Christmas - The Wonder of It All

Christmas summed up in a verse:

John 3:16.

16"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."

We all have read, recited, heard this verse so many times in our lives that sometimes it becomes almost too well known and we don't really hear what it is saying. Think about what exactly it meant to deliver your own child up for pain, sadness, rejection, and death. Think about why it was done, not so the Creator would be better off, but that the created would not be destroyed.

Sometimes I look at my life and wonder how a perfect God would ever have anything to do with me, yet this verse reminds me that He desired that I should have eternal life and avoid destruction so much that He offered His perfect Son as a sacrifice for me.

How can we doubt God's love when we have this picture, this verse, that so perfectly portrays His wondrous love? How can we give in to Satan's lies that we aren't "good enough" or haven't "suffered enough" to earn salvation?

The Bible clearly states that "while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Once more, read it slowly:

John 3:16.

16"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."

Merry Christmas everyone.




Flyleaf - Christmas Song


A frightened virgin teenage girl
Receives a message that defies the laws of this world
All she can do is weep and nod
She's to bring into this world the Son of God

God's angels sound their trumpets
And blow their horns
Tonight the long awaited savior is to be born
The goodness bound by Satan it has been torn
With this baby's precious brow ready for thorns

A star appears fufilling ancient prophecy
There's an ounce of fear as wise men follow faithfully
The Virgin Mary brings forth the human savior
And this future king sleeps soundly in the manger
Soundly in the manger

God's angels sound their trumpets
And blow their horns
Tonight the long awaited savior is to be born
The goodness bound by Satan it has been torn
With this baby's precious brow ready for thorns

Tonight He is born so one day He can die
To heal hearts that are torn and live the perfect life
So He hang upon a cross and we can take His life
So we can live as sinners
And He can pay the price
Tonight He is born so one day he can die
But He will rise again

God's angels sound their trumpets
And blow their horns
Tonight the long awaited savior is to be born
The goodness bound by Satan it has been torn
With this baby's precious brow ready for thorns

Christmas - Why We Celebrate

Part 2 of 3

I'm sure you've heard the saying, "If Jesus only needed to come and die for you, He still would have done it."

I would take that one step further and say that He did die just for me. He didn't suffer for a mass of faceless people, rather He sacrificed Himself for billions of specific people, all of whom He knows intimately.

I think if we could wrap our minds around this concept we would live our lives more fully for Christ. We just can't comprehend someone being so powerful and superior to us actually wanting a close relationship with us. We look at the famous people in our world and see to what great lengths they go through to keep the "common folk" away from them and apply that picture to God, when that is the furthest from the truth.

Kutless - Sea of Faces

I see the city lights all around me
Everyone's obscure
Ten million people each with their problems
Why should anyone care

And in Your eyes I can see
I am not just a man, vastly lost in this world
Lost in a Sea of Faces
Your body's the bread, Your blood is the wine
Because you traded Your life for mine

Sometimes my life it feels so trivial
Immersed in the greatness of space
Yet somehow you still find the time for me
It's then You show me Your love

And In Your eyes I can see
And in Your arms I will be
I am not just a man, vastly lost in this world
Lost in a Sea of Faces
Your body's the bread, Your blood is the wine
Because you traded Your life for mine

If only my one heart
Was all you'd gain from all it cost
Well I know you would have still been a man
With a reason
To willingly offer your life

I am not just a man, vastly lost in this world
Lost in a Sea of Faces
Your body's the bread, Your blood is the wine
Because you traded Your life for mine

Just one in a million faces

Christmas - Who We Celebrate

This will be a 3-part series all about why I love Christmas. This is by far my favorite time of the year, even with the cold temperatures and icy roads.

When I was younger I loved Christmas primarily because of the gifts, but now that I am older I feel saddened that people who focus only on the gifts and family miss out on the most exciting part of this holiday. The birth of our Savior.

This is the time when we stop and spend time specially thanking God for our salvation that came about through the birth of a tiny child. A child that was not just a child, but God Himself who came down to us, who met us in our sad state, and lived amongst us for 33 years before finally sacrificing Himself in order to bring us back to Him.

The first song is "Here is Our King" by The David Crowder Band. This song is Christmas to me, the reason for our celebration, as the angels rejoiced on that day 2000 years ago, we do the same now.





Here is Our King


(verse 1)
From wherever spring arrives to heal the ground
From where ever searching comes to look itself
A trace of what we're looking for
so be quiet now, and wait

(Pre-Chorus)
The ocean is growing
The tide is coming in
Here it is:

(Chorus 2x)
Here is our King
Here is our Love
Here is our God who's come to bring us back to him
He is the one,
He is Jesus

(verse 2)
And what was said to the rose to make it unfold
Was said to me, here in my chest
So be quiet now, and rest.

(Pre-Chorus)(Chorus 2x)

(Bridge 2x)
Majesty!
Finally!

(chorus 2x)(bridge 1x)

The “Blog” of “Unnecessary” Quotation Marks

I thought the English majors out there (or just people who don't like seeing our language butchered) would find this amusing.

http://quotation-marks.blogspot.com/