Sunday, December 24, 2006
Christmas Eve Worship
My family and I will be leaving soon for a more Christmas-ish climate. So, I wanted to leave you with these:
The Magnificat“My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent empty away.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”Luke 1:46-55
Hail to the Lord's Anointed,
Great David's greater Son!
Hail, in the time appointed,
His reign on earth begun!
He comes to break oppression,
To set the captive free,
To take away transgression,
And rule in equity.
He comes with succor speedy
To those who suffer wrong;
To help the poor and needy,
And bid the weak be strong;
To give them songs for sighing,
Their darkness turn to light,
Whose souls, condemned and dying,
Were precious in his sight,
He shall come down like showers
Upon the fruitful earth;
And love, joy, hope, like flowers,
Spring in his path to birth;
Before him on the mountains
Shall peace, the herald, go;
And righteousness, in fountains,
From hill to valley flow.
O'er ev'ry foe victorious,
He on his throne shall rest,
From age to age more glorious,
All-blessing and all-blessed;
The tide of time shall never
His covenant remove;
His Name shall stand for ever—
That Name to us is Love.
Great David's greater Son!
Hail, in the time appointed,
His reign on earth begun!
He comes to break oppression,
To set the captive free,
To take away transgression,
And rule in equity.
He comes with succor speedy
To those who suffer wrong;
To help the poor and needy,
And bid the weak be strong;
To give them songs for sighing,
Their darkness turn to light,
Whose souls, condemned and dying,
Were precious in his sight,
He shall come down like showers
Upon the fruitful earth;
And love, joy, hope, like flowers,
Spring in his path to birth;
Before him on the mountains
Shall peace, the herald, go;
And righteousness, in fountains,
From hill to valley flow.
O'er ev'ry foe victorious,
He on his throne shall rest,
From age to age more glorious,
All-blessing and all-blessed;
The tide of time shall never
His covenant remove;
His Name shall stand for ever—
That Name to us is Love.
For to Us a Child Is BornThe people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
on them has light shined.
You have multiplied the nation;
you have increased its joy;
they rejoice before you
as with joy at the harvest,
as they are glad when they divide the spoil.
For the yoke of his burden,
and the staff for his shoulder,
the rod of his oppressor,
you have broken as on the day of Midian.
For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult
and every garment rolled in blood
will be burned as fuel for the fire.
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.Isaiah 9:2-7
Come, thou long-expected Jesus,
Born to set thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us;
Let us find our rest in thee.
Israel's strength and consolation,
Hope of all the earth thou art;
Dear Desire of ev'ry nation,
Joy of every longing heart.
Born thy people to deliver,
Born a child, and yet a King,
Born to reign in us for ever,
Now thy gracious kingdom bring.
By thine own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone;
By thine all-sufficient merit
Raise us to thy glorious throne.
Born to set thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us;
Let us find our rest in thee.
Israel's strength and consolation,
Hope of all the earth thou art;
Dear Desire of ev'ry nation,
Joy of every longing heart.
Born thy people to deliver,
Born a child, and yet a King,
Born to reign in us for ever,
Now thy gracious kingdom bring.
By thine own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone;
By thine all-sufficient merit
Raise us to thy glorious throne.
A City Not ForsakenOn your walls, O Jerusalem,
I have set watchmen;
all the day and all the night
they shall never be silent.
You who put the Lord in remembrance,
take no rest,
and give him no rest
until he establishes Jerusalem
and makes it a praise in the earth.
The Lord has sworn by his right hand
and by his mighty arm:
“I will not again give your grain
to be food for your enemies,
and foreigners shall not drink your wine
for which you have labored;
but those who garner it shall eat it
and praise the Lord,
and those who gather it shall drink it
in the courts of my sanctuary.”
Go through, go through the gates;
prepare the way for the people;
build up, build up the highway;
clear it of stones;
lift up a signal over the peoples.
Behold, the Lord has proclaimed
to the end of the earth:
Say to the daughter of Zion,
“Behold, your salvation comes;
behold, his reward is with him,
and his recompense before him.”
