There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.     And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.   Isaiah 11:1-2 (ESV)   Look at this!   New growth is appearing. I thought the fire destroyed everything. It did, but a new shoot is growing! God promised a Savior to His people, and King David’s family tree would provide the stump for The Messiah’s lineage.   Jesus was born with a family history, just as you and I.   God viewed relationships as fundamental to the full development of Jesus. Family…we love them and tolerate our loved ones.   We laugh and cry with them, and still love and care deeply for our family.   How about you?   Are you in a relationship with God?   God loves you and Jesus is the result of God’s p...

  But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31 (ESV)   Just 30 more minutes and we will arrive.  Waiting…I’m not particularly good at it.  My personality is more of the “hurry up and get there,” type.  Traveling, especially the cross-country type is difficult.  When will we arrive?  Waiting…and waiting…and waiting…seems forever. God had been telling the Children of Israel for hundreds of years that The Messiah was coming.  This message was renewed by the Prophets in order to encourage a dispirited world.  God promised!  Where was the Messiah?  Waiting…we’re so tired of waiting!  God, you promised! Advent is the celebration of God’s promise.  Latin for “Coming” or “Arrival”, we look to and eagerly anticipate the comin...