'Twas the Week Before Christmas

'Twas the Week Before Christmas from Mac Richard on Vimeo.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas and Thank you to everyone who made this year's Austin Christmas Eve such an incredible celebration of Christ's birth. This was the 10th time we've celebrated Christmas, and beyond any question at all, it was the best, the most personal, God-honoring one yet.

As we unwind around our house, I just want to wish everyone an incredible Christmas day. It is such a gift to get to be your pastor, to enjoy this incredible adventure with you.

Good Silent Night.

Home for the Holidays, (Pt. 3)

Just got an email from a friend who read yesterday's post and affirmed the sense that God is up to something. My friend said that he had invited two people and their families to our Home for the Holidays Christmas Eve service. Both of his friends come from non-Christian faith traditions and they both said "Yes" to his invitation. On the spot. No hesitation.

That is the church being the church.


Remember, our Sunday schedule is unique this week:

No services Sunday morning.
Christmas Eve Services:
Sunday: 4, 6, & 8 p.m.
Monday (Christmas Eve): 4, 6, & 8 p.m.

Home for the Holidays (Pt. 2)

Sometimes you just get a gut feeling. You always hope, but sometimes there's just a God-given sense that He's poised to do something more than all we can ask or imagine. That is exactly the sense I have as we approach An Austin Christmas Eve this coming Sunday and Monday.

Just about everything is in place and ready to go. The band has a few more rehearsals to go. Hundreds of volunteers are locked and loaded (and there's still room for more ViP's: send an email to serve@lhc.org to step up). I'm putting the finishing touches on my message between now and Saturday. There is just a sense that God is going to do something really incredible through the LHC family.

So many of you took the CD sampler to use as an invitation piece that we know many, many of the people who come will be guests and visitors looking to make Christmas more than just ritual religion or compulsive consumerism. LHC is going to truly be Home for the Holidays to 1000s of people who are looking for a church home where they can connect with God and with other people.

Thank you so much for being that kind of church, for making the effort to extend the love of God to the people around you. It's a privilege to be your pastor and to share the ride with you.

'Tis the Season, #1

With Thanksgiving in the rearview mirror, it is now the Christmas season (Yes, I know that Home Depot had displays up at Halloween, but that doesn't count). I love the food, the cold weather, hunting, the music--everything about this time of year. But, there is one thing that stands out above all others:

It is one of the greatest opportunities of the entire year for reaching people for Christ.

Like no other time of year, people are looking for an excuse to connect with God. Christmas Eve is a night that un-churched people actually WANT to go to church. Some will go out of obligation or guilt, others out of desperation or curiosity. Whatever the reason for coming, we are going to give them a reason to come back in the weeks afterward.

This year's Christmas Eve services, Home for the Holidays, are going to give you a perfect excuse to bring people with you who don't realize yet how extravagantly God loves them. Begin thinking about, praying about, and talking about who God has put in your sphere of influence that he wants to touch through you this Christmas season.