The Christmas Eve Bird 2013

The Christmas Eve Bird

Hello everybody, I heard this story by Paul Harvey many years ago, PLEASE, TAKE TIME TO READ IT !!

The Man and the Birds
by Paul Harvey

The man to whom I’m going to introduce you was not a scrooge, he was a kind decent, mostly good man. Generous to his family, upright in his dealings with other men. But he just didn’t believe all that incarnation stuff which the churches proclaim at Christmas Time. It just didn’t make sense and he was too honest to pretend otherwise. He just couldn’t swallow the Jesus Story, about God coming to Earth as a man.

“I’m truly sorry to distress you,” he told his wife, “but I’m not going with you to church this Christmas Eve.” He said he’d feel like a hypocrite. That he’d much rather just stay at home, but that he would wait up for them. And so he stayed and they went to the midnight service.

Shortly after the family drove away in the car, snow began to fall. He went to the window to watch the flurries getting heavier and heavier and then went back to his fireside chair and began to read his newspaper. Minutes later he was startled by a thudding sound…Then another, and then another. Sort of a thump or a thud…At first he thought someone must be throwing snowballs against his living room window. But when he went to the front door to investigate he found a flock of birds huddled miserably in the snow. They’d been caught in the storm and, in a desperate search for shelter, had tried to fly through his large landscape window.

Well, he couldn’t let the poor creatures lie there and freeze, so he remembered the barn where his children stabled their pony. That would provide a warm shelter, if he could direct the birds to it.

Quickly he put on a coat, galoshes, tramped through the deepening snow to the barn. He opened the doors wide and turned on a light, but the birds did not come in. He figured food would entice them in. So he hurried back to the house, fetched bread crumbs, sprinkled them on the snow, making a trail to the yellow-lighted wide open doorway of the stable. But to his dismay, the birds ignored the bread crumbs, and continued to flap around helplessly in the snow. He tried catching them…He tried shooing them into the barn by walking around them waving his arms…Instead, they scattered in every direction, except into the warm, lighted barn.

And then, he realized that they were afraid of him. To them, he reasoned, I am a strange and terrifying creature. If only I could think of some way to let them know that they can trust me…That I am not trying to hurt them, but to help them. But how? Because any move he made tended to frighten them, confuse them. They just would not follow. They would not be led or shooed because they feared him.

“If only I could be a bird,” he thought to himself, “and mingle with them and speak their language. Then I could tell them not to be afraid. Then I could show them the way to safe, warm…to the safe warm barn. But I would have to be one of them so they could see, and hear and understand.”

At that moment the church bells began to ring. The sound reached his ears above the sounds of the wind. And he stood there listening to the bells – Adeste Fidelis – listening to the bells pealing the glad tidings of Christmas.

And he sank to his knees in the snow.

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This is one of my favorite Christmas stories by one of my favorite radio men from yester-year Paul Harvey.  It tells us one of the great meanings of Christmas and I just love it and I wish to share it with you all.

 

But Dear friend, For God so loved the world that He gave  . . .  the gift of God . . . (not of works)

Please accept that gift and accept Jesus as your Savior.

 

God bless you and Merry Christmas Friend,

 

RevDanSam

 

 

 

 

Cooper drives the boat !!

After a long day of Christmas shopping, the last Saturday before Christmas, my wife and I came home, turned on the television set and crashed for a late afternoon nap.  I was waken from the sounds of the TV set and I reached for the remote.  I only flipped a couple of channels and I came to the Turner Classic station and noticed the 1975 movie "JAWS". It was on and about an hour left to watch. So I watch it,  again, but it was the first time in a long time.  And they came to the part where the captain of the boat said we each have a job and "Cooper drives the boat !!"  And God started to move on my heart and mind.

The captain had already called and assigned his men to their positions. Each had a job to do, though there where only three.  The captain, the sheriff and the marine biologist. Yet the captain, called his men to their position. "Cooper drives the boat !!"  The sheriff was complaining about his position. Throwing out smelly fish parts to draw the big shark in them.  A job that was smelly and not exactly clean, not exactly glamorous, yet a needed job to do. 

Jesus is called the captain of our salvation in Hebrews 2:10,For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings

On our trip on the old Ship of Zion, the captain of our salvation has called and assigned our position for Him.  Eph 4 says, And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; ¹² for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, obviously, we need to be about our Father's business, seeking for the lost souls for salvation.  Promoting the gospel of Christ !!  What has He called you to do ??

In the gospels, we read " go yet unto all the world", Jesus said in the book of John, "As my Father sent me, so I send you", in the book of Acts, chap. 1;8 ye shall be witnesses, and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.   The call from the captain has come and the assignment has been made, now follow Him.

