huithiang!

IT HAPPENED ON A BROOKLYN SUBWAY

2024-03-20T23:57:00.001+05:30

by Paul Deutschman

There are two different explanations of what happened as the result of a subway ride taken by Hungarian-born Marcel Sternberger on the afternoon of January 10, 1948.

Some people will say that Sternberger ’s sudden impulse to visit a sick friend in Brooklyn - and the bright world of dramatic events that followed - was part of a string of lucky coincidences. Others will see the guiding hand of divine providence in everything that happened that day.

But whatever the explanation, here are the facts: Sternberger, a New York portrait photographer living in a Long Island suburb, has followed for years an unchanging routine in going from his home to his office on Fifth A venue.

A methodical man of nearly fifty, with bushy white hair, guileless brown eyes, and the bouncing enthusiasm of a czardas dancer of his native Hungary, he always took the 9:09 Long Island Railroad train from his suburban home to Woodside, New York, where he caught a subway into the city.

On the morning of January 10, 1948, Sternberger boarded the 9:09 as usual. En route, he suddenly decided to visit Laszlo Victor, a Hungarian friend who lived in Brooklyn and was ill.

At Ozone Park, Sternberger changed to the subway for Brooklyn, went to his friend’s house, and stayed until mid-afternoon. He then boarded a Manhattan-bound subway for his Fifth Avenue office. Here is Marcel’s incredible story:

The car was crowded, and there seemed to be no chance of a seat. But just as I entered, a man sitting by the door suddenly jumped up to leave, and I slipped into the empty place. I’ve been living in New York long enough not to start conversations with strangers. But being a photographer, I have the peculiar habit of analyzing people’s faces, and I was struck by the features of the passenger on my left. He was probably in his late thirties, and when he glanced up, his eyes seemed to have a hurt expression in them. He was reading a Hungarian-language newspaper, and something prompted me to say in Hungarian, “I hope you don’t mind if I glance at your paper.”

The man seemed surprised to be addressed in his native language. But he answered politely, “You may read it now. I’ll have time later on.”

During the half-hour ride to town, we had quite a conversation. He said his name was Bela Paskin. A law student when World War II started, he had been put into a German labor battalion and sent to the Ukraine. Later he was captured by the Russians and put to work burying the German dead. After the war, he covered hundreds of miles on foot until he reached his home in Debrecen, a large city in eastern Hungary.

I myself knew Debrecen quite well, and we talked about it for a while. Then he told me the rest of his story. When he went to the apartment once occupied by his father , mother, brothers, and sisters, he found strangers living there. Then he went upstairs to the apartment he and his wife once had. It also was occupied by strangers. None of them had ever heard of his family.

As he was leaving, full of sadness, a boy ran after him, calling “Paskin bacsi! Paskin bacsi!” That means “Uncle Paskin.” The child was the son of some old neighbors of his. He went to the boy’s home and talked to his parents. “Your whole family is dead,” they told him. “The Nazis took them and your wife to Auschwitz.”

Paskin gave up all hope. A few days later, too heartsick to remain any longer in Hungary, he set out again on foot, stealing across border after border until he reached Paris. He managed to immigrate to the United States in October 1947, just three months before I met him.

All the time he had been talking, I kept thinking that somehow his story seemed familiar. A young woman I had met recently at the home of friends had also been from Debrecen; she had been sent to Auschwitz; from there she had been transferred to work in a German munitions factory. Her relatives had been killed in the gas chambers. Later, she was liberated by the Americans and was brought here in the first boatload of displaced persons in 1946.

Her story had moved me so much that I had written down her address and phone number, intending to invite her to meet my family and thus help relieve the terrible emptiness in her life.

It seemed impossible that there could be any connection between these two people, but as I neared my station, I fumbled anxiously in my address book. I asked in what I hoped was a casual voice, “Was your wife’s name Marya?”

He turned pale. “Yes!” he answered. “How did you know?”

He looked as if he were about to faint.

I said, “Let’s get off the train.” I took him by the arm at the next station and led him to a phone booth. He stood there like a man in a trance while I dialed her phone number.

It seemed hours before Marya Paskin answered. (Later I learned her room was alongside the telephone, but she was in the habit of never answering it because she had so few friends and the calls were always for someone else. This time, however, there was no one else at home and, after letting it ring for a while, she responded.)

When I heard her voice at last, I told her who I was and asked her to describe her husband. She seemed surprised at the question, but gave me a description. Then I asked her where she had lived in Debrecen, and she told me the address.

Asking her to hold the line, I turned to Paskin and said, “Did you and your wife live on such-and-such a street?”

“Yes!” Bela exclaimed. He was white as a sheet and trembling.

“Try to be calm,” I urged him. “Something miraculous is about to happen to you. Here, take this telephone and talk to your wife!”

He nodded his head in mute bewilderment, his eyes bright with tears. He took the receiver, listened a moment to his wife’s voice, then suddenly cried, “This is Bela! This is Bela!” and he began to mumble hysterically. Seeing that the poor fellow was so excited he couldn’t talk coherently, I took the receiver from his shaking hands.

“Stay where you are,” I told Marya, who also sounded hysterical. “I am sending your husband to you. We will be there in a few minutes.”

Bela was crying like a baby and saying over and over again. “It is my wife. I go to my wife!”

At first I thought I had better accompany Paskin, lest the man should faint from excitement, but I decided this was a moment in which no strangers should intrude. Putting Paskin into a taxicab, I directed the driver to take him to Marya’s address, paid the fare, and said good-bye.

Bela Paskin’s reunion with his wife was a moment so poignant, so electric with suddenly released emotion, that afterward neither he nor Marya could recall much about it.

“I remember only that when I left the phone, I walked to the mirror as in a dream to see if maybe my hair had turned gray,” she said later. “The next thing I know, a taxi stops in front of the house, and it is my husband who comes toward me. Details I cannot remember; only this I know - that I was happy for the first time in many years.

“Even now it is difficult to believe that it happened. We have both suffered so much. I have almost lost the capability to not be afraid. Each time my husband goes from the house, I say to myself, Will anything happen to take him from me again?”

Her husband is confident that no horrible misfortune will ever again befall them. “Providence has brought us together,” he says simply. “It was meant to be.”

Skeptical persons will no doubt attribute the events of that memorable afternoon to mere chance. But was it chance that made Marcel Sternberger suddenly decide to visit his sick friend and hence take a subway line he had never ridden before? Was it chance that caused the man sitting by the door of the car to rush out just as Sternberger came in? Was it chance that caused Bela Paskin to be sitting beside Sternberger, reading a Hungarian newspaper?

Was it chance - or did God ride the Brooklyn subway that afternoon?

US STREET PREACHER ARRESTED IN LONDON SAYS SPEAKING TRUTH IS NOW A ‘HATE CRIME’

2021-08-08T17:19:00.001+05:30

After facing arrest and detention for preaching that homosexuality is a sin, an American evangelist is warning that “things are getting very bad” in the United Kingdom and other Western countries, suggesting that the situation has deteriorated to the point where they are “becoming communist.” Ryan Schiavo, who describes himself as an “evangelist and missionary,” was arrested in London on July 22 for preaching that homosexuality is a sin. While Schiavo is an American, he spends a considerable amount of time in London and frequently ministers to British youth and others gathered in the public square. In an interview with The Christian Post, Schiavo recounted the events leading up to his arrest and warned about its implications for free speech and freedom of religion in the U.K. and Western civilization as a whole. “I was preaching the Gospel on the streets as I frequently do, but it was about a 30-minute message, and in the course of a long message I can touch on many topics that I believe are pertinent,” he said. “At one point, I talked about the issue of homosexuality and transgenderism. I said that homosexuality is a sin; I talk about how it’s destructive, and the damage the transgender agenda is doing to children right now in the schools because it’s being pushed on children at a very young age here.” Read the full story here

Needed Problems

2021-08-02T20:08:00.004+05:30

Source: Unknown

Years ago, I wrote this aphorism: The messes in life are my best teachers; I don’t like them, but I need them. I could have called them problems, disruptions, adversities, or any other negative word.

