meet the pastors
A couple of weeks ago, Pastor David gave a message at church in which he gave a particularly good example of how celebrating Christ's birthday also necessitates celebrating his life. He asked how many of us celebrate April 20 in our homes ... or if we knew why the date was significant. Hint: It's the birthday of a cute little baby who grew up to be a powerful speaker and world leader. Why wouldn't we want to celebrate it? Well, because April 20 is Adolph Hitler's birthday. Many cringed upon hearing that.
The value of someone's birth can't be separated from the value of his or her life. It's a package deal. And because of this, Christmas is centered on the life and death of Christ and the reconciliation he brought between man and God, regardless of our beliefs! Christmas is Step One of God's rescue mission to save sinners.
I appreciate Pastor David. We are the same age, born on the same day, and still he is one of my pastors. David has three little girls, a cool wife, and a whole lot of maturity ... kind of neat for a 27-year-old! He is the contact point/counselor for me and Gerry as we grow in our relationship, and that's been weird and great at the same time.
Pastor Wayne is David's father-in-law. He tends to cry a lot from the pulpit. This is the message Wayne gave last Sunday, miserably failing to fully describe God's "inexpressible gift" (2 Corinthians 9:15). I love Wayne's sense of awe at spiritual things.
There's been a lot of mail for me this week, and not just Christmas cards! Three letters from my brother arrived today, along with another memory card full of pictures. I am looking forward to viewing and processing them this weekend.
Just finished watching a copy of The Perfect Stranger that Debbie left for me this Christmas. I was really surprised by how it moved along so well, considering that the central 80 percent of the movie is filmed in just one restaurant location. The dialog makes or breaks this story, and I think it went just fine. Awkward due to subject matter, but believable. In short, the plot is about a lawyer who receives an invitation to dinner with "Jesus Christ." She decides to call his bluff, and the movie follows the conversation that follows. I recommend it.
The value of someone's birth can't be separated from the value of his or her life. It's a package deal. And because of this, Christmas is centered on the life and death of Christ and the reconciliation he brought between man and God, regardless of our beliefs! Christmas is Step One of God's rescue mission to save sinners.
I appreciate Pastor David. We are the same age, born on the same day, and still he is one of my pastors. David has three little girls, a cool wife, and a whole lot of maturity ... kind of neat for a 27-year-old! He is the contact point/counselor for me and Gerry as we grow in our relationship, and that's been weird and great at the same time.
Pastor Wayne is David's father-in-law. He tends to cry a lot from the pulpit. This is the message Wayne gave last Sunday, miserably failing to fully describe God's "inexpressible gift" (2 Corinthians 9:15). I love Wayne's sense of awe at spiritual things.
There's been a lot of mail for me this week, and not just Christmas cards! Three letters from my brother arrived today, along with another memory card full of pictures. I am looking forward to viewing and processing them this weekend.
Just finished watching a copy of The Perfect Stranger that Debbie left for me this Christmas. I was really surprised by how it moved along so well, considering that the central 80 percent of the movie is filmed in just one restaurant location. The dialog makes or breaks this story, and I think it went just fine. Awkward due to subject matter, but believable. In short, the plot is about a lawyer who receives an invitation to dinner with "Jesus Christ." She decides to call his bluff, and the movie follows the conversation that follows. I recommend it.