NO AGENDA By Sally I. Kennedy

I will answer them before they even call to me. While they are still talking about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers! Isaiah 65:24 NLT

Literally, I had no agenda. True, many things had been on my mind. Several situations I'd been mulling over. A few people that had been especially on my heart. Some unresolved relationships that were sort of stewing in the back corners of my brain.

You know, just things... Things that are on our minds, yet unspoken. Things that are on our hearts, and not shared. God knows them all. All.

So, I had no agenda when we went to this church for an evening service of refreshing and renewing. I just know that when there was a time to be quiet, to be still before the Lord, and this beautiful music was in the background, I began to zone out, let my mind wander.

As I sat there, just being thankful to be in the presence of the Lord, God began to speak softly to me. One by one, He spoke to the concerns of my heart. I began to be aware that He was sharing with me direction and answers to these unspoken concerns.

Later, I thought about how amazing God is. Amazing God! Amazing grace! How good to remember that God knows our deepest needs and desires before they are even fully formed in our minds, or on our lips. And, that in His time, the perfect time, He will answer. Even if we have `no agenda'.

Thank you, Holy Spirit, for sharing the Word, the wisdom, the love of our heavenly Father with us. In the name of Jesus! Amen.

BALANCING ACT By Marion Smith

When I was young we attended the circus every year. The high wire act always captured my undivided attention. I would marvel as the performers would walk on that thin wire, backwards and forwards, performing tricks such as jump rope and forward rolls , and all the time not fall off the wire. Their only aid was a long pole which would help them keep their balance, and perhaps the special ballet looking shoes they wore.

Last week I saw a squirrel nest that looked like a marvel of a balancing act. Usually the nests are in a crook of a tree, or in a V somewhere in the branches. This lends support to the structure as the squirrels build their nest. However, this particular nest seemed to be suspended in what looked to be thin air. The branches of the tree were so small, it was unbelievable that the nest could balance there. It
must have taken a very crafty squirrel family to perform that balancing act!

There are things which we must balance in life - our checkbook, the tires on our car, and most importantly the way we spend our time. God has given us 24 hours in a day, and freewill to do with them whatever we wish. We have physical, emotional and spiritual needs which we should keep in balance.

The truth is, however, many of us are way out of kilter in this balancing act of life. We may be caught up in the physical - job demands, health issues or just being overboard on physical fitness. We many be overindulgent in the pursuit of happiness, or unduly involved with activities that rob us of healthy emotional growth. Very seldom are we overboard in spiritual pursuits, allow the other two areas to dominate our lives.

God tells us we should have a healthy balance in our lives. We should give equal attention to physical, emotional and spiritual growth. We should not allow one area to be overbearing and tilt us off kilter, tumbling us to a fall. Balance in these 3 areas is healthy and right. It is God's plan, and He wouldn't have given it to us if it weren't beneficial.

God always has His best plan for our life!

GOD, I CANNOT DO THIS ALONE By Stan Stoler

Three years ago, my wife and I sat in her hospital room waiting for Dr. Michael Santi, her physician, to visit with us. She had been diagnosed with colon cancer and was scheduled for surgery the next day.

He entered Linda's room with his usual smile, sat down on the edge of her bed and proceeded to explain what would take place in the operating room the following morning. Frankly, we were scared to death! But when he finished explaining the surgery, recovery time, etc., he calmly took Linda by the hands and held them heavenward.

"Linda," he said, "tomorrow our hands will be in His hands." Then he prayed the most magnificent prayer for my wife. "God, I cannot do this alone. I need your help," he said.

This was our first indication that Dr. Santi was a believer. What a God! In the midst of our frightening experience, God gave us a Christian doctor!

As I write this, I am seated in a waiting room of the same hospital. Linda has just had her annual check-up. It has been exactly three years since she had colon cancer surgery. Dr. Santi smiles as he enters the room.

"I have good news for you. Your wife is doing great---no sign of cancer or polyps anywhere!"

Yes, through the hands of a skilled surgeon, the prayers of God's people and the encouragement of loved ones, my wife has been healed.

In retrospect, I can testify that we were "changed" through this event. While cancer is truly a cruel disease, God is greater than any health problem we may encounter. You can trust him with your troubles...

As a result of the "cancer crisis" in our home, I have reached the conclusion that all good things come from God's hands. Our home, children, food, flowers, music, sunsets, rain, snow, and most of all LIFE, reflect His unconditional love.

"During our times of deepest sorrow,
When in the depths we're sinking low,
If we look up to our faithful Father,
Love and compassion to us will flow."

THE SEED Author Unknown

In the Far East the emperor was growing old and knew it was time to choose his successor. Instead of choosing one of his assistants or his children, he decided to do something different. He called young people in the kingdom together one day. He said, "It is time for me to step down and choose the next emperor. I have decided to choose one of you."

