Jesus is the Star

   The day is finally here. It is the day where hope entered the world. It is the day where the person who created true peace came into the world. It is the day where a baby's cry sounded so joyful to those there on that special night. It is the day where God showed his love to us by sending his Son to earth. God had many different signs happen that day. He had many different people involved in the day that his Son was born on earth.
   One group that he had involved was wise men. Now, contrary to typical manger scenes the wise men were not actually there the night Jesus was born. In Matthew 2 we find the wise men visiting King Herod asking if he knew where the King of the Jews was. Long story short they found the child, presented him with gifts, and left.
   Out of all the people involved in the Christmas story I find the Magi some of the most interesting. We don't know how many of them there were. We don't know where they came from. We don't know what religion they followed. We refer to them as kings, but they were just astrologers. Granted, they were astrologers who were rich enough to buy expensive gifts but astrologers, nonetheless. These men saw a different star in the east, knew that it was a sign of the King of the Jews, got gifts for him, dropped everything they were doing, traveled for who knows how long to find the King, went to Herod who was not the nicest man, finally found who they were looking for, gave him gifts, and left.
   It seems a bit anti-climactic doesn't it? They spent all that time and money just to spend a bit of time with Jesus. Do you think they thought it was worth it? It may be difficult for you to answer that question from their perspective so let me ask you a different question: would you have dropped everything to follow the star?
Before I continue pause and actually answer that question honestly please. Think about the fact that it is going to cost you time and money to follow a star. Think about the fact that you don't know when that star is going to go away so if you are going to follow it you had better do it soon. Think about the fact that there is no guarantee that you will actually find the King of the Jews.... Would you still follow the star?
   New question: what if that star was Jesus? Would you follow the star if it was Jesus? You still will lose time and money, but you will be giving it up for Jesus. You will get to see Jesus. I believe that's why the wise men decided to drop everything and follow that star. They wanted the chance to see Jesus, even if it was just for a day.
   Many of us have wondered what it would be like to meet Jesus face to face. Well, we may not see Jesus face to face on this earth; but, if we have accepted Jesus as our savior, we will see him in eternity. But once we accept Christ, our job isn't done. We must continually choose to follow Christ each day. Matthew 16:24 says: "Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.'"
   I must wonder if the Wise Men understood this verse even before Jesus said it. They dropped everything to follow the star. They denied themselves comfort, money, time, etc. Just to follow a star in order to see Jesus.
   Nowadays we say that Christmas is about Jesus' birth. However, I feel we tend to forget that with all the decorating, present buying, crafting, parking space issues, caroling, and general hustle and bustle of Christmas. We forget with all that going on that Jesus is the star of Christmas. He is the reason why we celebrate. He is the reason we have hope, peace, joy, and love in our lives. He is the reason why we are saved through God's grace. Why shouldn't we want to deny ourselves to follow Him?
   This Christmas day I encourage you to take some time to ponder if you are truly following Christ. Are you choosing each day to deny yourself to follow Him and show others His love? If you are not, what are you going to do to remember to follow Him each day?
   Matthew 2, Matthew 16:24

   Here is a little video to remind you about how Jesus is the Star of Christmas: https://youtu.be/WjIGPSIFEBA

A Strong Foundation

   One day while I was at school with my students, one of them built a tower. The student was very proud of the tower. The student kept calling me over to look at it. I saw it growing higher and higher. It got to the point that I knew the inevitable would happen: the tower would fall.

   I kept quiet and watched. Sure enough the tower came down with a crash. Then the student looked at me. I just shrugged and said "bummer, maybe you should try to build it again." The student began to build again. And, again the tower fell.

   The next week we did a lesson about the book "Yertle the Turtle" by Dr. Seuss (spoilers ahead). We talked about how Yertle's tower of turtles would have been stronger if he would have had a better foundation. Then we built Yertle a tower together.

   This got me thinking about how we try to build our own towers. We think "I can build the biggest tower all by myself. I don't need any help." Yet, some of us don't build on a good foundation. The sand of the world isn't a strong foundation. The rock of God is a strong foundation. If we spend time with God, pray to him, and read his word we will have a strong foundation. That's how we grow in knowledge and make a bigger impact for him.

   So, what is your foundation built on? Do you have a strong foundation built by knowing God? How can you make your foundation stronger today?

   2 Timothy 3:16-17 and Matthew 7:24-27

   Image from here.

