(Pastor Dan's Scripture of focus for this message was Psalm 126)

We all know the story of Christmas and God coming to earth as a baby, namely, Jesus. But are we remembering it the way we should. Are we really taking to heart what God has done and how he will continue to work even now? Wetook a look into the life of those who were in exile for 70 years and now returning from their captivity to a land that was theirs but still needed a lot of work. Psalm 126 tells us how the children of Israel turned to God to remember works that He had done for them and how they viewed their current and future situation through looking back at what God had already done.
Pastor Dan gave us three points in how we can follow their example:

1. Remember his great acts and praise Him for what He has done: The Jewish exiles praised God for the act of when God restored their fortunes before. They leaned into the fact that God had taken them out of trouble before and that they saw God's mighty works and could laugh and be filled with joy at those past things. When you look back at events like the birth of Jesus remember to praise God for coming down as a baby and remember to thank Him for what that means to you and all mankind.

2. Ask Him to do it again: God isn't done with you yet. He has done great things but also remember He is in the business of continuing to do great things. Ask God to continue to reach down and touch your heart like He did when He came into this dark world with the one True Light (Jesus.) Don't just dwell in the past but continue to ask God to work now and in the future like He did, "way back then."

3. Remind yourself of the rewards of the faithful: When we sow, we sow in faith to a good God who will make sure that when we sow into His kingdom, it will not be in vain. Hebrews 11:6 also reiterates this point in that He will not abandon those who seek Him diligently.

Overall, we can learn a great deal from Psalm 126. Times of remembrance, like Holidays, can sometimes come and go without us really experiencing the gravity of what was done and the implications it has for people's lives now (including your own.) You don't need to wait for a holiday to smack you on the head to take time to thank God for what He has done, ask Him to do it again and to remind yourself that He is faithful to those who put their hope in Him. Take time to remember what God has done and take it to heart! God bless you!

The home group that meets at the Gessler's went over to the Donohoue's  and had a fun time recounting the wondrous events that happened over Christmas. It was a great time of fellowship and we were able to pray over the Donohoue's new home and enjoy their wonderful abode. 

The Wheelon's are still on break.

Please let us know if you would like to get connected to a small group! Email info@parklandfoursquare.com for more information.

Our Church was again able to bless those at James Sales Elementary and more details will follow in regard to how that went. Thank you for your generosity!

• Well 2017 is coming to an end and you will soon see your calendar emphatically reminding you are in the future (well I guess it will then be the present) 2018. This is definitely an exciting time as most people take inventory of what has happened and what they want to happen in the year to come. Parkland Foursquare is joining together to start the New Year off right. We will be doing three weeks of fasting and prayer starting January 6th and ending January 27th. This means that bible studies will not be going on during this time as we will be meeting together to corporately pray on Tuesday nights. A lot of questions may be rolling around in your minds into how/why we will be doing this. Do not fear! Dan will be taking time next week (December 30th) to give more direction to the church's fast. Stay tuned!

Please pray Troy Gessler Jr. He has had a hard lump in his neck region and they would appreciate all of your prayers to have it go away and that he would be OK. Their is no diagnosis at this time and they would just really appreciate your prayers.

Please add your prayer requests by either sending an email to info@parklandfoursquare.com or adding a comment below.

Thank you all for all of your help throughout 2017! It truly has been a blast. Everyone has contributed this year to really help our church grow as one. Continue to pray for our church as we head into 2018 and of course, God bless you and your families as you continue to seek His face.