Mary Did You Know?

It's a couple of days before Christmas and a few days ago I saw a status update with the lyrics of the song "Mary Did You Know" which has sparked this post. This song is very powerful and has made me think a lot about the birth of Christ. After much thinking it has made me curious to what Mary thought when she saw Jesus for the first time. This baby that was miraculously placed into her body was the son of God and the one who would eventually save her and everyone else from eternal damnation to a life in Hell. I know what it was like to hold my niece for the first time just a few minutes after she was born. To see that perfect being with no worries in the world come into a place with many worries and hardship is a surreal feeling of love and hope for her life. Jesus on the other hand was a perfect being not just the day he was born but throughout his earthly life. Jesus also had the weight of the world on his back even on His first day on earth. Looking back at the song mentioned earlier, I think it would be hard to parent a child who is our own Savior. How would you discipline a kid who is the son of the most high? Could you even tell Him no? I know these questions are not answerable and are ultimately rhetorical but I only ask these to spark thoughts in your mind. I also ask these questions so you can give thought to the reason for this Christmas season and not just go through the motions again this year. There is a chance this could be my last post before Christmas and if so I wish you all a very Merry Christmas. I hope all get to spend it with your love ones. I am happy and lucky enough to be around my whole family this year. I feel very blessed for this. Thank you all for reading and God Bless you throughout this Christmas season!!

“Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”” Luke 2:11-14 NIV

Eli's story: Ripped from the womb

I think you all will find this article very interesting and heartwarming. This young man is from my hometown and my high school. Enjoy everyone and God Bless!!

Eli's story: Ripped from the womb

Home for Christmas

This year has been different than those of my past. A few years back I thought I had it bad living 3 hours away from home and not being able to spend the whole Christmas season with my family. This year is much different. My parents asked me many times what I wanted and I told them different random things but honestly all I want is to be with them without having to worry about going back to work or being stressed about something pointless. I made a list for Santa (oh yeah I still believe)this year and the list could have been summed up with a simple phrase. All I want for Christmas is to be home!! I am happy to say I get to go home and be with my family and friends in two days. To say I'm excited is an understatement. The only thing I'm not looking forward to is the huge weather change from the 65 degrees we had today to the sub 30s. I'm still looking for reader participation. What are you looking forward to most this Christmas? Thanks again for reading and have a Blessed day

Proverbs 24 "19 Do not fret because of evildoers or be envious of the wicked, 20 for the evildoer has no future hope, and the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out."

Fun Friday

I want to start a tradition of blog posts on Friday to be fun and have a more relaxed reading. This Christmas season is full of fun and should be a great time of the year. One of my favorite movies of the season is Elf. This movie has a good mix of children and adult comedy but most of all it is enjoyable year after year. We all need to have an attitude like Buddy does in this movie toward how we treat others. He is friendly and loves everyone he comes into contact with. The world would be a different place if we treated others like this. Try it out this Christmas and give back to others in your life. Below is one of my favorite scenes in the movie so I hope you enjoy it. I would like to have more reader participation in this blog so I'm curious what is your favorite Christmas movie? and Why do you like this movie so much? Thank you for reading and God Bless

Proverbs 21:13-14, "13 Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor will also cry out and not be answered. 14 A gift given in secret soothes anger, and a bribe concealed in the cloak pacifies great wrath."

The Albert Pujols Departure

Tonight there are many thoughts going through my mind but the main one is of Albert Pujols. I am a die hard Cardinals fan and have been a fan of Mr. Pujols since his entrance into Major League Baseball. This departure from the Cardinals was at first hard to take and was actually saddening news. But after looking at the whole situation it is probably best he signed with the Angels especially for the amount of money they gave him. I have great respect for Albert and the Christian man that he is. I think he will use this money wisely and will be able to add to his foundation. Now with everyone who seemingly "Hates" him makes no sense at all. Facebook and Twitter exploded with people who call themselves fans but are bashing Albert. I think everyone needs to look at this deal in a much smaller term to understand. Say your boss offers you a promotion in a different city doing the same job but for a much greater amount of money. What do you do? Most people will take that new job especially if they want to get ahead in this world. A lot of people forget that baseball, although it is a sport, it is still a job for those who play and it is also a business. Teams like the Cardinals know their fiscal responsibilities and know how much they can afford and 250+ Million dollars over 10 years is way too much. The Cardinals will be successful this season and could possibly make it back to the World Series. Albert Pujols I thank you for your years of service with the Cardinals and I wish you 10 years of success with the Angels. I also hope you come back and retire in STL. Most importantly Albert please continue to be a man of God and lead people to Christ. All of the hype over baseball is only temporary and heaven is for eternity! It might be time for everyone to check their priorities and realize the only thing that really matters in this world is our Savior Jesus Christ. God Bless you all and thanks for reading. Proverbs 3:9-10 "9 Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; 10 then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine."