I don’t like dealing with problems. I wish they didn’t interrupt my life, but I need them.

So do all of us.

We need them because the painful, unwanted, intrusive events in life push us to re-examine ourselves and to make changes. As long as we’re doing all right, we ignore the things we don’t like. It takes the heartaches and anguish to make us stop, ponder, and sometimes take action.

Before I can accept those unwanted motivations, I’ve learned to ask myself one question. “What's going on inside me that makes me need this problem?” If those hard times had no purpose, I’d probably fall into despair. Just to ask the question acknowledges that the situation is bigger than my new disruption.

Everyone won’t ask the question, and many don’t have the courage to listen for the answer. If we’re committed to growth, it’s a significant question, even if we don’t grasp the reason.

Here’s how I see this. My wise, loving God knows what I need to take the next forward step. By asking the question, I can make the most of those uninvited elements.

Even if I don’t get answers, I’ve stepped toward deeper understanding about life. I also know that I’m more open to embrace the adversities of life.

By seeking to understand the hard times, or at least to accept them as nudges toward maturity, I become stronger and more able to handle the next situation—and it will likely be worse.

by Cecil Murphey

The Parents' House

2021-06-05T20:59:00.000+05:30

www.countryliving.com

It's the only house where you can go to dozens of times without an invitation.

The only house where you can put the key in the door and enter directly.

The house that has loving eyes that stare at the door until they see you.

The house which reminds you of your care-free days, stability and your happiness during your chîldhood.

The house in which your presence and look at your mother’s and father’s faces is for you a bliss and your conversation with them is a reward.

The house that if you do not go, the hearts of its owners will shrink, and if you hurt them, they will be angry.

The house in which two candles were burnt to light up the world and fill your life with happiness and joy.

The house where the dining table is pure for you and has no hypocrisy.

The house that if the food time arrives and you don't eat, the hearts of its owners will be broken and annoyed.

The house that offers you all the laughs and happiness.

Oh children, find out the value of these houses before it's too late.

Lucky are those who have their parent’s house to go to!

40 WRESTLERS FOR CHRIST

2021-01-13T10:02:00.001+05:30

Image: vectorstock.com

In the days of Nero, the Emperor of Rome, there was a band of elite soldiers known as the “The Emperor’s Wrestlers.” These men were the best athletes in the Roman amphitheater, and the bravest soldiers in all of the Roman army. They wrestled for the Emperor against all who challenged them. Before each contest they would stand before the Emperor’s throne and cry out,“We, the wrestlers, wrestling for thee, O Emperor, to win for thee the victory and from thee the victor’s crown.”

One year, in mid-winter, there was a rebellion waged in Gaul (modern-day France), the Emperor sent for his wrestlers and told them to go to Gaul to end the war that was raging on. This brave group of wrestlers left Rome under the command of Vespasian.

While in Gaul rumors spread to Rome that many of the Emperor’s Wrestlers had become Christians. When news of this reached Nero, the Emperor, he sent a message to Vespasian, and made this decree; “If there be any among your soldiers who cling to the faith of the Christian, they must die!”

It was in the dead of winter that Vespasian received the message while his soldiers were camped beside a frozen lake in Gaul. Vespasian assembled his troops and asked, “Are there any among you who cling to the faith of the Christians? If so, let him step forward.”

Forty soldiers instantly stepped forward two paces, saluted and stood at attention. Vespasian was stunned! He had not expected any to step forward. Vespasian said, “Until sundown I shall give you time to recant and to deny your faith.”

At sundown the soldiers were again assembled together and Vespasian asked: “Who still clings to the Christian faith, even if it means death?”

Again 40 soldiers stepped forward and stood at attention. Vespasian pleaded with them to deny their faith, but not one soldier would deny Christ.

Vespasian did not want these men he loved, respected, who fought side to side together, die at the hands of their fellow wrestlers, so he had them strip naked. Vespasian reluctantly said, “The decree of the Emperor must be obeyed, so you shall stand out on the frozen lake, exposed to the elements until you freeze to death. Should you recant and deny Christ, the fire will remain burning on shore, and by returning to the shelter of the fire, you will be denouncing Christ and you shall live.”

The forty soldiers stripped off their clothing, fell into four columns of ten each, and marched towards the center of the frozen lake to their death. But as they marched onto the ice, they chanted, “Forty wrestlers, wrestling for thee O Christ, to win for thee the victory and from thee the victor’s crown.”

All night long Vespasian stood by his campfire and watched those forty brave wrestlers out on the ice as they slowly succumbed to the elements. As they grew weaker and weaker, their chanting grew fainter and fainter, “Forty wrestlers, wrestling for thee O Christ, to win of thee the victory and from thee the victor’s crown.”

As morning drew near, one wrestler, no longer able to stand the freezing cold, walked off the ice and came to the edge of the fire, renouncing Christ. Vespasian could hear faintly from the frozen lake, “Thirty-nine wrestlers, wrestling for thee O Christ, to win for thee the victory and from thee the victor’s crown.”

Vespasian, standing by the fire all night, was thinking. As he stood there God touched his heart. Vespasian slowly removed his cloak, helmet and armor and calmly walked down upon the frozen lake to join his men, and as he walked, he chanted:

“Forty wrestlers, wrestling for thee O Christ, to win for thee the victory and from thee the victor’s crown.”

Author Unknown

Touched My Heart

2020-12-10T16:26:00.000+05:30

In a telephone interview, the radio announcer asked his guest, a millionaire, "What made you happiest in life?"

The millionaire said: I have gone through four stages of happiness in life and finally I understood the meaning of true happiness.

The first stage was to accumulate wealth and means. But at this stage I did not get the happiness I wanted.

Then came the second stage of collecting valuables and items. But I realized that the effect of this thing is also temporary and the lustre of valuable things does not last long.

Then came the third stage of getting big projects. Like buying a football team, buying a tourist resort, etc. But even here I did not get the happiness I had imagined.

The fourth time a friend of mine asked me to buy a wheelchair for some disabled children. At a friend's request, I immediately bought a wheelchair. But the friend insisted that I go with him and hand over the wheelchairs to the children. I got ready and went with it.

There I gave these chairs to these children with my own hands. I saw the strange glow of happiness on the faces of these children. I saw them all sitting on chairs, moving around and having fun. It was as if they had arrived at a picnic spot.

But I felt real joy when I started to leave and one of the kids grabbed my leg. I gently tried to free my legs but the child stared at my face and held my legs tightly. I bent down and asked the child: Do you need anything else? The answer that this child gave me not only made me happy but also changed my life completely.

This child said: "I want to remember your face so that when I meet you in heaven, I will be able to recognize you and thank you once again" I realised that touching people's lives brings the ultimate joy. It leaves an impact on both lives theirs and yours.

Which stage of joy are you now?

God Without Man

2020-09-28T23:56:00.001+05:30

Courtesy: www.gulfbreezerecovery.com

When God wanted to create fish, He spoke to the sea.

When God wanted to create trees, He spoke to the earth.

But when God wanted to create man, He turned to Himself.

Then God said: "Let us make man in our image and in our likeness."

If you take a fish out of the water it will die; and when you remove a tree from soil, it will also die. Likewise, when man is disconnected from God, he dies. God is our natural environment. We were created to live in His presence. We have to be connected to Him because it is only in Him that life exists.

