Prayer for others

As the new year starts, or any day of the week during the year, we should pray for those around us who need our prayers.  This one is offered as a petition for everyone of us to lift up our eyes toward the Heavenly Father and acknowledge Him.

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Father we know that you are Just and you are gracious in your acts toward us. As we approach your throne touch us with your hot coal of forgiveness and melt away the sins we have committed against you. We acknowledge you as the God of Creation and know of your Sovereignty and Power. We acknowledge that you alone have the great power to forgive the sins we have perpetrated against you. We are seeking to turn from those sins and be made whole in you through Jesus your Son, and ask that you cover us with His blood so that when you look upon us as we present ourselves at your throne you will see only the blood that Jesus has shed for us and our sins will not be seen.

We kneel before you in humility; knowing that your Grace is sufficient for us. We thank you for the wonderful plan of salvation that you have offered to us through the work that Jesus did on the cross. We acknowledge that as we yield ourselves to His sinless life and ultimate sacrifice as He willingly gave His own life even to death that He freely gives us eternal life in accordance with your previously designed plan of salvation. We offer sincere thanks to you for such a blessing that bridges the gap between you and ourselves and allows us to re-enter that loving relationship with you.


Even as Jesus gave his life as a sacrifice we acknowledge that in your great Sovereignty and Grace you accepted his sacrifice as a substitute for all of our lives. But in your great Wisdom we acknowledge that through your great power of forgiveness for us and acceptance of His work on the cross you raised Him from death and gave Him a name above all names, and it is in His name we are confessing and our knees are bowed as we call Him LORD and Saviour. At your command Jesus has ascended to the Most High and sits on the throne of Righteousness and Salvation and has offered His free gift to each of us who are willing to accept.


From a thankful heart toward you Father, we thank you for the gift of your Holy Spirit to indwell our spirits and lives to fill us with His power so He can continue to produce life and works through us in regard to your great plan of salvation and the work that Jesus did on the cross. We will praise you forever in eternity as we join the great host of witnesses singing Holy, Holy, Holy, and LORD God Almighty.


But Father, while we are still here as part of your Creation we humbly ask that you allow us the privilege to approach your Throne with requests for our fellow men and women who may not yet know your loving kindness:


For those who have heard you and seen the works of your power, but still refuse to acknowledge that you exist, we ask that you continue to reveal yourself in various ways either directly or through your servants, so that the unbeliever may yield to the reality of your presence and bend their knees toward you.


For those who have listened to your message for years of their lives and have acknowledged that you do exist but have refused to accept your gift of Grace, we ask that you will present yourself one more time with the tender call for them to come to you and yield their lives in love, grace and forgiveness to become one with you through Jesus your Son.


For those who have heard your message and accepted it and have submitted to your will in the past, but have become cold and callous having been caught up in the world of the law of sin and death once again, reviving their own sin-nature, we ask that you whisper the call to them once again and soften their heart to again turn from sin and return to your Righteousness and life.


For those who live in parts of the world who have never heard of your Grace and have never been given the opportunity to accept your love, we ask that you will renew the hearts of many who are committed to you in such a way that they will become your instrument to share your good news with those in the most barren parts of the world. Let them hear for the first time and willingly submit themselves to the fullness of your Grace and complete submission to the blood of Jesus the Christ.


Finally, Father we ask knowing that you are not willing for any to perish, but all should come to repent and accept you, we ask that your Will be done in all matters of our petitions and that if it is your Will you return quickly to establish your Kingdom and usher us into eternity.


In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

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Establishing a precedent

The attorneys are poised to set the appeals in motion. As the date of the execution of the method that would enable the death draws near the flurry of activity begins anew. Attorneys file an appeal with the Florida 2nd District Court of Appeals in Lakeland, Florida. The appeal is rejected by the court. With that rejection, the mode of death is begun. With time of the essence, the United States Congress springs to action with the House and Senate passing a bill to place the decisions to continue or terminate the mode of death to the U.S. District Court for a Federal Judge to review. The bill is signed by the President of the United States who has traveled on a Sunday, in the interest of time, to sign the bill, even though it was after midnight. The appeal was denied by the U.S. District Judge and promptly appealed to the 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Atlanta, Georgia. That Court denies the appeal sending the attorneys into late-night frenzy to make the final appeal to the United States Supreme Court. With the appeal request received by the Supreme Court Justice who receives appeals from the 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals from Atlanta, the word goes out with the decision that the United States Supreme Court declines to review the case.

