Miracle.
A word that we use too liberally, along with hate and love. But Miracle can be used to describe some time saving invention, face cream, to the 1980 US Men's hockey team. But what about a Christmas miracle.
Yesterday, on Jesus' 2015th birthday party, a very special person told me that I saved her/him Christmas. Now I should have corrected this person, but it did make me feel very special. So I let it slide.
But thinking on this, the real miracle that day was Jesus coming down from Heaven to be our, to be my redeemer. In our Christmas Eve service here at church that was the point from Pastor Gil. Jesus came to Earth kn owing He had to die in order to save us from our sin, to be the ultimate sacrifice.
That is a real savior. A real Christmas Miracle. Jesus chose dipper rash, colds, sore throats, school, crushes... and all the other joys of childhood because He loved us.
Did I save Christmas yesterday? In one person's eye I may have. But did I really? No. It was already saved for me and for all of us so many years ago.
Merry Christmas!
Adam
Saturday, December 26, 2015
Tuesday, December 1, 2015
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving, turkey day, extra football Thursday, early Black Friday shopping.
the day of Thanksgiving is being watered down.
Do we as Christian Americans, as the Church need to refocus on what is important? God, family, freedom to name a few. To not take for granted the everyday luxuries that we have and liberties.
But should we isolate the one day of the year for extra thankfulness and go back to our normal state of taking things for granted?
As Christians, it is clear that we are called to have an attitude of Thanks.
Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
The Bible is clear, we are to have an attitude of Than ks, and not just for the day, but everyday. After all, we have a lot to be thankful for. We are Children of God. Forgiven by God.
“We would worry less if we praised more. Thanksgiving is the enemy of discontent and dissatisfaction.” ~ Harry Ironside
As Christians, I think we need to be thankful more. In every circumstance, not just contingent on turkey and the Lions and Cowboys.
Until next time, Excelsior!
Pastor Adam
www.firstbaptistchurchoflockport.com
Thanksgiving, turkey day, extra football Thursday, early Black Friday shopping.
the day of Thanksgiving is being watered down.
Do we as Christian Americans, as the Church need to refocus on what is important? God, family, freedom to name a few. To not take for granted the everyday luxuries that we have and liberties.
But should we isolate the one day of the year for extra thankfulness and go back to our normal state of taking things for granted?
As Christians, it is clear that we are called to have an attitude of Thanks.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 ESV
Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Philippians 4:6 ESV
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
Psalm 7:17 ESV
I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High.
Psalm 107:1 ESV
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!
Ephesians 5:20 ESV
The Bible is clear, we are to have an attitude of Than ks, and not just for the day, but everyday. After all, we have a lot to be thankful for. We are Children of God. Forgiven by God.
“We would worry less if we praised more. Thanksgiving is the enemy of discontent and dissatisfaction.” ~ Harry Ironside
As Christians, I think we need to be thankful more. In every circumstance, not just contingent on turkey and the Lions and Cowboys.
Until next time, Excelsior!
Pastor Adam
www.firstbaptistchurchoflockport.com
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
Timing
Excelsior True Believers!
It has been a while since I wrote to you all, but like everything I start in my life, I bite off more than I can chew.
But lately I am reminded of timing.
It is a fact that God has a plan for each of us, and nothing we do or happens surprises Him. Sickness, unemployment, death, anything.
It takes us a while to understand that our dreams, our desires, or needs and greeds are not always what God has planned for us.
If God had left things up to me, I would be a traveling reporter for a dying business - newspapers, while going to church when I can. That is not what he had for me.
But lately I have been teaching on the life of Joseph and just starting David. These two men are great examples of God's timing.
Joseph has such a hard difficult life from slavery to wrongful imprisonment, to being forgotten completely. All this happened I believe so that Joe would be in the right place when he was needed, to save Egypt, his family, and the known world.
Did Joe want all this bad things to happen to him? Of course not, but the great thing in this lesson, is that God was shaping Joe into the man He needed him to be.
Somethings in our life will happen and we will not like them. I struggled with the fact that I was at Pizza Hut for over a decade, but God has not forgotten us, it is just He is teaching us, shaping us, for the moment our skills, our talents, us - are needed.
And for let us remember from David and his struggles with Saul, or with Joseph his horrid life in Egypt - that God shaping us into the men and women we need to be hurts us, but it is transforming us into more like God - all in his own time.
Until next time
Adam
www.firstbaptistchurchoflockport.com
It has been a while since I wrote to you all, but like everything I start in my life, I bite off more than I can chew.
But lately I am reminded of timing.
It is a fact that God has a plan for each of us, and nothing we do or happens surprises Him. Sickness, unemployment, death, anything.
It takes us a while to understand that our dreams, our desires, or needs and greeds are not always what God has planned for us.
If God had left things up to me, I would be a traveling reporter for a dying business - newspapers, while going to church when I can. That is not what he had for me.
But lately I have been teaching on the life of Joseph and just starting David. These two men are great examples of God's timing.
Joseph has such a hard difficult life from slavery to wrongful imprisonment, to being forgotten completely. All this happened I believe so that Joe would be in the right place when he was needed, to save Egypt, his family, and the known world.
Did Joe want all this bad things to happen to him? Of course not, but the great thing in this lesson, is that God was shaping Joe into the man He needed him to be.
Somethings in our life will happen and we will not like them. I struggled with the fact that I was at Pizza Hut for over a decade, but God has not forgotten us, it is just He is teaching us, shaping us, for the moment our skills, our talents, us - are needed.
And for let us remember from David and his struggles with Saul, or with Joseph his horrid life in Egypt - that God shaping us into the men and women we need to be hurts us, but it is transforming us into more like God - all in his own time.