Let's stay connected to God. We recall that water without fish is still water but fish without water is nothing.

The soil without tree is still soil but the tree without soil is nothing. God without man is still God but man without God is nothing.

(Author Unknown)

A Modern 23rd Psalm by Halley Low

2020-03-25T14:33:00.001+05:30

The television is my shepherd, I shall not want.
It makes me to lie down on the sofa,
It leads me to mindless waters,
It destroys my soul;
It guides me in the paths of immorality
For the sponsor's sake.

Yet, though I walk in the shadows of my
Christian responsibilities,
I fear no distractions
For the wide screen television mesmerizes me;
Its cable and remote,
They comfort me.
It prepares endless commercials before me
In the presence of my carnality;
It anoints my head with consumerism;
My coveting overflows.

Surely laziness and greed shall follow me
All the days of my life,
And I shall dwell in the vacuum
Of television land forever.

In Every Language

2019-12-02T12:22:00.000+05:30

Source: Unknown

He is born, the divine Christ child.
Play on the oboe and bagpipes merrily.
He is born, the divine Christ child.
Sing we all of the Saviour’s birth.
Through long ages of the past,
Prophets have foretold his coming;
Through long ages of the past,
Now the time has come at last.

Some carols are hard to pin down, and that is part of their charm! Once upon a time there was a popular “hunting tune” in the region of Normandy. It was already an old composition when it first appeared in print in 1862. To that tune some unknown wordsmith added the lyrics to “Il Est Ne, Le Divin Enfant,” and the completed carol made its debut in Noêls Anciens fourteen years later.

However, there are many versions of the lyrics, and without an author’s signature, none of them can be proven to be the original.

In one version the birth of Christ is celebrated with oboes and bagpipes. In another the instruments are the oboe and the musette. “Gaily resounding pipe and drum” accompany the Nativity in a third version, and a fourth has the oboe vying with the bagpipes for the honor of proclaiming the birth.

The time we have waited for this momentous event might be “long ages of the past” or “four thousand years.”

Some versions mention the manger, the shepherds, and the star, while others focus more on what His blessed birth means to the world.

The hymn is sung at different tempos and with varying lyrics all across the world. There is even rumored to be a Native American version sung by the Mohawk people.

The heart of the hymn, whether it is “Il Est Ne, Le Divin Enfant,” or “He Is Born, the Divine Christ Child,” or (in Mohawk) “Rotonni Niio Roienha,” remains one of rejoicing that Christ was born for us.

This tremendous variety wrapped around the same essential message reflects well the people who sing it. Human beings come in a variety of shapes and sizes, using many different languages, but the central theme running through all those hearts is one of yearning for God.

So grab your bagpipes, oboes, pipes, drums, or whatever your instrument of choice is, and make a joyous noise because that divine Christ child—He is born for everyone!

Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. EPHESIANS 5:19

(From Silent Night: The Stories Behind 40 Beloved Christmas Carols, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc. Used by permission)

He is born, the divine Christ Child;
play the oboe and bagpipes merrily!
He is born, the divine Christ Child;
sing we all of the Savior mild.

1 Through long ages of the past,
prophets have foretold His coming;
through long ages of the past,
now the time has come at last!

2 O how lovely, oh,O how pure
is this perfect Child of heaven;
O how lovely, O how pure,
gracious gift to human-kind!

3 Jesus, Lord of all the world,
coming as a Child among us;
Jesus, Lord of all the world,
grant to us Thy heavenly peace.

DO YOU KNOW?
23 days in a calendar year equals to:
- 1,987,200 seconds
- 33,120 minutes
- 552 hours
- 3 weeks and 2 days
- 6.30% of 2019

The Spirit of Christmas Quotes

2019-12-02T04:00:00.000+05:30

Source: Unknown

I WILL HONOR Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.

-Charles Dickens

REMEMBER, IF Christmas isn’t found in your heart, you won’t find it under a tree.

-Charlotte Carpenter

FOR CENTURIES men have kept an appointment with Christmas. Christmas means fellowship, feasting, giving and receiving, a time of good cheer, home.

-William Jewett Tucker

CHRISTMAS GIFT suggestions: To your enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance. To a friend, your heart. To a customer, service. To all, charity. To every child, a good example. To yourself, respect.

-Oren Arnold

CHRISTMAS IS the gentlest, loveliest festival of the revolving year - and yet, for all that, when it speaks, its voice has strong authority.

-W.J. Cameron

I TRULY BELIEVE that if we keep telling the Christmas story, singing the Christmas songs, and living the Christmas spirit, we can bring joy and happiness and peace to this world.

-Norman Vincent Peale

PEACE ON earth and mercy mild are still possible. On Christmas Eve, all things are possible.

-Gregg Easterbrook

CHRISTMAS IS a season not only of rejoicing but of reflection.

-Winston Churchill

THE WAY you spend Christmas is far more important than how much.

-Henry David Thoreau

THE THING about Christmas is that it almost doesn’t matter what mood you’re in or what kind of a year you’ve had; it’s a fresh start.

-Kelly Clarkson

I HEARD THE bells on Christmas Day. Their old, familiar carols play, and wild and sweet the words repeat of peace on earth, good-will to men!

-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

CHRISTMAS IS not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas.

-Calvin Coolidge

STARS OF heaven, clear and bright, shine upon this Christmas light, vaster far than midnight skies are its timeless mysteries.

-Timothy Dudley-Smith

FRESHLY CUT Christmas trees smelling of stars and snow and pine resin - inhale deeply and fill your soul with wintry night.

-John J. Geddes

THE GREAT majority of people will go on observing forms that cannot be explained; they will keep Christmas Day with Christmas gifts and Christmas benedictions; they will continue to do it; and some day suddenly wake up and discover why.

-G.K. Chesterton

MY IDEA of Christmas, whether old-fashioned or modern, is very simple: loving others. Come to think of it, why do we have to wait for Christmas to do that?

-Bob Hope

CHRISTMAS IS here, merry old Christmas, gift-bearing Christmas, day of grand memories, king of the year!

-Washington Irving

HOW, THE essence, the very spirit of Christmas is that we first make believe a thing is so, and lo, it presently turns out to be so.

-Stephen Leacock

DON’T LET the past steal your present. This is the message of Christmas: We are never alone.

-Taylor Caldwell

HAVE YOU any old grudges you would like to pay, any wrongs laid up from a bygone day? -Gather them now and lay them away when Christmas comes. Hard thoughts are heavy to carry, my friend, and life is short from beginning to end; be kind to yourself, leave nothing to mend when Christmas comes.

-William Haines Lytle

CHRISTMAS IS not in tinsel and lights and outward show. The secret lies in an inner glow. It’s lighting a fire inside the heart. Good will and joy a vital part. It’s higher thought and a greater plan. It’s glorious dream in the soul of man.

-Wilferd Peterson

THERE IS no ideal Christmas; only the one Christmas you decide to make as a reflection of your values, desires, affections, traditions.

-Bill Mckibben

CHRISTMAS IS not just a day, an event to be observed and speedily forgotten. It is a spirit which should permeate every part of our lives.

-William Parks

PEACE ON earth will come to stay, when we live Christmas every day.

-Helen Steiner Rice

CHRISTMAS WAVES a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.

-Norman Vincent Peale

THE SPIRIT of Christmas is - and hopefully always will be - about good will and generosity to others, and peace on earth.

-Nick Rahall

CHRISTMAS IS not a date. It is a state of mind.

-Mary Ellen Chase

CHRISTMAS IS the day that holds all time together.

