Celebration

Celebration is at the heart of the way of Christ. He entered the world on a high note of jubilation: "I bring you good news of great joy," cried the angel,"which shall come to all the people" (Luke 2:10). He left the world bequeathing his joy to the disciples: "These things I have spoken to you that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full" (John 15:11). Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline

Celebration is one of the spiritual disciplines. It is hard to imagine that Christians need to discipline themselves to celebrate but we do. We need to truly celebrate our release from the captivity of sin. We need to truly celebrate that our eyes are no longer blind to sin. We need to celebrate that we live free from the oppressive fear of death. We need to celebrate that, as Christians, we are never alone, never without family, and never without hope. Whatever your Thanksgiving Day looks like, I pray that it reflects the discipline of celebration. I pray that it is bathed in the certainty of your hope, annointed with the blessings of family and empowered with the presence of the One who gives us cause for celebration.

What a Pleasure

We've been living in a whirlwind of activity since my last post. Several days were spent in preparations. Then, on November 2, Brandon and his girlfriend, Jana, arrived from Berlin. Since then it has been a challenge to keep up with their hectic schedule, attend class and fit in a few hours of study. They leave today for Denver where Brandon will attend a company meeting and Jana will see another part of the US. Although it has been much too short we have enjoyed their visit. What a pleasure it is to spend time with our adult children. Although I sometimes wax nostalgic about the days when Ryan and Brandon were babies, or toddlers, or on rare occasions teenagers, I find my greatest pleasure is spending time with my adult sons. They have grown to be strong, responsible and hard-working men and Mom and Dad couldn't be more proud. I pray that we continue to grow in love and respect for one another. May your family be blessed as ours has been.