No, this is not a passage from John Grisham’s best-seller novel, “The Chamber” where a convicted murderer who had been on death row for years was fighting for a last-minute appeal that followed a similar appeal process. Nor is this a passage from any other death-row inmate who has been convicted of a capital crime and sentenced to death administered by the state. This is the true account of the activities that surrounded the late Terri Schiavo’s case in 2005 whose feeding tube that had sustained her for the last fifteen years of her life had been disconnected so that she could die a slow death through starving.


During the last weeks of her life the debate raged in the 24-hour news cycle of the cable and network media. Those groups who represented the position of death with dignity or the right to die listed their reasons why the feeding tube should have remained disconnected. On the other hand, those groups who represented the position of the right to life listed their reasons why the feeding tube should have been reconnected while the debates moved on to some kind of resolution. This kind of issue always lies at the base of a much larger issue that that continues to be debated and will likely never be fully settled. Of course life and death are issues of great magnitude and deserve the full attention of serious discussion. One issue that looms in my mind is that of legal precedence.


Our country’s legal system is based on laws. Those laws are built upon cases that represent judgments having been made. Those cases then are used as examples in dealing with subsequent similar cases. With the Terri Schiavo issue our legal system conveniently slipped this case into the process of case law that helps establish the building of similar cases that discusses whether a person may stay alive or allowed to die at the will of a third party. As time passes, and cases build, this will likely no longer be a personal decision for individuals or families to make, but will be open for review by the courts and based on past cases. It literally puts the decision of quality of life, or life itself into the hands of justices who sit on the bench and try to make moral decisions based upon past civil decisions that may or may not have had the same implications individually as the current case under their review. And as each new case is reviewed the envelope is pushed further and further with more mitigating circumstances that will allow justices to have far-reaching control over the time and situations where life can be terminated.


That was the second thing this case opened up, a further emphasis on judicial review focused not just on social issues, but on the quality and length of our very lives. We see that creeping judicial review in other situations all the time. Obscenity laws that really can not define what is obscene in any one place over another can allow for bans on so-called soft pornography in one place but encourage hard-core pornography in another. Hence, we move from the word “damn” being uttered by Clark Gable in “Gone With the Wind” to four-letter words and images of nudity trying to break its way into network television. The same thing applies to a person’s life. One only has to look at Jack Kevorkian’s activities, and his help in assisting so-called terminal patients to commit suicide, to see how it may start with a case that seems obviously clear-cut. But as he moved on, the definition of “terminal” seemed to shift from a clear-cut situation to one that ultimately landed him in prison for “helping” someone who was not “terminally ill” to die. Additionally, it cleared the path for a third party to provide the means for the person to end their life.

One of the reasons why we continually slip and slide in these situations is because we constantly try to exclude any reference to our Creator. We place these decisions of morality into the hands of judicial review and charge them to make decisions without the benefit of any foundation of moral values other than case precedents in civil law. Unfortunately, historical decisions about human life based on that foundation has brought little but the devaluation of life at the beginning through abortion, and may have the same effect during the ending part of life as well. Once again, get ready to experience the onslaught of attorneys focusing on different facets of accident/injuries, illnesses and other conditions that interrupt the quality of life with litigation to place our own lives into the hands of judicial review.

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The Christmas Lamb

Christmas usually is seen as a time for giving. The spirit of giving seems to float through the air through the smallest village to the largest city. Of course much of it is materialistic; advertisers hawking their wears trying to entice the buyer to choose their merchandise.

Giving of real substance was established by God from the very beginning.

Even before the sin committed by Adam and Eve had caused their ejection from the garden paradise in which they lived, God began the rescue by promising one who would be presented to mankind as the ultimate sacrifice to bind the sin-wound caused by that first rejection of God the Father. God further demonstrated what He meant by shedding the blood of an animal to use the coat to cover the two naked sinners as He banished them from the garden. God’s story began to unfold from that time forward.


Cain had raised vegetables that were pleasant to see and tasteful to eat. It was from his own labor that he offered those vegetables to God as a sacrifice. Able had listened intently through his life and somehow had discovered that shed blood was the sacrifice that pleased God. When the smell of the burn-offered lamb Able had sacrificed reached God’s senses, He was pleased. Cain’s sacrifice of his own labor was not acceptable.



