Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Entering 2014 - Grateful for my God of the Past, Present and Future

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news,
the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns!
For the Lord will go ahead of you; yes, the God of Israel will protect you from behind.
See, my servant will prosper; he will be highly exalted.
Isaiah 52:7, 12b-13

One of the advantages to being home alone on New Years Eve is the luxury of spending some special time with the Lord.  With Dawn in CA visiting Kylie, and Jason and Kendra in Tallahassee because that is where their lives are...yet sticking with the tradition of spending New Years Eve with the one(s) you love, it has been a special night being alone with the One I love who

Sunday, December 29, 2013

A New Idea for the New Year

Hello all,

Here's is the message I offered today at Royal Palm. Since it is the Sunday before the New Year begins, I try to challenge our folks (and anyone who would listen to this message) to make a "New Year Resolution" that isn't all about "ME"...but focuses on the Lord's purposes.  After all...what a perfect time to consider a new witness at this New Year!

Anyway...hope you are blessed.  - KM

Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Christmas...America...and One Founding Father

I'm thankful for the work of the Wallbuilders organization (wall builders.com).  They reconnect us to our faith heritage as citizens of the United States.

For those who don't believe that America has a fundamentally strong foundation in the Christian faith, consider the words of John Quincy Adams in a speech commemorating the 61st anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 1837.  What an amazing perspective of the sovereignty of God vis a vis Christmas and the birth of the USA.

Merry Christmas!

John Quincy Adams
6th President of the United States (1825-1829)
"In the chain of human events, the birthday of the nation is indissolubly linked with the birthday of the Savior.  The Declaration of Independence laid the cornerstone of human government upon the first precepts of Christianity."

Listen to the Christmas Eve Service at Royal Palm Church



This special post contains the entire Christmas Eve worship service at Royal Palm.  We have edited out the time when communion was being served.

May God touch your heart as you listen to this recording for we celebrate the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Monday, December 23, 2013

"On the First Day of Christmas"... A Significant History of a Familiar Carol

With Christmas only a breath away, a friend sent me a reminder of how blessed we are to live in America. This reminder comes from the history of the “12 Days of Christmas” carol.

From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics. It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of the Church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality which the children could remember. To fit the number scheme, when you reach number 9, representing the Fruits of the Holy Spirit,

Sunday, December 15, 2013

Jesus: Fulfiller of Prophecy and Promises

Can you believe Christmas is rapidly approaching?  And are you ready to celebrate the First Coming of Jesus, while anticipating the Second Coming?

Jesus fulfilled more 400 Hebrew Scriptures (what Christians call the "Old Testament") prophecies in his lifetime.  Yet, most of these prophecies were given more than 700 years BEFORE his birth.

A prophecy is really a promise from God.  Jesus fulfilled them for Israel, in his day...and he continues to be the Fulfiller of Promises today.

I hope this message blesses you. Here is my Sermon from December 15, 2013 (Advent 2013, Week 3)  - KM



Sermon Outline -

Jesus: Fulfiller of Prophecy…

** Isaiah 9:6 gives us four prophetic words about the blessings Jesus fulfilled

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Critical Need for Orphans in Namibia

Hello friends,

One of my purposes for this blog is to alert you to some opportunities to support missionaries and mission groups. Today I received an emergency email from Brenda Johnston, co-founder of a ministry to orphaned children I support in Namibia, Africa.  Her letter is self-explanatory.  Perhaps God is calling you to answer the call.

Brenda Johnston at the Talitha Kumi Christian Academy - Arandis, Namibia
Thanks for praying...and if you're not the one to support this ministry, then you can pray that someone will.  Brenda's email is below...  - KM

December 2013

Dear Partners in Ministry
I am sending an update on our current situation at Children of Promise Ministries Namibia and Talitha Kumi Christian Academy. God never gives us more than we can handle and has guided us through the obstacles throughout 2013.  With the Lord’s guidance; the help of many volunteers; and the financial assistance from our partners, we were able to meet our payroll and monthly expenses in 2013.  Our monthly budget for TKCA Primary is approximately N$57,000 or US$5,700.00. This amount includes salaries for local staff, utilities, internet, school supplies etc.  Volunteers, including myself work without compensation.  With your help we believe we can meet our 2014 financial requirements.

Monday, December 9, 2013

Chinese Church is Thriving

Hi friends,

I was just thinking about our friends in China and a recent trip I took with China Partner - a leadership training ministry based in the USA that comes along side of the church in China.  One day, we visited the Amity Printing Company in Nanjing. It prints hundreds of thousands of various Christian publications each year, including millions of Bibles. All of this is approved by the government...for those who think that the church is so oppressed in China, it really is not as long as it respects the government.

Anyway...How about praying today for China Partner and the church in China.  Just a thought...KM

Our teaching team in front of the Amity Publishing Company
"Reading" one of the many Bibles printed at Amity. This one is in Chinese. 
Click here for the China Partner website

Sunday, December 8, 2013

We're celebrating the Second Sunday of Advent, today, as we not only look back to the First Coming of the Lord Jesus, but look forward to the Second Coming.

Dr. Joe Warner, my Senior Pastor and colleague, preached a very interesting sermon today about how God placed into motion since the beginning of the world the mechanism that would create the perfect moment in history for the Star of Bethlehem to show the Magi the way to the Messiah.  Click on the link below to hear this fascinating and inspiring message.

God bless, KM

Friday, December 6, 2013

Hello friends,

For those of you who have been asking... the link to the message I preached December 1 at RPC is below...just click on it.  Given it was the first week of Advent, the message centered on the Shepherds and Bethlehem.

Enjoy! - KM

Here We Go!

And they said this would never happen...and I agreed with them then...

I've never fully understood the value of blogging since I cannot grasp why people would care that much about what is on my mind or what I think about "this or that."  Yet, I think this could be fun, especially if it's not all about me.

So I'll be using my blog to share thoughts, encourage action, relay news, and develop fellowship (as much as one can via social media.)  I have no idea how often I'll post, but we'll tie it all together so you can read and comment as you choose when you feel like it.

Lastly, let me know if there is anything we can discuss. Again, I'm new at this "blog" thing...so let's have some fun with it.  - KM