Welcome to the December 2019 blog. Enjoy some “feel good” words and scenes.
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The Word for Today
“This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement[h] quietly.
20 As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her
was conceived by the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus,[i] for he will save his people from their sins.”
22 All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:
23 “Look! The virgin will conceive a child!
She will give birth to a son,
and they will call him Immanuel,[j]
which means ‘God is with us’” (Matthew 1:18-23 NLT)
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I acquiesce to others
Most of this blog will not be written by me. I have called on others to say what was once on their minds as they contemplated the season we still celebrate as Christmas—Christ’s birthday. Oh, we know it might not be the very month and day on which He was born, but somehow it feels right to acknowledge in this way that a Savior came from Heaven to earth to save us sinners. So cut me some slack and bear with an old Christmas lover while enjoying the thoughts of others during this special time of year.
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Home For Christmas
Christmas is the time to go home again
Seeking holidays of the past
And all we hold dear.
The lights bring warmth
As we drive into the yard.
We remember deeply
All that was good,
The hustle and bustle,
Helping Dad chop wood.
The fireplace glow was brighter
When we were small.
Mom’s kitchen aroma
Could be smelled by all.
And with all these memories
Celebrating the day (the birth of our King),
We sing as the angels did;
More so now than when a kid.
We celebrate the birth of our King!
-Carol Dee Meeks
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War hero comes home
Speaking of home, family and familiar surroundings…it is a comforting feeling to return to the environs where you spent your youth, the familiar places and faces remind you of that 
simpler time—a kinder, gentler time.
It must have felt that way to war hero Audie Murphy when he returned home from the battlefields of Europe with more medals on his chest than any American soldier in history. Here were his thoughts at that time included in an article written by correspondent William Barmard:
THIRTEEN U.S. generals flew in from Europe that summer day of 1945, landing at San Antonio, Texas. The whole line of them descended from the C-54 transport into the warm ranks of a reception committee. Then, right behind the generals came this freckle-faced kid, fresh from European battlefields, limping down the ramp because of wounds in both legs and his hip. He was 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighed 134 pounds. He was twenty but he looked seventeen or less. He was so shy he didn’t give his name to a single member of the welcoming committee.
Won every medal
But reporters recognized him and promptly forgot the thirteen generals they had come to interview. For this was Audie L. Murphy, the most decorated soldier in United States history. He had won every combat decoration the United States offers, including the Silver Star twice. This was Murphy who won the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military honor, with a lone, victorious stand on a blazing tank destroyer against 250 German infantrymen and six German tanks.
Here was Murphy and he didn’t smoke, drink or cuss. He looked like an Eagle Scout. San Antonio went wild when it found Murphy was back in Texas. So did Dallas. Officials chartered a plane to fly him to Dallas the next morning and parade him to his Farmersville home where 
fire trucks would be waiting to lead the welcome. It was a royal homecoming for a green-eyed kid who had to start earning his living at twelve.
He gets a lift
I had been to Farmersville and had met his older sister and his two younger sisters and his little brother, so I got him aside and told him news of his family. He was hungry for this news. “I’ll see you at Farmersville tomorrow,” I told Audie.
“How are you travelin’?”
“I have a car and plan to leave at 6 A.M.”
“Pick me up at 6:05,” said Murphy. “I’ll be on the corner across the street from the hotel.”
“You can’t do that,” I said. “All sorts of plans are in the works for you.”
The missing hero
“I’ll tell ’em I have changed the plans,” Murphy said firmly.
“See you at 6:05.”
He was there, all right, and we started out for the northern Texas agricultural community of Farmersville, three hundred miles away. Two hours later Murphy humorously confessed he 
hadn’t called anyone to report his change in plans. When I finally got to a phone, I found there was considerable concern about the disappearance of the war hero.
But Murphy was thoroughly relaxed. As we drove along, his vision followed the passing scene, green rows of corn, gentle hills, fat cattle in the soft tree shade of a meadow.
“This is what I came home to see,” Murphy said. “You can’t realize how swell this is. Over there it was a helluva thing. There were times our outfit was in battle seventy to eighty days without relief. You got mad and disgusted and you didn’t care what happened to you. This was the way I felt on that tank destroyer.”
He stopped talking, to watch a tractor running down the rows of a cotton field.
