I give guitar lessons & that's my "extra" cash. We're spending Christmas in Chester Ca, where my sister-in-law runs a second hand store. Because it's in the mountains, 10F this morning, there are a ton of beanies at her store. In SC a beanie costs $3 at a second hand store. In Chester, today, they're 50 cents. I told my wife, "I'm gonna' go buy 40 beanies today," & of course she said, "Great idea."

Being the godly man I am I told God, "This isn't what I want to spend my money on, but I know it blesses your heart; this is the best use of my money." Two thoughts fought in my head like heavyweight fighters: Selfishness vs. Selflessness. That said, we went & picked out 40 beanies, which was all they had. As we approached the check out line, beanies bulging out of my arms, a woman offered to help me put them in a bag. I thanked her & walked away. She then approached my wife & said, "here's a gift certificate I wanted you to have," which my wife thanked her for. I asked her how much the gift was for: $20...enough for 40 beanies.

Ironic on several levels.

This comes as my friend, Ronee, has come under criticism for her work with the poor in SC. I asked her if she could use more beanies & she said: "absolutely!"

I guess God wants these beanies delivered to SC. I guess God blessed the direction my feet took me & not the direction my heart wanted to go. I guess God is faithful to the unfaithful.

Thanks God.

Return Stolen Bike Part 2

So, we return the bike & needless to say the police officer was totally perplexed. He kinda' looked at my friend & didn't know what to say other than, "You stole this bike 10yrs ago?"; it was great! Well, I get a phone call from my friend because the police officer called him later in the day. Without us knowing it, someone from the Santa Cruz Sentinel (the local paper) was in the room & overheard what was going on. They asked the police officer for my friends info, 'cuz they want to do a write up on an unbelievable story! What would possess a man to give back a bike he stole 10yrs ago without getting caught? Why would a man want make his wrongs right?

Today I get to go to the police station to give back a bike that was stolen 10yrs ago by a man who has committed his life to Christ. It's wonderful to see people being healed by God, taking inventory of their past in order to walk into the future God has for them.

Merry Christmas:
"In other words, eternal life is not the by-product of some enlightenment or knowledge acquired mystically. Eternal life is historically anchored in what we may call the scandal of particularity unique to Christianity. The life of God has been channeled to us through a historical event, an event that John says has been verified by people who saw it."

Formally Winter

Winter Formal Charity Dinner

Good old Mark Twain:
Some men worship rank, some worship heroes, some worship power, some worship God, and over these ideals they dispute and cannot unite -- but they all worship money.

Entitlement:
When your dog sits next to the table waiting for scraps, so you toss him some. Instead of catching it he allows the food to pass by his snout, hit the floor, where he is given enough time to discern if it is worthy. Then, he walks away leaving you to pick the scrap off the floor.
Entitlement.

At the Vets Hall we're never totally sure what room we're going to meet in. We were informed that this week we can't get into a room until 11:45, which is 45min after everyone gets there. What to do? So we're going to have a collective preacher exercise. Break up into groups &...

God left us the Bible in order that we might know him. It helps us to understand who He is, who we are as His children, & how we are supposed to act in our relationships with Him & the world around us. So, reading, appreciating, & applying His word to our lives is a very important responsibility.

Today we, actually you, are going to read, contemplate, & understand how to apply God’s word to our everyday life. We are the collective preacher!
Assign:
Scribe (someone who will write down what you find)
Speaker (someone who will share what you found)

After reading your text:
First: What is the purpose, the heart, or the meaning of the text?
Second: Is there another example from Scripture or life to draw from?
Third: Think of a story, whether personal or not, that relates to this scripture.
Last: How can I apply the truth of the scripture to my life? What does this mean for my everyday life? How does this truth help me to be a disciple of Christ?

When we get together you are going to share what you found. You are going to tell us what this text is about, give us another example from scripture or everyday life, share a story that relates to the truth you discovered & help us recognize how we too can live out the purposes of God by applying His word to our lives.

Gospel of Matthew—Chapter 1
18 This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.