Prepare for Life

The candle of love that we light today may be our fourth candle, but it is foundational to all the other candles. Last week we looked at how the Father gave the gift of His Son, but this week I want to emphasize why He gave His Son to us.⁠ He did it for love. Love was His motivation.

Today we light the candle of Joy. In a season filled with mixed emotions, the words of Nehemiah 8:9-12 teach us about times of celebration and understanding that real joy is from the Lord and is our strength.

Advent reminds us of the sacred meaning of Christmas and a time to prepare our hearts leading up to Christmas Day, anticipating the birth of Christ. This week we light the candle of Peace.

Today we “virtually” lite candle of HOPE.

Christ is our hope and Christmas is a time to renew that hope. He came to be among us and He is with you today wherever you are and whatever you are facing.

I hope you have experienced a new fullness as you’ve shared your grateful heart in different ways…to God and to others.

I was thinking of how difficult it sometimes is for many during this holiday week. It may not be an exciting time…it may bring a lot of stress and anxiety, maybe even deep loneliness…we are thinking of you, our prayers are with you…and you’re not alone. Take a listen to prepare your heart and spirit.

Since starting Grateful Hearts series, I couldn’t help but think about how worship and thankfulness go hand in hand. I love that November is a time of focusing our attention, attitude, and hearts towards God.

Let’s take a deep breath and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to us this week who, what, where, when we can release our thanks, praise, gratitude, and appreciation…

We are kicking off this month of Grateful Hearts with a short time of meditation, scripture reading and prayer asking the Lord to show us someone, some thing or some area of our life to be thankful for. 

I’m going to read a few scriptures from Colossians and ask the Holy Spirit to bring to the forefront of your mind someone, some thing or some area of your life that you can express thankfulness with a grateful heart

Remember, as you prepare for life this week… “No matter what happens, always be thankful… for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18

We've been studying James for five weeks. Has your faith come to life? Are you different? Are you standing with confidence as you go through the trials? Has your faith come to life daily? This week's podcast is full of encouragement to keep your faith alive.

This week we focus on the surrendering of our will and allowing our faith to lead every moment of our lives. "Search me O God and know my heart. Try me and know my anxious thoughts and see if there be any hurtful way in me and lead me in the everlasting way."