The Greatest Story Ever Told

Emmanuel, God with US

Isaiah 7:14, Matt. 1:18-25

God Wants To Be With US

Christmas 2011

ME

Christmas means Wassailfest, lights at the downtown circle, Christmas Parties, Christmas Trees, Christmas Shopping…

We pretty much have a routine that our kids are beginning to grasp here in New Braunfels.  Laura has been under the weather this year, but that doesn’t stop Katie and Noah from requesting a visit to Wassailfest.  It is awesome looking through the eyes of little kids.  Noah, my three year old, came around the corner Thursday night and shouted in excitement, “It’s Christmastime!”

 This year Mommy was not the only one excited about getting down the Christmas Tree and all the decorations.  Before she could even say anything, our little five year old set the tone for the family.  SHE wanted to top the tree this year, and she did, on Daddy’s shoulders.  So we got the inside decorated, and we were driving home from Church the next day, and Katie says, “WE need Christmas Lights on the outside of our house now!  Ours is BLANK!”  

I love that Katie and Noah are thinking on their own and learning new things.  They really have this thing about just wanting to be with Mommy or Daddy, almost all the time.  That is both good and bad :).  A very special BE WITH Time, though, is usually bed time.  Noah is easy, he usually wants his little blanket and stuffed animals (it is like he is making an ark of his own) and asks for a drink of water and snuggles up under his big Spiderman Blanket and goes to sleep.  Not before he calls me some three year old name like “Silly Cookie” or Good Night “Woody” referring to Toy Story.  If I lay in his new “Big Boy Bed” he usually says “Get OUT OF MY BED!”    

Katie on the other hand milks the exclusive BE WITH time for all it is worth.  She loves it when Mom or Dad lay with her and talk a little, snuggle a little, look at her American Girl Doll, and listen to a Kids Christmas Musical on the CD player that she has requested… since October.  I sort of feel good when she tries to pull me back as I try to leave.  I think its because we both like to have a little quality BE WITH time.

WE
Looking at my kids and thinking about where we come from, it makes sense that a relational God would make people like you and me with a craving to BE WITH someone, anyone that would love and accept us.

I mean, this BE WITH craving really took off in the cyber world of Facebook and Twitter.  I know that probably most of you have requested some amazing Cell Phone for Christmas so you can have a REAL SOCIAL LIFE and text your friends.  Now you can even skype or have “face time” on your iPad and video chat.  I think this all has to do with a BE WITH FACTOR in all of us, and the truth is, you have all that, but get most satisfied when someone is actually WITH you.  Actually PRESENT.  In front of you.  Face to Face.  Real in person like.  

God created us to be relational beings.  He set the BE WITH FACTOR inside of us.  A craving for real relationship.  How about that girlfriend or boyfriend of yours, or even a crush.  It doesn’t satisfy you just to text him or her, you really want to BE WITH that person.  If you really think about it, you are probably planning amazing moments in your head revolving around the next time you are going to actually BE WITH him or her.  Maybe that is why you actually like school.  You are a 6th grade guy that thinks he is in love with your Math teacher, and you are planning every moment just to BE WITH her as she teaches you addition subtraction.  One word – TUTORING!

It is funny, though, we lose that thought when it comes to knowing God.  When we think about God, we tend to forget that he really just wanted to BE WITH His Creation.  In the Garden of Eden, He walked and talked with Adam and Eve. Then sin separated us from God.  I think sometimes, we think of Him watching us from afar and not really interested in our daily lives.  That is where this amazing Christmas Story proves us wrong.  THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD begins with a promise in the old Testament.  
Isaiah 7:14 says
“14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”
There had been a hope throughout history that hinted about GOD BEING WITH US.  
So lets read out of Matthew and think about GOD BEING WITH US.  

GOD    The Birth of Jesus Christ Matt. 1:18-25

18 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.

19 Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:

23 “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”–which means, “God with us.”

24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.

25 But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

You see, Joseph was pledged to BE WITH Mary.  

Joseph was a descendant of King David and had been taught the Oral Law

from the time he was a young boy. Mary’s cousin Elizabeth was married to a priest,

indicating her family’s values. Jesus would grow up in a loving home that observed the

Jewish laws. But Jesus was conceived in a way that appeared to conflict with those

Jewish laws. Mary and Joseph were betrothed.

Betrothal was nothing like today’s

“engagement” period. Mary and Joseph did not live together, but their betrothal was an arrangement so binding, that it could not be ended except by divorce. When Joseph found out Mary was pregnant, the Oral Law gave him an additional option. He could have had Mary killed by stoning. Yet Scripture tells us that Mary was “highly favored!”  Scripture says the Lord was with Mary . . . and the Lord was with Joseph. The presence of God enabled Joseph to believe and trust that the rules of his religion were to be submitted to the Author of his religion.

YOU
GOD WANTS TO BE WITH US!
When Sin Separated us from Him, he found a way to get reconnected again. He took on flesh, played by his own rules He created for mankind, and actually became a man, just to BE WITH US!  Some day we will be in the New Heavens and New Earth and there will be the same relationship Adam & Eve had in the Garden.  We will be God’s people and He will be our God.  That is why it is the GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD!  God made a way to redeem us by sending the Son of God.  Born of a virgin.  A king is Born.  One that will rule over our lives forever, and He knows how we feel.

WE
So if God wants to BE WITH US, the question is do you want to BE WITH God?
In other words – To BE WITH or NOT to BE WITH… THAT IS THE QUESTION!  He pursued us in the most miraculous way.  He wants us to have some exclusive time just talking about life, enjoying His Presence and enjoying the RELATIONSHIP.