T’was A Month Before Christmas

T'was a month before Christmas,

And all through the town, 

People wore masks,

That covered their frown.

The frown had begun

Way back in the Spring,  

When a global pandemic 

Changed everything.

They called it corona, 

But unlike the beer,

It didn’t bring good times,

It didn’t bring cheer.

Contagious and deadly,

This virus spread fast,

Like a wildfire that starts

When fueled by gas.

Airplanes were grounded,

Travel was banned.

Borders were closed

Across air, sea and land.

As the world entered lockdown

To flatten the curve,

The economy halted,

And folks lost their nerve.

From March to July

We rode the first wave,

People stayed home,

They tried to behave.

When summer emerged

The lockdown was lifted.

But away from caution,

Many folks drifted.

Now it’s November

And cases are spiking,

Wave two has arrived,

Much to our disliking.

Frontline workers,

Doctors and nurses,

Try to save people,

From riding in hearses.

This virus is awful,

This COVID-19.

There isn’t a cure.

There is no vaccine.

It’s true that this year

Has had sadness a plenty,

We’ll never forget

The year 2020.

And just ‘round the corner -

The holiday season,

But why be merry?

Is there even one reason?

To decorate the house

And put up the tree,

When no one will see it,

No one but me.

But outside my window

The snow gently falls,

And I think to myself,

Let’s deck the halls!

So, I gather the ribbon,

The garland and bows,

As I play those old carols,

My happiness grows.

Christmas is not cancelled

And neither is hope.

If we lean on each other,

I know we can cope.

 

 

Author unknown

S.O.S. Needed Now

I personally do not care for politics as I feel that the majority of politicians have no concern for the needs of the people, they are selfishly centered on their own gain and that of their political affiliates. Unfortunately it has been a proven fact that socialism doesn’t work, it will not be a “New World Order” but a return to the old world order, a government run by dictators and the rest of us enslaved. I have this strange feeling that the Covid 19 virus was deliberately used as a means to conquer the world by reducing the number of people worldwide who would stand in the way of the takeover! There has even been some talk about when the vaccine for the virus is found people who have been given the vaccine will be required to have a chip inserted, something like the mark of the Devil during the end times.

I hope America is ready for the over throw of the government by radicals which began with the farce of an election. If this take over is successful we in America will truly know the pain people in other countries have felt for centuries as domineering radical groups take away our freedom by doing away with the democracy under which this country was formed. There will be no equality in any form; the middle class working people of this country will be paying for everything this group has promised to be free! The rich will get richer and the poor will stay poor, our health care will hit rock bottom, even lower than it was in the years from 2012 to 2016, when a would be dictator took control of the country!

The only way to survive is to return to the One who can truly save this nation, God! We need to keep our eyes open for the lies and turn our eyes to Christ, asking for His forgiveness, guidance and saving grace! Let’s all send Him an S.O.S!

TV Is My Shepherd

"The TV is my shepherd, my spiritual life shall want

It makes me to sit down and do nothing for 
the cause of Christ,

It demandeth my spare time, 

It restoreth my desire for the things of this world,

It keepeth me from studying the truth of God's Word,

It leadeth me in the path of failure to attend God's House,

Yes, though I live to be 100 I will fear no rental, 
my television is with me,

It's sound and vision comfort me,

It prepareth a program for me in the presence of my visitors,

It's volume shall always be full,

Surely comedy and commercials shall follow me 
all the days of my life,

And I will dwell in the house of spiritual poverty, forever."

By Pastor Randy Smith

The Perfect Way

As darkness descends we shall shine,

Your body for my folly,

Your grace for my mistakes,

Your blood as cleansing love,

Please sustain me through my time on earth.

Amen!

Author unknown

"A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney"

I don't believe in Santa Claus, but I'm not going to sue somebody for singing a Ho-Ho-Ho song in December. I don't agree with Darwin, but I didn't go out and hire a lawyer when my high school teacher taught his Theory of Evolution.

Life, liberty or your pursuit of happiness will not be endangered because someone says a 30-second prayer before a football game. So what's the big deal? It's not like somebody is up there reading the entire Book of Acts. They're just talking to a God they believe in and asking Him to grant safety to the players on the field and the fans going home from the game.

“But it's a Christian prayer” some will argue. Yes, and this is the United States of America, founded on Christian principles. According to our very own phone book, Christian churches outnumber all others better than 200-to-1. So what would you expect -- somebody chanting Hare Krishna?

If I went to a football game in Jerusalem, I would expect to hear a Jewish prayer.
If I went to a soccer game in Baghdad, I would expect to hear a Muslim prayer.
If I went to a ping pong match in China, I would expect to hear someone pray to Buddha.
And I wouldn't be offended. It wouldn't bother me one bit.
When in Rome ......

“But what about the atheists?” is another argument, what about them? Nobody is asking them to be baptized. We're not going to pass the collection plate. Just humor us for 30 seconds. If that's asking too much, bring a Walkman or a pair of earplugs. Go to the bathroom. Visit the concession stand. Call your lawyer!

Unfortunately, one or two will make that call. One or two will tell thousands what they can and cannot do. I don't think a short prayer at a football game is going to shake the world's foundations.

