Happy New Year

I don't know what to expect in the new year and I don't know what's going to happen, but I do know that God's will shall be done. Most people hope for a better new year, and in some aspects some things will be better than last year, but in reality this fallen world is accelerating it's slide into the abyss. This is both terrifying and exhilarating. Terrifying because we as Christians know what is in store for this world, and exhilarating because we as Christians know what is in store for us. 

¹⁵ Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶ For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. ¹⁷ The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever. (1 John 2:15-17)

When I look at the majesty of God's creation, and my favorite bit of the majesty of God's creation is the Rocky Mountains, it's hard not to love the world, after all He made it for us. It's dizzying to think that the splendor of those mountains - the trees, the rock formations, the minerals that have never been tapped, and the herds of animals that call them home - it's just a temporary thing God threw together in a matter of hours just for us. How much more spectacular is our true home going to be when He calls us to be with Him? 

I like to think that compared to what God has planned for us, this world is equivalent a plastic bowl with a plastic palm tree that we used to keep turtles in. This is not a turtle's real habitat any more than this world is the real home home God originally intended for us. I could go on and on about how moral values are being torn apart, how quoting the bible is now hate speech, and how even prayer is now illegal, 

For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come. (Hebrews 13:14)

So if I care to remember one thing this New Years Eve, it's that not only is it a special day in the lives of Mrs. WideAwakeChristian and myself, but to also discard the worries and fears of the approaching darkness. Yes, it's also one day closer to being with Him, and for that I'm thankful every day. As for looking to the future in 2014, the only thing I know for sure is that I will be seeking the lord

¹¹ For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. ¹² Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. ¹³ You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. ¹⁴ I will be found by you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.’ (Jeremiah 29:11-14)

Don't Major In The Minors

This weekend Mrs. WideAwakeChristian and I were out of town and were blessed to be able to visit a church where the pastor was Pastor Al Pittman, a godly man whom we hear on the radio every day at 5:30 in our abode 100 miles away. Pastor Al's messages are always meaningful and poignant and have always been an aid in our walk with Jesus, and this time it was an extra special blessing to be able to learn from him as we sat right there in front row center. I don't care what anyone says, recorded sermons loose a little something that happens in a live setting. 

One of the points that Pastor Al made was "Don't major on the minors". To me this sounds like a military phrase that a good NCO will demand of his troops on the lines of "Don't get stuck on stupid", and considering that in the near vicinity of Pastor Al's church there are a minimum of 5 military bases and the fact that Pastor Al's father was a career soldier I didn't think much of the use of the phrase at the time, considering it a throw away "attention getter"that the military loves to use when making a point. But it's really an important concept to keep in mind especially for us Christians. 

Ignore The Breathless Hype

Ignore the hype and hyperventilation, this is the real Phil Robertson

The True Meaning of Christmas

When Mary birthed Jesus 'twas in a cow's stall
With wise men and farmers and shepherds and all
But high from God's heaven, a star's light did fall
And the promise of ages it then did recall.

for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord (Luke 2:11)

This is why we celebrate Christmas, to celebrate Christ's birth, but that's not the true meaning of Christmas. Babies are born all the time, in hospitals, in homes, in barns and in mangers. The true meaning of Christmas is why one very important baby was born in a little middle east backwater village on a lonely night, the date unrecorded in the depths of time so we had to settle on a day to remember why God took off his mantle of Holy righteousness and power and was born to a virgin in a rude manger. 

But the true meaning of Christmas is why God came to earth in the first place. He didn't come to heal the sick and walk on water and change water into wine, but he did that and more. The true meaning of Christmas can be found in the story of the lost birds.

The "Japanization" Of Christmas in America

Christians make up approximately 0.005% of Japans population (about 750,000 Christians in a country of 126 million), so I full well understand that the Japanese will have their own interesting twist on the Christian holiday of Christmas, or Kurisumasu. This is essentially a new holiday in Japan, picked up via radio and TV in the early '60's, and without a body of Christianity in Japan this holiday has gone off into its own direction.

Kurisumasu looks like Christmas in western countries at first glance, Santa Claus, reindeer, Christmas trees, buildings decorated with multicolored lights, the crowds shopping for gifts for their loved ones... but it's just a superficial resemblance. Kurisumasu is not a national holiday in Japan so schools and businesses remain open on December 25th, and the reason for the season is more cake and chicken rather than Christ and salvation.