A Christmas Carol of Carols - Now Think On This by Steve Martin

A Christmas Carol of Carols

Now Think On This

Steve Martin

I am sure this has been done before, but the thought came to arrange the titles of some Christmas carols into a poem, and see what story can be told just by using them. I like how the Holy Spirit gives us “random” thoughts. Isn’t it great how He speaks to us!

And so I did as He suggested. I went to Wikepedia, searched for a list of English Christmas carol titles, and put them in the following arrangement. I am sure you could re-arrange them into another poem. Try it and let me know!

And so I share my new creation…and give thanks to the songwriters of old.

A Christmas Carol of Carols

O come, O come, Emmanuel;

Love came down at Christmas.

O little town of Bethlehem

It came upon the midnight clear.

Mary’s little boy child,

With wondering awe, the wisemen saw.

Star of the East -

Glory to God.

Jesus Christ the apple tree;

Joy to the world.

Hark the herald angels sing;

Mary did you know?

Angels we have heard on high,

Away in a manger.

Do you hear what I hear?

Go tell it on the mountain.

I heard the bells on Christmas day;

Carol of the bells.

O come, all ye faithful,

Bethlehem down.

Children, go where I send thee,

The little drummer boy.

While shepherds watched their flocks,

Far, far away on Judea’s plains.

Gabriel’s message:

The first noel.

Come thou long expected Jesus,

Once in Royal David’s City.

O holy night,

Silent night.

What child is this?

Glory to God.

God rest ye merry gentlemen,

Christians awake.

I pray on Christmas

As with gladness, men of old.

It amazes me how the historical story of Jesus Christ, Yeshua HaMashiach, can be simply shared through just the titles of English Christmas carol titles. Some of the songs I had never heard of, but the rest are sung often, even today, centuries past their origin dates.

I did use one Christmas carol title twice. Did you notice? Hint: I give God the glory for His awesome creativity that He shares with us, as He is always a loving, giving Father.

Merry Christmas to you and yours, from our family.

O come O come Emmanuel! We know that once again You will!

Now think on this, with His love and mine,

Steve Martin

Love For His People, Inc.

 P.S. I would be most grateful if you'd share this encouraging word with your family and friends. They might need it. You can easily use the social media icons below. Thanks! Steve

We sure could use your help to bless the families we do in Israel, India, Pakistan, Vietnam and the hurting ones here in the USA. Please give out of the abundance you have been given.

In May, 2016, my wife Laurie and I will be traveling to Israel to spend time with our friends. We support them in word and deed. We have our plane tickets in hand. We love Israel.

Love For His People, Inc. is a charitable, not-for-profit USA humanitarian organization started in 2010 to share the love of the Father in the nations.

If these messages minister to you, please consider sending a charitable gift of $5-$25 today, and maybe each month, to help us bless families we know in Israel, whom we consistently help through our humanitarian ministry. Your tax deductible contributions receive a receipt for each donation. Fed. ID #27-1633858.

Click here for safe ONLINE GIFT GIVING THROUGH OUR WEBSITE using major credit cards: Love For His People. If you don't have a PayPal account you can also use your credit card or bank account (where available). 

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Todah rabah! (Hebrew – Thank you very much.)

Please share Now Think On This with your friends.

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Now Think On This - In the year of our Lord 12.22.15 - #222 –“A Christmas Carol of Carols” – Tuesday at 3:00 am

All previous editions of Now Think On This can be found on this Blog, and on the website: Now Think On This

Again, I would be most grateful if you'd share this encouraging word with your family and friends. You can easily use the social media icons below. Thanks! Steve

Joel Rosenberg - My new novel is about a catastrophic attack by ISIS against the President of the United States.

Joel Rosenberg's latest book out Dec. 29, 2015 My new novel is about a catastrophic attack by ISIS against the President of the United States. THE FIRST HOSTAGE launches Dec. 29th. Pre-order today. by joelcrosenberg  Dec. 21, 2015

“The president of the United States . . . is missing.”

This is how my new novel -- THE FIRST HOSTAGE -- begins, with a catastrophic plot against the American Commander-in-Chief.

With these words, New York Times journalist J. B. Collins, reporting from the scene of a devastating attack by ISIS terrorists in Amman, Jordan, puts the entire world on high alert.

The leaders of Israel and the Palestinian Authority are critically injured, Jordan’s king is fighting for his life, and the U.S. president is missing and presumed captured.