And they shall be called The Holy People,
The Redeemed of the Lord;
and you shall be called Sought Out,
A City Not Forsaken.Isaiah 62:6-12
Your God ReignsHow beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of him who brings good news,
who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness,
who publishes salvation,
who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”
The voice of your watchmen—they lift up their voice;
together they sing for joy;
for eye to eye they see
the return of the Lord to Zion.
Break forth together into singing,
you waste places of Jerusalem,
for the Lord has comforted his people;
he has redeemed Jerusalem.
The Lord has bared his holy arm
before the eyes of all the nations,
and all the ends of the earth shall see
the salvation of our God.Isaiah 52:7-10
Joy to the world! the Lord is come:
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare him room,
And heaven and nature sing.
Joy to the earth! the Saviour reigns:
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
Repeat the sounding joy.
No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make his blessings flow
Far as the curse is found.
He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of his righteousness,
And wonders of his love.
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare him room,
And heaven and nature sing.
Joy to the earth! the Saviour reigns:
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
Repeat the sounding joy.
No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make his blessings flow
Far as the curse is found.
He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of his righteousness,
And wonders of his love.
Monday, December 18, 2006
Good reminder
I was just out in the warehouse, and met one of my coworkers. He asked how I was doing, and I gave my usual response (a la Dave Ramsey), "Better than I deserve."
He said, "Yeah, that goes for both of us. I realized that this morning when I woke up. I know a lot of people didn't do that today."
As he walked away, he started singing a song. I didn't catch all of it, but one line stood out: "All of my good days outweigh my bad days."
That's worth remembering.
He said, "Yeah, that goes for both of us. I realized that this morning when I woke up. I know a lot of people didn't do that today."
As he walked away, he started singing a song. I didn't catch all of it, but one line stood out: "All of my good days outweigh my bad days."
That's worth remembering.
Scratch and Sniff
Ray Comfort's new children's book, Scratch & Sniff will be released January 15, 2007. The book follows the misadventures a cat named Scratch and a dog named Sniff as they explore Creation, and, of course, gives a gospel presentation children can easily understand. You can pre-order now at Amazon, just click the picture.
Hymn of the Week
Rejoice, ye pure in heart,
Rejoice, give thanks, and sing:
Your festal banner wave on high,
The cross of Christ your King.
Rejoice, rejoice,
Rejoice, give thanks and sing.
Bright youth and snow-crowned age,
Strong men and maidens meek,
Raise high your free, exulting song,
God's wondrous praises speak.
With all the angel choirs,
With all the saints on earth,
Pour out the strains of joy and bliss,
True rapture, noblest mirth!
Yes, on through life's long path,
Still chanting as ye go;
From youth to age, by night and day,
In gladness and in woe.
At last the march shall end,
The wearied ones shall rest,
The pilgrims find their Father's house,
Jerusalem the blest.
Then on, ye pure in heart,
Rejoice, give thanks, and sing;
Your glorious banner wave on high,
The cross of Christ your King.
Rejoice, give thanks, and sing:
Your festal banner wave on high,
The cross of Christ your King.
Rejoice, rejoice,
Rejoice, give thanks and sing.
Bright youth and snow-crowned age,
Strong men and maidens meek,
Raise high your free, exulting song,
God's wondrous praises speak.
With all the angel choirs,
With all the saints on earth,
Pour out the strains of joy and bliss,
True rapture, noblest mirth!
Yes, on through life's long path,
Still chanting as ye go;
From youth to age, by night and day,
In gladness and in woe.
At last the march shall end,
The wearied ones shall rest,
The pilgrims find their Father's house,
Jerusalem the blest.
Then on, ye pure in heart,
Rejoice, give thanks, and sing;
Your glorious banner wave on high,
The cross of Christ your King.
“Behold, God is my salvation;
I will trust, and will not be afraid;
for the Lord God is my strength and my song,
and he has become my salvation.”
With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. And you will say in that day:
“Give thanks to the Lord,
call upon his name,
make known his deeds among the peoples,
proclaim that his name is exalted.
“Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously;
let this be made known in all the earth.
Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion,
for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.”Isaiah 12:2-6
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Radiant pencils
I've been doodling again. Here's a piece I'm working on of my character Radiant.