Bravery defined
“They talk about bravery,” he resumed. “Well, I’ll tell you what bravery really is. Bravery is just determination to do a job that you know has to be done. If you throw in discomforts and lack of sleep and anger, it is easier to be brave. Just wanting to be back in a country like this can make a man brave. I have seen many a doughfoot do many a brave thing because he wanted to get the war over with in a hurry and go home. Many a guy who wanted to come home worse than anything else in the world will stay over there forever. They are the fellows 
I want the honors to go to, not to me.”
Murphy pointed across a sunny field. “This is enough for me,” he said. [end]
[I have visited the site where Murphy made his stand atop a burning tank destroyer. He saw several German tanks and hundreds of enemy soldiers approaching the position of his battered and exhausted company. They had no hope of turning them back with no available armor or heavy weapons. The Germans had knocked out their only tank destroyer and it was on fire. Murphy climbed upon the flaming vehicle and turned the .50 calibre machine gun toward the Germans and opened fire. He was wounded but still manned the gun. The intense and accurate firing by Murphy made the Germans believe there were more GIs and guns than they could see. They retreated and Murphy’s company was spared.)
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Your best gift this Christmas
Life’s Mirror
There are loyal hearts, there are spirits brave,
There are souls that are pure and true;
Then give to the world the best that you have,
And the best will come back to you.
Give love, and love to your life will flow,
A strength in your utmost need;
Have faith, and a score of hearts will show
Their faith in your work and deed.
Give truth, and your gift will be paid in kind,
And honor will honor meet;
And the smile which is sweet will surely find
A smile that is just as sweet.
Give sorrow and pity to those who mourn;
You will gather in flowers again
The scattered seeds from your thought outborne
Though the sowing seemed but vain.
For life is the mirror of king and slave,
‘Tis just what we are and do;
Then give to the world the best that you have
And the best will come back to you.
– Madeline Bridges
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JEST ’FORE CHRISTMAS
By Eugene Field
Father calls me William, sister calls me Will,
Mother calls me Willie, but the fellers call me Bill!
Mighty glad I ain’t a girl—ruther be a boy
Without them sashes, curls and things that’s worn by Fauntleroy!
Love to chunk green applies and go swimmin’ in the lake,
Hate to take the castor oil they give for belly-ache!
Most all the time the whole year roun’, there ain’t no flies on me,
But jest ’fore Christmas I’m as good as good can be.
Got a yeller dog named Sport, sick him on the cat,
First thing she knows, she don’t know where she’s at!
Got a clipper sled, and when us kids go out to slide,
’Long comes the grocery cart and we all hook a ride!
But sometimes when the grocery man is worried an’ cross,
He rushes at us with his whip and larrups up his hoss.
An’ then I laff and’ holler, “Oh, ye never teched me! ”
Grandma says she hopes that, when I git to be a man,
I’ll be a missionary like her oldest brother Dan
As wuz et up by the cannibuls that lives in Clyton’s Isle,
Where every prospect pleases and only man is vile.
But Grandma she has never been to see a Wild West show
Or read the life of Daniel Boone or else I guess she’d know
That Buff’lo Bill and cowboys is good enough for me.
‘Cept jest ‘fore Christmas when I’m as good as good kin be.
And then old Sport he hangs around, so solemn like an’ still,
His eyes they seem a-sayin’, “What’s the matter, little Bill?”
The old cat sneaks down off her perch an’ wonders what’s become
Of them two enemies of hern that used to make things burn!
But I am so polite an’ tend so earnestly to biz,
That Mother says to Father: “How improved our Willie is!”
But Father, havin’ been a boy hisself, suspicions me
When, jest ’fore Christmas, I’m as good as I kin be!
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The Little Things
It’s the little things we do and say
That mean so much as we go our way;
A kindly deed can lift a load
From weary shoulders on the road,
Or a gentle word, like summer rain,
May soothe some heart and banish pain,
What joy and sadness often springs
From just the simple little things.
– Willa Hoey
Man
At ten, a child, at twenty wild,
At thirty tame, if ever;
At forty, wise, at fifty rich,
At sixty, good or never.
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May the blessings of peace, the beauty of hope, the spirit of love, and the comfort of faith be yours this Christmas.
I am glad Christmas is not in July—sweating in the sun rather than warming by a fire! We need it to be when it is too cold to be doing unnecessary things, enjoying a good hot meal with friends rather than pouring another ice cold tea under a fan. December is made for Christmas, regardless of whether we know the exact date. Who cares? Just so we know He came, was one of us, and loved us.