As the U.S. government faces a constitutional crisis and Jordan battles for its very existence, Collins must do his best to keep the world informed while working to convince the FBI that his stories are not responsible for the terror attack on the Jordanian capital.

And ISIS still has chemical weapons....

Struggling to clear his name, Collins and the Secret Service try frantically to locate and rescue the leader of the free world before ISIS’s threats become a horrific reality.

• Pre-order The First Hostage now, and it will be delivered to your home when it releases on December 29th.
• Read the first chapter of The First Hostage right now
• Eerie front-page NYT story examines ISIS prophecies about an apocalyptic showdown in Syrian town of Dabiq. (Story looks ripped from THE FIRST HOSTAGE, my forthcoming novel about a showdown over Dabiq.)

-------------------

• Order THE THIRD TARGET today , the first in this new series — now out in paperback — the New York Times best-selling novel about ISIS capturing chemical weapons in Syria and plotting genocidal attacks.
• Order Implosion: Can American Recover From Its Economic & Spiritual Challenges In Time?
• Make a year-end investment in The Joshua Fund (www.joshuafund.net), our non-profit organization to help Christians care for Syrian refugees, educate and mobilize Christians to bless Israel and her neighbors in the name of Jesus, care for the poor and needy in Israel (both Jews and Arabs) with food and other humanitarian relief, and strengthen the Church in the epicenter. Read our latest Donor Report, and make a tax deductible, secure, on-line contribution.
• Follow on Twitter — @joelcrosenbergReceive every blog post automatically via the RSS feed.

joelcrosenberg | December 21, 2015 at 5:25 pm | Categories: Uncategorized | URL:http://wp.me/piWZ7-3zJ

Father Gabriel Naddaf Denounces Palestinian Claims that Jesus Was a Palestinian by Ahuva Balofsky - BREAKING ISRAEL NEWS

Father Gabriel Naddaf (Photo: Maor X/ Wiki Commons)

Father Gabriel Naddaf Denounces Palestinian Claims that Jesus Was a Palestinian

By Ahuva Balofsky December 21, 2015   BREAKING ISRAEL NEWS

“Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD; but they that deal truly are His delight.” (Proverbs 12:22)

In response to repeated statements by Palestinian Authority (PA) officials that Jesus was a Palestinian, Israeli Christian leader Father Gabriel Naddaf denounced the claims on Facebook earlier this month.

“On what authority does President Abbas claim that Jesus was a Palestinian?” Naddaf wrote. “The Bible says that He was born in the Jewish city of Bethlehem to Jewish parents from the city of Nazareth and was circumcised on the 8th day as a Jew and presented to the Jewish Temple by His parents according to the Mosaic law.”

The PA has had a long-standing policy of rewriting history to undermine Jewish connections to the Land of Israel and to strengthen Palestinian and Arab claims to the land.

Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) has documented this effort since 1998, when Al-Ayyam daily paper printed, “Dr. Yussuf Alzamili [Chairman History Department, Khan Yunis Educational College] called on all universities and colleges to write the history of Palestine and to guard it, and not to enable the [foreign] implants and enemies to distort it or to legitimize the existence of Jews on this land… [History lecturer Abu Amar] clarified that there is no connection between the ancient generation of Jews and the new generation.”

According to PMW, PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas said last Christmas season, “We celebrate the birth of Jesus, a Palestinian messenger of love, justice and peace.” ‎This was not the first or last time Abbas or other PA officials have made or repeated such a claim. Some have gone so far as to call Jesus “the first martyr” for the Palestinian cause.

In a television special earlier this year about former Greek-Catholic Archbishop of Jerusalem Hilarion Capucci, who exploited his position to smuggle arms, PA Secretary-General of the Jerusalem Council Hanna Issa claimed the archbishop told him, “First of all, don’t forget that the first Martyr (Shahid) was Palestinian – Jesus the Messiah. Look how they tortured, crucified and killed him…”

Naddaf serves as Head of the Greek Orthodox Church in Yafia, near Nazareth, and of the Christian Empowerment Council, a group committed to further integration of Christians into Israeli society. He blasted the erroneous position.

“His family were Torah-observant Jews,” Naddaf explained, “and as an adult, Jesus Himself affirmed the authority of the Torah and the Prophets. He attended Synagogue on Sabbath and even taught in the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem and observed the Jewish feasts of Hanukah and Passover.”

