Merry Christmas!

"Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
Luke 2:11-12

Marching Band Forms Giant Football Player

Coca-Cola Happiness Machine

Metrodome Roof Collapse

Saw This Tonight -- Best Narnia Movie Yet

War on Christmas Idiocy

This morning I received the following “action alert” from a “Christian” organization. Stuff like this really aggravates me. Not the issue that they are describing, but their actions. Read the excerpt, then I will comment:

One minute action - Contact these three companies that ban 'Christmas'
Send an email to Radio Shack, Office Depot and Staples - All at once!


Dear Friend,


In an attempt to avoid the use of the term "Christmas," three major retailers have omitted it from their advertising. AFA has reviewed the website and newspaper ads of Radio Shack, Office Depot and Staples. We found terms like "holiday deals," "holiday prices," "gifts" and "happy holidays," but no "Christmas."


Here is a direct quote from Staples: "We use the term Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas. We do this because it does not offend any other religions and to remain politically correct."


Retailers like Radio Shack, Office Depot and Staples want your shopping money, but they refuse to recognize the Reason for the Christmas season.


Christians celebrate Christmas as the birthday of Christ. Yet there are those companies which feel that a public recognition of the birthday of Christ is not appropriate. Why? Because a few people may be offended!


TAKE ACTION
Let Radio Shack, Office Depot and Staples know you are offended by their decision to purposely eliminate "Christmas" from their advertising.

Mike's Comments: When will Christians stop expecting non-believers to act like believers? Of course these retailers want your shopping money – that’s why they are in business! And the term “holidays” is used rather than Christmas for a number of reasons, including the fact that “holidays” covers multiple holidays from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day, and Christmas is only one day (and the stores are CLOSED on that day). How anyone can think that this kind of behavior is God-honoring is beyond me.

Ron Santo, We'll Miss You

Legendary Chicago Cubs player and broadcaster Ron Santo died Thursday night in Arizona. He was 70. Friends of Santo’s family said the North Side icon lapsed into a coma on Wednesday before dying Thursday. Santo died of complications from bladder cancer, WGN-AM 720 reported.


“He absolutely loved the Cubs,” said Santo’s broadcast partner, Pat Hughes. “The Cubs have lost their biggest fan.”


Hughes noted that with all the medical problems Santo had–including diabetes with resulting leg amputations, heart disease and bladder cancer–”he never complained. He wanted to have fun. He wanted to talk baseball.”


Santo was the quintessential Cubs fan and made no apologies for his on-air cheerleading or his utter frustration over a Cub’s misplay.
from Jesus Creed

Top 20 Worst Nativity Sets

Check these out.

One of My Favorite Leslie Nielsen Scenes

Best Christmas Song?

Jonathan Acuff, over at Stuff Christians Like, posted a question on his blog about the greatest Christmas song of all time.


I have several favorites (and several songs I wish radio would NEVER play again), but I voted for O Holy Night (Martina McBride’s version is awesome) and White Christmas by Bing Crosby.

How about you, what do you think is the best Christmas song of all time?

Authority of the Word

A young Christian was preparing for a trip when his traveling companion came into the room to see how he was doing. "Are you done packing?" his friend asked. "Almost," said the young man. "The only things I have left to pack are a guidebook, a lamp, a mirror, a microscope, a volume of fine poetry, a couple of biographies, a package of old letters, a book of songs, a sword, a hammer, and a set of books I've been reading."

"Where are you going to fit all that stuff?" the friend asked. "Right here," the young man replied as he reached for his Bible and put it in the corner of his suitcase.

For generations, people have trusted the Bible. It has guided, encouraged, and comforted millions of people who readily testify to its life-changing impact. It is the best-selling book of all time, and not by a small margin. It is the cornerstone of Western Civilization. Its ethical standards have launched freedom movements, and its laws and regulations have guided lawmakers, judges, and jurists by the score. It has inspired great works of music and art, including songs, sculpture, paintings, plays, and movies. Its graphic portrayals of heroes and heroines have captured the imagination of young and old alike.

The Bible is a fascinating book. It is actually a library of 66 books. Written by 40 different authors, in 3 different languages, over a period of 1500 years – the Bible is accurate, inspiring, a source of faith, and instruction for Christian living. Most Christians have a high view of the Scriptures, yet according to statistics, that view doesn't often translate into reading the Word or doing what it says. Researcher George Barna says that the church's problem is not its theology, but its failure to apply it in compelling ways. Polls consistently show that many Christians think and behave no differently from anyone else.

However, God had a purpose in giving us the Bible and that purpose was not just to add another volume of literature to the human race, nor was it to leave us confused and bewildered -- at the mercy of theologians to interpret for us. God wanted to reveal His will to us. Because of the Bible’s source, it has vital practical relevance for our lives.

Historically, the Christian Churches and Churches of Christ have given prominence to the Scriptures. Slogans about the Bible were well known among our people:


“No Creed but Christ, No Book but the Bible”
“Where the Bible speaks, we speak; and where the Bible is silent, we are silent”
“Book, chapter, and verse for what we believe and practice”

Each of these slogans emphasizes the centrality of the Scriptures with regard to our faith. Extra-biblical documents such as creeds, catechisms, and articles of faith can often lead to division and denominational separation. But the Bible unites people. Early in its history, the Restoration Movement became known as “a people of the Book” because of the strong emphasize given to God’s Word.

Jesus told the apostles that the Holy Spirit would guide them into all truth (John 16:13). Many years after events happened, the Spirit of God helped them to remember and record the truth which God wanted to reveal to the human race for all of time. The sacred writings are said to be God-breathed or inspired by God (2 Timothy 3:16), meaning that the fundamental characteristics of Scripture – what makes these writings sacred – is the fact that God breathed them out, that they have their ultimate origin with God Himself.

Restoration Movement churches take the Bible seriously because we believe it is the Word of God. We believe the journey we are on as we follow the Word of the Lord revealed to us in Scripture is going somewhere. We’d like you to go with us.

This first appeared on the Fall 2010 Issue of reIGNITED.

Now THAT'S a Sermon Title

Pretty cool, eh?

How to plant a church

Ran Out of Money and Ideas

From Jared Wilson:

Via Al Mohler, I learn this:


In his 1986 book, Your Church Has a Fantastic Future, [Robert] Schuller provided what he called “A Possibility Thinker’s Guide to a Successful Church.” The book is a manual for a ministry built on pure pragmatism, sensationalistic promotion, a therapeutic message, and a constant and incessant focus on thinking positively.

His message about money was simple: “No church has a money problem; churches only have idea problems,” he asserted.


As most of those who keep up with the headlines know, Schuller's Crystal Cathedral has declared bankruptcy.

I guess he ran out of ideas.

Any church founded on a pastor's good ideas will ultimately fail; but it is spiritually bankrupt from the start.