Jesus is Born Christmas!

JESUS IS BORN CHRISTMAS

By Gary Clendenon © 2003

An adaptation of TENNESSEE CHRISTMAS By Amy Grant & Gary Chapman © 1983

Some say, weatherman, Give us a Xmas snowy white

Can't you hear the prayers Of every childlike heart tonight

Rockies are callin', Denver snow fallin'

Somebody said it's four feet deep

But it doesn't matter, amidst all the clatter

I'm gonna choose to keep...

Another Jesus is born Christmas

The only Christmas for me

Where His love circles around us

Like the gifts around our tree

Well, I know there's more snow up in Colorado

And it’s beautiful to see

But a Jesus is born Christmas

Is the only Christmas for me.

Make your plans for Xmas break; they urge me to see

Maybe California, maybe Tinsel Town's for me

There's a parade there, we'd have it made there

Bring home a tan for New Year's Eve

Sure sounds inviting, awfully exciting

Still I think I'm gonna keep...

Another Jesus is born Christmas

The only Christmas for me

Where His love circles around us

Like the gifts around our tree

Well, they say in LA it's a great holiday

It's the only place to be

But a Jesus is born Christmas

Is the only Christmas for me.

Ya, a Jesus is born Christmas

Is the only Christmas for me.

Distilled Christmas

 

“Distilled Christmas!”

By Gary L. Clendenon

(c) 12-22-2011

Have you noticed?

There is something magical about

this whole Christmas experience!

What is it?

Do you know??

I desperately want to distill it and bottle it so that I can drink

 daily of its irresistible enchantment all the otherwise often 

dreary year!

Can you help me?

Will you help me??

I really want this!

Like, somehow my life depends on it!

The 23rd Psalm, GC Version

 

THE 23rd PSALM, GC VERSION

© 2006 by GARY L. CLENDENON

Inspired by the book: A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23

by Phillip Keller

I am proud to say that God is my manager,

And I am completely satisfied with His management of my life.

My manager’s constant care frees me to focus on resting in quiet contentment.

In the morning, my manager gives me purpose and direction. He leads me through a perfect daily schedule—His timing never failing to meet my needs.

When I stray from my manager’s guidance and end up flat on my back—arms and legs flailing, He finds me, frees me, and then holds me ‘til I’m back on my feet again.

Knowing my tendency to get stuck in unproductive ruts, my manager leads me on the right path for me. As I follow, I learn that His reputation as “Best Manager” is well deserved.

Yes, even when led through the deepest, darkest, most difficult days, I know no fear. For You—Knower of the Best Way—are with me.

Your weapon—the power and authority of your word—protects me, disciplines me, and lays bare the secrets of my soul; while, at the same time, your gentle Spirit reassures me with the constant comfort of your presence.

You go before me and beat back my enemies as you prepare for me the BEST place. I flourish there in the confidence that you’ve got me covered!

You continuously anoint my mind with your Spirit, freeing me from the distracting buzz of life’s ever-present and annoying irritations. I am overwhelmed with gratitude!

I am sure that whatever happens in my life will, thanks to my manager’s mercy, turn out…“good”.

I plan to stay with my manager for the rest of my life!

“A World War Two Miracle”

 

“A World War Two Miracle”

From A Thousand Shall Fall by Susi Hasel Mundy

pgs. 50-52

The following story is one of many amazing stories found in the book A Thousand Shall Fall by Susi Hasel Mundy, a story that takes place during World War II from the perspective of a Seventh-day Adventist family whose father, Franz, has been drafted and sent into the war.

With Friday approaching, something else began to weigh heavily on Franz's mind.

“Dear Lord,” he whispered fearfully through dry lips, “You know I treasure your Sabbath. It's important to You, and because it's important to You, it's important to me. Up to now, its been pretty easy for me to keep Your day by trading work. But now we're at the front, and the rules have changed. Please help me.

And week by week, help came.

“The troops are exhausted,” the Hauptmann [German term for “Captain”] suddenly announced that first Friday. “We'll have a rest day tomorrow.”

