Who does God announce the arrival of Jesus to? Not royalty or the highest elected official. The first announcement came to a bunch of lowly outcasts. What does that teach you about your Heavenly Father?

Stuart said, “The shepherds learned through the words of the anthem sung right in front of them that Peace was possible. Not peace through war or diplomacy or signing any contracts or laws. It was peace offered eternally to those on whom the favor of God rests. To those who would accept the present and gift being offered (for throughout history, many have rejected this gift from God).”

Is there something you’re longing for, something for which you’ve been searching for quite some time or maybe just for a few months? Perhaps you’ve searched for a better job, a godly mate or for a closer relationship with God.

The Bible gives us unexpected direction in our search through the story of the wise men. They had been on a long journey and sought guidance as to where to go in their pursuit of the “newborn king of the Jews.” After asking for help upon arrival in Jerusalem, they chose to continue following the star to Bethlehem. Who will you choose for direction in your search—a trusted friend, a co-worker or will you turn to God for guidance?

Day of Thanks 2022 is a Sunday dedicated to sharing stories of God’s goodness and blessing experienced by FCC over the past year.

Keep searching, and don’t give up on a quest to understand more and more, but trust that your God knows it all. Trust because of his past successes, victories, explanations, and evidence. He is in control and has what you don’t get. Only through trust do we move from Disorientation to a New Orientation.

Feelings of orientation, disorientation, and new orientation are all positive and negative feelings captured in the book of Psalms. These moments and emotions recorded all those thousands of years ago make sense because they are experienced in our life too. Moments of gratitude, moments of anguish and pain, and joy have been preserved to help us in all our seasons of life.

When we immerse ourselves in the abundant life, Holy Spirit God will use that commitment to impact people in your sphere of influence. He is the Vine and we are the branches and there are households waiting for those empowered by God to REACH out to them.