Ticket

Are you ready for the journey? All you need is a Bible, pen, and journal. Oh and don't forget your ticket.



Now that the ticket part is taken care of, we are ready to go!

Boarding for the journey takes places tomorrow.

The Polar Express

I announced yesterday that for our Advent devotionals that we will be journeying with the help of the book/movie The Polar Express.

In case you don't know the storyline, below is the trailer for the movie.

What did you do or what will you do today for the Christmas season? Will you buy a gift, hang decorations, or think of the Biblical journey that is taking place?

Today I challenge you to do one of two things (or both):

A. Instead of buying someone a gift, make them one.

B. Take money that you would spend on a gift and donate it to an organization to help others have a good Christmas.

Advent

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving. This year I really treasured my family and how thankful I am for them.

Yesterday started the season of Advent. Advent is the four weeks leading up to Christmas and a time to help us prepare for the coming of Jesus' birth.

While yesterday started Advent, the blog will begin Christmas themed devotionals starting on December 1 with the help from The Polar Express (both the book and the movie).

Part of Advent is waiting and anticipating the birth. Today, think about how you anticipate Christmas. Do you start making lists of what you want, or begin a countdown, or set up the decorations.

How much of that excitement is for the birth of Christ?

Spend time today in prayer asking God to help you focus on Him for this Christmas season and the ability to look past the materialism of Christmas

Thanksgiving

Today's video: Thanksgiving: God's Goodness by the Skit Guys

With Thanksgiving being next week there will not be a blog. Count your blessings and remember to thank God for them.

When the blog starts back up we will be in the season of Advent, preparing ourselves for the birth of our Savior.

1 Thessalonians 4:9-12

Today's video: Thank You by Mary Mary and Kirk Franklin

Today's Scripture is: 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12

Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. And in fact, you do love all of God’s family throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more, and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.

1 Thessalonians 4:4-8

Today's video: Charlie Brown Thanksgiving

Today's Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 4:4-8

Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” Yes, this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have.They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them,” declares the LORD.

Jeremiah 29:7-9

Today's Scripture goes along with yesterdays.

Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” Yes, this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have. They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them,” declares the LORD. ~Jeremiah 29:7-9

Today's Thanksgiving video, is another one from the Skit Guys

Jeremiah 29:4-6

One of my pet peeves is people getting ready for Christmas before Thanksgiving. While Thanksgiving is not a religious holiday, I think it deserves time to be thought about and embraced.

This week there will be videos and Scripture to help us get in the Thanksgiving spirit.

This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease.

Veterans Day

Today is 11-11-11. Many people are going to be getting married on this day, some people will make wishes hoping they will come true, and some will wonder what crazy thing will happen on this day.

But more importantly, today is Veterans Day.

Painted by Eric Samuel Timm

Veterans have held a special place in my heart for many years. I have family members who have served, friends who are serving and finishing up their terms, and I currently have a brother who is getting deployed.

In high school I had the privilege to play Taps at local parades and events. Through that I met many Veterans and widows who lives I have touched. At first playing Taps was simple and meant nothing to me, but after that first "thank you" for a Veteran who had tears running down his face, I was never able to think the same.

On the wall in my office hangs a newspaper clipping with the following on it:

Honoring Our Brave Veterans
It is the Veteran, not the preacher, who has given us freedom of religion.
It is the Veteran, no the reporter, who has given us freedom of press.
It is the Veteran, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the Veteran, not the campus organizer, who has given us freedom to assemble.
It is the Veteran, not the lawyer, who has given u the right to a fair trail.
It is the Veteran, not the politician, who has given us the right to vote.
It is the Veteran, who salutes the Flag, who serves under the Flag,
Eternal rest grant them O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them.
~Author Unknown

Today remember what has been done for our lives and remember those making the decision daily to join the Armed Forces.

1 John 1:5-7

Today we are going to worship God. Listen to the song below twice: once to think about the words and what they mean and the second time sing it as if Jesus is sitting right in front of you.

How did it feel to sing directly to Jesus?

Was it different than other times of worship? If so, how?

What would it mean for you to run to God?

Does that challenge you to not give in to peer pressure, or watch watch comes out of your mouth, or challenges you to change your clothing options and the way to relate with the opposite sex?

1 John 1:5-7 says

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

Today include God in your routine.

