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How to get a free 8Gb iPod Tough? It has never been easier to win a free iPod. I already did it and I received my 8Gb iPod last weekend. If you are interested in getting a free iPod Touch, all you have to do is follow these steps:
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Dogs are funny sometimes… At least my dog is. Honestly I have never heard my dog howling like this ever.
I know the guy on the right…Josh. We met a couple of years ago at Glorieta, NM during summer camp.
Here is a funny video about an overnight event like a lock-in. if you are a youth leader you really need to see this… it is hilarious.
Most of us are probably thinking of all the things we want but not necessarily need. The truth is that some of us would be thrilled to be able to see their family. Others would be thankful to meet their parents for the first time.
Some have no one… and all they really want and they really need is a family…
In a way, Christmas is all about waiting. The nation of Israel was waiting for Messiah, for the One who will restore the kingdom and bring freedom. Zachariah was waiting for a son. For many years he and Elizabeth prayed for a son and didn’t get an answer. Yet, he was still waiting and hoping that God would provide a son.
Life is full of waiting. We wait to grow up, to finish school and earn our first money. We wait for a companion and then we wait to have children and then grandchildren. Toward the end of life, we wait… well to die.
Christmas is about kindness and gentleness. Think of Joseph, the man who was engaged to Mary, a young teenage girl. He found out that Mary was pregnant right after they were engaged. Joseph had a dilemma; he was being squeezed. The bible tells us he was a righteous man and he did not want to expose Mary to public disgrace. In my opinion, Joseph was a gentleman. That period in their lives was tumultuous. Both Mary and Joseph had to face some significant feelings. The realm of emotions is very sensitive. Therefore, we must deal with them kindly and gently.
The concept of peace is part of the Christmas as well. These days, people are scared to death of life. We imagine all kinds of sad and scary scenarios. Yet, the message of Heaven is “Fear Not”. God has come and He brought a message of peace not war and doom. The child we celebrate at Christmas came to bring a message of love. In love, there is no fear.
Christmas is also about a promise come true. God has promised a Savior and He kept His promise. What child does not get all excited when his father makes him a promise? At Christmas, we are reminded of a good Heavenly Father who not only gave us promises, but who is capable to fulfill them. He promised He would never leave us or forsake us. We are also promised enough grace for each day. God has promised to be with us to the end of the days.
Christmas is all about perfect timing. God has come at the right time. Rushing is not wise and most of the time it ruins everything. As Spurgeon said, “redemption’s work could not have been so wisely accomplished at the gates of the garden of Eden as on Calvary”.
Christmas is also about opposition. In the Gospel of Matthew, we read that Herod was disturbed and very uncomfortable by the birth of the King of the Jews. Not everyone received Jesus with joy and singing. In fact, blood was shed in hopes the Christ would be killed in his infancy.
Christmas offers a great opportunity to talk about Jesus Christ once more. Ever since Christ came to earth, He has been debated, accepted by some and rejected by many.
In our days when the word ‘dialog’ and ‘ecumenism’ are thrown left and right, you are required to avoid talking about total absolutes. To say that Jesus Christ is God and The Only Way to God and Salvation irritates many. In the opinion of some revisionists, such claims will close the door to dialog between Christianity and other religions. Christ’s claims are unacceptable to many. We are told we cannot be exclusive. It is politically incorrect to say that everyone who doesn’t accept Jesus Christ and the truth He reveals about God is wrong and they do not have the truth.
Not long ago I heard the military chaplains weren’t allowed to pray in the Name of Jesus Christ. How can this be in a nation built on Christian foundation?
The coming of Jesus in our world transformed the way we view God and life itself. Jesus defines the shape of a life that is pleasing to God. He speaks absolute truth. Wow! That is overwhelming and awesome at the same time. If we take it seriously and implement the truth in our lives, it will be rewarding. With the coming of Christ in the world we don’t have to walk in the darkness anymore, He brought us light. Jesus is the light that shines in the world. (Isaiah 9:2-7)
From the beginning of the world, man had to decide between God and other gods. Repeatedly, God is calling Israel to forsake the false gods and choose Him as the only true God. It was always a struggle and later on it because a matter of life and death. During the Roman Empire Christians were martyred because they choose Jesus exclusively over the gods of the empire. The early church was very meticulous about the names they used for God and Jesus. “They refused to address the emperor as “lord” (kyrios), clearly on account of their belief that this term was appropriate to God alone.”[1]
Christianity faced opposition from the Jewish belief system, according to which God is one. (Deut. 6:4-6) Claiming that Jesus was one with God was simply unacceptable. Yet, by faith and through God’s grace some have believed this truth.
The bottom line is Jesus cannot be mixed with anything else. It’s either Jesus alone or nothing.
[1]Alister E. Mcgrath, “Christian Theology” (3rd edition), p. 354
The Golden Compass has created some BIG waves. When they first played the movie trailer on TV I was excited and I was looking forward to seeing this Narnia like movie. For a second I thought it was another Narnia movie. The truth is this movie was promoted well. To use the name of C. S. Lewis in the same sentence with The Golden Compass is a good trick. .. but it didn’t work. Like many others, the more I heard about The Golden Compass and the more I read about it, convinced me to stay away from it.
It is really disturbing to read some of the statements the author has made.
Here are some of them:
“I hate the Narnia books, and I hate them with a deep and bitter passion.”
“The Christian religion is a very powerful and convincing mistake, that’s all.”
“Every church is the same: control, destroy, obliterate every good feeling.”
“My books are about killing God.”
For a great article on this topic see Dare2Share Soul Fuel.
The following events took place in my car while listening to a Christmas CD. One particular song on this CD started with “O come O come Emanuel and rescue captive Israel”. As I was listening to this ‘angelic’ music, I started thinking about what it would be like to hear the angels sing. Then I remembered a passage of scripture in Luke, chapter two, where a great company of heavenly host entertained the shepherds with a song of praise to God.
“How do you think the shepherds felt that night”, I asked Tracy. Before she had the chance to say anything I was already in an imaginary world, picturing the exuberance and the overwhelming feelings of total joy those men must have felt as they heard, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests”.
“The Bible says they were terrified”, Tracy said. My wife was right. I was a little disappointed. In my imaginary world, I wanted the shepherds to be excited, thrilled and filled with overwhelming feelings of peace and joy. Music is supposed to make you feel better, isn’t it? Most likely, the shepherds, shocked by the appearance of the angels, needed some time to sort through what just happened. But hold on, the Bible does tell us that these men glorified and praised God. What a joy to know that a Savior has been born to us! (Luke 2:11)