But dear, there should be salvation before service, He will call you to be saved first, then service will come next.  many will say no to this and many may disagree, but it does not change any thing.  The bible says "Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart, and lean NOT on your own understanding"

"Cooper drives the boat" and it was decided by the captain and you must decide to follow Him.

God Bless you,
RevDanSam

Jesus is the reason for the season

M-E-R-R-Y  C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S !!    HAVE  A  HAPPY  CHRISTMAS  SEASON !!

Jesus is the reason for the season.  It's the truth.  But why does all local and main line media refuse the history and happiness of our dear Savior's birth ??  Well, I do know why.  So I have been on my own campaign to remind everybody on my Tweeter and Facebook also, here that "JESUS IS THE REASON F0R THE SEASON"

The denial has been on going for the last past several years.  In one situation with a radio station, they played 24/7 Christmas songs, but only to disclaim the Christ related songs.  Then there were others who emphasized Rudolph and Frosty, snow time and bells. Jolly times and the getting of gifts. All of which is part but not the whole reason.

I like the cookies, cakes and candies as much as anybody. The cooking and the caroling have their place.  :-)

And on the other hand don't go the route of the Christmas tree, as the the wood is the cross and lights represent Jesus.  Sometimes it just a tree with lights part of the Christmas decorations, but hmm,  . . . (wow, this could be opened for debate)  . . .  I mean red for the blood, blue for royalty and white for righteousness. Hmm, . . . 

Anyway, I love this time of the year, this season, and what season is that Dan ?? "CHRISTMAS SEASON !!"

We do and should celebrate and of course, it is the day designated / set side, for our dear Savior's birth. The great miracle where GOD became man. Lived among us and died on the cross for us. (if that isn't love)

What a great plan for us !!  I rejoice and will rejoice !!  GOD demonstrated His Love to us !!  While we were yet sinners, unfavored and undeserved, He loved us.
⁶ For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. ⁸ But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 
(I know, I know NJKV)  :-) 

Hey, wise men still seek Him !!
 
And my friend, God loves you, and He wants  you trust in Him today, call on the name of the Lord and be saved.

God Bless you all  . . .  M-E-R-R-Y  C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S  !!  and have a Happy Christmas Season !!

RevDanSam

The evolution of Sunday night church

After I got saved, I started to attend church regularly, meaning Sunday morning, Sunday night and Wednesday night.   As I got more active in the church,  it became Bus ministry, Sunday school, Sunday morning, Sunday night and Wednesday night.  Oh, did I mention choir practices, youth and adult choirs and also the church radio program.   So the day, Sunday, started Sunday morning 8:00am for Bus ministry,  Sunday school at 10:00am, Sunday morning worship 11:00am, of course take the kids home, grab lunch, go to the radio station at 3:00pm or Convalescent  Home meeting,  then Youth choir practice at 4:45pm, Adult choir practice at 5:45pm, of course prayer rooms at 6:45 then Sunday evening church at 7:00.  WOW,  it does sound like a lot, but we were young and younger.  ( I kind of miss it now )  And for me, I had  a 40 hour week job and nightly Bible College .  That was the way it was through much of the 1980s unitl I got married in 1987. (again, I say wow !!)  I went to nightly Bible College, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday night.  No wonder why some concern adults would say to me when do you find time to rest?? !!

In the middle of ALL those services and while serving Him, we had our Sunday night church.  The Best service of the week !!  At least for us it was, We had Great singing, shouting and preaching.  Some say now, it was because we all came together on Sunday night, all the workers, Bus and children.    All I know is that we had great meetings on our Sunday night services.  And I can honestly say, it was unique and has been never been repeated or re-created.  

Interestingly, for me, when my wife and I went into the ministry, we had this idea in our minds.  And at the first church I pastor, we found that Sunday night was the least attended and the least spiritual of ALL of our services.  I really did not understand it.   But then, that’s when an older wiser pastor told me a big lesson.  And it was that each church are different.  But it troubled me for a long time.  How could it be that way, for we had many great Sunday night services?  But even at our home church, there was a move evolve.   We had grown and we had to build.  We moved to our new location and then,  I guess we did loose, little by little the sweetness of the Sunday night service.   

Another evolution of the Sunday night service was the time change, I chuckle and smile about it now, but I can remember when Sunday night church started at 7:30pm, then it was change to 7:00pm, 6:30 in some places then 6:00pm, where it stayed for  a long time,  through the 1990s, now we hear of churches starting at 4:00 and 5:00pm. (well, to each his own I say or whatever works for you)  :-)

 

Well, forsake not the assembling of yourselves together as some have.   Gather yourself together to teach and learn about the ways of the Lord.  We need the fellowship of the saints, the Apostle Paul did and we should too.

God bless you friend, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shall be saved.

RevDanSam