You Can't Touch This

   One of the things I do with my students is what teachers call brain breaks. Students have a tendency to have issues focusing for long periods of time. Or, they just may need to get some energy out. Thus, we will do some simple dancing for them to get their wiggles out so they can focus again. One of the songs they dance to is "You Can't Touch This." It's a clean version of the song.
   This song brought out a game the kids like to play. It's kind of like tag but the game is always going on. When someone comes up and tries to take their toy or do something mean they say "you can't touch this." It makes me laugh and think about what would happen if we would do this in real life.
   If we have a problem and it makes us stressed, sad, or frustrated we could say to those emotions "you can't touch this." Why could we say this? We can say this for a few reasons. We can say this because we have control of our emotions. We may not be able to control what happens to us but we can control how we react to the problems. We can also say that because no matter what happens to us on earth Jesus has already won.
   John 16:33 says: "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world." We will have trouble on this earth. But, this earth isn't the end. No matter what happens to us Jesus is with us. Jesus died so that we could have a relationship with him. He also died so that we could be with him forever. That's amazing to think about. And, that's why, when we have problems on this earth, we can say "you can't touch this. Jesus has got my back."
   So, will you trust in God when problems arise? 

Image from here.

God's at Work

   Many of you know I am a preschool teacher. Thus, I work with many different children who come from many different places. One child came to my classroom who was a 5 year old who had never been in childcare before. My co-teacher and I quickly realized that she was used to getting what she wanted.
   For example: one time the children were on their beds after lunch. During this time the children are being called to use the bathroom and working on independent work on their beds. Well, during lunch this child was playing with her food (we could also tell that she was sleepy). My co-teacher and I decided that she would not be allowed to have independent work until she could sit quietly on her bed. When it finally registered with her that she was not allowed to have the toy she wanted she began to cry, scream, and kick her bed.
   Now, for those of you who have not worked with children this age, this is not typical reoccurring behavior for a 5 year old. Yes, children would have temper tantrums every once in a while but this one was the third one that day. My co-teacher went over to the child and told her that she seemed tired and that maybe she should go to sleep. If you guessed that didn't get her to calm down you are right.
   Why was this child crying so hard? She was crying and having a temper tantrum because she wanted what she wanted when she wanted it. In her mind, she should get the toy to play with because she wanted it. She wasn't thinking about the fact that she wasn't using good manners at lunch. She wasn't thinking about the fact that she was tired. She wasn't thinking about the fact that her teachers were trying to prepare her for life; because in life you don't usually get what you want if you throw a temper tantrum.
   Okay, so at this point you may be wondering why I am telling you this. Again, I have a point; and that point isn't how you should care for your kids. My point is that sometimes we act like this child. We may not cry, scream, and kick but we do pout and complain. When something bad happens in your life what do you usually do? Normally, if you are a Christian, you ask God to take the problem away. When you really want something to happen what do you usually do? If you are a Christian, you usually ask God to give it to you.
   When we ask God for something we may get a few different answers: no, yes, or wait. And, there is one outlier that we sometimes get: yes, but not in the way you expect. God is a good Father. He loves us and gives us what we need and not always what we want. However, sometimes we forget this fact and act like this child. We complain about how hard our lives are. We pout when things don't happen the way we expected.
   What happens in these hard times or when we want something is that we forget something very important. We forget that God is a good Father. We forget that God loves us and cares for us. We forget that we are called to be joyful in all circumstances. We forget that God is at work even if it doesn't seem like it. God works all things together for our good. At times, we may wonder what he is doing but we need to have confidence in him and trust in him. We need to remember that in good times and bad times God is at work.
   So, what do you do when things are not going the way you expected? Will you trust that God has a plan for your life? I encourage you to thank God each day for the blessings he has given you and for him loving you.

   Image from here.

Jesus Loves You No Matter What

   As many of you know, at least those of you who know me or have read my blog, I am a teacher. Currently I am a preschool teacher. At the school I work at we try many different theories of education but one of the main ones is love and logic. In love and logic it talks about having natural consequences for children and adults keeping their cool by having a phrase they answer the children with. Sometimes love and logic works. Other times it does not.

   One time, during nap, I was trying to get a child to sleep. I rubbed his back calmly for about 15 minutes. Then my co-teacher left for her break. This child who I was trying to get to sleep decided he didn't want to sleep. He began trying to get up. Now, during nap, we require students to stay on their beds and stay quiet for the friends who are trying to sleep.

   Long story short, this child decided to cuss at me, kick me, pinch me, hit me, and bite me because he did not want to sleep. He wanted to run around the room and wake up his friends. All the while he was doing these things to me I was trying to follow love and logic. I kept saying "I love you and I know you'll make the right choice." Obviously it was not working. My director finally came in to relieve me after 45 minutes. But, the whole time I was trying to protect this child and the other children I was thinking how crazy I was. What kind of person would tell someone they love them when all that person was doing was hurting them?

   After I got past the trauma of the whole situation I began to think. I wondered if anyone else had ever gone through something like that before. I wondered how someone could keep saying "I love you and I know you'll make the right choice" to someone who kept hurting them. Then I stopped. I realized that I have done what this child did to me to someone else. I had done that to Jesus.

