Christmas Eve

The story is this:
Our Father in Heaven gave the gift of God Himself in the person of His son Jesus: The Christ or Messiah or Savior.

God told us He was coming:
Isaiah 9:6-7

God told us how He would come:
Isaiah 7:14

God told us where He would come:
Micah 5:2

God told us why He would come:
Matthew 1:21

Christmas is the celebration of God's great work of saving any person from eternal death, seperation from Him, due to a terminal illness called sin.

God did not begin this heroic work through the battle cry of a heavily clad worrior. Or a governmental coup.

God chose the cry of an infant, the life of a meager man, to effect global change on an elemental level of existence that would change the lives of every person it ever touches.

This Christmas we look back to an event that changed the entire orientation of the world. Look at the date, He is it's referent.

In John 1:14 the disciple of Jesus writes: "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." (ESV)

God put on a people-suit like an astronaught puts on a space suit.
God came down and took people by the hand and walked us through life and pointed us to Our Father in Heaven.

Know Him.
Learn about God.
He has shown us who He is and how He sees us,
in the message system He has provided to people called the Bible.

Thats what gets taught here in Alva: The Truth
collected in an anthology of 66 books
written by around 40 authors
called the Bible.

This History book points to the birth of Jesus.
The old testament looks forward to His Advent.
The New Testament tells of the change that resulted from His coming.

Isaiah 9:2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined. (ESV)

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Whew! Its been a long month.

The ministry calendar is pitching and heaving.

Please pray for our invitations to the community for Christmas Services on the 21st and the 24th. (Postcards to 2000 households.)

We are seeing lots of guys respond to the teaching of the gospel. David is meeting with two adult fellas: David & Patrick and two younger guys for guitar lessons and a bible study: Richard & Simon.
Please pray for these people.

(Not that there aren't ladies coming around too, but men responding to what is going on in the life of the church seems to be more miraculous here in Scotland).

Most recently, some people have volunteered to help with children's ministry. Please pray for us to overcome the obstacles to integrating them into healthy teams. Healthy. Healthy teams.

We are seeing God bring people in need. Some who havent been to church in a while; some transient church-hoppers; some wolves who think they are fooling somebody.

Lots of ministry to youth and children and a significant number of tweens.

This bit from friends' blog ministering in Glasgow:
Scotland suffers greatly from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) which is a form of depression that is thought to be caused by the lack of daylight in winter. 7% of people in Scotland will develop full blown SAD and a further 15% will suffer from a milder version.

Priorities seem to be the most important thing right now. There is enough work for ten ministers.
Dave keeps dragging Liz along through these long schloggs of intense activity and it wears us both out. Please pray for devotional time and ministry planning to establish goals and seek God for direction and insight.
Please pray for David to learn to say "no" as much if not more than "yes".

We moved into a home that (really!) God provided for.
After so much waiting and moaning (and complaining maybe just a bit) But it has all worked out and we are dug-in here. Nothing is guaranteed permanent, but the wife of my youth has a nest!

(sorry folks, realtor's car in pic)

Jesus had nowhere to lay his head so we are blessed through this mercy.

People are responding to the full Gospel as Dave & Liz are learning to enter into the 'Rest' of the Gospel

Thank you for your support and, most of all, your prayers.

Love David & Elizabeth Fraser

Keep Praying for Alva!

Still amazed they want my opinion, but here it is in print:

Epoch

Praise God!
We are all ‘littlefaiths’ aren’t we?
We wait for God and He is faithful.
We say we are patient, but we are not.
We wait because we have to.
We say “your will oh Lord”, but we long for our way.
Praise God!
He is faithful!

How it all works out we can’t even imagine, but it has worked out every time.
Biblical history…
Our walk of faith…
He is faithful.

