Crossroads

The Nativity Story will be released this Friday. Here is a movie that seems to be promising in its content and delivery. Read Al Mohler’s comments on this movie here. As Christmas approaches, let us not forget that it’s not about family get togethers or trees or presents or Santa Clause… 

I recently received an email with the following content: 

Wallace:  

Lou:  

Just another day at the office… Oh how good it is to laugh sometimes!

True holiness, we surely ought to remember, does not consist merely of inward sensations and impressaions. It is much more than tears, and sighs, and bodily excitement, and a quickened pulse, and a passionate feeling of attachment to our own favourite preachers and our own religious party, and a readiness to quarrel with everyone who does not agree with us. It is something of "the image of Christ," which can be seen and observed by others in our private life, and habits, and character, and doings (Rom.8:29).  — J.C. Ryle

We have a Crossroads Meeting tomorrow evening! We are taking a break from our series on the Word, and we will be talking about music. In the recent months, I’ve had a number of conversations with people about different bands and their music. Music is such an integral part of our lives. But how are we as Christians to view music? Is there a secular/sacred distinction? What does the Bible say about music?

Come early for coffee at 7pm! 

If you’re like me and concerned that your prayers are often centered around you, here is an opportunity to pray for others. This weekend (Friday and Saturday) is the Alpha Retreat weekend. Dave Hinders and about 30 other people, including 15 or so guests who are non-believers, from our church and about 10 people from our sister church in Ashburn (Grace Community Church) are going on a retreat. Those guests will have opportunities to hear the gospel and witness the gospel lived out in the lives of the volunteers who will be there. Please pray that those who do not know the Lord would experience God’s mercy and repent from their sins and place their trust in Jesus Christ. Please ask the Lord to pour out His Spirit on all who will attend this retreat.

Do you pray?  How often? For how long? What do you pray for? I’d be curious to know what your practice of this spiritual discipline looks like, partly because I am not really good at being consistent and systematic in my approach to prayer and I’m seeking to grow. When I pray, I get very distracted by many random thoughts; when I pray, my prayers are centered around my needs, my requests, my everything… I have been reading D.A. Carson’s book on prayer called "A Call to Spiritual Reformation" in my devotions, and this book has been both convicting and helpful. He says that one of the most common excuses that we make for not praying is that we are too busy to pray.

"Both in our work and in our play, we rush, we perform, we accomplish, we strive, we do. We are not living in a contemplative age. When we stop rushing and performing and doing, many of us park ourselves in front of a television, possibly a television attached to a video recorder, and simply absorb what is dished out. The result is that we seldom take time to think, to meditate, to wonder, to analyze; we seldom take time to pray.

There is nothing inherently sinful or wrong with watching TV or movies for entertainment. But if we spend hours on entertaining ourselves and just a few seconds on acknowledging God in prayer, what does that say about how we view Him and how we view our need for Him? Dr. Carson offers a simple solution for this: "…if you are too busy to pray, you are too busy. Cut something out."