Thursday, December 14, 2006
A Lantern is dimmed
Martin Nodell, creator of Green Lantern, passed away Tuesday. My family and I had the privilege to meet Mr. Nodell and his son at the Heroes Convention in Charlotte a couple years back. We really enjoyed talking with him, and he was very encouraging when I shared some of my own story ideas with him.
Not only did he create Green Lantern, he also created the Pillsbury Doughboy.
He will be missed.
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Hymn of the Week
Love Divine, all loves excelling,
Joy of heav'n, to earth come down:
Fix in us thy humble dwelling,
All thy faithful mercies crown:
Jesus, thou art all compassion,
Pure, unbounded love thou art;
Visit us with thy salvation,
Enter ev'ry trembling heart.
Breathe, O breathe thy loving Spirit
Into ev'ry troubled breast;
Let us all in thee inherit,
Let us find the promised rest:
Take away the love of sinning;
Alpha and Omega be;
End of faith, as its Beginning,
Set our hearts at liberty.
Come, Almighty to deliver,
Let us all thy life receive;
Suddenly return, and never,
Never more thy temples leave.
Thee we would be always blessing,
Serve thee as thy hosts above,
Pray, and praise thee, without ceasing,
Glory in thy perfect love.
Finish, then, thy new creation;
Pure and spotless let us be:
Let us see thy great salvation
Perfectly restored in thee;
Changed from glory into glory,
Till in heav'n we take our place,
Till we cast our crowns before thee,
Lost in wonder, love and praise.
Joy of heav'n, to earth come down:
Fix in us thy humble dwelling,
All thy faithful mercies crown:
Jesus, thou art all compassion,
Pure, unbounded love thou art;
Visit us with thy salvation,
Enter ev'ry trembling heart.
Breathe, O breathe thy loving Spirit
Into ev'ry troubled breast;
Let us all in thee inherit,
Let us find the promised rest:
Take away the love of sinning;
Alpha and Omega be;
End of faith, as its Beginning,
Set our hearts at liberty.
Come, Almighty to deliver,
Let us all thy life receive;
Suddenly return, and never,
Never more thy temples leave.
Thee we would be always blessing,
Serve thee as thy hosts above,
Pray, and praise thee, without ceasing,
Glory in thy perfect love.
Finish, then, thy new creation;
Pure and spotless let us be:
Let us see thy great salvation
Perfectly restored in thee;
Changed from glory into glory,
Till in heav'n we take our place,
Till we cast our crowns before thee,
Lost in wonder, love and praise.
Thursday, December 07, 2006
100,000th Bible sent through Bibles Unbound
When The Voice of the Martyrs launched Bibles Unbound in February, the initial goals were small: the staff just hoped for the day when VOM readers would send a few hundred Bibles each month.
Now only 9 months later, VOM is pleased to announce that the 100,000th New Testament was recently mailed through Bibles Unbound by Dr. Mike Earls of Beggs, OK. The Bible is on its way to Mohammad A. in Egypt.
View the entire article
Used by Permission The Voice of Martyrs www.persecution.com
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Not sure exactly how this fits in with the theme of "Growing Vertical", but my wife requested it so I'm glad to oblige. Here are my responses to the 20 questions:
1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Egg Nog, specifically Silk Egg Nog as I cannot have milk.
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? That's ridiculous. Everyone knows that the Elves wrap the presents. Santa just sits them under the tree.
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? I personally like the white lights, but I enjoy seeing the colored lights, too.
4. Do you hang mistletoe? I wear mistletoe.
5. When do you put your decorations up? Me? Put decorations up? I bring the decorations down from the attic, then I find a quiet place to pass out. When I recover, my wife already has the decorations up.
6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Everything on the menu.
7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child: I believe it was the year I was in Kindergarten, we got a real dumping of snow, which was exceedingly rare in the South. I remember my dad driving me out in his truck and I was so enthralled with how thick and white everything was. I think it was probably my first encounter with real snow.
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? Truth about Santa? What do you mean? I -- I don't understand...
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? If there are any left that I haven't already begged to open.
10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? I set it up, unfold the branches, and smile approvingly as my wife and children hang the ornaments. I do prefer a "natural" tree, mostly wooden ornaments, popcorn, etc.
11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? If I weren't a Christian, I'd worship it.
