from the manger to the cross

It's not just about the manger, where the baby lay.

It's not all about the angels, who sang for him that day.

It's not just about the shepherds, or the bright and shining star.

It's not all about the wisemen, who travelled from afar.

It's about the cross, It's about my sin,

It's about how Jesus came to be born so we could be born again.

It's about the stone that was rolled away, so that you and I could have real life someday.

It's about the cross.

It's not just about the presents underneath the tree.

It's not all about the feeling that the season brings to me.

It's not just about coming home to be with those you love.

It's not all about the beauty in the snow I'm dreaming of.

It's about the cross.

The beginning of the story is wonderful and great, but it's the ending that can save you,

and that's why we celebrate.

It's about the cross, it's about my sin, it's about how Jesus came to be born so we could be born again. It's about God's love, nailed to a tree, it's about every drop of blood that flowed from Him when it should have been you and me. It's about the stone that was rolled away so that you and I could have real life someday.

"It's About The Cross" (Go Fish)

children's christmas service

Our Children's Christmas Service was last night, and I was very pleasantly surprised at the good turnout considering the -10 degree wind chill. Talk about a "bleak midwinter"!

It all went very well, and I think there was more music and musical instruments involved than I've ever seen at one of these things.

We had a trumpet, saxophone, clarinet, piano, guitar, hand chimes, and even a hammered dulcimer! The kids did a good job and had a good time doing it. They especially enjoyed the "Happy Birthday to Jesus" party afterwards. I just love Christmas, don't you?

For unto us a Child is born

missing jesus

It's that time of year again, when statues of Baby Jesus start to go missing from Nativity scenes around the country. But this year some churches are fighting back with GPS technology.

The devices can be attached to the statues so that they aren't obvious to thieves, and they can be easily removed. The chips can guide police to the stolen figurine so they can determine if the thief is a prankster or plunderer.

Maybe the fact that the wise men could be bearing a GPS chip inside their gold, frankincense, or myrrh will be enough to deter potential baby Jesus burglars.

This story is a good reminder to not let anyone steal Jesus away from you this Advent Season, as some continue to try to take Christ out of Christmas.

Martin Luther wrote it so well :

"Dearest Jesus, holy Child, Make Thee a bed, soft, undefiled,

Within my heart, that it may be, A quiet chamber kept for Thee."

those pesky associations...

What can we learn from the arrest of Illinois Governor and Obama buddy Rod Blagojevich on corruption charges?

Maybe that Obama's associations with unsavory characters really do matter after all.

The media wanted to sweep them all under the rug during the election, because when you put them all together, its not a very pretty political picture.

Reverend Wright, Father Pfleger, William Ayers, Tony Rezko, Rashid Khalidi, Louis Farrakhan, ACORN, the list goes on.

And now, Rod Blagojevich.

It's getting harder and harder for the media to keep sweeping these things under the rug, because the mounds of you-know-what keep piling up around them.

Brrrrrr! (update)

The oceans have been cooling since 2003.

Sea ice is growing at the fastest pace on record.

A rare 50 year arctic blast is cooling the west coast.

There are fears of a coming freeze worse than the ice age.

Alaskan sea glaciers are advancing for the first time in 250 years.

And for the second straight year the earth is cooling, not warming.

Does anyone still believe in global warming?

the snowmen prophets