The Christmas Story

I put this story together a couple years ago to tell my children the story of the birth of Jesus in a language they could understand. We read this story every Christmas Eve. Feel free to pass it along.

Send me your comments. Joe

AJA Press

Creation Museum

We visited the Creation Museum today, and the kids had a great time. Even more than Natural History Museums, everyone should visit the Creation Museum. There's nothing more natural than the Truth.

Isaiah, Moses, and David

Cain and Abel

The Tomb Is Empty

The Serpent

Methusaleh

Noah

Noah's Ark

And, yes, dinosaurs.

15 "Look at the behemoth,

which I made along with you

and which feeds on grass like an ox.

16 What strength he has in his loins,

what power in the muscles of his belly!

17 His tail sways like a cedar;

the sinews of his thighs are close-knit.

18 His bones are tubes of bronze,

his limbs like rods of iron.

JOB 40:15-18

Send me your comments.

Joe

AJA Press

Walking With God Part 3

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Walking With God Part 3

SOAP {Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer}:
| ABOUT SOAP

Giving Up Socnets For Lent

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Giving Up Socnets For Lent

It's a bit late, maybe, but I decided yesterday (after posting one update to Twitter, Facebook, et. al.) to give up online social networking for Lent. I'm not Catholic, and I don't usually do this Lent thing. But I do want to grow ever closer to my Creator and Savior, and that's what Lent is all about; eliminating a source of distraction in your life and shifting that focus to God.

Twitter, Facebook, and the myriad other social networking sites (including newcomer Google Buzz) can certainly be a source of great distraction. So, other than some already set up automated processes like blog posts being added to my feeds, etc., I will not be updating any of the social media outlets until after Lent (Easter Sunday). I will not be reading the feeds, catching the Tweets, or following the Buzz. I will, instead, be pushing myself to shift the time I would have spent on social networking toward enriching my relationship with the Creator of all things.

Starting now, as I dig back into the book of Job; yet another great man who walked with God. Watch for a new SOAP entry about him here soon.

Send me your thoughts.

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Book Review: God's Little Princess Devotional Bible by Sheila Walsh

One of the most difficult things for parents who are trying to raise their children to serve God can be finding a Biblical text that young ones can understand. Having children aged six and three, this has been a challenge -- until recently.

God's Little Princess Devotional Bible: Bible Storybook, though not the Bible word for word, verse for verse, is Biblical in context. With every couple of pages focusing on one key lesson from the Bible and highlighting key "Heroes" and "Bible Princesses," God's Little Princess Devotional Bible: Bible Storybook has proven to be exactly what we needed for our three-year-old daughter who is obsessed with Princesses.

God's Little Princess Devotional Bible: Bible Storybook includes such things as memory verses, tips on how to be truly beautiful (on the inside, not just the surface), and the all-important (for little girls) focus on girls and women of the Bible who made a difference. There are activities for a parent to do with the child, including singing and role plays, and special sections that focus on how God wants us to love one another (the most important commandment of all).

Each book of the Bible is broken down into two to four pages of insight and activity, making it the perfect bedtime devotional for every little Princess. It has truly been an answer to prayer, as our little Princess looks forward to her devotional every night so much that if she misses it she is disappointed. And best of all: it gives Daddy a little special time with his little girl!

There will be that time when every child needs his or her first "real" Bible, but there's no need to wait until then to start teaching them the Bible. With God's Little Princess Devotional Bible: Bible Storybook, you can get a head start on setting your little Princess on the right path right now.

Send me your comments. Joe

AJA Press

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”


Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Book Review: Living Life In The Zone by Kyle Rote Jr. and Dr. Joe Pettigrew

It's a New Year, and time for New Years Resolutions. Right? Well, no. Normally, I don't make resolutions. It prevents me from failing to keep them. Instead, I make commitments. Not resolutions. Not things that I will do EVERYDAY, but rather things that I hope to get done during the year. Last year, I committed to read through the Bible, and I did. Sure I missed some days, but I actually finished the reading nearly a week early.

This year, I have committed to expand my Bible study beyond just reading the Bible, into doing something a little more -- involved. Enter Kyle Rote Jr. and Dr. Joe Pettigrew with their 40-day devotional, Living Life in the Zone: A 40-Day Spiritual Gameplan for Men. I received the book from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their Book Review Bloggers Program and began it immediately. Like many Christian devotional books, Living Life in the Zone: A 40-Day Spiritual Gameplan for Men follows a 40-day plan, calling on the Biblical significance of a forty day period (see Noah, et. al.). But Rote and Pettigrew do something that I haven't found in many of the devotional guides and Bibles that I've researched -- they tailor their devotional to the life of a man.

