A Needed CHRISTmas Birth

By the time I finish this blog it will be CHRISTmas Eve, the time we celebrate the "birth" of Jesus.  Normally I would rant and rave on how this is definitely not when He was born (not even close) and how pagan WE, not the world have made Christmas, BUT not today.  As a matter of fact, this year more than any other in my life-time, we need Jesus to visit our homes with another "birth".

I have a friend who needs to be Birthed out of alcoholism, another friend needs to be Birthed out of prescription drug addiction, a family member who needs to be Birthed out of depression and I need to be Birthed out of my anger.

What I am saying is that when Jesus left Heaven to be born of Mary a virgin (and it was that way), to suffer and be crucified for MY sins and then to be raised again in fulfillment of the Scriptures, I was able to receive that new life by being what the Bible calls "Born Again".

John 3:1-7 NLT
(1)  There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee.
(2)  After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. "Rabbi," he said, "we all know that God has sent You to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with You."
(3)  Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God."
(4)  "What do You mean?" exclaimed Nicodemus. "How can an old man go back into his mother's womb and be born again?"
(5)  Jesus replied, "I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.
(6)  Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.
(7)  So don't be surprised when I say, 'You must be born again.' 

I have a list of people that I pray for their Salvation, starting with my friend Mike and ending with my Uncle Victor.  My prayer is that this CHRISTmas Christ will Birth them out of their sin and into everlasting life, that they would be free from the chains of sin!  Would you please agree with me in that prayer.  Send me your list and I will add it to mine.

Merry CHRISTmas to those whom are saved, and to those whom are not - it can be the GREATEST CHRISTmas you have ever known by calling on His name right now!

Romans 10:13-15 NLT
(13)  For "Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved."
(14)  But how can they call on Him to save them unless they believe in Him? And how can they believe in Him if they have never heard about Him? And how can they hear about Him unless someone tells them?
(15)  And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, "How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!"

Share His "Good News" with those on your list...

ernie

Time For Real Gun Control

With the DISASTER of the Newtown Connecticut Elementary School Shooting, one group tries desperately to "capitalize" on the atrocity; "Demoncrats"!?  Oh,  I spelled it correctly.  Who said "Subversives" don't like "Capitalism"!?  Why is the "gun", not the person responsible?  If there are 300 or 20,000 gun laws on the books, how many are needed or enforced?  What about the 22 children attacked in China Friday by a knife wielding man?

Since terrorist to our nation use planes to commit their crimes, we should eliminate planes also?  Statistics show more people are killed and injured with cars than anything else.  Lets get rid of them and REALLY GO GREEN!  Forks for fat people, fingers for smokers, glasses for alcoholics, and so on and so on...
Actually, statistics show the most dangerous place to be is in the hospital?  Check out; How to Survive a Hospital Stay?  Do I even have to say it?

Since Socialistic Training Centres (public schools) house our most precious and most vulnerable treasure's, why would we not have faculty members who are competent in gun handling, carrying concealed on campus?  Relying solely on Law Enforcement is a mistake and I am a retired LEO.

It has never been God's plan for the government to teach, house, feed or protect the family.  Then who is responsible for the aforementioned?  It is time for each man, husband and father (single or widowed mom's too) to answer that question.

REAL Gun Control starts with OWNERSHIP, both physically and mentally.  Driving is a "Privilege" but Gun Ownership is "still" a Right in the United States of America (means something different each day - Aye).  "Possession" requires responsibility and "Carry" requires training for safety and appropriate use. If you are not willing to accept this, then gun ownership is not for you, even though this is a Right.  Kinda like "voting" as the last election has shown.  Did I just write that?  I need to learn to keep my pen shut.

BTW if you are in the middle of a gun fight, that is the WORST place to be because it means the fight is NOT OVER!  The only good thing is, you are still alive and you have the ability to end it or be ended by it.

When people are surprised at the "evil" of the Newtown School Shooting, we do not understand our sin nature.  Eliminating "things" does not eliminate the "evil".

 Galatians 5:19-25 NLT
(19)  When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures,
(20)  idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division,
(21)  envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
(22)  But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
(23)  gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
(24)  Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to His cross and crucified them there.
(25)  Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit's leading in every part of our lives.

Merry CHRISTmas from Wayne to Our KING!

