Deervalleydeacon's Weblog

Now what?

deervalleydeacon — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:29:11 +0000

A huge let down has occurred in our household. The Green Bay Packers season is over with a crashing thud of a game against the NY Giants. The excitement for another run to the Superbowl is over. It’s hard to root for the other guy as the weeks progress to the culmination of the game but it is football, so rah rah!

The month of January is similar to this feeling of “LET DOWN”. The high of Christmas and all its festivities has gone and we are left with the remains of Christmas. Maybe a toy has broken already; the cookies and Christmas snacks are gone and we are back to the same mundane menu and activities. The question to look at is, Now what?

The Christmas celebration marks the beginning of the Church year and sets us on our way in the continuation of learning from God’s Word. Now What? is a pretty easy question to answer. Now, we make our way with Jesus along his path of being our Savior. Now we learn about the power of Jesus as he does miracles, teaches and preaches to the people and leads his perfect life for us. Now we follow the words of Jesus as we love our neighbors, pray for those who are against us and proudly proclaim the message of Jesus to everyone.

January isn’t a time to sit back and wait until things get rolling again around Easter. Now is the time to jump into the Word and continue your walk with the Lord. Resolve to develop a personal devotion time this month so you can be in the Word daily. Drop a tv show and pick up a Bible to see what God promises! His promises always come true!

Wow Factor

deervalleydeacon — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:40:28 +0000

I don’t know if you saw it or not but during the Broncos/Patriots NFL game on Saturday, Focus on the Family had a commercial on the air that was awesome! It was pure Gospel!

The game took a time out and went to commercial break and you know how you kind of tune out commercials? Well, I heard the words of John 3:16 start from a little girl and it continued with a bunch of kids saying the words! It was fantastic! I got goosebumps when it was finished because it was done so well.

The Tebow craze was a great way for millions of people to hear the Word of God. I liked the commercial because it wasn’t slanted towards any religious denomination-it was pure and simply God’s Word proclaimed. Thanks Tim Tebow for giving Focus on the Family a venue to proclaim the Word! Thank you God for the opportunities to share your Word with others.

Here is a link to the commercial:

John 3:16

www.youtube.com

Full Swing

deervalleydeacon — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:32:23 +0000

Well you can tell by the items on the church calendar that the “break” is over and we are in full swing with our classes and activities. All of the Bible studies are back in action, the Jr. Youth Group meets, Choir starts up again, the Home school is back using our building, confirmation kids are learning their stuff! Wow, sounds like a busy schedule.

I suppose it is similar to your schedule at home. Your child’s activities are starting up again as they head back to school. Whether it’s drama, singing, dance, sports, academic team, robot club or after school job-your calendar is full.

The key to all of it is maintaining a good balance and remembering the priorities. Where does God fit into your life that is in full swing? Is he somewhere in the middle, the bottom or is he at the top, where he should be? My challenge to you this week is to evaluate your priorities and see where you place God. It’s a new year and a great time to set your priorities for 2012!!

Happy New Year!

deervalleydeacon — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 18:09:51 +0000

Slough off the old 2011 stuff and put on the brand new 2012! If it were only that easy!

Many people make New Year’s resolutions only to have them broken with in the first 30 days. I heard on the radio yesterday that someone was going to call them New Year’s challenges so when they break them they can just start over and not have to abandon their resolution totally. I guess it’s a decent way to approach the new year but may be too easy to get around the challenge you’ve set up for yourself.

Our Christian lives have many challenges that affect our financial, physical, emotional and spiritual well-being. The Devil works hard at pulling us further away from God’s truth and the promise we have in Christ. As we begin the new year of 2012 challenge yourself to be in God’s Word more often. We have three different service time for you to come worship our God and give thanks for all he has done for us. We have several different Bible studies throughout the week where you can strengthen your faith, share your thoughts and grow in the knowledge of the truth. Maybe you could challenge yourself to lead a small group study in your home for six or eight weeks.

