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This being the first day of 2019, I thought it would be a good idea to talk about the value of time. PRAY:  Dear Jesus, help me to value everything you give me and to manage it well for You.  AMEN

I want to share with you portions of my Sunday morning message about how you can get ready for 2019.  Take the time this week to consider how 2019 is going to turn out for you.   PRAY:  Dear Jesus, You said you have a hope and plan for me, what is it?  AMEN  

Today or tomorrow, depending on when you read this blog, is the last Sunday of 2018.  Here are a few things that I would like for you to do right now. Psalm 103:2 B less the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, I want you to stop and remember this previous year.  Now if you are like most people you recall every lousy thing that happened.  It's human nature to do that.  But stop yourself and do what this Pinterest post says.  "Count your blessings, not your stressing." I want you to remember every good thing about 2018.  Write them down if you have to, but remember it all.  Don't leave even the smallest detail out.   This exercise challenges our tendency to be negative.  It also combats the notion that God either doesn't care about us or that we somehow don't deserve His grace and mercy.   There is so much to be grateful for.  Take the time to give thanks.  PRAY:  Dear Jesus, thank you for all you've done for me in 2018.  AMEN

Yes, I know it's King James English, but I got you to click on it, didn't I.   Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. "Conformed" means to be molded into someone else's image.  Paul makes it clear that this world has a mold just for you.  Here is the deal about molds.  If they are perfect, then they produce excellent products.  But if they are imperfect, then the product will fail.   A few years ago I had to do a brake job on my car which included rotors.  I went to the auto parts store and asked them for a set of brakes and rotors.  The salesman came out with two sets of rotors.  Then he tells me, this set is $$$$$ amount of dollars.  My eyes must have bulged out of my head to the high price.  This set is $$ amount of dollars, which was considerably less.  Made me go, hmmm, and ask "Why such a big dif

Didn't we just celebrate the 4th of July? Time flys is an old adage that we've all been a victim too.  "Blink" the kids are grown.  "Blink" it's time to retire.  "Blink" 20 years is gone. James 4:14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. This morning I was listening to a videocast of a motivational/organizational speaker who promised that 2019 was going to be better than 2018.  I thought, "How in the world can this guy make such big promises."  Then the other shoe dropped,  "If you will change your ways in 2019".  He promised that you will be exactly where you are today one year from now if you don't change now.   Another old adage says, "If you always do what you've always done, you will always get what you've always got."   What are you doing to do differently in 2019?   PRAY:  Dear Jesus

The family and I had a beautiful day yesterday.  We celebrated Christmas with family and friends.  I did say that the holidays are over (ish).  My daughter has two more mini-nutcracker performances to do in the next two days.  Then, it's on to the next thing. The Christmas music stops.  The holiday lights are turned off.  The decorations are stored up, and we move on. But where are we going? I have always found that this time of the year is a great time to reflect on the past and plan for the future. Romans 15:13  May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. The key to your future isn't found in being more frugal or generous.  Those things are a matter of good stewardship or managership.  The key to your future is found in your faith.  A faith that trusts God with your future.  God keeps His promises, and that is supposed to fill you with hope.  Hope then leads you to joy

Merry Christmas from The Jones' Russ, Betty, and Anneka

Someone said that to me the other day, and I had to chuckle a little bit.  I understood what they meant.  So I asked them, "Do you hate the holidays but love Christmas?"  They thought about it a moment and then with a slight smile said, "Yea, that's it!" I've had that conversation among followers of Jesus every Christmas season for years.  There comes the point when you say enough is enough.  The holiday season can overwhelm anyone's emotions, patined and pocketbook.  Everyone has come to an end where they say, "No more!"  Whether it is Christmas shopping or eggnog. Isaiah 41:10 Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. I am the first to acknowledge that being overwhelmed is much in the eye of the beholder.  Never would I suggest that the follower of Jesus who is begging for their next meal compares with waiting in a long che

There are only 4 days until Christmas.  I'll be honest.  I thought I had more time.  I went out and did a little Christmas shopping, got a cup of coffee and came back to the office.  Whew!!! As we make the last minute arrangements for our Christmas events, I would like for you to think about a couple of things. First of all, what is the purpose of Christmas?  To celebrate the birth of Jesus?  Or it is what the guy on the radio said, "To spend quality time with your family."  Well, you can celebrate those things, but that isn't why Jesus came.  The purpose of Christmas is the salvation of mankind. Secondly, who is Christmas all about?  Some would say the children.  Others would say that it is for those who are less fortunate than ourselves.  Well, close.  We are the children of God (1 John 3), and we are in desperate need of a Savior (Romans 3:23) Then, when does Christmas take place?  December 25th you might say.  We know that day was assigned as Jesus'

