Only 364 Days Til Christmas!

Christmas 2011 is now another Christmas past. I have seen some folks already taking down their trees and placing them on the curb for pick up. Some folks have already turned their outside lights and other Christmas decorations off waiting to take them down and put them away. I even saw one store where they were already removing some Christmas decorations down to make room for Valentine's Day things. Christmas has only been over two days. People were eager to see Christmas get here but some seem as eager for it to be over. Many people miss the whole point of Christmas. Unfortunately even some folks in the church have forgotten the true meaning of Christmas.

Christmas is a wonderful time of year for me. I do love seeing the decorations and the lights on homes and various commercial places. Towns put up angels and other things on the street lights along with a big tree in the town square. Christmas music comes on the radio. People start to shop for presents for family and friends. Christmas parties get planned and scheduled. Churches offer all types of ministries such as dramas and children's musicals for folks to come see. People get extremely busy shopping and doing all these different activities. Then they get stressed out and begin to wish that Christmas would get over and be done. They lose the joy they started with. The sad thing is they also tend to forget why we celebrate this season. It isn't about the shopping and parties and everything else that we do at Christmas. It is about the baby born to a virgin and laid in a manger in a stable. His birth should never be something we think about just at Christmas but every day of the year. His birth made it possible for us to find forgiveness and a renewed relationship with the heavenly Father if we ask Him. Christ was born to die for our sins. We should always remember that He loved us so much that He came to this earth for the expressed purpose of being the sacrifical Lamb. We need to celebrate Christmas all year long not just in December.

I guess that is why I love to go to these shops that have Chritmas stuff on sale all year long. I dislike when I have to take down the tree and put it and all the decorations away. But one thing I will never do is put away the knowledge that Jesus is worth remembering each and every day. I suppose all I can say now is I hope you had a great Christmas and pray that you will have a blessed New Year in 2012! Come on Thanksgiving so I can drag out the tree one more time!

A Season of MIxed Emotions

The Christmas holiday is one that is often full of joy and happiness for many. Children look forward to getting a tree and waking up to wonderful presents under it on Christmas morning. Friends and families come together to celebrate the season at homes and parties. However, there are those who find Christmas a difficult season because the loss of a loved one this year or in the years past. I was looking at a video about a tribute to service folks that have given the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms. I saw some video clips that touched my heart because their families will be without them. I was reminded of the pain that they endure each and every day. Especially at this time of the year!

Having served myself in the Air Force towards the end of the Cold War, I know the pain of being seperated from family at the holiday. I am thankful that my family only had a short term seperation from me. The families of those who have lost their lives these past few years now endure the pain of seperation for the rest of their lives. Many families this year will celebrate Christmas without their loved ones who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. Freedom is not Free! It cost a heavy price. Our freedom is paid for with the lives and the blood of people willing to give their lives to buy it and keep it. Those who die in the service of their country pay for it and the families of those same service men and women suffer that same cost. We cannot stay free without the price. I saw many video clips and pictures of fallen heroes which have given that last full measure of devotion. I saw pictures of loved ones that were leaning on flag drapped coffins as the remains of their loved ones came home for good. I think about the mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, husbands and wives and fellow soldiers and airmen who have lost family members and comrades. These men and women are heroes in every sense of the word. At this time of year I am also reminded that God Himself knows the cost of freedom as well. We celebrate the birth of his Son who came as a baby to die for us so that we might have freedom from sin. Freedom from sin was paid for by the life and blood of Jesus Christ. He was victorious over sin and death.

My heart's prayer for those who have lost loved ones because of the price of freedom is that God will in this time of celebration grant you peace and comfort to you and your families. We all owe a debt of gratitude to those who have served or are serving now to protect our freedom. I would encourage those of you who know families that have lost ones that you will call them or send them a card telling them that they are not forgotten and that there are those who garteful for the sacrifices made. Nothing could ever make up for what they have lost but their fallen heroes will always be remembered. Not just now at Christmas but every time we see Old Glory waving free in the breeze. Merry Christmas and may God bring you peace in 2012. Who knows? Maybe next year we will celebrate Christmas with the one who is the reason for the season, Jesus Christ!