Actions speak louder than your Facebook status

Tonight as I look through Facebook status updates I realize how confused some people have it. I see updates with a real sentimental Bible verse or I get a text from them saying they went to church a couple of times on Sunday but when I look more into their lives I see different. It's like what you see on the outside is not who they really are when you do a little investigating. I don't mean to judge and know it's not in my right to judge peoples actions but it really bothers me when I see this. I know it ultimately comes down to them and God. I just hope some people change before its too late. Getting drunk every weekend is only hurting yourself and those who are around you. Remember you only get one chance at life. Don't waste it being intoxicated and remember when you die it's either Heaven or Hell and you don't get a redo. I want to live my life to glorify God and teach others about Him and want to save people from an eternity in Hell. After reading this my prayer is that you might take a deep look into your life and realize that maybe your actions are speaking louder than what your Facebook status is trying to portray. Remember a lot of people read your status but even more look at your pictures and the comments you put on other peoples pages. If you see you need to change your lifestyle please kneel before God and ask for forgiveness. He is with you and will greatly take your hand and heart and love you more than you have ever known. The Heaven's rejoice when a sinner is saved!! Have a great Tuesday everyone. Thank you for reading and God Bless. Also please feel free to comment and send my link to others to read. Proverbs 23:12 "Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge."

Friendship

Tonight I sit in my apartment I find sleep hard to do. It is about midnight and I am tired but my mind is saying otherwise. Instead of wasting all of my life and time being on Facebook I am going to make a personal goal to fill this time with either reading or writing. My life is too precious to spend it looking at the lives of other people. Don't get me wrong I like Facebook and think it is a great thing especially for those like me who live multiple hours from family and friends but it can overrun a persons life. When I ponder the thought of Facebook it reminds me of friendships. Are Facebook friends really friends? IMO some are friends but most of the others are people that you maybe had class with, played along with on a team, or maybe you just randomly. I hold my friends dear to my heart because after high school I lost of "friends" but gained many more close ones. To be a friend you must commit a part of your life to be part of their life. I try to text my friends as often as I can just to let them know I still care and think about them no matter how far away I might be. A close friend of mine gave me the suggestion of writing about friendship tonight and I was a little reluctant to start with for many reasons but I think looking into friendship is something we all should do throughout this Christmas season. We should shower our friends with love and Christmas joy. Our friends should know that even though physical distance could be hours that in reality we are just a quick phone call or Skype date away. (Yes guys can Skype date other guys) This certain friend of mine who suggested this topic of friendship tonight is one I hold dear to my heart and is sister in Christ. We met a few years back at church camp became really close friends then in a matter of weeks became quite distant. Now a college degree and a few years later we live multiple hours from our hometowns, family's, and friends but close to each other. I look back and never would have thought I would be this far from home but to realize that the girl I became close friends with would be in the same situation and in relatively the same part of the U.S. God's plan for our lives are in much greater detail than we could ever think of. God's greatness continues to amaze me everyday. Thank you to all of my friends for being there when I have needed you the most. I appreciate and love you all. Thank you for the idea to write about friendship. I honestly cherish our friendship and hope we can continue to become closer friends. As I wrap up this post I would like you to look at your friends and give them a shout out this week. Let them know you appreciate their love and kindness and also ask them if they need anything? I would also like you to look back on your life and see how and where God has blessed you. Thank you for reading and God Bless you throughout your week!! Proverbs 23:12 Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge.

Thanksgiving Thoughts

Today as I sit in class about Sport Marketing I have a lot of things other than what we are talking about on my mind. Just a thought that I have been thinking about has to do with Christmas trees. When you buy a "live" Christmas tree is it really alive? The tree has been cut down and when you buy it it does not include the roots. I know this might be weird to think about are the trees dead or alive? A good think to compare this to is when you get fresh flowers. They are still alive but cut from the roots and can only be maintained with water. On to further thoughts this class is discussing endorsements with professional athletes. This just sparks thoughts about what it would be like to get paid to wear a brand of clothing instead of paying to wear that product. I haven't looked much into the NBA lockout but when I hear of players complaining about money and not getting paid enough it really gets under my skin. There are kids and families in the U.S. who just went through Thanksgiving without a family meal or even food. This is hard to think about and consider but when you see the suffering first hand this instance becomes very real. This past Thanksgiving I was not able to go home and see my parents but I think this was God's way of opening my eyes to the real world. I was privileged enough to spend Thanksgiving with a couple young guys who would not have had a family meal without the graciousness of my sister. It really made the experience of giving thanks even more special than usual. I challenge you for this Christmas season to find a family or a person who will not enjoy this season as you will. Give your time and gifts to others to help make this year the best that person has ever experienced. Proverb of the day: "Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart." Proverbs 3:3 NIV Thank you for reading and have a great God filled day!!! -Chris-