I couldn’t give you a list of things I got as gifts when I was a child, but certain memories do stand out. Most often, they are togetherness moments, memories of fun shared and things done together.
Merry Christmas to teachers!
Read and touch one, write and touch many. But teach and you touch the world. You don’t just teach, you inspire. You lift the spirit in man year ‘round. You generate desire, not only to gain knowledge, but to keep wanting to 
learn. God bless all our teachers—those in public and private schools, in colleges, in churches and in the home. You are making a difference. Merry Christmas to you all!
Christmas is a time for fun, for anticipation, for good food, family and friends. Celebrate it with those you love.
There may be many gifts under the Christmas tree, but the best one is the gift of your friendship. We thank all of our friends who send good tidings our way. Our friends and family are our most cherished gifts. Thank each of you for being there for us. May this be your very best Christmas ever!
Each of us is an innkeeper who decides if there is room for Jesus. – Neal Maxwell
Better celebrate Christmas now, while you can. Unless America changes course, in ten years we might be celebrating Lenin’s birthday. Let’s appeal to all businesses, including Chick-Fil-A (it may be too late for them), not to cave in to the demands of the left as they did to those agenda-driven liberals who want to force you to stop giving to anyone with whom they disagree.
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Couldn’t pass these up
Uncle Joe makes me feel young!
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The Last Words
We must reject the idea that every time a law’s broken, society is guilty rather than the lawbreaker. It is time to restore the American precept that each individual is accountable for his actions. – Ronald Reagan
Words are little things, and a small drop of ink,
Falling like dew upon a thought, produces
That which makes thousands, perhaps millions,
Think.
Let’s make 2020 the year of recovery and renewal of our family focus, our faithfulness to church, and our personal faith in God.
Merry Christmas everyone!
During his last illness he wrote: “To me that grace is not now given to preach to you…still the Lord allows me to give myself unto prayer…my soul does not rest in silence. I am permitted to go in secret to God and I can make mention of you all in my prayers and give thanks for the little flock.”
meaning). He says that people will surely volunteer to follow the law when it is passed. He further stated that it is time for Americans to submit to the laws of the land. It would be nice if he did the same. The law, yea, the Constitution, says we can “keep and bear arms.” It states that the practice of one’s religious faith is not to be “abridged.” Has he read the Constitution? He doesn’t want to abide by present laws he doesn’t like, but wants to change them and force everyone else to abide by laws he plans to pass.
plague. The black death in Europe killed about 1 of every 4 residents [actually, more]. Now, that is an apocalypse. What the young lack today is perspective. AOC thinks she has problems? It wasn’t so long ago that as many as 1 in 10 women died while giving birth. I always marvel that the ‘woe is me’ refrain from the young today is often recited as they tap on their $600 iPhones (charged with the electric power they want to do away with) and they carry around their caramel lattes from Starbucks. I tell my kids that without fossil fuels, they may not have power for their computer games. That gives them pause. …Our responsibility as parents, teachers, clergy and lawmakers is to teach the children how to solve problems effectively, not to preach the end of the world [via climate change].” – Stephen Moore; Patriot Post
day to symbolize continuity with the past and good fortune in the future. The “something blue” in a bridal ensemble is said to symbolize purity, fidelity, and love.
losing a match in 12 years. In fact, he was honored with an award from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1992. He was better at wrestling than running for office—he lost many more elections than he won. But he did win the one that really counted!
Kicking cows deserve to be taken to the slaughterhouse! Life is too short even when we are not being kicked, but when our time here is being spent with anger, drugs, unwarranted guilt, apathy, doubt, and other hangers-on, we need to get rid of them quickly. Our spiritual life suffers when the sins of the spirit are not dealt with properly. Here are a dozen chapters that deal with some of life’s “kicking cows.” Is there one in your life?
remember that this is the same kind of rhetoric that was dished out in the early 70s. Then they were warning about a new ice age, which soon morphed into global warming. Then overpopulation was going to doom the planet to starvation in ten years unless we did something to curb population growth. All, of course, to scare people into accepting abortion as a means of population control. After abortion was approved, the chatter subsided for decades. Now they are back at it with a vengeance. The world is doomed without the Green New Deal. OAC and Bernie are so 1970s.
ideology still captivates the minds of many ecofascists.
babies, especially in poorer countries, because he thinks this will help the climate. This kind of extremist talk coming from one of the leading presidential candidates should be unnerving to every American.
shooter. Drugs pull the trigger!
