Yesterday, we continued our "Survival Guide to Christmas" series…it was a joy to see all 4 of us there.  🙂

Actually our attendance was kind of what I suspected it would be with the cold & ice.  I’ll tell you, I was VERY thankful for the crunchy layer of sleet that fell on top of the ice overnight.  It made the trip a lot safer.

Anyway, yesterday’s topic was on "Dealing with Family" from Joseph’s story in Matthew 1:18-25.

Here are some bonus thoughts:

• I had a BLAST doing the research on the process of Jewish engagement & marriage in Jesus’ day.  It really brought the story to life for me.
• I also got a new view of the pain that Joseph must have been going through.  It wasn’t a question of IF he was going to divorce his fiancée Mary, but HOW MESSY would he make it.
• Kudos to the Drama team who illustrated family strife at Christmas really well.
• This is one message I’d encourage you to put on your Ipod.  Every one of deal with family issues.
• Biggest "God Moment" for me this week?  We NEED our families because it’s the greatest way God uses to help us grow more like Christ.
• Old Testament verses I referenced yesterday?
  • The "mohar" or reverse dowry (Genesis 34:12)
  • Engagement (Exodus 21:9)
  • Engagement Cheating Deuteronomy 22:23-24)
  • Divorce & remarriage (Deuteronomy 24:1-4)
  • The pain of a friend’s betrayal (Psalm 55:12-14)
• The verses I decided not to mention for sake of time?
  • Dad gets the evidence (Deuteronomy 22:13-21)
  • The benefit of trials (Psalm 119:71)