Love - Kayla's Korner

What word comes to mind when you think of the month February? For most, it’s the word “love”. Love is such a strong word because it has such a strong meaning to us. Growing up, I had many people in my life who showed me love. My mother, my stepfather, my wonderful grandparents, my aunt, and my husband. Love can be shown in different ways, I learned in my teenage years, that my parents weren’t getting onto me because they don’t like me, but, because they love me and care about me.

The word love appears many times in the Bible. In the English Standard Version, it appears 684 times! I think that’s quite a bit. John 15:12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” Jesus commanded us to love each other. Sometimes it can be hard to show love toward someone who isn’t nice to us, but Jesus wants us to still love this person. It took me awhile to learn to love those who didn’t like me, and those who discouraged me from my calling in ministry. As I learned more of how Christ loved, I begin to understand how to love others as He did. It took time and a lot of prayer, but I eventually learned.

I pray that this month you also learn Jesus’ commandment given to us in John 15:12.

Blessings, Kayla

Five Years from Now

As we kick off the new year we're also kicking off a new period for our church, a period of revisioning.

Starting in January our sermon series in which we will intentionally ask big questions about how you see the church and where we see it going. We together will find the answer to what we want the church to look like in five years and how we will get it there.

We will answer questions like:

What does the church look like in five years?

How do you want the church to grow?

What programs would you like the church to have?

How will the church address needs in our community?

What are our church's faith pillars?

What are some things our church is currently doing that need to be reworked?

All of these questions need to be answered to become the church we want to be.  As we work through this January sermon series we will send out an intentional survey. Asking you questions about your thoughts on the future of Hurstbourne Christian Church. Please take the time to fill them out and give us as much detail as possible.

At the end of the series, we will create a vision team. That will go through those surveys and formulate a vision and mission statement that sums up what we want Hurstbourne Christian Church to become.

I would like to thank you all for your participation and enthusiasm as we create a new vision of the church together.

Black Bean Dip - Cheryl's Food Memories

January when I was growing up, was the month we cleaned out the fridge with after Christmas leftovers and it was also a celebration month. There were birthdays, basketball games (in those days I cheered for IU but I saw the light and was saved of course), and football. I loved watching football with my dad. Monday night was winding down and the playoffs were happening. Now we still watch football bowl games and playoff and whatnot and because I want to watch too we got in the habit of having grazing food so I wouldn’t miss anything thing. Here are a couple of the things I keep premade in the fridge & freezer to warm up as we want them. Black Bean Dip, and Spicy chicken wraps

BLACK BEAN DIP Created because Scott loves the Desert Pepper Trading Company brand but it was expensive and hard to find. After some experimenting we have this.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 can refried black beans

• 2 TBS tomato puree

• 1 ½ TBS white vinegar

• 1to 2 TBS chipotle chili powder (Add to taste)

• 1 chili powder

• 1 clove garlic minced or ½ tsp garlic powder

• ½ tsp onion powder MIX ALL INGREDIENTS in a bowl Store in fridge up to 1 week or to fix for immediate serving transfer to a baking dish to warm @ 300 degrees until warm about 10 minutes. *Sometimes we will put a little shredded cheese on top.

SWEET AND SPICE BACON CHICKEN WRAPS This can be done as an appetizer or on as strips from a of chicken breast just adjust time to accommodate larger pieces of chicken.

INGREDIENTS 1 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless, chicken breasts (about 4 breasts) 1 (1-pound) package thin sliced bacon 2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar 1/4 cup chili powder (I add ½ tsp chipotle chili powder as well) PREPARE

• Preheat oven to 350F. • Cut chicken breasts into 1-inch cubes.

• Cut each bacon slice into thirds.

• Wrap each chicken cube with bacon and secure with a wooden pick.

• Stir together brown sugar and chili powder.

• Dredge wrapped chicken in mixture.

• Coat a rack and broiler pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place chicken wrap on rack (I prop up with toothpicks in the slits of the rack on the broiler pan.)

• Bake 350F for 30 to 35 minutes or until bacon is crisp. These are great hot out of the oven or at room temp an hour later. *If you are pre-making to freeze for later. Cook for only 20 minutes cool then freeze. To serve remove from freezer and put directly in oven rack cook for 20 minutes until bacon is crispy and chicken is done. I do test this with a quick read thermometer 165F

Take the Name of Jesus with You (Precious Name) - Marc's Music Notables

Names were important in the Bible. When God called Abram, he changed Abram’s name to Abraham, because “You will be the father of a multitude of nations” (Genesis 17:4).

He changed Jacob’s name to Israel (Genesis 35:10), which would become the name of God’s people. The scriptures, especially the Old Testament, often explain the significance of a person’s name, and sometimes tell the story of God changing a person’s name to fit a new calling.

Jesus’ name is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew Joshua, which means “Yahweh (God) saves.” The New Testament gives Jesus many titles (Christ, Messiah, Lord, Master, etc.), but Jesus (“God saves”) is his name. Lydia Baxter (1800-1874) enjoyed teaching people the significance of Biblical names— especially Jesus’ name.

She had authored a number of hymns, and in 1870 wrote this one. Of the many hymns that she authored, only this one survives in today’s hymnals. It calls people to take the name of Jesus with them, because it “will joy and comfort give you” (v. 1)—and because Jesus’ name serves as “a shield from every snare (v. 2).

The phrase, “Hope of earth and joy of heaven,” is worth consideration. Hope (which we have on earth) is future oriented.

Jesus gives us the hope of salvation—a vision of a heavenly kingdom which we have attained in part but will attain fully only in the future. Joy, however, is something enjoyed in the present, and heaven has already begun to experience the joy of Jesus’ salvation work. It already knows that we on earth are in the midst of learning.

Hopeful Expectation

Like many, my family gets together on Christmas Eve. Each year we gather and have a meal. After the meal is over, we open presents.

When I was a child, waiting to open the presents until after I ate the meal was hard. It was difficult to look at all of the brightly color boxes wrapped with bows and ribbons. I would scarf down whatever was on my plate. I wanted to finish quickly so I could get to opening presents sooner.

Visions danced in my head of toys and candies, just waiting to be opened. It was hard to focus on anything else.

I doubt that I'm the only child that had those expectations and for whom waiting for Christmas was hard. I was ready to rush through the traditions and get straight to the main event.

However, the traditions necessitated that I wait.

I had to wait before I opened my gifts. I had to wait until Christmas came.

Many of our Christmas traditions place an emphasis on waiting with hopeful expectations.

That is largely what our Advent season is. It is a season of hopeful expectations. We wait and build up anticipation for the coming birth of a Messiah. We sit at the edge of our seats, waiting for that final moment when Christ comes forth.

This year, as we start our Advent season once again, it is no different. We are waiting, hopeful for what is to come.

We don't just sit idly bye. We live into those expectations. We make the world into the world we hope for. We share our love with those people around us and we brighten their hearts, their minds, and their spirits. The hope that we look forward to is not a hope of the presents we will receive, but the hope of the gifts that we can give.

Those gifts are hope, peace, joy, and love.

This Advent, I invite you to come with us in hopeful expectation of what the coming Messiah will bring, not only in your life but in the lives of all of God's children.