-Alexander Smith

I SOMETIMES THINK we expect too much of Christmas Day. We try to crowd into it the long arrears of kindliness and humanity of the whole year. As for me, I like to take my Christmas a little at a time, all through the year.

-Ray Stannard Baker

LET NO pleasure tempt thee, no profit allure thee, no persuasion move thee, to do anything which thou knowest to be evil; so shalt thou always live jollity; for a good conscience is a continual Christmas.

-Benjamin Franklin

AT CHRISTMAS play and make good cheer, for Christmas comes but once a year.

-Thomas Tusser

CHRISTMAS! THE very word brings joy to our hearts.

-Joan Winmill Brown

BLESSED IS the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love.

-Hamilton Wright Mabie

ISN’T IT funny that at Christmas something in you gets so lonely for - I don’t know what exactly, but it’s something that you don’t mind so much not having at other times.

-Kate Langley Bosher

MAY YOU have the gladness of Christmas which is hope; the spirit of Christmas which is peace; the heart of Christmas which is love.

-Ada V. Hendricks

THE CHRISTMAS spirit – love - changes hearts and lives.

-Pat Boone

BLESSED IS the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love. It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air.

-William Thomas Ellis

CHRISTMAS AND the holidays are the season of giving. It’s a time when people are more kind and open-hearted.

-Gisele Bundchen

CHRISTMAS IS a kindling of new fires.

-Gladys Taber

Inspiring Christmas Quotes

2019-12-01T05:00:00.000+05:30

Source: Unknown

LET US remember that the Christmas heart is a giving heart, a wide-open heart that thinks of others first.

-George Matthew Adams

UNLESS WE make Christmas an occasion to share our blessings, all the snow in Alaska won’t make it “white.”

-Bing Crosby

THE JOY that you give to others is the joy that comes back to you.

-John Greenleaf Whittier

CHRISTMAS IS more than a time of music, merriment and mirth; it is a season of meditation, mangers and miracles. Christmas is more than a time of carols, cards and candy; it is a season of dedication and decision.

-William Arthur Ward

THE GREATEST thing is not to believe in Santa Claus; it is to be Santa Claus.

-Pat Boone

CHRISTMAS IS the season for kindling the fire of hospitality in the hall, the genial flame of charity in the heart.

-Washington Irving

CHRISTMAS DAY is a day of joy and charity. May God make you very rich in both.

-Phillips Brooks

I LOVE THE Christmas-tide, and yet, I notice this, each year I live; I always like the gifts I get, but how I love the gifts I give!

-Carolyn Wells

CHRISTMAS MEANS “giving,” and the gift without the giver is bare. Give of yourselves; give of your substance; give of your heart and mind.

-Gordon B Hinckley

THE MANNER of giving is worth more than the gift.

-Pierre Corneille

CHRISTMAS IS most truly Christmas when we celebrate it by giving the light of love to those who need it most.

-Ruth Carter Stapleton

CHRISTMAS HAS a way of bringing out the best in everyone.

-Bing Crosby

THE EXCELLENCE of a gift lies in its appropriateness rather than in its value.

-Charles Dudley Warner

CHRISTMAS, MY child, is love in action. Every time we love, every time we give, it’s Christmas.

-Dale Evans

I LOVE EVERYTHING about the holidays: the decorations, the parties, and spending time with friends and family. What I love most is that feeling of giving back. Every bit counts.

-Brad Goreski

TO CELEBRATE the heart of Christmas is to forget ourselves in the service of others.

-Henry C. Link

THE CHRISTMAS spirit is the spirit of those who, like their Master, live their whole lives on the principle of making themselves poor - spending and being spent - to enrich their fellow humans, giving time, trouble, care and concern, to do good to others - and not just their own friends - in whatever way there seems need.

-J.I. Packer

PRESENTS ARE made for the pleasure of who gives them, not the merits of who receives them.

-Carlos Ruiz Zafon

CHRISTMAS IS doing a little something extra for someone.

-Charles M. Schulz

EVERY GIFT which is given, even though it be small, is in reality great, if it is given with affection.

-Pindar

THE JOY of brightening other lives, bearing each other’s burdens, easing other’s loads and supplanting empty hearts and lives with generous gifts becomes for us the magic of Christmas.

-William Carey Jones

CHRISTMAS IS a necessity. There has to be at least one day of the year to remind us that we’re here for something else besides ourselves.

-Eric Sevareid

A HOLIDAY GIVES one a chance to look backward and forward; to reset oneself by an inner compass.

-May Sarton

The Once, Present & Future King

2019-11-22T08:30:00.000+05:30

In the little village of Bethlehem,
There lay a Child one day,
And the sky was bright with a holy light
O’er the place where Jesus lay.
Alleluia! O how the angels sang!
Alleluia! How it rang!
And the sky was bright with a holy light;
‘Twas the birthday of a King.

How many kings have lived and died in the history of humankind? How many could you name? Countless kings have been welcomed into the world with processions, bands, and celebrations, only to have their reign end up as a footnote in an obscure history book or, worse, forgotten altogether.

A few of them might have been born in circumstances as humble as those of Jesus. Some of those would achieve great things. David was a shepherd boy who went on to have a long and glorious reign, but he knew his kingdom was a precursor to a greater one to come.

According to the terms by which we usually measure kings, Jesus achieved very little, but we still celebrate His birthday two thousand years later! Of course, He was a king before He was born and returned to a kingdom greater than any earthly empire after His death. His reign had, and will have, an eternal impact on the world.

In “The Birthday of a King,” a song possibly written for children, William Harold Neidlinger explains the Nativity in the simplest of terms: The child was born and the angels sang because this child was, after all, a King unlike any other. The second, and last, verse is dedicated to how much God gave the world that day and the “perfect, holy way” Christ left behind.

We can visit historic castles and battlefields and pretend we are walking in the footsteps of some historic ruler, but we truly walk in Christ’s footsteps, following that “perfect, holy way,” each time we pray or hold out a helping hand in the name of Jesus.

Some more charitable monarchs give alms to the poor on their birthday. Christ’s whole life was a gift - not just to the poor but to everyone who believes in Him.

He has had more than two thousand birthdays, and He’s not finished yet. Now there’s a King worth worshipping and a birthday worth celebrating!

And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. MATTHEW 10:7

(From Silent Night: The Stories Behind 40 Beloved Christmas Carols, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc. Used by permission)

In the little village of Bethlehem,
There lay a Child one day,
And the sky was bright with a holy light
O'er the place where Jesus lay.

Alleluia! O how the angels sang.
Alleluia! How it rang!
And the sky was bright with a holy light,
'Twas the birthday of a King.

'Twas a humble birth-place, but O how much
God gave to us that day,
From the manger bed what a path has led,
What a perfect, holy way.

DO YOU KNOW?
33 days in a calendar year equals to one month and 3 days, or to be more specific:
- 2,851,200 seconds
- 47,520 minutes
- 792 hours
- 4 weeks and 5 days
- 9.04% of 2019

Gossip Poisons Relationships

2019-11-21T09:50:00.000+05:30

Credit: manrepeller.com

It is not only tempting to complain about circumstances; it is also tempting to talk about people. And this can be even more harmful. Did you ever witness mean girl drama as a teenager? I certainly did. In fact, one high school memory is still vividly etched in my mind even after all these years.

The routine was the same every day. Each morning I would see Jacinta in the hallway, and she would stop, smile, and hug me. “You look sooo pretty today!” she always said, as though on cue, with the same voice inflection and sing-songy cadence to her words. We would exchange pleasantries, and they were always oozing with compliments and kind words. Before we would depart to our homerooms, she would hug me again, squeeze my hand, and walk away. I craved her validation, but deep inside I knew that the exchanges were forced and fake.

