Advent

Celebrating Jesus’ Birth

“She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’ (which means ‘God with us’).“ – Matthew 1:21-23 Merry Christmas, friend. This is the day to celebrate the birth of Immanuel, God with us, and to rejoice in Jesus, our Lord, and Savior! It’s interesting that when we think of the nativity, we remember those who came — the shepherds, who were probably teenage girls, and the magi or wise men. Though Jesus was born in a water trough in a barn (definitely not a proper setting for a king), He broke down barriers and accomplished more than any other leader before or after Him

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A Vow of Devotion

“During the entire period of their Nazirite vow, no razor may be used on their head. They must be holy until the period of their dedication to the Lord is over; they must let their hair grow long.” – Numbers 6:5 There’s something in the Bible that I’ve preached about before called the Nazarite vow. While there are a number of things that we don’t know about this ancient tradition — like its duration and who exactly was supposed to partake — we know that it was a period of time set aside in dedication to the service of God and neighbor, and that it encompassed three distinct disciplines. For as long as a person was adhering to this ancient practice, they couldn’t touch any dead thing (which means they weren’t eating meat), they couldn’t drink any wine or alcohol, and they couldn’t cut their hair. The latter was the

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Faith, Fellowship and the Fast

“‘Even now,’ declares the Lord, ‘return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.’” – Joel 2:12 Yesterday, we talked about pressing into Jesus’ presence as we embrace Advent, and today, I want to look at one specific way to do it. I’m a firm believer in giving things up for a season in order to focus on something else. I’ve learned that such exercises in self-denial are good for me because they prove that I can accomplish what I set my mind to, and because they intensify my priorities and clarify my vision. That said, for Christians, one of the best ways to sacrifice is to fast, or to abstain from a particular type of food, entertainment, or pleasure in order to pray and pursue the things of God. A fast can take many different forms — it can be as simple as not eating

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Let’s Celebrate This Christmas Eve!

  This Christmas Eve, we would love to invite you to celebrate with us in Irvine! Shepherd’s Grove / Irvine Presbyterian Church  4555 Alton Pkwy Irvine, CA 92604 We will be having 5 services times: 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 pm (the 4 and 5 pm will be candlelit services) All services will include moving music from our favorite Hour of Power Choir, Voices of Hope Children’s Choir, and the Hour of Power Orchestra, Bible readings by our pastors, and a special message from Pastor Bobby. And if you aren’t in the area, we hope you’ll join us via Livestream at 4 pm! It can be accessed on Bobby’s facebook here.

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Merry Christmas!

   Merry Christmas! All month, we have been talking about what Advent means.  Advent is a season of waiting, of gratefulness, and especially, and of hope. It’s a time of believing that in the milieu of life — in all of the challenges and suffering that we face — that somehow, God is going to break through. And He did. It’s so easy for us to get to the place where we tell ourselves: God’s done with me, God’s mad at me, my future is dark. But God is going to break through. I want to affirm in your life to believe something good is always coming. Something good is always coming for you; don’t give up hope. Here at Hour of Power, we strive to put our faith in the promise from God that good things are coming for our lives, for our ministry, and for those around us. In this

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5 Reasons Why You’ll Love “O Holy Night”

Here at Shepherd’s Grove and Hour of Power, we love our annual “O Holy Night” concert. And here’s five reasons why we think you will too! Come together in community as we begin to align our minds and hearts with the true joy of the season, the birth of our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ. Kick off the holiday season with the sights and sounds of Christmas. Experience the talent of Orange and LA county’s finest, first-hand! There will be renowned guest soloists to lead us in the joyous sounds of the season. Check out our previous blog for details on our musical guests. Our talented guest soloists will be expertly accompanied by our Hour of Power Choir and Orchestra, led by the esteemed Dr. Irene Messoloras and Marc Riley. Be enchanted by the soft, yet powerful, voices of our Voices of Hope Children’s Choir. Our kids, ages 5-16, are

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Let Go of Your Guilt

“How much more then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!” -Hebrews 9:14

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