If its late in the the day, think back to how you could of included Him in the things you did.

Joshua 6:12-16

Veggie Tales does a great job of taking Bible stories and turning them into fun videos. They are usually geared at children, but I think Veggie Tales is great for all ages. Watch this trailer for Josh and the Big Wall:

Let's finish the story of Joshua and the walls of Jericho:



Joshua got up early the next morning and the priests took up the ark of the LORD. The seven priests carrying the seven trumpets went forward, marching before the ark of the LORD and blowing the trumpets. The armed men went ahead of them and the rear guard followed the ark of the LORD, while the trumpets kept sounding. So on the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for six days. On the seventh day, they got up at daybreak and marched around the city seven times in the same manner, except that on that day they circled the city seven times. The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the army, “Shout! For the LORD has given you the city! ~Joshua 6:12-16

If you were told to march around, blow trumpets, and yell to accomplish something, how would you feel? Would you do it?

We've been talking about routine the last two days. Sometimes routine is great and other times it can be too much. We see in this story, that the Israelites trusted God and had faith with this out of the box routine.

Do you put faith and trust in God with your schedule or routine?

Pray today asking God to help you add Him to your daily life.

Joshua 6:6-11

Babies love routine. If they are on their routine they are peaceful calm cute babies. Get babies off of their routine and they become cranky.

Here's a cute baby video:

Can you imagine what it would be like to have four babies off schedule? Talk about headache.

When we get off schedule do we get cranky?

Let's pick up our story from yesterday.

So Joshua son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant of the LORD and have seven priests carry trumpets in front of it.” And he ordered the army, “Advance! March around the city, with an armed guard going ahead of the ark of the LORD.” When Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets before the LORD went forward, blowing their trumpets, and the ark of the LORD’s covenant followed them. The armed guard marched ahead of the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard followed the ark. All this time the trumpets were sounding. But Joshua had commanded the army, “Do not give a war cry, do not raise your voices, do not say a word until the day I tell you to shout. Then shout!” So he had the ark of the LORD carried around the city, circling it once. Then the army returned to camp and spent the night there. ~Joshua 6:6-11

I have to say, the Israelites must of been super patient. First Joshua tells them to march around a city, which they do for six days. Then Joshua changes it up a little bit, still no complaining.

Are we more like babies or more like the Israelites? Are we cranky when our routine gets messed with or are we patient and do not complain?

Joshua 6:1-5

Have you ever had to do something repeatly for days in a row?

God told the Israelites to do the same thing for six days. Let's look at that story, Joshua 6:1-5:

Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in. Then the LORD said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in.”

How do you think they felt with having to do the same routine over and over again?

In college I had the same bedtime routine for a little bit. First I had to clean my room, then pack my bag for the morning, use the bathroom, watch people outside my window, read my Bible, set my alarm, and then I could go to sleep. It was overwhelming, but I felt that I had to complete the list before I could rest peacefully.

What kind of routine or schedule do you have? Does it ever overwhelm you?

How does God fit into your routine?

Pray today asking God to show up during your routine.

Psalm 150

Psalm 150 verse 6 says

Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD.

Everything that has breath. Hmm, so animals are supposed to praise God? And plants? How is that possible?

Take time and see how plants and animals may praise God.

Psalm 150

Psalm 150 verses 4 and 5 say

Praise him with timbrel and dancing, praise him with the strings and pipe, praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals.

That's a lot of noise, but if it's coming from the right place in our hearts to God it is beautiful.

How can you praise God with noise today?

Psalm 150

Psalm 150 verse 3 says

Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre,

The trumpet, harp, and lyre are the most common instruments that are used throughout the Bible.

Today, churches use: piano, organ, guitar, bass, drums, string instruments, an assortment of percussion instruments, and the list goes on. Any instrument really can be used in the church.

These instruments are also used outside the church. Is it weird to think that someone could be using the same instrument in the church to lift up the kingdom of God and outside the church to break down the kingdom of God?

Psalm 150

Psalm 150 verse 2 says

Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness.

Another way of thinking about this verse is through a children's song that says "Our God is so big, so strong, and so mighty there's nothing our God cannot do."

Where in your life do you see God's power and greatness?

Remember the chorus of that song today and see if it changes how you think about God.