The Lonely Broken Reindeer...

Only a few of you may know this, but my husband is really Clark W. Griswold. If you don’t know who that is, you should rent the DVD of National Lampoon’s ‘Christmas Vacation’. Or, better yet, save yourself the money and just drive by our house to experience it firsthand. Each year at Christmas time, Chris decorates the yard and house with thousands of twinkling lights and all the decorations he can fit onto every tree, bush, gutter, porch, fence and empty spot on the lawn. He really does an outstanding job of spreading Christmas cheer to the neighborhood.

As we were dragging out the decorations last night, out came the metal framed reindeer, you know, the kind wired with white lights whose heads move up and down? There were three reindeer lying on the sidewalk, their lights falling off the frames and tangled up, their heads disconnected from their bodies. Clark, I mean Chris, called from across the yard “Plug them in and see if they work and see if you can get their heads on!” Then I remembered that one unfortunate buck’s head had broken several years ago. I tried unsuccessfully to fix it, gave up, and let it flop to the ground. As he was watching, Chris called “Throw it away!”

For several years we have dragged this same broken reindeer from the basement, plugged him in, remembered his head was broken, and hollered at each other “throw him away!” He was repeatedly carried back to the basement to be thrown back on a lonely shelf in a dark corner, hoping that one day I would have the time and know how to fix that deer. A cheap lawn decoration, useless in its purpose, ignored in the hope that one day it could be salvaged. I cannot bring myself to throw it away. Maybe it’s just the pack-rat in me; I prefer to think it is a symbol of Christmas hope.

We do a lot of things to celebrate Christmas each year; we celebrate the birth of our Messiah, the One who saves us. I hope that broken reindeer can be fixed – but Jesus is THE hope of the entire world. He came to fix those who are broken, to save those that have been given up on. Those who are lonely have, in Him, a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Those who are not fulfilling their purpose in life can find their purpose in Him. To those who feel forgotten or neglected, He promised that He would never leave or forsake them. For those who live in darkness, Jesus can be their light; He is THE light of the world. That broken reindeer will probably still be sitting there on that lonely, dark shelf next Christmas, waiting to be salvaged and repaired. However, those who are broken, lonely, living in darkness, tangled up in sin can turn to Jesus today. We can rejoice during this Christmas season that our Messiah came to save us: Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Thanksgiving: A Christian Perspective...

Thanksgiving

(Heb. tôdâ; Gk. eucharistia). A duty of which gratitude is the grace. This obligation of godliness is acknowledged by the universal sentiment of mankind; but as a Christian grace it has some blessed peculiarities. It is gratitude for all the benefits of divine Providence, especially for the general and personal gifts of redemption. The very term most in use shows this; it is charis, which is the grace of God in Christ, operating in the soul of the believer as a principle and going back to Him in gratitude: "Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!" (2 Cor. 9:15). The ethical gratitude of Christianity connects every good gift and every perfect gift with the gift of Christ. Moreover, it is a thanksgiving that in the Christian economy, and in it alone, redounds to God for all things: in everything give thanks. This characteristic flows from the former. The rejoicing that we have in the Lord, and the everlasting consolation we possess in Him, makes every possible variety of divine dispensation a token for good. The Christian privilege is to find reason for gratitude in all things: "for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thes. 5:18).

- Dr. Hal Adams
Senior Pastor

What are you Thankful for?

As Thanksgiving approaches I find myself not thinking about the things I'm thankful for, as the holiday implies but thinking about all the things I've got to get done. Cooking, cleaning, cooking some more; crazy deadlines I've got because I can't balance everything I want to do with the amount of time I have to do them in. Is sleep really all that important? Don't get me wrong, I love this time of year: the cooking, the cleaning, the crazy deadlines, but when it starts to weigh me down (read consume my thoughts and give me that sinking feeling in my stomach) that is when I know I have problem. So tonight I am giving myself a good shake and making myself concentrate on what I'm thankful for:

A wonderful husband who is my best friend.
Family who are so understanding about my life.
Friends who know who and what I am and still like to hang out with me.
A little dog who I am crazy about.
A Church family who I dearly love.
And most importantly: A Heavenly Father who is crazy about me.

This is my list, what's yours? Let's hear from you RWC! What are you thankful for? Leave your list in the comments section and let me know, even if it is about your little dog.

-Allison Laster

A Work In Progress...

For the past week I've has a nasty sore on the side of my tongue that has made it nearly impossible to talk. Yes, Ryan has been speechless. I know you don't believe me. Let just say Sammi and I are awesome at charades now. The pain was so bad my doctor actually prescribed me vicodin. It actually made me sick. Fun times X 2.

Anywhoo, I'm getting off topic. So I've been incapable of speech for the past 5-7 days. Guess what fell smack in the middle of those days...my birthday. Yeah. So since I haven't been able to spend much time enlightening those around me, I've had ample time to attempt enlightening myself. Moving on.

All that to set the stage. My wife is ridiculously incredible. I mean, she is really all that God ever intended a woman to be. She's great. That's had me thinking about God. About his goodness. And now we have hit the body of my thoughts... I've been in searing pain for 7 days...those seven days reaching out as far as they can in every direction from my birthday, grabbing every ounce of fun they can touch. I spent a lot of time mad at God. Seriously. On day 2 of my microcosmic Job experience, I receive my rejection from both grad schools I applied to.