Calling on their vast experience of working with the men of professional sports as part of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Rote and Pettigrew present the life of a man in terms that men can understand. They cover topics such as living a healthy Christian life at work, loving an imperfect woman, dealing with daily stress, and even the oft-taboo topic of improving your sex life from the perspective of a Christian man. I have tried to carve time out of my day every day to spend a little time in the Word under the tutelage of Rote and Pettigrew, and found deep insight into things that I have just taken for granted for years. By spending just fifteen minutes a day pondering the thoughts and words of such pro sports greats as Roger Staubach, Joe Gibbs, John Wooden, and Coach Tony Dungy, I've found myself trying to live more like the man God wants me to be.

It's only a 40-day devotional, and won't require a major commitment on your part to get through this little book. But it just might cause you to make some major commitments you hadn't considered before.

Send me your comments. Joe

AJA Press

Disclosure(s) of Material Connection:

Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Thankful Thanksgiving!

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6

Thanksgiving should be something we practice many times a day. But on this day set aside for the purpose of being thankful, for what are you thankful?

Today, I am especially thankful for five things (and not necessarily in this order):

That our girl Maddy is no longer suffering
That our children are happy and healthy
That my work has begun to return to a semblance of normal
For seven wonderful years with my beautiful wife
That my family believes and worships a graceful God

More thoughts on Thanksgiving below the video.



Psalm 69:30
Psalm 95:2
Psalm 100:4
Jonah 2:9
2 Corinthians 4:15
2 Corinthians 9:11
Ephesians 5:4
Philippians 1:3
Psalm 28:7


Your comments?

Joe

AJA Press

Luck -v- The Grace of God

There are some things in life that we only get one chance at. Some call it fate, some call it luck, I call it the Grace of God. Seven years ago today, I became the luckiest man alive when the woman pictured here became my wife. We've had some great times together, and our share of bumps together, but one thing is certain: I love her with every fiber of my being, and even though I may not be the best at showing it sometimes, I still count myself the luckiest man in the world.


Here are some other people who got lucky in their own way. Somehow, I still don't envy them. Compared to the grace that God showed me seven years ago (and every day since), these guys just experienced blind luck.


Direct video link.

Your comments?

Joe

AJA Press

The Joe Show 94 - Simple Worship 2

Average Joe Radio presents

The Joe Show
featuring
Average Joe American

Episode Ninety Four: Simple Worship 2

Featuring songs from Scot Longyear's new album,
Simple Worship 2, as well as from his first album, Simple Worship.

from Simple Worship | Soul Believe

from Simple Worship 2 | Tired

from Simple Worship 2 | Lost

from Simple Worship 2 | On Your Mind

from Simple Worship 2 | More

from Simple Worship | His Eye Is On The Sparrow

Catch Scot's first interview, plus more great music, on Episode 25.


Direct video link.

Phone: (317) 644-6129
Email Feedback: joe@averagejoeamerican.us

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Maddy's Cancer Battle

SOAP: How Great Is Our God!

SOAP {Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer}:

FOR TODAY'S FULL READING, CLICK THE TITLE LINK ABOVE | ABOUT SOAP

SCRIPTURE
5:6-8 Christ arrives right on time to make this happen. He didn't, and doesn't, wait for us to get ready. He presented himself for this sacrificial death when we were far too weak and rebellious to do anything to get ourselves ready. And even if we hadn't been so weak, we wouldn't have known what to do anyway. We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, and we can understand how someone good and noble could inspire us to selfless sacrifice. But God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him.

18-19 Here it is in a nutshell: Just as one person did it wrong and got us in all this trouble with sin and death, another person did it right and got us out of it. But more than just getting us out of trouble, he got us into life! One man said no to God and put many people in the wrong; one man said yes to God and put many in the right.

6:3-5 That's what baptism into the life of Jesus means. When we are lowered into the water, it is like the burial of Jesus; when we are raised up out of the water, it is like the resurrection of Jesus. Each of us is raised into a light-filled world by our Father so that we can see where we're going in our new grace-sovereign country.

12-14 That means you must not give sin a vote in the way you conduct your lives. Don't give it the time of day. Don't even run little errands that are connected with that old way of life. Throw yourselves wholeheartedly and full-time—remember, you've been raised from the dead!—into God's way of doing things. Sin can't tell you how to live. After all, you're not living under that old tyranny any longer. You're living in the freedom of God.

