| A CHRISTMAS
DEVOTIONAL
by
Pat Harley
Luke 19:10 "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."
I've heard a picture is worth a thousand words. We have always enjoyed the many photos that have arrived with Christmas cards from friends and family so last year I decided to "bless "our friends with a photo of our tribe. I arranged for a friend to bring her camera to a social function we were attending and then I gathered everyone up and the picture was taken. A week later when it was developed I stared at the picture in disbelief. Surely we looked better than that! We resembled a group of weary refugees just off the boat from some eighth world country! So alas, the picture was NOT chosen.......
On the second try I decided to take no chances. I even took control of the wardrobe. I hired a photographer. I let every family member know the time and place. And the big day arrived.
Daughters Jenna and Cameron had just had babies in the months preceding the picture. Jenna called this our "post-partum" photo and didn't see why we couldn't wait until next year when stomach muscles would be tighter. Cameron and Jay had run up to Target an hour before the picture, forgot the time and arrived 20 minutes late and then frantically tried to get themselves and two little ones dressed in the appropriate garb ready for the photo shoot. Beloved got home later than planned and son-in-law Chip arrived frazzled after battling Atlanta traffic for over an hour. Grandchild Colter had a meltdown as soon as we were all assembled and remained most unhappy through the ordeal. Eli, the youngest refused to wake up and thus is asleep in every picture. Paige, age three, didn't see why she needed to sit still and didn't. Sydney (6) Lily (4) thought it was all pretty much fun, a lot like being a princess and posed on cue. And I....well I just tried to get the job done.
The results were actually pretty good. But to be perfectly honest the photo I chose was the very best of 65 photos!
And so here we are at Christmas once again. And I am reminded that Christ left heaven and came to earth because He saw our very best "picture", not as we really are, but as we really could be. And for some unexplainable reason, He thought we were worth the sacrifice. "The Son of God became the Son of Man that the sons of men might become the sons of God." Now that is something to celebrate this Christmas Season and we pray you do it abundantly this year!
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MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE BIG DREAM MINISTRIES TEAM 
This is certainly the time of year we are all busy choosing gifts that our loved ones might enjoy, ones that inspire or inform, or perhaps a gift that is very practical.
Therefore, this is the perfect season to send you our first newsletter! It is our prayer that it will be something you enjoy, with articles that are entertaining and interesting. Each month a devotional segment will inspire and challenge, and to inform, we will feature one of our partner churches. We will also have a section called "Entertaining Angel's Unawares" (Hebrews 13:2) to offer simple, practical ideas for living out our Christian faith. So our goals are enjoyment, inspiration, information and practical encouragement.
We would love to send you our newsletter five times a year: December, February, May, August and October. We know your time is limited so we will make them brief and to the point. There are individuals, donors, small groups and large groups doing our studies. We will try to make these newsletters relevant to all.
We also want to respect your privacy. If you prefer not to receive our newsletters, simply click on "unsubscribe" and your wishes will be honored.
We are so grateful for each one of you and would love to hear from you. Just go to our website, www.theamazingcollection.com, and click on "Contact Us".
Also, if you know anyone who would enjoy receiving this newsletter please let us know, and we will add them to our email list.
Meanwhile, be assured you are loved and appreciated. So from us to you
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! |
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The Gift of Prayer by Eleanor Lewis
One of the greatest gifts God gives His children is the gift of prayer. He warns, "You do not have because you do not ask." However, to ask we must recognize 'we can't' so we are willing to trust God 'Who can!'
To produce 66 DVD teachings of each book of the Bible each with an original music video, testimony, and companion study workbook was such a 'big dream' we had no trouble acknowledging we couldn't do it! After all, we were 4 homemakers, wives, mothers, Bible teachers and women's ministry leaders. We were not experienced business women or film producers and had no training in speaking before a camera.
What we did have was a loving, intimate friendship with the living God and a passion for others to know Him through His Word. We determined from the beginning we'd never ask people for money. We would ask Jesus. If this was His idea, we trusted He could and would provide. Approaching our second venture into the studio to tape, we knew a $22,000 production bill would be due that week and we did not have the money! We anguished over this as God's Word seems to say a wage should be paid when the work is completed (Lev 19:13, Deut 24:15). So we prayed.
The day the money was due - not one day early or one day late - the entire amount had been provided without us going to anyone but God for the need. What a miracle working God!!! Every time there was a need, God supplied (and the total cost of the project was $1.6 million!) Answered prayer is surely a gift God has given which we often leave unwrapped. How many miracles have you and I missed because we never asked?
