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We usually listen to Christmas songs until at least New Year’s Day. If you do the same, here are three to take you into 2008. We are big fans of Sacred Audio.com, and find ourselves buying music four and five songs at a time every couple of weeks. These are our Christmas favorites for this year.

• I’ll Be Home for Christmas
• In the Bleak Midwinter
• There Is A Redeemer/Joy to the World

I was pleased to have both Monday and Tuesday off for Christmas. This is one of the rare times I’ve had four consecutive days away from work. We have all really enjoyed our time together. Here are a few pictures from our four-day weekend.

Merry Christmas from the Harper Family! Hope you spent the day giving honor and thanks to God for the gift of His son. (And had some fun with family too!)

I have decided to postpone my planned devotion series in Romans until January. With the end of the year in sight, our Joshua series just ended, and plenty of other things to do, I felt this was the perfect opportunity to take a week off. There are a bunch of other things I would like to write however, so if I can spare a few moments in the evening this week, perhaps I will put together another type of article or two.

I’ll probably just read through Romans in the next few days, get some ideas, then start over at the beginning, posting my first devotion (from the opening chapters) on January 1st. While daily writing has been a tremendous help and spiritual exercise, I believe a rest-of-mind might do me some good. Access previous devotions by visiting our Catalog for completed-series downloads, or by checking our Index for articles posted here (by topic/book) since the re-design in October.

We missed a few days of study, and skipped over several more chapters than usual in Joshua. We missed simply because I was much more busy than usual this month, and we skipped passages (near the end of the book) because they focused primarily on the dividing of the land. While there are some rich truths to be taught from the division passages, they take more time to develop than is allowed in our one-paragraph format. In any event, this is a wonderful book, that I hope was of much help to us. Download the entire series from our Catalog.

“And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” A man of God can present his people with the options, but he cannot force them to choose his path. The best he can hope for is an open ear, a tender heart, and a willingness to follow. I believe Joshua had all these desires. He had seen the people endure in a season of tremendous challenge, relying upon the Lord. His hope was that in their season of rest they would do the same. Joshua first appeals to their intellect, asking if it seems evil to serve the Lord. He also recommends reflection upon their path of disobedience, repentance and ultimate, victorious restoration. In the end however, he chooses to use his own family as an example. Joshua was reaping the benefits of faithfulness, and was eager to continue. As the leader of Israel, he was desperate to see God’s people make the same commitment. The challenge for us is to hear the heart’s cry of our Pastors and teachers, following their example of service. Joshua was not perfect in obedience, and our leaders will have some of the same failings. Ultimately the people leading are not the issue; it is the God to which they point that matters.

“And the LORD gave them rest round about, according to all that he sware unto their fathers: and there stood not a man of all their enemies before them; the LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand.” This must have been a great day in Israel! The people were at peace in the land of promise, knowing God was faithful, and that He alone had given them victory. Glory for every victory in life must go to the Lord. The rest Israel was experiencing did not come from the simple end of conflict. It came as a result of their faith in a God that never let them down. Rest for the souls of men today comes in the very same way. Though the flesh seeks freedom from the restriction and sacrifice of a life committed God, obedience is the only way to achieve release. Remember the forty years of wandering in the wilderness? It came as a result of Israel taking action outside God’s plan. Consider also their obedience during this campaign. Relief from the oppression of enemies came when Israel surrendered to the Father. That pattern still holds true. Looking for freedom? Obtain it by surrendering your life to the Lord.

Did we really need these kind of temperatures during one of the longest, busiest two week periods of the year? That’s what I was asking myself today as I walked from the office to the parking garage at 36 below. I make this two-block trek every morning and afternoon, usually enjoying these few moments to get focused on the day, or the drive home. Today it was just miserable.

Even the inside wasn’t safe from the cold. When I arrived home I found ice forming around the bottom of the door and windows. It will continue to build overnight, until a warming trend begins, and we see a balmy high of -5 by Friday. Welcome to winter in Fairbanks, Alaska! By the way, you’ll notice in the above graphic we are already six degrees colder than the predicted low. That happens almost every day in the winter; it’s like no place on earth.

“And when he that doth flee unto one of those cities shall stand at the entering of the gate of the city, and shall declare his cause in the ears of the elders of that city, they shall take him into the city unto them, and give him a place, that he may dwell among them.” It is amazing how God displays His character in every action and instruction. His mercy was built into the plans for Israel! These cities of refuge display His concern for justice in the lives of the falsely accused. Many will read through the Old Testament, seeing only the “harsh” judgment of God. Believers should observe instead His wonderful, loving attributes. In a sinful culture, the accused are often treated with immediate condemnation, with no regard to their actual guilt or innocence. God chose to grant them a place of mercy, fair trial, and a chance for safety. This did not change the hearts of the people, but it did give them a system within which they could operate, maintaining a Godly level of fairness. I wonder how well we would work within the system if we lived in a city of refuge? Would we feel comfortable with accused murderers “dwelling among” us? That’s what I was wondering as I read this verse. Do you have an answer?

“Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadeshbarnea to espy out the land; and I brought him word again as it was in mine heart. Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt: but I wholly followed the LORD my God.” Caleb is one of my favorite men in the Bible. He and Joshua stood alone for the Lord on the other side of the Jordan. It was not reckless bravery that caused them to believe Israel could win their battle with giants; they took God at His word. Caleb did what was “in his heart”. That is the main factor in any act of obedience. If our hearts are right with God, “wholly” following Him wherever He leads, we can expect ultimate success. You’ll notice that the time-line for this success was not exactly within the plans of the men who followed. I suppose that it’s human nature to expect things will happen right away, but God does not work in the realm of human time. His plans took forty years to carry out, and in a way, some of the promises to Israel have yet to be fulfilled. It is not our job to counts days and weeks. We should instead live with the commitment of Caleb, to serve the Lord every day, with all of our heart.

It has been a difficult and very busy week. Praise God for giving me two wonderful reasons to stop and just have fun. As you will see below, we have established a pattern around our house. When I get home from work, the girls know it’s playtime.

The week has been so rough, I have even missed my regular, daily devotion post. Hopefully tomorrow things will slow down and I can resume our Joshua series.