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Good morning and a blessed Sabbath to each of you. Enjoy focusing on God, rest, worship and fellowship today.

First of all a special thanks to all our music folks who helped make last night's Christmas program such a blessing. You all did great!!

Now, here’s what we have to hopefully help continue having that blessing today:

The Well- 10:30am in the Young Adult room of the Church. Join us for food, fellowship, and feasting on the Word.

IRR SS- 10:40am in the IRR Gear Room, another great option for your small group worship experience.

CVC- 9:15am and Noon with lead pastor Harold Alomia

SOS- catch a quick nap or take a walk on this short Sabbath afternoon to help clear your head with all the business of the week that might have consumed you. Some quiet time with God can help get things back into perspective.

V2- 4:30pm (yep it’s that early for these two weeks in December when the sun actually goes down before 5!) Join in the Atrium for 30 minutes of praise and testimony as we close the Sabbath. This week our host is Alex and his Fine Arts peeps. Jose Miguel will be speaking

Free concert by Folk Mountain Gospel (Don & Donna Mohl) tonight at 5pm at Piedmont Park (48th & A). The beautiful music and inspiring stories will fill your heart with God's love! An offering will be taken and CDs will be available for purchase. For more information visit http://folkmountaingospel.com or email Vanessa at piedmontparkMEDIA@gmail.com

Have a great day with God,

Pastor Rich

Quote for the Day: “Blowing out someone else’s candles will not make yours glow any brighter.”

Blog for the week:

On the night when Jesus was born, I wonder if Joseph ever prayed, “Father, this all seems so... bizarre. The angel you sent? Any chance you could send another? If not an angel, maybe a person? Some company would be nice. Even a shepherd would do.”

Perhaps he did. Perhaps he didn’t. But you probably have.

You’ve stood where Joseph stood. Caught between what God says and what makes sense. You’ve done what He told you to do only to wonder if it was Him speaking in the first place. You’ve stared into a sky blackened with doubt. And you’ve asked what Joseph asked.

You’ve asked if you’re still on the right road. You’ve asked if you were supposed to turn left when you turned right. And you’ve asked if there is a plan behind this scheme.

Things haven’t turned out as you thought they would.

Each of us knows what it’s like to search the night for a light. Not outside a stable, but perhaps outside an emergency room or on the manicured grass of a cemetery. We’ve asked our questions. We’ve questioned God’s plan. And we’ve wondered why God does what He does.

The Bethlehem sky was not the first to hear the pleadings of a confused pilgrim.

If you are asking what Joseph asked, let me urge you to do what Joseph did. Obey. That’s what he did. He obeyed when the angel called, when Mary explained, and when God sent.

He was obedient when the sky was bright... and when it was dark.

He didn’t let his confusion disrupt his obedience. He didn’t know everything. But he did what he knew. He shut down his business, packed up his family, and went to another country. Why? Because that’s what God said to do.

What about you? Just like Joseph, you can’t see the whole picture. Just like Joseph, your task is to see that Jesus is brought into your part of the world. And just like Joseph, you have a choice: to obey or disobey. Because Joseph obeyed, God used him to change the world.

Can He do the same with you?

God still looks for Josephs today. Men and women who believe that God is not through with this world. Common people who serve an uncommon God.

Will you be that kind of person? Will you serve... even when you don’t understand?

No, the Bethlehem sky was not the last to hear the pleadings of an honest heart. And perhaps God didn’t answer every question for Joseph. But He answered the most important one. “Are you still with me, God?” And through the first cries of the God-child the answer came.

“Yes, Joseph. I’m with you.”

Through the small face of the stable-born Baby, He says yes.

Yes, your sins are forgiven. Yes, your name is written in Heaven. Yes, death has been defeated. And yes, God has entered your world. Immanuel. God is with us.

~ He Still Moves Stones

Excerpted with permission from In the Manger by Max Lucado, copyright Max Lucado.