Naddaf also called out the PA for its abuse of history for political gains. “According to the Bible, the Land of Israel, including Judea and Samaria, belongs to the Jewish people forever. So, no matter how much the Palestinian Authority tries to distort history, they cannot manipulate the Word of God to legitimise their political aims. The Promises of God to His people cannot be erased.”

How to Overcome Anxiety and Depression Naturally This Winter - DON COLBERT, M.D. CHARISMA MAGAZINE/HEALTH

Sweet potatoes are chock full of antioxidants. (Flickr )

How to Overcome Anxiety and Depression Naturally This Winter

12/18/2015 DON COLBERT, M.D.  charisma magazine/health

For many of us, the cooler months are welcome to give us a break from the hot temperatures of the summer. All too often, depression along with anxiety soon reign in on our lives for a variety of reasons.

The days are shorter and the sunlight is lessened which affects the circadian rhythms of the body. More time is spent indoors during this time period of our lives which can also lead to feelings of claustrophobia.

The Creator has provided us with many different fresh foods to help us during this season of change in our lives. He has given us a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables which help the body to naturally ward off depression and feelings of anxiety. Many scientists call these foods the "Good Mood" foods.

The Delicious Apple

Apples are rich in antioxidants helping the body to prevent oxidation and they are even great for preventing inflammation. Eating apples provides fiber to the diet and the fare can also help with balancing blood sugar levels in the body.

Anxiety-Prevention Cinnamon

Cinnamon has been used for centuries to treat ailments and it is one of the most popular spices in the world. It is often used for anxiety prevention and it can help to balance blood sugar levels. Simply adding one teaspoon to the diet provides nearly one-fourth of the day to day needed manganese. One study at the Wheeling Jesuit Univ. found cinnamon to enhance cognitive functions. This was possible by subjects smelling it on a regular basis.

Zinc-Packed Pumpkin Seeds

Pumpkin seeds are great for the body during this time of the year. The seeds are full of zinc which provides one-fourth the daily allowance (in one ounce). Doctor Deans with Psychology Today calls this food item as necessary for resiliency. The seeds help prevent depression within the body as well as fight against inflammations.

Immune-Fighting Squash

Squash is another delicious vegetable which provides wonderful nutrients to the body during the cooler months. Simply adding eight ounces of butternut variety will give the individual close to twenty percent of needed manganese and potassium. In giving the immune system a boost, the food serving provides over fifty percent (50 percent) of vitamin C.

Super Power Sweet Potatoes

Sweet Potatoes are full of vitamin A which is considered one of the super power antioxidants. One serving of this sweet will provide over fifty percent (50 percent) of vitamin C and manganese. Other vitamins and minerals are present within this God given food item that adds to the "needed nutrients" list for this time of year. In addition, one case study found sweet potatoes to hold strong anti-inflammation properties which can prevent disease processes including cardiovascular issues, cancers, neuro diseases, and even diabetes. Publication was recorded within theJournal of Biomedicine & Biotechnology.

Brain-Protecting Eggplant

Eggplant is known to help protect the brain by preventing damage through free radicals along with nutrients to guard the fats within the membranes of the brain. Eggplants are wonderfully full of fiber, manganese, and copper. Phytonutrients (nasunin) are also found in this nightshade which provide additional benefits.

Depression-Fighting Turmeric

Turmeric is a "strong agent" found to fight depression. This is evident in medical studies found within the Journal of Affective Disorders (2014). The information points out curcumin is found within this spice and is shown to strongly influence depressive indications in patients followed during studies. The spice also holds abilities to help the immune system as well as fight inflammation.

Don Colbert, M.D. has been board-certified in Family Practice for over 25 years and practices Anti-Aging and Integrative medicine. He is a New York Times best-selling author of books such as The Bible Cure Series, What Would Jesus Eat, Deadly Emotions, What You Don't Know May Be Killing You, and many more with over 10 million books sold. He is the Medical Director of the Divine Health Wellness Center in Orlando, Florida, where he has treated over 50,000 patients.

For the original article, visit drcolbert.com.

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"The Rise of the Jonah Generation" Adam F. Thompson, Adelaide, South Australia - The Elijah List

"The Rise of the Jonah Generation"

Adam F. Thompson, Adelaide, South Australia

The Elijah List

God is Calling Back the Jonahs!

In reading this prophetic word we must not perceive things the way they are in the natural. This is important because the Body of Christ is entering a time of transition and God is about to raise up a new breed – a Jonah Generation.

