Thoughts of Jesus at Christmastime

Another reminder that blesses me this season is just how much the Savior humbled himself. As I watched That The World May Know video The True Christmas Story Ray Vander Laan shares about the manger in which Christ was born versus the kingdom King Herod built for himself, I am in awe. Vander Laan shared the luxuries in which Herod held, versus that which Jesus was born. The smell of several feet of manure of sheep refuse from a thousand sheep that have come through the cave during their many travels, the soot from thousands of thousands of fires by the Shepherds to stay warm, the hard concrete to lay the baby down in the cave. Solid blocks of rock. Vander Laan reminds us of how we western christians 'sanitize' the Nativity scene with clean animals, and clean straw. He showed Herod's palace, its ruins, and the magnitude and glory of his palace with plants, cisterns, swimming pools, fruit trees, etc. Herod, king of the jews. While King Herod was sitting in all his comforts in the kingdom he made up for himself, the savior of the World is lying on a rock in a cave. God decided his way of bringing Christ up was to put him in the family of David, in the city of David, and born in a shepherd's stall. I love that movie. I watch it every year. Herod's vision died. His ruins are still there. We usually remember Herod at this time for killing the babies at Christmas time. Herod built for himself and there was nothing. The baby in the cave built a faith and kingdom that is still growing, still transforms lives, still grows. He left a great vision. A great salvation. The greatest gift!

"don't live life like Christ is still in the tomb".
Ray Vander Laan

He is Risen. His promise to Abraham is complete. He is alive. We need to decide is the tomb empty or full, as that is how we live our lives. We need to decide for ourselves if it is empty. We need to show others the tomb is empty. They need to know. What an awesome declaration of His love for us.

WHO DO YOU SAY I AM?


Mark 8
27 And Jesus went out, and his disciples, into the towns of Caesarea Philippi: and by the way he asked his disciples, saying unto them, Whom do men say that I am?
28 And they answered, John the Baptist; but some say, Elias; and others, One of the prophets.
29 And he saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Peter answereth and saith unto him, Thou art the Christ.
30 And he charged them that they should tell no man of him.
31 And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.
32 And he spake that saying openly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him.
33 But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.
34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
35 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.
36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
37 Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
38 Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

Mark 9
1 And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.

Mustard seed

Matthew 13

31 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field:
32 Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.

Are you not of more value than these?

"Consider the birds of the air, that they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them." Matt 6:26 (NASB)

Alaska

Winter Solstice

In short, darker nights and days. This is when we have the most dark. In Summer we have a summer solstice where we have the most daylight.

Right now, we're getting closer to getting over the hump where we start gaining more daylight. Praise God! When that comes of course, a couple months down the road you will start covering your windows when it's time to go to bed, because it's daylight overload, lol. I know, I know. You either hate it or you love it. I haven't decided about that part, yet. At bedtime during summer months the kids, love to say, "But mom, it's not dark out, yet."

One thing I like to do that helps me with the dark is collect certain backdrops over the Internet for sanity. The picture on the left above is Fiji and the other two on the right is Samoa. I enjoy looking at the weather in different countries of water, sunsets or greenery. Imagine the ocean, etc. Candles are a must for sanity as well. Maybe even some light scented lotions.

The other thing is to get out when it's light. Go for a walk at the skating rink. Everyone's jogging, walking in there, or on the ice skating away. It's safer if you don't want to break your neck outside. I'd like to get an Elliptical machine where I don't have to leave home to get exercise all the time. This is where the aerobics video tapes can lose their joy.

I also do my Spring Cleaning in Winter as Summer months can really make you busy. Winter has a hybernating feel to it. You do things when you want, get up when you want. That can also be a bad thing if you get too used to it.

What's going on?