12. Can you ice skate? Yes, just not on my feet.
13. Do you remember your favorite gift? My wife. 'Nuff said.
14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? That we stop calling it the Holidays and call it Christmas again. Seriously though, getting together with family and fellowship over Christ.
15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? It would have to be Pumpkin Pie, or Pecan Pie, or I suppose a Cherry Pie, I suppose I should say whatever pie is being served.
16. What tops your tree? At the moment, a basketweave (?) angel.
17. Which do you prefer: giving or receiving? Giving, especially when I've got that perfect gift I know the person will love and not expect.
18. What is your favorite Christmas song? Favorite hymn would be "Joy to the World." As for the fun songs, I like "Christmas Bells (Snoopy & the Red Baron)", "Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth", and "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" by Springsteen.
19. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum? Depends. I like the soft candy canes. You can stick them in hot chocolate, the inside will melt and they work like a straw.
20. Favorite Holiday movie? "It's a Wonderful Life"
1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Egg Nog, specifically Silk Egg Nog as I cannot have milk.
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? That's ridiculous. Everyone knows that the Elves wrap the presents. Santa just sits them under the tree.
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? I personally like the white lights, but I enjoy seeing the colored lights, too.
4. Do you hang mistletoe? I wear mistletoe.
5. When do you put your decorations up? Me? Put decorations up? I bring the decorations down from the attic, then I find a quiet place to pass out. When I recover, my wife already has the decorations up.
6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Everything on the menu.
7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child: I believe it was the year I was in Kindergarten, we got a real dumping of snow, which was exceedingly rare in the South. I remember my dad driving me out in his truck and I was so enthralled with how thick and white everything was. I think it was probably my first encounter with real snow.
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? Truth about Santa? What do you mean? I -- I don't understand...
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? If there are any left that I haven't already begged to open.
10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? I set it up, unfold the branches, and smile approvingly as my wife and children hang the ornaments. I do prefer a "natural" tree, mostly wooden ornaments, popcorn, etc.
11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? If I weren't a Christian, I'd worship it.
12. Can you ice skate? Yes, just not on my feet.
13. Do you remember your favorite gift? My wife. 'Nuff said.
14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? That we stop calling it the Holidays and call it Christmas again. Seriously though, getting together with family and fellowship over Christ.
15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? It would have to be Pumpkin Pie, or Pecan Pie, or I suppose a Cherry Pie, I suppose I should say whatever pie is being served.
16. What tops your tree? At the moment, a basketweave (?) angel.
17. Which do you prefer: giving or receiving? Giving, especially when I've got that perfect gift I know the person will love and not expect.
18. What is your favorite Christmas song? Favorite hymn would be "Joy to the World." As for the fun songs, I like "Christmas Bells (Snoopy & the Red Baron)", "Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth", and "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" by Springsteen.
19. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum? Depends. I like the soft candy canes. You can stick them in hot chocolate, the inside will melt and they work like a straw.
20. Favorite Holiday movie? "It's a Wonderful Life"
Monday, December 04, 2006
The Righteous Branch
In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will dwell securely. And this is the name by which it will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’The yes to all of God's promises is in Christ.Jeremiah 33:15, 16
Here, we see Christ fulfilling God's covenant with David (2 Samuel 7). He "springs up" for David. He is from David, not a usurper. There were certainly unrighteous branches from David, but only Christ could be truly called a righteous Branch.
He "executes justice and righteousness in the land." Here is good government: he defends the innocent and punishes the guilty. He administers the Law.
And how do we, his subjects live? Are we miserable under this iron rule? "Judah will be saved." Note that it does not say Judah might be saved. Not Judah will be saved if they want. God does not leave our salvation to our fickleness and frailty. Judah will be saved. "Jerusalem will dwell securely." How do we live? We live in peace and happiness. Since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:1) For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. (Romans 14:17) And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7)
This peace is not always a physical peace, as our Lord said, "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)
"And this is the name by which it will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’" The Church will glory in the Lord her righteousness until she will become known by that title. And it is fitting that the bride should take her husband's name (Jeremiah 23:6).
Only in the Lord, it shall be said of me,God made Christ our wisdom and our righteousness and sanctification and redemption (1 Corinthians 1:30).
are righteousness and strength;Isaiah 45:24a
Through Christ, let us say Amen to God for his glory!
