Try worship this CHRISTmas season.

"Woman with child

And an inn with no room

Born in a manger

Foretelling a tomb

This is how

The story goes

But it is more than a fable

And it's more than a fairytale

And more than my mind can conceive

I believe...

Two thousand years

Still the story lives on

God's gift to us

Sent to earth wrapped in flesh

His only son

His only son

And the heartbeat of heaven

Confounded our wisdom

But it's still the simple truth

That sets me free

I believe.

The wise men saw

The baby boy..

The angels called the son of God 

Heaven's child

The great I am

Born to take away my sins

through nailed pierced hands

Emmanuel has come

And I believe.

Precious child How can it be that

God's great plan

For history.

I believe in a cross, I believe He came for one, He came for all

Heavens child became a plan, gave his life for me

In spite of all I am, I believe, I believe, oh I believe.

Christmas lives in me.

I believe." ~ Natalie Grant

Have you been up or been feelin' down ..this holiday season? Christ was born down here to take away our sins. God cares - He gave His best for you. Draw close to Him, and He will to you. Try worship. Commit to a lifestyle of that.

A photo posted by Kurt von Schleicher (@kurtwvs) on Nov 11, 2013 at 1:22pm PST

Try countin' your blessings. Try givin' thanks in all circumstances (not for all) and, "Sing to the Lord, all you godly ones! Praise his holy name. For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning."

The One who was born in a manger did his share of hurting too.. for you. And He can indeed relate to you. He can still help. The Bible says...

"He has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him, Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.."

If you and I just muse over His first virgin-birth-arrival, if we muse over His ride down into the city of Jerusalem on a li'l donkey's colt, if we muse over His Cross and empty grave.. I just don't think we'd be the same. Sure, think about how that ride fulfilled the Bible prophecy of Zechariah (see 9:9). You and I have reason to rejoice in Him! 

His great salvation delivered and still delivers what all of God's creation has been deeply longing for (see Rom. 8:19-20). Fulfillment, forgiveness, friendship, freedom, fellowship, and filling! 

Weeping may endure for the night, but Paul says, "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God." (See Rom. 8:18-39). 

"When the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son." —Galatians 4:4

“When God stepped out of heaven above and came down to this earth, He clothed Himself in human flesh—a Child of lowly birth.” —D. De Haan

As Christ was sent to earth as God's first missionary.. He basically volunteered for us ..so that we could one day go to heaven ..with Him.

So, let Him get your doubt out - it'll make ya wanna shout! 

Makes me want to worship. Too many people think that eternal life kicks in after one dies. Nope! It'll kick in the moment you simply repent (turn from sin) and believe in Jesus. Sure, Christmas should bring us to the end of ourselves, and then into Christ's embrace - yes, humbly to the beginning of grace. 

But what's grace? 

G.R.A.C.E. = God's riches at Christ's expense. It's an incarnation Christmas kind of Gift. "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich" (2 Cor. 8:9 nlt). Just ask!  

Freely we receive and freely we give. Perhaps you're notorious for re-gifting this season (just might get caught. I've done it before). Well, re-gift the Gift of all gifts this year - Christ the hope of glory! Re-gift His love and Message. Re-gift His words; they're so Tweetable! 

And we can re-tweet em. 

"I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out" (Luke 19:40).

With all that is in me, I encourage you to praise the Lord and go tell. We can commit to Him in this. 

Yo, no matter if you wear a fro, are a pro, or even if yo name is Joe. No matter how slow.. or where you go, who you know, or where with your hound are right now.. or in the future are bound.. "No more let sins and sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground; He comes to make His blessings flow far as the curse is found." —I. Watts 

I'm not much of a rhymer, but have you been hurting this holiday season? Have you been feelin' down as you go around.. to all the social events? Get alone and try worship of Jesus. facebook.com/shareJesus

This can be such an uber-busy time of year, but that doesn’t mean we need to get too busy for God.

Jesus isn't too busy. Never was. God is the same yesterday, today an forever. Jesus isn't anxious, or in a hurry, or all fretting-up-tight, or worked up any, but He does have time for you.

