This is an expression that is used by Christians often to describe the cleansing power of the blood of Christ. Myself, being from North Carolina find it hard most of the time to make the connection. Sure snow is white everyone knows that, but where i live it is rare that we have a snow that covers enough of the tall grass that you can look out and see purity.

We look out and see the whiteness of the snow speckled with the dirt and growth of what was there before. The fallen limbs, the grass that was just too tall, and the wonderment of fresh fallen snow is faded.

Realistically this is how some Christians view themselves, sure they have been washed white as snow but they can still see so many blemishes, so many sins that find their way into our lives. This causes people who have the chance to be a great witness for the Kingdom to stand back thinking that they are not good enough to share what they cannon grasp completely.

This is a misconception that needs to be removed from our minds. Because you see when our sins are forgiven they are forgiven completely. It is only our frail human minds that hold on to them and make them seem bigger than they are.

When you think of the whiteness of the snow that you have been washed as white as think great blizzard during the Ice age, anything and everything that is around is completely covered with the power of the blood.

Psalm 51:6-12
6 Surely you desire truth in the inner parts;
you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.

7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.

9 Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.

10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

11 Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.

12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

Throughout this time of year the idea is perpetuated that Mary and Jesus are the only real important people in the story of the incarnation of God on the Earth. I have often found this a little hard to understand because while not the Biological father of Jesus Christ the story could not have happened without Joseph.

I mean when you think about Joseph everything kind of gets muddled. We don't know a lot about him because not a lot is mentioned. But I want to let you know of somethings thing that we can know.

Joseph must have been a good man. God who knows everything chose this man to be the step-father of Jesus the only true Son of God.

Joseph was not scared of hard work. As a carpenter in the first century he would have to go and cut his own trees, make the planks and boards and then craft the furniture and houses that were needed.

Joseph loved Mary. We can know this for sure because he did not immediately have her stoned when she told him she was pregnant. And he married her straight away when the Angel came to him.

So this Christmas as you sing the songs and make merry remember that Joseph the step-father of Jesus along with the rest of the family.

I am sorry that I have not been keeping this updated the last couple of weeks. My dad was in the hospital until this passed Sunday when he went on to glory.
I am going to post today a copy of the graveside service that I preformed for my dad. Let it encourage you to spend as much time with your Father as possible.

"I want to start out today by saying thank you. Thank you for all of the kind words, for all the hugs, for the sympathy. Thank you for showing us not only how much my dad was loved but how much you care for us as well and a special thank you for all the people who brought us all the wonderful food.
I knew when I was called into the ministry that one day I would have to eventually do a funeral. It was never something that I looked forward to. The idea always scared me because what is there to say that will bring comfort. What can I say that will help at a time of loss? It was these ideas that I have fought with since accepting Joyce’s offer to be a part of Dad’s funeral.
I didn’t have any idea where to begin… so I went to my dad’s barn and just stood looking around the workshop trying to remember everything that I could about, Steve Harrison. And as I stood there I began to see my dad doing the things that he loved. I saw my dad building the china cabinet in the dining room of his house. I saw him building a Santa Claus that was getting pulled on the roof by his reindeer. I saw my dad helping me sand down a computer case so that I could paint it to look like Spiderman. I saw my dad using his hands and his creativity to build a table and chairs for his grandchildren. I saw a man that would stand around and shoot the bull with his neighbors on a regular basis, one of them even told me one time that he and Dad had “shot so much bull that all the freezers in Martin County were full-up”. I saw all this and then I knew what I wanted to share with you today. I want to tell you about how I saw my dad….
It took me a long time to really get to know who this man, Steve Harrison, really was. Growing up I only got snap shots and brief encounters that were never enough to put together a clear picture, but thankfully I have really gotten to know him very well in the last 5 or 6 years, and he was a man that I truly love and respect.
Now I am not going to stand here and sugar coat this by telling you that my dad was a saint… or that he was perfect… Steve Harrison made mistakes, and he made some bad choices and sometimes he just liked to cause trouble for the sake of causing trouble. And I do not want you to forget that about my Dad, but remember that he took the bumps and bruises of life even those he caused himself and he used them to grow stronger he used them to find a new path. In James 1:2-3 it says “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.” And my dad faced enough trials that he had perseverance in abundance… though most of the time we just called it plain old stubbornness. But it was this stubbornness that solved many a problem… that kept dad pulling for the Washington Redskins… and it was this stubbornness that kept him fighting right to his last breath.
One thing that I will never forget about my dad is that he would call me “Son-shine” and I learned over the last few years that it wasn’t just a clever nickname it was my dad telling me exactly what I meant too him. That I was a light in his life, A bright spot that he was proud of. He called me “Son-shine” because he loved me and was proud of me. Just like he was proud of Stevie for the work he does with his hands and of Keith for the work that he does with his mind and Stephanie for the great job she is doing raising his grandchildren. He loved those little girls and would just melt when they came around, there wasn’t much that Papi wouldn’t do for Lara Mac and Rachel.
Really there wasn’t much that he wouldn’t do for any one. I can remember many times calling asking for car help, or moving help or crafting help. And he would always drop what he was doing to make sure that he had done everything in his power to help me. But it wasn’t just for me, it was for his neighbors, his friends, there were loads of widows that would get dad to come mow their yard, trim the shrubs, move furniture around in the house. And while he didn’t always do it without complaining it would still get done.
The last day that Dad was really able to carry on a conversation I was able to talk with him. I had no idea that it would be our last conversation but I sat down on his bed there in ICU and looked up at him. Not knowing that this would be our last conversation I asked him if he was a Christian… without skipping a beat Dad said that of course he was he had been baptized at Maple Grove a long time ago. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 says “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve, as do the rest who have no hope.14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, and remain until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep.16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first.17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord.18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.”
My dad suffered through the last part of his life but that is not want I want you to remember about him… instead remember that he Believed that Christ was Lord and was covered in His Blood. Remember that As such we have a great hope of seeing him again one day.
I want you to remember my dad the way that I will and the way that I saw him… I made this image of my dad so that you could get a better glimpse of who he was to me… so remember my dad this way… a loving brother… a devoted husband… … a master craftsmen… a brilliant artist… a man with beautiful handwriting… a wiz at solving crossword puzzles… a devout even when no sane person would pull for them a Washington Redskins fan… but above all else remember my dad as a man who loved his family, his wife his brother and his children. And we are sure going to miss you daddy."

