This was the first Christmas at the Allen house that the pressure was on for Santa to make sure that all of the gifts were properly assembled and waiting under the tree when the sound of little feet made their way down the hall and toward the Christmas tree on Christmas morning. Santa came through. As many of you heard in the days leading up to Christmas, Cameron wanted a “choo-choo train” from Santa. There were pieces that had to be fitted together just right and batteries to be installed in the right direction to make sure that everything was ready to go and the whistle would blow at just the right moment. IT WORKED!
As many of you know from assembling toys for kids young and old, directions are a very important element to the equation. Most of us guys think we can do it without the directions and so we try for a while with our wives in the room telling us to get the directions out and it will make it easier. It is true. If you follow the directions, it will make the project go quite a bit smoother. Why is that? It is because the creator of the toy is telling us how to do it the RIGHT way.
Well, as we begin a new year I want to remind you that God is the creator of the church. He has given us directions on how the church is to be assembled. I want to encourage you to faithfully use the instruction manual that He has given us this year to make sure that His project is successful! God has done some good things at FBC Grandview in 2005, but I believe that He has even better things in store for us in 2006 if we will be faithful to Him and His plans. I want to challenge you and your family to faithfully spend some time reading God’s word (the instructions) and praying for His plans for what your part will be in helping His church be great in 2006. That is where it begins. Just like trying to do a project without directions usually ends in a mess, we try to do things on our own and in our own strength we will make a mess. Will you join me in praying for God’s plans to be done in this new year? It is going to be a great ride if we will just be faithful!
I want to thank you all for making this Christmas season a wonderful time for our church family. We had some great times of corporate worship, fellowship, and Bible study. Just remember that Jesus is the reason we celebrate and as believers we should celebrate every day as if it were Christmas and Easter! We serve a risen Savior! What a privilege it is to be given the task to “go tell it on the mountain!”
