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December 31, 2018 at 6:50am
December 31, 2018 at 6:50am
#948526
"December 31, 2018 Me in my Salvation Army uniformAn image for a blog that I hope will take root.Image for BCOF members to put in their blogsBlog City image small

An image for a blog that I hope will take root. Psalms 14: 1 says "The fool has said in his heart that there is no God."
How would you answer a person who says there is no God?

I would ask them to read my old Christian blog. It has many scientific evidences that prove the existence of God or at least prove the accuracy of the Holy Bible. For example I have an argument in it that shows scientifically that the "Big Bang" could not have happened! Sir Thomas Aquinas once said that if anything was made there had to be a Maker. He basically said that it was impossible for something to come from nothing. Something had to exist to be the force that moved everything else into being. The third law of thermodynamics essentially says the same thing. It was impossible for there to be nothing and then some freak explosion occurred causing everything else. Something had to exist to cause the explosion if there really was one. My theory is that there was essentially an explosion alright. God spoke and everything exploded into being!
My previous blog has several other arguments based on science that discredit several scientific arguments used by atheists. I would read those again myself and present that evidence to an atheist. It may not convince them but at least it would give them pause.

Image for BCOF members to put in their blogs "Prompt: Write about endings and/or beginnings."

The most important beginning and ending I can think of is the life of Jesus Christ. All of history is His story. He is the reason for my existence. I can't tell you how many bonafide miracles have taken place over the course of my lifetime as God kept me alive to fulfill His purpose. My liver is so compromised from all my years of drug abuse that doctors scratch their heads. One doctor told me that I have cirrhosis and should have had a liver transplant years ago yet there is no physical evidence that my liver was ever damaged. The only way they know is by reading the ultrasounds of my liver! I had hepatitis A recently and the doctor told me that based on the damage already done to my liver it should have been a death sentence. Yet the only symptoms I had were a loss of appetite and some nausea. Others who had it turned yellow and were deathly ill.
I have survived countless fatal overdoses. I wasn't suicidal. I was simply trying to get stoned and the drugs weren't strong enough. Doctors tell me the amounts I took were humanly impossible but I did so countless times. The real miracle is that I walked away from them and have not picked up in an extremely long time. I attended 12 step meetings for a long time but today Jesus Christ keeps me sober as He did all along. My list of miracles goes on and on. So the real beginning for me was the birth, life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, which is my mainstay and hope today!

Blog City image small "Prompt: What do you want to bring more of into your life in 2019? Maybe love, joy, abundance, and what else? What in your life is no longer serving you and needs to be released? Could it be anger, stress, perfectionism, guilt?"

What I want to bring more of into my life in 2019 is holiness. I'm a preacher and some of the things I find myself doing make me cringe. I don't cringe in fear but in shame. I don't want to do things that I know are displeasing to Jesus Christ. I know He understands more than any other man alive because He was tempted in every way I am tempted. The difference is that He did not sin and I crumble like a sandstone rock under the temptation. I don't want to do that and the only way I can avoid it is by allowing the Holy Spirit to work in me. So my goal in 2019 is to crucify my flesh daily by yielding to the leading of the Holy Spirit. I want more of Jesus and less of me.

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December 29, 2018 at 6:54am
December 29, 2018 at 6:54am
#948401
"December 29, 2018 Me in my Salvation Army uniformAn image for a blog that I hope will take root.Blog City image smallImage for BCOF members to put in their blogs

An image for a blog that I hope will take root. Prompt: "What does it mean when Jesus tells us in John 14: 26 that the Holy Spirit will bring all the things written in God's word to our remembrance?"

To me this passage of scripture implies that the Holy Spirit will supernaturally help me remember what is written in the Bible at the times when I need the information. However the key word here is "remembrance". This implies that I would have to have done the legwork of reading and studying God's word previously. The Lord is not going to snap His fingers and let anybody instantly quote scriptures they have never heard. We have to be familiar with the scriptures to begin with. Studying God's word should never be viewed as a daunting task. I read God's word all the time. I have read it at least 25 times cover to cover and still continue to learn from it. God's word will change you if you allow it to do so. We must read God's word however or it will seem senseless to us. When we do read it is extremely helpful to sincerely pray and ask God to reveal the meaning. In doing so we make the word become a living thing. It has much more depth and meaning. Read God's word today!