Until next time
Adam
www.firstbaptistchurchoflockport.com
Thursday, April 9, 2015
Holster your Tweeter
I am back.
No, this is not Michael Jeffery Jordan - His Airness - this is me, Adam Fox.
I liked my first offering, a way for me to express my opinion as the youth director at First Baptist Church in Lockport. Hopefully, soon with the title - youth pastor. A guy can dream...
But what I was thinking about today is Christians on Social media. I follow a lot of Christian organizations and causes on Facebook like Child Evangelism or Geeks Under Grace to name some. But Facebook is stale, and like the little children we are we move on to the next trend. And that was Twitter.
Twitter is where Christians have taken root. There are Christians like myself who use twitter, and then there are Christian personalities. I follow a few anonymous Christians like Rev No Respect, Church Curmudgeon, Hipster Jesus, Angry Youth Pastor, Jesus is a Jerk, Back Row Believer, Rev. Brian Williams.... the list gets long. You can find a parody of any denomination or person in the church.
Why are we using these? Because we can post something onto an account like this and it is anonymous. We are free to speak are mind, say what we want, talk about who we want without the ramifications of a direct conversation or for the sake of comedy.
While I am not going to lie, you can look at my time line and it is filled with retweets from these people that make me laugh.
But at the same time I think we as a culture have a problem. We are afraid to talk out our problems. Instead we are hiding behind a 140 characters.
When we have a problem with another believer the Bible tells us to go to the person directly. Matthew 18 tells us to go talk to the person privately to correct the problem or incident - not gossip about it, or take it to the internet.
Rumors, gossip, and the like kill churches. We focus on the flaws and sins of other believers instead of what we are here for - to worship God.
Am I say stop twitter and all other social media, no. But it should be a second or third importance in times of frustration, not number 1.
Adam
No, this is not Michael Jeffery Jordan - His Airness - this is me, Adam Fox.
I liked my first offering, a way for me to express my opinion as the youth director at First Baptist Church in Lockport. Hopefully, soon with the title - youth pastor. A guy can dream...
But what I was thinking about today is Christians on Social media. I follow a lot of Christian organizations and causes on Facebook like Child Evangelism or Geeks Under Grace to name some. But Facebook is stale, and like the little children we are we move on to the next trend. And that was Twitter.
Twitter is where Christians have taken root. There are Christians like myself who use twitter, and then there are Christian personalities. I follow a few anonymous Christians like Rev No Respect, Church Curmudgeon, Hipster Jesus, Angry Youth Pastor, Jesus is a Jerk, Back Row Believer, Rev. Brian Williams.... the list gets long. You can find a parody of any denomination or person in the church.
Why are we using these? Because we can post something onto an account like this and it is anonymous. We are free to speak are mind, say what we want, talk about who we want without the ramifications of a direct conversation or for the sake of comedy.
While I am not going to lie, you can look at my time line and it is filled with retweets from these people that make me laugh.
But at the same time I think we as a culture have a problem. We are afraid to talk out our problems. Instead we are hiding behind a 140 characters.
When we have a problem with another believer the Bible tells us to go to the person directly. Matthew 18 tells us to go talk to the person privately to correct the problem or incident - not gossip about it, or take it to the internet.
Rumors, gossip, and the like kill churches. We focus on the flaws and sins of other believers instead of what we are here for - to worship God.
Am I say stop twitter and all other social media, no. But it should be a second or third importance in times of frustration, not number 1.
Adam
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
First Entry
Thank you for coming here, to listen to my thoughts, rantings, and personal feelings. This blog is my own, and even though I am the Youth Director at First Baptists Church - this is in no way theirs. This is mine, so in some cases, I do not reflect the good people of FBCL. After all, I am a sinner saved by grace.
My goal is to publish one of these a week.
That may sound like a lot - it may become once every other week, but as for now, I am setting the standard high.
Todays thought will be short, since I am getting used to this.
Perspective.
This thought came to me a few weeks ago, when I finally caught up with a friend from Olivet who we had a falling out. But I kept pushing him until he would talk to me so we can talk out our differences. I know, me annoying? Go figure!
But this man, John (not his real name) dropped off social networks, changed his number, and did not respond to the people he had friendships with in college. He was gone.
But God works in his own time, not in the time frame we want.
John reached out to me, and sent me the longest email ever. He explained what has happened since graduation in 2012, his life, and his struggles.
John was a popular guy, and not just with us Bible nerds, the entire school loved him and knew him. And John was the type of guy who would stop and talk with you, catch up, talk sports or music in depth, anything.
He graduated, got his masters degree, and was placed as a senior pastor in a church. He made it. Accomplished his dream, the dream of so many of us, to serve God through His church.
Then things crumbled. Depression set in, divorce, thoughts of suicide.
The outgoing lovable man that I knew was gone. John was everything I wanted to be in college. And now, he is everything I do not want to happen to me.
Perspective is unique. Or you can look at it as God has a funny sense of humor.
We as sinners saved by grace, pine after what we do not have. For me, I spent years wanting to be liked, to be loved, to be as successful as John.
That was wrong.
We, I, need to trust God that He has this unique plan and timing for each of us. I may not become my ideal John, but I will become the man God is making me be.
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:18 NIV
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.” Isaiah 55:8 NIV
There you go. One blog down.
And please pray for John, he is still struggling with God. But his story is not done yet. God can still do amazing things through him, like He can through all of us.
www.firstbaptistchurchoflockport.com
Adam
www.firstbaptistchurchoflockport.com
Adam
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