Guess who is a racist! This cover-up will shock you! The dark side of Jesus! I've said this before but it bears repeating here.  More people read my negative titled blogs than my positive titles.  Why? It works like this.  Have you ever driven by a car accident and tried not to look?  It's hard, isn't it?  Well, the internet and news work much the same way.  They toss out a ridiculous headline that makes you look or click.  After you click you discover that the article isn't really about the title.  So why do it?  Because people are paid for clicks.  One online news service pays their journalists $100 a week plus $5.00 for every 500 clicks on their article.  Clicks pay money!! Integrity is lost and our cultures cynicism keeps rising, the lines between fantasy and reality are blurred and people don't know what to believe anymore. What can you do! Proverbs 11:3  The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.

So the story goes like this. Betty, Anneka, Bettys Mom and I were the first to arrive at the High School Auditorium.  The security guard waved us in.  When we pulled up to the auditorium, a school resource officer was locking the doors.  We informed him that there were hundreds of people coming in the next hour and we would have to get into the building.  He said, no. This is where I made my mistake.  I rolled my eyes and shrugged my shoulders.  He flipped out!  Now for the record, I wasn't mad or upset with him.  It's just every year we have to go through this process due to a severe lack of communication.  But there for a moment, I thought, "I'm going to jail." Well, everything worked out, and I didn't have to go to jail.  Whew!!! Proverbs 15:1  A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. (Or in my case an eye roll)  It seems that tempers are shorter during the holidays.  More horns and one finger salutes on the road.  Irrit

I can't remember the last time I had a week like last week. It was a week of revelations.  Some I will share with you, others are too personal. But here is one of them. For the last few months, I have heard from many sources about my daughter's performance as Snow Queen in the Nutcracker.  Every time I would go to the studio to see her practice, I would either be too early or too late.  So I saw it in rehearsal for the first time last week. My jaw dropped. I watched as my ballerina daughter became a ballerina woman.  All I could think was, "It looks like my daughter, but it can't be!?!"  It was.  Her performance was stunning (and I'm quoting a lot of people who know what they are talking about). At the age of 9, she was on stage and had a small 10-second solo.  She did her thing, and the audience loved it.  I saw it.  She was hooked.  She loved what she was doing and desired to continue. People told us that at the age of 13 or 14 she will decid

Yesterday - Pick up my mother in law from the airport. Today - Get Sunday services ready, help unload the truck for this weeks dance performance. Tomorrow - Finish up Sunday and go to the dance rehearsal to shoot photos. Friday - Last minute details to Christmas Sunday and a Friday night performance. More pictures. Saturday - Two shows, more photos. Sunday - Am service, two shows, more photos, tear down the set and pack up the truck.  Unload the truck. Monday - Take my mother in law back to the airport. If the old saying that "The devil is in the details" is true, then I can tell you that the devil is mean! If I miss a blog, you know what happened.  I'm passed out somewhere for exhaustion. So when life picks up speed, what do you do? Keep the main thing the main thing. Don't gripe and complain, you probably agreed to this.  Complaining takes energy away from you, and you'll need all you can get. Stay sweet.  Pressure will tempt you to cut corne

A couple of days ago I received a phone call.  My dear friend Jay Dockins had gone home to heaven. It wasn't expected, I was in shock. Jay and I met in 1979.  As unusual as this sounds it was in Panama City.  No, not Florida.  Panama.  I was 14 years old, and he was 20 or so.  I irritated him to no end, and he was just as irritated with me. A year later we shared a room at our fellowship's campgrounds in Hot Springs, Arkansas.  There we developed a friendship. Fast forward another year, and I was a freshman in Bible college.  Jay was now the youth pastor at my home church.  So during my summer break, I would stop by and visit.  I helped out wherever I could, and he exercised a great deal of patience with me. From there our lives occasional crossed paths.  An email or phone call.  Then a few years ago he called to ask if he could speak at the church I pastor.  I didn't even know that he was traveling. That night we stayed up late and caught up on years of life, mar

Name That Tune! Deck The Halls!  I know - it took me a minute too. Music and Christmas go hand in hand.  Christmas carols like Silent Night or Hark The Herald Angels Sing to old classics like Jingle Bells, and We Wish You A Merry Christmas. Here is the most popular Christmas song of all time according to Billboard Magazine. 1. "All I Want for Christmas Is You," Mariah Carey 2. "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree," Brenda Lee 3. "The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You)," Nat King Cole 4. "Jingle Bell Rock," Bobby Helms 5. "Feliz Navidad," Jose Feliciano 6. "A Holly Jolly Christmas," Burl Ives 7. "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year," Andy Williams 8. "Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12/24)," Trans-Siberian Orchestra 9. "White Christmas," Bing Crosby 10. "Last Christmas," Wham! Ephesians 5:19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and makin