The next Friday heavy downpours bogged the Army down in mud. . . . As the weeks went by, Franz noticed that God arranged events so that his Sabbath hours were protected. All the way to the very end of the war—except for one period of final hectic retreat when he lost track of time—Franz kept every Sabbath.

Farther and farther east the Pioneers [Franz's Company] pushed. ...the men were on foot. Yet carrying their guns and field packs, they often covered 30 miles a day. . . .

The Pioneers weren't used to prolonged marching, and the exertion finally began to take its toll. As men fell by the wayside suffering from heat stroke [and blistered feet, they would be left to their fate]. The company had to move on.

Some men developed such blisters on their feet that they could not tolerate boots any longer. They'd tug them off and limp along barefoot for a few miles til their bleeding feet could carry them no longer. … The lucky ones became prisoners of war. But most of them were killed outright by the vengeful Russians.

Franz, too, was exhausted. After a few days his socks were in shreds, and huge blisters soon covered his feet. ... Finally, he took one of his dirty undershirts, tore it into strips and wrapped them around his feet before pulling his boots back on. It was no help. The blisters burst open and became infected. Franz was barely able to drag himself along until [they] made camp for the night. He was running a fever and lay moaning on his mat. . . .

...Willi [stopped by and] removed his friend's boots. When he saw the fist-sized festering wounds, he groaned.

“Franz, there is a little stream not to far from here. Lean on me, and I will help you get there. It will give you some relief if you can cool your feet.”

With his arm around Willi's shoulder, Franz hobbled the few yards to the water. By the time he reached the creek, his feet had swollen to twice their size. When he stuck his tortured limbs into the murky, polluted water, he did feel relief.

“I can't move,” he groaned. “I'm too exhausted.”

“OK”, said Willi. “Just stay here for a while. I'll bring your things. All you need is a good rest.”

I need more than that, Franz thought. My body is worn out and burning with fever. My feet are throbbing with infection. I need days, Willi. Days of rest. But it's not possible. There's nothing more I can do. Tomorrow I'll be left behind like the others. I knew life in the army would be dangerous, but I never thought I would succumb to infection.

He removed his feet from the water, gingerly dried them. Too worn out to follow his regular routine of Bible reading, he took out his Bible to read just a text before prayer. It fell open to Psalms 118:17: “I will not die but live, and proclaim what the Lord has done” (NIV).

Stunned, he wrapped himself up in his gray army blanket. Then, lying there on the damp, foreign soil, his body shaking with fever, Franz prayed.

“Dear Lord, you know that my life is committed to You. When I left home, I felt assured that You would bring me back safely to my family. Now You have given me another promise. But here I am, sick and unable to continue. Unless You help me, I am lost. I know that You are a promise-keeping God. I commit myself into Your hands.”

Finally, Franz dropped off.

Wake up call at 3:15 a.m. Groggy, Franz rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. His headache and the shaking were gone. Well, I've had a good rest. If I can get my feet into my boots, maybe I can give it another try.

He sat up, pulled his feet from under the gray blanket and looked at them. In the dim light they shone whitely.

“Wait a minute,” he muttered, blinking and squinting at them. “That can't be.”

He reached out his hand and gingerly felt them with his fingers. Then he brushed at them harder and harder.

They're healed. The hair tingled on his scalp. My feet are completely healed. Not just covered with thick fresh scabs, but with completely new, unbroken skin.

Shaking his head in wonder, he pulled on his bloody socks, stepped into his boots, and marched stoutly over to wish an astonished Willi a good morning. For the remaining years of the war, Franz never again had any trouble with his feet.

“Hallowed Eve?” (Grace Note #6)

 

“Hallowed Eve?” (Grace Note #6)

By Gary L. Clendenon, October 28, 2014

Halloween is a holiday that is hard to miss—pumpkins everywhere turning into glowing ghoulish faces, front yards becoming cluttered cemeteries, houses becoming haunted, and candy-craving children clambering at your door for treats. Some Christians find this holiday to be offensive or even evil, and it can also be somewhat challenging for those of us who are Adventists given our fairly unique belief about “The state of the dead”. This Grace Note is not about all that, for I believe that is between you and GOD, but I would like to share with you another Halloween story that, in my opinion, too often gets overlooked.

