Days & Years

2 Peter 3:8 - "But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day."

A set of 365 new days & 1 new year is about to begin. If you're going to resolve to do anything in 2011, then resolve to love God, love others, serve all, and be the hands and feet of Jesus to everyone you encounter.

www.celebrationchampions.com
www.twitter.com/StephenGuschov
Facebook: Celebration Champions Church
Facebook: Stephen Guschov

Years & Days

Psalm 90:4 - "A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night."

Another one of those thousand years is about to end. What did you do to glorify God and to serve others in it?

www.celebrationchampions.com
www.twitter.com/StephenGuschov
Facebook: Celebration Champions Church
Facebook: Stephen Guschov

Jackie Robinson

The epitaph on the gravestone of Jackie Robinson, who broke the modern-day baseball color barrier in 1947 with the Brooklyn Dodgers:

"A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives."

www.celebrationchampions.com
www.twitter.com/StephenGuschov
Facebook: Celebration Champions Church
Facebook: Stephen Guschov

Called To Be Contemplatives

An impactful and thought-provoking comment by Mother Teresa:

"We are all called to be contemplatives in the heart of the world - by seeking the face of God in everything, everyone, everywhere, all the time, and God's hand in every happening; seeking and adoring the presence of Jesus, especially in the lowly appearance of bread, and in the distressing disguise of the poor."

www.celebrationchampions.com
www.twitter.com/StephenGuschov
Facebook: Celebration Champions Church
Facebook: Stephen Guschov

Job Application

I saw this quote on a bumper sticker a few days before Christmas:

"There is only one God. Stop applying for His job."

www.celebrationchampions.com
www.twitter.com/StephenGuschov
Facebook: Celebration Champions Church
Facebook: Stephen Guschov

Born

The photo that is included with this blog post shows the 14-point star on the floor directly underneath the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, Palestine, which marks the exact location where local tradition holds that Jesus was born.

http://www.celebrationchampions.com/

www.twitter.com/StephenGuschov

Facebook: Celebration Champions Church

Facebook: Stephen Guschov

Jesus & The Bethlehem Manger

Here are the links for our Celebration Champions Church Vimeo and YouTube video teachings about Jesus & the Bethlehem manger. Be sure to check them out!

http://www.vimeo.com/18020377

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYTXO911sug

www.celebrationchampions.com
www.twitter.com/StephenGuschov
Facebook: Celebration Champions Church
Facebook: Stephen Guschov

Church Of The Nativity

The photo that is included with this blog post shows the outside of the Church of the Nativity in Manger Square in Bethlehem, Palestine. The church is built directly over the location where local tradition holds that Jesus was born and then placed in a manger by Mary. The manger photo that I recently posted was taken directly underneath the Church of the Nativity.

http://www.celebrationchampions.com/

www.twitter.com/StephenGuschov

Facebook: Celebration Champions Church

Facebook: Stephen Guschov

A Revolutionary Person

F. L. Hammer:

"Christianity is being concerned about your fellow (human), not building a million-dollar church while people are starving right around the corner. Christ was a revolutionary person, out there where it was happening. That's what God is all about ...."

www.celebrationchampions.com
www.twitter.com/StephenGuschov
Facebook: Celebration Champions Church
Facebook: Stephen Guschov

The True Manger

The photo that is included with this blog post is a photo of the true manger underneath the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, Palestine. The Church of the Nativity was built over the site in Bethlehem where local tradition holds that Jesus was born and then placed in a manger by Mary (Luke 2:7, 12, 16). Remember that a manger is nothing more than a feeding trough for animals.

In the days leading up to Christmas I'll be posting more photos from Holy Land sites relevant to the Christmas story.

http://www.celebrationchampions.com/

www.twitter.com/StephenGuschov

Facebook: Celebration Champions Church

Facebook: Stephen Guschov

Will

Philippians 2:13 (TNIV) - "(For) it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose."

Are you able to align yourself with God's will in order to fulfill his good purpose?

Or would you rather that He align himself with yours?

www.celebrationchampions.com
www.twitter.com/StephenGuschov
Facebook: Celebration Champions Church
Facebook: Stephen Guschov

Thoughts & Ways

Isaiah 55:8-9 (TNIV) - "'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,' declares the Lord. 'As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.'"

Here are a couple of additional thoughts:

1. Do you really want to align yourself with God's thoughts and God's ways?

2. Or do you really prefer to have God align himself with your thoughts and your ways?

www.celebrationchampions.com
www.twitter.com/StephenGuschov
Facebook: Celebration Champions Church
Facebook: Stephen Guschov

African Proverb

A pastor from Kenya once told me the following African proverb:

"Man plans. God laughs."

