"All is calm, all is bright"

This picture by Kincade displays what Christmas holidays are all about. Being able to slow down and allow the light of the truth of Jesus Christ and his plan for your life to take effect. I found a great series of thoughts today in reading through "Waking the Dead" by John Eldridge. Let me include the following thoughts from pages 140-141 of his book.

Walking with God leads to receiving his intimate counsel, and counseling leads to deep restoration. As we learn to walk with God and hear his voice, he is able to bring up issues in our hearts that need speaking to. Some of those wounds were enough to break our hearts, create a rift in the soul, and so we need his healing as well. This is something Jesus walks us into— sometimes through the help of another person who can listen and pray with us, sometimes with God alone. As David said in Psalm 23, He leads us away, to a quiet place, to restore the soul. Our first choice is to go with him there—to slow down, unplug, accept the invitation to come aside. You won’t find healing in the midst of the Matrix. We need time in the presence of God. This often comes on the heels of God’s raising some issue in our hearts or after we’ve just relived an event that takes us straight to that broken place, or waking as I did to a raw emotion. Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever. (Ps. 86:11–12)When we are in the presence of God, removed from distractions, we are able to hear him more clearly, and a secure environment has been established for the young and broken places in our hearts to surface.

I trust that you have had time to pause and reflect and be restored in your walk with God. Taking the time to walk, is a necessary part of the journey with Jesus. May this Sunday find you in step with the Saviour and in a place of Christian Community where you can worship openly.

Reflecting on His Grace,

Pastor Brian