Source: youtube.com via Brenda on Pinterest

Be Blessed my FriENDS
ernie

Merry CHRISTmas Miss Sherry!!!

The old man sat in his gas station on a cold Christmas Eve. He hadn't been anywhere in years since his wife had passed away. It was just another day to him. He 

didn't hate Christmas, just couldn't find a reason to celebrate. He was sitting there looking at the snow that had been falling for the last hour and wondering what it was all about when the door opened and a homeless man stepped through.

Instead of throwing the man out, Old George as he was known by his customers, told the man to come and sit by the heater and warm up. "Thank you, but I don't mean to intrude," said the stranger. "I see you're busy, I'll just go." "Not without something hot in your belly." George said.

He turned and opened a wide mouth Thermos and handed it to the stranger. "It ain't much, but it's hot and tasty. Stew ... Made it myself. When you're done, there's coffee and it's fresh."

Just at that moment he heard the "ding" of the driveway bell. "Excuse me, be right back," George said. There in the driveway was an old '53 Chevy. Steam was rolling out of the front. The driver was panicked. "Mister can you help me!" said the driver, with a deep Spanish accent. "My wife is with child and my car is broken." George opened the hood. It was bad. The block looked cracked from the cold, the car was dead. "You ain't going in this thing," George said as he turned away.

"But Mister, please help ..." The door of the office closed behind George as he went inside. He went to the office wall and got the keys to his old truck, and went back outside. He walked around the building, opened the garage, started the truck and drove it around to where the couple was waiting. "Here, take my truck," he said. "She ain't the best thing you ever looked at, but she runs real good."

George helped put the woman in the truck and watched as it sped off into the night. He turned and walked back inside the office. "Glad I gave 'em the truck, their tires were shot too. That 'ol truck has brand new ." George thought he was talking to the stranger, but the man had gone. The Thermos was on the desk, empty, with a used coffee cup beside it. "Well, at least he got something in his belly," George thought.

George went back outside to see if the old Chevy would start. It cranked slowly, but it started. He pulled it into the garage where the truck had been. He thought he would tinker with it for something to do. Christmas Eve meant no customers. He discovered the block hadn't cracked, it was just the bottom hose on the radiator. "Well, shoot, I can fix this," he said to
himself. So he put a new one on.

"Those tires ain't gonna get 'em through the winter either." He took the snow treads off of his wife's old Lincoln. They were like new and he wasn't going to drive the car anyway.

As he was working, he heard shots being fired. He ran outside and beside a police car an officer lay on the cold ground. Bleeding from the left shoulder, the officer moaned, "Please help me."

George helped the officer inside as he remembered the training he had received in the Army as a medic. He knew the wound needed attention. "Pressure to stop the bleeding," he thought. The uniform company had been there that morning and had left clean shop towels. He used those and duct tape to bind the wound. "Hey, they say duct tape can fix anythin'," he said, trying to make the policeman feel at ease.

"Something for pain," George thought. All he had was the pills he used for his back. "These ought to work." He put some water in a cup and gave the policeman the pills. "You hang in there, I'm going to get you an ambulance."

The phone was dead. "Maybe I can get one of your buddies on that there talk box out in your car." He went out only to find that a bullet had gone into the dashboard destroying the two way radio.

He went back in to find the policeman sitting up. "Thanks," said the officer. "You could have left me there. The guy that shot me is still in the area."

George sat down beside him, "I would never leave an injured man in the Army and I ain't gonna leave you." George pulled back the bandage to check for bleeding. "Looks worse than what it is. Bullet passed right through 'ya. Good thing it missed the important stuff though. I think with time your gonna be right as rain."

George got up and poured a cup of coffee. "How do you take it?" he asked. "None for me," said the officer. "Oh, yer gonna drink this. Best in the city. Too bad I ain't got no donuts." The officer laughed and winced at the same time.

The front door of the office flew open. In burst a young man with a gun. "Give me all your cash! Do it now!" the young man yelled. His hand was shaking and George could tell that he had never done anything like this before.

"That's the guy that shot me!" exclaimed the officer.

"Son, why are you doing this?" asked George, "You need to put the cannon away. Somebody else might get hurt."

The young man was confused. "Shut up old man, or I'll shoot you, too. Now give me the cash!"

