Your Family’s Christmas

We all have our own family traditions for the way we celebrate Christmas. Some open presents on Christmas Eve and wait till Christmas morning to see what has appeared in the stockings.. Others hold all gift opening till Christmas morning. Some have a big meal on Christmas Eve. Others have always gathered the entire family around the table at high noon on Christmas day.

Our family tradition has not changed since I was a child (and probably before). There is an order to things and everyone knows what to expect: First we go caroling to friends and neighbors (usually in red earmuffs, sort of odd in McAllen’s 80 degree Christmas weather). Back at the house, no presents are opened until the youngest reader has read the Christmas story from the bible, reminding all of the true meaning of Christmas.

I don’t necessarily recommend the caroling part unless you have a particularly gifted musical family. But I DO recommend the bible reading. If scripture is not already a part of your family’s celebration, this would be a great time to start a new tradition. Here’s a suggested order of service for your own gathering around the tree:

1, “Joy to the World”
(Sung with gusto, no PowerPoint required)

2. Prayer of Thanks for Family and for God’s Blessings
(Give the pray-er advance notice)

3. Reading of the Biblical Christmas Story – Luke 2:1-14
(Read by youngest reader OR one verse per person)

4. "Silent Night"
(Sung with reverence)

5. Closing Prayer of Thanks for the Baby Jesus
(Prayer voiced by Adult or Student)

6. Presents Opened

However it is that you celebrate Christmas, find ways for your family to remember the Christ child, Emmanuel, God with Us. Take advantage of the teachable moment to remind one and all of how and why he came.

From our family to yours,
Merry Christmas!

Bro. Mickey

A Public Service Announcement for Sailing Through the Storms of Life

Tips to Consider When Sailing through the Storms of Life

I’ve heard it said that “plagiarism is stealing from one person, research is stealing from many.” So, I give props to all the people and sites listed that I borrowed from the end of this blog.

Food for thought…

Sailors can complain about the weather but that is not going to change it. The weather will be what it will be. The best sailors learn to adjust.

An old African proverb says: You are either leaving a storm, heading into a storm or in the midst of a storm. 

Whether you feel like your vessel is a dingy, cruise liner or pirate ship – there are five things to keep in mind as you navigate through the storms that come your way in life:

1.      Lift your anchor and launch into the deep water. Boats were not made to hang out in the harbor. A boat can survive mild winds and rain in the harbor, but not much more than that. Did you know that during major hurricanes the United States Coast Guard closes ports in the path of larger storms, and they encourage all ships to leave port, heading “East at the best possible speed.” According to the National Weather Service, the worst place for a ship to find itself is the eye of a hurricane, the second worst place is the harbor. As you watch the weather, monitoring the storms that head your way, don’t hug the harbor, raise the anchor and set sail at your best possible speed. Head for deeper water. Outrun the storm’s path if it’s possible.

2.      When you encounter a storm you can’t outrun, steer into it. With top speeds reaching between 15 and 30 miles per hour, commercial ships are not the quickest.  Captain John Konrad, who has experienced hurricanes first hand, says, “When battling a storm at sea, size and mass are your friend. Ships are built of heavy steel and designed to be capable of riding out most storms. Even the largest ships however, like the 1,302 foot long, 170,974 ton container ship, Emma Maersk, can sink if she is beaten by massive waves for too long a period of time.” An interesting ranching side note – when cows are faced with a storm, they disperse and try to hide from it. However, buffalo stick together and take on a group wedge-like formation and hunker down together and let the storm pass right over them. Did you know there are more cattle killed each year by storms than bison? Early settlers referred to the American Bison as “the ones who face the storm” - understanding that sometimes the quickest way through a storm is head on. FYI – Did you know? The American Bison has been clocked doing more than 40 m.p.h. and can outrun a horse in a sprint. The Sioux Indians called the American Bison, tatanka —which actually means "great big thing." But I digress…Back to sailing tips for weathering life’s storms. Is your reaction to storms that occur in life more like a cow or buffalo? 

3.      Get rid of excess cargo. What do you need to throw overboard? What is weighing you down? And, why do we need to do this? According to boating experts, cargo or equipment is often jettisoned to stabilize a vessel during a storm. If you see an unavoidable storm entering your life, consider jettisoning unnecessary baggage that could, in the end, contribute to the sinking of your ship.

4.      Tie yourself to the mast…if you find yourself dealing with an unavoidable storm. Back in the day, when a ship faced a major storm, they tied the captain to the mast so he wouldn’t be washed overboard. In extreme storms, they tied the entire crew to the mast. The word mast means “pole or rod.” So, a mast has an important job. Most masts that I have seen tend to be toward the center of the vessel. The mast supports the sails, which allows the wind to propel the ship.  As a follower of Jesus, I tend to think of him as the mast on my ship. (He’s really the captain of my vessel too… but that’s another blog)…but for this illustration’s purpose…the best thing we can do is tie ourselves to our mast (Jesus) when facing storms in life. It’s usually in those moments, when we find what we are really made of. Truth be known, in the calm or storm, the best thing you and I can do is stay tied to Jesus.