Abraham walked to the place of offering where his faith was to be tested to the limits. As he and Isaac walked toward that place, the inquisitive Isaac observed that there was wood for the altar, fire to enflame the wood on the altar, but where was the lamb for sacrifice? Abraham knowing all too well the answer to that question simply said, “God will provide a lamb for sacrifice.”


When the chosen people of God had been enslaved for four hundred years their days of captivity was over on the morning after the LORD passed over the household when He saw the blood of the lamb on the door post of the family home. He saw the blood and the family inside were safe.


The priests lined the burning alter by the hundreds as the lambs without blemish were being quartered and burned as a sacrifice for the people. And on one day each year a lamb was the atonement lamb for an entire nation. Indeed, even the High Priest needed the blood of that lamb to have his sins pushed back.




What is this gift of the blood of a perfect lamb; covering the sins of an individual, then entire families, and later an entire nation? Early on the first Christmas morning, somewhere in Bethlehem Judea, in a small stable, a cave really, among the animals, a baby was born. That baby’s name was Jesus; He had been promised throughout the ages, His life had been promised by the prophets even so detailed as to where He was to be born.


After growing to adulthood and following His Heavenly Father’s every detail, He was announced by John, “Behold, The Lamb of God.” Here was the covering to mankind’s sin, the sweet savor of Able’s offering, the answer to Isaac’s question, the freedom of enslaved families, the atonement of a nation, and indeed, the atonement to all mankind.



Is it any wonder that Jesus was born in a stable? How could it be otherwise? After all, where else would the Christmas Lamb be born?



Merry Christmas

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Christmas foretold

Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus, the Son of God. Through the years many have argued about the time of His birth and have pointed out that December the 25th is likely not the exact date, even though we celebrate it at that time. Regardless of the actual date on which He was born, an important thing to remember is that no one should have been surprised that He was born.

From the earliest times, we have recorded history that points to an event that God was going to do something to redeem mankind from the consequences of sin that mankind had brought upon himself. When Adam and Eve chose to follow the words of the Devil, who was in the form of a Serpent, and rejected the Creator God through their disobedience, it sealed their fate and the fate of all others in their posterity. God had expressly warned Adam that death would enter His creation and mankind, His crowning glory, and they would have to cease to exist if they sinned.


Salvation was outside of Adam and Eve; they could do nothing in this vast creation to save themselves. The sentence of death had to be carried out. There was no hope for mankind to usurp the decision of God and reverse the situation. The created being could not challenge the sovereignty of the Creator God and force Him to relent; especially from their weakened position of the effects of their sin. Therefore, if salvation was to come in any form it had to come from the Creator Himself.


Salvation through the “Seed” promised


Many theologians and commentators believe that we catch a glimpse of God’s Grace, love and salvation in the very first book of the Bible, Genesis. Satan, or the Devil, had appeared to Adam and Eve in the form of a serpent. Through his cunning and lying he convinced Eve first, then Adam to disobey God by eating fruit that God had forbidden them to eat. Recorded for us in the third chapter of Genesis is the following scene:


14 And Jehovah God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, cursed art thou above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: 15 and I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed: he shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. (Genesis 3:14-15).


This passage was written sometime from 1450 to 1410 B.C.; the first book in the Bible, a book of Moses. God had given a clue to the two who had sinned that something was planned already that would provide a way for reconciliation and salvation for mankind from their sin. That plan included the posterity of the woman and the very essence of evil, Satan who was fighting for the soul of God’s creation. The ultimate victory would be God, but Satan would get in a hurtful blow before he went down.


As God revealed Himself more and more through the years He inspired people to record and document what He had shown to them. The “seed” of the woman continued through the centuries and God worked through mankind to establish a nation through one man, Abraham and watched it grow through Abraham’s and Sarah’s offspring, with Isaac and Jacob, whose name was later changed to Israel. Through four hundred years of slavery in Egypt to the building of a great Kingdom through David and Solomon, and on to countless times of defeat and captivity by outside nations that captured Israel and Judea, God kept telling His story of the One who would bring salvation to mankind.


