Davidson's Christmas Newsletter

Come As A Child!

Children are wonderful. God blessed us with 3, and then blessed us with 3 more! In addition, he blessed us with 9 grandchildren. Children are wonderful and when we all get together at Christmas it is beautiful chaos! Excitement and suspense. Joy and wonder—the love of Christmas.

Seen through the eyes of a child it IS pure wonder and joy as a young child catches his first glimpse of Christmas—lights he can see, presents he can open, carols he can “sing” - not to mention the cookies he can taste! And as much of Grammi’s fudge as they can stuff into their mouths without choking!

Can WE, as adults come as children to the Christ of Christmas? No, not to the manger—but to the Cross and to the Empty Tomb of our Saviour and Risen Lord. Come as a child today—eager to learn, eager to laugh, eager to live, eager to love. You see, HE is the Master Teacher, the Author of Joy, the Giver of Life and the Lord of Love—and He awaits our worship this day. “O COME, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord!”

Our Family

We wanted to update you on the happenings in our family this year.

Lisa and Allen live and work in Springfield. Allen is a realtor with Keller Williams Agency. Lisa is Academic Advisor, Professional Studies at Evangel University and working on her Master’s in Organizational Leadership. Lisa and Allen along with their children, Tara-12, Emma-10, and Adam–8, are involved in ministry activities at their church, James River Assembly in Ozark, MO.

Kristi and Tim, Mason—12, Evan—9, and Jordan—8 are looking forward to the arrival of the long awaited and much loved addition to their family. Mia ShyAn Xin Singer, 20 months, will join them in the next couple months. You can help them pray for speedy travel approval to bring her home.

John, Lynette, Breanna-5 and Brant-2, live in Red Oak, Texas. They attend The Oaks Fellowship. John is the Spiritual Formation Director for the Dallas Master’s Commission. He received his Master’s in Theological Studies in May and God is using him to teach young adults to be leaders in churches across America.

We are grateful God has chosen to use our children to bring honor and glory to Him. We are blessed.

God, in his favor, gifted us with a new home this year. We are grateful for this unexpected and unmerited blessings in our lives.


Merry Christmas
From Our Home To Yours!
Ken and Linda

Many Thanks!

So much to be thankful for this season! Family, food (more than enough), home, the hope of Jesus to bring us ultimately to our eternal goal - heaven.

This year brings added "thanks". Few experiences in life equal the news and the ensuing arrival of a new baby. This year our new baby is "Mia"! (Even though she is already 19 months old).

Tim and Kristi and their boys have been preparing for this experience for over 2 years. They now have a face and they have their pre-approval. Which means that, except for a couple more documents and probably several more weeks of waiting, everything is in place for them to travel to China to bring Mia home.

I'm a grandfather again - for the ninth time! Call me Ken. Call me honey. Call me Dad. Call me son. Call me friend. Call me pastor. Call me Grampy and I'm ready to go!

So - when you see me - if it seems that my head is a little higher, that I seem a bit more 'giddy', it's just thankfulness oozing out of this 'grampy'. Just bring 'Mia' to me so I can hold her, play with her, spoil her - and, in time, I'll be okay! In the meantime, I'm thankful - very thankful!

Post Election Blues

Can you find a cure for it? Do they prescribe a medication for it? What to do for "post election blues"?

Here's the cure: Shout - out loud - three times - "Hallelujah, it's over!!!"

No matter your age or political persuasion - you and I are living in historic times:
**first black President
**most electoral votes since Bill Clinton
**most popular votes by a Democratic President in recent history, etc.

Can Barack Obama bring our troops in Iraq home sooner? I don't know.
Can Barack Obama bring an end to the economic slump we're in? I don't know.

If confidence and charisma alone are enough to make a great president - Barack Obama should be the greatest president the USA has ever had.

What I do know is this - our source for strength and wisdom and encouragement and help and hope and healing for our lives and for our land is "God" and "God alone"!

So - shake those "election blues" off. How? PRAY!

Pray for leadership.