Blog City image small Prompt: Goodreads has a writing challenge each year. Do you participate in the challenge? How important to writing is reading other author's work? Do you read only books in your writing genre or do you mix it up?
I don't participate in writing challenges. I did a 30 Day Blogging Challenge once a long time ago and never did hear who won it. I also participated in one NANOWRIMO but didn't see that through. So no, I don't participate in many writing challenges. I do however operate a regular contest on here. It is
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#2106425 by Not Available.
and is open now. I love Oriental poetry in any form so I started this contest a few years ago and it took off. We are now officially on round 40 I believe although there were several rounds previously that I did not even count. So I like challenges. I just don't usually write for them myself.
I believe it is very important, even essential, to review the work of others. I do around 25 reviews monthly and mainly review poetry. I won't claim to give critiques of poetry because I often don't understand the nuances that are required for judging it. This is why others judge my contest. However I know what I like and don't like so I comment on that.

Image for BCOF members to put in their blogs "Prompt: Use the following statement to inspire your blog entry. "Live, Laugh, Love in 2019." Have fun."

I pray that people do live, laugh, and love in 2019. When I pray and the Lord is present with me, I see nothing but calamity for the future. Our world is doing all the things that God so clearly condemned in His word. We allow gay marriage, which God calls an abomination. We allow abortions, which God calls murder. We commit adultery against God by permitting other religions and idolatry to flourish. Today nobody cares what religion another is. Islam is just as acceptable to most as Christianity. A person can worship a cup if they want to and nobody cares. The founding fathers started this country on the basis of freedom of religion. In their minds they wanted to be free to worship in whatever way they wanted without having to kneel to the church chosen by the English crown. They did not intended to open America up to every type of idolatry under the sun! Idolatry brought about the downfall of the Jews during the reign of King Nebuchanezzar and it will bring about the fall of the United States as well! We think we are invincible but many cities in Israel thought they were safe as well. They went down like wilted weeds before the icy blast of God and we will hit our knees as well. God will not be mocked! Wake up America!


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December 28, 2018 at 6:22am
December 28, 2018 at 6:22am
#948352
"December 28, 2018 Me in my Salvation Army uniformAn image for a blog that I hope will take root.Image for BCOF members to put in their blogsBlog City image small

An image for a blog that I hope will take root. Prompt: What is your favorite Bible book?

I don't know that I have a favorite. I learn so much from all of them. The gospels tell my favorite Bible story because they discuss the death, burial, and resurrection but I don't know that I have a favorite book. You would think that as much as I love history it would be one of the history books or the book of Acts but I really have no favorite.

Image for BCOF members to put in their blogs Prompt: "Use these words in your entry today: form, laugh, hypnotic, smell, bray, country, bean and store. Have fun!"

I was awake most of the night last night so I'm seriously considering going back to bed. My form is all screwed up today. I have to laugh because I take sleep aids, have narcolepsy, and last night I had insomnia! It leaves me feeling like I'm in a hypnotic state. I can't smell myself so I don;t need a shower this morning. I can sleep and shower later. If not I'll bray like a donkey at everybody. This ole country boy needs shut eye. A coffee bean may help. I'm not going to the store for it though!

Blog City image small Prompt: "Let's discuss New Year's resolutions, do you believe they're effective ways to get motivated or to set goals or are they something you laughingly make each year and then promptly blow off? Have you or have you seen people effectively fulfilled a resolution?"

I have set a lot of New Year's resolutions that I went on to keep. On the other hand I have failed on a few as well. The trick is to be realistic and know your limitations. If I am not truly motivated to do something I won't follow through. What is your motivator?

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December 27, 2018 at 8:34am
December 27, 2018 at 8:34am
#948283
"December 27, 2018 Me in my Salvation Army uniformAn image for a blog that I hope will take root.Image for BCOF members to put in their blogsBlog City image small

An image for a blog that I hope will take root. "Prompt: What is your prayer today?"

My prayer that is ongoing is that the veterans I live with will come to know Jesus Christ as Lord. I also pray the same thing for my family members who do not know Jesus as Lord. I pray for anybody who does not know Jesus as Lord and ask that the Holy Spirit convict them and draw them to Jesus. I also pray for all the leaders ib the world that they do God's will. Finally I pray for the family of my cousin who passed away Christmas Day. She was saved so she went home to be with God but it is still hard on the family. For those who are saved I pray that her death brings them assurance that she is now with Jesus. For those who are not saved I pray her death serves as a warning for we are never assured of tomorrow.
Father you hear our prayers that we send up to you daily. We pray Father that you will answer our prayers according to your will and you goodness. We pray Lord that you comfort the grieving and save the lost. We know Lord that you can do all things in Jesus. Amen.