We trip up on the challenges of life everyday. Our sinful nature keeps us on the sinful path. On our own we can not do anything to get to heaven. But by the grace of God and his son Jesus, we have the promise of eternal life in heaven despite the sinful nature in us. Jesus’ perfect life, death and resurrection secure our home in heaven. Praise God for his unbelievable gift of grace and mercy in Jesus Christ.

Happy New Year!

Did you get what you wanted?

deervalleydeacon — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 22:38:42 +0000

How did your Christmas requests work out for you this year? Did you get everything on your list and more? Were all the items checked off or was a line drawn through as you looked at your presents and compared them to the list? I bet you even received items that weren’t on your list and you may not have even liked some gifts.

Were you one of the millions that stood in line to return a gift that you would never use? Aren’t you glad that Jesus wasn’t returned? Aren’t you glad that Mary and Joseph said, “No Lord, we’d rather not be the people you choose to bring the Savior of the world into the world.”

Any gift you received this Christmas pales in comparison to the one that God sent to us over 2000 years ago. The indescribable gift of a baby boy, Jesus, to live a perfect life for you and me and everyone. Forgiveness is found in the babe of Bethlehem! Our sins are washed clean in the blood of the lamb! Awesome!

What kind of thank you card do you send the person that gives you such an awesome gift? One filled with love, devotion, humility and gratitude. We also give praise, honor and glory to our God! May you enjoy the New Year, reminded of the best gift you have received, EVER! May you show God your gratitude and love each and every time you read his word and worship in His house.

Holiday Specials

deervalleydeacon — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 21:06:22 +0000

I love to watch several of the Christmas movies and Christmas specials that are on tv this time of year. The nostalgic feeling you get when you watch an “oldie” from when you were a kid brings back memories. I tried having the Teen Group identify the top 10 Christmas movies of all time at our Christmas party but they didn’t know at least half of them. Well, at least they’ve never seen half of them. Does that mean they aren’t any good? No. The kids just need to be exposed to them by someone.

It’s just like Jesus. People may not know about the saving power of Jesus and need someone to show them. The audience is primed for the good news because of the special music and lights that are happening. It’s easy to see that something special is going on in your neighborhood, malls or in your church. Reach out to that special someone who needs to learn about Jesus and help them understand the specialness of Christmas!

Making a list

deervalleydeacon — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 16:38:43 +0000

Many of the refrigerators in Phoenix are covered with wish lists this time of year. The lists will include everything from socks to sweaters to video gaming systems to perfume. Everyone wants to make sure that their wants and needs are out there for everyone to know. Kids even hop on a guys lap they don’t know and tell him what they want! So willing and able to talk about there needs at the drop of a hat.

What about including God on your list? Where does he fit in on your list as far as priority ranking? Before or after the video game? He gave us the best Christmas present ever when he sent his own son to be our Savior. Without this precious gift coming to earth, living a perfect life, suffering and dying on the cross, rising from the dead defeating the devil–we wouldn’t have the promise of heaven!.

Christmas is a great time to tell others of the love of Jesus and what he has done for everyone. God wants all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. Recognize the opportunity God places before you and share Jesus with someone. It won’t cost you anything but time.

A.D.V.E.N.T.

deervalleydeacon — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 21:59:01 +0000

Well the beginning of a new church year is upon us as we begin with Advent. We typically like to prepare ourselves for Christmas during Advent. Enjoy my explanation!

A = Are you ready? The joy of Christmas is four weeks away and sometimes we let the world get in the way of why we celebrate Christmas. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ came to earth as baby boy to fulfill the promise of God. We offer midweek Advent worship services to help us stay focused and prepare our hearts and minds for this celebration!

D = Disciples-We are all disciples of Jesus and should be proclaiming the Gospel message to everyone. Neighbors, co-workers, family friends or relatives. Sharing the good news of Jesus allows us to reflect on the love of our heavenly father.