Every few nights she would call me and tell me how wonderful I was and how glad she was to be my friend. On one such evening, her phone clicked while we were chatting. Someone was calling her. “Hold on, Kim. Someone is calling. Let me tell them I will call them back.”

I heard a click, and then Jacinta’s voice again. “Oh, my God! Guess who I am talking to? It is Kim. She drives me sooo crazy. She is always calling me and following me around. I am sooo tired of her copying me.”

I felt like I had been punched in the gut. Tears immediately filled my eyes. I was frozen, unable to speak.

“Hello? Are you there? Let me call you back after I get rid of her.”

“Hey,” I finally said.

Silence. Then the line went dead. I can only assume she panicked and hung up after she realized that she had said everything to me instead of someone else.

Ring … ring … She tried to call again, but I turned off my ringer and cried myself to sleep. I was a junior in high school the night that happened, and I still remember how Jacinta made me feel small, insignificant, and manipulated. Since then, I have met many manipulators like Jacinta, and I am sure that you have, too. Now that I am wiser, I do not tolerate manipulation. My students will tell you that the one way to see my wrath is to be mean to someone else. I simply cannot and will not allow it.

But there are adults who are like Jacinta, too. Adults who manipulate, gossip, bully, and hurt those around them. Some adults never progress beyond that teenage mindset. And for some reason, we still crave their validation, just like I wanted Jacinta to be my friend even though I knew deep inside that she was not a good person.

I am not proud to admit it, but I, too, have given in to the temptation of gossiping in the past. But as I have grown wiser, I have realized that there is never a good time and place for it, and now I strive to avoid it at all costs. Why take pleasure in someone else’s pain? Why use words to tear down instead of to build up? Also, be wary of those who gossip in your presence. After all, if your coworkers gossip to you, they also gossip about you when you aren’t around. Don’t get caught in that kind of a web.

If your coworkers gossip to you, they also gossip about you when you aren’t around.

Many years ago, I had a class of girls who were especially drawn to middle school drama. I loved these little girls fiercely, but I knew that I had to squash their constant whispering and gossiping; it was unhealthy and hurtful. I decided to find a way to rearrange the schedule so that I could meet alone with them.

I spoke to the girls about the power of their words and shared how people who talk about others usually do so because either they are insecure or jealous. The girls opened up and admitted that they had been unkind, even cruel to one another because of petty jealousies. There were many tears as they apologized to one another. But I wanted this conversation to be one they wouldn’t soon forget, so I came prepared with a way to illustrate my point.

I placed a clear plastic cup containing light vegetable oil at each girl’s desk. I asked the girls to describe the qualities of the oil.

It is smooth.

Watch how it flows!

Mine is really clear.

It is helpful and makes things run better.

Next, I pulled out some red vinegar. I told the girls how their unkind words are like that vinegar, sour and acidic. As I spoke, I shook a few dots of it into their cups of oil. Then, I told them to gently shake their cups one time. The red dots multiplied. I said that every time they gossiped, it was like shaking that cup; their unkindness was multiplied exponentially. I told them to shake the cups again, and they gasped as one or two red dots quickly turned into dozens of them.

“What can we learn from this?” I asked.

“Don’t be vinegar!” said Shaylene.

“Exactly!” I replied.

And that was all that was needed. The girls kept each other in check for the rest of the year. Whenever a girl started to gossip, one of her classmates would inevitably say, “Don’t be vinegar!” and that was that.

Adults can be just as guilty of that same type of gossip, and the effects can be just as detrimental and hurtful. What do you do if someone is speaking unkindly behind your back? Even so-called friends like Jacinta can turn on us with their words. If that happens to you, first try to find out the source of that person’s complaint against you. Use the six principles to have a meaningful conversation with him or her. But if the person doesn’t stop with the gossip, separate yourself. Who needs friends like that?

(From Talk to Me: Find the Right Words to Inspire, Encourage, and Get Things Done

by Kim Bearden, published July 16th 2018 by Dave Burgess Consulting, Incorporated. Used by permission)

Be the Example

2019-11-20T21:19:00.000+05:30

Source: Unknown

One of the most phenomenal women I have ever known was a coworker of mine named Mona. I worked closely with Mona for nine years. In nine years, I never heard her gossip once. Not one single time. Whenever you left the room, you knew that the only reason Mona would speak your name would be if it was to say something kind or complimentary. Mona’s beautiful spirit and exemplary character had a profound effect upon the climate and culture of our entire school because everyone loved and admired this woman so very much. Her goodness made us all want to be better; everyone wanted to be like Mona. She radiated joy and kindness, and the ripple effect was immeasurable.

You must exude that which you hope to create. If you want to work in a place where coworkers positively seek solutions for challenges instead of complain about them, you must model that. If you want to be in an environment where others uplift, support, and care for others, you must demonstrate those behaviors.

If you want to be in an environment where others uplift, support, and care for others, you must demonstrate those behaviors.

If you are a leader, it is pretty much guaranteed that at some point, your employees will talk about you or a decision that you did or did not make. In some cases, you just have to let it go and know that it comes with the territory; however, if one toxic employee is continually gossiping and spreading negativity, your best course of action is to confront that person. Here’s what that might sound like:

I appreciate you taking the time to meet with me. I wanted to talk with you because I get the impression that you are not happy with the way I have handled some things, and I want to give you the opportunity to share your thoughts.

Can we talk? My intuition is telling me that perhaps you have negative feelings toward me, and I would love to have the opportunity to clear things up.

In some cases, this will lead to a wonderful dialogue if you follow the six principles. In other cases, the employee will deny everything and act like you are his or her favorite person on the planet, but at least you have let the employee know that you are aware of what they are doing. This usually dissuades the person from gossiping so much in the future.

Let your words be used to solve problems, offer suggestions, and help others. Use your speech to edify, uplift, and support. Be a driving force that inspires kindness.

(From Talk to Me: Find the Right Words to Inspire, Encourage, and Get Things Done

by Kim Bearden, published July 16th 2018 by Dave Burgess Consulting, Incorporated. Used by permission)

Complaining Doesn’t Improve Things

2019-11-20T09:34:00.005+05:30

Source: Unknown

Like all humans, I am tempted to complain. But when I am, I often think about those nurses. Even on the days when nothing is going right, we have reasons to be grateful. When my daughter Madison was a teenager and went through typical teen angst, I would say, “Tell me the one good thing about today.” If you have a propensity to complain, ask yourself the same thing. If you start by focusing on what is good, you will be surprised how the good usually far outweighs the bad.

Social media can be a wonderful outlet for support if you are frustrated or overwhelmed, but be mindful how you post. Cryptic complaints are rarely cryptic. If you have an issue with work, think before you slam your organization for the whole world to see it. If someone has upset you, talk to the person directly.

Attention-Seeking Post

I hate my life. I cannot do this another day if certain people do not step up and do their jobs and support me.

Appropriate Post for Support

I have had a challenging year as I adjust to my new position. Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers! If you have felt like I do and have some words of wisdom, please send them my way!

Attention-Seeking Post

How are you gonna do that to me and think you are gonna get away with it? You know who you are.

Appropriate Post

(Don’t post this publicly. Contact the person directly.) I would love to talk with you about some issues that have weighed heavily upon my heart. Do you have time for a call or for a cup of coffee?

Be mindful that once your words are out there, they are out there forever. Nothing is truly private. If you wouldn’t want your boss, your co-workers, your students, your children, your family, your friends, or anyone else to see it, don’t post it.

(From Talk to Me: Find the Right Words to Inspire, Encourage, and Get Things Done

by Kim Bearden, published July 16th 2018 by Dave Burgess Consulting, Incorporated. Used by permission)

The Greatest Mystery

2019-11-20T09:12:00.000+05:30

Source: Unknown

Infant holy, Infant lowly,

For His bed a cattle stall.

