The Muddy Puddle Question!

What is it about a muddy puddle that makes a child drawn to it? What is it about the muddy puddle that is like a magnet, and a child just has to step in it and dance!?

This question really struck me Thursday evening as my son, Ethan, and I were going into the Church for Bible Study. It had been a snowy, sloppy, warmish kind of day, and between the van and the Church was a rather large muddy puddle. As we passed, Ethan began to position himself for the big plunge! As I was on hand his impulsive desire to jump was quickly thwarted, and this question crossed my mind. Then in the few seconds before we entered the Church for Bible Study I realized that the Good Lord had just given me food for thought and sermon material!

We need to be like that muddy puddle! Not in respect the the muddy or even in respect to the puddle, but rather we must be like magnets that people feel need to jump into! As a Pastor and a Preacher it can be difficult at times to convince people of their spiritual needs, but if I could become like a muddy puddle I wouldn't have to convince people they would just want to jump in and get their spiritual needs met!

Everywhere Jesus went the crowds just happened. He was like a crowd magnet. He didn't have to announce His arrival into town. He didn't have to put up posters or make radio announcements! Jesus found some needy people and began to minister. The result: shortly afterward a huge crowd would begin to form, and He would have a congregation to preach to! Oh, to be more like Jesus! Oh, to be less like myself!

So my challenge this morning, evening and noon is that you change whatever needs to be changed in your life so that you are a magnetic muddy pool of spiritual desire! You get Jesus so He overflows and people will want the part that is slopping over!

Yours for magnetic Christianity,
Pastor Fred

PS. Enjoy my online Radio at the top of the page! Press the continuous button so the music will continually loop.

One Week Left, and I'm up before 6:30am!

Micah, my youngest boy - 14 months - woke up briefly at about five after 6 this morning! I walked him back to sleep rather quickly so now at about 6:40 am I'm writing in my blog. I didn't figure that it would be much point going back to bed for about a half hour - my alarm is set for quarter to seven. So, here I am taking a great opportunity to talk to you; my blog friends!

It's one week until Christmas! This time next week we will most likely be celebrating the Birth of our Saviour Jesus Christ! I'm so excited!

What do you get excited about? In general I mean? Not necessarily about Christmas, but what in your life gets you excited? Here are some things that get me excited:

• When I'm being spontaneous with my wife!
• When I see my children doing something cute, special, funny and or profound!
• When I watch my oldest, Ethan, pray and God answers His prayer - pretty much every time! (For example: It has snowed every time my son has prayed for "Jesus to throw more snow or water up in the air so that it will snow.")
• When someone repents of their sins, and/or gets baptized in Jesus Name for the remission of their sins, and/or receives the Gift of the Holy Spirit into their spirit. (I say and/or because it doesn't always happen one after the other.)
• During Holiday's when I'm celebrating something about Jesus. i.e. Easter, Penecost Sunday, Thanksgiving, Christmas...
• When I get to buy something for someone and watch them get excited when they receive it.
• When God answers my prayers, and/or when God blesses me just because!
• When God opens a door for me to witness to someone about His greatness, grace, love and mercy!

There is so much more I could say, but I think you can see how I work from this short list. Again I would like to know - "what makes you excited?" This is a very particularly excited time of the year, so maybe it would be a good time to reflect about this. So often we go through life and do not take time to reflect on our own lives. Looking back over your own life can be a very helpful way to see what direction your life is currently taking, and maybe will give you the opportunity to see that you need to make some very important changes.

The Bible tells us in the Proverbs that there "is a way that seems right unto a man, but the end of that way are the ways of destruction!" During this last week before we celebrate the Birth of Jesus Christ, take time to reflect, and see what needs to be changed. Nothing would excite me more if I know of someone who gave their life, spirit, soul and body to Jesus during this Christmas season!

Don't wait to get right with Jesus! NOW! is the time, to day is the day of salvation! Take care of your spirit, and soul's eternity now! The longer you wait the harder it gets. Don't get me wrong nothing is impossible with God, but I found that the longer people live in sin and their own will the hard it is for them to let go, and let God have His way! Jesus is here right now! Just reach out and touch Him, as He passes by. He isn't to busy to here your hearts cry. He is passing by this moment your needs to supply. Jesus is here right now, reach out and touch Him, as He goes by!

Don't ever for get that Jesus really does love you!

Your's for and exciting Christmas with Jesus!
Pastor Fred

Jesus has a bandaid in His pocket....

Don't children just say the cutest things sometimes!?

We spend quite a bit of time teaching our children the value of prayer and that Jesus is always by your side read to help, and protect you. Once in a while we see the fruit of this labour in what they say!

My two older children love band aids and whenever one or the other gets a small cut or scrape they both "need" to have a band aid to cover their "blood".

Well my 4 year old has been developing a pimple on his nose for a couple of days, and today he finally noticed that is was there. He immediately started to complain about it and asked for a band aid. I told him that he didn't need a band aid and that it would go away in a couple of days. His simple straightforward response was profound, momentous and absolutely sweet:

"Jesus has a band aid for me. He has a band aid in his pocket."

Jesus does have a band aid in his pocket. He has something for everything we go through, do to our self, and for every time we slip up and fall. Jesus is always there by your side!

Jesus loves you more than anything and has a band aid in his pocket for you!

Yours for the Kingdom,
Pastor Fred