Get Real

Outta Control

For some control is a must. We must feel like we’re in control of the present situation, our career, our happiness, our everything. The mere thought of handing the reigns of our lives over to someone else is cause for anxiety in mass proportions.

Yet, there is a degree of self-control that must be considered, especially as we spend time with friends and family that will undoubtedly challenge our need to be in control. Thought for the day:

Practice self-control in situations where you have no control.

Self-control as I know it and understand from that Book on which I base my values and worldview, comes from the Holy Spirit that lives within me only when I hand over the reigns of my life to another--God. The Spirit of God is available through Jesus the Christ of Christmas.

If you’re outta control ask God to show you what’s missing in your life. There’s a helpful link on the side bar, or click here to ponder the answer to that question. I’m not the only one who offers direction on issues like this. My friends over here do too. Check back and let me know how it’s going.

Don’t believe in God? Be patient and check back next time when we talk about patience, yours, mine and God’s.

You can find more intriguing writings like this at http://www.keytofreedom.org/faq.html

Pay it Forward

In 2000, Warner Brothers released a movie that challenged and encouraged humanity to think of the  needs of others. Trevor McKnight, the main character in Pay it Forward, believed one idea could change the world. He believed in the goodness of human nature and put actions to his beliefs. Because of a social studies assignment, he determined to do a good deed for three people who in turn must “pay it forward” by doing a good deed for three people who must in turn each do good deeds for three other people.

Where does goodness come from? Because my worldview is firmly planted on the teachings from the Bible, I can only offer one answer. Goodness comes from God because God is good.

Why does society wait until November and December to begin volunteering at charitable organizations or put extra change in the red bucket with the ringing bell? It is not because there is a little bit of God in all of us. Humankind was created in the image of God, therefore we may have similar desires as God, i.e. doing good. However, it is important to recognize that humanitarian efforts do no eternal good if the “do-er” does not know Jesus Christ as their savior.

Savior from what? Man is separated from God because of sin. Plain and simple. True and truth. Only when one believes and acts on these truths is God in us and we can do good that will last.

Paying it forward is a wonderful concept and no doubt the recipient will be grateful. Jesus paid it forward 2000 years ago. You, the recipient need do nothing except receive the gift of Salvation.

You can find more intriguing writings like this at http://www.keytofreedom.org/faq.html

Joy to the World!

A recent article on MSNBC entitled “How to be Happy Again” says it all, we all face unhappiness at some point in our lives. I’ve heard it said that being happy is based on what is “happening.” If this is so, then there has to be a better way to go through life merely hoping for happiness.

On the other hand, joy comes from within—but only if we know the Source of joy. You are probably familiar with the old song commonly sung at Christmastime Joy to the World. The first stanza reads:

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!

Let earth receive her King;

Let every heart prepare Him room,

And heaven and nature sing,

And heaven and nature sing,

And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing.

But, are you familiar with the promise offered in the third? Turn up the volume and take a look and listen. One day, Jesus will be King here on earth. There really will be a time when Christ will heal the earth and there will be no more thorns and weeds (a part of the curse). Until that time, there will inevitably be sorrow, tears and unhappiness in our lives.

God sent Joy to the world. This truth provides hope, and hope leads to joy, and joy comes from knowing Jesus as Savior. He fills our hearts with joy!

Read more about this good news here

You can find more intriguing writings like this at http://www.keytofreedom.org/faq.html

On the Contrary

At the opposite spectrum of my last post, life with a true meaning leads to life—eternal life in the presence of a loving God. However, until we get there, we live here and “here” requires us to deal with a less than perfect life.

Perhaps we can have peace like a flower—even in this crazy, chaotic world we live in. It is our tendency to borrow trouble from the future—especially during this season. We spend our energy worrying about the right gift, the right card or the right tree. We become frantic and pressured looking at the many demands on our to-do list. We lie awake obsessing over plans for the upcoming weeks.

Meanwhile, there is a gift of peace waiting for all who will stop and simply ask for it. The gift I speak of is what the Christmas season is all about—Jesus Christ. The gift of peace can be ours for the asking. There is a simple but profound principle in the Bible about peace:

Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.

Each day has enough trouble of its own.