Oxen lowing, little knowing

Christ, the Babe, is Lord of all.

Swift are winging angels singing,

Noels ringing, tidings bringing:

Christ, the Babe, is Lord of all!

Infant Holy, Infant Lowly” sums up the contrasts in the life of Jesus Christ. How could He be both?

Originally a Polish hymn called “W Zlobie Lezy” or “He Lies in a Cradle,” it was the work of Piotr Skarga, a sixteenth-century Jesuit priest. A man of contrasts himself, he founded a college, a pawnshop, and a bank, all for the aid of the poor, but still managed to be a major force in Poland’s political history.

The music for the hymn reached England long before the text did, being attached to several other songs. It took a war to finally unite the music with an English version of Skarga’s words. Two years after the end of World War I, perhaps influenced by the songs of displaced Poles, Edith Margaret Gellibrand Reed turned “W Zlobie Lezy” into “Infant Holy, Infant Lowly.”

Edith Reed was a traveler and editor of music magazines. She also wrote mystery (or miracle) plays about the birth of Christ, exploring the “mystery” of God becoming man. The similarity between the plays and the hymn may have been what inspired her to work on the translation.

“Infant Holy, Infant Lowly” leaves listeners in no doubt that even though this child was born in the lowest of circumstances, He was still, mysteriously and miraculously, “the Lord of all.” The Creator became part of His very own creation. And even though He came to save the whole world—well, He isn’t going to do that in a straightforward way either. With the salvation of humankind as His holy mission, He, mysteriously and miraculously, has one lowly human as His priority. As the song says in its last line, “Christ the Babe was born for you.”

And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. LUKE 1:35

(From Silent Night: The Stories Behind 40 Beloved Christmas Carols, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc. Used by permission)

Infant holy, Infant lowly,

For His bed a cattle stall;

Oxen lowing, little knowing

Christ the babe is Lord of all.

Swift are winging, angels singing,

Noels ringing, tidings bringing:

Christ the babe is Lord of all.

Flocks are sleeping, shepherds keeping

Vigil till the morning new;

Saw the glory, heard the story,

Tidings of a gospel true.

Thus rejoicing, free from sorrow;

Praises voicing, greet the morrow:

Christ the babe was born for you.

Stars are gleaming, shepherds dreaming,

Oh, the night was dark and chill;

Angels' story, manger glory:

Shepherds heard it on the hill.

Ah, that singing! hear it ringing,

Earthward winging, praises bringing:

Christ the babe was born for you.

DO YOU KNOW?

There’s only 35 days left for Christmas - 35 days in a calendar year equals to one month and 5 days, or to be more specific:

- 3,024,000 seconds

- 50,400 minutes

- 840 hours

- 5 weeks

- 9.59% of 2019

Home to Glory

2019-11-17T14:52:00.000+05:30

Source: Unknown

38 DAYS TO CHRISTMAS...

Angels from the realms of glory,

Wing your flight o’er all the earth.

Ye who sang creation’s story,

Now proclaim Messiah’s birth.

Come and worship. Come and worship.

Worship Christ, the newborn King.

James Montgomery, author of “Angels, from the Realms of Glory,” was a gentle man, but he didn’t shirk from criticizing the status quo if he thought there was a better way. In a gentle dig at popular hymn writers, he suggested they often started off with a good idea but wandered on from there until they lost sight of their original intention.

Montgomery, on the other hand, liked to find a powerful theme and stick with it. The idea that God would come to earth through Jesus Christ struck him as an awesome one, well worth rejoicing over. He left the theme for one stanza only, to tell what this miracle meant to humankind. Repentant sinners, he said, had been set free. Mercy had broken their chains.

An orphan boy who eventually became a newspaper owner, Montgomery found himself in chains more than once. His views on poverty, social conditions, and slavery earned him two spells of imprisonment in York Castle. Undaunted, he would go on to champion many causes that bettered the plight of the ordinary man and woman.

His earthly reward, for his reforms, his poetry, and his hymns, would eventually come in the form of a royal pension.

Asked which of his works would survive him, he replied in a way that clearly showed his priorities. “None, sir. Nothing except, perhaps, a few of my hymns.” “Angels, from the Realms of Glory” is still sung all across the English-speaking world, more than a century and a half after his death.

Growing up without a family may have brought Montgomery closer to the realms of charity. Spending his childhood with no place to call home may have brought him closer to the realms of eternity. The day after completing his four hundredth hymn, at age eighty-three, he went to his real home and his heavenly family.

The angels must have rejoiced in the realms of glory when James Montgomery arrived.

Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts. Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light. PSALM 148:2–3

(From Silent Night: The Stories Behind 40 Beloved Christmas Carols, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc. Used by permission)

1. Angels, from the realms of glory,

Wing your flight o’er all the earth;

Ye who sang creation’s story,

Now proclaim Messiah’s birth.

Come and worship,

Worship Christ, the newborn King!

2. Shepherds, in the fields abiding,

Watching o’er your flocks by night,

God with man is now residing;

Yonder shines the infant Light.

Come and worship,

Worship Christ, the newborn King!

3. Sages, leave your contemplations;

Brighter visions beam afar;

Seek the great Desire of Nations;

Ye have seen his natal star.

Come and worship,

Worship Christ, the newborn King!

4. Saints, before the altar bending,

Watching long in hope and fear,

Suddenly, the Lord descending,

In his temple shall appear.

Come and worship,

Worship Christ, the newborn King!

DO YOU KNOW?

38 days in a calendar year equals to one month and 8 days, or to be more specific:

- 3,283,200 seconds

- 54,720 minutes

- 912 hours

- 5 weeks and 3 days

- 10.41% of 2019

A Lullaby to the World

2019-11-16T14:36:00.000+05:30

Courtesy: shutterstock.com

Still, still, still

One can hear the falling snow.

For all is hushed,

The world is sleeping,

Holy Star its vigil keeping.

Still, still, still,

One can hear the falling snow.

Still, Still, Still” is one of the most relaxing Christmas carols. Lacking the traditional verse and chorus format, it repeats the first word of each verse three times in a gently hypnotic fashion. The melody rises and falls like soft breathing, so it’s no great wonder that “Still, Still, Still” was often used as a lullaby to soothe children to sleep.

As with many traditional songs, its origins are lost in time—and it is even difficult to find a definitive version of the lyrics. It was first sung in Austrian villages prior to 1819, and it spread by word of mouth with mothers and fathers singing it to their children as they remembered it,

adapting it here and there.

By 1819 the lyrics had become attached to “The Salzburg Melody,” and written copies were circulated. Variations in the words still persisted, but the differences really made no difference. The themes of rest, comfort, and reassurance shine through regardless of which version is sung. The song, seemingly sung by a mother to her child, might just as easily have been crooned by a loving God to a fretful humankind.

The snow is falling on Christmas Eve (the carol tells us), and nothing need disturb our sleep. God’s angels are attentive and His love is all encompassing. He is sending His Son to be born for our sake, and when we wake in the morning, everything will be different. Our problems will have a solution. Adam’s fall will be redeemed.

So sleep and don’t worry. God has it all in hand.

A beautiful and comforting promise - one we are reminded of every Christmas.

Overly simplistic, perhaps? Well, of course, it isn’t as easy as all that; we still have our very important part to play. We have to allow ourselves to be loved.

So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, Hold your peace, for the day is holy; neither be ye grieved. NEHEMIAH 8:11

(From Silent Night: The Stories Behind 40 Beloved Christmas Carols, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc. Used by permission)

Still, still, still,

One can hear the falling snow.

