Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by Max Lucado from his book, Because of Bethlehem (with Bonus Content): Love Is Born, Hope Is Here (p. 132). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Wow, that is the truth! Max says, “Hollywood would recast the Christmas story. Joseph’s collar is way too blue. Mary is green from inexperience. The couple’s star power doesn’t match the bill. Too obscure. Too simple. The story warrants some headliners. A square-jawed Joseph. Someone of the Clooney vintage. And Mary needs a beauty mark and glistening teeth. Angelina Jolie– ish. And what about the shepherds? Do they sing? If so, perhaps Bono and U2? Hollywood would recast the story. “A civilized person would sanitize it. No person, however poor, should be born in a cow stall. Hay on the floor. Animals on the hay. Don’t place the baby in a feed trough; the donkey’s nose has been there. Don’t wrap the newborn in rags. They smell like sheep. Speaking of smells, watch...

A thought by Max Lucado from his book, Because of Bethlehem (with Bonus Content): Love Is Born, Hope Is Here (p. 132). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Have you ever thought about that?   Only three books in the NT really say anything about it and they don’t even tell us when. Max says, “He didn’t even circle the date on the calendar. Ancient Christmases bounced from date to date before landing on December 25. Some early leaders favored dates in March. For centuries the Eastern Orthodox church celebrated Christmas on January 6, and some still do. Only in the fourth century did the church choose December 25 as the date to celebrate Jesus’ coming. We’ve made bigger deals out of lesser comings. How could this be? No exact date of birth. No hoopla at his birth. Is this a mistake? “Or is this the message?” He goes on, “Maybe your life resembles a Bethlehem stable. Crude in some spots, smelly in others. Not m...

A thought by Rick Warren from his book, God's Answers to Life's Difficult Questions (Living with Purpose) (p. 47). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Are you sure, Bill?   Are you sure? Rick says, “This is called emotional reasoning, and it is destructive. It is the ‘I feel it, so it must be true’ idea. Musicians, athletes, and TV stars—to name a few—know that often after a performance they feel as though they’ve flopped. Yet they also know that they must learn to ignore those feelings because feelings aren’t always true. Feelings are not facts; they can be highly unreliable.” He goes on, “For instance, a few weeks after I had been married to Kay, I woke up one morning and said, ‘You know, honey, I just don’t feel married.’ She replied, ‘It doesn’t matter, buddy. You are!’ “I don’t always feel close to God either, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that I’m far away from him. I don’t always feel like a Chr...