Ending 2019 With a Bang

My 2019 ended with a wow, a whoa, a boom, and a bang. (Because I love fireworks almost all of my years end with a bang.)  
 
On December 24, I was amazed to see our Living Streams sanctuary so full, and still filling, as our 4:00 pm Christmas Eve service began. By the time the service was underway every seat was filled, people were standing against the side walls, and—sad to say—a number of people left because there was “no room in the inn.” Fire code allows for 1,000 people in the sanctuary, and we recorded 997 people in the building.

On the one hand, I was saddened because I figure some of the people who did not stay were people who had a lot of difficulty even deciding to go to church in the first place. But, on the other hand, I was thrilled to know our people love their church so much they made sure they and their loved ones experienced Christmas Eve with their Living Streams family. Wow!
 
On December 25, Christmas morning came on strong at 6:00 am and, because of my wife and her family's seriousness about Christmas morning, we did not finish the present-opening part until about noon. It is fun to witness, but for this non-morning, non-gift person it is a lot to take in. Whoa!
 
On December 27, we said goodbye to our foster boys as we dropped them off at their mom’s house. They were with us for 18 months while their mom worked with DCS to get back on track and healthy. Reunification was the hope and it is very rare. We rejoice in that reality, but have been sorting out a number of other emotions, as our house feels very different now. Boom!
 
Then, On December 31, I went into the secret stash I have in my closet and pulled out the fireworks I had been saving since last summer, when we purchased them in New Mexico. The excitement and danger, the burning and exploding, and the bright beauty lighting up the dark backdrop seemed to express well the sentimental feeling that a year of fostering, family and faith had left us with. Bang!  
 
This year, I pray you get to do more of the good things you like to do and less of the angry, selfish, and prideful things you do not like that you do.
 
By His grace and for His glory,
 
David

The Greatest is Love

Ho! Ho! Ho! Christmas is here in Phoenix. The traffic has picked up around all the shops and the weather has dipped, leaving morning frost on the rooftops and windshields. By midday we enjoy sunny and 75º, and all the winter lawns are looking nice and green.

At my house, my wife is in full gift mode–which she is in most of the year–but now she does it with a joyous fervor. Our house has three Christmas trees up, paper snowflakes everywhere, and we are not allowed to go near certain rooms because one of our presents could be there. There also is a constant stream of holiday baking shows and Hallmark movies on our television. 

But with all this hustle, bustle and fun, we are having some good times with our kids, setting everything aside and learning about the Joy, Peace, Hope, and Love that Jesus brought with His advent. The Advent video series at thebibleproject.com has been very helpful. We had a great night the other night sitting in our tv room for a couple of hours without turning the tv on. We talked and played and quizzed. (For some reason my kids love it when I quiz them on geography. Weird kids.)

The last three Sundays at our church, we have focused on Joy, Peace, and Hope.

• We have seen how the Bible teaches that God is overflowing with Joy. “In His presence there is fullness (overflowing) joy.”

• We have read about Jesus being the Prince of Peace. “The greatness of His peace has no end, (overflowing).”

• And we have looked at some Biblical words to teach us what hope really is and how God is the God of Hope. “I pray that God, the source of hope, (overflowing) will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” 

Now, there is one that remains. It is the greatest of them all, and every other virtue finds its roots in Love. Just as with the other three, God is overflowing with love.

The best word we have in our shallow human language to describe the community of the trinity is love. “The fruit of the (trinitarian) Spirit is love.” The fierce and overflowing love that God has for the world is what caused Him to sacrificially give the one He loved most, so that we could know and enjoy His love in a personal and everlasting way. 

Today, and each day between now and Christmas, I would like for you to do three things:

1. Sit still for twenty minutes, away from the distraction of your phone, and ask God to tell you how He feels about you. Expect Him to speak in a still, small voice. Expect your wounded heart to have trouble receiving and believing what He says. Then, write it down, or tell someone about it to seal it in your heart and mind. 

2. Look though your contact list on your phone and find someone that you know needs to hear about the love of Jesus and invite them to church this Sunday.

3. Pray for me, that despite my shallow mind and feeble words, I will be able to communicate the wondrous love of God in a way that is easy to understand and impossible to run from. 

Jesus loves you!

David

Christmas and Finances

As we head toward the end of 2019 a couple of year-end items are stirring in my mind. 

The first item is Christmas.

I am very excited about this Christmas season at Living Streams. Our Christmas season is going to be crafted with a historical Advent flavor.

We know life deals us some heavy hands, and the holidays can be hard. In our Sunday services we will join with saints of old and saints around the world—focusing on how the great foes of humanity: sorrow, confusion, despair, and hate are rendered powerless by the splendor of Christ appearing.

We will look at how Christ’s advent brought overcoming and everlasting joy, peace, hope, and love into our weary, broken world.

Please bring someone you know who is not living with the light and warmth of Christ.

The second item is finances. 

It is funny how Christmas and finances go hand-in-hand these days, but I am not talking about my own finances. The end of the year always brings with it budget proposals for next year and accounting for the past year. At Living Streams our financial situation is good with—one exception. 

We have been able to give a couple hundred thousand dollars to support missions and ministries in Phoenix and around the world. We have been able to do many much-needed upgrades around our campus—including renovation in the kids' ministry areas, installing a new elevator (woohoo!), and the super-exciting stuff of electrical and IT upgrades. We have a couple of projects funded but in process, including developing an architectural master site plan, as well as turning our building on the far west side of the campus into a beautiful youth facility.

In addition to all this, we have been able to carry two months of operational reserves throughout the year, and have paid all our bills. Praise the Lord and thank you, Living Streams family! 
 
In our Elder Team meeting yesterday we presented a conservative 2020 budget proposal and it was approved without any hesitations. (In fact, our elders even questioned if we were dreaming big enough.) Hallelujah!
 
The exception to our good 2019 financial report is this: we have been down in contributions for the last two months—leaving us with a current shortfall of around $100,000. 
 
Our attendance has continued to increase, our contributions are up from last year, but these last two months have dipped. 
 
We are not sounding any alarms at this point; but if you consider yourself a part of the Living Streams family and feel that you and/or your family have been blessed and built up by the ministry and ministries of Living Streams, I want to ask you to give. Please give as the Lord directs you, and to the extent that your heart can remain cheerful in its giving. 

Please help us finish this year strong.

We are very excited about the vision for 2020. We have ideas and plans that the Lord has given us for teaching, life group expansion, outreach, and evangelism. Your help can move us forward "full steam ahead."
 
As always, we teach and preach, and we adhere to a Biblical model of financial stewardship for the Christian. We believe each Christian is called to the faithful tithe, the generous gift, and the sacrificial offering. 
 
The faithful tithe is giving ten percent of our income to the local church in order to keep our hearts free from the love of money. 
 
The generous gift happens when we cheerfully give over and above the faithful tithe as the Lord directs. At times it is extravagant in its amount and other times it is extravagant in its thoughtfulness. This giving is not necessarily given to the local church. 
 
The sacrificial offering is the type of giving that does not come out of surplus or extra, but truly costs the giver something. This kind of giving is rare, requires great faith, and needs to be done prayerfully, as God directs. 
 
Please know we are praying for you and yours. We are seeking the Lord consistently for wisdom to lead and guide our church family into life, strength, maturity, wholeness, healing, and freedom. Or, as King David would say, “Green pastures and still waters, where our cup runs over.”
 
God be with you and give you peace,
 
David

p.s. In prepration for this Sunday, please watch the following video: bible project: generosity