Where the “Seed” was to be born


Even small, seemingly insignificant, details were spoken and documented by the prophets. This One who was coming from God Himself was foretold by the Prophet Micah and was documented in a book in the Old Testament of the Bible that bears his name, Micah, chapter 5:






2 But thou, Beth-lehem Ephrathah, which art little to be among the thousands of Judah, out of thee shall one come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting. (Micah 5:2).


This passage was written sometime from 742 to 687 B.C. during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezehiah. This ruler in Israel, who is everlasting, will be born in a town in Judea called Bethlehem. This prophecy was made and recorded more than 700 years before the event occurred. One can see the working of a Mastermind using the events of mankind as the foretold plan is being played out.


Some work of the “Seed”


Further documentation in the Bible reveals what this “seed” to be born in Bethlehem was going to do. We catch a glimpse of this in the writings of a Major Prophet, Isaiah:


5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5)


This passage was written about 681 B.C. and declares that the One who was coming was going to be a substitute for each of us. He would be beaten and injured severely for the sins we have committed. He would take the punishment that was meant for us because of all of the things we have done wrong. He would actually heal us with his life and sacrifice and give us a chance to be whole again.


Transportation for the “Seed”


As time marched on God worked through His nation and the activities in the world around it. With each year that passed the time was being drawn nearer for the “seed” to appear and God to enact the plan He had provided long before. The Great Mastermind who had announced His plan for the provision of mankind’s salvation provided a glimpse of the “seed” with even more minuscule activities that would allow mankind to preview the coming events. One of the Prophets named Zachariah recorded for us to see one small, but significant behavior we could expect to see:


9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy king cometh unto thee; he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, even upon a colt the foal of an ass. (Zachariah 9:9).


This passage was written about 480 B.C. and pictures the King coming to the people riding on a small donkey. The people were told to rejoice because the One who possessed salvation for all was coming to Jerusalem and would be doing so in such a way that all would see and know it was Him. He would be the Just One with righteousness and salvation for all who believed in Him. From our perspective centuries later, it is easy for us to play this scene over and over in our mind: We know it as Palm Sunday, just one week before He was crucified, the day Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey.


The “Seed” is conceived


These are just a few of the writings that foretold the coming of the One Who was to be the fulfillment of God’s plan of salvation for all mankind. From the New Testament perspective and Christians who are alive in the 21st Century, millennia later, we read the account of the time when God came to earth to dwell with us:


26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.28 And he came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee.29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this might be.30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor with God.31 And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:33 and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.34 And Mary said unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee: wherefore also the holy thing which is begotten shall be called the Son of God. (Luke 1:26-35).


This passage was written about A.D. 60 as a recording of the entry of the seed of the woman. Throughout the history of man the “seed” of woman had been carried. Notice that the Provision of God did not include the “seed” of the man. It was God Himself through the Holy Spirit that provided the fertility to the womb of the virgin maiden. Again, God had provided a glimpse even to this:


14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14).


The “Seed” arrives


Finally there came the right time for God’s promise to be fulfilled. When the time was absolutely right, when everything had been fulfilled that had been written about the Provision of God regarding the promised “seed” the beginning of a brand-new time was put in motion. At Christmas we read the very familiar passage from the New Testament Bible in the Book of Luke:


4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David;5 to enroll himself with Mary, who was betrothed to him, being great with child.6 And it came to pass, while they were there, the days were fulfilled that she should be delivered.7 And she brought forth her firstborn son; and she wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.8 And there were shepherds in the same country abiding in the field, and keeping watch by night over their flock.9 And an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.10 And the angel said unto them, Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all the people:11 for there is born to you this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord.12 And this is the sign unto you: Ye shall find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, and lying in a manger.13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,14 Glory to God in the highest… (Luke 2:4-14).


This passage was written about A.D.60 depicting the fulfillment of the promise God had provided in the Garden of Eden.


Summary


We can celebrate this Provision from God every day of the year and every day of our lives. It is the fulfillment of a promise God made back during the very early days when mankind still lived in the Garden of Eden to deliver His creation. It really does not make any difference on what day we celebrate the birth of Jesus. His sacrifice for us has ushered those of us who believe in His birth, life, sacrifice, resurrection, and ascension a hope that someday we will be with Him in eternity and will once again walk with Him like our early ancestors did in the Garden.