   Every time we sin we are hurting God. He cannot be with sin because he is holy. But, Jesus is a good teacher. God is a good father who cares about us. God sent his son to die for our sins to show his love for us. Now, if we accept Christ, our sins are washed white as snow. When we make the right choice, Jesus says "I love you." When we are faced with temptation Jesus says "I love you and I know you'll make the right choice." And, when we do sin, Jesus says "I still love you, come back to me and I'll wash your sins white as snow."

   Jesus is the ultimate example of love. You may never face the same situation I faced. But, you probably will face a time where it is difficult for you to love someone. We are to be Jesus' example on earth. That means we are to love others even if they hurt us. We are to love others even if they are mean to us. We are to love others even if they never ask for forgiveness or say "sorry." Is it easy? No, is it what we are called to do as Christians? Yes, we are called to love others.

   So, will you love others even when it's hard? Will you ask for forgiveness for your sins when you mess up? What can you do to show someone you love them today?

   1 Corinthians 13:4-8, John 3:16, John 13:34-35

   Image from here.

Be Thankful in ALL Things

   It is Thanksgiving! It is when we celebrate everything that we have and that we have been blessed with. However, this year, Thanksgiving is a bit different. Some of us may not be meeting with family. Some of us may not be traveling or having some of the same traditions occur.
   This year it seems like much has been taken away. Some of us may have lost our jobs, lost a family member or friend, lost the ability to do something you love, etc. This is not what we would call a "normal year." It may not be a "normal year" but we all have a choice of what to do with this not so "normal year." We can choose to let it make us bitter or let it make us better.
   There is incredible power in perspective. We may not be able to control what happens to us, but we can control how we react to it. We can choose to react in anger or react with God and his plan in mind.
   We also have control over our thankfulness. I do not know about you but this year more than ever I have been thankful for the little things. Many times, around thanksgiving we focus on what we are thankful for. Many times, we say we are thankful for a home, job, health, family, etc.
   I am thankful for those things but this year I am more thankful for the little things. I am thankful for the way my dog is always excited to greet me when I come home, I am thankful for the little bit of time I got to spend coaching my High School goalies and my College players (shout out to Donegal and LBC players). I am thankful for how my mom is willing to listen to how my day went even if she is tired. I am thankful for my siblings who still enjoy playing games with me (I like playing board games). I am thankful for my co-workers who uplift me in hard times. I am thankful for my dad who can fix many of the things around the house when they break. I am thankful for Jesus who died on the cross for my sins so he could be with me. And believe it or not, in certain ways I am thankful for COVID.
   You probably heard screeching tires there. I mean it, in certain ways I am thankful for COVID. In the past, I have written a blog about blessings where I say that blessings are not always what we would call "good things." Sometimes blessings are what we would call "bad things." Have "bad things" happened because of COVID? Yes, but have "good things" happened too? Yes! Again, it all depends on how we look at it.
   Romans 8:28 says: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Did you catch that? The Bible says, "in ALL THINGS God works for the good of those who love him." So many times we forget this verse. Many times, we forget that God is working things for our good. He has a plan in the good and the bad. That is why we can be thankful in the good and the bad. That is why we can praise him in the good and the bad. That is why we can trust in him through COVID, through loss, through fear, through death, and through it ALL!
   So, what is your perspective on this year? Does your perspective need to change? Are you thankful and trusting God in all things? How can you trust God more each day?

   Image from here.

   If you would like to hear more about blessings check out this sermon (search "Beatitude Blessings" in the sermon search link on this website http://maytowncog.org/services.htm)

Are You Actively Involved?

   I've recently been told I am a "sporty girl." I don't entirely agree with that. I enjoy wearing athletic clothing and playing sports. However, I do not enjoy watching sports. Can I watch a game if it is on? Yes, but I'd rather play sports than watch them. And, if I'm being honest, I don't really enjoy working out or running. Do I work out? Yes, but it's a struggle if I'm not playing a game or a sport while working out.
   Now, you may be wondering, again, what this has to do with God or the Christian faith. I'm glad you asked again. Sometimes Christians have a tendency to just watch. They look at the world and see the sin, they see the hurting, they see what other Christians are doing for the kingdom, or they see things they could be doing themselves and they choose not to join in. You may have heard the quote "life's not a spectator sport." Well, the Christian life isn't a spectator life either.
   James 2:14 says: "What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them?" James is saying that if we have faith we should show it through our actions. He isn't saying that our works get us saved (which is how some interpret this verse). He is saying that if we believe in Christ we will emulate Christ in our everyday lives. When we see someone who is hurting and feel called to help him we will listen to the call. When we feel led to pray for someone we will do it.
   If we don't show our faith in our actions it does us, others, and the kingdom no good. Being Christian should change our thinking. Being Christian should make us want to help a hurting world. Being Christian should make us want to be more like Christ in our actions, words, and thoughts.
   So, are you actively involved in the Christian faith? How are you working each day to show Christ? 

   Image from here.