5.      Enjoy the ride… Yesterday is gone and you’re not getting it back. Did you make the most of today? It's about to become a yesterday. For some reason, I have a picture of Lieutenant Dan of the Forrest Gump movie in my head. You know, the scene where he is riding the mast of the shrimp boat during the storm. You don’t need to use his colorful language…or blame God for all the storms you encounter in life. You can rest assured, God will use the storm to bring glory to Himself and make you more like Jesus.

Whatever you are facing at the moment…know that God is there in the midst of your storm.

May your anchor be tight and your compass be true. Sail on, my friends!

It’s a privilege to serve as your Discipleship Pastor, Dean

Props to: Dr. Leonard Sweet, Forbes.com, The National Weather Service, Dictionary.com, the History Channel, and Siri (I told you I borrowed info from several places).

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

The air has turned cool and the leaves are beginning to fall.  That means fall has finally arrived.  Things begin to change and schedules become full with more and more events, as everyone tries to cram in everything they can.  However, we call this the most wonderful time of the year.  Sounds a little crazy or backwards, but it is so true.  It seems like we would want our lives to slow down and have less to do in order to say this is the most wonderful time of the year.  Instead, our lives become more complicated and crazy and for some reason we still look forward to it.  It’s when we will spend more time with family and friends.  We focus in on all that we have received and how we have been blessed.  We are reminded to be thankful for all He’s done.  It’s that time of year that we focus in on the birth of Christ and the true reason behind the season – Jesus.  In the midst of this season make sure you stop and remember why we are thankful and the reasons we celebrate.  Psalm 46:10 – tells us to, “be still, and know that I am God.”  In the midst of the craziness, as we are all running around, stop, and remember, stop and refocus on the reason for the season.  In the midst of the craziness don’t leave God behind.

for the journey, 

Mike

“For His eyes are upon the ways of a man, and He sees all his steps.” Job 34:21

     Tuesday night I left my home to run to the store to get a few last minute grocery items.  When I left the store I turned onto the street to head home and the moon appeared in front of me.  It was so full it was as if I could reach out and touch it.

     Just a little over a year ago my family and I moved to Victoria from the Dallas area to accept the position of worship pastor.  This was the farthest from home I had ever lived in my entire life.  Occasionally since moving here there has been the sting of homesickness and when I saw the beautiful moon I could not help but think that those who I loved, that were living six hours away, could step outside and see the same beautiful moon I was seeing.  For a second it would be like they were here and I was there.  Yes I know, that is very sappy!  I thought to myself how amazing it was that almost anywhere in the world you go you can still see the moon.  It’s so big that its presence seems to follow us wherever we go. 

     As I continued driving my thoughts moved from my family to God.  I thought about the fact that God is so big and so powerful that we can see Him and He sees us anywhere we go.  In fact He is omnipresent.  He is wherever we are, wherever we have been, and wherever we will go.  That thought filled my mind and gave me a peace that it hard to put into words.  As I was thinking about that I turned onto my street and the trees quickly blocked my view of the fantastic moon.  At first I was a bit sad that I couldn’t run in and tell my wife to come out and see, since the trees blocked our view, but then I thought even though I can’t see it doesn’t mean that it’s not there.  Of course the moon was there even if my view was blocked by some trees. 

     There are times when we face struggles that cloud our view.  They take our focus off God and simply make it hard for us to see Him.  That does not mean that He is not there.  He is omnipresent He is everywhere.  We must open our eyes, clear our sight line, and refocus.  There He will be as big and beautiful as He was the first time we saw Him.  Take some time this week to step outside, gaze around, and look at the beauty that surrounds you.  Have peace in knowing that even we lose focus or our view becomes clouded God is still there waiting for us to return.  

Tom Smith

Pastor of Music and Worship

A Missions Alert!

The Heartbeat of Northside
Northside has always been a church with a heart for missions. We began as a mission and have begun missions. We have started works in Victoria county and participated in mission efforts as close as the Valley and as far away as Greece. We have sent Northsiders to mission fields in Japan, Zimbabwe, and France. Mission work has always been a priority.

A Developing Need
The good news is that giving to International Missions is up! The bad news is that expenses in International Missions are up even more. For the last five years, the International Mission Board has had operating costs that exceed giving (by millions). Drastic measures are being taken to make our mission efforts around the world financially sustainable.

Missionaries to Come Home
To help alleviate the financial crunch, missionaries over age 50 with five years or more of service are being offered to participate in a “Voluntary Retirement Initiative”. Some 600-800 missionaries and staff will be affected this year. A friend of mine, retired seminary professor Dr. Dan Crawford, is in contact with many of these missionaries and has received the following messages from the field:

· “Just keep praying. The future seems very uncertain. Missionaries are dealing with a range of emotions, unfortunately at this point it does not include excitement.”