The year was 1517—three years shy of 500 years ago (1). The location: Papacy controlled Europe (538-1798 AD). It was on Halloween, then called “All Hallows' Eve” in the city of Wittenberg, Germany, that a Catholic Priest and University Professor named Martin Luther approached the door of The Castle Church and nailed a document to it. The document was called “95 Theses” and was an open letter to the Catholic Archbishop regarding the misuse of indulgences and other non-biblical practices. Indulgences were a tool used by the church to raise money while allowing the rich to buy their own eternal forgiveness and guaranteed ticket to Heaven, and Martin Luther had 95 reasons why indulgences and other church practices did not match what the Bible taught.

You see, three years earlier Martin Luther had discovered the book of Romans and had had a life-changing conversion. Throughout his days as a monk and into his days as a priest and teacher, Martin Luther had been completely terrified by the thought of the wrath of GOD, until he discovered Romans 1:17: “For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: 'The righteous will live by faith.'” Here are Luther’s words describing his discovery of GOD's gift of grace: “...by the mercy of God, I...began to understand that the righteousness of God is that through which the righteous live by a gift of God, namely by faith… Here I felt as if I were entirely born again and had entered paradise itself through the gates that had been flung open.” (2)

Luther's intent was NOT to start a new church, but merely to reform the Catholic Church that he loved, but thanks to the recent invention of the printing press, his words went viral! “Within 2 weeks, copies of the Theses had spread throughout Germany; within two months throughout Europe.” (3) Luther had started something bigger than he ever imagined that Halloween evening, and for him there was no going back on his putting the Bible first in his religion. Eventually, these courageous acts led to his dismissal from the Catholic Church and, with those who followed him, the beginning of a new denomination. Looking back now, we can see that October 31, 1517 was clearly the beginning of “The Protestant Reformation” and now is called by some “Reformation's Eve”, an eve worth celebrating! (4)

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8,9 NIV)

FOOTNOTES:

1. It's now been 506 years!

2. http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/131christians/theologians/luther.html?start=1

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TheNinety-FiveTheses

4. If you like this idea, please “Like” my Facebook page “Reformation's Eve” October 31

Crazy Christian Belief #2

 

False Assumptions: Relief from 12 “Christian” Beliefs that can Drive You Crazy

A book by Dr. Henry Cloud & Dr. John Townsend (c) 1994

Summarized by Gary L. Clendenon, 2019-2020

Click HERE for "Crazy Christian Belief #1"

False Assumption #2: “If I’m spiritual enough, I will have no pain or sinfulness.”

Christian Truth #2: “Sinfulness and pain are normal on the Christian path. To admit and accept our problems is the first step to freedom and growth.”

MORE: People living under this false assumption cope with this untruth through “Denial” of reality, “Trying harder”, and/or “Using shame” and condemnation as their motivation.

The Bible’s truth about badness: 1. “Sinfulness is normal. Expect failure.” 2. “Negative feelings are normal, not sinful, when they arise from a sin against you.”

To blame victims for their pain is a sin against them; it is a sin against God, whose heart is with those who hurt (Ps. 34:18). Nowhere does Scripture tell us to confront the wounded. It tells us instead to love them.

CLICK HERE FOR CRAZY CHRISTIAN BELIEF #3

Crazy Christian Belief #1

 

False Assumptions: Relief from 12 “Christian” Beliefs that can Drive You Crazy

A book by Dr. Henry Cloud & Dr. John Townsend (c) 1994

Summarized by Gary L. Clendenon, 2019-2020

False Assumption #1: “It’s selfish to have my needs met.”

Christian Truth #1: “Its NOT selfish to have my needs met.”

MORE: We have a God-given responsibility to get our needs met. If your need for comfort, encouragement, is selfish, then others’ need for that is selfish, too. If it ain’t okay for you to have it, then it ain’t okay for you to give it.

The self-righteous attitude of thinking we have no problems is what birthed Alcoholics Anonymous in the 1940’s. People found that in A.A. meetings they could still have struggles; they could still be needy. In fact, they had to confess their neediness at every meeting. The church should be a place where it’s safe to be unfinished, incomplete, and needy.

