The Inn Keeper at Christmas

Dear Friends,

Have you ever wondered what became of the innkeeper in Bethlehem who let Mary and Joseph have their baby in his barn?

Did he have little children? When the soldiers came from Herod, did they hunt for the birth place of the dangerous baby and start the slaughter there? What did it cost the innkeeper to house the Messiah in his first hours?

In the poem called The Innkeeper, I tried to imagine what might have happened when the soldiers came. And what Jesus might have said if he showed up 30 years later to talk to the innkeeper about it. It's fiction. But its aim is truth and hope and joy.

Desiring God and Crossway Books have teamed up to make a new video recording of my reading of this poem. We hope it will touch some deep place in your heart, perhaps through a wound. Maybe it will find its way into your Christmas family celebrations, or your small group, or even the gathered church.

If you've ever lost a child, or ever faced a tragedy, just when you thought you were doing good, we hope The Innkeeper will bring you comfort and strength. In my experience poetry has a way of touching us sometimes when simple sentences don't. In one sense, I hope you enjoy it. But there may be deeper emotions too. May the risen Lord Jesus turn your Advent and your Christmas into something really extraordinary this year.

John Piper

The Worship tomorrow at NRN - WNRN - LIVE! from Richard's Tree Lot! A preview

Dress rehearsal has come to a close and the live trees will be picked up soon to be delivered to the church for our worship tomorrow as we celebrate our Christmas program with a newly designed version of WNRN - Plan to invite someone and make every effort to be with us at 10:45am!

I was really happy to stop by for the last minutes of the rehearsal today.  Tomorrow is going to be an awesome day at NRN!   Here are a few random pictures:

The live trees will be in place tomorrow and the chairs will be filled with invited guest!

WNRN personalities Adam Stone (Bob Floyd) and Mary Lamb (Kathy Muller)

Don't miss the anticipated solo by John Pope!

Friday Funny - a little Gospel Quartet at Christmas

Since relocating back to North Carolina in August of 2007 I have scheduled at least one southern gospel group each year to sing at our church. I am always on the search for a great southern gospel group to come and sing at our church.  Here is one I have recently heard via facebook and thought you would enjoy it during this time of the year:

Are You ready for Christmas?

December is here -- bringing the dreaded question everybody hates: "Are you ready for Christmas?" Whenever that question is asked, the response is always a groan -- "Are you kidding? Don't remind me!"

The assumption here is that "Are you ready for Christmas?" means "Are your decorations all up, your cookies all baked, and your gifts all purchased? Are you finished with all of your Christmas preparations?"

Of course, the answer to that question will most likely be a resounding "NO!" (Unless you are one of those rare breeds who plans way ahead and finishes your Christmas shopping sometime around Halloween. Many of us are "adrenaline" shoppers. We wait until the last minute, and then scurry off in a shopping frenzy.

I wonder what would happen if we moved being ready for Christmas from the "finished" side of the holidays, to the "beginning". Instead of thinking we have to be done with everything before we're ready, can't we "get ready" ahead of time? If we wait until all the tasks are finished before we are ready for Christmas, we miss out on the beauty of the season. A properly prepared heart changes the way a person experiences the days between Thanksgiving and the New Year.

One early December day, I was on a solitude seeking drive, and happened upon a monastery. If there's solitude anywhere, a monastery tops the list! As I entered the building, I noticed brown-robed monks chanting around, along with a white haired lady who was obviously a visitor.

"What are you doing in a monastery?” I asked.

"I'm getting ready for Christmas," she replied. Looking around, I didn't see any gift wrap or cook books.

"How are you getting ready for Christmas here?"

"I'm reading the works of C. S. Lewis." 

"Oh," I mumbled, "I didn't know Lewis wrote Christmas books".

She smiled as she responded, "He didn't!"

Today, as December 25 approaches like a freight train, I'm pondering: What can I do to prepare myself for Christmas?

How can I tune my heart so I will fully embrace this sacred season?

Here are a few thoughts:

1. This Christmas, don't over-do it. Think ahead and refuse to overspend, overeat, or overextend yourself.

2. Refuse to succumb to commercialism. Gadgets and gizmos are merely clutter.

3. Practice the art of intentional generosity. (i.e. caroling, ringing the Salvation Army bell, helping others)

4. Renounce all "grinchiness" and willfully embrace the Christmas spirit -- love, joy and peace.

5. Keep Christ first in Christmas.

6. Express love through simple acts of kindness.

I hope the next time somebody asks the banal question, "Are you ready for Christmas?" You can respond with a surprise: "Absolutely! Bring it on, Baby!"

Note: Stolen from the blog of a good friend: Mark Wilson. 

Wonders Of The Heart - Today's devotion from Our Daily Bread

Our heart beats about 100,000 times every day, pumping blood to every cell in our bodies. This adds up to about 35 million beats a year and 2.5 billion beats in an average lifetime. Medical science tells us that every contraction is similar to the effort it would take for us to hold a tennis ball in our palm and give it a good hard squeeze.

Yet as amazing as our heart is, it is only one example of a natural world that is designed to tell us something about our Creator. This is the idea behind the story of a man named Job.

Broken by a series of mounting troubles, Job felt abandoned. When God finally spoke, He didn't  tell Job why he was suffering. Nor did the Creator tell him that someday He would suffer for Job. Instead, He drew Job’s attention to a series of natural wonders that are always whispering to us—and sometimes shouting—about a wisdom and power far greater than our own (Job 38:1-11).

So what can we learn from the complexity of this hardworking muscle, the heart? The message may be similar to the sound of waves coming to shore and stars quietly shining in the night sky. The power and wisdom of our Creator give us reason to trust Him.

Lord, we are Yours, You are our God;
We have been made so wondrously;
This human frame in every part
Your wisdom, power, and love we see. —Anon.

When we reflect on the power of God’s creation, we see the power of His care for us.

Mary Did you Know by Pentatonix

Ready for a moving song?  

Yesterday, December 7th, 1941—a date which will live in infamy

As I served communion yesterday at church I shared these words: 

Today is December 7th.  Seventy Three years ago, on a Sunday morning, the United States was attacked at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. 
Over 2000 people were killed and over 1,000 people injured in the surprise attack that drew the United States into World War II.

This is a national day of remembrance and during our time of communion we pause to pray for those men and women who have given their lives in sacrifice for our freedom and to offer thanks to God for His gift of salvation through His Son Jesus Christ! 

Yesterday, December 7th, 1941—a date which will live in infamy—the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan. The United States was at peace with that nation, and, at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with its government and its Emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific ... With confidence in our armed forces, with the unbounding determination of our people, we will gain the inevitable triumph. So help us God."— President Franklin D. Roosevelt before a Joint Session of Congress, December 8, 1941.