Perhaps you've been taught this, but Jesus wasn't ever slothful either. He was balanced. He had times here on earth where He was busy working hard for sure, but from looking closely at the Scriptures we can see He wasn't the type of person who always responded to inquires regarding His welfare with, "Busy, busy busy!  Man, every single day I've been so, SO busy.  In fact, it's been hard to catch up with myself."  Nope. 

And Christ wasn't tucked away isolated, out of reach in some ivory tower in the hill-country of Israel, just resting too much or there dealing solely with theories and thinking....which can also be good for people.

He was glad to enter and then emerge out of His quiet times of prayer with the Father. And guess what.. when He did, there was power in His ministry. He was on the go and about His Father's biz, and miracles where happening and lost people were turning and trusting in the Lord. There is nothing like being around someone who has spent time in prayer and where people are getting saved. It's so refreshing. 

Don't get me wrong, I'm sure that Jesus would get busy as well, but He deliberately took the time to stop, to listen attentively to individuals, to stoop down, to reach over and take the hand of a blind man, to heal him. 

"Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him. So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything. And he looked up and said, 'I see men like trees, walking.' Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly." Mk. 8:22-25 nkjv

He was about His Father's biz…

"Since they could not bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof over the place where Jesus was. Then they lowered the cot on which the paralyzed man was lying." Mark 2:4

About His Father's biz daily…

You know that King Jesus was never selfish, but He was kindly out there with the people, just touching the lepers...

Yes, those "filthy untouchables" as some liked to call them to order to warn others away from them.

He was there rightly touching or kissing a child's bruised and skinned-up knee. 

"Let the children come to me. Don't stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children."

Can you see Him will all the kids? Smack (Kiss)! Yup, right there on the forehead. 

And then He's off ministering to a woman with an issue. 

Musta been such a drag to have that.

Can't even imagine.  

Ever run into ordinary people with needs on the streets, let me tell you something..so many of them suffer out there and have real issues.

We've all had our problems at times - people need the Lord. 

But Jesus kept helping, and teaching, and touching, and preaching, and talkin' heart to heart ..giving viable solutions to them.

….wiping a sweaty brow over here.

…calling a dead child back to life over there.

..healing the sick, and diseased, and infirmed....everyday folks that the He came across.

He didn't leave them in the same way as they were before they met Him. 

Hearing the truth in love just does that to a person. 

Jesus Christ was busy because He loved the Father and He sincerely cared about people He made. 

Busy yes, but not too busy for quiet time away, or for obedience to His Father.

He was about His Father's biz year after year but died young in the will of the Father…

Just to think about His proper pace, attitude, and those encounters. Yeah, like with that, "a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any, came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched. And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me. And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before him, she declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately. And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace." Lk. 8:43-48 kjv

The masses flocked to Him cuz of stuff grace like that. Can you imagine all those people, thousands just pushing and shoving ..just trying to get close to Jesus? But who do you know that wants to get near a woman or anybody with a twelve year long issue of any sort? Man, I know my old nature inside would speak up n say, "Yo Kurt, let's like go the other way quickly and get busy with something else dude."  But Jesus didn't ditch. He's not like me....but He's also teaching me/us to deny that old nature. That's how He is. 

Never forget that God never deliberately goes blind so to speak.. to the needs of the needy. He doesn't walk past or arrive late..even if it seems like He's late. No, He doesn't miss anyone with unfaltering-faith. Many so called "men of the cloth" back in the day...you know em as religious leaders...who merely have an outward appearance of godliness on the outside while they totally lack the Holy Spirit on the inside.. yes, they actually deny the power of God's Kingdom. Well, these guys would walk right on past, and on over to the other side of the road to avoid. Remember the story of the man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho who was attacked by robbers? Well, thank God for that good Samaritan guy who happened by and wouldn't piously bail-out.  

The Bible's wording is interesting and says that a priest after seeing the beat-up one just, "angled across to the other side. Then a Levite religious man showed up; he also avoided the injured man."

Let's pray we can do better. Dear God, people near us watch us everyday to see where we "as Christians" will flub-up in Your name, but during this time of year where we celebrate Your birthday and all, please help us believers to be more like You, and more like that Samaritan man who took compassionate action. Empower us, anoint us, guide us. It's so important cuz we have loved ones who have yet to decide. Imprint on our minds a picture of that decent Samaritan man who gave that battered person on the road-side simple, "first aid, disinfecting and bandaging his wounds. Then he lifted him onto his donkey, led him to an inn, and made him comfortable. In the morning he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, 'Take good care of him. If it costs any more, put it on my bill—I'll pay you on my way back.'" Lk. 10:25-37. Help us to study those who are compassionate in You. Thanks Jesus.  