Therefore, on December 25 of each year we can celebrate the birth of God’s promised “Seed” and the provision He has made through Jesus His Son to redeem us from death and give us the gift of eternal life. Further, we can celebrate the work Jesus did on the cross by shedding His blood each day of our lives as we yield to Him, accept Him and follow Him as our LORD and Saviour.

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Christmas at the gas station

The following story was sent to me from a good friend (Thanks Billy) and touched me very positively. I have no idea who wrote the story, for sure I did not, and do not claim credit for it in any way, but to the person who did author this let me say, “You have a heart that communicates your love and caring very well, and I along with myriads of others thank you for writing it and sharing it with us.”

Now, to the readers of this blog, sit back, read this story from an unknown author and let it bless your heart.






Christmas at the gas station


The old man sat in his gas station on a cold Christmas Eve. He hadn't been anywhere in years since his wife had passed away. It was just another day to him. He didn't hate Christmas, just couldn't find a reason to celebrate. He was sitting there looking at the snow that had been falling for the last hour and wondering what it was all about when the door opened and a homeless man stepped through.






Instead of throwing the man out, Old George as he was known by his customers, told the man to come and sit by the heater and warm up. "Thank you, but I don't mean to intrude," said the stranger. "I see you're busy, I'll just go."






"Not without something hot in your belly." George said.






He turned and opened a wide mouth Thermos and handed it to the stranger. "It ain't much, but it's hot and tasty. Stew ... Made it myself. When you're done, there's coffee and it's fresh."






Just at that moment he heard the "ding" of the driveway bell. "Excuse me, be right back," George said. There in the driveway was an old '53 Chevy. Steam was rolling out of the front. The driver was panicked. "Mister can you help me!" said the driver, with a deep Spanish accent. "My wife is with child and my car is broken." George opened the hood. It was bad. The block looked cracked from the cold, the car was dead.






"You ain't going in this thing," George said as he turned away.






"But Mister, please help ..." The door of the office closed behind George as he went inside. He went to the office wall and got the keys to his old truck, and went back outside. He walked around the building, opened the garage, started the truck and drove it around to where the couple was waiting. "Here, take my truck," he said. "She ain't the best thing you ever looked at, but she runs real good."






George helped put the woman in the truck and watched as it sped off into the night. He turned and walked back inside the office. "Glad I gave 'em the truck, their tires were shot too. That 'ol truck has brand new .." George thought he was talking to the stranger, but the man had gone. The Thermos was on the desk, empty, with a used coffee cup beside it. "Well, at least he got something in his belly," George thought.






George went back outside to see if the old Chevy would start. It cranked slowly, but it started. He pulled it into the garage where the truck had been. He thought he would tinker with it for something to do. Christmas Eve meant no customers. He discovered the the block hadn't cracked, it was just the bottom hose on the radiator. "Well, shoot, I can fix this," he said to


himself. So he put a new one on.






"Those tires ain't gonna get 'em through the winter either." He took the snow treads off of his wife's old Lincoln . They were like new and he wasn't going to drive the car anyway.






As he was working, he heard shots being fired. He ran outside and beside a police car an officer lay on the cold ground. Bleeding from the left shoulder, the officer moaned, "Please help me."






George helped the officer inside as he remembered the training he had received in the Army as a medic. He knew the wound needed attention. "Pressure to stop the bleeding," he thought. The uniform company had been there that morning and had left clean shop towels. He used those and duct tape to bind the wound. "Hey, they say duct tape can fix anythin'," he said, trying to make the policeman feel at ease.






"Something for pain," George thought. All he had was the pills he used for his back. "These ought to work." He put some water in a cup and gave the policeman the pills. "You hang in there, I'm going to get you an ambulance."






The phone was dead. "Maybe I can get one of your buddies on that there talk box out in your car." He went out only to find that a bullet had gone into the dashboard destroying the two way radio.






He went back in to find the policeman sitting up. "Thanks," said the officer. "You could have left me there. The guy that shot me is still in the area."






George sat down beside him, "I would never leave an injured man in the Army and I ain't gonna leave you." George pulled back the bandage to check for bleeding. "Looks worse than what it is. Bullet passed right through 'ya. Good thing it missed the important stuff though. I think with time your gonna be right as rain."






George got up and poured a cup of coffee. "How do you take it?" he asked.