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Entertaining Angels by Linda Sweeney
Hebrews 13:2 reminds us that we're not to forget to practice hospitality! I LOVE to entertain, and since it's almost Christmas and our minds tend to head in the direction of "entertaining" and cooking up good food, I thought I'd share one of my favorite recipes with you. This recipe is VERY special to me because it was given to me by my Sunday school teacher, Elizabeth Young, who was more than a teacher to me, but a loved mentor. I think you will love this recipe because it's EASY, it's DELICIOUS and you can adjust it to feed as many as you like. A bonus is that it is also very pretty without a lot of effort! I'd say it's just about "the perfect recipe!" Let me know if you like it! I'm almost certain some of my guests have been angels!
Peach/Pineapple Salad
Ingredients:
á 1 large can of sliced pineapple rings (the size depends on the number you'll be serving)-reserve juice
á 1 large can of peach halves (the size depends on the number you'll be serving)-reserve juice
á Brown sugar
á Cinnamon
á Butter
á Chopped nuts (I use pecans)
á Decorative lettuce (ruffles)
Directions:
In a 9" X 13" (or larger) baking dish, place all the pineapple rings side by side. Place one peach atop each pineapple ring. Fill each peach with 1 tablespoon of brown sugar. Top brown sugar with a few chopped pecans (I push them into the sugar so they'll stay put). Place one small pad of butter atop the nuts and sprinkle all w/a small amount of cinnamon (I do not measure this). Pour a small amount of the juice from both peaches and pineapples in the baking dish to surround the fruit. Bake at 350¡ for approximately 30 minutes. Serve warm or cold but place the cooked fruit on top of the pretty lettuce on individual salad plates! Ummmm! Good!
I love to decorate too and the Christmas season really brings that out in me. My hint to you is to use the things that are growing in your yard, like holly leaves & berries, pine or cedar branches and pine cones. I just poke greenery in baskets and drawers that are already there, but I try to make sure they're in some sort of container holding water (your decorations will look pretty much longer). I pile pine cones in wooden bowls, and I insert them and "vacant" birds' nests amongst the branches of my Christmas tree. This way, the house looks all dressed up and festive, and it smells good too! Happy decorating and if you're in the neighborhood, well...stop in so I can practice my gift of hospitality on you!
Linda
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One of Our Amazing Churches!
Woodcreek Church is a dynamic fast-growing non-denominational church of 1500 members in Richardson, Texas. Their women's ministry, under the direction of Sharon Spaulding, has been offering classes in The Amazing Collection with AMAZING results for over four years.
Carol Brewer, one of their TAC leaders, says of the study, "We feel that our women have come to understand the Bible in a new way. It's enabled us to see the Bible as one complete study, with beautiful threads of truth woven from beginning to end. The biggest surprise is that our ladies aren't tiring of the study even after four years. We have started new groups each year and have another seventy-five new ladies that began the study this year. But above all we have experienced a great sense of unity as they have learned together about every book in God's Word."
This year there are seven groups of about fifteen ladies that meet on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Also last spring they had a graduation luncheon for over one hundred and twenty-five women who had completed all sixty-six books.
They first heard about The Amazing Collection from a friend whose church was doing it in another state. They were looking for a study that was user-friendly, would hold the women's interest, would "really teach the Bible" and would have a format that was good for their ladies. They also wanted a study that all of the women of the church could do at the same time.
What has been the impact of TAC on their women? Here is a quote from Suzanne Walsh, one of their women's ministry team leaders:
"The study of God's Word through The Amazing Collection has given the women of Woodcreek new perspective on the Bible. Right away we began to see it as it really is - a story, from start to finish, of God's great love for His people and His plan to redeem them for their good and His glory. It has been an amazing journey and we will never view Scripture in the same way again."
Woodcreek Church
Dr. Bill Brewer, Senior Pastor
3400 East Renner Road
Richardson, Texas
Sharon Spaulding (Women's Ministry Director)
972-238-8722
sharon.spaulding@woodcreekchurch.com |
BIG DREAM News
 Leading the Way chose the Amazing Collection: The Bible Book By Book to be one of their featured programs on their new Middle East broadcasting channel, Kingdom Sat. TAC will be broadcasted twice a week in Arabic to all of the Middle Eastern countries. Recently Leading the Way received approval from Nile Sat, a government controlled Egyptian satellite, to air also greatly expanding the impact of the Kingdom Sat programs. Dr. Michael Youseff (President and founder of Leading the Way), Dr. David Jeremiah, Dr. Johnny Hunt, Chip Ingram and many other excellent Bible teachers will also be featured. | |
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