At the ACC after-school tutoring program a few weeks ago Pastor David casually mentioned to me that he and Sobeyda were going to be hosting a refugee family from El Salvador. My heart jumped with excitement...what an opportunity for ACC to show the love of God! I also was encouraged by their willingness to share their living space with strangers, knowing they give so much already as a Pastor and Counselor. The next day Carolina and her almost 11 year old son Onandy arrived....
I once knew a man who ate the same food every day for years a liverwurst sandwich and Italian butter cookies. He swore by this diet and lived well into his nineties. But to be honest, if that is all I had to eat, I'm not sure I would want to live that long. Most of us crave variety in our meal plan. We enjoy tasting different kinds of food. Strangely, however, when it co...
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When I was in elementary school and the teacher took attendance at the beginning of the day, students would respond to hearing their name by saying "here" or "present." Those who were absent, of course, would say nothing at all. There were only two options. You were either in school or you weren't. Present or absent. There was no in-between, no degrees of attendance. No on...
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When the writers of the New Testament contemplated the events surrounding the birth of Jesus, they saw these events fulfilling centuries of sacred promises expressed in the Hebrew Scriptures. Here are some of the Old Testament prophecies that find their completion in the birth of Jesus Christ. The descendent of the woman: When the Lord cursed the serpent for enticing the...
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I am always surprised by how much airplay John the Baptist gets in the four Gospels compared with the attention given to baby Jesus. With all the emphasis this time of year on the nativity narratives, you would think the birth of Christ must be a major focus of the biblical record. But compared to what the Gospel writers say about John the Baptist, the story of the babe in...
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One of the themes of the Advent season is the theme of preparation. For centuries, faithful Israelites prepared for the coming of the Messiah. They did this by believing God's promises and obeying God's Word. Today, we prepare for the Messiah's return in the same way. Malachi 3:1-4, a traditional Advent reading, points to two ways God helps us in this work of preparation....
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I recently heard (thank you, Lourine Clark!) about a spiritual discipline that Eugene Peterson practiced throughout his life. He prayerfully selected seven psalms from the Bible that he felt would "cover the waterfront" of his spiritual needs. He then made a commitment to let those psalms change his life. He would read them, meditate on them, commit them to memory, and pra...
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The gospel assures us that when we come to God through faith in Christ we are justified by the Father and accepted as one of his own. All our sins are forgiven, and we are declared to be righteous in the eyes of the Creator. This new status before God is perfect and complete. We could not possibly be more accepted by the Father than we already are in Christ, and we will ne...
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Several years ago, the elders of ACC began praying about and discussing the mission of our church. Over time we included other church leaders in the discussion, asking for their feedback and prayers. We embarked on this endeavor, not because we wanted to lead the church in a radically new direction, but because we felt that ACC needed a fresh understanding of why God has p...
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I once heard a radio interview with a retired elevator repairman. He reported that in 80% of the elevators in New York City, the "close door" button is not hooked up to anything at all. Pushing the button does not make the door close any faster than it would have anyway. Why do they have these buttons in elevator cars? According to this man, the reason is because people li...
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Perseverance is an essential quality for those who follow Jesus Christ. We often face times of discouragement and distraction and feel tempted to give up. What can we do to increase our endurance so that, when the going gets tough, we persevere in our commitment to the Lord? Hebrews 12:1-3 provides good counsel for weary Christians. It says: "Therefore, since we are surro...
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