"None for me," said the officer.






"Oh, yer gonna drink this. Best in the city. Too bad I ain't got no donuts." The officer laughed and winced at the same time.






The front door of the office flew open. In burst a young man with a gun. "Give me all your cash! Do it now!" the young man yelled. His hand was shaking and George could tell that he had never done anything like this before.






"That's the guy that shot me!" exclaimed the officer.






"Son, why are you doing this?" asked George, "You need to put the cannon away. Somebody else might get hurt."






The young man was confused. "Shut up old man, or I'll shoot you, too. Now give me the cash!"






The cop was reaching for his gun. "Put that thing away," George said to the cop, "we got one too many in here now."






He turned his attention to the young man. "Son, it's Christmas Eve. If you need money, well then, here. It ain't much but it's all I got. Now put that pea shooter away."






George pulled $150 out of his pocket and handed it to the young man, reaching for the barrel of the gun at the same time. The young man released his grip on the gun, fell to his knees and began to cry. "I'm not very good at this am I? All I wanted was to buy something for my wife and son," he went on. "I've lost my job, my rent is due, my car got repossessed last week."






George handed the gun to the cop. "Son, we all get in a bit of squeeze now and then. The road gets hard sometimes, but we make it through the best we can."






He got the young man to his feet, and sat him down on a chair across from the cop. "Sometimes we do stupid things." George handed the young man a cup of coffee. "Bein' stupid is one of the things that makes us human. Comin' in here with a gun ain't the answer. Now sit there and get warm and we'll sort this thing out."






The young man had stopped crying. He looked over to the cop. "Sorry I shot you. It just went off. I'm sorry officer."






"Shut up and drink your coffee " the cop said.






George could hear the sounds of sirens outside. A police car and an ambulance skidded to a halt. Two cops came through the door, guns drawn. "Chuck! You ok?" one of the cops asked the wounded officer.






"Not bad for a guy who took a bullet. How did you find me?"






"GPS locator in the car. Best thing since sliced bread. Who did this?" the other cop asked as he approached the young man.






Chuck answered him, "I don't know. The guy ran off into the dark. Just dropped his gun and ran."






George and the young man both looked puzzled at each other.






"That guy work here?" the wounded cop continued.






"Yep," George said, "just hired him this morning. Boy lost his job."






The paramedics came in and loaded Chuck onto the stretcher. The young man leaned over the wounded cop and whispered, "Why?"






Chuck just said, "Merry Christmas boy ... and you too, George, and thanks for everything."






"Well, looks like you got one doozy of a break there. That ought to solve some of your problems."






George went into the back room and came out with a box. He pulled out a ring box. "Here you go, something for the little woman. I don't think Martha would mind. She said it would come in handy some day."






The young man looked inside to see the biggest diamond ring he ever saw. "I can't take this," said the young man. "It means something to you."






"And now it means something to you," replied George. "I got my memories. That's all I need."






George reached into the box again. An airplane, a car and a truck appeared next. They were toys that the oil company had left for him to sell. "Here's something for that little man of yours."






The young man began to cry again as he handed back the $150 that the old man had handed him earlier.






"And what are you supposed to buy Christmas dinner with? You keep that too," George said. "Now git home to your family."






The young man turned with tears streaming down his face. "I'll be here in the morning for work, if that job offer is still good."






"Nope. I'm closed Christmas day," George said. "See ya the day after."






George turned around to find that the stranger had returned. "Where'd you come from? I thought you left?"






"I have been here. I have always been here," said the stranger. "You say you don't celebrate Christmas. Why?"






"Well, after my wife passed away, I just couldn't see what all the bother was. Puttin' up a tree and all seemed a waste of a good pine tree. Bakin' cookies like I used to with Martha just wasn't the same by myself and besides I was gettin' a little chubby."






The stranger put his hand on George's shoulder. "But you do celebrate the holiday, George. You gave me food and drink and warmed me when I was cold and hungry. The woman with child will bear a son and he will become a great doctor.






The policeman you helped will go on to save 19 people from being killed by terrorists. The young man who tried to rob you will make you a rich man and not take any for himself. "That is the spirit of the season and you keep it as good as any man."






George was taken aback by all this stranger had said. "And how do you know all this?" asked the old man.






