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I want to end this year with just a few words of heartfelt thanks to everyone who contributed their prayerful, financial and physical efforts to support Embracing Life Ministries. ELM is stronger today because of your precious participation and, as always, remains weak and needful of the Lord's presence for any of our offerings to be effective...to have LIFE in them! We approach the New Year with great expectation because we know that in Him, with Him and through Him all things are possible. Your continued encouragement fuels the joyful vision we have for dynamic growth ahead of us.
I pray this Christmas and New Year are blessed times for you and your loved ones.
Jonathan
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Embracing Life:
Thank You For Listening
In 2013 Embracing Life began offering a new class dealing with the issues of Shame and Self Hatred [More Glory! God's Healing Voice for Shame and Self-Hatred]. During the first evening I got in touch with a fear that has grown as my speech has deteriorated.
Oh, my name is Gary Greeno. I have been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease for 21 years and have been involved with Embracing Life for the past 10 years.
As a result of having Parkinson's my speech is sometimes barely intelligible. Consequently, I am afraid I will be discounted, not be respected, not listened to or understood, because of the difficulty understanding what I say.
The truth is I can count five groups of people who work at listening to me. WOW!!!
- First is a group of men that I have met with twice monthly for the past 18 years. We talk about whatever we want, from politics to deeply personal issues. We pray for one another. Occasionally we watch a movie. We are not politically correct in our attitudes or opinions. There is great freedom in this group of men. They listen.
- The second group is a loose collection of relatives and in-laws that are very supportive of me by taking the time and making the effort to listen.
- The third collection of listeners includes the Embracing Life group leadership and group members we have associated with over the past 10 years. Listening is a basic skill we all practice in Embracing Life groups.
- A fourth group is those who read or hear what I have written. Sometimes I write out ahead of time what I want to say to a particular group and have someone read it for me. Sometimes what I have written is published in the Embracing Life bi-monthly journal.
- The fifth group includes those who have attended Embracing Life groups and worshipped with us while I was fortunate enough to play keyboards. A big THANK YOU goes out to Neil Driscoll for listening to and encouraging that voice.
After considering all of the people who listen to me, I feel fortunate. Yes, I feel very fortunate indeed. I am empowered and encouraged by those of you who take the time to listen. To those who actively give of your time and patience I respond with my heartfelt, sincere and enthusiastic, "Thank you!"
Thank you also for understanding that as we do unto the least of these, we do unto Him.
One who sometimes feels like one of the least...
Gary
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Gift-Giving
By Debbie Driscoll
It was like going into automatic pilot: I found myself, once again, facing the Christmas season with stress. I could feel the pressure of how much money could be spent and getting the shopping (and in my case, the sewing) done. But then I felt the Lord speaking to me about the real reason we even exchange gifts at this time of year. The issue was the amount of focus that I was putting on the activity of giving rather than the significance of giving.
Our main focus is to remember the gift that God gave to us in His Son, Jesus. Also, the practice of giving gifts is traced back to the gifts the Wise Men gave to the Christ child. They were significant because of what they symbolized.
Frankincense was a perfume used in Jewish worship and, given as a gift, was symbolic of His willingness to become a sacrifice, wholly giving Himself up, analogous to a burnt offering in worship.
Gold is a symbol of divinity and, as a gift, was symbolic of His divinity-God with us.
Myrrh was a perfume used in embalming and, as a gift, represented Jesus' future suffering and death upon the cross.
When I make or buy gifts for my loved ones, I am remembering the greatest gift of all, God giving His one and only Son to us: to be born, to live a sinless life, to die and be raised again for our salvation. His gift was ultimately His life, so that we might live.
As members of the Body of Christ we are a gift to each other. As we give ourselves in love and service, we are honoring the ultimate gift, Jesus. Thank you for being a "gift" to me, Neil, Jonathan and the ministry.
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We hope you will consider sharing this email with friends and loved ones whom you think would benefit from the ministry of Embracing Life. This is a good way to introduce the material and we would appreciate your passing it along. Thanks!
Sincerely,
Jonathan Hunter
Embracing Life Ministries
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SAVE THE DATES
More Glory!
God's Healing Voice for Shame and Self-Hatred
February 3 -
March 24, 2014
At The River Church
Orange County
AND
More Glory!
Encounter Weekend
March 22, 2014
At HRock Church
Pasadena
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Lots to Say!
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ELM
Team and Board Members
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Quote of the Month
"'To us a child is born, to us a child is given.' 'God so loved the world that He gave His only Son.' Of all gifts there is none so precious as this one. Therefore we ask only for this one gift: Stay with us, Lord Jesus Christ!" Emmy Arnold, Watch for the Light |
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It's a special time for giving!
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THANK YOU!
We are grateful for your year-end tax deductible donations to the Ministry.
Your monetary gifts provide ELM with the means to train, equip and bless the
Body of Christ.
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