My Heart Is Full by Brent Lokker

“Tonight was truly special, even magical! Thank you for the creative way we sang Christmas carols throughout the nativity movie that made it so meaningful!”   “This was the first time I finally slowed down this Christmas season to reflect on the wonder of our Savior coming to be with us. Thank you!”   “It filled my heart to connect with so many dear friends tonight.”   These were just a few of the many comments I heard after our Blazing Fire Christmas dinner two weeks ago and I wholeheartedly agree!  I left with the beautiful sensation of my heart being filled to overflowing with the genuine love that was flowing and the laughter echoing throughout the room.   Though the food was delicious and the decorations festive, it is the brilliant light inside of each one of you that continually added to the expansive life that filled the room as you arrived! Created in the image of our Father who is love and filled with the light of Christ in us, our hearts come more alive when we are together because love and light must be shared to be experienced in its fulness. It’s a perfect picture of why Jesus came as Emmanuel, “God with us.” Our Father’s intention of being united with us at all costs resulting in the harmonious Trinity making their home right inside of us explains our need for genuine connection with one another. We were made to experience real moments of authentic joy that comes with a kind smile and a warm hug.   This Saturday, December 31st at 6 pm on New Year’s Eve, we’re going to have another opportunity to share life with one another as we gather to linger in the Lord’s sweet presence in an extended time of worship and communion. I want to share with you a profound and highly encouraging dream I had just two nights ago about God’s Spirit pouring out upon us as the bride of Christ. Then several people will share some prophetic insights and lead us in making declarations together in agreement with our heavenly Father, whose very light and life has been deposited deep within us.   To each one of you, Suzanne and I see you as a treasure and we sincerely want to thank you for being a rich blessing in our lives!   With Love,   Brent

YOU are Included in Jesus' Lineage! - by Brent Lokker

Whether you look at Matthew’s genealogy that lists the fathers from Abraham to Jesus or Luke’s genealogy that lists the sons from Jesus all the way back to Adam being the son of God, both are making a crystal-clear point: YOU are included in Christ’s lineage because you are one with Christ!   This means that through Christ, Abraham is your father and therefore God’s promise to bless Abraham and make him a blessing to the nations is fully your promise as well!   “God gave the promises to Abraham and his child. And notice that the Scripture doesn’t say ‘to his children,’ as if it meant many descendants. Rather, it says ‘to his child’—and that, of course, means Christ. And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.” Galatians 3:16, 29 (NLT)   That’s a promise God can never go back on! You will always be his blessed child. Jesus made sure of it! And you WILL be a blessing to others from all nations. The light of Christ in you guarantees it!   And whatever we may think of the mess Adam got humanity into, Jesus’ act of bringing us into the righteousness of God was far superior in every way:    “Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone.”  Romans 5:18 (NLT)   And John puts his final stamp on the genealogy of Jesus conversation by saying,   “In the beginning the Living Expression (Jesus) was already there. And the Living Expression was with God, yet fully God. They were together—face-to-face, in the very beginning. And through his creative inspiration this Living Expression made all things, for nothing has existence apart from him! A fountain of life was in him, for his life is light for all humanity.” John 1:1-4 (TPT)   Being one with Jesus, whose origin is traced back to his sonship with the Father, gives you the clearest possible perspective on your own origin as a son or daughter of your heavenly Father.   And YOU, created by Christ and one with Christ, are now seated with Christ:   Ephesians 2:6 (NLT) “For he [our Father] raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are [right at this moment] united with Christ Jesus.”   Just how blessed are you as a part of Christ’s royal lineage? You have an eternity to answer that!

God Offers Rest - by Todd Benjamin Lout

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely God require of you will be Pleasant and easy to bear.” MATTHEW 11:28 - 30

LIFE IS NOT EASY!  And God never once told us that if we become followers of Christ that everything would become easy. Anyone under that assumption is in for some eye-openers. Our Father, our Good Shepherd, does, however,  promise us that He would take us on a journey with Him as the head, leading us perfectly through this broken world we are still existing in. He has given us the keys to resting in Him, even while we face our crazy day to day. God knows that life has enough to deal with and that things like religion and people pleasing adds much more strife to it all. We have layers of things that humans pile up on top of us. We, ourselves, pile it up as we take on society norms and church life.  In HIs tenderness, our Father offers us a place to offload all of that…..right in Him. He exchanges it for rest, for His peace. Corrie Ten Boom, the Dutch clock maker who was caught hiding Jews in her walls during the Nazi takeover, has shared much about experiencing peace and rest in extremely dire circumstances. She was put in the most terrible concentration camp, yet connected with the Shepherd of her soul and found rest in the middle of chaos. Here’s one of her thousands of genuine quotes: “ If you look at the world, you’ll be distressed. If you look within, you’ll be depressed. If you look at God, you’ll be at rest.” Her story is an inspiring one if you need to read or see something to help pull you out of a rut and into God’s lap. Ultimately we will end up in perfection, itself. that place beyond this realm.  But God will still help us along the way in this Earthly journey.   BIG LOVE, Todd

FATHER GOD'S PLAN: TO BRING US INTO THE HOME OF HIS HEART - by Russ Fochler

The holiday season (Thanksgiving, Christmas, and more) has a way of turning our thoughts towards “home”.   As humans, we often feel things more keenly when we’re missing them.  For those who are missing family or close friends, I ask the wonderful Trinity to give you comfort.   And also hope and a foretaste for the Home all of us long for - even if we don’t yet know about it. When Jesus told the story of the Prodigal and His Father (and the Elder Brother), Jesus had all of us in mind.  Leaving, becoming aware of our longing for the Home of our Abba’s Heart, and humbly returning with greater appreciation.  Or perhaps being risk averse and staying put - but missing the fullness of our Abba’s heart because our own heart stayed small and full jealous comparisons. I love these quotes from George MacDonald about our home with Father God:   “This is and has been the Father's work from the beginning—to bring us into the home of his heart, where he shares the glories of life with the Living One, in whom was born life to light men back to the original life.”    “His children are not his real, true sons and daughters until they think like him, feel with him, judge as he judges, are at home with him, and without fear before him because he and they mean the same thing, love the same things, seek the same ends. For this are we created; it is the one end of our being, and includes all other ends whatever.” “None but a child could become a son; the idea is—a spiritual coming of age; only when the child is a man is he really and fully a son.” George MacDonald - Unspoken Sermons Series I., II., and III Last Saturday, I talked about this and then looked into some of the ways we take part in God’s work growing and transforming us from children - to full daughters and sons.   We also considered how Jesus’ obedience to His Father’s plan for our rescue, and healing - was the only way for our rescue, and healing to be fully accomplished.  And how our simple obedience to Jesus’s leadings in our daily lives brings heaven to earth. You can watch the video here. The talk begins around 1:30 And, if you would like to read my notes - including the scriptures, quotes from George MacDonald, etc., Click here for the link to the pdf With Love,                     Pastor Russ Fochler