Image for BCOF members to put in their blogs "Prompt: This is the last Thursday in 2018. Write a gratitude list, at least five items, of things you are thankful for in this year."

I am thankful for my salvation, fair health, the education I am receiving, the history I am studying, and for God's word, which I love!

Blog City image small "Prompt: "And now we welcome the new year. Full of things that have never been." Rainer Marie Rilke Write anything you want about this."

I just hope this new year brings a revival across the United States and that our leaders lead us onto paths of righteousness. The past few years have saw us slip farther from God. May 2019 see that trend reversed.


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December 26, 2018 at 6:29am
December 26, 2018 at 6:29am
#948210
"December 26, 2018Me in my Salvation Army uniformAn image for a blog that I hope will take root.Blog City image small{1997652-25%}

An image for a blog that I hope will take root. What is love?

Jesus described love in many passages of scripture. In one passage He said love was the willingness to lay down one's life for one's friends. In another passage of scripture He described love as forgiving the sins of others no matter how many times they sinned against us. Love is giving and never expects a return on its investment. Love never grows weary and it never gives up. The Apostle Paul said that "Love bears all things, hopes all things, believes all things, and endures all things."
Love is patient. It is kind. It wants only the best for its objects. It gives entirely of itself. Love never fails!

Blog City image small "Prompt: What was special about your Christmas?"

I did something Christmas Day that I seldom do. I watched a documentary marathon on the Travel Channel called "Mysteries at the Castle." I seldom watch television but if I do it is likely to be a show that discusses the past. I happened to walk into the room when somebody else was watching this show and I found that it discussed the histories of some of the world's famous castles. I was enthralled and spent the whole day watching as the show discussed such famous people as the Count of Monte Cristo, Casanova, Romeo and Juliet, Robin Hood, and more. While watching the show I made up my mind about graduate school. I know there aren't many jobs in the field but I want to join the ranks of out of work historians. So I plan to pursue a graduate degree in history. Fortunately for me I still have a semester of undergraduate school left. I needed two electives to complete my credit requirements for graduation and chose two history classes. So starting in January I will be studying 20th Century history and early civilizations. I love this stuff!
December 25, 2018 at 9:22am
December 25, 2018 at 9:22am
#948157
"December 25, 2018 Me in my Salvation Army uniformAn image for a blog that I hope will take root.Blog City image small

An image for a blog that I hope will take root. What was the greatest gift you ever received?