Having our needs meet frees us to meet the needs of others—without resentment.

CLICK HERE FOR CRAZY CHRISTIAN BELIEF #2

“The Antichrist!” (Islam & the Antichrist #4)

“The Antichrist!” (Islam & the Antichrist #4)

Here is the link to Part 1:

The following is taken from the book The Islamic Antichrist by Joel Richardson:

Simply put, according to the Bible, the Antichrist will be Satan’s primary human agent on the earth in the last days.

Who exactly is the Antichrist? The Bible prophesies that the Antichrist will be a political and military leader with power unparalleled by any other world leader throughout history.

The Mahdi [Islam’s Messiah], like the Antichrist, is also prophesied to be a political and military world leader unparalleled by any other throughout world history.

The Bible teaches that the Antichrist will lead a worldwide religious worship movement that will attempt to displace and usurp worship from the God of the Bible. This worship will then be directed toward both himself and Satan—the invisible spirit—the provocateur and puppet master that motivates, empowers, and gives authority to the Antichrist to accomplish his worldwide task.

Likewise, it almost goes without saying, the Mahdi of Islam will be the leader of a worldwide worship movement, a worship movement that will seek to cause anyone who practices any religion other than Islam to renounce his faith and worship Allah, the god of Islam.

Both the Antichrist and the Mahdi are said to be the unqualified leaders of a global religious movement that will draw worship away from the God of the Bible and His Son Jesus Christ.

The Bible is very clear that Satan, through the Antichrist, will specifically target first Jews and then Christians for death. (Revelation 12)

Interestingly enough, Islamic tradition speaks much of the Mahdi’s special calling to convert Christians and Jews to Islam. The following quote from Ayatollah Ibrahim Amini clearly articulates this vision: The Mahdi will offer the religion of Islam to the Jews and Christians; if they accept it they will be spared, otherwise they will be killed.

The Bible teaches that the Antichrist, with his multination coalition, will attack Israel, and specifically Jerusalem, to conquer it. The Apostle Paul says that the Antichrist will “set himself up in God’s Temple,” or more literally, “he takes his seat in the temple of God.” This speaks not so much of a literal sitting down as it does of a taking a position of authority.

Likewise the Mahdi is said to attack Jerusalem and reconquer it for Islam in order to establish Islamic rule over the earth from Jerusalem. The Mahdi will not end his campaign against Jerusalem in a peaceful way. For the Jews, the Islamic version of the last days ends with the last few surviving Jews hiding behind rocks or trees from the sword of Islam.

Another of the Antichrist’s goals according to the Book of Daniel is to “change the set times and the laws”: He will speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try to change the set times and the laws. (Daniel 7:25, emphasis mine)

It quite plausible that the biblical reference to the Antichrist who will “try to change the set times and the laws” describes a Muslim. As we look at the full picture, only Islam fits the bill of a system that has its own unique calendar, a week based on its own religious history, and a clear system of law that it wishes to impose onto the entire earth.

So in conclusion, we see that several of the most unique and distinguishing aspects of the biblical Antichrist’s person, mission, and actions are matched to quite an amazing degree by the descriptions of the Mahdi as found in the Islamic traditions. And now, even further, we see that Muslim scholars actually apply Bible verses about the Antichrist to their awaited savior, the Mahdi. This must be seen as quite ironic, if not entirely prophetic.

~ Joel Richardson, The Islamic Antichrist, pg. 33, 34, 37, 39, 40, 42, 43, 44, 45, 48, 49, 51.

