Douglas Baptist Church

Tip #1 SPEND LESS!

This Sunday (Dec. 4) we will be continuing with our Advent Conspiracy theme. Our topic will be “spend less and free your resources for things that truly matter.”

Here are a few more ideas to go along with what I will be sharing on Sunday!

1) Be intentional when spending money

2) Set a budget; know your limit; strive for a debt free Christmas

3) Before you start buying, consider each person on your list. Think about your relationship and what significance it brings to your life.

4) Consider your core values and whether what you are buying reflects those values.

5) Consider drawing names rather than giving gifts to everyone.

6) Give one less gift than last year (or maybe even two).

Looking for some new Christmas tunes? Pick up this album at your local Christian bookstore (or online). Some fun Christmas classics, great traditional favourites and a few modern musical pieces that fit very well with our church’s Advent theme this year.

This fall I have been leading a Sunday School Adult Elective entitled “Life in the Balance” (Produced by Joni Eareckson Tada & Friends). We have been exploring a number of “hot button issues” and seeking to understand how our Christian faith affects our view on these issues. This past week we talk about Stem Cell Research.

Most mornings we only begin to scratch the surface of these issues but at least we are actually taking about them in church and not ignoring them. We need to be better informed and strive to think biblically about the issues of our day.

This past Sunday, as I was talking about stem cell research, I mentioned a website that I found helpful. I include it hear not as a whole hearted endorsement (I haven’t read every single article on the website) but as a means for you to learn more about the issue.

The Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity, Trinity International University

www.cbhd.org/category/issues/stem-cell-research

The days are getting shorter, the leaves are turning colour and the sniffles have arrived. Whether we like it or not, it would seem that fall is here. Personally, this is my favourite time of year. I enjoy walking through the woods and admiring God’s creation, eating an apple that has just been picked, going for a bike ride and getting the kids in bed on time because the sun isn’t keeping them up late! I realize that sometimes it’s hard to embrace this change in seasons but let us be reminded regardless of the season that we have much to give thanks for.

While visiting with some folks the other day, I found myself sneezing. You can likely guess what the next words said to me were-“BLESS YOU.” We have grown accustom to using these two words after someone sneezes and I must admit, I am not sure why. Just as we often do not pay attention to the phrases we use, many blessings in our lives often go unnoticed.

Regardless of the season of life we are in or the changes we have experienced over the last year, if we look carefully we will find that God has blessed us in some way. I look forward to talking more about how God blesses us and hearing some of your stories during our Thanksgiving Service on October 9 at 10:50am.