Happy New Year!

Hey there readers! On behalf of all the contributors to this blog, I'd like to wish you a very Happy and Blessed 2007! So for us East Coasters, this new year is only about an hour and 15 minutes hold, and here I am blogging. Well I am honestly trying to make an effort to post more regularly here. And I also ask that those who read this blog try to spread the word about it. Again, it's not about notoriety for myself or anyone else on here, it's just that I hope this blog is a venue for the love of God to be spread to anyone, anywhere...you never know who may need to read what's on this site. So anyhow, there's just a couple thoughts I wanted to post tonight (or is it this morning?) going into the year 2007, so here goes:

1) "Happiness is itself a kind of gratitude" ~ Joseph W Krutch.
My girlfriend gave me that quote on a little card as part of a gift and when I opened my Bible tonight I found it in there, and it had me thinking about how appropriate it is going into the year. Happiness. At the core, Christ's sacrifice for us should make us Christians one HAPPY bunch. So why do we sulk, complain, and whine so much? I think a lot of times we get caught up in life and we can forget that no matter how much stress piles up, God's already won the victory. So remember...smile a little and be happy! Like the quote says, when we are happy, I think it shows our gratitude to God for sending His Son to die for our sins...for choosing the base things to shower His love upon and use for His glory. So come on, get happy! :)

2) "No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us." ~1 John 4:12.
Ever wish you could just SEE God? Like just a little peek? Well we can't....bummer, right? That's ok though...in the meantime, we have one another. God commands us to love each other, including our enemies, and that's how we show the love of God to both the saved and the lost. Some of you might be saying, "Well duh, I knew that" or "Look, he's gone all flower-child on us." But think about it: how often do we practice this, particularly with people we don't know? When we see someone hurting, do we put ourselves in their shoes or do we turn the other cheek? Do we give that extra couple dollars, or do we spend it on something trivial? Showing the love of God in our lives runs the gamut from monitary donations to a simple smile and a Hello. You never know what will make someone's day. Just remember that God's love in our hearts is like a candle....let that light shine, like the song says. Share the love of God with others and it will be a testimony and a witness to others, often without using words.

3) "If you make the Most High your dwelling - even the Lord, who is my refuge - then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways" ~Psalm 91:9-11.
As I get older and pay more attention to the goings-on of the world, I realize that Earth is one CRAZY planet...you really never know what happens next, and just when you think things can get pretty bad, they get worse. Well the Bible says that will happen...but it can still be overwhelming and just a bit frightening. But friends, have no fear! God is our rock and our salvation, we have nothing to fear. If you truly depend upon the Lord, no matter how hard the winds blow, everything is going to be OK. Don't get me wrong here: we will face trials...but with a steadfast faith in Him, we will weather the storms of life. At church today one of our pastors used rain as a way to illustrate this point...rain will come, but be prepared with an umbrella. We can be prepared by anchoring our faith and lives in the Lord. When things are good, hold fast. When things are hard, hold fast. Money will not weather the storm, friends will not always weather the storm, and your possessions will not always weather the storms that live throws at you. But keep grounded in the Lord and adhere to what that old hymn says: "On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand."

May God bless you all in 2007!

~Chris