1 Timothy 2.1,2 - "...I urge that prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving be made for everyone - for kings and all those in authority that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all holiness and godliness."

Barack Obama, come January, will be your president. If you cast your ballot for him you need to pray for him.

If you did not vote for Barack Obama - you still must pray for him. For Bible believing Christians - you have a great responsibility to pray.

I'm convinced that my prayer should be for the Holy Spirit to guide the thinking processes of all the "thinking" and "talking" heads. Why? Because, prayer and the Holy Spirit can go where you and I cannot go! I believe that the Holy Spirit can cause godly and ungodly men and women to make decisions they would not have otherwise made when the Holy Spirit gets involved!

"People of the Spirit" - rise up! "People of the Spirit" don't quit! "People of the Spirit" don't back down! "People of the Spirit" - be led by the Spirit, walk in the Spirit, talk in the Spirit!!

I feel like singing!! What a mighty God we serve!!

Weekend Revival!

What do you get when you combine a total of 200 people for three different settings for our guest Evangelist - Greg Summers?

What you get is multiple opportunities for folks just like you and me to tap into what God wants for each of us.

Evangelist Greg Summers said, "unless a person has experienced a 'move of God' in their life they will likely not recognize one when it comes!" People were 'pursuing God' around the altar this weekend.

Let's be 'God Chasers'!

New

"Are you settled into your new home?" someone asked. To which I replied - yes, but haven't found a place for everything just yet!

Do you know the feeling? You want to put it up, hang it up, set it on a shelf. But, you're not quite sure where to put it, hang it or set it! So, you wait for just the right spot at the right time - thereby leaving fewer wall holes to repair in the long run.

And, even though new at one time, everything you and I possess will age. As it does it will need repair, maintenance or replacement. Nothing lasts forever!

What to do? Take the best care of it you can. Oil it. Water it. Move it. Set it up high. Set it down low. Let it get lots of sun. Keep it in the shade. Read it. Drive it. Open it. Close it. Read the instructions!

And, when it comes time to get rid of it - perhaps you'll have enough "its" and then you can have a yard sale!

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Hey, don't forget to check out - 6:23 - Saturdays at 6:23. Come at 6 and enjoy the coffee and snacks. Great environment for the whole family.

This Saturday our weekend evangelist Greg Summers will share God's word. Greg will also preach Sunday morning at 10 am and Sunday evening at 6pm. Plan to attend all three times!

In That Great Gittin' Up Mornin'....

....Fare thee well, fare thee well! So, I wonder what the song writer was actually thinking when he penned those words? Whatever he was thinking it was for sure about heaven!

One Sunday School teacher asked her class (thinking, of course, salvation being the criteria for entering heaven) "what do you have to do to get to heaven?" To which one little boy replied,
"You gotta die!"

A little boy wrote a letter to God - addressed it to heaven and mailed it. Someone opened it (rather than allowing it to go the 'dead letter route'). It read, "Dear God, what's it like to die? I don't want to do it, I just want to know. Your friend, Michael"

Many people want to go to heaven they just don't want to have to die to get there!

When you travel to a new destination - you read up on that area, territory, country. All of the 'experiences' people have had, all the printed material about heaven will never adequately portray what heaven is really like. The closest to knowing what heaven will really be like is recorded in the Bible. The only person who has been there and can tell me what it is like is Jesus! When you know that as a believer in Jesus Christ, death is just a transition into the presence of God!

Speaking of heaven Paul says: "If I had to choose right now, I hardly know which I'd choose....The desire to break camp here and be with Christ is powerful. Some days I can think of nothing better".

So, in the words of the song writer: "In that great gittin' up mornin' --- I'm outta here!!!"

What a day - glorious day that will be!

Projects!

If you lived in Chicago - you might hear someone say they "live in the projects."

But, if you asked this question around First Assembly right about now: "What kinds of projects are you working on?" I know what you'd hear. Several people are doing some minor to major overhauls in their homes.

And, isn't that sorta the way life is? Only so many things can be piled over there before the pile needs to be sorted through and some things thrown out and some things boxed up and some things just put in the place where they belong.