We are seeing fruit in the lives of kids and grown-ups.
Answers to prayer.
Unanswered prayer for which we are grateful

• We start a guitar class and bible study on Wednesday
• The chaplaincy is going well and kids are asking questions.
• The church is growing and the gospel is preached.
• We are seeing real cross-denominational ministry opportunities.
• We found a house to buy IN Alva.

It had to be IN Alva.
17 months of watching and various disappointments.
It seemed like every six weeks we would find a new option and watch it NOT work out.
We sold a condo in LA (71% return on 5 year investment) and banked the cash short-term in a CD that covered the debt service.
But the exchange rate effectively cut any $ in half.
Just recently, our CD matured to a very small rate of return at rollover, so we moved the money into a simple money market and were looking at paying a bit on the loan each month

But when we finally found this property, and got turned down...again,
the economy began its latest pangs and the sellers came back willing.
We are now buying a small cottage at the lowest exchange rate since we arrived. (Since 2006 actually)
Any time sooner and we would not have afforded this one.

Please do pray:

• Lots of older folks are sick at our church.
• The Fraser family is ‘full of cold’, as they say.
• We are a bit stressed with a house full of boys.
• Liz and I are meeting with a family counsellor to learn how to communicate better.
  (more like a third party to help us honestly apply biblical truth)
• I also have a habit of keeping up my best face for the public and being less encouraged at home so consistency in witness at home is key.
• In the last year and a half: Home sale, international move, new pastoral ministry, missionary culture shock, new baby, home purchase, financial questions = stress…
• Some kids are really giving us trouble at the kids club:
  Pornographic MP3s on their cell phones
  Cheeky influence during the lessons
  So we kicked them out.
  Now I’ve got Prank phone calls and ring and runs at my home.
  Pray. for my witness, these kids aggravate me.
  These feral creatures need parenting and love, but they are infectious and rude.
  I can only reach so many people in a week and I think our investment is better suited to training up good kids and not coddling reprobates who scoff at God!
  Though I learned at SoM how much CC depends on we recovered reprobates!
• That salvation would visit the homes in our sleepy burgh of Alva
• for our home purchase to move ahead

He who began a good work…; I can do all things through Christ….; God is good!

Signs of Life (Fruit)

My Utmost for His Highest: 27 September

"Once the call of God comes to you, start going and never stop."

Latest News

(Dont forget to look at previous entries that arrive inbetween reminder emails)

We are seeing the High School opened up in a way that hasnt happened in remembered history!
We received an open invitation to adopt an entire year group and be their chaplain. They are open to the Pastor 'loitering with intent' to chat with kids about God. They asked if we would come alongside teachers and help them address their disciplines when our expertise contributes.

The Christian Club at Alva Academy is growing and being populated with seekers and interested non-Christians. So cool!

We are seeing growth in the church and maturity in the existing family who gather.
We spent a recent deacons' mtg discussing the need for the church to repent of her poor witness in the community over decades; and celebrated a Harvest Thanksgiving service with a theme of repentance. All on the heals of a prayer service where this pastor apologized to the community if we were at any point the awnry sister down the road. God is so faithful when we come to Him humbly and glorifying Him. He is just and He is worthy.

The church is open on Sunday Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
Not just traditional church, but relationships seeded with the gospel message.

Playing ping pong Friday night a young man shared the following:
"You know, since I've been coming to church (Friday night, not yet Sundays), I can see God's hand on my life. Iv'e been reunited with my sister and brother, I can see that God has given me (his mom's boyfriend) as a guy in my life to help me, and I am learning more about God. Iv'e been thinking that I would like to be baptized" (pastor lifts jaw off the table)

Simon came to the house the next week and his mom's boyfriend was concerned that the lad not take action in ignorance or rashly. Simon's mom came by the next week to see what we are about and approves of her son's decision.

We will be starting a discipleship course begining with Salvation and Baptism on a Wednesday night soon (next week).

There is life here! We see fruit. Love works!!!

This is a church that is returning to her First Love.

And you stand with us!
THANK YOU JESUS!