12.15.2007

On the tenth day of Christmas...

Only ten days to Christmas!
(Just a side note: the "Twelve Days of Christmas" are actually after Christmas day! And continue to "Three Kings Day" in January!)


What's the one thing you're waiting for this Christmas?
Is it an object, food, or family and friends?

Along with the wonderful fact that I am finally going to be with family this Christmas, I'm also hoping for a little snow. :)

But I have something interesting to mention here.

I was listening to a podcast last week, and it was talking about the Magi that went to visit Jesus as a baby.
Okay so, trivia question.
Let's see how much you really know about Christmas.

How many wise men traveled from the Orient to visit Jesus?
(a) two
(b) a few
(c) three
(d) not specified

Now, you may have guessed (c).
But actually it's (d)!

Here it is from the gospel of Matthew [2].

"After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him."
When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written:" 'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.'"

Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him."
After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.

On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route."

It did say they came from the east. But it didn't say there were three.
We probably assume this from the three gifts [gold, incense, and myrrh] that they gave.

But to me, the most interesting part of all of this is that they knew the King of the Jews was to be born in Palestine, all by a star!
The preacher went on to say that there is a difference between astrology and astronomy, which people get mixed up now-a-days.

Astronomy is defined as "the science that deals with the material universe beyond the earth's atmosphere. "

Astrology is defined as "the study that assumes and attempts to interpret the influence of the heavenly bodies on human affairs."
[And check this out: "Obsolete. the science of astronomy."]

These Magi were smart guys.
The star they saw were three heavenly bodies aligned.
Jupiter, Mars, and the star of Bethelem [or Palestine] were the one "star" they saw in the sky.

Astronomers have traced this back (an event that only happens every several thousand years) to 7 B.C. in winter!

But that's not even the amazing part.
Jupiter represented to those in the Orient the "Top Dog" so to speak. The One, True God.
Mars was Jupiters son, the warrior to save the world.
And the star of Palestine, of course, represented the Middle East, Palestine itself.

So what did these guys interpret the event as?

Jupiter (the One, True God) was sending Mars (His Son) to Palestine to save the world!

11.22.2007

Happy Thanksgiving!


Smile.
Look at all the blessings around you.
Things you never thought of before.

Your friends and family.
You're home.
The meals you've been blessed with.
Your clothes.
Your shoes.
The computer in front of you.
The air you breathe.
The freedom you have.

The freedom you have to hope....
to believe.
Life is so amazing that way.
We are blessed with so many things, and yet we still look around at our inconveniences more than our blessings. I'm not saying we don't have inconveniences, that would be living in denial. But we still have blessings. We still have things to be thankful for.
Some more than others, but not in the way you may think.
Not money or fame.

The blessing of life.
That one word of encouragement that helped you to hold on to your dream.
That one hug that got you through some hard times.
That small gesture of kindness that taught you to love.
Your hopes and dreams are blessings to get you through your trials.
Don't give up.
It's easier to look at what you want or need instead of at what you have.
What else has the world taught us?
But this Thanksgiving, don't forget to look around and thank God for everything around you.
Thank Him even for your trials, the things you've been through and He's gone with you. Because those things are making you who you are. And God sees that. He sees beyond it to your heart.
He sees the real you.
And He loves you.
So, Happy Thanksgiving.
I pray it's a wonderful one.
Be blessed and give thanks.


11.11.2007

And she's just wondering...


Because there's so much I don't understand. And so much I'll probably never understand. Things my finite mind was not meant to comprehend. But I still wonder...I still think...

"The things that cannot be put into words are the most important in life..."

Think about it...my friend Kristie said that to me. And when you think about it, it's true.
God.
Love.
Freedom.
Faith.
Can you really express those things in words? It's something you experience.

A wise praise team leader once said:

"To understand love, you have to experience love..."

I'm sure we would all agree with that. No one really understands love until they experience it. They may understand the concept of love. But love itself? It's something beyond just feeling or actions. It's beyond reason. Something you cannot explain.

The same man finished that quote with:

"...to understand God, you have to experience God."
Because God is love.

Experience God? What in the world is that?
How can I put this into other words?
It's like, feeling His presence. Knowing His loving arms are surrounding you, protecting you.
Knowing that you are in a relationship, not a religion.
Something that changes your heart, not just your mind.
"Trastornando mi mundo" is experiencing God.

"Jesus wrecked my life..."
And it's never been better.


God is love.
And love is real.

11.09.2007

Warning


This blog is likely to be bold, outright, and direct.
Perhaps you would call it fanatical at some points.

We would like to warn the viewers that discretion is advised.
For those who are faint of heart, please go to another website.
For those prone to guilty conscience, this will not help.
For those without an open mind, a softer reading would probably be preferred.

Basically, this stuff is for real.
No sugar-coated, day-to-day, superficial stuff.
This is life.
Out loud.

And it's a life dedicated to the God of the Universe.
Maybe you know Him by Yahweh, Adonai, El Shaddai, Shekinah Glory...
Or maybe just Lord.

This is about the things He has done in a teenage girl's life.
And in the lives of those around her.
They may not seem to astounding to you at times, but they have Eternal Significance.

She's got a purpose, and she's living it out.

So here's just a fair warning:
She's on fire for Him...
and it's contagious.

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