I know a lot of people are waking up today and receiving gifts. Whether one supports Christmas or not the entire world recognizes that December 25 is the date set aside for Christians to celebrate the birth of Christ. I won't bother to rehash why December 25 was chosen or the fact that it is a compromise with paganism. However I will recognize that a lot of people are receiving gifts today, which begs the question of "What is the greatest gift you ever received?"
The greatest gift I ever received was the gift of salvation. God sent Jesus Christ to the world for one purpose: our deliverance from sin. God knew that any sacrifice for sin had to be absolutely perfect and without sin. He had said that the soul that sinned would die for that sin and that condemned all men to stand under a sentence of death as all have sinned. (Romans 3:23, Isaiah 64: 6 and others). Therefore man was condemned before God. God however is loving and merciful as well as just and holy. The just and holy aspects of God demanded that we die for our sin. The merciful and loving aspects demanded that we be shown mercy. The fifth aspect of God is that He is faithful to Himself. This means He had to carry out our death sentence while at the same time showing us mercy and forgiving our sin. To be faithful to Himself He became a man Himself, lived among men, and then died in our place. Essentially the Judge said "I find you guilty and sentence you to die."
Then the Judge left His bench, strapped Himself into the execution chamber and said "Execute Me instead."
Jesus' substituted His life for mine and died in my place. Due to His death I am guaranteed a home with God forever and ever. I do not have to die as the sentence hanging over my head stated. Yes I will die a physical death if Jesus does not return first. However I no longer have to die the spiritual death of eternal separation from God. The best part is that I did nothing to earn this "not guilty" status. There was nothing I could do. Man does not have it within him to be good enough to be the perfect sacrifice required for the forgiveness of sin. Therefore God Himself became that sacrifice. All that is required of me is to trust in that sacrifice and believe the word of God. Yes the word of God says some things that are difficult for a human to wrap their head around. It is difficult for example to believe that a teenage girl who had never had sexual contact with a man could become pregnant. It is also difficult to believe that the Son she bore could die and then raise from the dead three days later. However, when one considers that God by His very nature makes the impossible possible and that it was God who made the teenage virgin pregnant without the sperm of a man and that it was God who raised from the dead after three days, then the difficult to believe becomes fathomable. God can do anything He wants to do. The only things God cannot do is lie and be unfaithful to Himself. Anything is possible with God. If anything were impossible to Him He would not be God. He has no human limits. So when He tells me I have been forgiven I believe Him. When He tells me He became human and died, then rose from the dead, I believe Him. The only thing He requires from man for man to be saved from sin is faith. Faith essentially says "God, even though I can't see you or sense you with any of the five senses, I am going to trust that you exist and that you did exactly what your word says you did."
As a man this seems too simple to me. I want to complicate it and add all sorts of conditions to it. However God has no conditions and it really is as simple as simply believing that Jesus Christ died and rose from the dead. If you can do that you will be saved. Period. You will be with God in eternity.
As a human I want to say "Yes. It really is that simple but... There are no buts! Yes God has things that He wants us to do after we are saved but these things have no bearing on our salvation. Once we are saved God declares us not guilty and writes our names in the Lamb's Book of Life. Nothing can change that. As humans we will sin again. When we do God wants us to confess it to Him. He knows we will sin again. His word tells us that we will sin again. However we are not going to lose our standing with God. He declared us not guilty when we accepted the blood sacrifice of His Son and all He sees when He looks at us is the blood of His Son. He no longer sees our sin. He forgave all of our sin. That means He forgave the sins of our past and any sin we will commit in the future. We are not guilty!
Does that mean we are free to go and willfully sin all we want to? NO! It does not. It means that any sin we commit is forgiven but it also means that we will want to do God's will. God changes a person's heart when they are saved. Sin takes on a foul stench to the person who is saved. They no longer view sin the same way. Yes they still sin and fall short of the glory of God but now when they do so the Holy Spirit who dwells within them lets them know that what they did is wrong. He convicts them and leads them to repent of their wrongdoing. He gives them a desire to obey the will of God and avoid sin at all possible costs. The things that were "cool" before they were saved are no longer cool. Their desires change. Now sin is no longer attractive. Instead of committing sin their desire is to be pleasing to God. They develop a thirst for His word and a desire to be with His saints. Going to church is not something they have to do. It is something they desire to do. Being a Christian is no longer viewed as being drudgery and boredom but is now viewed as a privilege and an honor. God enters a new covenant with them in which He writes His laws on their hearts. In doing so He gives them a desire to keep His laws. Our identity changes and we develop a desire to obey God. We do not lose our sense of self but our sense of self changes to reflect the Holy Spirit who now dwells in our hearts. Our ideas of fun change. Those boring meetings on Sunday mornings become the highlight of our week. Spending time reading and studying God's word and spending time in prayer becomes the highlight of our day. Sin still exists in our lives. We will sin as long as we are wrapped in the flesh. However sin does not rule us now. God's spirit rules us. We do not see keeping God's word as "boring". God's word comes alive in us and we desire to keep His word. Some find that their desires change the moment they are saved. Where their hearts were once full of bitterness, anger, hatred, and malice they become full of love, goodness, mercy, and compassion. The change is instantaneous and everybody sees it. For others the change is a little slower. They don't seem to be any different. They are still cranky, mean, and sinful. However the fire inside them has been kindled. The seed has been planted and it will grow. I was like that. I started out very slowly. At first I had zeal but quickly fell away. In little time at all I was right back to my old ways. You would not have known I had ever converted. However God gave me a desire to do His will and slowly, ever so slowly, I began to do so. I was in bad shape. I was addicted to drugs and for the longest time I went to church so high I could hardly walk. I read the Bible even in drug induced blackouts. Eventually I fell away entirely and wanted nothing to do with God. God however was not abandoning me. He never left me. He stayed with me through my addiction and refused to let me go even when I walked away from Him. He stayed faithful to me and kept drawing me back. The seed He planted within me continued to grow. The Holy Spirit within me continued to operate and convict my conscience. No matter what I did God refused to give up on me. Remember now: His fifth aspect is His faithfulness. He remains faithful to His word no matter what. In His word He promises that if we are saved He will not leave us or forsake us. In my life He proved faithful to His word! I rebelled against Him. For awhile I actually hated Him. In spite of all of that He never left me. I put Him through hell. I was hideous in my actions just as the children of Israel were hideous in their actions under the first covenant. I did everything possible to sin even though I had been saved. I was horrible! My life sucked because there are consequences for sin. I evoked God's anger and He hammered me many times. Yes, there are consequences for sin. Even though our salvation is guaranteed we suffer horribly for sin in our lives. God will not be mocked. I mocked God and He was angry with me. I suffered badly. In the Old Testament we read about the consequences of sin. The children of Israel were under a binding covenant to keep God's law. When they were given the covenant they were told that rebellion against the covenant would result in their punishment. This is exactly what happened. They rebelled and God punished them by sending other countries against them to rule over them. Christians are also under covenant with God. When we sin there are consequences and God punishes us just as He did Israel. He gives us over to a spiritual ruler (Satan) who rules us and tries us severely. Then when we cry out to God God remembers His covenant with us and delivers us once more from the hands of Satan. He did that with me. I sinned. I committed every sin I could imagine. I was purely evil. God gave me over to Satan who ruled my life for the longest time. I was miserable! Addicted to drugs, hardheaded and hardhearted I refused to submit to God as I had agreed to do when I entered the new covenant with Him. My life sucked and was getting worse. When I cried out to God however and sincerely repented of my wickedness He did not hesitate to deliver me. He wants to enter a covenant with all mankind. It was for this covenant that He became man through the miracle of the virgin birth. It was for this covenant that He lived a sinless life and died on the cross. It was for this covenant that He miraculously rose from the dead because death cannot hold God. He has paved the way for you to be saved. Will you not be saved today? Will you not enter a covenant with Him? If you believe with all your heart that Jesus Christ is the greatest gift ever given and that He died and rose from the dead then you are saved! There is no other requirement. Your life, like mine, will change!

