Christmas Love

If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows, strands of twinkling lights, and shiny balls, but do not show love to my family, I'm just another decorator.
If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas cookies, preparing gourmet meals, and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime, but do not show love to my family, I'm just another cook.
If I work at the soup kitchen, carol in the nursing home, and give all that I have to charity, but do not show love to my family, it profits me nothing.
If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and crocheted snowflakes, attend a myriad of holiday parties, and sing in the choir's cantata but do not focus on Christ, I have missed the point.
Love stops the cooking to hug the child. Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the spouse.
Love is kind, though harried and tired.
Love doesn't envy another's home that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens.Love doesn't yell at the kids to get out of the way.
Love doesn't give only to those who are able to give in return but rejoices in giving to those who can't.
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails. Video games will break, pearl necklaces will be lost, golf clubs will rust, but giving the gift of love will endure.

www.reclaimingthemind.org

A website that offers a class in theology where you will be presented with a certificate. It looks like the class is only $100.00
It looks like a Calvinistic theology but with at least a openness to Arminanism.

They also have a lot of papers from the "Evangelical Theological Society" that can be read on line

“You can get everything in life you want, if you will just help enough other people get what they want.” Zig Ziglar

Helping each other

I appreciate the fact that our church does what it can to help each other out when one is faced with material needs weather that need is finances, food etc.

Is that not what being the church is about? It is more than just meeting together in a building on the street corner. We are to help, encourage and build each other up everyway we can.

With that said we are often put between a rock and a hard place when people who attend other churches come to us for help. My first thoughts are, "did you ask your church for help?" if so what was their response? and if they did not help you, you ought to seriously think about going to church elsewhere.

Feel free to share your thoughts along these lines. As we are faced with these type of decisions quite often.