Recently I read an article where a mother had her son arrested for playing with his Christmas present early. I guess it was the hair that broke the camels back. Hello? Is anyone home? Is your son crying out for help? What makes him tick? Are you too inconvenienced to deal with what causes him to do so? I know you're tired, but he's your son. Ok, so you can't quit work, but can you help him? He's crying out to you? Must we call the authorities? Shouldn't we ask God, contact the church, seek professional help. He's not a criminal. He's your son. OK, he has special deficit disorders and his medication isn't working. TAKE HIM TO A DOCTOR AND REACESS HIS MEDICATION. Don't teach him a lesson by arresting him over a Christmas present. He can't help it. He's acting out because something is disturbing his functioning. Show him you love him, and take him to the doctor, or a psychiatrist, a chiropractor or psychologist, but don't lock him up in prison. Can a person in this mind frame establish right from wrong? Mother, help your child.

South Carolina mother has son arrested for playing with
Christmas present
Dec 05 10:00 PM US/Eastern

South Carolina mother has son arrested for playing with Christmas present
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - A fed-up mother had her 12-year-old son arrested for allegedly rummaging through his great-grandmother's things and playing with his Christmas present early.
The mother called police Sunday after learning her son had disobeyed
orders and repeatedly taken a Game Boy from its hiding place at his grandmother's house next door and played with it. He was arrested on petty larceny charges, taken to the local police station in handcuffs and held until his mother picked him up after church.
"My grandmother went out of her way to lay away a toy and paid on
this thing for months," said the boy's mother, Brandi Ervin.
"It was only to teach my son a lesson. He's been going through life doing
things...and getting away with it."
Police did not release the boy's name.
The mother said her son was diagnosed in the last year with
attention deficit hyperactivity disorder but his medicine does not seem to
help. She said he faces an expulsion hearing at his school Wednesday. Rock Hill Police Capt.
Mark Bollinger said the boy took a swing at a police officer assigned
to the school last month. He has been suspended from school since then.
The boy's case will be presented to Department of Juvenile Justice
officials in York County, who will decide what happens to him, Bollinger said.
His mother hopes he can attend a program that will finally scare him
straight.
"It's not even about the Christmas present," she said.
"I only want positive things out of it...There's no need for him to act this way. I'd rather call myself than someone else call for him doing something worse than this."

The Canadian Press, 2006

Age

Is age a part of the Fall of man? White hairs, wrinkles... Were we meant to stay young? I know we were made to live in eternity, but is that with age?

Lately I've been getting more white hairs popping out on my head. Front, sides, back.

I told Rich I was considering dying or highlighting my hair, which would look very different on me. I don't want to start something like that and then have to keep up on it, or go the all natural.

Someone told me just color the whites, but wouldn't that look funny with certain colored spots on your head?

Decisions, decisions.....

FIREWORKS


We had fireworks today, and just a few days ago. A long show of them. Not sure of the occassion. Just wonder what Jesus thinks of the fireworks. They're probably nothing like a show he can put on.

REMEMBER


Our military have returned home from Iraq at the end of Thanksgiving week. Praise God for their hard work. Please continue to pray for our soldiers (and those 700 or so that went last year). Continue to pray for these soldiers regularly; some of them still struggling with things they saw; their transition from a life of over a year (and maybe some longer) out on the field back to civilization. Consider what they've gone through physically from some 80+ degree temperatures in Iraq, to the extremes of Alaska (cold & dark); the change in culture and lifestyle; maybe not any real good rest; being shot at, or the atrocities they have witnessed. From a life of restrictions on duty for over a year, to wanting to take down the guard at home. The list goes on.

Pray for them spiritually as they reach out for things to cope with life (alcohol, etc.). Pray God would use this opportunity for them to reach out to Him. Ask God to allow them to grieve, and adjust. Pray for the churches in our community to reach out to them, and love them. Pray for the Christians they encounter, that God would let them be a strong light of His Son and a comfort to the soldiers. When you see them, thank them for serving our country. The Army does offer good resources like Family Counseling, but no one feeds the soul like Jesus. :)

Pray for us as a church body in how we can reach this community of soldiers. This is a great time to reach out to them. They are real people, with real needs. They need understanding, compassion, grace and mercy. God bless them and shower His love upon them as they serve our country.

Thank you for praying.


I lift my eyes up to the hills- where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord the Maker of Heaven and Earth'
Psalm 121: 1

Remember where they were, and how far they have come.

"Photos Courtesy of U.S. Army"