Blog City image small Prompt: "Are there any elements of December or the holiday season that are hard or difficult for you? How do you handle them?"

The whole holiday season is hard for me to handle. I am a Christian but I am not a fan of the Christmas season nor will I participate in any of the celebrations held by other religions this time of year. I find no authorization in God's word to celebrate the birth of His Son. If He had wanted us to do so He would have told us so in His word. It would have told us what day of the year Jesus was born and commanded that we celebrate on that day. Did He not tell the Jews specifically what day they were to celebrate Passover and all the other celebrations they were to hold? He was very specific about those dates and nobody had to second guess Him. If He meant for us to celebrate the birth of Jesus He would have specifically said so and given us the instructions on how to do so. Since we have no such instructions Christmas is an invention of man and I'd rather it fall by the wayside. Since it is an invention of man we have all the hypocrisy that comes with it. Bah Humbug! Each year I listen to Christmas songs that I've heard eighty million times until I'm ready to vomit. I listen to people who wouldn't step across the room to urinate on me if I was on fire the rest of the year wishing me a "Merry Christmas". I watch as businesses make money hand over fist exploiting the poverty of the poor. I hear all the "good cheer" that lasts for thirty days when it should be shown all year long. I want to vomit! I always look forward to one day each year. I look forward to January 2, when the holiday season officially closes and life gets back to normal! If you can't treat me right in June then don't wish me peace and goodwill in December! Keep your hypocrisy and shove it someplace! Bah humbug! Thank you Father that today is Christmas. That means that the hypocrisy and pretense that permeates this time of year will come to an end soon. Please repay those who exploit others this time of year with their own sin! Allow the hypocrisy they show others to come crashing down on their heads and thus bring them to their knees so they will know that you are God! Allow them to see your displeasure in their human holidays and bring them to repentance! In Jesus' name. Amen.
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December 24, 2018 at 6:57am
December 24, 2018 at 6:57am
#948100
"December 24, 2018 Me in my Salvation Army uniformAn image for a blog that I hope will take root.Image for BCOF members to put in their blogsBlog City image small

An image for a blog that I hope will take root. Prompt: What is your favorite hymn?