The children were shocked, but the emperor continued. "I am going to give each one of you a seed today - one very special seed. I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from this one seed. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next emperor."

One boy, named Ling, was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly, told his mother the story. She helped him get a pot and planting soil, and he planted the seed and watered it, carefully. Everyday, he would water it and watch to see if it had grown..

After about three weeks, some of the other youths began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow. Ling kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew. Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by, still nothing. By now, others were talking about their plants, but Ling didn't have a plant and he felt like a failure. Six months went by -- still nothing in Ling's pot.

He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Ling didn't say anything to his friends, however. He just kept waiting for his seed to grow. A year finally went by and all the youths of the kingdom brought their plants to the emperor for inspection. Ling told his mother that he wasn't going to take an empty pot. But his mother asked him to be honest about what happened.

Ling felt sick at his stomach, but he knew his mother was right. He took his empty pot to the palace. When Ling arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other youths. They were beautiful -- in all shapes and sizes. Ling put his empty pot on the floor and many of the other children laughed at him. A few felt sorry for him and just said, "Hey, nice try."

When the emperor arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted the young people. Ling just tried to hide in the back. "My, what great plants, trees, and flowers you have grown," said the emperor. "Today one of you will be appointed the next emperor!"

All of a sudden, the emperor spotted Ling at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered his guards to bring him to the front. Ling was terrified. He thought, "The emperor knows I'm a failure! Maybe he will have me killed!"

When Ling got to the front, the Emperor asked his name. "My name is Ling," he replied. All the kids were laughing and making fun of him. The emperor asked everyone to quiet down. He looked at Ling, and then announced to the crowd, "Behold your new emperor! His name is Ling!"

Ling couldn't believe it. Ling couldn't even grow his seed. How could he be the new emperor?

Then the emperor said, "One year ago today, I gave everyone here a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds that would not grow. All of you, except Ling, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Ling was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he Is the one who will be the new emperor!"

If you plant honesty, you will reap trust. If you plant goodness, you will reap friends. If you plant humility, you will reap greatness. If you plant perseverance, you will reap victory. If you plant consideration, you will reap harmony. If you plant hard work, you will reap success. If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation. If you plant faith, you will reap miracles.

So be careful what you plant, now; it will determine what you will reap tomorrow. The seeds you now scatter will make life worse or better for you or for the ones who will come after you. Someday you will enjoy the fruits or you will pay for the choices you make.

Two thousand years ago someone else told the same story with fewer words, "What you sow, so shall you reap". If you know who said this, nothing else needs to be said.

WHO IS JESUS? by Daphne Harrington

Jesus' birth day (the day we celebrate His coming to earth in human form) is celebrated all over the world and his fame has not diminished in 2,000 years. But sometimes the way in which his birthday is "celebrated" is anything but what it should be. Much of the time it is with disrespect. His name is used to sell merchandise. This is the only time of the year when the stores play Christian music and we hear the name of the Lord in the public square. At other times there would
probably be lawsuits over mentioning Christ in these places.

The name of Jesus has been so maligned these past 2,000 years yet, according to the Bible, His name is above all names. Among other things, He is the Prince of Peace, Mighty God, Wonderful Counselor, The Holy One, The Lamb of God, the Prince of Life, The Word of Life, Author and Finisher of Our Faith, our Advocate. He is The Way, the only Begotten Son of God, the Messiah, The Truth, Savior, Lord of All, The Righteous Judge, The Light of the World, The Resurrection and Life, our Horn of Salvation. He is The Alpha and The Omega, The Beginning and The End. These names describe His essence, His character, and His provision for us.

He is not just another prophet. In the Old Testament as well as in the new, there are lists of "begats." These are long lists of family lines, as in Genesis5:3 where it says, "And Adam ... begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth." In the New Testament we are told that Jesus is the only BEGOTTEN Son of God. (Therefore, God begat Jesus - a Sonin His own likeness.) "Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring fortha son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us" Matthew 1:23. Jesus is God in the flesh and He was sent to "save His people from their sins" Matthew 1:22.

We, as sinful men cannot come to God, the Holy Father, by ourselves. We must have a mediator and God provided that in His Son. We read in 1 John 2:23, "The man who will not recognize the Son cannot possibly know the Father, yet the man who believes in the Son knows the Father as well"(Phillips Translation) . This thought continues in 1 John 5:11-12.

"...God has given men eternal life and this real life is to be found only in His Son. It follows naturally that any man who has Christ has this life; and if he has not,then he does not possess this life at all."

So Jesus is God's love gift to us. He says, "...the greatest demonstration of God's love for us has been His sending His only Son into the world to give us life through Him. We see real love, not in the fact that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to make personal atonement for our sins" 1John 4:9-10 (Phillips Translation).

Simply put, without Jesus we perish eternally. But by faith in Him, we are forgiven our sins and united with God both now and forever. This Christmas,let' s celebrate Jesus for who He really is.