Listen this thing's talking

You have probably all heard the song, "Hark, the herald angel sings, 'Glory to the new born King.'" But have you ever actually thought deep into the meaning of what Charles Wesley was saying there.

hark - (verb) - listen

herald - (noun) - a person or thing viewed as a sign that something is about to happen

angel - (noun) - a spiritual being believed to act as an attendant, agent, or messenger of God


     Or even thought about what an angel really is? Is it weird that every time angels appear in the Bible they start out with, Don't be Afraid. I don't think that is just a coincidence I think everyone that sees an angel is genuinely scared. If it was a man with a shiny halo and wings I don't really think anyone would really be afraid. In Daniel 10 it talks about when he saw an angel how he passed out. And he was a mighty man of God, lived in a lion's den and did fine! These Angels are warriors and they probably are the prettiest looking dudes. But they fact that they came was so important, every time. They appeared to these shepherds and sang.

is the First....or the Second more likely to be an Angel?

These angels, warriors, came to sing to shepherds...thats crazy. They came rejoicing about the incredible news. These guys had no idea, but it really happened, God really came to earth, And the Angels came to tell these men. The King of all of the earth was here on earth as a baby. Babies are cute an cuddly but they also poop and pee a lot.  God came as Jesus, to be fully man here on earth. That is crazy love. My God loves me so much that he literally became human flesh not to conquer the Roman Empire but to impact more people than the Roman Empire ever even came close to coming in contact with. Napoleon Bonaparte said it best when he said this,

"I know men and I tell you that Jesus Christ is no mere man. Between him and every other person in the world there is no possible term of comparison. Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and I founded empires. But on what did we rest the creations of our genius? Upon force. Jesus Christ founded His empire upon love; and at this hour millions of people would die for Him."

Who is this man that warriors sing about, he has affected more people than the greatest conquerer on earth. He came in Love.

Yonder

When the weather gets cold it makes me stray towards some beautiful picking. If you have never heard of Yonder Mountain String Band you need to CLICK HERE . If you have never took the time to drive through the mountains and listen to some bluegrass music I would highly recommend it. Download you some bluegrass and make you a CD, or for you high tech people load it on your iPod(phone,pad) or for you GM people head on over to XM channel 14. Bluegrass is the music that has been the very backbone of this country. During the Revolutionary war fiddle playing was often used to liven the spirits of the patriots. In the 1860's in the midst of a divided country, bluegrass picking with banjos and mandolins and fiddles could be heard across the country from above and below that Mason Dixon line. If you have ever been told that only mountain people listen to bluegrass, then I would advise you to jump into listening to these guys. There bring out the Ashvillians, from NC down to people all across the Nation. I am a very big fan and I would recommend these guys or just bluegrass in general to anyone. It is music that will calm your soul and ease your mind. Take a second turn on a bluegrass jam and just RELAX. Let the tender banjo/mandolin picking take you away to a mountain top in the northern region of Tennessee. I am convinced Bluegrass music was not created for just mountain men or hippies, but for all men and women across this great country of ours.

How deep the Father's love

The Embrace of a Father does not compare to any other feeling in the world, sometimes its used for pure comfort, other times for protection from the world outside, but regardless it is always covered in love. Something that most people have felt is the wonderful amazing feeling of being held in the arms of your dad when were are a little kid. You know that there is nothing in the world that can take you from his arms because he is your superman, He is the guy who can do anything and take on anyone. I have heard this many a times that my father would lay down his life for me, that he would sacrifice his very life to save mine. That is something big to think about. Thrusting himself in front of me when the car is crossing the road, or literally taking the bullet for me, these images are so deep that it does not seem to make sense why they would do this for us. This is because of Love. "Greater Love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his brother." This makes what our other Father in heaven did for us such a more realistic and deep display of love. He literally showed us love to the highest degree, so that we would know on a human level how deep, wide, and high, his love is for us. "but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Rom 5:8. It is not the fact that God died, but the fact that he came and sacrificed everything for us so that while we were still marred and blemished we were given that second chance, we did not have to clean ourselves off. There is this Bible verse which I absolutely love and it goes like this. " For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God is Christ Jesus our Lord." Rom 8:38-39 God here is not ever going to let go of his beloved. There is nothing in the world that is going to come between him and his love to for his people. God is not going to let us suffer in the world and live in misery because he has come to give us the abundant  life. Therefore stand firm in the Lord. And know that the Father gives to his children who ask. So let the embracing arms of God overwhelm you tonight. Be known by God and begin to know him. Be a human-"being" find your identity in God.

An Odd Day

There has been those days when you just don't wanna do anything but just sit on a log and basically become one with the tree. There is something about this time of year in Athens where when you are about in the city you can almost just sense the stress resonating in the air. And a lot of times when you have something to do the more it makes you not want to do it. And then we stress. Francis Chan puts it this way,

"Worry Implies that we don't quite trust that God is big enough, powerful enough, or loving enough to take care of what's happening in our lives. Stress says that the things we are involved in are important enough to merit out impatience, our lack of grace toward others, or out tight grip of control."

So even though there is a lot going on in a VERY little amount of time we may have to stop for a second and meditate on the Beauty of our Creator. And trust that God is big enough, powerful enough, and loving enough to take care of what's happening in our lives. He is our King and our great provider he will never let us down. So sit, listen, and wait for 15 minutes, then enjoy the Beautiful subject of Physics or Math, or English....

Dammed

Ever felt like you have just been put in a situation where you just can't squeeze out? There are so many situations that we are placed in that make us just feel extremely uncomfortable. Like riding an airplane between two ginormous men, or standing on a bus in between two people in a conversation. Dammed. When feeling dammed and unsure, Be bold. Try to reach out and jump in that conversation your caught between. Step out of the dam and into the flowing water, because once you get in the flow you're home free. Jesus tells us to be bold in our faith too. Like when his disciples were out fishing and they had not caught a single thing, producing no profit. Jesus came and told them where to cast and they did and reaped the benefit of trying a new location or a new way of doing something. So when you feel like you are in a situation where the water is rising and you have no way to escape don't just let the water rise over you because its comfortable for you. BE BOLD! Let the words of Jesus inspire you to step in the flowing water. Jesus says he has Living Water and whoever drinks from the living water will never be thirsty again. That flowing water that continues to move and satisfy will not sit and dam you up. Psalm 69: 1-2 "Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in deep mire, where ther is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and the flood sweeps over me." Psalm 46:1 "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." God will provide a way out of the water we just have to be bold in our faith in Him.