Tag: #blogmas

THE ARROGANCE OF MAN

You see, Church happens in places like the Bailey’s living room, on Christmas Eve, with a multitude of people who have hardly anything to give, but they give it with such joy. Such love. Such surrender. 

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LOOKING AHEAD TO 2023

Though today and tomorrow conclude Blogmas 2022, we know that the journey does not end. Preparing our hearts for Christ, surrendering all that we are to Him, and serving Him are all daily tasks we, as Christians, get to partake in!

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ANOTHER WORLD

To be truthful, I suppose I am a bit fearful of what 2023 may bring, and at the same time what it may not bring. I guess you could say I currently find myself “world weary”.

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CHANGED YOUR MIND?

You ask; Scott, what are you saying I need to change? Why do you assume I have no room for change? In answer, I would say that I have no idea what you need to change. But you do; and it probably is that thing you thought of as you read that question.

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AT HOME

Scrooge’s hard heart was beginning to soften through the power of hospitality. Through the reminder of how Mr. Fezziwig made work enjoyable, even if it was the same hard work Scrooge is doing now. He had the power, through his leadership and attitude, to make people feel welcome, comfortable, at home.

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ALWAYS WINTER

As Lucy explains to her older brother, Edmund, what she had encountered while in Narnia, she says something that intrigues me. She says, “It’s always winter, but never gets to Christmas.” 

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THE KING HAS COME

The King has come! We celebrate this Christmas Day for that reason. No longer is our world grey and grim. No, it is now bursting with hope and joy because the Light has come into our darkness in the most powerful way. What an adventure this has been! Have a very Merry Christmas, y’all! We thank God for each and every one of you!

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EVEN DRAGONS HAVE THEIR ENDING

Though dragons have always been a part of our world, we know that the endings of dragons have also echoed through the pages of history. Let us remember that our Knight is no longer a babe in a manger, but is grown, into the Heavenly Warrior He was always meant to become, and His sword is now drawn.  

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THE OTHER CHRISTMAS STORY

When you pause to give thanks for baby Jesus, remember to give thanks for our King doing battle with a dragon. And this year, when you place your manger scene on the mantle, look for the red dragon. He’s there in the hay.

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ODE TO EBENEZER SCROOGE

Scrooge examined his life, his heart, against God’s standard and found himself lacking. He knew that he could not change on his own but called on the Spirit to strive within him. You and I have a wonderful opportunity to ask the Holy Spirit to live within us this Christmas day and every day, friend!

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FELLOW PASSENGERS

I wonder how many Christmases Fred had invited his uncle over to join in the celebration and joy. I wonder if he ever found himself distraught over the fact that Scrooge would most likely refuse to accept the invitation, and then remembered the hope he had in Christ, the reason for Christmas, and began his trek to old Ebenezer Scrooge’s without a hint of hesitation.

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HOW ARE YOUR SPIRITS DRESSED?

You see, I believe that Scrooge’s story is so powerful because it can so closely relate to us and our present lives. I want you to think back over your life. Think about the past, about your innocence. Think about your present, the things you most want. Think about what your future may be, about whether your eternity will be dark as Scrooge’s was once bound to be.

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JESUS, LORD AT THY BIRTH

Not many are crowned much of anything at birth, except maybe to be called first born, middle daughter, or maybe even an unexpected surprise!  Even in the families of royalty, children have to wait their turn to be called king or queen. Not Jesus.  He was Lord at birth.

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EXCITED ABOUT HIM

Our Savior is one who desires every part of your heart, and mind, and speech, and yet we rob Him of the power to display Himself through these things around the people we may very well have the greatest influence over. 

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THE BITTER MADE SWEET (PART TWO)

And to what does it compare? To His suffering? To the pain He took on His back. That He took on His head. That He took in His hands. That He took in His feet. That He took in His side. That He took until His last breath was drawn. To what does it compare?

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THE BITTER MADE SWEET (PART ONE)

This was the day that those colors of the current season were making their last fade. The new ones were officially settling in, brushing over what was, on an eight hour drive from central Texas to Hot Springs, Arkansas. This change would remind me that to love Him is to obey Him. No matter the cost.

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REIGN

This is what the American Church is saying today. We have the same desire to rule over ourselves and imitate the world around us. We are selfish, have turned away from God countless times, and worshiped false idols whenever we have had the chance. Just like He did with the Israelites, God will say to us, you get what you ask for. He will remove His mighty hand from us and allow us to suffer in our rebellion against His perfect plan.

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QUIETLY CHRISTIAN?

God and I wrestled back and forth about whether or not I was to change jobs. The conflict was so great because a co-worker and I had started a Monday morning prayer group that eventually led to most of the employees attending. For some of them, this would be the only Jesus that they would get for the remainder of the week. So, it was important to me that I knew for sure that God wanted me to move on.

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“CAN’T” WILL NOT BE TOLERATED

By doing what he said he couldn’t do, Trigger saved the rest of his crew, and their mission to capture the Enigma and bring it back to America was ultimately successful. I believe "can’t" is the most dangerous word that could ever come out of any of our mouths.

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IF IT’S ALL TRUE

Maybe you share some similarities with Thomas as well. You might be skeptical, a bit unsure of your faith. You may have more questions than you can count. Jesus has something for you. He can turn your skepticism into belief.

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SALVATION IS NIGH

What I wanted to share with y’all on this very special day is that “Salvation to all that will is nigh.” Meaning, if you desire salvation, a personal relationship with Jesus, He is near to you at this very moment. All you have to do is reach out, call out for Him.