For all is hushed,

The world is sleeping,

Holy Star it's vigil keeping.

Still, still, still,

One can hear the falling snow.

Sleep, sleep, sleep,

'Tis the eve of our Saviour's birth.

The night is peaceful all around you,

Close your eyes,

Let sleep surround you.

Sleep, sleep, sleep,

'Tis the eve of our Saviour's birth.

DO YOU KNOW?

39 days in a calendar year equals to one month and 9 days, or to be more specific:

- 3,369,600 seconds

- 56,160 minutes

- 936 hours

- 5 weeks and 4 days

- 10.68% of 2019

God and the Watchmen

2019-11-15T14:04:00.000+05:30

Photo Credit: Unknown

God rest ye merry, gentlemen;

Let nothing you dismay.

Remember Christ, our Savior,

Was born on Christmas day,

To save us all from Satan’s pow’r

When we were gone astray.

O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy!

O tidings of comfort and joy!

Surprisingly, there are no “merry gentlemen” in this Christmas carol - unless we count the fellows doing the singing! All being well, the gentlemen referred to would have been in nightshirts and nightcaps and sound asleep. The comma between “merry” and “gentlemen” suggests it’s their rest that should be merry, not the gentlemen!

The authors of this song of redemption are unknown, but tradition has it they were watchmen, paid extra by the local burghers to guard the town over the Christmas period. Their job usually would have involved patrolling the nighttime streets with a lamp. They would announce the time on the hour, following that with a reassuring “And all’s well!” At some point though, perhaps overcome by the Christmas spirit, they seem to have started singing!

Reminding their cozy patrons that they were saved through Christ, the watchmen also encouraged those listening to love each other in Christian brotherhood. All hearing their song should entrust their night’s rest to God, and the knowledge of Satan’s inevitable defeat should be enough to

make that rest a merry one.

Surprisingly in such a happy song, Satan is mentioned twice, but the presence of his name does nothing to lessen the overwhelming “tidings of comfort and joy!”

The tune may have been brought to the English West Country by French merchants, but the lyrics were born on the streets of an unknown English town in the fifteenth century. The publication, in 1833, of Christmas Carols Ancient and Modern brought them to a wider audience.

In taking the news of Christ’s birth out into the frosty street with a joyful song, those unknown believers may well have been the world’s first Christmas carolers. If the watchmen could have foreseen how popular caroling would become, they probably would have been very merry gentlemen indeed!

Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of all his wondrous works. 1 CHRONICLES 16:9

(From Silent Night: The Stories Behind 40 Beloved Christmas Carols, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc. Used by permission)

1. God rest ye merry, gentlemen,

Let nothing you dismay;

Remember Christ, our Saviour,

Was born on Christmas Day,

To save us all from Satan’s pow’r

When we were gone a-stray:

O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy;

O tidings of comfort and joy.

2. In Bethlehem in Jewry

This blessed Babe was born,

And laid within a manger

Upon this blessed morn;

The which His mother, Mary,

Did nothing take in scorn:

O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy;

O tidings of comfort and joy.

3. From God, our heav’nly Father,

A blessed angel came,

And unto certain shepherds

Brought tidings of the same,

How that in Bethlehem was born

The Son of God by name:

O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy;

O tidings of comfort and joy.

4. “Fear not,” then said the angel,

“Let nothing you affright,

This day is born a Saviour,

Of virtue, pow’r and might;

So frequently to vanquish all

The friends of Satan quite”:

O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy;

O tidings of comfort and joy.

5. The shepherds at those tidings

Rejoiced much in mind,

And left their flocks a-feeding,

In tempest, storm and wind,

And went to Bethlehem straightway

This blessed Babe to find:

O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy;

O tidings of comfort and joy.

6. But when to Bethlehem they came,

Whereat this Infant lay,

They found Him in a manger,

Where oxen feed on hay;

His mother, Mary, kneeling,

Unto the Lord did pray:

O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy;

O tidings of comfort and joy.

7. Now to the Lord sing praises,

All you within this place,

And with true love and brotherhood

Each other now embrace;

This holy tide of Christmas

All others doth deface:

O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy;

O tidings of comfort and joy.

DO YOU KNOW?

40 days in a calendar year equals to one month and 10 days, or to be more specific:

- 3,456,000 seconds

- 57,600 minutes

- 960 hours

- 5 weeks and 5 days

- 10.96% of 2019

You Forgot My Soul

2019-08-04T00:24:00.000+05:30

You lived next door to me for years;
We shared our dreams, our joys and tears.
A friend to me you were indeed,
A friend who helped me when in need.

My faith in you was strong and sure.
We had such trust as should endure.
No “words” between us could impose;
Our friends were like – and so, our foes.

What sadness, then, my friend, to find
That, after all, you weren’t so kind;
The day my life on earth did end,
I found you weren’t a faithful friend.

For all those years we spent on earth,
You never talked of second birth.
You never spoke of my lost soul
And of the Christ Who’d make me whole.

I’m lost today eternally
And tell you now my earnest plea.
You cannot do a thing for me –
No words today my bonds will free.

But – do not err, my friend, again –
Do all you can for souls of men.
Plead now with them quite earnestly,
Lest they be cast in hell with me.

Author Unknown

Tell Those Who Don't Know

2019-07-06T00:20:00.000+05:30

The story is told of a Christian college where the preacher students took turns speaking in chapel every Thursday. There was one freshman preacher student, though, who had avoided the dreaded task of preaching at chapel long enough that it came to the attention of the Chapel Master. The following conversation ensued:

"I'm scheduling you to preach at chapel next Thursday."

"Oh, please. I'll do anything. I'll write a paper, do extra homework assignments, even clean the toilets. Just please don't make me speak in public yet."

"You are not getting out of this, and there will be no excuses."

Thursday rolled around and, with desperately quaking knees, the young student stood up to preach, and asked, "Do you know what I'm going to say?" Everyone shook their heads no. "Neither do I. Go in peace."

The Chapel Master was really angry. "That is not acceptable. You are right back on the schedule for next Thursday, and this time you will preach, and it will be an example of diligent preparation, and there will be no excuses."

Thursday rolled around and, with yet more quaking, the young man stood up to preach and asked, "Do you know what I'm going to say?" Everybody nodded their heads yes. "Good. Go in peace."

The Chapel Master was absolutely outraged. "There will be no more of these shenanigans. You will preach the word of God next Thursday. You will not fail, or you will be removed from school immediately."

Thursday rolled around and, barely able to stand, the student got up to preach and asked, "Do you know what I'm going to say?"

Some shook their heads no; others nodded their heads yes.

"Good. Those who know, please tell those who don't. Go in peace."

Not a bad summary of the Great Commission and our task of evangelism. Those who know ought to tell those who don't.

"And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, 'All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.' " (Matthew 28:18-20).

If you are among those who know about the gospel, share it today with someone who doesn't.

Learning Life's Lesson

2019-07-06T00:18:00.000+05:30

In that place between wakefulness and dreams, I found myself in the room. There were no distinguishing features except the one wall covered with small index cards files. They were like the ones in libraries that list titles by author or subject in alphabetical order. But these files, which stretched from floor to ceiling and seemingly endlessly in either direction, had very different readings.

As I drew near the wall of files, the first to catch my attention was one that read "Girls I Have Liked." I opened it and began flipping through the cards. I quickly shut it, shocked to realize that I recognized the names written on each one. And then, without being told, I knew exactly where I was.

This lifeless room with its small files was a crude catalog system for my life. Here were written the actions of my every moment, big and small, in a detail my memory couldn't match.

A sense of wonder and curiosity, coupled with horror, stirred within me as I began randomly opening files and exploring their content. Some brought joy and sweet memories; others a sense of shame and regret so intense that I would look over my shoulder to see if anyone was watching.