22-23 But now that you've found you don't have to listen to sin tell you what to do, and have discovered the delight of listening to God telling you, what a surprise! A whole, healed, put-together life right now, with more and more of life on the way! Work hard for sin your whole life and your pension is death. But God's gift is real life, eternal life, delivered by Jesus, our Master. Romans 5-6 (excerpts) [MSG]

OBSERVATION
Christ's gift of Salvation, when we least deserve it.

APPLICATION
Adam condemned us to death. Literally. By partaking of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil (or, in the vernacular, eating the apple), Adam condemned us to death for eternity. But some two thousand years ago, One Man came along to reverse Adam's act. One Man came along to save us from the evil that had plagued us since the very first man. To save us from the evil that continues to plague us even now. To save us from sin.

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, stepped up in our defense when we didn't even deserve to be defended. When we were guilty of sin, He came forward when we deserved nothing short of eternal condemnation and paid the price for our evil ways, so that we don't have to. To us, He gave the ultimate gift by paying the ultimate price. And all that we have to do is accept that glorious gift.

But so much more than just accepting this glorious, undeserved gift, we should then live the kind of life that God would have us live. We should never again give sin the time of day. We should resist the temptation to return to those sinful ways that Our Lord saved us from. But we are human, aren't we, and incapable of never sinning. That's right, as much as we might hope to live right, we just aren't capable of completely eliminating sin from our lives. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. We aren't capable of deserving the wonderful grace of God.

But our God is merciful, and willing to forgive us, just for the asking. Oh, what a wonderful God we serve!


Direct video link.



PRAYER
Father, I know that I'm not worthy of Your wonderful grace. And that I have let You down more times than I could possibly count. But I also know that You are merciful, and gracious, and that Your love is never ending. Thank You, Father, for the wonderful gift of salvation!

Joe

What Is Good Friday?

Question: "What is Good Friday?" Answer: Good Friday is the Friday immediately preceding Easter Sunday. It is celebrated traditionally as the day on which Jesus was crucified. If you are interested in a study of the issue, please see this article that discusses the various views on which day Jesus was crucified. Assuming that Jesus was crucified and died on a Friday, should Christians remember Jesus' death by celebrating Good Friday? The Bible does not instruct Christians to remember Christ's death by honoring a certain day. The Bible does give us freedom in these matters, however. Romans 14:5 tells us, "One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind." Rather than remembering Christ's death on a certain day, once a year, the Bible instructs us to remember Christ's death by observing the Lord's Supper. First Corinthians 11:24-26 declares, "...do this in remembrance of me...for whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes." Why is Good Friday referred to as "good"? What the Jewish authorities and Romans did to Jesus was definitely not good (see Matthew chapters 26-27 ). However, the results of Christ's death are very good! Romans 5:8 , "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." First Peter 3:18 tells us, "For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit." Many Christian churches celebrate Good Friday with a subdued service, usually in the evening, in which Christ's death is remembered with solemn hymns, prayers of thanksgiving, a message centered on Christ suffering for our sakes, and observance of the Lord's Supper. Whether or not Christians choose to "celebrate" Good Friday, the events of that day should be ever on our minds because the death of Christ on the cross is the paramount event of the Christian faith. If you would like to learn more about why Jesus' death on the cross was so "good," please read the following article: What does it mean to accept Jesus as your personal Savior? Recommended Resource: The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus by Gary Habermas. What's new on GotQuestions.org? GotQuestions.org seeks to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ by providing Biblical answers to spiritually-related questions. To continue in this mission, we need your support! For more information, please visit https://www.gotquestions.org/support.html Got Questions? The Bible has Answers! We'll find them for you! www.GotQuestions.org This message was sent from GotQuestions.org . It was sent from: Got Questions Ministries, 6050 Stetson Hills Blvd., #254, Colorado Springs, CO 80923.

Contemplating Easter

As Easter rapidly approaches, I find myself giving the holiday some serious contemplation. As a Christian and devoted follower of God, Easter for me has always been more about the Resurrection of Christ than chocolate bunnies, egg hunts, and Spring.

Thoughts of Easter bring on thoughts of Christmas, the "biggest" holiday of the year. Christmas is no doubt the most widely celebrated event on the calendar, whether for Christian principles or otherwise. If you're reading these words, you have likely exchanged Christmas gifts on more than one occasion in your life, and quite possibly have found your share of hidden eggs, as well.

What disturbs me about this Christmas / Easter comparison is really quite simple. Two millenia ago the Creator of the Universe came to earth as flesh in the form of the baby Jesus. Today, we celebrate that day by putting up trees and stockings and waiting for a "jolly old elf" to come falling down the chimney. When companies like Target avoid using the word "Christmas" in their advertising campaign in an attempt to be politically correct, faith groups cry out in protest.

Just thirty-three years after that historic miracle, the God-man Jesus Christ died the most painful form of death on a cross on a hill, mocked by soldiers and bystanders, then rose from His grave. Next week we celebrate this miracle sacrifice by giving baskets of candy to our children and hunting for eggs hidden by a bunny. Churches will hold special services on Thursday and Friday as well as Sunday to observe, remember and worship the Savior. Other groups will hunt for eggs and devour chocolate bunnies with never a thought of that torturous death so long ago. Even others will use this special day as a rite of passage from Winter to Spring, a time when old things are made new, even a celebration of fertilty (hence the rabbit). Where is the outcry from the faith groups this season?

I'll grant you that Christmas is arguably the most important date on the calendar. The first Christmas was certainly a date of paramount importance in the grand scheme of things. It's not every day that God steps out of Heaven to physically walk among us. But I invite you to consider the following.

God took on flesh and came to Earth for only one reason: to save us all from our sinful ways. He did that by giving His life on a cross and arising from His grave three days later. Today, we call that Easter -- Resurrection Day. Had Christ not died, He could not have arose. Had He not risen from the dead, we would still be doomed to the eternal death that so many still choose by their very failure to choose.

Without Christ's Resurrection, His birth would be insignificant. It was the very gift of Salvation delivered through His death on that cross and subsequent Resurrection that made His birth such a miracle.

Without Easter, there is no Christmas. Without Christ, there is no hope.

Happy Easter! Rejoice in His Resurrection. Receive the Gift of Salvation.

Your comments?

Joe

AJA Press
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Real Hope

This man knows where his HOPE lies:

Direct video link.
Your comments?

Joe

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Great (Imperfect) Men of God

SOAP {Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer}:

FOR TODAY'S FULL READING, CLICK THE TITLE LINK ABOVE | ABOUT SOAP

SCRIPTURE
1-2 Abraham traveled from there south to the Negev and settled down between Kadesh and Shur. While he was camping in Gerar, Abraham said of his wife Sarah, "She's my sister."

2-3 So Abimelech, king of Gerar, sent for Sarah and took her. But God came to Abimelech in a dream that night and told him, "You're as good as dead—that woman you took, she's a married woman."

4-5 Now Abimelech had not yet slept with her, hadn't so much as touched her. He said, "Master, would you kill an innocent man? Didn't he tell me, 'She's my sister'? And didn't she herself say, 'He's my brother'? I had no idea I was doing anything wrong when I did this."

6-7 God said to him in the dream, "Yes, I know your intentions were pure, that's why I kept you from sinning against me; I was the one who kept you from going to bed with her. So now give the man's wife back to him. He's a prophet and will pray for you—pray for your life. If you don't give her back, know that it's certain death both for you and everyone in your family."

8-9 Abimelech was up first thing in the morning. He called all his house servants together and told them the whole story. They were shocked. Then Abimelech called in Abraham and said, "What have you done to us? What have I ever done to you that you would bring on me and my kingdom this huge offense? What you've done to me ought never to have been done."

10 Abimelech went on to Abraham, "Whatever were you thinking of when you did this thing?"

11-13 Abraham said, "I just assumed that there was no fear of God in this place and that they'd kill me to get my wife. Besides, the truth is that she is my half sister; she's my father's daughter but not my mother's. When God sent me out as a wanderer from my father's home, I told her, 'Do me a favor; wherever we go, tell people that I'm your brother.'"

14-15 Then Abimelech gave Sarah back to Abraham, and along with her sent sheep and cattle and servants, both male and female. He said, "My land is open to you; live wherever you wish."

16 And to Sarah he said, "I've given your brother a thousand pieces of silver—that clears you of even a shadow of suspicion before the eyes of the world. You're vindicated."

17-18 Then Abraham prayed to God and God healed Abimelech, his wife and his maidservants, and they started having babies again. For God had shut down every womb in Abimelech's household on account of Sarah, Abraham's wife.

GENESIS 20 [MSG]

OBSERVATION
Some people will never learn.

APPLICATION
Have you ever known someone that just seems to make the same mistakes over and over and over? Someone who, no matter what the consequences, seems to choose the same course of action repeatedly, achieving the same results? There are two popular phrases in my business. (1) If you always do what you always did you'll always get what you always got. And (2) The definition of insanity is to always do the same thing even when you don't like the result.