Christians are just sick and tired of turning the other cheek while our courts strip us of all our rights. Our parents and grandparents taught us to pray before eating, to pray before we go to sleep. Our Bible tells us to pray without ceasing. Now a handful of people and their lawyers are telling us to cease praying. God, help us. And if that last sentence offends you, well, just sue me.

The silent majority has been silent too long. It's time we tell that one or two who scream loud enough to be heard that the vast majority doesn't care what they want. It is time that the majority rules! It's time we tell them, "You don't have to pray; you don't have to say the Pledge of Allegiance; you don't have to believe in God or attend services that honor Him.”

That is your right, and we will honor your right. But by golly you are no longer going to take our rights away! We are fighting back and we WILL WIN!

God bless us one and all...God bless America! Despite all our faults we are still the greatest nation of all. God bless our service men who are fighting to protect our right to pray and worship God.

Let's make 2019/2020 the year the silent majority is heard, and we put God back as the foundation of our families and institutions and our military forces come home from all the wars.

Keep looking up. Amen!

Andy Rooney

Tattoo or not, that is the question!

In the bible there are many references as to how we should treat our bodies, in the Old Testament we see in Leviticus 19:28 “Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord.” We also see in Romans 12:1-2 “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will.” We also see in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.”

So, if the Bible clearly tells us not to tattoo or disfigure our bodies, that they are to be as living sacrifices and holy temples to God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, and to honor God with our bodies, why then do believers get tattoos and body piercings? If the Bible tells us our bodies are not our own, we were bought with a price, why do believers need body graffiti?

Is it that, they were tattooed or pierced prior to being saved and becoming a believer in Christ? If so, once saved and a believer, do they or should they, continue to add more and why? Nonbelievers have many reasons for their tattoos and piercing. My son has the seven deadly sins tattooed in different places on his body, so he can break them all; three of my four daughters have tattoos in memory of favorite pets and have strange piercings in their ears. The two youngest have also gotten their bellybuttons pierced. My niece, who has lived with us since she was a toddler, has tats all over her body. My two younger brothers both had tats, but I never got into that kind of stuff myself. The only thing I ever did was get my ears pierced.

So why do believers get tattoos or piecing after being saved? Or is it just a matter of one's own interpretation of the scriptures, and that this present body is only temporal and therefore its outward appearance is unimportant in God's overall plan for us. So they change their outward appearance just as they would clothing or hair, in an effort to feel comfortable and secure for the brief time they are on this earth, with the contention, that it's the mind and heart wherein the Spirit dwells, not the physical body. Therefore we are free to change our physical appearance, as long as the heart and mind remain focused on Christ.

This idea is brought up in Galatians 6:12-16 “Those who want to make a good impression outwardly are trying to compel you to be circumcised. The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ. Not even those who are circumcised obey the law, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your flesh. May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Neither circumcision nor un-circumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation. Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule, even to the Israel of God.”

So it all boils down to this; that I have unknowingly, stumbled onto the core of the problem during my rant, the main and foremost problem being my fascination with legalism. Something I was unaware of until one Sunday, when it was discussed in our adult Sunday school class. I had never even heard the words legalism or legalists used in reference to Christians or anything else for that matter. So somehow in my musings the Lord has answered my question, tattoos and piercings are of little importance. Philip Yancey writes "Jesus proclaimed unmistakably that God's law is so perfect and absolute that no one can achieve righteousness. Yet God's grace is so great that we do not have to. By striving to prove how much they deserve God's love, legalists miss the whole point of the gospel, that it's a gift from God to people who don't deserve it. The solution to sin is not to impose an ever-stricter code of behavior, it is to know God." Philip Yancey covers this in his book titled "What's so Amazing about Grace?"

So in the long run, there is but one way to God, through Jesus Christ and only through Him. There are many ways to Christ and he does not turn away any who seek Him. Once one has come to Him and entered into a personal relationship with God through Christ, the way will be made clear through reading and studying the Word of God or the Bible. So the outward appearance of a person matters little, if the heart is filled with the Spirit of Christ and it is manifested in one's behavior. 

When one is a legalist, one says there are certain requirements to worship God, and only the people who dress a certain way or follow certain rituals can gain access to God. But the problem with legalism is that it excludes the ones that need saving the most! Christ came to save and offer grace to all the undeserving! There are none that are truly deserving of all God has to offer. We are all sinners. Christ's message and death were for everyone, no strings attached! God's love and infinite grace are free for everyone! All one has to do, is to believe in Christ and accept it as fact.

So if in the end, we will have a heavenly body, then I guess it doesn't really matter what we do to our earthly bodies, within reason, some tattoos are graphic in nature and should be covered up at the very least. Sometimes alterations are for the better, such as the repairing of disfiguring features like a hare-lip or cleft palate and so many others. Other times, they are just to make us feel better about ourselves, such as face lifts or implants (there are so many kinds these days). Putting a million holes in and drawing pictures on our skin, seems like a petty thing to worry about, although I can't help but think that God wants more from us. If our earthly bodies are temples of God, shouldn't we take care of the outside as well?

So whether they are the remnants of a reckless youth or a midlife crisis, those bazaar etchings of flesh, meaningful or mindless, will be no more, when by the grace of God, we are given our heavenly bodies. They will fade along with scars, misshapen or missing parts and the ravages of diseases, as we are made whole again in body and mind. This is the hope to which we cling, as we find our way in this world.