"Trust me, George. I have the inside track on this sort of thing. And when your days are done you will be with Martha again."






The stranger moved toward the door. "If you will excuse me, George, I have to go now. I have to go home where there is a big celebration planned."






George watched as the old leather jacket and the torn pants that the stranger was wearing turned into a white robe. A golden light began to fill the room.






"You see, George ... it's My birthday. Merry Christmas."






George fell to his knees and replied, "Happy Birthday, Lord Jesus"






Merry Christmas!!






This story is better than any greeting card.



MERRY CHRISTMAS AND GOD BLESS!

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Christmas anxiety and depression

Anxiety and depression loom around Christmas time. For people who have suffered loss clinicians remind us there is an attack on the inward self that manifests itself in ways that cannot be controlled. A variety of symptoms emerge that leaves one with a sense of hopelessness and despair. It affects not only the emotional state, but the physical as well. Some common symptoms that are generally cited by clinicians include some of the following:

• Losing or gaining weight by having a poor appetite.


• Inability to sleep by waking during the night or sleeping more than usual.


• A feeling of always being sad or anxious, perhaps a feeling that nothing matters any more.


• Pacing or moving about in restlessness or constantly being irritable with those around you.


• Feeling that in most situations you are helpless and consequently worthless. An overwhelming feeling of guilt about anything or everything.


• Seeing the world around you from a pessimistic perspective; a feeling of being driven toward hopelessness.


• Great difficulty in making decisions or thinking about daily actions; even a lack of memory.


• A morbid attachment to thoughts of death or even thinking or planning suicide; in some cases even attempting suicide.


• Being tired all the time, no energy, like the weight of the world is slowing you down and making you sink in the mire of mundane tasks around you.


• No interest anymore in things that used to bring pleasure, like family activities, personal hobbies, even sexual activities.


• Physical ailments that cannot be relieved like aches and pains that are difficult to explain or locate, and cannot be found by your Doctor.


As one might guess, the symptoms listed above are those of anxiety and depression that affect people anytime throughout the year. It seems, however, that these symptoms are exacerbated especially during the Christmas season. The question might be asked as to why that could be. Several answers come to mind:


The most obvious, of course, is that around Christmas people are generally making plans to gather with their family. Christmas is a natural holiday season for families to gather and celebrate the Season. A person who has experienced the loss of a loved one feels especially sad during that time since the effect of the loss is much more intensified.


Another reason is that in general people begin to somehow “soften” their tolerance of daily irritations around them. Even people in large cities seem to make eye contact for a millisecond or two when passing on the street. People seem to become more helpful than usual.


Even though most Western cultures are materialistic in nature, there is still a vale of “religiosity” that descends on the culture during those weeks between the American Thanksgiving holiday and Christmas day. That is usually manifested in more smiles, greater cheer toward others, little acts of kindness, a feeling of generosity and traditions of giving and receiving gifts as a form of celebration. When people who are hurting experience this it sometimes causes the hurt to run deeper.


Those traditions have evolved through the years in many countries, including the United States that actually changes the environment with decorations that are tied specifically to the Season. So much so, in fact, that those whose personal perspectives diminish the actual reason meant to celebrate the birth of Jesus, have instead decorated the environment to create a holiday season that somehow celebrates the coming of Winter. Chestnuts are usually roasting on an open fire, trees are glistening everywhere you look, sleigh bells are ringing in our ears, and the Holiday Season somehow has to be White with snow to make it happier. Government and retailers have contributed to the season by tacking onto it the economic indicators that enhance the bottom line with huge sales during the last fiscal quarter of the year.


The problem with the Holiday Season with all of its external trappings, it brings with it a certain amount of stress and pressure to “keep up” that many become overwhelmed with the prospects of just keeping in the race. With the requirement of keeping up in the Holiday Season race, school activities, buying presents, going to parties, staying sober enough to think, pleasing those around us, even re-entering an oft-forgotten religious ritual becomes an attack on the person’s senses and emotional well-being.


Attack can be deadly


It is an attack really, especially, for those who are already undergoing emotional stress, anxiety and depression. The difference is that the Holiday Season is an attack not only on the psychic and emotions, but also an attack on the heart. It is an external attack that places requirements of performance, compliance, conformity and agreement with stressors that are not desired or wanted.