I don’t know about where you live, but here, every piece of vegetation is still covered in ice from a recent ice storm that came through. However, when springtime comes and the flowers bloom, they will do so without any worry or stress. They will simply sit and soak up the sunshine of their Creator.

Children go through life in a similar fashion, delighting here and now untroubled by the future. When we find that wholehearted simplicity, we too shall know the peace that transcends the chaos of our lives.

Contrary to those who feel their lives are meaningless there are those who know their life has meaning. It is this knowledge that gives them peace—like a flower.

You can find more intriguing writings like this at http://www.keytofreedom.org/faq.html

Meaningless Existence Leads to Death

This week’s news of Matthew Murray, the gunman that opened fire not once, but twice at two religious organizations in Colorado, leaves me nauseous. Not for the crime, nor for the locations, so much as for the dark, driving force inside this young man. He said it himself on his blogsite, "I've just snapped. I can't take this meaningless existence anymore…”¹

It doesn’t have to be this way. Yes, Matthew grew up going to church, but that doesn’t mean he knew God as his Savior. If he did ever meet God and give his life to Him, he stopped depending on Him to be his strength in time of trouble—he had no hope. Murray was not alone in his misery:

·         Four days earlier a gunman in Omaha opened fire into a crowded mall, killed eight people and then killed himself.²

·         Studies show, “Mental health problems and suicide rates have increased among U.S. troops who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.”³

·         A woman leaped from an 11-story Tokyo apartment Wednesday in an apparent suicide, striking and seriously injuring a passer-by, a news report said Wednesday (the same day as Omaha).⁴

·         The suicide rate among preteen and young teen girls spiked dramatically in a disturbing shift that federal health officials say they can't fully explain. For all young people between ages 10 to 24, the suicide rate rose 8 percent from 2003 to 2004 the biggest single-year bump in 15 years ." These rates include older teen girls, those aged 15-19 shot up 32 percent. ⁵

The statistics could go on for pages. I know you know that. However, what federal health officials cannot explain can be explained in one word—hopelessness. It is here I will sound like the “broken record” and repeat myself yet again. God is our hope, the only hope for mankind. It’s a daily journey of knowing him through his Word (the Bible), depending on the principles therein and trusting that our lives are not meaningless. Our existence is not some futile random chance.

There really is a God. There really is life after death—either in the presence of the loving God or in eternal darkness away from God. Jesus really is the reason for the season. I pray his peace will surround and encourage all of those whose lives have been affected by the tragedies of this last week.

Know God; know peace. No God; no peace.

Know God; know hope. No God; no hope.

Find words of comfort and encouragement here.

You can find more intriguing writings like this at http://www.keytofreedom.org/faq.html

1 http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,316387,00.html

2 http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/12/05/mall.shooting/

3 http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory?id=3860587

4 http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=3801575

5 http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory?id=3574114

A White, Black or Blue Christmas?

The images that come to mind of a white Christmas come from many movies and Courier & Ives Christmas cards from times past. I always idealized the idea of waking up to snow, a glowing fireplace and a house full of laughter and lots of people on Christmas morning. I had none of these growing up in California. But, in my heart, I’ve always had a white Christmas, so there must be more to it than the external things.

In the past few years, moviemakers have gone out of their way to make the point that not everyone has a white, but a black Christmas. I respect free speech and creative artistry, but I also think Hollywood could spare us the darkness of their horror films and nightmare stories after Halloween.

Google revealed to me that some independent film captured our last title “Blue Christmas.” I had no knowledge of that, but a melody of an old song sure comes to mind as I say the words blue Christmas. Depending on your age, you can hear the tune in your head now that I’ve mentioned it, especially if your mom subjected you the Elvis’ Christmas album every December. The poor guy in the song was going to have a blue, blue, blue Christmas if he couldn’t be with his girl. Ah, it is here that we begin to capture the reality of Christmas.

A White Christmas is probably not very idealistic for the majority of the 6 billion people in our world. Millions are homeless, starving and in poverty. I’m unfamiliar with the black side of Christmas as some films seem to depict, but I believe there is a dark side, an evil adversary that oppresses. So perhaps some will identify with a black Christmas. However, a Blue Christmas could easily describe the emptiness and loneliness many feel during this time of programmed merriment in societies all around the world.