· “The biggest challenge for us is not to have several months to better prepare our national partners for the future. It is hard to think that we will be leaving after having the fantastic privilege to serve our Lord here for over 30 years.

· “I find myself today wondering if we will stay, where our ministry is only beginning to take off, or return to the States.”

· “I am thinking of staying at least one more year as self-funded.”

· “It is a very discouraging time for all of us and morale is at an all-time low.”

· “Pray specifically for those whose children could lose their missionary scholarship to college if their parents are no longer missionaries.”

· “God has not told me to leave my place of service. I am staying. I will lose my apartment, car, salary, and benefits, but I am staying until God tells me to go home.”

Back here at Northside, we will soon begin our third missions offering of the year, the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions. Now, more than ever, we must be faithful in giving above and beyond our normal tithes and offerings to see that we keep our missionaries in the field. Pray. Be thinking of missionaries returning to the states needing basic housing and transportation. Be thinking of how Northside can continue to be the mission-minded church we have always been called to be.

In His service,
Bro. Mickey

The Great Blue Bell Famine 

of 2015

This summer, tragedy struck the great state of Texas.  Blue Bell Ice Cream announced it would be halting production of a staple of most Texan's diets.  Immediately Facebook, Twitter, and the internet were abuzz with photos of people weeping in the aisles of our local HEB, and savoring their last few bites of Blue Bell that they had stock piled in their refrigerator.  Just reading this probably brings back the pain of that moment for many. 

A few weeks ago Blue Bell announced that you would again be able to get your favorite treat in some towns throughout the state.  The next day traffic between Victoria and Hallettsville increased tenfold….. well maybe not that much, but many made the trip to get their beloved treat.

Why all this talk of Blue Bell you ask?  I wondered occasionally during that time how we might feel if some of our other things disappeared or where delayed.  How would people react if we had a Bible shortage or a shortage of church services?  How would people react if they simply misplaced their Bible?  Would Facebook be a buzz, or would it be the topic of conversation around the water cooler?  Sadly, I doubt this would be the case.  Often times we are guilty of taking for granted what we have, and our spiritual walk is of no exception. We should be filled with a strong desire to spend time with God.  Read the following scriptures to see what the Bible tells us about what our desire for the Lord should look like.

“I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my daily bread.” Job 23:12

“Like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.” 1 Peter 2:2

“As the deer pants for the water, so my soul longs for You, O God.” Psalm 42:1

All of this is not to say we should not be sad about the loss of our favorite ice cream but it is to say that when we miss our quiet time, corporate worship, prayer time, etc. there should be a strong longing in our heart for that time.  Do you crave your time with the Lord?  Do you miss Him when you get busy and forget to make time for Him?  Do you miss church when you are unable to attend?The “Great Bluebell Famine of 2015” has caused me to take a look at my priorities and move a few things around on the list to make sure that my relationship with Christ is front and center.   Have you done that lately?

For the Journey,
Tom

Finding the right path and staying on it!

Finding the right path and staying on it!

This summer, while on vacation in Colorado, Grant and I had the privilege of going hiking with my 80 years old dad in the Colorado wilderness.  Almost every year, since before I was born, my father has gone to Colorado in October to elk hunt.  Every year trees fall across the trail due to storms and old age, and must be cut out of the path for the pack horses to get through.  So our job was walking up the trail and clearing the path – not an easy task.  As we walked and talked we came to a spot in the forest that the path we were on disappeared due to all of the under growth.  We all begin walking around looking for what we thought was the right path.  With some luck we found it, and were successful at reaching the elk camp.

                Take a look at Psalms 1: Oh, the joys of those who do not follow evil men’s advice, who do not hang around with sinners, scoffing at the things of God.  But they delight in doing everything God wants them to, and day and night are always meditating on his laws and thinking about ways to follow him more closely.  They are like trees along a river bank bearing luscious fruit each season without fail.  Their leaves shall never wither, and all they do shall prosper.  But for sinners, what a different story!  They blow away like chaff before the wind.  They are not safe on Judgment Day; they shall not stand among the godly.  For the Lord watches over all the plans and paths of Godly men, but the paths of the godless lead to doom.

                If you stop and looked at your life right now, what path would you discover? The right path or one that is leading you into destruction?  Who is on the path with you?  Are they like minded and leading you to Christ, or are you following evil men’s advice?  Slowly read through this passage once again, pausing and letting each verse sink in.   For those that seek to follow after God, great things are in their future.  But for those that choose to go on a different path – bad things are in store.  If you find yourself on the wrong path stop.  Begin walking/looking around for the right path.  Sometimes we have to place our trust in God and switch paths.  Later we look back and discover that was the best decision we could have made.   

                I was thankful that I had my 80 year old father on the trail with us that day.  Once we found the trail again, he knew we were on the right path that would lead us to elk camp.  Without his guidance I might still be in the mountains of Colorado looking for the right path.  Our journey is to be one that we find joy on.  Look around you this week.  Who do you see is going down the wrong path?  What can you do to help them?    See you on the path.

for the journey…

Mike