something that got me this morning in Luke 1

This morning I was spending some time reading and meditating on the Christmas story. As I read the end of Luke 1 it reminded me once again of the purpose of Christ. (and also how so many "Christians" have twisted his purpose.

Verse 77 - to give knowledge of salvation unto His people
Verse 79 - to give light to them that sit in darkness
Verse 79 - to guide our feet into the way of PEACE

If these were the purposes for Christs coming and his Life....hmmm

Christmas Shopping

I am one of those sick people who waits pretty much last min. to do my Christmas shopping. This past Saturday I was in target looking for a Wii for my wife. Of course the people who worked there laughed at me when I asked if they had any in stock. I googled game stop on my phone and begin to call every one that came up in our area. There was about a seven year old little squirt that was listening to my conversations and was laughing at me. Finally i hung up after calling about 4 or five places. The little punk looked at me and laughingly and said in a baltimorian accent, "man, your crazy they aint got no wii's anywhere!" I don't know why I found this so amusing, but if you were there you would have been laughing too!

Celebrating 7 years of marriage this Sunday (what I've learned)

This Sunday Sara and I will be celebrating our 7 year anniversary. God has taught us so many things over the course of this journey. I want to praise Him and thank my wife for the influence and love she has given me and shown me. Through my wife God delivered me in many ways. When we first met I was a hypocritical Pharisaical ego-maniac who had NO idea who God was or what he was really all about.(not to mention an addict) Through Sara God has shown me who he is and what he is about. He has helped me to realize life is not about religion or rules and regulations but about relationship, freedom, and love. Through this journey he has shown me through her what real forgiveness is. He has shown me what commitment is. He has shown me what love is. He has taught me patience. He has blessed me with a wife that is what God intended a wife to be. A friend. A counselor. A comforter. I married way above myself. I want to thank God for her.

Some other things I have learned:
a king size bed is a great investment. Put the lid down when your done. Snuggling is a good thing (even if it makes me itch). credit cards are bad. you still iron your own close after you get married. wives don't ever answer cell phones. avoid questions about appearance you will not win.

Redemption

One of my favorite words, which has become a cliche' in Christian circles is the word REDEMPTION. This morning I took a couple of minutes to read once again about what it actually means. Here are some of what i found....

"Purchasing of a slave with a view to his freedom."
"to buy up for ones self"
"to release a receipt of ransom"
"to free from bondage"
"liberation from guilt or doom"

if you have been redeemed basically it means you are free. you are no longer a captive, you do not have to live in captivity. you do not have to stay there any longer. you have the freedom and liberty to walk away from the bondage. The choice is up to us. As one great orator stated, "you dont have to live like this!" so dont.