Handling grief and sorrow will be a daily internal exercise for many who find themselves in the middle of a season designed to use external devices as a catalyst to accomplish an ideal internal feeling of happiness. How are we to combine the two? We can’t. So the quicker we stop trying the better we’ll be.

Jesus the Christ came into this world. Yes, he is called “Wonderful Counselor…Prince of Peace” but he is also…a Man of sorrow and acquainted with grief…Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows…any by his stripes [and death on the cross] we are healed. He also heals the brokenhearted.^1-3

There’s more to Christmas than what we see going on “out there.” Christmas is for you. Jesus came to heal your broken heart, to give you peace in the loneliest hour of your grief, and to be your wonderful counselor. He is God’s gift to you. Will you accept it?

Click here for insight into the Hope that comes because of what Christmas signifies.

References 1 2 3

You can find more intriguing writings like this at http://www.keytofreedom.org/faq.html

The Christmas Story

It is common for those outside of Christianity not to know the foundation of the holiday we call Christmas. It is also common for those inside Christianity not to know the roots of Christmas.

Any good encyclopedia will reveal that Christmas began to be called as such in 4^th century Rome, when the Roman Catholics called it the Christ-Mass. Jesus was not born on December 25^th as we suppose but most likely around the autumn harvest time (shepherds do not tend sheep at night in Israel in December—it’s too cold). The December 25 date centers on ancient pagan festivals Brumalia and Saturnalia. However, as early as 3000 B.C. an Egyptian queen, Osiris, is noted for honoring her dead husband on December 25 when he was supposedly spiritually reborn as the son of Horus. She claimed a full-grown evergreen tree sprang overnight from a dead stump, symbolizing new spiritual life (birthday) of her husband. Viola! The real origin of the Christmas tree and the December 25 date.

Regardless of the history of December 25^th holiday, the fact remains that the Christ of “Christmas” was born to be the Savior and peace-giver of all mankind.

“He did not come to provide a shield from the harshness of the world, but to give us the courage and strength to bare it; not to snatch us away by some miracle from the conflict of life, but to give us peace—His peace—in our hearts, by which we may be calmly steadfast while the conflict rages, and be able to bring to torn world the healing that is peace.”¹

You do not need a college education to figure out that conflict is abundant and peace is lacking in your life. As you watch the video clip below, notice the response of those who come to see the baby. This movie captures the beginning of the life of Jesus. The angels told the shepherds “go and worship Christ, the King.” And they did. The “star of Bethlehem” led wise kings from the east to the west to worship the new King. ² And they did.

The story of Christmas is fascinating. The meaning behind the Christian celebration is hope-giving. I hope you’ll consider the real reason for the season and decide to worship the One who grew up to be King of Kings.

¹  A Real Christmas. Read more here.

² The historical and biblical text indicates the kings probably came 18-24 months after the actual birth of Jesus.

³ Learn how you can worship the King here.

You can find more intriguing writings like this at http://www.keytofreedom.org/faq.html

Vacuum and Vortex

By definition a vacuum is “a space with nothing at all in it; a space from which most of the air or gas has been taken.” Interestingly, a vortex is “a whirlpool, whirlwind or anything like a whirl in its rush…”

The “holiday” season is upon us. This means that for the next 20 days people all over the world will be living in a vortex while trying to fill a vacuum. You know what I’m talking about if you visit a mall any Saturday in December. You’ll also moan and groan as you fight an enormous entourage of traffic or drive round and round at that same mall parking lot. Last but not least, there are the airports. Every one rushing here and there, coming and going, and for what?

If it is merely the “holiday” season for you, you most likely are trying to fill a vacuum. Although shopping fills our trunks, it empties our bank account. Similarly, traveling afar to visit friends, families and loved ones can temporarily fill your heart with comfort and happiness. But, when you return home, routine will pull the plug on your bliss and the emptiness will return. The vortex of the holiday season did not fill the vacuum of your heart.

Only an understanding of the reason for the season, the Christmas season, will fill the void. For 2000 years, Jesus has been the reason for the season. The Christ child was born away from the hustle and rush of the city. He came into the world to fill the vacuum of humanity—one at a time.

Could the reason for the season really be the baby in the manger? Let me know what you think.

You can find more intriguing writings like this at http://www.keytofreedom.org/resources.html