In our lives we develop barriers around ourselves that we have built to maintain our comfort levels. This barrier is something like a bubble. It is tight and fragile, it is something that we can see through to the outside and the outside can see in, but when you look through a bubble there is a little distortion that clouds your vision. We hang out with certain people, or we read particular news articles. We listen to our favorite bands or watch our favorite shows. All because they make us more comfortable. As Christians we have pulled a bubble around us to keep out the world. Bubbles are all around us, they guide our thoughts and our choices. They tell us who will be our friends and who is cool. There is a very philosophical word for these bubbles, paradigm(pronounced pair-uh-dime). It is basically your worldview and the preconceptions that come with that.

As Christians we have been called to share the Gospel with the whole world, not just those that fit nicely into our worldview. So we need to start reaching out to those around us. But to who? And, in what ways? How do we decide who needs our love? How do we figure out who we reach out to first? I propose that we reach out first to our enemies.

I have decided this simply because I feel that it would be the hardest and so if we can train ourselves to show those we can't stand or those that hate us the love of God. Then we can share it with anyone and everyone.

But why would we want to help the people who are always out to hurt us. Why would we want to show kindness to people who would rather see us fail. Jesus during the "Sermon on the Mount" shares with us a great vision of this:
Matt 5:43-47 43 "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?"

Jesus says that everyone shows love to those who love them, but it takes someone special to love where hate and malice is returned. All over the Bible we are told that they will know God’s people by our love, and yet we act towards our enemies the same as those who have never known anything about the Love of God. In 1 Peter a challenge is given to the church and I want to share with you that same challenge as we reach out of our bubble towards our enemies… 1 peter 2:11-12 "Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. 12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us."

So I want to challenge you this week to live your life in such a way that even your greatest enemy will know that you love them. To live in a way that will shine the love of God to everyone around you. To reach out and touch your enemies with the heart of a servant.

If you are like me you find it hard to focus on anything that is not interactive and flashy like a video game or something that draws your imagination in so far that you have to know what is going to happen next. A lot of times even the most righteous can not find the flash or attention grabbing in their faith and need a re-focusing to be effective in the fold. So I want to share with you 4 things that I do when i need to get my mind and thought back on the things above.

1. Read the Bible - It does not matter what is going on in your life the living word of God almighty has something that will speak to your situation. The Psalmist writes the longest chapter in the longest book of the Bible as an ode, poem of respect and love, to the laws and precepts of God... to His scripture Psalm 119

2. Pray - By this I don't mean "Hey God, I need to be re-focused on you, thanks! Amen.", not that this prayer is not valid and probably one that needs to be repeated several times a day by most of us, but a prayer that gets to the sole of the problem that you are facing. A prayer that connects you with the will of God. A prayer that never stops, that offers a living sacrifice, and that is righteous.

3. Attend A Worship Service - Being around other Christians is something that cannot be faked or substituted. It is the relationships that you form around the bond of Christ that will help you to mature into the Christian that you want to be. When you attend a service you are also allowed an opportunity to repeat steps 1 and 2 with a group of peers.

4. Do something for the Kingdom - Probably the greatest way to be re-focused on God is to go out and be like Him. Take Your time and your energy and sacrifice them to evangelism or to service. You will find that the joy you get from doing for others will answer back to the love that God has for you... Remember While we were still sinners... Christ died for us.