There are many stress-relievers in God's Word. On this page, we will be looking at different verses each week.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"

I don't know about you, but I can't believe that this year is already gone. It seems like just yesterday that the whole world was in a state of stress waiting for midnight, for the start of 2000, to see if everything would be thrown into chaos with the "Y2K" bug.

Anyway, here we are already looking at the beginning of another new year... 2001! The old is gone, time to "usher in the new", as they say.

Perhaps you, like many others, sit down and write out your "new year's resolutions." You know, this year I am going to...

The list sometimes goes on and on, doesn't it? Now, let me ask you this... how many years have you been saying these things? If your answer is more than one year, then you haven't stuck to your own resolution, have you? It also means that you never really "threw out the old" and "ushered in the new", did you?

This week's verse is a great promise from God; when you have given control of your life to Christ, you have "thrown out the old" - that is, you have put behind you your old self - and you have become NEW. You have a new life in more ways than one... one here on earth to spend serving our REAL CHIEF and an eternal one in Heaven.

How about this year, instead of writing down some empty "new year's resolutions", you make a "new LIFE resolution" and ask Christ to become the REAL CHIEF in your life? It's a resolution that other Christians will help you keep, as you, together with them, learn to serve HIM and others. If you would like to know how to ask HIM for this gift of new life, I would be more than happy to talk with you. Simply email me at skip@emergencychaplain.org and say, "Chaplain Skip, I want to learn how to serve our REAL CHIEF."

"...and there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.""

This weeks' verse explains all that I have to share with you this week. Because, you see, even in this verse, when the angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds, there was stress... it says they were "terrified!"

But our REAL CHIEF'S angel told them to leave the stress behind (do not be afraid!!!) because of the GOOD NEWS of GREAT JOY: our SAVIOR is born, He is CHRIST the LORD!

Today is the day to celebrate the birth of our REAL CHIEF. It is a time of joy, of goodness, of love and it is a time for total stress relief.

Put HIM at the center of your life today. Then, you, too can celebrate a birthday - your own, as you are re-born into a new life with HIM!

The word "give" is used 862 times and the past tense, "gave," another 631 times in the NIV version of the Bible. The word "give" is defined by Webster's Dictionary as a verb meaning "...transfer the possession of, hand over freely."

As we approach Christmas, I thought the subject of giving was quite appropriate. That, and I have seen some prime examples of the word "give" this past week.

Let me first tell you that another fire department has appointed us as their Chaplain! I am very thrilled to be associated now with the New Caney, Texas Volunteer Fire Department. The department voted us in unanimously last Monday night. The reason I mention this is because this little department put the "action" into the verb "give!"

They chose a family to sponsor for Christmas. Now, they aren't the only department to do this in the area either (Bennette Fire Department is also doing it). So they raised money and got toys and food and things going for that endeavor.

Then, Chief Bob Yancey and his crew at "Fightin' Fifteens" assisted in a food drive, along with the Porter Fire Department, to benefit the needy families in East Montgomery County. I had the privilege of driving one of the fire trucks as we paraded from school to school in the district to physically pick up the canned food items that the children had collected. Oh, and I should mention that the Chief brought along Santa Claus to tell all the kiddos who had donated food that he was coming to their houses on Christmas eve!!! HO HO HO!!! All of those items (by the way, the kids collected over FOUR THOUSAND pounds of food! This was all caravaned over to "Mission Northeast", a food and toy and clothing and houseware and love-giving ministry serving East Montgomery County, for distribution (a.k.a.- "give") to needy families.

Then, last night at the department's Christmas party, the Chief called me to the front of the room and said that the Fire District board and he had gotten together and decided to give us a check for my family for Christmas. Well, needless to say, Cindy and I are still blown away. This is a department that brought us in as Chaplain only five days previous! The only "official act" I have done for the department was to offer the Blessing on the banquet.

The Fire Departments here Montgomery County are all to be applauded. But, I believe Chief Yancy and my new "family" at NCVFD are a shining example of how to "give freely."

The ultimate example of "giving freely" occurred, of course, 2000 years ago when our REAL CHIEF gave us His only Son.

This Christmas, as we celebrate God's Gift to us, let us, in turn, freely give to others.

"So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy."

To those who have lost someone close to them, the Christmas season becomes a time of deep grief, rather than abundant joy.

I personally have several friends who have lost a child or a spouse in the last few years. Each year around the start of the Christmas season, they have shared with me how difficult it is "to make it through" the Holidays. Their sense of loss, their deep longing, the huge void in their life can only be imagined by the rest of us.

Folks, the ONLY way to "survive" from November 24th through January 2nd for these hurting people is to;

Our verse this week are the Words of Christ. HE comforts those who grieve by telling us that our grief will be replaced with joy. Now, He was speaking, of course, of the horrible death HE was about to face and was talking about the grief that His Disciples would feel. And the joy? Well, the joy would come when they were to see our REAL CHIEF risen from a grave that couldn't hold Him!

And, so it is with us today... all of us, unfortunately, will be faced with going through a holiday season without a loved one. So, know this: there will come a time, for all who believe in our REAL CHIEF, when all grief will be replaced with the never-ending joy of standing in the presence of our Lord!

So, until we get to meet HIM face-to-face, we are given a joy in just knowing HIM, and serving HIM, now.

As we approach the celebration of the birth of our REAL CHIEF, do this: reach out to someone you know who has lost a loved one and show them the love that HE has freely given. Using His love, your joy can help alleviate some of the pain of a hurting brother or sister.... afterall, we are a huge family, aren't we?

It is my prayer that the verses we discuss help each of you as it has helped me deal with the amount of stress we are all faced to deal with. If you are not yet saved, I have Good News for you. Jesus loves you very much and His Holy Spirit is drawing you to Him. To learn more, click here.

PAST "STRESS RELIEF" ARTICLES
1999	2000
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September 1999	September 2000
October 1999	October 2000
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