“Islam’s Awaited Savior!” (Islam & the Antichrist #3)

“Islam’s Awaited Savior!” (Islam & the Antichrist #3)

HERE is the link to Part 1:

The following is taken from the book The Islamic Antichrist by Joel Richardson:

SUMMARY: After reviewing the various Islamic traditions and opinions of the Muslim scholars, let’s now review and walk through a list of what we have learned about the person and the mission of the Mahdi as he exists in the minds of the 1.5 billion Muslims worldwide. Remember, this is the man that the Muslims of the world eagerly await:

1. The Mahdi is Islam’s primary messiah figure.

2. He will be a descendant of Muhammad and will bear Muhammad’s name (Muhammad bin Abdullah).

3. He will be a very devout Muslim.

4. He will be an unparalleled spiritual, political, and military world leader.

5. He will emerge after a period of great turmoil and suffering upon the earth.

6. He will establish justice and righteousness throughout the world and eradicate tyranny and oppression.

7. He will be the caliph and imam (vice regent and leader) of Muslims worldwide.

8. He will lead a world revolution and establish a new world order.

9. He will lead military action against all those who oppose him.

10. He will invade many countries.

11. He will make a seven-year peace treaty with a Jew of priestly lineage.

12. He will conquer Israel for Islam and lead the “faithful Muslims” in a final slaughter/battle against Jews.

13. He will establish the new Islamic world headquarters from Jerusalem.

14. He will rule for seven years (possibly as much as eight or nine).

15. He will cause Islam to be the only religion practiced on the earth.

16. He will appear riding a white horse (possibly symbolic).

17. He will discover some previously undiscovered biblical manuscripts that he will use to argue with the Jews and cause some Jews to convert to Islam.

18. He will also rediscover the Ark of the Covenant from the Sea of Galilee, which he will bring to Jerusalem.

19. He will have supernatural power from Allah over the wind and the rain and crops.

20. He will possess and distribute enormous amounts of wealth.

21. He will be loved by all the people of the earth.

~ Joel Richardson, The Islamic Antichrist, pg. 31-32.

HERE is the link to Part 4:

“The Awaited Savior!” (Islam & the Antichrist, Part 2)

 

“The Awaited Savior!” (Islam & the Antichrist, Part 2)

Here is the link to Part One:

The following is taken from the book The Islamic Antichrist by Joel Richardson:

...the most anticipated and central sign that Muslims await is the coming of a man known as “the Mahdi.” In Arabic, al-Mahdi means “the Guided One” -- “the Awaited Savior.”

“...mankind will have reached a stage of great suffering. Then the awaited Mahdi will appear;”

The coming of the Mahdi is the central crowning element of all Islamic end-time narratives. According to Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani, chairman of the Islamic Supreme Council of America, “The coming of the Mahdi is established doctrine for both Sunni and Shi’a Muslims, and indeed for all humanity.”

Ayatullah Baqir al-Sadr and Ayatullah Murtada Mutahhari, both Shi’a Muslim scholars, in their book, The Awaited Savior, describe the Mahdi this way: A figure more legendary than that of the Mahdi, the Awaited Saviour, has not been seen in the history of mankind. ... He has been the vision of the visionaries in history. He has been the dream of all the dreamers of the world. For the ultimate salvation of mankind he is the Pole Star of hope on which the gaze of humanity is fixed…. In this quest for the truth about the Mahdi there is no distinction of any caste, creed, or country. The quest is universal, exactly in the same way as the Mahdi himself is universal. He stands resplendent high above the narrow walls in which humanity is cut up and divided. He belongs to everybody. (emphasis mine)

In the simplest of terms, the Mahdi is Islam’s messiah or savior. The Islamic messiah, thus, embodies the aspirations of his followers in the restoration of the purity of the Faith which will bring true and uncorrupted guidance to all mankind, creating a just social order and a world free from oppression in which the Islamic revelation will be the norm for all nations. (emphasis mine)

Thus it is fair to say that the “rising” of the Mahdi is to the majority of Muslims what the return of Jesus is to Christians. While Christians await the return of Jesus the Messiah to fulfill all of God’s prophetic promises to the people of God, Muslims await the appearance of the Mahdi to fulfill these purposes. Sheikh Kabbani likewise identifies the Mahdi as Islam’s primary messiah figure: “Jews are waiting for the Messiah, Christians are waiting for Jesus, and Muslims are waiting for both the Mahdi and Jesus. All religions describe them as men coming to save the world.”

~ Joel Richardson, The Islamic Antichrist, pg. 20-23.

HERE is the link to Part 3: