Nothing too Christmas-y here, but I hope you have a Merry Christmas.
WEEKLY LINKS
Link of the Week
Don’t blame the stuff. Jesus wasn’t bothered by it. Here’s a great, short read that helps you think about the necessity of the first birth and the new birth.
Christian Faith
There’s a part of this article that talks about Ken Ham being one of the main reasons people believe in creationism today. On a much smaller scale, would anyone say we are the main reason something positive is part of their lives?
I really got a lot out of this, and I agree with most of it. Here are some things the church should expect looking forward.
Think Critically About Newtown
Here are several articles, some with competing viewpoints. Have a read and do some honest thinking about your positions. These have challenged me!
When it comes to tragedies, watching all the coverage is not a good thing. I agree with the general tone taken here.
Hollywood is partly to blame. This article focuses on some of the garbage Hollywood is producing.
Here’s a survey that shows Americans are open to a lot of various options for preventing future tragedies.
Finally, here’s an article that says basically none of the things in the previous article will work. This was actually published in the Beacon Journal here in Akron this week.
BULLET THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK
Christmas
- It is an amazing, stunning, breath-taking thing that God has come to this earth. I hope above and beyond any gift given or received that the fact Jesus was born to this earth will overwhelm you in the coming days.
- I hope and pray that gifts are given and received in the spirit of worship to Jesus Christ our King.
- I am looking forward to a couple days of downtime.
Sports
- I am happy Nick Swisher is coming to Cleveland – I really enjoyed watching him play and I think the Yankees will be different without him. What troubles me is that teams are having to go longer on contracts to sign aging players, virtually assuring there will be performance decline by the end of that contract.
- I think all sports contracts should be one year, two at the most. Motivated employees is a great concept!
- Wow the Browns and Cavs are bad.
- Posted this last night on FB: it’s pretty simple truth that if you have a good QB in the NFL, you make the playoffs. If you don’t, you pretty much don’t. Most important position in sports!
Personal
- I am struggling with what happened in Newtown. It’s just hard to stomach, and I am praying for God’s good purposes to be revealed in time. I pray He will strengthen the church in Newtown and that desperate hearts will turn to the only real place true healing can be found: Jesus.
- I made it out with the kids on Christmas Eve to buy one last gift. Fun!
- I’m really looking forward to Christmas Eve service tonight.
- Caramel Macchiato – best powdered cream I’ve found.
- I am really missing a lot of people this year at Christmas. It’s been a difficult year of loss and I pray for those missing loved ones.