Sometimes, the Western Church can look more like an institution; maintaining an appearance of having its act together when the reality is that many are backslidden in their hearts. Many others are caught up in a merry-go-round of being slaves to the system rather than being heirs of the Kingdom.

This Jonah Generation will rise from among those who once had a life-changing mandate from God – a word, a prophecy, an encounter – but who walked away from it because of the religiosity in the Church. These people have not necessarily hardened their hearts, or intentionally gone off the rails, but they (nevertheless) have walked away from their mandate and gone back to trading.

God is calling back these "Jonahs" who have walked away from their original calling and mandate and have instead gone into business. Don't misunderstand me, God will use business and finance for the Kingdom, but not if you're running from your true calling and mandate. 

(Photo via Wikimedia)

This is precisely what Jonah did. He had a calling to declare the word of God to Nineveh, but in fear of its great wickedness he walked away from his mandate. He fled to Tarshish, an ancient city famous for its trading in silver and gold. This Old Testament story is very much a prophetic message for today.

On his way to Tarshish, Jonah was swallowed by a big fish, perhaps a whale, although the Bible doesn't use that name. In a dream, a big fish may be a metaphor for a Believer, but it is also a metaphor for revelation.

Throw Your Net on the Right Side

The disciples had a three-year encounter with Jesus, witnessed the resurrection, and had a clear mandate to "Go into all the world," but John 21 shows us that they didn't see that as a way of life.

When Peter announced he was going back to his fishing business, some of his fellow disciples went with him. A Man on the shore called out, "Have you caught anything?" When they told Him they'd caught nothing, the Man told them to throw their nets on the right side.

Isn't it interesting that none of them recognised this Man as Jesus?

Walking away from our mandate and going back to trading makes it easy to forget the Lord and become dull and numb to the revelation of Jesus Christ. When the Lord told the disciples to let down the net on the right side, the nets were completely filled but without breaking. 

This is a metaphor for the new wineskin and the big catch is a metaphor for the revelation of Jesus Christ. (Photo via Wikimedia)

The disciples said, "It's the Lord!" and Peter immediately swam for the shore to be with Him. The disciples gathered around the fire that Jesus had made to cook the fish they caught, and they had communion with Him. They ate, they had revelation, and they were restored to their heavenly positions, especially Peter.

Jonahs Will Have the Revelation of Jesus Christ

When Jonah was swallowed by the big fish it was as though he was enveloped by the revelation of the heart of the Father. Remember, the fish took Jonah to the deep heart of the ocean. This is a picture mirrored in Psalm 42:7, "Deep calls to deep." Jonah went to the deep heart of God, and following that revelation of who the eternal God is, the fish spewed Jonah onto the shore.

Whales are very sensitive to frequencies, which is why they are a metaphor for big prophetic ministries. A prophet must be sensitive. Jonah, as a prophet, was released from the whale into the natural realm as a sign and a wonder.

Jonah was spat out and released into the natural realm as one prepared to deal with the dark evil of Nineveh. But Jonah was a sign and a wonder, who walked into Nineveh, opened his mouth, and saw that whole atmosphere of darkness changed. He could do that because he was not a slave to the system anymore, but exercising spiritual dominion over it. The result was that Nineveh's leaders bowed the knee and repented.

In raising a Jonah Generation, God will restore people who have been perceived as "backslidden" because they don't attend church. This is not saying it's okay to avoid fellowship, but rather that they will come to the place of being enveloped in the revelation of Jesus Christ, the image of God. 

(Photo via Pixabay)

They will have revelation of who they are and come into the intimacy that activates the Kingdom of God. They will be people who walk in signs and wonders that change the whole atmosphere of their environment. That's what being a revivalist looks like.

At the present time there's a lot of darkness covering the earth, but it's the dark before the dawn, and we need to see it with hope and excitement. This darkness is to inspire followers of Christ to rise up. For many, this will be Joel's "valley of decision" (Joel 3:14) to bring in the greatest harvest ever seen on planet Earth.

Just as the darkness of the holocaust preceded the re-birth of the nation of Israel, the darkness that is coming will be followed by the birthing of the billion soul harvest.

God is raising up a group of prophets like Jonah. Prophets who will change atmospheres and not be slaves to the world's systems. They are going to be heirs of the Kingdom, influencing leaders and nations.

