Thanksgiving... already?

It's been a strange year. Thanksgiving seems to have just come out of no where, but here we are 2 days away. The irony is that there hasn't been a year in recent memory that I have had more for which to be thankful. First and foremost God's love and the gift of His Son, some would say that should go without saying, I say that should never go unsaid. I am thankful for family and friends, my wonderful daughter and my beautiful wife.

Those are personal. While looking back over the year we have had at Cornerstone I can say with confidence that we have truly been blessed. In a year when most churches have had to cut programs and ministries because members have lost jobs due to a lagging economy, and not been able to give like they have in the past, our giving has increased. Our baptisms have increased. Our membership has increased. Our attendance has increased. And while all of those things are wonderful, more than all of that I have seen remarkable growth in the love and compassion our members have shown to one another. I told our congregation at the beginning of the year that this was going to be a year when we would be tested to see if we were going to bond together and be there for one another and I thank God that we have been tested and more so, that, in my humble opinion, we have passed the test.

Risky Calls

I love the Indianapolis Colts. What would you expect from a boy born and bred in the Hoosier state? Last night's game with the Patriots will go down in history as one of the greatest regular season games of all time, but not because the Colts won but rather because of the call the Patriot's coach made to go for it on 4th & 2 from his own 28 yard line with a 6 point lead. When you talk about risk you don't get one any bigger than that in football. He rolled the dice and it cost his team the game.

Interestingly enough as the game was starting we were visiting with our friends from Kyrgyzstan. Anara has been a Christian for about 5 years but her husband who just came to the states 3 months ago, as of yet has not placed his faith in Christ. We have been sharing with him for the past 3 months and he seems genuinely interested in Christianity but just isn't quite ready to take the final step. Last night we felt it was time to encourage him to really consider if he believes everything we have been telling him or if it is just interesting history. Our biggest concern is the risk he is taking if he continues to wait. In football if you gamble and make a risky call it can cost you the game, in choosing Christ, taking the risk of waiting can cost you your very soul. Luke 12:20 says; "You fool this very night your life will be demanded of you..." Is it worth the risk?