The cop was reaching for his gun. "Put that thing away," George said to the cop, "we got one too many in here now."

He turned his attention to the young man. "Son, it's Christmas Eve. If you need money, well then, here. It ain't much but it's all I got. Now put that pea shooter away."

George pulled $150 out of his pocket and handed it to the young man, reaching for the barrel of the gun at the same time. The young man released his grip on the gun, fell to his knees and began to cry. "I'm not very good at this am I? All I wanted was to buy something for my wife and son," he went on. "I've lost my job, my rent is due, my car got repossessed last week."

George handed the gun to the cop. "Son, we all get in a bit of squeeze now and then. The road gets hard sometimes, but we make it through the best we can."

He got the young man to his feet, and sat him down on a chair across from the cop. "Sometimes we do stupid things." George handed the young man a cup of coffee. "Bein' stupid is one of the things that makes us human. Comin' in here with a gun ain't the answer. Now sit there and get warm and we'll sort this thing out."

The young man had stopped crying. He looked over to the cop. "Sorry I shot you. It just went off. I'm sorry officer." "Shut up and drink your coffee " the cop said. George could hear the sounds of sirens outside. A police car and an ambulance skidded to a halt. Two cops came through the door, guns drawn. "Chuck! You ok?" one of the cops asked the wounded officer.

"Not bad for a guy who took a bullet. How did you find me?"

"GPS locator in the car. Best thing since sliced bread. Who did this?" the other cop asked as he approached the young man.

Chuck answered him, "I don't know. The guy ran off into the dark. Just dropped his gun and ran."

George and the young man both looked puzzled at each other.

"That guy work here?" the wounded cop continued. "Yep," George said, "just hired him this morning. Boy lost his job."

The paramedics came in and loaded Chuck onto the stretcher. The young man leaned over the wounded cop and whispered, "Why?"

Chuck just said, "Merry Christmas boy ... and you too, George, and thanks for everything."

"Well, looks like you got one doozy of a break there. That ought to solve some of your problems."

George went into the back room and came out with a box. He pulled out a ring box. "Here you go, something for the little woman. I don't think Martha would mind. She said it would come in handy some day."

The young man looked inside to see the biggest diamond ring he ever saw. "I can't take this," said the young man. "It means something to you."

"And now it means something to you," replied George. "I got my memories. That's all I need."

George reached into the box again. An airplane, a car and a truck appeared next. They were toys that the oil company had left for him to sell. "Here's something for that little man of yours."

The young man began to cry again as he handed back the $150 that the old man had handed him earlier.

"And what are you supposed to buy Christmas dinner with? You keep that too," George said. "Now git home to your family."

The young man turned with tears streaming down his face. "I'll be here in the morning for work, if that job offer is still good."

"Nope. I'm closed Christmas day," George said. "See ya the day after."

George turned around to find that the stranger had returned. "Where'd you come from? I thought you left?"

"I have been here. I have always been here," said the stranger. "You say you don't celebrate Christmas. Why?"

"Well, after my wife passed away, I just couldn't see what all the bother was. Puttin' up a tree and all seemed a waste of a good pine tree. Bakin' cookies like I used to with Martha just wasn't the same by myself and besides I was gettin' a little chubby."

The stranger put his hand on George's shoulder. "But you do celebrate the holiday, George. You gave me food and drink and warmed me when I was cold and hungry. The woman with child will bear a son and he will become a great doctor.

The policeman you helped will go on to save 19 people from being killed by terrorists. The young man who tried to rob you will make you a rich man and not take any for himself. "That is the spirit of the season and you keep it as good as any man."

George was taken aback by all this stranger had said. "And how do you know all this?" asked the old man.

"Trust me, George. I have the inside track on this sort of thing. And when your days are done you will be with Martha again."

The stranger moved toward the door. "If you will excuse me, George, I have to go now. I have to go home where there is a big celebration planned."

George watched as the old leather jacket and the torn pants that the stranger was wearing turned into a white robe. A golden light began to fill the room.

"You see, George ... it's My birthday. Merry Christmas."

George fell to his knees and replied, "Happy Birthday, Lord Jesus"

Merry Christmas!!

This story is better than any greeting card.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND GOD BLESS!