The Pastor's Perspective

          The Christmas season draws our gaze back to the manger—to the silent, holy night where God first visited humanity (at least its supposed to). But the story of Christmas doesn't end in Bethlehem; it begins a life of service that challenges us to look for Christ in the most unexpected places.      What if we were waiting for the Lord in glory while He was already standing at our door in disguise?      One of the most beautiful Christmas poems ever told, was by an American poet Edwin Markham. The poem is called "How the Great Guest Came in"  His story centers on a cobbler, a godly man who made shoes.       This cobbler had a dream that the next day Jesus was coming to visit his shop. The dream seemed so real that he rose early, gathering green boughs to decorate his shop, preparing for the arrival of so great a Guest. The cobbler did not want to be unprepared if Jesus was indeed coming to pay hi...

The first Thanksgiving The year is 1621in America . The air is cold and the land is still unfamiliar. For the colonists , their first year in the new world had been marked by incredible hardships. They were survivors who had endured the trials and struggles of establishing a settlement. Yet, with the autumn harvest complete, they had achieved their first success—a successful corn harvest.      This was a victory that called for a celebration. So, to express their thanks and honor their Native American allies who helped them in this new land, they planned a great feast. They invited the Native Americans to celebrate with them. The joyous, three-day event was filled with games, signs of affection, and abundant feasting on venison, fowl, and corn.      It was an act of sharing—a profoundly generous gesture that Governor William Bradford noted in his journal. For him, the abundant harvest was a gift from a loving God who had not only protected them from the d...

     William Allen White, a famous newspaper editor in Emporia, Kansas, once gave a 50 acre tract of land to the city for a park.      At the dedication of the park, Mr. White walked up to the poem and gave a small speech. In that speech Mr. White shared with the audience about the blessing of giving. Mr. White said this;      "There are three kicks in every dollar. One kick is when you make it, and boy how I love to make a dollar! One kick is when you save it and I have the Yankee's lust for saving a buck. The third kick is when you give it away, and that is the biggest kick of all"       Generosity is a virtue that we are grateful being the recipients of. Look back on your life and I am sure you will find a time in your life when someone was generous with you. When someone gave you some time to listen to you. Times when someone helped you with a problem you were having. Times when someone out of their own generosity gave...