I guess maybe I'm a bit old fashioned when it comes to Christian music because I prefer the old hymns. I have no particular favorite but am especially fond of "Near the Cross", "The Old Rugged Cross", "In the Garden", "Just As I Am", "Victory in Jesus", and "Amazing Grace". The old hymns just seem more traditional to me and they have ten times the doctrine of contemporary Christian music. Contemporary Christian music to me seems to be more about feeling good and entertainment value. It is okay for concert music but I don't care for it as worship music. God tells us in Hebrews 11: 6 that without faith it is impossible to please Him. Contemporary Christian music is often about looking for a sign from God, which is the opposite of faith. Hebrews 11: 1 tells us that faith is believing in God even though you cannot prove His existence. Proof of God's existence would negate faith and nobody could be saved at that point. The old hymns did not beg God for signs. Instead they worshiped God. I prefer worship! Unfortunately most churches these days go with the contemporary stuff because most preachers cater to the youth. Many preachers are young themselves and have grown up listening to contemporary gospel. Our corps commander at the Salvation Army is young so she plays mainly the contemporary stuff. Even the old Christmas carols are being done in contemporary style. I guess times change though.

Image for BCOF members to put in their blogs "Prompt: December 24 is National Chocolate Day and Nation Eggnog Day. Use one or both of these foods as your inspiration."

I love chocolate and I've found that I like eggnog as well. My mom would not buy eggnog when I was a child because she didn't like it and assumed that us kids would not like it either. So she didn't buy it and wouldn't even let us try it. However I eventually did try it and found that I loved it. Chocolate on the other hand is something I discovered early in life, though I ate little of it as a youngster. I remember going to my aunt's house once and having German chocolate cake. She got to the point where she would make it only if she knew I was coming over because she knew I loved it. Chocolate didn't agree with me a whole lot when I was young though. Chocolate is energy for anybody and it made me very hyper so my mom wouldn't let me eat much of it. My aunt though would always make sure I had all the German chocolate cake I wanted, much to Mom's chagrin!

Blog City image small "Prompt: If you could create a holiday tradition of your own, what would it be like? What would it celebrate? { /c}"

My holiday tradition would be to not celebrate Christmas! I believe the birth, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ should be celebrated every day in every life, not just once or twice a year. So I would eliminate the hypocrisy and false good will that prevails this time of year and not celebrate the holidays at all!
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December 22, 2018 at 10:50am
December 22, 2018 at 10:50am
#947978
"December 22, 2018 Me in my Salvation Army uniformAn image for a blog that I hope will take root.Image for BCOF members to put in their blogsBlog City image small

Image #2177637 over display limit. -?- What church do you attend?

I am a soldier in the Salvation Army. The Salvation Army is a church that was originally a part of the United Methodist church. Our founder William Booth walked through an impoverished area of London England once and began evangelizing to the skid row homeless people and others. People responded to the message but when they went to William's church, the church would not permit them to enter because they were poor. They also needed hygiene. So William rented a dance hall to use on Sunday morning for services and the Salvation Army was born. He realized that the people he was evangelizing had physical needs that in their minds trumped their spiritual needs so he began feeding and clothing them. In this way the Salvation Army became a benevolent organization as it is best known for today. We currently have corps in nearly every country in the world and are always "Doing the most good."

Image #1997652 over display limit. -?- "Prompt: Begin your entry with "On a cold December night..." What happened?"

On a cold December night, Jesus would likely have been six months old. Tradition says that He was born on December 25, but tradition is wrong. While we do not know for sure when He was born there are clues that help us. For example scripture tells us that on the night of His birth shepherds were out in the fields with their flocks. No shepherd is going to take sheep into a field at night in December in Israel. It is much too cold. Israel weather is much like the weather in the northern USA in December and no shepherd is going to expose his sheep to that. There may have even been snow on the ground preventing the sheep from even grazing. So this clue tells us it was not December.
Another clue that it was not December is the actions of his mother. She had him in a stable or barn and wrapped him in cloths. No mother is going to wrap a newborn in cloths and lay him in a manger in a barn in December in the northern hemisphere! The baby would die of hypothermia within hours! The barn itself would not have been heated just as barns today are usually not heated. So this clue tells us it was a warm month.
Another clue is the actions of Caesar Augustus. He had ordered all the people to return to their hometowns to take part in a census or taxing. No emperor, regardless of his level of cruelty, is going to order his subjects to travel in the winter. Remember that they could not drive a warm car because they had no cars. Most people traveled by foot. So the likelihood of Caesar ordering them to go to their home towns in cold weather is nil. Again this clue points to warm weather.
Finally the Star of David is a clue. Scientists today can adjust star charts to pinpoint exactly where the stars were at any given point in history. Using that technology scientists set out to see if any event like the Star of David really occurred. They found that Rigel lined up with Jupiter on June 17, 04 BC, which coincides with the year of Jesus' birth on our calendar. This event they say would have been noticeable to astronomers (magi) in that time as a new star. Any astronomer who faithfully watched the skies and knew the prophecies of the Old Testament, would have put 2 and 2 together to know this new star signified the birth of the messiah. So this clue then leads us to June and not December.
Scholars disagree in pinpointing a day for Jesus' birth. Some believe it would have been in the fall. Some say spring. A few say summer but none believe it was December. We celebrate it in December because the December date coincides with the pagan celebration of the winter solstice and early Gentile Christians wanted to revert to paganism in order to keep their winter feast. So the church compromised and held a Christ Mass, which is now Christmas. So on a cold December night, Jesus would have been with His mother and Joseph in a warm house.

