Sad? Add Some SEASON-ing

Right, Welcome to the first of hopefully a series of Christmas Posts.
Wish me Luck.

¹³ But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. ¹⁴ For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.
(1 Thessalonians 4:13-14, New King James Version)

So sorrow and depression have been on my mind alot lately, which makes sense with my dad passing away and the "happiest" season of the year coming up. I love Christmas. The music, the lights, the red hats (spent a whole December wearing one), and the fact that Jesus stepped into history. Just gets me going.

Despite all the parties, the presents, and the "good cheer"; there are still alot of sad stories and sad songs about Christmas. Stories about being alone, losing someone, stories about loss. They are everywhere this time of year, like a shadow of the "joy" that surrounds us.

I was listening to one of these sad songs when I realized it wasn't the same, it was somehow different. Here is that song from Relient K.



and here are the lyrics. (I've tried to link, if that doesn't work copy and paste the address)
lyrics
http://www.superlyrics.com/lyrics/kGRUvnaPBM@H@x/Merry_Christmas,_Here's_To_Many_More_lyrics_by_Relient_K.html

Go ahead, listen, read. I'll wait...............

Dude was having a crappy year, not the worst but darn close. It was Christmas time and he had come home to his friends and family celebrating. He had to go in and face all this "cheer" and "joy." Not only that, but he'd be expected to join in. Now note the change in the middle of the 2nd verse:

And living out my days alone, well, that had been my deepest fear
But you promised you won't leave

That turn isn't based off the the behavior of the people or Dude, because we return to the chorus and everything is the same. Not Dude, he had changed his perspective. Dude remebered that his joy didn't come from things or people. His joy came from his hope, placed in his Savior Jesus Christ.

I rejoice not because my father died, but like Jesus, he and I will rise again. There we will worship the one who came down to earth to save us from our sins, forever.

Care to join us? It's easy just believe the last paragraph. Done. Now rejoice or mourn this Christmas in a new way. Not like the world does, but having hope that you will be raised with the one who was born into a manger.

Merry Christmas!

Thankful

Greetings.

Just in time (barely) for Thanksgiving, I give you my thankfulness petpeeve:
“I’m thankful for…”

I know thankfulness is a great thing, but most people miss the most important half of giving thanks. What is this important part you ask… the WHOM. When you get a present from a friend, you thank your friend for the present. When a stranger opens a door for you, you thank the stranger for opening the door. You have to thank someone for something.

But then there are the times people say they are thankful for things that are not given by a person, like family. You can’t be thankful for your family, unless there is someone who has given it to you. If there is no God or that God is not a personable thinking person, you CAN’T be thankful about these things.

If there is a personable thinking God, then you, like Paul, can thank Him for things.

⁸ First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. (Romans 1:8, New King James Version)


I thank my God and King for:
My mother, who taught me who He was
My father
My siblings, who allowed me to live into adulthood
My in-laws, who took me in like a son
My church family
My accountability partners- bellybutton, toenail, dj, and the Russ-es that means you!
My wife, who still puts up with me after 14 years
And most importantly for sending His Son to live and die for me.