Twas the Night Before Jesus Came

Twas the night before Jesus came and all through the house
Not a creature was praying, not one in the house.
Their bibles were laid on the shelf without care
In the hopes that Jesus would not come there.
The children were dressing to crawl into bed,
Not once ever kneeling or bowing a head.
And mom in her rocker with baby on her lap
Was watching the Late Show while I took a nap.
When out to the East there arose such a clatter,
I sprang to my feet to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash!
When what to my wondering eyes should appear
but angels proclaiming that Jesus is here!
With light like the sun sending forth a bright ray
I knew in a moment this must be The Day!
The light of His face made me cover my head
It was Jesus returning just like He had said.
And though I possessed worldly wisdom and wealth,
I cried when I saw Him in spite of myself.
In the Book Of Life which He held in His hand
Was written the name of every saved man.
He spoke not a word as He searched for my name,
When He said "Its not here" my head hung in shame.
The people whose names were written with love
He gathered to take to His Father above.
With those He had gathered He rose without a sound
While the rest were left standing around.
I fell to my knees but it was too late,
I had waited to long and thus sealed my fate.
I stood and I cried as they rose out of sight
Oh, if only I'd been ready tonight
In the words of this poem the meaning is clear
The coming of Jesus is coming near
There's only one life and when comes the last call
We'll find that the Bible was true after all



author unknown

What Movie Is Your Christmas Most Like?

Your Christmas is Most Like: A Charlie Brown Christmas

Each year, you really get into the spirit of Christmas. Which is much more important to you than nifty presents.

What Movie Is Your Christmas Most Like?

Oh c'mon, don't be a Scrooge! Take the quiz and report back, letting us all know what movie your Christmas is most like.

Have a Mary Christmas

Have a Mary Christmas!

With the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, it's easy to lose focus on the true meaning of Christmas. God never intended for us to race through the holidays at break neck speed. (Ouch, I'm personally convicted!) In Luke, Chapter 10, we hear about two sisters, Mary and Martha who entertained Jesus in their home. Now, if you were feeling a tad stressed over entertaining the family over the holidays, think about the stress Martha must have felt over having Jesus on the guest list. I say Martha because if you remember the story, Mary wasn't exactly stressing out over their special guest.

Here is a recap to refresh your memory:

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"

"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:38-42)

I can just picture poor Martha racing frantically through the house to get everything just right for Jesus' arrival. Finally, He arrives and her sister Mary occupies herself by sitting at His feet and clinging to His every word. You can imagine this didn't settle well with Martha and if you've ever tried to entertain a large group of people, I'm sure you can relate to her frustration. Finally, Martha can stand it no longer and asks Jesus to tell her sister to help out. I'm sure she never imagined that He would side with Mary, but He does. He gently tells her that she is

"worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

It's important to note that Jesus is not knocking serving, but rather making the point that "sitting" at His feet should precede serving. This Christmas, will you make an effort to slow down and "sit" at the feet of Jesus? Here are a few ideas to help you out:

• Each day, try to kneel and pray and thank God for the gift of His Son, Jesus. It's even better if you can thank Him for other specific blessings you have experienced this past year.

• Listen to Christmas carols that honor God. When you play them, try to concentrate on the words behind the meaning.

• Start in the book of Luke and read a little bit each day. Again, try to imagine yourself in the setting as a bystander. What were they thinking and feeling?

• Have each member of your family write a note to Jesus, telling Him what you each plan to give Him next year. Seal it in an envelope, put a date on the front, and put them on your tree or fireplace mantel. Before you dive into presents or stockings, read the letters to Jesus. (My family has done this off and on through the years and it is so cool!)

• Read the Christmas story out loud to your family on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning.


Have a Mary Christmas!
© 2008, Vicki Courtney. Used by Permission. Originally posted at www.virtuealert.com.

Don't blame God

Lately I have been hearing a lot of complaining and blaming God for how our lives are. I have not slept well from the words of this post running through my head all night...I feel it must be said...perhaps not eloquently but this is from my heart

It is not God's fault that things are the way they are!

When we took God from our schools the test and grades dropped, the pregnancy and STD rate soared, teen suicides went through the roof, violence and school shootings became the 'norm' and depression and drug use started creeping into younger and younger children.

When we took God from our courts the criminals got more rights than the victims, sentences became slaps on the wrist for crimes God deems worthy of death, judges started deciding what marriage is and when life begins. Yet we base our laws on His WORD.

When we took God from our government babies became science experiments, life became an issue of whether you are worthy to live based on if you can contribute not just because you are ALIVE, rights became based on race, sex, and religion but only if you are the 'right' one. The minority became the only voice heard. Animal rights and welfare trump human life. And now we are even loosing our property if Big Brother thinks they can use it better.

When we took God from our homes the divorce rate jumped, children stopped being a blessing, having the most 'things' became the goal and the door to horrible abuses was opened.

We have even taken God from the church. We now hear feel good sermons on Sundays. Sermons filled with 'wealth and prosperity' and 'name it and claim it' teaching. We stopped calling sin "sin" and glossed it all over "God is good and forgives so keep living for the now because there really isn't a hell." There are even mainstream churches preaching Jesus is not the "ONLY" way to heaven!

We were told "And Jesus came up and spoke to them saying, 'All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.' And He said to them, 'Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. ...and make disciples of all the nations..."


We are not doing that if we are removing God from every part of our lives. We have let satan steal our authority and he has kept us cowering in the dark for too long! God has not given up on us. We have given up on God. SO STAND UP! TAKE BACK THE WORLD! PROCLAIM GOD'S TRUTH! PUT HIM BACK IN CHARGE IN ALL AREAS!