Pastor Bruce’s blog

I really don’t like Christmas.  Yeah, I know, I’m a pastor and I’m supposed to like Christmas!  But if I’m going to be honest with you and let you know what’s on my heart, I’ve got to tell you that the period of time between Thanksgiving and Christmas is not my favorite!  Oh don’t get me completely wrong.  I love that Jesus was born and it’s right to celebrate His birth, that’s a no brainer!  And I love my family, natural and church family, that we spend more time with.  But all the expectations, the commercialization of the season, the disappointments many folks feel around the holidays and the way that many valuable pursuits get put on hold, just drag me down.  Do any of you feel that way too?  What can we do to change all of this?

Well, I think the first thing we can do is to focus on the Lord Himself.  So that’s going to call for some honest to goodness prayer time.  Time where we refuse to allow the busyness to pull us away from Him personally.  And the next thing we can do is to simplify.  I’m actually going to attempt to refuse some of the expectations of the season, especially the unspoken ones, and just do what’s meaningful in a Kingdom and family way.  And next, I’m going to laugh a little more and celebrate what the Lord has done all year long.  Our enemy wants to take away from us the taste of victory, the thrill of knowing that God has been and is working with us.  Like this weekend, for instance.  I’m hoping that we all are totally thrilled over the 11 water baptisms this weekend, young and older alike.  For another, we’ve got the Extravaganza next weekend and I’m believing that we’ll see the Lord change some lives through that production.  Bottom line?  We can’t let the enemy take away our joys over what the Lord has done and is doing.  Hey, I’m feeling better already!

So yeah, Christmas isn’t my biggest thrill.  But seeing Jesus work in lives is.  I think that I’ll try to get my eyes and heart in the right place this year and look to see a difference.  Join me?   Forget the cookies and let’s take His Presence in our world as our preoccupation.  PB

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