Merry Christmas! BAH Humbug!

In college one year for the Spring Formal we had a couple of professors do a list of things called "That will Be the Day". They came up with a list of things that they thought would never happen. Well I have one they should had have on their list back then even though the thought of this would have been so far fetched. As I was watching the news I saw that Congress passed a ban on congressmen from saying Merry Christmas! Congress has passed a lot of laws that they make sure sure they are not bouind by. And now the congress has passed a ban from their members from saying Merry Christmas because of political correctness. They do not want to OFFEND anyone. Political correctness is taking away our freedoms a little at a time. Schools have already taken Chritmas out and now call the break Winter Solistice and other goofy things. Now we are told it isn't PC to say merry Christmas!

I guess I should not have been surprised by this ban passed by Congress. Our religious freedoms are being eroded and undermined from all sides. This nation was founded on godly and biblical principles by our founding forefathers. They would be appalled by what is happening today. How do I know this to be true? Go sometime to Washington DC and visit the buildings and memorials. Look how many references to the Bible and to God. You will find in their writings many sayings that reflect their beliefs. If you were to visit the Supreme Court you would find the very things on the wall behind the judges that have been banned from schools and other public arenas. The 10 Commandments are written in the wall for all to see. Except that a curtain covers them to hide them. I think the sad thing is that we are losing our heritage faster now then before. God has blessed this nation because of our heritage but as we depart from that heritage and begin to allow those things once seen as sin to become acceptable we face God's judgment and not His blessing. Oh that we as a nation would bend our knees before Him and confess our sins and failures! After all, that's why we celebrate Christmas! God sent His Son to the earth to live like and with us then pay the penalty for our sin. The fact is Christ is coming back to this earth to rule and reign one day and there will be no more political correctness then.

I love Christmas and everything that it stands for. It is because of Jesus' love for us that we can celebrate this season. No matter what people tell me I will continue to say Merry Christmas to those I meet or talk to on the phone. I do not believe in being politically correct but I want to be spiritually correct and be more concerned with what God thinks of me than what some liberals do. So to all those in Congress and the Senate Merry Christmas! Who knows? Maybe this Christmas we might be saying that to Jesus Himself! You never know! So let's all say Merry Christmas and forget the Bah Humbugs!

It's About God

I decided to join a gym to help lose some weight this past week. I have started to go in the morning before work to insure I get there. This morning I went and did my workout then was ready to leave. On the way out a lady stopped me and commented on my T shirt. The T-shirt was the one we had made up for Courtney Geeseman after his passing. On the front it reads "It's About God". She asked me what the shirt meant. I shared with her about Courtney and his life and the tragic passing of this wonderful young man. She was touched by what I shared with her. She made the comment that some people do not make an impact in life like Courtney did while he was here. I began to think about that on the way home.

People come and go from this life every day. Many live lives that never accomplish anything great or important during their lives. They exist but never truly live while they are here. They settle for medocrity and things that have no real eternal value. They miss out on the great things that God has planned for them here on earth. God doesn't want want us just to exist but to live and live that life abundantly. Of course at this time of year I remember the movie "It's a Wonderful Life". George Bailey thought his life meant nothing but never realized how much he impacted and touched the lives of those around him. It would have been sad if when he went through his non existent life that he would have found he really didn't make any impact at all. We need to do those things that will have an eternal impact on us and others. Can you imagine Jesus living a life that never impacted anyone? Guess who our role model is? That's right! If he did it, we need to do it as well. We should live our lives in such a manner that eveything we do reflects Him and His love. If we place God first in our lives and make everything we do about Him. we will see God doing some incredible things in and through us.

Courtney lived his life to please God in everything he did. When he stands before his Lord and Savior I am confident that he will hear the words we all long to hear "Well done good and faithful servant!". So I guess the question we need to ask ourselves is whether of not we will hear those precious words when it is our time to stand before Him. I hope that should I leave this earth before Christ returns that there will be those who will say of my life "It was about God!"