V= Victory- The birth of Jesus shows God’s plan of victory for us over sin. The Savior born as a human to live a perfect life, suffer and die and arise from the dead, to save us from our sins. The path to victory begins at Christmas and culminates at Easter! Celebrate the Victory!

E = Everyone- God wants all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. Invite others to come and hear the saving message of Jesus Christ. Bring those lost souls who need to hear the saving message found in the scriptures. We aren’t in some exclusive club–it is an inclusive group for all!

N= Now! Now is the time to be ready and active in sharing the news of Jesus birth! Be ready to share the good news of Jesus at any given moment, you never know when God will present an opportunity.

T = Thought Provoking- As we make our way through the scriptures during Advent we reflect on the complexity and yet simpleness of God’s plan for salvation. He is willing to give up his own son to die for you and for me. Why? Because he loves us so much and he wants us to be with him in heaven. The only way we can have that is by being perfect. On our own we can’t. The wages of sin is death! How can a father give up his son? He can because he has power over death and the devil!

What would you give up to save your children? God wants us to be in his word often. Can you give up some of your time this “busy” Christmas season to be in God’s Word? Your father wants you to.

Thanksgiving?

deervalleydeacon — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 17:08:16 +0000

How did this celebration get started as a National Holiday? We all remember the Pilgrims and the Indians at the very first one, but what about recent history? Here is a quick synopsis of how it happened:

1621 Pilgrims celebrate the “first Thanksgiving”.
1777 – 1783 Thanksgiving proclaimed annually by Congress
1789 and 1795 Thanksgiving declared by President George Washington
1798 -1799 Thanksgiving declared by President John Adams
1815 Thanksgiving declared by President James Madison
1863 President Lincoln makes his Thanksgiving Proclaimation which became an annual tradition
1941 President Roosevelt makes Thanksgiving an official national holiday celebrated on the 4th Thursday of November

Let’s take a step back away from the National holiday and look as our life as Christians. Do we have anything to be thankful for? Of course we do. God provides our daily needs, food, clothing, shelter, and whatever we need to sustain life. The problem is our sinful nature gets in the way of being thankful and content with the gifts God has blessed us with. We seem to want the latest and greatest, the bestest of the best and the new and improved item no matter what it is.
Sure, we have struggles but many pale in comparison to what others around go through for being a Christian. We have the freedom to worship our Lord and Savior without fear of injury or death. We can talk about Jesus without fear of being injured. Ultimately we have the most awesome gift–heaven–because Jesus gave his life for us. There is your reason for being THANKFUL everyday! God chose you to be a part of his family and share his Son with you. The words of Philippians 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” ring true each and every day but especially as we celebrate THANKSGIVING! Remember to make time for God this Thanksgiving!

Prayer Tent

deervalleydeacon — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 21:37:55 +0000

Last Friday I went out to my wife’s school to help her in the classroom. I was able to make copies, cut out some signage and put up a wall poster. As we came back from lunch we noticed an easy up tent at the end of the Walgreens parking lot and two people sitting under it. The tent had some writing on it and as we got closer to it we could see that it read, “Prayer Tent”. My initial reaction was, “Wow, that’s different.” But as we drove by it really made me wonder how many people will stop by and use the intercessory prayer these people are offering? These people feel they have the gift of prayer and were using there gift or offering to use their gift for others. I wonder how many people stopped by. I think it still worked because seeing that tent reminded me to go to the Lord in prayer and I said one right then and there. What a great reminder!

How many times do we walk right by God’s Word? How many times do we skip out on worship? How many times do we make excuses that the next guy will share the love of Christ with someone?

As you drive around town going to work and shuttling the kids around, take time out to recognize the opportunities that God puts before you. Opportunities to tell others about Jesus or opportunities for you to grow in your knowledge of the truth. Sometimes all it takes is a some people on the side of the road under a prayer tent to get you thinking.