We need to be encouraged and fasten our seat belts. Jesus Himself said in Luke 21:28, "When you see these things happen, lift up your head, because your redemption is near." Psalm 24 tells us to "lift up your heads you gates and allow the King of Glory to come in." The new breed of the Jonah Generation are the gates. Who will let in the King of Glory?

Adam F. Thompson

Co-Author of The Divinity Code
Voice of Fire Ministries 

Email: aftco@bigpond.com
Website: voiceoffireministries.org, thedivinitycode.org

Adam F. Thompson has a remarkable grace to interpret dreams, move in the Word of knowledge and demonstrate the prophetic. Supernatural signs and manifestations regularly accompany his ministry as he desires to see Jesus "magnified" through the moving of the Holy Spirit. He also has spent the last fifteen years doing mission work throughout Pakistan, India, Africa, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Malaysia and the Philippines in crusades, feeding programs and conferences. 

Adam is the author of the "The Supernatural Man" and co-author of the best-selling book "The Divinity Code: To Understanding Your Dreams and Visions" and operates itinerantly through his ministry Voice of Fire.

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The One Thing That Will Keep You From Your Destiny - J.D. KING CHARISMA MAGAZINE SPIRITLED WOMAN

here's a test that God will give you that means more than how much you read the Bible or pray. (Charisma archives)

The One Thing That Will Keep You From Your Destiny

12/18/2015 J.D. KING  charisma magazine  spiritled woman

There are innumerable gems in seemingly obscure places in the Bible. We all know the stories of Noah, Moses, and Daniel, but fewer are aware of Jehoash, the conflicted king of Israel. In the following, I would like to explore an episode from this man's life.

I've found that the biblical narratives are always transparent and raw. They expose truth about people in ways that are surprising. As we see what God does in the lives of others, it helps us discover who we are and how to navigate our lives.

In Scripture we observe that Jehoash, like so many others, was squandering his calling. He was compromised and living a life that was at arm's length with God. His bad choices should have side-lined him, but somehow God wasn't actively holding his sins against him.

In spite of everything else, Jehoash was still being positioned for greatness. If nothing else, it seems that God blessed him for the sake of the people he was leading. Sometimes God will do amazing things in us, for the sake of those around us. That is what I believe He was doing for Jehoash in this instance.

In this fascinating story, God shows us that He is willing to use someone in spite of their foolishness and sin. Shockingly, the emphasis wasn't on his understanding or even his performance. Nevertheless, that doesn't mean that God wasn't looking for something.

In this narrative, Elisha laid his hands on Jehoash - and as prophetic act - exhorts him to aim high and shoot an arrow through the eastern window. This quick release of the bow represented Jehoash's God-ordained victory over the evil armies of Aram. Yet, with the arrow's assent, the prophetic decree wasn't over.

Many think they know how things operate, but few have the clearest insight. Sometimes the real test is unseen and unanticipated. After the first arrow was released, the prophet Elisha looked at Jehoash and declared, "Now pick up the other arrows and strike them against the ground" (2 Kings 13:18, NLT).

I'm sure Jehoash didn't realize that the test was still underway. So, as the aging prophet instructed him to shoot more arrows into the ground, he didn't put much thought into it. He probably dragged his feet as he made his way to that ancient window. Out of a quiver filled with many arrows, Jehoash casually grasped a few.

The fate of Israel was in play and the king only saw fit to fire off three arrows. In his tepid response he had no idea that he was failing the test.

As soon as Elisha saw Jehoash's response to the word of the Lord, he was aghast. He angrily declared,

"You should have struck the ground five or six times! Then you would have beaten Aram until it was entirely destroyed. Now you will be victorious only three times" (2 Kings 13:19).

This wasn't a test of purity. In many ways Jehoash had already failed at that. This wasn't a test of perspective, God knew Jehoash had limited insight. It was actually a test of passion. God wanted to see what was going on in Jehoash's heart.

What He discovered was a man who was extremely passive and disengaged. Although he was placed into a position of greatness, Jehoash displayed no passion for God's purposes.

In many ways God is conducting the same test today. He wants to see if you burn for the Kingdom of God or not. The only way that you fail is if you have no heart.

J.D. King, author and speaker, is the director of the World Revival Network.

For a limited time, we are extending our celebration of the 40th anniversary of Charisma. As a special offer, you can get 40 issues of Charisma magazine for only $40!

