Merry Christmas

MERRY
CHRISTMAS!!
Have an awesome Christmas as you celebrate the birth of Christ with your family and friends.
MERRY
CHRISTMAS!!

Family Fun

Last night we had our family Christmas time with my wife's family. The food was incredible (Thanks Julie). It was just fun being together.
We hung out, opened gifts, and told stories that somehow get bigger each year. Before the night was over we were shooting each other with Nerf guns. I shot several people right in the head and quickly handed off the gun to my nephew.
My Mother-in-law got a big ole honkin' HDTV that is going to make going to see her even better.
I watched a cool thing happen. This is our second Christmas since my Father-in-law passed away. I watched my Brother-in-law Kevin as he handed out his gifts to all the kids and someone said, who does that remind you of? It was kind of cool seeing him take on the role of his dad.
One of the best parts of Christmas is being with family and friends.
I get to do a lot of that this weekend. Our church is doing over 30 services. It is going to be awesome.
Next week, my family at a cabin in Missouri!!!

What are you doing???

Merry Christmas!!!!

Team

I have had the opportunity to watch and work with some special people this week. It is people I work with here at FRC. They always work hard but this week is a special time for us. This is the weekend that we do our Christmas services. Everywhere you turn there are busy people. They are busy getting ready for this weekend.
We love this time of year because we get to celebrate the greatest gift ever given (God's son Jesus). We also get to share this gift with a lot of people. To make that happen it takes a lot of work not just from staff but also a bunch of volunteers. I really believe that I work with some of the greatest people in the world.
Sometimes in the midst of getting ready it gets a little crazy to say the least. We all know what is at stake here. It is people's lives and that is why we all hang in there and get it done.
I already know it is going to be an incredible weekend. Christmas always brings joy, excitement, and hope for the future. There is nothing better than sharing it with family, friends and TEAM.

Community

I got a Christmas gift from a friend this week. It was a symbolic gift that he said represented "community". This gift was given to me because I value community and live it out.

Jake at Community Guy defines community as... (A group of people who form relationships over time by interacting regularly around shared experiences, which are of interest to all of them for varying individual reasons.)

Community is something that I believe everyone desires at some level. I mean no one likes to be alone right?
There are many communities that exist. Some are good, some are bad but almost all are scrutinized by some if not many outside the community. Some are closed and some are open but almost all are viewed.
This gift made me think about the communities that I am a part of. I do value community because with it come come so many benefits. The things that draw others to a community are the people that are in it. To me this is the greatest benefit of community.
What kind of people are you doing life with? Who are your friends?

CHOOSING OUR FRIENDS by Henri Nouwen

The spiritual life is one of constant choices. One of the most important choices is the choice of the people with whom we develop close intimate relationships. We have only a limited amount of time in our lives. With whom do we spend it and how? That’s probably one of the most decisive questions in our lives. It is not without reason that parents are very concerned about who their children bring home as playmates, friends, or lovers. They know that much of their children’s happiness will depend on those they choose to be close to.
To whom do we go for advice? With whom do we spend our free evenings? With whom are we going on vacation? Sometimes we speak or act as if we have little choice in the matter. Sometimes we act as though we will be lucky if there is anyone who wants to be our friend. But that is a passive and even fatalistic attitude. If we truly believe that God loves us with an unlimited, unconditional love, then we can trust that there are women and men in this world who are eager to show us that love. But we cannot wait passively until someone shows up to offer us friendship. As people who trust in God’s love we must have the courage and the confidence to say to someone through whom God’s love becomes visible to us: “I would like to get to know you, I would like to spend time with you. I would like to develop a friendship with you. What about you?”
There will be no’s, there will be the pain of rejection. But when we determine to avoid all no’s and all rejections, we will never create the milieu where we can grow stronger and deepen in love.
God became human for us to make divine love tangible. That is what incarnation is all about. That incarnation not only happened long ago, but it continues to happen for those who trust that God will give us the friends we need. But the choice is ours!

Don't miss it!!!

It is hard to believe that we are just a few days away from Christmas. Christmas is one of those things I really look forward to. It is because there are so many great memories that surround it. It just feels like it sneaks up on us and then it is here and we missed out on some of the best parts of it. I am talking about decorating, buying gifts, looking at Christmas lights, sharing time with family and friends, and I am sure the list could go on and on.
Over the last couple of days I have been given some really cool gifts from friends. They are gifts that I really like and it caused me to remember that I need to get busy so I can be ready for Christmas.
I also realize that Christmas is not the only area in my life that this happens. I often realize that I am up against the clock on something and I miss the joy, thinking, learning, collaborating of getting ready.
Christmas is such a special time. Don't miss out on every part of it. Take the time to prepare. Take the time to enjoy. Take the time to share. Take the time to remember what it is all about. It is about the greatest gift ever given. It is about God's gift to us, The baby Jesus.

I'm going to go and read the Christmas Story...

Luke 2:1-20(NLV),
"1 At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire.
2 (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.)
3 All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census.
4 And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee.
5 He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was now obviously pregnant.
6 And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born.
7 She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.
8 That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep.
9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified,
10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.
11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!
12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”
15 When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
16 They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger.
17 After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child.
18 All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished,
19 but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often.
20 The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them."

"Example and Encouragement"

I want to start my blog by dedicating it to the one who has lived out "Example and Encouragement" in my life more than anyone else.
The one I am referring to is my dad E. G. Robertson.

He has been a pastor for over 50 years and is still going. I have watched him live out "Example and Encouragement" in every thing he has done and still does. He and my mom have been faithful in ministry for over 50 years. I can still remember as a kid waking up in the night and seeing him leaning over our couch on his knees praying. I honestly run into someone every week who tell me that my dad made a difference in their life.

My dad has cancer and is going through chemotherapy right now.
Here is a picture of us from a recent visit with him. I shaved my head so I could hang with him in this thing. He is continuing to get his treatments and we will see where God takes this. He is scheduled to speak at the church he is pastoring at on the 23rd. He is praying that he will have the strength to do it. My thoughts are that he will.

This is his favorite verse...
Isaiah 40:31
"But those who wait on the LORD
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint."

I hope that I can be an "Example and Encouragement" in the same way that he has been to me and so many others.