Take Good Notes!

Telling a story takes a story. Look at Jesus and His method of sharing and teaching. Jesus related to His audience, so must we. And taking notes helps us remember what we heard or experienced or lived; then we can share that with others. I write this because of all the world has been living the last couple of days, namely, the awaiting and arrival and first glimpse of this new prince. Take notes. And using that phrase I so disliked in high school, but I know it's applicable, Compare and Contrast that birth with the One that truly mattered some 2,000 years ago. It will make for a great Christmas Eve story to help in sharing the True Story. God bless you!

Internal Server Error

Woke up this morning and turned on my iPad to read The Upper Room. The page said, "Internal Server Error." I tried going to it another way, with a slightly different web address. Internal Server Error. I kept thinking, Okay, Lord, this is my devotional time for the day and the message is Internal Server Error? Hmm. I recently went out of town and shut down my shared e-devotional, ConCafe, for some days. I wanted time to write some other things and I've gotten a couple of Why did you stop? emails. Could it be an Internal Server Error, meaning I need to get my act together and share again?

I did read the Book of Nehemiah during my time away. And I was blessed by things that I had either overlooked or sensed for the very first time in this re-reading. I recommend you read a chapter a day of this great biblical book on re-building. It's the story after a loss, to reassess the state of things and to make corrections or recommendations about where one finds oneself or in this case where the nation found itself. It was broken down. In the first chapter when Nehi (my nickname for the writer; hey, it's easier than typing the whole name!) asks about how the Jewish remnant in Jerusalem was doing, this was the report, "They...are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire." This made Nehi weep and pray a prayer for God to help lead him to what needed to be done.

The result was not so much the structure as it was the spirit. The people found themselves alienated from God and the structure reflected that. Last night at an Intro meeting at one of my churches, I felt a wonderful spirit as I always do with these kind folk, and as they talked and shared about what they do as a church I discovered, their structure is blessed because their spirit is right with God. They do for others. They sponsor youth going into Teen Challenge to get their lives straightened out in a spiritual manner. They organized and help feed the people with a food pantry. They raise good money to share with our mission home in San Antonio. They know to give and God has given to them. The know how to love and they are loved. They said things I wish I heard more churches say. To the new pastor, "We are the church, you are our leader; if we need to change, we'll change!" (What??) I usually hear the opposite, usually not at first, but later when the church complains about the new direction the pastor is trying to share with them. And the usually hateful, "We were here before you got here, and we'll be here after you leave..." Structure vs. Spirit. Didn't someone say you reap what you sow? Nehi says when we seek God and know God, true rebuilding will begin in our spirit and then that will bless and transform our structure.

For Those Before Interviews...

Stillness of heart. Clarity of mind. Clearness of spirit. Calm and patience before responding.

Preaching

Never preach a poor sermon where you answer questions your people are not even asking.

6 Steps of Courageous Leadership

These are from Mr. G. J. Hart, CEO of CPK, okay, that was too easy, California Pizza Kitchen. He shared these yesterday in the Business Section of the NY Times. Overall, he says to have the courage to be different as a leader. These are the six things he has learned since being the manager of teenaged baseball umpires (he was a teen himself). 1. Be the very best you can be, because you can't lead anybody if you can't lead yourself. 2. Dream, and dream big. 3. Lead with your heart first. Let people see you're human and that there is a human side to you. 4. Trust the people you lead. 5. Do the right thing, always. 6. Serve the people you lead. Put the cause before yourself and a willingness to see it through. These work in the Kingdom Work we're about! Blessings, Eradio

An Attitude of Gratitude

It's almost here. And we're not ready. I'm talking about the trappings and trimmings. Not ready. But in my heart I am. I was sitting here reflecting on God's goodness to me and I am thankful and blessed. God has done way more for me than I ever can do for God, but that is grace. And grace is good. Better than biscuits, to quote a dear friend and colleague in ministry. Are you ready? To take stock and really be thankful for what you have rather than lament about what you don't? Too many are still whimpering about this or crying about that. Enough. Stop. Listen. Learn. Love. Give.

My prayer for you is that God would continue to bless and use you. We are after all, everything the Bible says, salt, light, city on the hill, blessed, peacemakers, those who love one another just as we love ourselves. And make sure you include everybody, especially those nobody else wants nor sees!

Adjust your attitude and you'll be amazed at the altitude you'll achieve.

THE FUTRE STARTS NOW!

1 Peter 1:3 What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we've been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, 4 including a future in heaven - and the future starts now! (The Message)

Do you ever measure the future in terms of coming movies? Guilty confession, the trailers for upcoming movies are shown, the trailer makes the coming movie in your opinion, a MUST SEE, then it says something like Christmas 2025.... Okay, not everyone is weird like me. Yesterday, it was announced that the Walt Disney Company bought LucasFilms. For many, not a big deal, even, so what, who is Lucas and why should we care? But for those who know, it was also announced that a new Star Wars Episode would be out in 2015. For those who do know, this caused great excitement. For some who do know, it caused some fear; will Mickey Mouse make an appearance in this epic movie? I think that should not be a fear of ours. The future is in good hands.

For Peter, the future is in the hands of God. he says, "What a God we have!" Think about it; from the beauty of creation, the blessings of love, joy, hope, peace, all the gifts of the Holy Spirit, to the promise of a future that never ends - all in the hands of God. This is a God of life. This is our God. Our life is from God and stays in God. A God Who showed through Jesus Christ, that death is a part of life and death was conquered through Him, we have a "brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven." (v. 3-4). Think about that; we have the option to chose in Jesus Christ a brand-new life. And if we do, we find that we have everything to live for. Nothing you may be facing now, a decision or a fear, a worry or an illness, a debt or a payment, nothing, is worhty dying for; quite the opposite in Christ we have everything to live for. We all go through periods of life where we think that we couldn't get any lower or sicker or poorer, but if we hold on and hold on to God, when that is past, we think, thank God for God and for that option of trusting God. We did have everything to live for. Even in times of loneliness, God is with us and gives us hope for living. That verse, verse 4, about a future in heaven ends with "the future starts now!"

Your future, if you are in a relationship with Jesus Christ, starts now. And in Jesus Christ, nothing can hold you back or separate you from that glorious future which starts right now, right here. Claim it!

PRAYER: Loving God, I pray in the Name of Jesus for this dear reader and whatever it is that has my brother or sister feeling down. Lord, lift their spirits, their thoughts, their phsycial bodies of pain or discomfort, coughing or sneezing, up to a higher level where there is calm and peace. I further ask that if they have not yet entered into a loving, trusting relationship with You that they do it now, so that that glorious future, which starts right now, right here, might be theirs. I pray this with faith in the Name of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! And tell somebody, "The future starts now!"

Eradio Valverde