So, what kinds of projects are you working on? What things need an overhaul in your life? Whatever they are - bathe them in prayer. In recent weeks I've worked on three flooring projects. All of which required me to be on my knees. And, as sore as my knees are right now, I think I must not spend quite enough time on my knees! (Maybe we all need some flooring projects!)

Blessings,

Pastor D

PS: Happy birthday to my youngest grandson Brant who was 2 August 24th, to my Mom whose birthday is today and to Shelline Williams who is 89 Tuesday the 26th.

New Stuff!

Don't you just love the smell of new leather, new carpet, new paint? And, the new look! New furniture, new car, new house, new..........

Not everything new is the most fun and/or enjoyable. Perhaps you broke a bone for the first time in your life. You and your car were involved in an accident. You went to the hospital for the first time, etc..

Some new things that were more pleasant - you started a new hobby. You fixed a meal you've never prepared before. You received a special award. You vacationed some place you've never been before.

God told us that he was going to do a "new thing"! Suppose God has designs on using you to teach or help in a classroom setting? Suppose God wants to place you in leadership? Suppose God wants you to use a special gift or talent you possess?

Since it is impossible for me to be aware of all the giftings of all the people - what music to this pastor's ears when someone says to him - "Pastor, I'd love to help with......" Wow! Now that, for some, would be a new thing! And, God smiles when you do that new thing!

The day and society we live in requires all Christians to step up and so some things new! When God speaks clearly to you about working/serving in a certain area of ministry of the church -- please know that he will also supply all that you need to accomplish the task.

He'll give you physical, emotional, spiritual strength. He will supply whatever finances you need. He will give you wisdom to know how to do what he is prompting.

I just love new stuff! Don't you?

Ode To The Fishermen!

Our fishermen went fishing just for the fun and glory,
They told us all they did catch fish, a rather doubtful story.
No evidence existed, not one photo could be found,
The memory card went through the wash, causing it to drown.
You’d think that with that group of men,
each with their camera phone,
There’d be at least one photo that they could bring back home.
We also learned the weatherman didn’t plan things very well.
The rains came down, the floods came up, they went to a motel.
We heard a lot of talk about the ones that got away,
But c’mon now, you can’t catch fish at the Golden Coral buffet!
So how to prove they had success, leaves us in a quandary,
I think next time they better help Eugene do up his laundry!


John W. Shelman

Lost and Found!

LOST!

Word on the street is that any pictures of actual fish caught on the recent HonorBound fishing trip are on a memory stick (owned by Eugene Ellison) that 'accidently' went through the wash and dryer cycle! Sounds like a 'fish story' if ever I heard one!

FOUND!

Seven year-old Cameron won the bicycle at the May 17 Saftey Day sponsored by the Royal Rangers. Last week in Royal Rangers Cameron prayed with Karen Holland, asking Jesus into his life! Wow! Bringing people to Jesus by all possible means!!

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I hope you have the opportunity this summer to take at least a little time off from the routine for R & R. Spend time with your family. Play some family games - make homemade ice cream, eat watermelon, spruce up your yard together, take some made-from-scratch chocolate chip cookies to a neighbor......make Sunday 9am Christian Education and 10am Worship a priority.

Have a great time away! See you at the House!!

Pastor Davidson

Can't Wait For The "Fish" Stories.

Gone Fishin'

PLEASE -PLEASE pray for 9 men representing First Assembly as we wade and struggle our way through the Elk river of southwestern Missouri. Pray for us as we fish that our lines will not get tangled. Pray that we can endure sitting around the campfire eating smores (after we have pigged out on Dana's homemade stew).

Pray that we can endure to the end. Oh yeh, and that we will actually catch fish!

What I'm trying to say is - GONE FISHING!

Blessings,
Pastor D

Let's Talk!

Did you ever think it would come to this?

A blogger!

My grandad was a logger.

My uncle was a slogger (pig-pen variety).

And, now - I am a blogger!

So - off I go into the wide-wide world of blogging.

Questions - comments - suggestions.

Let's talk!