It seems that, by this definition, maybe Abraham was just a little insane. Not literally, of course, but his actions sure seemed a little insane from time to time. Did he learn a lesson earlier when he told Pharoah that Sarah was his sister, not his wife? Apparently not, as he did the same with Abimelech.

Abimelech, however, was protected by God, because God knew that Abimelech had intended no harm. God knew that Abimelech was not aware that Sarah was Abraham's wife. God prevented Abimelech from consummating his marriage to Sarah, and thereby saved Abimelech, giving him the chance to return Sarah to her rightful husband, Abraham.

It seems that we also learn in chapter 19 that Abraham wasn't telling an outright lie, as Sarah was indeed his half-sister. Not lying? Well, I guess that depends on your definition of a lie. I would argue that Abraham's deception, while maybe not an outright lie, was deception by omission. If I were traveling with my wife and introduced her as "my traveling companion" and withheld the fact that she was my wife, I would be deceiving others, as they would surely not infer that we were married by my introduction.

Abraham is rightly considered a great man of God. But I believe these stories prove to us that even great men of God are not perfect. Only one man is perfect -- Jesus Christ, the Son of God. All others pale in comparison.

Also, God has used great men and women in the Bible on many occasions to teach us valuable lessons, such as the perils of deception, which we have learned from Abraham.

PRAYER
Father, thank You for giving us Your Word, and for using great Godly men like Abraham to teach us such basic lessons as this -- lessons that seem to be so easily forgotten in society today. Through Abraham we learn that even the littlest white lies can be harmful.

Help me, Lord, to always be mindful of my thoughts, words, and actions, to present myself as a man of integrity. Let those who meet me and those who know that I'm a follower of Christ also see what being a follower of Christ means. May I never give Your Son a bad name through my interactions with others.

Your comments?

Joe

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Book Review: The Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck

Glenn Beck has penned an unbelievable Christmas Story in The Christmas Sweater. If you've seen the Conservative TV/Radio talk show host, or read any of his prior non-fiction works, you will likely find yourself surprised at this warm, heartfelt tale of Christmas.

Little twelve-year-old Eddie wanted nothing for Christmas but a bicycle. All of his friends had a bicycle, and Eddie had not only been very good all year long, deserving a bicycle, he had actually prayed to God asking for the bicycle, bargaining with the Man upstairs.

Three years ago, Eddie's life changed, when his father lost his battle with cancer. Christmas -- Eddie's entire life, really -- has not been the same since. And a brand new shiny bicycle was the only thing that would make Eddie feel better this Christmas.

But money was tight, and Eddie's mom worked four jobs to try to make ends meet. It would take a miracle for Eddie to get the bicycle for Christmas, but after all, he had bargained with God -- a miracle wasn't out of the question.

Based on "a deeply personal true story," Beck guides us on a journey with a valuable lesson. You won't be able to put The Christmas Sweater down -- I read it in three days. It is the Christmas story that everyone should read. But really, why wait until Christmas -- the message is one that transcends time and holidays.

One of the absolute best books I've read in quite some time, Glenn Beck's The Christmas Sweater will be a classic before it's time.

Your comments?

Joe

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Any One I Meet UPDATED

SOAP {Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer}:

FOR TODAY'S FULL READING, CLICK THE TITLE LINK ABOVE | ABOUT SOAP

SCRIPTURE
1-2 God appeared to Abraham at the Oaks of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance of his tent. It was the hottest part of the day. He looked up and saw three men standing. He ran from his tent to greet them and bowed before them.

3-5 He said, "Master, if it please you, stop for a while with your servant. I'll get some water so you can wash your feet. Rest under this tree. I'll get some food to refresh you on your way, since your travels have brought you across my path."

They said, "Certainly. Go ahead."

6 Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. He said, "Hurry. Get three cups of our best flour; knead it and make bread."

7-8 Then Abraham ran to the cattle pen and picked out a nice plump calf and gave it to the servant who lost no time getting it ready. Then he got curds and milk, brought them with the calf that had been roasted, set the meal before the men, and stood there under the tree while they ate.

9 The men said to him, "Where is Sarah your wife?"

He said, "In the tent."

10 One of them said, "I'm coming back about this time next year. When I arrive, your wife Sarah will have a son." Sarah was listening at the tent opening, just behind the man.

11-12 Abraham and Sarah were old by this time, very old. Sarah was far past the age for having babies. Sarah laughed within herself, "An old woman like me? Get pregnant? With this old man of a husband?"

13-14 God said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh saying, 'Me? Have a baby? An old woman like me?' Is anything too hard for God? I'll be back about this time next year and Sarah will have a baby."

