May this be the best year you have ever lived! And if you make just one change this year, make it this one!
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Merry Christmas from the Petermanns!
Merry Christmas from the Petermanns! from Jason Petermann on Vimeo.
Due to unforeseen circumstances, we did not send out Christmas Cards this year. We will be sending out a New Year’s letter though, so if we are on your list, please don’t delete us! We will be sending something, just a little late! For now, know that we love you all and we hope you have a very Merry and Christ-Centered Christmas!
PS. Don’t read in to that, Jennifer is NOT pregnant! ;-P
ThanksLiving
I enjoy this time of year more than any other time. I love the holidays, and really enjoy the extra time I get to spend with my family. Thanksgiving is a day that really should be a reminder of how we are to live each and every day of our life. With thanks! We take so many things for granted on a daily basis. Sometimes there are reminders that we do this: We lose our job, a family member dies, a close friend moves away, the money runs out and we buy food according to necessity and not by preference of taste and desire. When these things happen to us or someone we are close to, we all of a sudden are reminded that we are one of the lucky ones… better yet, we are one of the blessed ones.
Here is a quick 5 things that I am blessed with and thankful for this day:
- A God that desires a relationship on a day by day, moment by moment basis. His love and forgiveness drives me to love others even when it is hard to do.
- A family that loves me (or at least they say they do!) even though I make mistakes (a lot). The older I get, the more I love and appreciate them.
- A wife that I adore! I know, she is family and belongs in #2, but she deserves a special mention all to herself. She is the most important thing in my life (outside of God Himself). Marrying her was certainly a good move on my part!
- A church to serve in. I cannot imagine doing anything else but serving in a local church. Seeing people takes steps towards Christ is rewarding in and of itself!
- Food and football! How can I not say that on Thanksgiving day!
Make Thanksgiving a way of living! Make it ThanksLiving! We are so blessed!
Freedom!
Freedom! Today we celebrate the freedom we have in our nation. We thank all who have served and given their lives so we can have that freedom. I also hope you’re experiencing the ultimate freedom that we find through Jesus and the cross! John 8:36 – So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
Happy Valentine's Day To My Valentine!
Today is Valentine’s Day. I woke up with the flu, so that kind of sucks! I am glad that my valentine and I went out to celebrate yesterday. (You kind of have to re-arrange things when you have 5 kids!)
She is the most important person in this world to me. She loves Jesus. She loves our children. She has stuck by me for nearly 20 years, even when it was not always fun. I love her so much more now than I could have ever imagined that I would. My life with her just gets better, and she is responsible for that.
Thank you Jennifer for loving me… even when I have the flu!
Worship Confessional: December 28, 2008
This week was not a week that I usually have long rehearsals or try new songs. People are busy and I try to respect their time during the holidays by having as short a rehearsal as I can. We typically have rehearsal on Thursday evening. The band rehearses and then the praise teams joins tha band for the last hour or so. Usually, rehearsals are about 2 1/2 hours total. This week, we combined the praise team and band for about 45 minutes of rehearsal. We also only had one service this Sunday. Everything we did in church today we have done before. Next week will pretty much be the same. So, here is our setlist for this Sunday. We did have a new keyboard player today… well, he was new for me, but he has played here at Glenville before. He did a great job!
Here is the list:
- Friend Of God – Houghton
- Everlasting God – Brown
Baptism – I LOVE seeing people take this step of obediece! Always cool!
- Forever – Tomlin
- Blessed Be Your Name – Redman
- You Are My King – Foote
Pastor’s message was a call to thank God for the blessings of the year, but he spent most of his time encouraging us to push forward and anticipate great things in the future. The people seemed to be very attentive and were receptive during the response time. It was a low-key day, but there was still lots of energy and excitement in the place. I am looking forward to another laid-back week (although I am speaking next week, so I have to get ready). I love all this extra time with the family!
This post is also part of Sunday Setlists at Fred McKinnon [dot] com.
Anticipation
I am home today on Christmas Eve. We are doing all the last minute things that you do before Christmas Day. We are watching Santa’s progress on the NORAD Santa Tracker RADAR. My kids are on a high just waiting for the big day. The waiting is going to kill them, and drive their 
parents nuts! Actually, it is fun to sit back and watch them in their anticipation of the arrival of Christmas. It is like Christmas will never get here for them!
