Christmas is just a few days away, and you don’t have all your presents for your loved ones yet? Well here are some ideas. Author Dr. Charles Swindoll, in his book “Seasons of Life” suggests a list of things to give away this Christmas. Some of his suggestions are- Give encouragement to an older person. Write a long overdue love note to someone dear. Release a grudge. Find the time to keep a promise. Forgive an enemy. Give an apology if you were wrong. Offer to babysit for a tired mother. Gladden the heard of some child. Yes, Christmas is a time of giving. But some gifts cannot be bought, they involve giving yourself. Jesus, God’s Son gave Himself on the cross to open the door to heaven for you and me. What a gift. “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

Pastor Alex Rockwell

Three coyotes have been caught in Summerside’s Rotary Park. A woman working near Merritt B.C. barely escaped when approached by five aggressive wolves. Scary! But as frightening as these coyotes and wolves may be, Jesus warned of more dangerous kinds of “wolves.” He said, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous “wolves.” .Everything we hear from religious leaders needs to be compared with the Bible. Luke, travelling with Paul, paid tribute to the Christians of Berea who only accepted Paul’s teaching after they compared it with biblical truth, writing “they searched the scriptures daily to find out whether these thing were true.” Remember please, that God never directs us to believe or do anything contrary to His Word.

Pastor Alex Rockwell

Katie is a beautiful, independent young woman, now 21, a university student. When very young, often, when offered help to do something, her words were “ I can do it myself.” And that is not bad. From the moment we take our first spill, instead of running to pick us up, they told us to do it ourselves. They were teaching us self- reliance. So we began to think, “I can do it myself..” And there are lots of things we can do and should do for ourselves. But one thing we cannot do is face our creator on our own. Nobody is good enough or strong enough to make it into heaven without help. The Bible says,- “…when the kindness and the love of God our savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us…” When it comes to becoming a Christian, please don’t say, “I can do it myself.”

Pastor Alex Rockwell

Last month I read the story of an elderly gentleman who was asked if he had lost anything when he became a Christian. “Yes,” he replied, “Before I was saved…I drank to excess and quarreled with my wife. I lost all of that. I had a wicked heart and a hardened conscience- I lost them. I had a thousand guilty fears- I lost them. I had a wife whose heart I had broken, who did without the necessities of life- all that is in the past. Yes, I lost many things when I invited Jesus into my life.” When a person comes to Christ, He has promised to replace our “heart of stone” with a “heart of flesh.” “Old things pass away, all things become new.” God gives cleansing, for our sin, joy for our sorrow, hope for our hopelessness and new life for certain spiritual death, because though” the wages of sin is death, the gift of God is eternal life.”

Pastor Alex Rockwell

A Philadelphia couple, who believe in faith-healing over medicine, have lost their infant son, four years after the similar death of another child. Herbert and Catharine Schaible, on probation, requiring them to seek immediate medical help if their children became sick or injured, refused. Instead they prayed over their eight month old son, Brandon, who died of pneumonia. No doubt they loved their children, were sincere, but sincerely wrong, with tragic results. The Bible nowhere teaches us to ignore medical assistance. And just as this couple was sincerely wrong, it is possible for us to be sincerely wrong about how to become a Christian. We may sincerely believe that heaven is earned by good works. But the Bible teaches us that it is “not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saves us.”

Pastor Alex Rockwell

A little girl came to her mother, gave her four small pieces of hardened clay and said, “Mom, my world fell apart.” The mother realizing the child had made a globe of clay, quickly “fixed” the world by taping it together. “But Mom,” the child said,, “it still has holes and cracks in it.” And often, when our “world falls apart as a result of financial ruin, loss of employment, serious illness or the death of a loved one, we attempt, to tape it together again. But the cracks and holes are still there. That’s because only God can fix our world. He forgives, takes away our guilt, comforts, and gives us peace. When we accept Christ into our lives, We experience what Paul spoke of when he wrote, “…if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things have passed away, behold all things have become new.”

Pastor Alex Rockwell

Authorities believe that a father’s act of shielding his 13 year old daughter during a rock slide in Colorado probably saved her life. Grace Johnston told her rescuers that when the boulders were coming down on top of them her Dad covered her and protected her. In the rock slide, both of Gracie’s parents, her sister and two cousins were killed. The bible tells us how Jesus, God’s son willingly took the punishment for our sin when He died on the Cross. Paul described the Savior’s heroic act as follows-“But demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” But it is still up to us to make a decision to accept or reject this sacrifice. An old hymn asks -“what will you do with Jesus? Neutral you cannot be. Someday your heart will be asking, what will He do with me?

Pastor Alex Rockwell

“It was a real test of my faith.” Those are the words of George Reynolds after a terrifying 15 terrifying hours at sea when their boat capsized in the chilly waters off the Massachusetts coast. Reynolds and Fred Schaeffer spent a night sitting on a plank over two hulls of their trimaran in high seas. They prayed for strength and calm seas, sang gospel songs and quoted scripture verses, until they were rescued. . These men knew where to call for help. Sadly, many, when facing the storms of life, do not know where to turn. David the Psalmist wrote of such experiences with the words ”They wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way. They found no city to dwell in. hungry and thirsty. Their soul fainted in them. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them out of their distresses.”

Pastor Alex Rockwell

While Wayne Klinkel and his wife were enjoying a meal at a restaurant, their five year old golden retriever was having a meal of his own, in the family car. When they returned to the car, they found out that Sundance had devoured most of five one hundred dollar b ills. Fortunately for them, when Klinkel painstakingly gathered and assembled the parts of the bills, the US Treasury reimbursed them for the loss. Like this dog, it is very common for people to develop an insatiable desire for money the accumulation of riches becomes the be-all and end-all of their lives and crowds out more important things. The bible warns, command those who are rich …not to …trust in uncertain riches but in the living God.” Only Jesus can give us true satisfaction in this life and prepare us for the life to come. He invites, “Let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.”

Pastor Alex Rockwell

The chalkboard on the side of buildings reads “Before I die, I want to…” those passing by can share their dreams. The idea originated in New Orleans, when Candy Chang needed clarification in her own life and felt others may too. The project has now spread worldwide. Anything that causes us to stop and think of the future is a good thing. Rollo May says, “It is ironic that humans run faster when they have lost their way.” The Bible, sums it up in Psalm 46, “Be still and know that I am God…” It’s a good idea to say from the heart, “Before I die, I want to establish goals.”-. But more importantly, we should all be saying, “before I die, I want to be prepared for the next life.” Jesus made it clear how this can happen when He said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Pastor Alex Rockwell