Image #1971183 over display limit. -?- Prompt: "The Grinch has stolen Christmas and it's up to you to save Whoville, have fun on this creative Saturday. A ribbon is at stake for the most creative entry, is it going to be yours?"

The Grinch stole Christmas huh? Good for him! Go Grinch! Bah Humbug!


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December 21, 2018 at 11:56am
December 21, 2018 at 11:56am
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"December 21, 2018 An image for a blog that I hope will take root. Image #2142594 over display limit. -?- Image #1997652 over display limit. -?- Image #1971183 over display limit. -?-

Image #2177637 over display limit. -?- Prompt: What does 2 Chronicles 7: 14 mean to you?

II Chronicles 7: 14 says essentially that if God's people will put away their sin and repent of their sin God will hear from Heaven and heal their land. It was written when the nation of Israel was in captivity and exile in Babylon, where they had gone after being disobedient to God. The USA will face a similar captivity if we continue mocking God the way we do. If we want God to heal our land we must invite Him back into everything we've thrown Him out of: our government, our schools, our homes, and our hearts!

Image #1997652 over display limit. -?- Prompt: "Discuss your plans for this winter solstice? Are you going to watch the meteor shower?"

I have no plans for the winter solstice. I am a Christian so the solstice is just another day to me. I will spend it like I do any other. I'll probably curl up and sleep. Maybe read some but I will not be celebrating the solstice. As to the meteor shower again I pass. I don't worship the starry hosts.

Image #1971183 over display limit. -?- Prompt: "Use this words in your blog today: elf, turkey, ham, wagging, feathers, doorbell and solstice."

I am not an elf. I have had my fill of turkey and ham for the year. I don't understand why everybody is wagging their tongues about the solstice when God clearly says that pagan practices like that are sin. God will see to it that those who practice paganism have their feathers plucked! Somebody needs to answer the door. Jesus Christ is ringing the doorbell!

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December 20, 2018 at 7:39am
December 20, 2018 at 7:39am
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"December 20, 2018 Me in my Salvation Army uniform Image #2177637 over display limit. -?- Image #1971183 over display limit. -?- Image #1997652 over display limit. -?-

Image #2177637 over display limit. -?- Give a testimony today. What has Jesus done for you recently?

Jesus is the reason I am even alive today. He has had a design on my life from the very beginning and thus permitted me to survive things that should have killed me. I spent 35 years addicted to drugs. I used massive amounts of everything I used and overdosed numerous times. God was merciful and fulfilled His word to me. He had sent a prophet into my life at a young age who prophesied that I was to be a minister one day. God kept me alive so that His word through that prophet might be fulfilled and I am now a minister. God has also brought me through college. I graduate from Marshall University next semester with a regents bachelor of arts degree. I will then apply to graduate school. So God is good.

Image #1971183 over display limit. -?- "Prompt: What is the best thing that happened to you this year?"

The best thing that has happened to me this year, aside from spending another year with the Lord Jesus Christ, is that I went back to college. Next semester I will graduate with a regents bachelor of arts and a minor in psychology. I am considering applying to graduate school either in psychology or theology. If I do theology it will be at a Bible college and not a secular school. I have not decided for sure yet.

Image #1997652 over display limit. -?- Prompt: "Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it. ... discuss this quote"

I think life is 100% how we react and that reaction is how we react to the good news of Jesus Christ. If we accept and believe the good news and obey it then we have eternal life. If we reject the good news we have eternal condemnation hanging over us. There is no other way.

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