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Living The Solution – Online Newsletter |
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December 20, 2004 ISSUE |
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Opening Thoughts:
This is the week for final Christmas preparations.
It is also a time of anxious waiting, especially for little children.
They are excited by all the trappings...lights, ornaments, caroling and
presents wrapped and under the tree.
Whatever your present circumstances are I pray that you
may enter into the mystery of God becoming one of us. God does for us
what we can't do for ourselves, and yet God became a little baby dependent
upon humans. Remember and celebrate the gift of the Christ child.
Peace and joy,
Tom Gilbert
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IN THIS ISSUE
Feature Article: Christmas:
The Forbidden Word
In The Spotlight: Portrait of a Radical
Daily Thoughts: Taking Him at His Word
Prayer & Sharing Requests
Quotable: God Alone is Sufficient
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| FEATURED
ARTICLE |
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Christmas:
The Forbidden Word
Article by Wendy Lomano — © 2004
It's becoming increasingly "unpopular" — or,
rather, NOT politically correct (PC) — to use the
word CHRISTMAS these days.
Department stores, such as Macy's, television, radio, and print media are switching
to "Happy Holidays!" instead of saying "Merry Christmas".
And they're using "holiday' to take any religious reference out of the season.
It's not a Christmas concert coming up, it's a holiday concert. It's not a Christmas
parade, it's a holiday parade.
But do they know the origin of
the word "Holiday"? It comes
from the joining of HOLY and DAY.
Additionally, stores are using the word "holiday" instead of "Christmas" in
their advertisements. The fear of offending someone has caused them to use the
word "holiday" — Your holiday one-stop shopping place! — despite
that the word holiday itself has religious origins.
They're using "holiday" to be
non-religious, all-encompassing. "Holiday" — you
know... Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, New
Years, Ramadan, Boxing Day, Pearl Harbor Day, Bill of
Rights Day, Wright Brothers Day, Three Kings Day...
Give me a break. Holiday? Hmm. This is
December. To which "HOLIDAY" are you referring?
Read the entire article here
Discover more thought provoking articles
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| IN THE SPOTLIGHT |
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Portrait of a Radical
Get to know the real Jesus Christ. The video “Portrait
of a Radical” closely examines the life of Jesus, the times, the
socio-political climate and the Jesus Movement. Three prominent theologians
share their insight: Huston Smith, Richard Rohr, Allen Dwight Callahan.
Get
more information here
See more at our Spotlight Specials page
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DAILY THOUGHTS & REFLECTIONS |
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Taking Him at His Word
Now he was back in Cana of Galilee, the place
where he made the water into wine. Meanwhile in Capernaum, there was a certain
official from the king's court whose son was sick. When he heard that Jesus
had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and asked that he come down and
heal his son, who was on the brink of death. Jesus put him off: "Unless
you people are dazzled by a miracle, you refuse to believe". But the
court official wouldn't be put off. "Come down! It's life or death
for my son." Jesus simply replied, "Go home. Your son lives."
The man believed the bare word Jesus spoke and headed home. On his way
back, his servants intercepted him and announced, "Your son lives!" He
asked them what time he began to get better. They said, "The fever
broke yesterday afternoon at one o'clock." The father knew that that
was the very moment Jesus had said, "Your son lives." That clinched
it. Not only he but his entire household believed. This was now the second
sign Jesus gave after having come from Judea into Galilee.
(John 4:46-54 — The Message)
Sometimes reading the Bible for one’s self can
be an adventure. Many times I find that the things I thought it said and
some of the things I believed it said are wrong or at least incomplete.
Today’s selection is one of those.
How many of us, by this point in the book of John, knew that the healing
of this man’s boy was only Jesus’ second miracle? And how
many knew that His first two miracles were turning water into wine and
one healing?
Also we have this image of Jesus being kind, caring, and compassionate,
an image we have been given from our teachers. Not that it is wrong, but
how does that image fit with the apparent coldness of the statement, "Unless
you people are dazzled by a miracle, you refuse to believe" and His
short (and as the John puts it, "bare word") answer to man after
he persists with his request for His son’s healing. What was Jesus
trying to get at here?
Jesus wants us to believe His words. He wants people to hear Him with
their hearts; for He knows that our hearts were created with a spot just
for Him and that our hearts will know Him and His voice just by hearing
His words. However, we are people of hard hearts and as such we demand
proof of someone’s claims and intentions. Even when our hearts tell
us we are hearing what is truth we still demand proof. Thank goodness
Jesus is willing to give us what we need to believe, even though it is
His hope and desire that we would take Him at His word and trust Him.
We today are really no different than those that Jesus walked
with some 2000 years ago. How many of us when faced with a decision, pray
about
it, receive an answer in our hearts, but then start putting
God to the test to verify the answer and to prove to us that what our hearts
tell
us is true, is really true? We do it all the time. It’s time we
started really trusting God. It’s time we started to take Him at
His word and trust what He says to our hearts for that
is what He wants from us — our trust.
Live it with Passion
Pete Reinbold
Get daily inspiration with a Scripture verse and commentary
at
Daily Thought
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PRAYER REQUESTS & RESULTS |
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Prayer works. It really does.Submit your prayer
requests and we will pray for them.
Of course, we keep your information confidential.
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My thoughts are shared regularly on the pages of
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We welcome and appreciate your feedback. If you would
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It is our hope that the content of Living The Solution will
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or you have comments please let us know.
Send an email
Quotable: God Alone is Sufficient
"Let nothing disturb you, nothing
frighten you, all things are passing, God is unchanging.
Patience gains all; nothing is lacking to those who
have God: God alone is sufficient."
— St. Teresa of Avila
Copyright 2004 Living the Solution, all rights reserved.
Tom Gilbert
Editor/Web-servant
Living The Solution
www.livingthesolution.com
P O Box 25584
Albuquerque, NM 87125-5584
Toll free 1-800-399-2564 ext 105 (US only) or 505-247-3232
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Portrait
of a Radical
The Jesus Movement
This Christmast find
out more about the real Jesus
Christ
Featuring: Huston Smith, Richard Rohr, Allen Dwight Callahan
order
here
read
the review
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