How's your furnace?

FAITH:
Psalms 116:1-117:2
After a close call with death, this unknown psalmist thanked God for answering his prayers and praised God for his deliverance.

Praise should be the natural result of answered prayer.

Worshiping in spirit is the opposite of worshiping in merely external ways. It is the opposite of empty formalism and traditionalism.
Worshiping in truth is the opposite of worship based on an inadequate view of God. Worship must have heart and head. Worship must engage emotions and thought.

Truth without emotion produces dead orthodoxy and a church full (or half-full) of artificial admirers,like people who write generic anniversary cards for a living. On the other hand, emotion with our truth produces empty frenzy and cultivates shallow people who refuse the discipline of rigorous thought. But true worship comes from people who are deeply emotional and who love deep and sound doctrine. Strong affections for
God rooted in truth are the bone and marrow of biblical worship.

Perhaps we can tie things together with this picture: The fuel of worship is the truth of God, the furnace of worship is the spirit of man and the hear of worship is the vital affections of reverence, contrition, trust, gratitude, and joy.

But there is something missing from this picture. There is furnace, fuel and heat, but no fire. The fuel of truth in the furnace of our spirit does not automatically produce the hear of worship. There must be ignition and fire. this is the Holy Spirit.

Now we can complete our picture. The fuel of worship is a true vision of the greatness of God; the fire that makes the fuel burn white-hot is the quickening of the Holy Spirit; the furnace made alive and warm by the flame of the resulting heat of our affections is powerful worship, pushing it way our in confessions, longings, acclamations, tears, songs, bowed heads, lifted hands and obedient lives. by John Piper

Applying it: Have you ever been in a desperate situation? did you ever thank God for saving you? If you are at a loss for words, read this psalm as your prayer to God.
Exploring it: Thankfulness - 2 Chronicles 7:3; Psalm 8:2; 30:11-12; 107:31-32; Luke 17:15-16; 1 Corinthians 15:56-57; 2 Corinthians 1:10-11; Ephesians 5:19-20.

FRIENDS:
Father, help us to always remember you, to remember who is in control. We want to remember your goodness from the past and thank you for it. We want to remember your closeness to us in the present situations we are in and to praise you for your power for our futures. We want to see you and to know you better. We ask you, Father, to help us see Jesus and to deepen our faith and our gratitude upon seeing him more clearly. In Jesus' name, Amen.

10 THINGS I AM GRATEFUL FOR
1. A finished project that turned out well
2. The way most people will get in and help when needed
3. Invitations to dinner
4. The excitement of Christmas
5. The way God resolves a difficult situation
6. The patience that comes with getting older
7. My home (I know I say this often but I am so grateful for it all the time)
8. How God has provided friends for me
9. Seeing my children succeed
10. Having a wonderful church to worship in

FOOD:
Are you going to a cookie exchange and want something new to take?
Instead of one recipe, here is a link to many cookie recipes:
http://www.northpole.com/Kitchen/Cookbook/cat0001.html

FUN:

Christmas Ornaments


Customer at a counter of a lawn ornament shop "Give me four of
those elves, two of the big reindeer, two of the small reindeer,
and one of those bent-over, fat Mrs. Santa's with the ridiculous
bloomers."

The shop owner "That'll be eighty dollars for the elves, fifty
dollars for the big reindeer, twenty dollars for the small
reindeer, and a big apology for my wife!