15 Sarah lied. She said, "I didn't laugh," because she was afraid.

But he said, "Yes you did; you laughed."
GENESIS 18:1-15 [MSG]

OBSERVATION
Treat everyone with kindness and respect, for you never know who you might be dealing with.

APPLICATION
Abraham walked with God. He was not a perfect man -- none are but Jesus -- but he was a God-fearing man who found favor in God's eyes.

One day, as "three men" approached outside Abraham's tent, Abraham jumped to his feet at their service, ordering up a feast and offering them water to wash their feet. Did he know who they were? It certainly sounds like it, as he addressed them as "Master."

There were three men, the Bible clearly states. Abraham called the three "Master." The Bible says "the men said to him," as if they spoke to Abraham in unison, of one mind.

Who were the "three men?" The Bible goes on to refer to them as "God" in The Message and "the Lord" in the New International Version. Three men? The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? Who else?

The book of John tells us that Jesus was with God in the beginning. 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. JOHN 1:1 [NIV] Why then could the Holy Spirit not be with God in the beginning as well? Certainly, the triune God has always been.

And what of Abraham, who had never seen God, recognizing the three heads of God approach him? The Bible says nothing of a burning bush speaking to Abraham, as it did to Moses. The Bible says "God." It says "three men walking."

Imagine being in such favor with God that he actually walked up to you while you're sitting on your porch! Wouldn't that be an incredibly wonderful, frightening, blessing?!

What if God walked up to me right now? Would I be ready? What would I do? What would I say?

PRAYER
Father, make me always aware that anyone I meet could be The One. May I treat them all with love and respect.

UPDATE
I never claimed to know everything, which became more obvious to me upon reading the next chapter of Genesis, which starts out: 1-2 The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening. Lot was sitting at the city gate. He saw them and got up to welcome them, bowing before them and said, "Please, my friends, come to my house and stay the night. Wash up. You can rise early and be on your way refreshed." (emphasis mine)

The three men who approached Abraham at his tent then left for Sodom, and we see two of them at the beginning of chapter 19. "The two angels," the Bible says. So, I guess my line of thinking that Abraham was approached by the Trinity may have been a little off. This trinity was apparently God and two of His angels.

Still, imagine being approached by God Himself!

Your comments?

Joe

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Merry Christmas from God!

Christmas is upon us. Once each year across the world this day is set aside as a day of celebration. For many throughout the world, today is the celebration of the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, God in the flesh.

The Birth of Jesus {Matt 1:18-25 [MSG]}

18-19 The birth of Jesus took place like this. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. Before they came to the marriage bed, Joseph discovered she was pregnant. (It was by the Holy Spirit, but he didn't know that.) Joseph, chagrined but noble, determined to take care of things quietly so Mary would not be disgraced.

20-23 While he was trying to figure a way out, he had a dream. God's angel spoke in the dream: "Joseph, son of David, don't hesitate to get married. Mary's pregnancy is Spirit-conceived. God's Holy Spirit has made her pregnant. She will bring a son to birth, and when she does, you, Joseph, will name him Jesus—'God saves'—because he will save his people from their sins." This would bring the prophet's embryonic sermon to full term:

Watch for this—a virgin will get pregnant and bear a son;
They will name him Immanuel (Hebrew for "God is with us").

24-25 Then Joseph woke up. He did exactly what God's angel commanded in the dream: He married Mary. But he did not consummate the marriage until she had the baby. He named the baby Jesus.

The every day miracle of child birth took on a whole new meaning on this day, over two-thousand years ago, when the miracle of childbirth delivered the miracle baby -- the God-baby. Even the wisest among men of that time recognized the event for what it was.

An Event for Everyone {Luke 2:9-20 [MSG]}

8-12 There were sheepherders camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep. Suddenly, God's angel stood among them and God's glory blazed around them. They were terrified. The angel said, "Don't be afraid. I'm here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David's town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you're to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger."

13-14 At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God's praises:

Glory to God in the heavenly heights,
Peace to all men and women on earth who please him.

15-18 As the angel choir withdrew into heaven, the sheepherders talked it over. "Let's get over to Bethlehem as fast as we can and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us." They left, running, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. Seeing was believing. They told everyone they met what the angels had said about this child. All who heard the sheepherders were impressed.

19-20 Mary kept all these things to herself, holding them dear, deep within herself. The sheepherders returned and let loose, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen. It turned out exactly the way they'd been told!

Exactly the way they had been told! The miracle of God coming to earth in the form of His Son, Jesus Christ, happened exactly as God had planned. Exactly as it had been foretold by prophets centuries earlier.