Even in the Bible we find that attack on the heart:


“Anxiety in a person’s heart weighs him down…” (Proverbs 12:25)


Anxiety is coupled with fear: fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of loss of love, fear of continuing on to fight the fight and endure the anxiety. That anxious fear is so debilitating that it brings the person to their knees. It weighs heavily on their heart and brings down the spirit and causes depression.


Christmas celebration


Just as much as the Holiday Season ushered in over the years of tradition brings an attack on the heart through stress, anxiety and depression for some people, by contrast, the Christmas Season offers healing, restoration, freedom and redemption of the heart.


Notice that I am contrasting Holiday Season with Christmas Season.


The other side of the Proverb cited above is this:


“…but an encouraging word brings him joy.” (Proverbs 12:25)


Life if beneficial, there are good things to life, the “encouraging word” in life is all these things plus it promotes life, creates life and protects life. The encouraging word brings encouragement, kindness and insight to help the person grow into an understanding of what life is all about beyond the accumulation of possessions and materialism. The person is brought back to a proper perspective of life and love and set right with a renewed confidence.


As mankind moves away further and further from God’s Redeeming love the effects of the external attack is more pronounced. Humans were created to worship God and have communion with Him. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Christians in Ephesus in a letter entitled, Ephesians, and a part of the Holy Bible:


“2:10 For we are his workmanship, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand so we may do them.” (Ephesians 2:10)


We were created in Christ Jesus so that we could walk in good works through Jesus. This was a promise long before any of us were even born. God had made a plan to redeem us through Jesus and our very life, our spirit longs to worship Him and yield to His redemptive power to work through us His good works as He helps us proclaim to a dying world that peace and goodwill come only through Him.


Many people try to find relief for their symptoms of anxiety, stress, depression and emotional upset by taking medicine and seeking help from the clinical world. For sure there are many who find some relief in chemicals and self-help exercises or talk therapies evolved from men’s theories of mental health, but the actual healing of the heart comes through the yielding of the body, mind, soul and spirit to the God of Creation that created us to live without fear, anxiety and depression.


Again, the Apostle Paul wrote to the Christians who lived in Philippi, a Greek settlement that had come under Roman rule, advice that each person who accepts Jesus as Christ should yield to:


“4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say, rejoice! 4:5 Let everyone see your gentleness. The Lord is near! 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God. 4:7 And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.


4:8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of respect, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if something is excellent or praiseworthy, think about these things. 4:9 And what you learned and received and heard and saw in me, do these things. And the God of peace will be with you.” (Philippians 4:4-9)


For all Christians everywhere we should live in a state of rejoicing in the Lord who has given Himself as a sacrifice on the cross and shed His blood so we could be redeemed from sin and death and live in Him a life of hope and salvation. Our gentleness should be seen by everyone; people will know that we have the power of God in our lives because all around us the world is in the race of power, competition, lust, materialism, greed and being caught up in the attack of the heart that resulted in fear, anxiety and depression.


We are to throw off anxiety and fear; rid ourselves of the resultant depression by living in the knowledge that God is more powerful than any attack that may come. We live through prayer and asking God to indwell our spirit with His Spirit and offer thanksgiving constantly for His watch-care over us.


These results in a peace that transcends all human understanding; a peace that floods our soul with knowing that in Christ Jesus our hearts and minds are guarded against all the attacks of the world.


Rearrange thinking


Finally, the Apostle Paul says that we should change our thinking to substitute for the worldly “Happy Holiday” thinking with thoughts that come from the “Christmas Season” thinking. He said, “…whatever is true, whatever is worthy of respect, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if something is excellent or praiseworthy, think about these things.”


Substitute things that are untrue with things that are true; things that deserve respect instead of so many things that should be ignored; things that are just instead of things that are unjust; pure, lovely, commendable things that bring joy and happiness rather than hateful, lustful rancorous things that bring fear and anxiety; and finally, substitute thinking about excellent or praiseworthy things rather than dwelling on guttural or sinful things.


As we think on these things something miraculous happens: As we submit ourselves to Christ and live in Him we turn loose of our own external power to live for ourselves, and release ourselves to His saving Grace and redemptive power and we begin to be filled with His Holy Spirit that gives us power to live and work and experience our being in Him. Outside of that Christmas Season power we are subject to the external power of the mankind created holiday season.

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