As I watch them, I cannot help but think about all the people involved in that first Christmas night. The nation of Israel, Joseph and Mary and all those expecting the arrival of a Messiah… the One who would come and save them. They did not know the weight of what would happen that night. They did not know what the birth of Jesus would be all about, and what it would set it motion. They could not comprehend that the birth of this child would be the catalyst that would allow mankind to come into a right relationship with the God of the Universe.
I hope that as we go about our fun the next couple of days that we do not forget that all this was because God wanted a relationship with us. He wanted to be a part of our lives. He wanted to be able to lead us to the life that He has planned, a plan that will allow us to live life to the full! God has always had a plan… and that plan includes us! It includes you living the life that God planned for you.
As we anticipate Christmas Day, let’s not forget that Jesus is not just the reason for the season… He is he reason for life! Let’s live that way!
Ten Things I Have Learned This Year: Part Four
This is the last post in the “Ten Things I Have Learned This Year.” you can see the other posts here, here and here.
8. It is important to remember that we are a part of something so much bigger than ourselves, our church, and our affiliation (denomination, fellowship, whatever…).
- I am not minimizing the importance of the local church. Not at all. It is God’s plan for us to reach people. But, it is part of a BIG plan that God has to bring people into the Kingdom.
- We have to remember that everything that we do as a local congregation of believers gives people around us a view of what God and His people are all about. So, if you are some wack-job that preaches hate and intolerance (to personal preferences – not core doctrinal issues) than you give those in your community (and unfortunately, maybe even a larger audience) a view that God’s people are a bunch of idiots. You also give people that are visiting your church, maybe for the first or last time, something other than the hope, acceptance and love of Jesus, which is what they are looking for. As the people of God, we have to create an atmosphere that allows us to show the love of Christ to people in a non-judgmental way.
- If you are a part of some denomination or fellowship of churches, that is great. Those things are helpful for the big picture as far as home and foreign missions are concerned. But it is sad when a pastor or a church get so “affiliation” minded that they forget they are called to build a church, not an affiliation. I literally have heard pastors say that another pastor would have made a great leader an their affiliation if he had not been so focused on his church. Excuse me? Jesus did not die for you affiliation…
- We need to have a big picture mentality that allows us to work with others to accomplish the work of God. I like how Paul said it in Philippians, “I don’t care if they preach Christ out of envy or good will, the important thing is that they are preaching Christ.”
9. With that in mind, we should live our lives as if we are a part of something big
- God has a purpose and a plan. We should live to be a part of that, knowing that we were are involved in is God redemptive process for man.
- We are a part of what God wants to do. We need to see where we fit that plan, and dig in to love God, love others and serve both!
- Why do so many Christians walk around like they do not matter, and like what they believe does not matter. They walk around like it is a small thing to be a Christ follower! Stop it! We are a child of the Most High God! Live like it!
- Live your life as if the person you are in contact with at this very moment is a divine appointment from God… because it is! We are a part of His master plan!
10. God is sovereign. The end!
- So many times over the last year I have had to just sit back, take a deep breath, and remind myself that God is in control.
- I have had to remind myself that no man is bigger than God, even if they think they are. No circumstance is beyond God’s control, even if it seems like there is no escape.
- If I believe that I am a part of God’s great plan, than I have to believe that the things He allows to come into my life are also a part of that plan, and will help me to be exactly who He intends me to be.
In another post this year, I shared a passage from Job that gave me great strength. I have gone back to that passage many times this year. Job 23:8-14 says:
8 I cannot find God anywhere— in front or back of me,
9 to my left or my right. God is always at work,
though I never see him.
10 But he knows what I am doing, and when he tests me,
I will be pure as gold.
11 I have never refused to follow any of his commands,
12 and I have always treasured his teachings.
13 But he alone is God, and who can oppose him?
God does as he pleases,
14 and he will do exactly what he intends with me.
It is such a comfort to know that He is in control, and that He will do exactly what He wants to do with me to fulfill His purpose and plan!
I hope I am always learning… I cannot wait to see what God has for me in 2009!