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When You're Headed to a Broken Home for the Holidays - MARIVITTORI GORMAN CHARISMA MAGAZINE SPIRITLED WOMAN

There are some of us on this side of Christmas who don't want to go home. (Charisma archives)

When You're Headed to a Broken Home for the Holidays

12/18/2015 MARIVITTORI GORMAN    CHARISMA MAGAZINE   SPIRITLED WOMAN

The crackling fire place, the stockings all lined up in a row, the smell of warm cider and a freshly trimmed Christmas tree.

These are the pictures that dance in our minds around the holidays.

Well, it's the picture for some people.

But then there are the rest of us whose picture is much less fanciful. There's some of us on this side of Christmas who don't want to go home.

We're the ones who come from towns we'd rather not talk about or from families we are intentionally vague about when you ask us about our holiday plans. We're the ones whose families have been plagued by divorce, addiction, adultery, lies, deceit, mental illness, fits of anger, abandonment or abuse.

We're the ones whose Christmas picture is broken.

So what if you, like me, are traveling back to a broken home for the holidays? How should you prepare, react and respond?

If you are like me, you've probably developed some poor habits when you go home. Maybe you slip back into old, destructive patterns. Maybe you numb out and coast through the whole experience. Maybe you always blow up at that one family member who seems to make you crazy, even when you swore you wouldn't react that way this time.

While I know everyone's broken home is different, here's one resounding lesson I've learned that applies to them all:

Your Savior Gets It

One of the crazy-good benefits of being a Christian is that our God is not far off and unfamiliar with our struggles.

Jesus Christ Himself had a hard time when it came to His hometown. Can you remember? Mark 6:1-5 tells us that Nazareth wouldn't take him seriously.

"You mean Joseph and Mary's kid? The carpenter? Yeah right, like he ever turned out to be anything good. Wasn't she pregnant before they got married?"

It's not a newsflash that a lot of people didn't buy the whole "An angel appeared and Mary got pregnant by the Holy Spirit" thing. The people surrounding Jesus' life looked at Him and His family story as though it was a joke, or worse, an abomination. Whispers and judgmental side-glances were probably part of Jesus' entire upbringing.

And He somehow bore all of that without sinning.

Do you feel that way this holiday season? Do you always feel as though you're never taken seriously when you go back to that place? Do you feel as though you'll always be seen as that person you were when you were 12? Do you hate going home because you know you'll have to face people who have heard about the scandal that happened in your family?

You're in good company, friend. The company of Christ Himself.

Remember that Jesus' birth story wasn't the only scandal when it comes to His family. In Jewish tradition, you only included the important and swoon-worthy candidates in your genealogy. You made sure to throw in any royal bloodlines or religious heroes. You left out anyone who could bring shame on the family. This was just the way genealogies were written. Only the best are remembered.

But Jesus? His entire genealogy in Matthew 1 was a chock-full mess of adulterers, drunks, murderers, prostitutes and the like. The fact that a Jewish author would mention any of these types of misfits, especially women, was unheard of.

The point?

Jesus knows what it's like to come from a family story you're not proud of.

When it comes to family brokenness, Hebrews 4:15 tells us that our God doesn't just understand what we're dealing with on an intellectual level, but that He actually dealtwith everything we deal with. He sympathizes because He's been there. He gets it.

In other words, you serve a God who walked through it too.

Do you know what Isaiah 53:3 tells you?

That God humbled Himself to become a "man of sorrows, acquainted with our deepest grief." Friend, that's not just a nice Bible phrase. That's your hope, your anchor, your power to get through this holiday.

All the kinds of brokenness we see in this life, Jesus has seen and dealt with and become acquainted with. He doesn't just understand our weaknesses as humans, he's lived them for us.

But why? Why did Jesus even have to become familiar with our sorrows?

Because He knew we'd respond poorly amid them. We have blown up, said things we shouldn't, thought bad things, responded in anger, hidden from our issues, refused to forgive and so on. There are a multiplicity of ways we don't respond well when we go home for the holidays.

Remember that Jesus did all of life in our place—died the death we deserved but also lived the life we couldn't live. We need a righteous record, and that includes the way we respond to brokenness.

Instead of lashing out, He took the lashes. Instead of defending Himself, He took the ridicule. Instead of returning evil for evil, He returned evil for good.

You know why?

Because you need someone to do that in your place. Because you have responded poorly amid brokenness and hurt, just as I have. I have lashed out. I have returned evil for evil. I have not responded well to being misunderstood.

Jesus not only gets it, He obeyed and responded rightly in my place so I could have a perfect record before the Father.

