abandoned to Christ.

The prevalent thoughts and images about the "spirit" of Christmas usually involves: Santa Claus, worldly peace, sweets, merriment, feasting, lavish gift giving and receiving, the hustle and bustle of shopping and enjoying elaborate entertainment events to celebrate the birth of Jesus—the First Coming of Christ, the only begotten Son of God. But none of these things are found in any of the Old Testament prophecies or in the New Testament accounts of the great and glorious day that our Creator entered into His own creation as a humble babe. Please don't misunderstand, I'm not saying we ought not enjoy celebrating Christmas. My family does. What I am saying is, the focus and purpose of our joyful celebrations should be the same as God's focus and purpose: to bring the Good News of eternal salvation by giving us Christ as a propitiation for our sins. The true spirit of Christmas and the reason for the season according to God is: eternal salvation . ...

It seems everywhere we look and every place we go, there's Christmas music playing, people shopping, commercials filled with laughter and gaiety; sparkling decorations and hearts filled with merriment and hope. But it's not that way for everyone. There are a silent few...or a silent many, who are not merry at Christmastime. Some people have lost loved ones this year through death, or by sin, that always separates. Some, like orphans, have no one to lose, but have constant dreams of finding parents who offer the sacrificial and eternal love of Christ rather than the self-centered, ephemeral love this world offers and settles for. Then, there are those who are alone in adulthood: widows, divorcees, and those struck with depression. The list goes on...and so do their sorrows. To aggravate the reality of their lack of merriment, they are often pressured to join in on all the Christmas festivities whether they feel like it or not. And as Christians, if we don't, th...

The Lord Jesus IS the GIFT of all gifts. God made man. EMMANUEL. We do not celebrate this day to give gifts or to receive them; to decorate our homes or to feast on a sumptuous meal; to gather with family and dear friends; to sing carols or to do anything else. While these things have it's place and in themselves are not sinful, when they become the focus, the priority or why you look forward to Christmas, then you, like King Herod and Caesar Augustus will miss the most awesome privilege of knowing the epitome of God's tender mercy. JESUS CHRIST SON OF GOD ALPHA and OMEGA SAVIOR REDEEMER THE LION OF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH THE ROOT OF DAVID LAMB OF GOD WONDERFUL COUNSELOR MIGHTY GOD EVERLASTING FATHER PRINCE OF PEACE KING of kings LORD of lords HIGH PRIEST THE GOOD SHEPHERD THE DOOR OF THE SHEEP BRIGHT MORNING STAR LIGHT OF THE WORLD BREAD OF LIFE THE TRUE VINE THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE THE WORD OF GOD THE CORNER...

My husband and I weren't raised in the best homes. I was raised among Korean-Buddhist where there was no mention of Christ at all, instead there was idol worship. Thanks be to God, He chose me for Himself and saved me at age four after providing me a way to church...alone....by bus, where I heard the Gospel for the first time! My darling husband was raised in a professing Christian home, but not by the standards of God or anything written in His word, but by the erroneous standards and beliefs of his parents that God wants people to be happy, no matter what. Thanks be to God He saved my darling husband when he was six and He faithfully drew my husband to His word and his spirit to seek Christ, in spite of his family's hypocrisy. With this background, it's clear that neither of us had any training on what a God-loving, Christ-honoring home looked like. We were clueless; and we knew it! Knowing this was a blessing! Why? Because we chose not to hide from the tru...

(I'm the little girl on the far right.) Thinking back on my life, I've often wondered why God ever took notice of me. There I was, the youngest of three children to first generation, Korean-Buddhist, immigrant parents, sharing a 3-bedroom, 1-bath townhouse with nine other people (my parents, my older brother and sister, my paternal grandmother, my paternal uncle, his wife and two kids). And out of all these people, in a little and impoverished neighborhood, there I was. Nothing special. Just one, in the midst of many. So, why did God, almighty, awesome, wonderful, magnificent God, take notice of me? "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will, to the pra...