of poverty and constant family changes that put him on the roads at a young age. Moving from pillar to post as a child wasn’t too unusual for the times, but readers who were never scarred by those rough edges of life will be captivated by his experiences of hitchhiking while just a young boy. You will smile at his teenage crushes as girls were attracted to his good looks and modest, self-effacing personality.
the originality of the triadic formula in Matthew’s Gospel. If you would like a copy of the updated version of An Analysis of Matthew 28:19, here is a link: 
combination of a pre-Matthean ‘word of revelation’ with a Matthean expansion bringing the passage into harmony with his theological position. …It is not Matthean in language and the redactor would hardly have introduced the practice into his community.”
she references believe the phrase was an interpolation, a later expansion, or an expression of a gradual liturgical development rather than an actual Matthean quote from the mouth of Jesus. Her emphasis in the book, however, was to seek for a parallel of the Matthean pericope in the prophetic visions of Daniel 7. It appears she concludes that “the original apocalyptic theology has been transformed by the Christian historical experience”—whatever that might mean to the casual reader.
all filled with the Holy Ghost , and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” and Acts 2:38: “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
In response, Dr. Daniel Wallace, Senior Research Professor of NT Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary and the Executive Director of the Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts (CSNTM), has written an excellent article regarding this move and about Bible translation in general. I believe this informative article will benefit our readers immensely. Click on the link below and enjoy a refreshing and enlightening presentation of this vital topic.
part of the apostles when Jesus gave the commission. That baptism was apparently not done in the Father’s name either suggests that the apostolic band was wholly consumed with Christ or that the Trinitarian formula made little sense to them. In other words, their initial understanding of the relation of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit may well have been rather fuzzy.”
ingular…Father is not a name…etc., etc.] to make Matthew 28:19 say what harmonizes with the remainder of Scripture and the practice of the apostles.
and become atheists.
While it is true that many factors can contribute to mass murder, violent crime and suicide, one well-documented fact is omitted by the press and, of course, the mental health industry “experts.” The latter is demanding millions more dollars to try to “prevent” mass shootings when it is known their psychiatric drugs they push has been a major cause. A percentage of the population taking these drugs become manic, psychotic, violent and homicidal.
support of marriage equality.
by J. R. Ensey
Available in English, Spanish, German & Italian
truth will see that the new birth is absolutely essential and that Acts 2:38 constitutes that experience. Over 2 million copies sold.
A follow-up study for the new convert. This little booklet can be given to the new convert to go through alone and then come back to you with any questions they may have. It covers the new birth—what has happened to them in conversion and goes through what their spiritual responsibilities are now.
Available in English & Spanish
But what about the specific amount, like our tithe of 10%. Does He keep up with actual income percentages? Evidently.
our flag at the ICE center in El Paso and ran up the Mexican flag.) This proves there is more going on down there than someone trying to get into a country for a better life.
mind. Christianity claims that humans can be transformed by the mysterious, miraculous power of God; psychology claims that it can transform man by helping him to understand, accept, and love himself. The Bible says that man is by nature a sinner, separated from the life of God; psychology says that man is essentially good, and needs to recognize his full potential. The Bible says that without Christ we are hopeless; psychology says that man is limited only by his imagination.
In The Presence of His Glory
people in the Book of Proverbs. From the Man of Understanding to the Stupid Man, from the Busy Woman to the Contentious Woman, from the Generous Man to the Offended Man and thirteen others, we deal with their traits, both good and bad. These lessons serve as sermons, Bible lessons or just personal devotional reading.
d Obama, as well as AOC and the other airheads in the House of Representatives today.
laymen and is injurious to needed unity.
“fake Bibles,” published merely to deceive people and make money. They continue to make false assertions in articles, tracts and social media that are deceptive and misleading, amounting to little more than fear-mongering. Some of my readers may not be aware of their efforts. That is the reason for my addressing the Bible translation issue—not to get people to switch versions and use another translation. That decision needs to be based on informed factual research, not unsubstantiated claims.
Jesus made with His church. Are you glad to be in something that will ultimately overcome?
holiness, the church will lose its influence and power. That is why we choose to “follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14).
that she said were taking over the school.