Now, I believe in a God who is as concerned about the big stuff as he is about your athlete's foot. I think he is intimately concerned with everything in our lives. So why doesn't he do something about my suffering. I'm not saying he should end all my suffering. That's just not rational, right? But if he can heal (which I believe he can, I mean, how can he be a deity if he can't fix small problems like health? that's like a mechanic who is incapable of changing spark plugs. "You know, you'll appreciate the character you gain as a result of that misfire in cylinder 3. Trust me.")

So if all this is true, then where is he when I'm having the worst week of my life? He's in my wife. I have to tell you, I love Sammi so much it hurts. I don't know exactly what that phrase means, to be quite honest. I just know that it encapsulates what I feel. So sue me, I have ‘cliche’ tendencies. So I love my wife recklessly. I really do. But this past week has shown me exactly how wonderful she is. It's shown me how much she loves me and what she's willing to go through just to help me be happy.

If I didn't have big bumps in the road, and little bumps in the road, I would become so recklessly wrapped up in my own narcissism that I would never emerge. I would really and truly be Gollum, forever clasping the 'precious' of my own ego. It's those bumps that make me lose my grip on my precious, and as I chase it, attempting to clutch it once again, I bump into reality which is at once terrifying (how horrible I am) and beautiful (how gracious God is towards me).

I don't say this to give anyone a pat answer to suffering. I am not saying that you shouldn't get angry at God. I would never say that. You must express your emotions, or they will find a way to express themselves, no matter how violent the street they choose may be. But it is in the midst of expressing those emotions that you are given a choice: do circumstances dictate what you believe about life? or does what you believe about life resonate so strongly within you that it adjusts your perception of reality and anchors you in the midst of the terrifying parts of life?

Sometimes pain is used to bring good. I don't like that fact. But it doesn't change it from being true. My pain over the past week has shown me a lot of great things. i wouldn't want to relive the pain, but I also wouldn't want to give up what I've learned. This may be oversimplified. As a matter of fact, I know it is. And you have my apologies if at any point this has caused you pain. That was no my intention. Consider it a work in progress...just like all of us.

-Ryan Lytton

LifeChange: 5th Quarter and Lock-In

This past Friday night (Nov.6th) over 100 teens and Jr. high students from Radford gathered at Radford Worship Center after the Radford/Giles football game for what we thought would be our last 5th Quarter of the football season. It was a great night. At midnight, the Jr. High students went home and the teenagers went to our youth sanctuary for a time of being ministered to by our Heavenly Father.

The worship band rocked as they always do and the kids responded to God in praise. The Word was preached and a great time of ministry followed. There were kids who accepted Christ and there were kids who needed the loving hand of the Father to reassure them that He loves them and has a future for them. It was a great privilege to pray and give out hugs to these precious young people.

After the service, we all headed back over for the basketball tourneys, rock band, pedicures, game room, food and the café. Luke Buzzard and Katie Osterbauer took teams of 5 kids each back over to the educational building for a very creative scavenger hunt designed by Luke. Every young person I talked to who participated in the scavenger hunt loved it and was glad they did it.

Once 5:30am came….we started getting them ready to head home at 6am. It had been a long night but the time was well spent. Everyone was pretty much asleep on their feet which always makes for an interesting time of taking kids home on the vans and bus.

After all of the cleanup at 7:30am and we were ready to head home. The great thing is that since Radford beat Giles, we get to have another 5th Quarter this Friday……oh what fun.

Thanks to all who volunteered, prayed or donated food for this great event.

- Pastor Mike
Pastor LifeChange Youth Ministries

Prayer Vigil for Mrs. Jean

Don't forget we are having a Prayer Vigil for Jean this Friday November 6th at 6pm in the Main Sanctuary. If you haven't signed up for a time slot please contact the Church office today before 3pm. Let us come out to support and petition our Heavenly Father for our precious sister Jean.

Who Can I Trust? Who can I put Confidence in?

These questions each of us have to consider. Is our trust and confidence in money, government, job, bank, family, CDs, money market or leaders?

Our Trust and Confidence must be in God and His Word!

Malachi 3:5
“For I am the Lord, I change not.”

Hebrews 13:8
“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today and forever.”

Psalms 119:89
“Forever, O Lord, Thy Word is settled in Heaven.”

Psalm 118:8,9
“It is better to Trust in the Lord then to put Confidence in man. It is better to Trust in the Lord then to put Confidence in princes (rulers or authority).”

Proverbs 3:26
“For the Lord shall be thy confidence and shall keep thy foot from being taken.”

Proverbs 14:26
“In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence and His children shall have a place of refuge.”

God and His Word are Trust and Life!
Thanks for continuing to read this blog…

Numbers 23:19
“God is not a man that He should lie; neither the son of man that He should repent. Hath He said and shall He not do it? Or hath He spoken and shall He not make it good?”

Nahum 1:7
“The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and He knoweth them that Trust in Him.”

Jeremiah 17:7
“Blessed is the man that Trusts in the Lord and whose hope the Lord is.”

Proverbs 3:5,6
“Trust in the Lord with all then heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.”

Psalms 34:4
“O taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man that Trusts in Him.”

Hebrews 3:14
“For we are made partakers of Christ in we hold the beginning of out confidence stedfast unto the end.”

Trust means “to flee for protection, to confide in, have hope, make refuge”
Confidence means “trust and hope also assurance and security”

It is clear to me Who we can Trust and put our Confidence in.

Love in Christ,
Jean Ratcliffe