So here's your good news this Christmas:

Jesus did family brokenness in your place. He responded the ways you should have. He has forgiven in the ways that maybe you haven't yet. He never slipped into a bad pattern with family discussions but instead always replied appropriately.

That's great news. Why? Because if you have Jesus' record in place of your own, God looks at you as though you have responded perfectly over all these years!

Let the rich and unfathomable grace roll over you this holiday season—God Himself came from a line of misfits and was even rejected by His hometown yet responded perfectly to it, in my place, for me.

Hometowns are hard, my friend, apparently even for God in the flesh.

He gets it and He's already responded well to it on your behalf, even when you didn't deserve it. Now go live in that and love your crazy family and your hard hometown, even if they don't deserve it. For this is the way God loves us. Yes, this is the way of the cross.

The Christmas picture I now cling to has nothing to do with trees or cider. It's a simple picture, but a profound one: Jesus in my place, even over the holidays.

Reprinted with permission from truewoman.org. Ashley Marivittori Gorman is an author, photographer and Master's student at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Her passion is to teach and equip women within the Christian faith through the channels of motivational speaking, small-group leadership, personal mentoring and writing. 

She has served as a women's director in a local college ministry, influencing the campuses of NC State, UNC Chapel Hill and Duke University and has also served as a women's discipleship coordinator within her church campus. She lives in Durham, North Carolina, with her husband, Cole, a photographer and studio owner of Blest Studios, where they serve at their local church, The Summit.

For a limited time, we are extending our celebration of the 40th anniversary of Charisma. As a special offer, you can get 40 issues of Charisma magazine for only $40!

NEW from CHARISMA: Do you want to encounter the Holy Spirit and hear God speak to you? Increase your faith, discover freedom, and draw near to God! Click Here

The Jim Bakker Show - Update on Morningside and Day 2 with Dr. Don Colbert & Mary Colbert

The Jim Bakker Show 
- Update on Morningside 
and Day 2 with 
Dr. Don Colbert & Mary Colbert

Watch here: The Jim Bakker Show - Let Food Be Your Medicine (Day 2 with Dr. Don Colbert)

Dr. Don Colbert, Mary Colbert

Jim Bakker Show 2015 | Show# 2875 | Aired on December 18, 2015

Hebrews, I Chronicles, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Joel, Mark, Matthew, Psalm, Romans

Jim Bakker Show © 2015 • Morningside Studios

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Prince Charles Warns Christianity May Be Erased From Middle East Within 5 Years - Israel, Islam & End Times

Dec. 20, 2015

BRITAIN’S Prince Charles has warned that Christianity might be entirely erased from the land of its birth in the Middle East within five years.

“Their suffering is symptomatic of a very real crisis which threatens the very existence of Christianity in the land of its birth,” Charles said at the Archbishop House in central London, reported the Express on Thursday.

“In fact according to Aid to the Church in Need, which is a truly remarkable organization, Christianity is on course to disappear from Iraq within five years unless emergency help is provided on a greatly increased scale at an international level,” the Prince of Wales said.

“This affects us all, consequently the greatest challenge we face is how to ensure the spiritual and cultural heritage of Christianity in the Middle East is preserved for future generations.”

Christians have been heavily targeted by the Islamic State terror group across Iraq and Syria in the past two years, and have seen their numbers drop significantly.

The militants have beheaded Christians in several propaganda videos, and have warned Christian populations in towns they have captured that they must either convert to their version of Islam, face death, or be driven out.

Prince Charles’ dire warning has been proclaimed by Iraqi and Syrian church leaders as well, with Metropolitan Jean-Clément Jeanbart of the Melkite Archdiocese of Aleppo declaring in October that the exodus of Christians from the Middle East is both “apocalyptic and fatal.”

Jeanbart said that the “exodus of Christians” is as “a form of deportation, condemning our faithful to a humiliating exile and our 2,000-year-old Church to a deadly drying up.” The church leader also accused Western governments of appearing “either indifferent or unjust” to the plight of the refugees.

Prince Charles has also spoken out on the persecution of Christians throughout the Middle East on a number of other occasions, including back in December 2013 when he said that the situation has reached a “crisis” point.

“It seems to me that we cannot ignore the fact that Christians in the Middle East are, increasingly, being deliberately targeted by fundamentalist Islamist militants. Christianity was, literally, born in the Middle East and we must not forget our Middle Eastern brothers and sisters in Christ,” he said at the time.