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THE FOCUS

I ask you to please begin each day this holiday season alone in the presence of our heavenly Father. Focus on the Lord. Focus on His attributes, and His precious Word to you. Ask Him to open up your way as you journey through your day with the Prince of Peace beside you.

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OUR DEATH-DEFYING HERO

Did you catch it, friends? Not only did Aslan leap over the Table, representing death, but Lucy scrambled over it too! This is what our death-defying hero has done for you and for me. He has made a way for us to scramble over death and get to Him, never to be separated from God; to have everlasting life! Hallelujah and Amen!

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ATTENDING WELL TO WHAT MATTERS

The attending process begins when we sort through the things that distract us, and intentionally do away with them as best we can with Jesus’ help. We must make room in our hearts for the light when darkness attempts to fill it daily.

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START 2022 OFF RIGHT

Our mission remains the same. Madie & I, and our family, want to help people just like you get serious about being serious for Jesus. We don’t believe that anyone can take Jesus and living for Him too seriously.

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WAR WITHOUT WAR (BLOGMAS DAY THIRTY)

You see, we wage “wars” that won’t ever satisfy us like real war will. All because we don’t want it to be an inconvenience on our part. We want to create the “wars” we fight. We want to plan them so that we’re certain we can win them before we even start.

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HOW ARE YOUR SPIRITS DRESSED? (BLOGMAS DAY TWENTY-NINE)

You see, I believe that Scrooge’s story is so powerful because it can so closely relate to us and our present lives. I want you to think back over your life. Think about the past, about your innocence. Think about your present, the things you most want. Think about what your future may be, about whether your eternity will be dark as Scrooge’s was once bound to be.

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CHRISTMAS CAROL POEM (BLOGMAS DAY TWENTY-SIX)

Happy Sunday! Our family has decided to continue BLOGMAS this week because we have enjoyed sharing with y'all, and didn't want it to end quite yet! Let's continue to challenge ourselves to live wholeheartedly for Christ, no matter what day it is! Enjoy this poem for today. 🙂

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THE KING HAS COME (BLOGMAS DAY TWENTY-FIVE)

The King has come! We celebrate this Christmas Day for that reason. No longer is our world grey and grim. No, it is now bursting with hope and joy because the Light has come into our darkness in the most powerful way. What an adventure this has been! Have a very Merry Christmas, y’all!

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CHRISTMAS IS WHAT WE DEFINE IT AS (BLOGMAS DAY TWENTY-THREE)

You see, in that moment, I focused on the darkness, and the power I thought it had over the way we may celebrate Christmas in the future. Now, I focus on the small things, as I wrote about in one of my other, recent posts. I began to focus on the things I can do to keep darkness at bay, the intimate gatherings we have during this season. The good food we are blessed to enjoy. The presents we have the privilege of giving, and I was reminded all over again that Christmas is about the little things.

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AND FOR WHAT? (BLOGMAS DAY TWENTY-ONE)

The question is, how different are we than the folks Gabriel was describing from those early days? What is Gabriel saying about our level of belief today? Do you think he would be looking down at us and saying, "Now this generation of the Church really gets it. Man, look how they are living."

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CHRIST, THE LOGOS (BLOGMAS DAY FIFTEEN)

Imagine how your life would change if you made an effort to seek out things that nourish your soul and glorify Christ as the logos! How would your child’s life change if you gave them great works of literature, art, and music to consider versus Facebook, YouTube, and Tik-tok.

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GIVE YOUR YES (BLOGMAS DAY FOURTEEN)

Will we choose to engage with the story that is unfolding right before our eyes? Do we long to rise up and open our eyes to His coming this Christmas season and in this New Year that is before us? Just as Gideon, Mary, Joseph, Noah, Peter, Simeon, Micaiah, and many other heroes of the faith all had to choose whether or not to engage with the story before them, so do we.

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ADVENT INSECURITY (BLOGMAS DAY THIRTEEN)

Calvin was confused because his church friends really did not understand the meaning of Advent. They could not explain the meaning of Advent to him. However, Hunter knows fully what Advent means because she is celebrating a new life, a new start with Jesus.

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THE EVERYDAY DEEDS (BLOGMAS DAY ELEVEN)

You see, the reason I always felt so much happier and more content around Christmas time, is because of the small things, that kept the darkness at bay for the month of December. The small things that changed a little girl’s view of the world, even for a short time.

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TRUE WORSHIPPERS (BLOGMAS DAY TEN)

I just pray that we spend more time on cultivating our relationship with Christ this Christmas than we do on buying and wrapping material gifts. Let us be swept up in the true wonder of the season; the Lord came to dwell among us! May we feed our own souls with the right kind of worship and share the good news of Jesus birth, death, resurrection, and second coming with those around us.

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ALWAYS WINTER (BLOGMAS DAY NINE)

There is comfort in the trials that winter brings, because the Lord who has created them never lets them weather us without also allowing us to experience the hope and joy of Christmas. Jesus has always promised His presence to us. But in order to understand the beauty of Christmas, we must understand just how bleak winter can be.

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ODE TO EBENEZER SCROOGE (BLOGMAS DAY SIX)

Scrooge examined his life, his heart, against God’s standard and found himself lacking. He knew that he could not change on his own but called on the Spirit to strive within him. You and I have a wonderful opportunity to ask the Holy Spirit to live within us this Christmas day and every day, friend!

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WHO ARE WE TO HIM? (BLOGMAS DAY FOUR)

I’m going to be bold and write that maybe many of us are uncertain about who we genuinely are to Jesus, because we live for the noise, the busyness. Our arms never can stop flailing about. We can never sit still to seek Him. We despise quiet and if it begins to surround us, we fill it with other distractions.

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