{Isaiah 53:1-10 [MSG] (emphasis mine)}

1 Who believes what we've heard and seen? Who would have thought God's saving power would look like this?

2-6 The servant grew up before God—a scrawny seedling, a scrubby plant in a parched field. There was nothing attractive about him, nothing to cause us to take a second look. He was looked down on and passed over, a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand. One look at him and people turned away. We looked down on him, thought he was scum. But the fact is, it was our pains he carried— our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us. We thought he brought it on himself, that God was punishing him for his own failures. But it was our sins that did that to him, that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins! He took the punishment, and that made us whole. Through his bruises we get healed. We're all like sheep who've wandered off and gotten lost. We've all done our own thing, gone our own way. And God has piled all our sins, everything we've done wrong, on him, on him.

7-9He was beaten, he was tortured, but he didn't say a word. Like a lamb taken to be slaughtered and like a sheep being sheared, he took it all in silence. Justice miscarried, and he was led off— and did anyone really know what was happening? He died without a thought for his own welfare, beaten bloody for the sins of my people. They buried him with the wicked, threw him in a grave with a rich man, Even though he'd never hurt a soul or said one word that wasn't true.

10 Still, it's what God had in mind all along, to crush him with pain. The plan was that he give himself as an offering for sin so that he'd see life come from it—life, life, and more life. And God's plan will deeply prosper through him.

The story of the greatest gift of all is not complete with the birth of Jesus Christ, for that gift receives it's greatness through the sacrifice He made for us on the cross.

Jesus Christ died for our sins, and arose, so that there might be no doubt that he was God in the flesh, here to save us from our sins, so that we might spend an eternity with Him.

Merry Christmas, world! May we never forget the meaning of this day.

Your comments?

Joe

Cross posted at Average Joe American.

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MOVIE REVIEW: The Chronicles of Narnia 1 & 2

This Christmas season, thanks to ABC Family Channel's 25 Days of Christmas, my family discovered the joys of the epic Chronicles of Narnia.

We first watched The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe on ABC Family Channel -- which lasted an unbelievably long three and a half hours, thanks to commercials nearly every five minutes -- and loved it. My wife and I, especially, enjoyed the movie.

Author C.S. Lewis claimed to have had no Christian theme in mind as he wrote The Chronicles, but there is clearly a Christian undertone to the story. Okay, maybe it's a little more blatant than that. As a group of four children stumble into a hidden world while playing hide-and-seek in a wardrobe, they find themselves in the midst of a battle of good versus evil, as they help Aslan (the Lion) defeat the White Witch. SPOILER ALERT: We see Aslan surrender his life to save a young boy, then later we witness him resurrected. The children go on to defeat the White Witch and to become kings and queens of Narnia, only to later find themselves stumbling back through the wardrobe into reality.

The first movie in what promises to be a trilogy (there were seven books, but reportedly only three movies planned) is well done, from the screenplay to the special effects, all the way to the performances delivered by the cast. So enjoyable, in fact, that we just had to see the second movie.

When Prince Caspian was released on DVD, my wife picked up a copy at RedBox, and we watched the movie together last night after putting the kids to bed.

My wife felt that Prince Caspian started a bit slowly, as the story opens with the birth of a baby in Narnia and a man fleeing his people. SPOILER ALERT: We then see the same four children from the first movie stumble back into Narnia -- this time through a subway or train terminal -- in response to a call for help from the man who had fled after the birth of the baby.

Again, the battle of good versus evil takes place, as the "Kings and Queens of Old" battle to help the fleeing man -- who turns out to be a Prince -- and the people of Narnia fight for their freedom from a tyrant ruler. Aslan makes a return to the action as an epic battle ensues. I literally found myself sitting on the edge of my seat, rooting for the Narnians.

Again, the screenplay, the effects, the acting -- everything about the story -- is incredible. Reports are that the third episode in this trilogy won't be released until May 2010. I can't imagine waiting so long. I couldn't recommend The Chronicles any more enthusiastically. In fact, I'm considering reading all of C.S. Lewis's saga.

Your comments?

Joe

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Peace

At church today, the topic of the sermon was Peace. We're in the advent season, and over the past four weeks, the sermon topics have been Hope, Love, Joy and (today) Peace.

During today's sermon, Pastor Derek Duncan talked about, of course, Peace. There was one passage that I felt was a major take away:

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33 [NIV]

In this day when we are at war in Iraq and Afghanistan, fighting terrorism and drugs, and concerned about the future plans of North Korea, Iran, and Russia, the word Peace has become quite a buzzword. Whether you call it "troop withdrawal," or "draw down," or some other term that refers to ending hostilities, the meaning is the same: Peace. Politicians often run on a platform of Peace (either obtained through withdrawal or victory). But can they truly bring us peace?

