THERE ARE THOSE WHO SAY THEY WILL PRAY FOR YOU and don’t. There are those who say they will pray for you and do once, then let it flounder. And there are those who say they will pray for you and they do, over and over and over until the answer comes. Those people are true prayer partners, and Maynard Granlund was one true prayer partner. A true encourager, a real Barnabas.
I first met Maynard while I was serving on summer staff at Mount Hermon Christian Conference Center in 1975. He would sometimes open the doors to the kitchen late at night for us so we could “raid” the goodies.
In 1977 I met Maynard again when I was applying for the youth pas-tor’s position here at this church. He was at that time serving on the call committee as the chairman of the Christian Education department if my memory serves me correctly.
As I headed back to school in 1983 Maynard prayed for me, as I be-gan serving in a church in Minnesota he continued to be involved in pray-ing for me, and in 1989, when the Lord called me to begin a new church in Crescent City, California Maynard was one of the key supporters, not only in prayer but also in words and with his pocket book.
When I put out a prayer letter, Maynard would pray. When I came to visit the Mount Hermon area and ran into Maynard he would ask me about the prayer request given months before – a prayer request that I had forgotten about, but of which he did not.
In the summer of 1997 I ran into Maynard and Edith at the National Conference of the Evangelical Free Church of America, and to make a long story short, Maynard was one of the people whom the Lord used to bring me back here to Felton Bible Church.
And Maynard continued to pray. Continued to ask questions, Contin-ued to encourage me, Continued to keep my feet to the fire, Continued to love. He was a true partner in ministry, a true encourager in the stead of Barnabas, a true friend, and I will miss him greatly.
O Lord, please raise up more men of such faith and prayer!

WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE CHRISTMAS? This question often gets asked as we gather with family and friends to celebrate the season. To me it is a difficult question to answer. Not because I have not had any “favorite” Christmases, but because I have had so many!
There are some favorite Christmases I remember from my childhood and some from my teen years. And there are some truly great ones as a newly married couple and of course when the kids were small. Yes, there are even some favorite ones from the not-to-distant-past.
But, what is the best Christmas ever? Well, I suppose to be honest I would have to go back a few years, in truth many years. I would have to say that the best Christmas ever was the one from which we derive this celebration’s name – the “first” Christmas. Now, lest you think I am giving you some pastoral cop-out, hear me out.
You see, if it were not for that Day, the day that the baby Jesus was born, then all this time of celebration, family time, gift-giving and receiving would be for not. It is because of God’s great and gracious gift 2000 years ago that we are able to have “favorite” Christmases today. It is His gift of love, mercy, forgiveness, joy, and peace given in and through the Person of Jesus, the Messiah, that allows us to sing the carols and enjoy the gifts.
So, take time this Christmas to give thanks to God for His indescrib-able gift, the Gift that makes Christmas possible. And if by chance you have not received this Gift of Jesus Christ, allowing Him to be Lord and Master of your life, then why not do so today, and make this your best Christmas yet!
Merry Christmas! Christ, the Savior is born!

AS A LITTLE CHILD I LEARNED A Sunday school song that went something like:

I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy
Down in my heart! Where?
Down in my heart! Where?
Down in my heart!
I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy,
Down in my heart
Down in my heart to stay.

Sadly, some people who have sung this song have kept the joy down in their heart and never let it out. They quote, “The joy of the Lord is my strength,” but the outward presence of that joy doesn’t seem to be too strong in their everyday life.
When the angels proclaimed the birth of the Christ-Child it was with great joy for all people. His birth was a cause for all heaven and earth to celebrate, and thus it should be today.
The arrival of Jesus was the joyful proclamation that God had set in motion that which would bring our redemption from sin. And that is reason to shout!
This Advent season, and throughout the coming year, let us let the joy out of our hearts and into the world. Let us join with the heavenly hosts and proclaim, “Joy to the world the Lord is come!”

“IMAGINE ALL THE PEOPLE LIVING LIFE IN PEACE.” Nice sentiments from singer/songwriter John Lennon back in 1971, (Yikes! That’s almost 35 years ago!), but sadly his basis for this peace leaves him sorely wanting.
His lyrics begin,

Imagine there’s no heaven,
it’s easy if you try
no hell below us
above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today…

He felt that if we can only remove heaven and hell and get all the people to just live in the present moment, then everything will eventually work out, then there will be peace. Tragically, our world seems to be giving Lennon’s philosophy a try, and sadly we are discovering that removing heaven and hell and living for today has not brought the one-world peace for which we have so longed.
True peace comes not from the extinguishing of heaven and hell but from fully embracing the God who created both. True peace is ours when we receive the Gift of God, who is Jesus Christ. He is the One who is the Prince of peace. It is by His arrival and through His sacrificial atoning death and His triumphant resurrection that we are able to gain first and foremost peace with God and then the peace of God. It is a peace that surpasses all comprehension and a peace that will guard our hearts and minds even though the sundry wars of this world wage around us.
This Christmas season my prayer is that you will come to personally know the true Prince of peace, and allow His grace-filled peace to flood your soul. Choose to follow Him, whose power can save you from hell, and give you the expectant joy of heaven, and the grace to live for today.

SOLID MAPLE, CEDAR LINED AND SECURED with a built-in combina-tion lock, my mom’s cedar chest was a prominent piece of furniture in our home as I was growing up. Inside was kept family “treasures,” safe from moth and rust and the inquisitive fingers of little children.
A hope chest was originally created to hold clothing and household goods in anticipation of marriage. Locked away safely inside, a young woman would store for a future day, that which she would wear and use once her future hope was secured. I am sure, that from time to time, the chest would be opened and the contents inspected and the hope of that future wedding day would be rekindled, complete with starry-eyed dreams and fluttering hearts.
Those who choose to follow Jesus Christ as their God and Savior are made part of what the Bible calls the “bride of Christ.” Our groom is the Lord, Jesus Christ, and we are longing for, hoping for, that glorious wed-ding day when we shall be united with Him forever. But, until that day we wait with hope.
In this season of the year, when we celebrate our Lord’s first Advent (“Coming”), we are reminded of His second Advent and our hope is re-kindled. As we retell and relive the accounts of His first arrival it is like opening our hope chest once again, peering inside and looking forward with renewed hope to the day of promise yet to come.
My prayer for you this Christmas season is that your hope would be rekindled in the One who is truly our Hope and the Lover of our souls.