Now, every week and almost every day, my parents who are in the 70s and retired, are out of their house early and working with the sick, with the recovering, and with the dying. Dad says they do it as unto the Lord and I believe him. They've been to a lot of funerals of people dear to em, that they've intentionally made dear, but you know that can get hard and even old sometimes.

My wife Liney is the same way out in our neighborhood etc. She is so awesome. 

I feel proud of them in a good sense for all they do, for how God is working through each one of them. I pray that He will do that through me as well.   

Yup, I hear all their stories and it really challenges me to the bone. Jesus Himself is and was like that with hopeless people. People are still dear to Him and You are dear to Him even when you don't feel like it! He feels like your life matters and it does, and He indeed wants to bless you as you obey the promptings of His Holy Spirit even today. Do you know Him in a personal sorta way? Please know Christ. 

Believer, when you feel like getting too busy for God this holiday season, just quiet down your soul and meditate upon these words below...

"A faith without some doubts is like a human body with no antibodies in it. People who blithely go through life too busy or indifferent to ask the hard questions about why they believe as they do will find themselves defenseless against either the experience of tragedy or the probing questions of a smart skeptic. A person's faith can collapse almost overnight if she failed over the years to listen patiently to her own doubts, which should only be discarded after long reflection."  ~ Tim Keller

The Bible says, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." Rom. 12:2

The worldly, the spiritually lukewarm, the nominal, the carnally-minded, and the people who are merely religious are just too BUSY. Their full form of BUSY could honestly be listed as this:

Being
Under
Satan's cruel
Yoke

When we become too busy... 

Our Walk with God Diminishes

Our Physical Fatigue Increases..duh!

Our Relationships are Stretched

Our Health Can Suffer

Our Long-Term Effectiveness, Fruitfulness and Viability are Threatened

Real children of God are NOT too BUSY or lazy..or at least not too long like this before they stop to repent. Their full form of BUSY could be listed as this:
Being
Under
Savior's easier
Yoke

"For My yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light." Matt. 11:30

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Mat. 11:28

"And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever." 1 Jn. 2:17

"Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!" Ps. 46:10

"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.." Eccl. 3:1-22

May we take the time to pray and also keep our eyes pealed for the sick, those recovering, and the dying all around us this holiday season. Like facebook.com/kurtwvs

Why reach out to lost people during the holidays, or on any other day?

Here’s why…

* People are hurting, broken, guilty, lonely, empty and afraid to die.

* People are living in the last days and need to decide. Just look around you to see what is happening and how things have accelerated. And no matter your eschatology one thing is for sure… you and I are living in our last days. Life here is so brief. It’s like a vapor (Ps. 39:11, 62:9, Jam. 4:14)—gone so quickly.  

* People cannot gain and enjoy righteous fellowship with God by money (the God who hates destructive sin can't be paid off), by good works, by suckin'-up or by any other efforts. 

Many people believe that they will have a chance to talk fast and get right with God postmortem (after they die and face the Judge), but it ain’t gunna happen. They Bible makes this clear—gotta make your reservations in advance through Jesus Christ. Remember Lazarus and the right man?  

* People cannot even reach out to God for forgiveness by their own efforts. We all need to respond as the Holy Spirit woos and draws us to Jesus.

* People have value - they matter. Christ reached out and He still deeply loves lost people, wanting each of them to repent, believe and be saved.

* People can have all their needs met by faith in God. True fulfillment, inner peace, eternal purpose, and real satisfaction can only come to a person once they have been forgiven by Jesus.

“When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. "Zacchaeus!" he said. “Quick, come down! For I must be a guest in your home today. Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy.” Luke 19:5-6

The Lord ain’t so much into where a person is coming from as in where that person is headed. He ain’t so much into how much sin a sinner has committed per se, but is very much concerned that all have sinned and all need to turn to Him away from it today. Of course Jesus will accept those who humble themselves in repentance and He will show them his unconditional love as they come to the cross willing to be changed.