I saw a Straight Pride Parade the other day. The line of cars around the Chick-Fil-A restaurant was causing a minor traffic jam. Awesome!
inclusivity. Under the umbrella of this inclusivity, we are told, we must welcome both the birth of children and the abortion of children, both the lifestyles of heterosexuals and homosexuals…both the rightness of natural death and the rightness of euthanasia. lnclusivity as preached today seems to suggest that no ultimate judgments or choices about the nature of reality can or should be made, and therefore we must construct one large umbrella under which all varieties of human experience, belief, and action can be sheltered. Conversely, any umbrella incapable of including all manner of belief and action must be regarded as too narrow, to exclusive, too intolerant to be itself any longer tolerated.”
turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.” KJV
letters she had written to him…unopened, her pleas thus rejected. Those letters became literary classics and are considered to be among the most beautiful writings in English literature.
Bible as their being mythical, made-up identities.
politicians embrace. They are merely political pawns in the hands of leftist power seekers.
upon as a fool by his workmates. No wonder somebody has written:
the state of Alabama. Aggression? What is being done to the baby?
sustainable development goals approved unanimously by the United Nations.” This means make the change from nation states to a world-wide totalitarianism.
an hour at his discretion.
Lynch] crime to criticize Islam? And didn’t former president Obama say, “The future does not belong to those who criticize the prophet of Islam”?
cannot.’“ – Alfred Plummer, The Gospel according to St. John
moot in most mainline denominations. They are lobbying for gay weddings and gay clergy. Once a movement begins to weaken on this issue, there is no stopping the pressure that can be brought to bear to make more and more concessions. Only the strong will stand.
published between 1516 and 1641, but is a manufactured text, by design conforming the Greek to the English KJV, and is historically no older than the Westcott-Hort text, published the same year (1881).
the TR. In other words, frequently where the critical texts alter the reading of the TR, they do so with the support of the majority of Greek manuscripts, the “omitted” verses noted in the previous paragraph among them.
How Do We Know the Bible Is True? is based on the absolute authority of God’s Word, not man-centered explanations. Clearly presented, it will help bring clarity in a world filled with increasingly vague notions of truth. This concise collection of apologetic truth contains over 20 relevant issues including: Is the Bible inerrant and reliable? Did the resurrection really happen? Are there contradictions in the Bible? What is the purpose and meaning of life? Did miracles really happen? Was Genesis derived from ancient myths? How should we interpret the Bible; should Genesis be literal? Within these pages you will find responses to those honest questions of faith, helping to build a confidence in God’s Word. These powerful biblical insights are soundly presented by more than a dozen respected defenders of the faith, including Ken Ham, John MacArthur, Terry Mortenson, Jason Lisle, Brian Edwards, Tommy Mitchell, Jobe Martin, Georgia Purdom, Bodie Hodge, and Roger Patterson. Only one left at only 6.95 each.
by Rick Norris
A democracy is nothing more than mob rule where 51% of the people may take away the rights of the other 49%.
particularly enamored with black people.” – Dr. Ben Carson
Whil
e in Switzerland, we also wanted to see Geneva, where Calvin ruled and applied his theology expressed in his primary work of Institutes of the Christian Religion, and where Michael Servetus became a martyr on Oct. 27, 1553 for his opposition to the doctrine of the Trinity. Taking his basic theology and the enforcement of it from Augustine, Calvin forced Geneva’s citizens to conform to his teaching. If they resisted, they were imprisoned, tortured, and many were executed (36 by the count of one French historian and as many as 58 by others).
memory after it had dawned upon Geneva’s citizens what they had done. To find it took some sleuthing, and a little help from a local, but we were successful. The burn site is being renovated to accommodate a new underground subway station. The monument and statue of Servetus (right) was a couple of long blocks away.
the error of his century and firmly subscribing to the liberty of conscience according to the authentic principles of the Reformation and the Gospel, have erected this expiatory monument 27 of October, 1903.”
et apart. Virtually shrouded by brush and tree limbs for much of the year, many locals are totally unfamiliar with its location. But it was of great interest to us because it reminded us that fundamental Bible truths have never been totally lost, just ignored or rejected by the masses. We owe something to Servetus for letting the 16th century world know that the Trinitarians (both Catholics and Protestants) had it wrong from the beginning and only maintained it as a cardinal doctrine by force. We cannot let his memory die.
Christians are called to a life of holiness and separation (I Thessalonians 4:7; II Corinthians 6:17). Such a committed life is not only a better way to live, but is commanded in the Scriptures (Hebrews 12:14; I Corinthians 6:9-11; Galatians 5:16-24; Colossians 3:2-6).
JREnsey Blog 