No. Absolutely not. Only one person can bring us Peace: Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God. Our lives will be filled with trouble, but in the arms of Christ, we find true peace. Even in the hardest of times, we have peace in Christ.

There was something that Pastor Duncan said that I had never considered before. Today, the term "god" can mean many different things to many different people. While I might refer to God as the Creator of all, another might think of their "god," whomever that might be. As Christians, as followers of God through His Son Jesus Christ, we need to shift our focus on the One and Only source of peace and salvation: Jesus Christ. There can be no confusion whom we serve when we serve the Son.

Merry Christmas!

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

Send feedback to Joe by email, or by calling 317-644-6129.

Your comments?

Joe

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A Christmas Story for My Children

You've no doubt heard the story of Santa Claus and his flying reindeer; the story of Frosty the Snowman, or the Grinch who stole Christmas. You've probably seen Snow Miser, Heat Miser, and the Abominable Snow Monster on television. I bet you can't even imagine Christmas without a visit from the spirits and Mister Scrooge.

But have you ever heard the most wonderful Christmas story of all?

Over two thousand years ago, long before you, or Mommy, or Daddy were even born, there was a very special birth of a very special baby.

Long, long ago, in a little village in a land called Nazareth, there lived a man named Joseph, and a woman named Mary, the woman he loved. Joseph and Mary were making plans to be married, when one day, Gabriel, God's chief angel, made a special visit to Mary.

"Good morning, Mary," the angel said, "Do not be afraid." Mary was shaking at the unexpected visit. "Don't be afraid, Mary. God has sent me to tell you that He has a wonderful surprise for you. You are soon to be the mother of a special baby boy."

"But how," Mary asked, "Joseph and I have not yet married?"

"God chose you, Mary, for a very special purpose. You will be the mother of His Son. You will name Him Jesus."

"I am ready to serve my God," Mary said. "Let it be so."

The angel, Gabriel, left.

Mary rushed out into town and told her cousin Elizabeth, who was also going to have a baby. Mary stayed with her cousin for three months. While Mary was with her cousin, the angel Gabriel visited Joseph in a dream.

"Joseph," Gabriel said, "it is okay for you and Mary to be married. The baby she is expecting is the Son of God. You will name him Jesus, which means 'God Saves'." When Joseph woke up from his dream, he rushed off to Mary, and they became husband and wife.

The king at that time was a man named Caesar, and he wanted to know how many people lived in his kingdom. King Caesar ordered every man to travel to his family's home town, families and all. Joseph took his new wife Mary and left for Nazareth, where they could be counted as members of the family of David.

While they were there, Mary told Joseph, "It's time. The baby is ready." Joseph took Mary to every hotel in town looking for a room, but they were all full because of the people who had come to town to be counted. With no place else to stay, Joseph and Mary stopped at a stable where they were given a place to sleep with the animals.

As they stayed in the stable, Joseph comforted Mary as her baby, Jesus, was born. Mary wrapped her baby in a blanket and laid him in a manger in the stable.

There were shepherds camping in the neighborhood, watching over their sheep, when the angel Gabriel came to them, and they were afraid. "Don't be afraid," Gabriel said. "God sent me to tell you of a wonderful event, a very special event for everyone in the world." The shepherds watched in wonder as the angel Gabriel continued. "A Savior has been born -- the Son of God. You will find him, the baby, wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger in a stable."

When Gabriel finished, thousands of angels from Heaven joined him, singing, "Glory to God, and peace to everyone on earth." 

As Gabriel and the other angels left them and returned to Heaven, the shepherds talked it over and decided that they wanted to go see the baby Jesus. They started running and didn't stop until they found Joseph and Mary and their new born baby lying in the manger in the stable.

Others also came to see the new baby Jesus -- the Son of God -- bringing gifts to give to Him. A young boy who had no gifts to bring came to see the baby with his drum, and played music for the baby. They found their way to the baby by following a star in the sky -- the brightest, highest star in the sky, shone right over the stable where Jesus was born.

Today, over two thousand years later, we still celebrate that wonderful night -- the night that Jesus was born -- by throwing the biggest birthday party of all: Christmas. Like the angels did so long ago, we sing songs for Jesus, called Christmas Carols. Like the men who visited the baby bringing gifts, we give gifts to those we love, in honor of Jesus' birthday.

Happy birthday, Jesus. And Merry Christmas, to all.

Your comments?

Joe

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