* People have great potential - there's potential there for all who are made righteous, that they each will grow spiritually, become fruitful and will be used of God for world-changing exploits—yes, to accomplish great things for the glory of the Lord. Christ catches His fish so to speak and then He cleans them.

That which I used to loath (talk of truth and the things of God), I now love and that which is used to love (sinning) I now loath. Religious folk try to change sinners from the outside in (remember the Pharisees?), but Jesus can change any of us from the inside out.  

“Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, "I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have overcharged people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!" Luke 19:8

Witnessing to lost people domestically or overseas.. for the purpose of winning them to faith in Christ (..meaning to the Jesus in the Bible) is the heartbeat of God. It’s the mission of every believer. And newborn baby Christians are the lifeblood of the local church.

Some believers who say they aren’t called to evangelize or discipleship in Christ need to re-read their Bibles. Some with an honest heart might even say they don’t like evangelism, but what they don’t like is some off-base, strange, or religious “caricature of evangelism” that ain’t the soul-winning that Jesus did cuz all true believers really love evangelism the way Jesus won people.

I love how Zacchaeus humbly turned and received Christ. He repented. Repent means to be sorry for what you’ve done and then stop doing it. Too many people confuse feeling remorseful with this, but they are not repentant. I love how Christ dealt with Zac. 

And it all happened so simply rather than religiously. Zacchaeus repented, trusted Jesus and was transformed from greedy to generous, from selfish to selfless, from a person with a thieving heart to one with a heart of thanksgiving. God made him content and changed him from a person of full loneliness to one of true excitement and joy, from one of rejection to one of good acceptance in the Beloved.

“Jesus responded, ‘Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a son of Abraham. And I, the Son of Man, have come to seek and save those like him who are lost.’" Luke 19:9-10

That can happen for you today. It can happen right now! Do you need get right with God? Don’t put it off. Come to Christ just as you are.. before anyone or anything can distract you from this. Nothing, no nothing at all is more important!

I wish there was some wonderful place called the land of beginning again. Where all our mistakes and all our heartaches and all our sickening sin could be dropped on the floor like an old shabby coat and never be put on again. ~ Anon.

Simple talk to Him in your own words. Ask and allow God to forgive you and then make you loving like Christ—one who is strong spiritually and seeks to rescue the lost. He is completely sovereign not kinda sovereign, and He desires to use you in His exciting plan.  

“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.'" John 14:6

"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Acts 4:12

You simply receive Jesus by humble turning and sincere invitation.

Jesus said (in Revelation 3:20), "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him."

It's about turning to God from a self directed lifestyle (repentance) and appropriating His forgiveness for your sins.  It involves trusting Him to transform you and then maturing you into what He wants you to be. Many intellectually acknowledge the facts of Christ's deity (Jesus being God), and about His crucifixion, bodily resurrection and ascension, but agreeing with the Bible alone is insufficient for obtaining salvation.  Having had emotional or supernatural experiences are also inadequate.  By an act of your will, you receive Jesus with His full-orbed redemption by faith and that solely is enough!

Kurt, what specifically are you asking me to do? This...

1. Recognize that you are a sinner (admit your need) 

2. Repent of your sin (be willing to turn) 

3. Realize that Jesus Christ died for you on the Cross and rose from the grave. 

4. Receive Jesus as Lord into your life to empower and control you by the Holy Spirit (through prayer). Stay with Him in fellowship with a Bible teaching church. 

5. Resolve to do it publicly. Everyone, who Jesus called, He called openly and publicly 

6. Respond to Christ now! Why NOW? Because God says now, Today is the day of salvation, now is the acceptable time. The Devil will say “tomorrow,” but Jesus says now.

Biblical “Salvation” begins with:

1. Repentance – a change of mind, we have a new mind about God.

2. Conversion – a change of life, we have a new life from God. 

3. Regeneration – a change of nature, we receive a new heart from God. 

4. Justification – a change of state, we have a new standing before God. 

5. Adoption – a change of family, we get a new relationship toward God. 

6. Sanctification – a change of service, we have a new condition with God.

"As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His Name." John 1:12

"For whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Romans 10:13   

Check it out in context. Prayerfully read: Luke 19:1-10 facebook.com/shareJesus