"Joy to the World" As of the late 20th century, was the most-published Christmas hymn in North America.  The words are by English writer Isaac Watts, based on Psalm 98, 96:11-12 and Genesis 3:17-18 and was first published in 1719. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joy_to_the_World The second collaborator was an unwitting one, George Frederic Handel, the famous composer residing in London. Portions of Handel’s Messiah was used to develop part of the hymn. Such borrowings were common in that day.   The third collaborator was the Boston music educator, Lowell Mason. He published his own arrangement of Handel’s melodic fragments and named the tune Antioch. https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/history-of-hymns-joy-to-the-world So "Joy to the World" was never supposed to be a Christmas hymn?  It is a hymn about the second coming of Jesus, the rapture of the Church.  It is clearly a song about the full expression of His glory. "Joy to the world! The Lord is c

Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established. (Proverbs 16:3) Sometimes when you are working on something you think, "Is this ever going to work?"  As a pastor, it happens at least once a week.  It's about halfway through your sermon preparation.  Then all of a sudden, WOW!  Well, that happened to me today.  Expect it wasn't this weeks sermon (I'm going to have to revisit it tomorrow).  But the Christmas Sunday sermon just happened this morning.   Christmas Sunday for us is Dec. 16th.  The kids and youth are going to be helping me out during the service.  But this sermon!! Now some of you are thinking, "Well, you think every sermon is a home run."  No - there isn't a pastor anywhere who will say that.  I've gone to the pulpit with some sermons and thought to myself, "This isn't going to go well."  Then I'm surprised and see people really respond to it.   When I see God really move on a messa

So yesterday I received a phone call from someone who wanted to meet with me.  This person said that they had attended our church years ago and that they desired to tell me a story. Hmmmmm So I met with the individual, and they told me about a story about how they attended our church for 3 months in 1981.  That those three months made a huge difference in their life and that they appreciated us so much. I was floored. Over the years I heard many stories.  Some good and some bad.  But I never had a story that went back 37 years. Luke 8:39  “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him. Telling your story is one of the most important and influential acts of faith you can do.  It doesn't matter if it is a 37-year-old story or if it is a few hours old.  It doesn't matter if your story could be made into a movie or if it just an "average joe" story.  What

Driving down the road today it was as if everyone decided to lose their minds at the same moment.  People are changing lanes erratically, someone is slowing down suddenly, I have to slam on the brakes, and I think to myself, "Grrr, holiday traffic!"  I could feel the anger building up within me. Then as suddenly as this all happened, I changed my tune.  With as much merriment as I could honestly muster, I started saying "Merry Christmas" to everyone who was cutting me off in traffic.  I was actually quite humorous after five or six cars.  But my mood completely changed. Proverbs 15:1  A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. I think I blogged on this recently, but I would like to approach this from a different angle.   A soft or kind word to yourself will turn away your anger.   The field in psychology known as cognitive therapy, emphasizes that negative thought patterns can have a profound effect on our physical and mental w

The holidays are in full swing, and it's only Dec. 2nd.  In the next few weeks, my mother-in-law will be coming for a visit.  Dance week will consist of 2 rehearsals and 5 performances.  There will be various performances at local nursing/rehab centers.  Christmas Sunday services,  Christmas Eve services (which will include a Santa Claus on a firetruck).  Then the various other events that I don't know anything about.  I'm tired just typing all of this. But this morning was a great day to worship Jesus with all of our heart.  The song set was powerful, prayer time was personal, and many people responded to the challenge at the end of the service. I got to hand out with some parents from the dance academy for a few minutes and then work with some of our youth who are using their talents for Christmas Sunday and Christmas Eve services. Why am I telling you all of this?  Galatians 6:9  And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do

At midnight last night, my daughter sticks her head out of the room she was in and shouts!  "Merry Christmas!"  We've had this conversation as to when it was appropriate to put up your tree, play Christmas songs or say "Merry Christmas!" Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. The term "Merry Christmas" dates all the way back to 1699.  While it was more about cheer and probably a little too much ale, people still say it today.   How will you worship, praise and give thanks this holiday season?  How will you honor Jesus in your heart and with your life?  Here are a few suggestions.   It's ok to say Merry Christmas.  Surveys tell us that most people just don't care.  They are ok with Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah and other religious statements.  Give, expecting nothing in return.  I know that some people feel obligated to return the favor.  But don't expect anything.  Allow your givin