A file named "Friends" was next to one marked "Friends I have Betrayed." The titles ranged from the mundane to the outright weird. "Books I Have Read," "Lies I have Told," "Comfort I Have Given," "Jokes I Have Laughed At," Some were almost hilarious in their exactness: "Things I Have Yelled at My Brothers." Others I couldn't laugh at: "Things I Have Done In My Anger," "Things I Have Muttered Under My Breath At My Parents."

I never ceased to be surprised by the contents. Often there were many more cards than I expected. Sometimes fewer than I'd hoped. I was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of the life I had lived. Could it be possible that I had the time in my 20 years to write each of these thousands or even millions of cards? But each card confirmed this truth. Each was written in my own handwriting and was signed with my own signature. When I pulled out the file marked "Songs I have Listened To," I realized the files grew to contain their contents. The cards were packed tightly, and yet after two or three yards, I hadn't found the end of the file. I shut it, shamed, not so much by the quality of the music, but more by the vast amount of time I knew that file represented.

When I came to a file marked "Lustful Thoughts," I felt a chill run through my body. I pulled the file out only an inch, not willing to test its size, and drew out a card. I shuddered at its detailed content. I felt sick to think that such a moment had been recorded. An almost animal rage broke on me.

One thought dominated my mind: "No one must ever see these cards! No one must ever see this room! I have to destroy them." In an insane frenzy, I yanked the file out. Its size didn't matter now. I had to empty and burn the cards. But as I took it at one end and began pounding it on the floor, I couldn't dislodge a single card. I became desperate and pulled out a card, only to find it as strong as steel when I tried to tear it.

Defeated and utterly helpless, I returned the file to its slot. Leaning my forehead against the wall, I let out a long, self-pitying sigh. And then I saw it. The title bore "People I have Shared The Gospel With." The handle was brighter than those around it, newer, almost unused. I pulled its handle and a small box not more than three inches long fell into my hands. I could count the cards it contained on one hand. And then the tears came. I began to weep.

Sobs, so deep, that the hurt started in my stomach, and shook through me. I fell on my knees and cried. I cried out of shame, from the overwhelming shame of it all. The rows of file shelves swirled in my tear-filled eyes. No one must ever know of this room. I must lock it up and hide the key.

But then as I pushed away the tears, I saw Him. No, please not Him. Not here. Oh, anyone but Jesus. I watched helplessly as he began opening the files and read the cards. I couldn't bear to watch His response. And in the moments I could bring myself to look at His face, I saw a sorrow deeper than my own. He seemed to intuitively go to the worst boxes. Why did He have to read every one? Finally He turned and looked at me from across the room. He looked at me with pity in His eyes. But this was a pity that didn't anger me. I dropped my head, covered my face with my hands and began to cry again. He walked over to me and put His arm around me. He could have said so many things.

But He didn't say a word. He just cried with me. Then He got up and walked back to the wall of files. Starting at one end of the room, He took out a file and one by one, began to sign His name over mine on each card.

"No!" I shouted rushing to Him. All I could find to say was, "No, no," as I pulled the card from Him. His name shouldn't be on these cards. But there it was, written in red so rich, so dark, so alive. The name of Jesus covered mine. It was written with His blood.

He gently took the card back. He smiled a sad smile and began to sign the cards. I don't think I'll ever understand how He did it so quickly, but the next instant it seemed I heard Him close the last file and walk back to my side. He placed His hand on my shoulder and said, "It is finished." I stood up and He led me out of the room.

There was no lock on its door. There were still cards to be written.

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Phil. 4:13

"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." John 3:16

When I Lay My Isaac Down by Carol J. Kent

2019-07-04T20:59:00.001+05:30

What would you do if God called you to completely entrust your son or daughter to Him? God used Isaac to test Abraham’s faith in Genesis 22. How will you respond if He pushes your faith to the brink of falling apart? Carol Kent’s life changed forever when her twenty-five year old son, a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and a lieutenant in the navy with an impeccable military record, shot and killed his wife’s ex-husband. For the first time, Carol Kent tells her heartbreaking story and opens her heart to share priceless lessons on choosing hope over despair.

Change the way you think about personal challenges. Sometimes we make sacrifices to help us get ahead, to allow us more time with family, or because we believe in the cause. And then there are sacrifices in which we have no say— “Isaac experiences” as in Genesis 22— thrust upon us without warning or survival instructions.

Join author and speaker Carol Kent as she shares her personal story of unshakable faith in unthinkable circumstances in this interactive curriculum. This teaching companion to the best-selling book When I Lay My Isaac Down comes with everything you need for facilitating life-changing small-group discussions or leading a soul-transforming retreat.

Carol and Gene Kent’s son is in prison. When I Lay My Isaac Down tells their story and shares the transformational principles they learned about forgiveness and faith.

Dealing with her anger, grief, and shame, Carol could have given up. Instead she tells a highly personal, heartbreaking, and uplifting story that will bolster your faith. Updated and revised, this edition contains a new chapter about what God has taught Carol since her son’s imprisonment.

Buy the Book Visit Carol's Website

Only the Strong by Cec Murphey

2019-07-01T22:26:00.000+05:30

Courtesy: ebay.com

After Jerry Sandusky was convicted of molesting boys at Penn State and sentenced, a reporter asked one of his supporters how Sandusky was doing.

“Staying strong,” he said.

About a year ago, I heard the shocking news that a writer I know well, and who was also a professor of a midwestern university, had molested females. He had tenure and “retired” so the university didn’t have to set up legal proceedings.

When interviewed, he said, “It was all a matter of misunderstanding between us.”

I point out these two examples to make my point: both men stood strong.

Or did they?

Although my dad was a functional alcoholic, he was also a man of principle. Here are two things he instilled in me: (1) “A man’s word is his bond,” and (2) “only the strong can admit mistakes.”

Only the strong? I recently read an online article that said, in effect, the weak can’t admit mistakes. They blame others, point fingers, or make excuses, but they’re unable to acknowledge their own failures and weaknesses.

The author pointed out that to admit wrongdoing causes a crack in their defensive walls. And once the crack appears, they can’t hold the structure from complete collapse.

Sad, isn’t it? Not only that, but they can’t experience the sense of being forgiven by God or by others. I write that because if they can’t admit failure (as in sin or wrongdoing), how can they accept divine forgiveness?

In the past, when I admitted I was wrong, I felt weak and often worthless. Perhaps that’s what’s needed to arrive at inner cleansing.

(Taken from Cec Murphey monthly newsletter)

What Does Love Mean?

2019-06-30T09:23:00.001+05:30

Courtesy: pixabay.com

A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, "What does love mean?" The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you think:

"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all even when his hands got arthritis, too. That's Love."
Rebecca - age 8

When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth."
Billy - age 4

"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other."
Karl - age 5

"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French Fries without making them give you any of theirs."
Chrissy - age 6

"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired."
Terri - age 4

"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK."
Danny - age 7

"Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss."
Emily - age 8

"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen."
Bobby - age 7

"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate."
Nikka - age 6

"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears iteveryday."
Noelle - age 7

"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well."
Tommy - age 6

"During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore."
Cindy - age 8

"My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night."
Clare - age 6

"Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken."
Elaine-age 5

"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford."
Chris - age 7

"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day."
Mary Ann - age 4

"I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her oldclothes and has to go out and buy new ones."
Lauren - age 4

"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you"
Karen - age 7

"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross."
Mark - age 6

"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget."
Jessica - age 8

And the final one - author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child. The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there.

When his Mother asked him what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, "Nothing, I just helped him cry."