Always make sure that any plans that you may concoct for yourself also line up with God's will for your life. If they don't, you may make Him double over with laughter. Even God probably loves a good knee-slapper now and then.

www.celebrationchampions.com
www.twitter.com/StephenGuschov
Facebook: Celebration Champions Church
Facebook: Stephen Guschov

Splendid Torch

George Bernard Shaw:

"Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for a moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations."

www.celebrationchampions.com
www.twitter.com/StephenGuschov
Facebook: Celebration Champions Church
Facebook: Stephen Guschov

Courage

Walt Disney once observed:

"Courage is the main quality of leadership, in my opinion, no matter where it is exercised. Usually it implies some risk - especially in new undertakings."

Joshua understood this. After Moses died, God put Joshua in charge of the millions of Israelites headed toward the promised land, and God continually reinforced a message of strength and courage to Joshua. On three different occasions between Joshua 1:6-9, God said to Joshua, "Be strong and courageous." Three different times in a matter of four verses.

What do you need to be strong and courageous about today? Are you involved in a new undertaking in your church, ministry, business, or career, and it all seems a bit overwhelming and risky and scary to you?

Between Joshua 1:3-9, in addition to telling Joshua to be strong and courageous, God also told Joshua that He would give Joshua every place where Joshua set his foot; that no one would be able to stand against Joshua all the days of his life; that God would be with Joshua; that God would never leave him nor forsake Joshua; and that God would be with Joshua wherever he went.

Claim all of these same promises for yourself, your church, your ministry, your business, your career, and your new risk or undertaking. Be strong and courageous. God's got your back. He will never leave you nor forsake you, and He will be with you wherever you go and whatever you undertake or risk.

Have courage!

www.celebrationchampions.com
www.twitter.com/StephenGuschov
Facebook: Celebration Champions Church
Facebook: Stephen Guschov

A Charlie Brown Christmas

Today is the 45th anniversary of the very first TV presentation of "A Charlie Brown Christmas" back on December 9, 1965.

Even after 45 years, "A Charlie Brown Christmas" remains, in my opinion, the best animated Christmas special on TV.

It's also a great tool to use in your church or ministry's special Christmas services or outreaches. "A Charlie Brown Christmas" features a precious scene where Charlie Brown's pal, Linus, recites Luke 2:8-14 (the King James Version) after Charlie Brown, frustrated and demoralized by all of the commercialism of the holiday, asks if anyone can tell him what Christmas is really all about.

Use "A Charlie Brown Christmas" in your church or ministry's special Christmas services or outreaches. After 45 years, it has stood the test of time.

www.celebrationchampions.com
www.twitter.com/StephenGuschov
Facebook: Celebration Champions Church
Facebook: Stephen Guschov

Account

Romans 14:12 (TNIV) - "So then, we will all give an account of ourselves to God."

I have 2 questions for you with regard to this verse:

1. What will YOU SAY?

2. What will HE RESPOND?

www.celebrationchampions.com
www.twitter.com/StephenGuschov
Facebook: Celebration Champions Church
Facebook: Stephen Guschov

Larry Bird

Today is Larry Bird's 54th birthday. If you grew up in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, during the 1980s, then this fact blows you away.

Larry Bird was the greatest National Basketball Association player of the last 30 years. He also was one of the NBA's hardest workers. Very frequently when I attended Boston Celtics games at the old Boston Garden (or "Bah-stahn Gah-den" as we'd correctly pronounce it) in the '80s, I'd arrive about one hour before game-time in order to hustle a few autographs from the players, and on almost every occasion I'd see Larry Bird, an hour before game-time, alone on the fabled Boston Garden parquet floor, practicing shots and free throws.

Bird already was the best player in the NBA, but there he was, all by himself on the Boston Garden parquet floor, still trying to improve his game even more.

That's what made him the best in the game.

Never rest on your laurels. Never think that you've arrived. Never think that you can't improve your game. Keep practicing. Keep getting better. Keep excelling.

That's what Larry Bird taught me as I used to watch him on an old parquet floor in an arena that is now just a memory.

www.celebrationchampions.com
www.twitter.com/StephenGuschov
Facebook: Celebration Champions Church
Facebook: Stephen Guschov

Grace & Manna

God's grace is just like the manna that He provided to the Israelites in the desert.

God's grace, just like His manna, sustains us and is sufficient for us on a daily basis.

Get your grace portion today.

www.celebrationchampions.com
www.twitter.com/StephenGuschov
Facebook: Celebration Champions Church
Facebook: Stephen Guschov

Joseph

This Sunday is Part 2 of our Christmas series at Celebration Champions Church in Celebration, Florida, USA, and this Sunday we will be learning a whole lot more about the extremely important, but frequently neglected, role of Joseph in the Bethlehem Christmas story.

Men: how would you react if you found out that your fiancee was pregnant, and you were not the father? And how would you further react if your fiancee tried to tell you that the Holy Spirit did it?

Would you even believe her?

That's what Joseph was up against 2,000 years ago.

www.celebrationchampions.com
www.twitter.com/StephenGuschov
Facebook: Celebration Champions Church
Facebook: Stephen Guschov