Good Friday

As you know, today is Good Friday. The day we celebrate Jesus' death, which seems rather weird to say. But we do celebrate. Not like other holidays, where there's food and fun, but in a more solemn way. And, although it's sad that Jesus died, he came back to life. That He thought us worthy of dying for is in itself a thing to celebrate.

From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over the land. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" -which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
When some of those standing there heard this, they said, "He's calling Elijah." Immediately one of them ran and for a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. The rest said, "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to save him."
And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.
(Matthew 27:45-50)

Psalm 13

I'd like to share another of my favorite psalms with you.

Psalm 13 (New International Version)

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

1 How long, O LORD ? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?

2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
and every day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?

3 Look on me and answer, O LORD my God.
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death;

4 my enemy will say, "I have overcome him,"
and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

5 But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.

6 I will sing to the LORD,
for he has been good to me.

Psalm 13 (New Century Version)

A Prayer for God to Be Near

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

1 How long will you forget me, Lord? Forever?
How long will you hide from me?
2 How long must I worry
and feel sad in my heart all day?
How long will my enemy win over me?

3 Lord, look at me.
Answer me, my God;
tell me, or I will die.
4 Otherwise my enemy will say, "I have won!"
Those against me will rejoice that I've been defeated.

5 I trust in your love.
My heart is happy because you saved me.
6 I sing to the Lord
because he has taken care of me.

Christmas

Aaaaahhhh Christmas, My favorite time of year. The family and friends and God. I cannot believe that is has come so fast. I Love Christmas and I have been counting down the days till Christmas.

Merry Christmas to all who read this.

-Alex

Christmas or mas?

Ah, only a few more days until Christmas. Just the thought of the food, the presents, and the fun is making me happy. But too often -far too often- we forget what the season is really about. And what I have been wondering lately, is that if someone doesn't believe in God, then why do they celebrate Christmas?

Christmas is the day where we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. All Christians know that. Christmas = Christ + mas. The most simple way to say it is this:
If you take away Christ from Christmas, what do you have? Christmas - Christ = mas. And what, now, exactly, is a mas? I don't know either. So if all of these people -people who don't believe in God- aren't celebrating Christmas, what are they celebrating?

I truly just don't get it. Christmas has become too commercial, too material. It's too much about 'Santa Clause' and presents. And worse- it's not even enough about giving. So many times this year, I have been asked what I want. I don't really want any stuff. I want to become a better Christian, but that is not a gift one can give. People are forgetting what the season is truly about- the birth of Jesus.

While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. (Luke 2: 6-7)

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. (Luke 2: 16-18)

So all of you, please remember the story behind the holiday. And I would appreciate comments; I love hearing other's points of view. Thanks!

Weekly Bible verse-Ecclesiastes 3

A few days ago, I was so touched that I started to cry while I was reading this Bible verse. I have never cried while reading the Bible before. I was thinking about how everything has a time and a purpose. Everything is controlled by God. It felt so amazing, I think that God was sitting right beside me while I was reading it. Ecclesiastes is great!

Ecclesiastes 3 (New Century Version)
There Is a Time for Everything 1 There is a time for everything, and everything on earth has its special season. 2 There is a time to be born and a time to die. There is a time to plant and a time to pull up plants. 3 There is a time to kill and a time to heal. There is a time to destroy and a time to build. 4 There is a time to cry and a time to laugh. There is a time to be sad and a time to dance. 5 There is a time to throw away stones and a time to gather them. There is a time to hug and a time not to hug. 6 There is a time to look for something and a time to stop looking for it. There is a time to keep things and a time to throw things away. 7 There is a time to tear apart and a time to sew together. There is a time to be silent and a time to speak. 8 There is a time to love and a time to hate. There is a time for war and a time for peace.
God Controls His World 9 Do people really gain anything from their work?10 I saw the hard work God has given people to do.11 God has given them a desire to know the future. He does everything just right and on time, but people can never completely understand what he is doing.12 So I realize that the best thing for them is to be happy and enjoy themselves as long as they live.13 God wants all people to eat and drink and be happy in their work, which are gifts from God.14 I know that everything God does will continue forever. People cannot add anything to what God has done, and they cannot take anything away from it. God does it this way to make people respect him. 15 What happens now has happened in the past, and what will happen in the future has happened before. God makes the same things happen again and again.
Unfairness on Earth 16 I also saw this here on earth: Where there should have been justice, there was evil; where there should have been right, there was wrong. 17 I said to myself, God has planned a time for every thing and every action, so he will judge both good people and bad.
18 I decided that God leaves it the way it is to test people and to show them they are just like animals.19 The same thing happens to animals and to people; they both have the same breath, so they both die. People are no better off than the animals, because everything is useless.20 Both end up the same way; both came from dust and both will go back to dust.21 Who can be sure that the human spirit goes up to God and that the spirit of an animal goes down into the ground?22 So I saw that the best thing people can do is to enjoy their work, because that is all they have. No one can help another person see what will happen in the future.

Thanksgiving- Giving Thanks

Wow, it's already Thanksgiving! I can hardly believe it. This month (and year) have flown by. I can't wait until mealtime. All that turkey, and dressing, and cranberry sauce! That's not even the best part! Mmm. Pumpkin pie, pumpkin bars, oatmeal pie... Yum. My mouth's watering thinking about it.

But that isn't all. We have to remember that Thanksgiving isn't just about the food, family, and fun. It's about giving thanks. I'm sure you all know the story of Thanksgiving. But a lot of times, we don't remember the story behind the holiday. We get caught up in the fun, and forget what it's really about. So on this day, remember to thank God for all those things that he has blessed you with.

Now, you may have a lot of stuff and a lot of money, so you have a lot to be thankful for. But you may have not very much stuff, not very much money, and live in a tiny apartment. You have a lot to be thankful for too. Because no matter who you are, I'm sure you have at least one of these things: good parents; loving friends; wacky siblings; or a pet. And I know two things that everyone -and I mean everyone- has. A loving heavenly Father who you can count on is the first. The second is a beautiful, amazing country and world. So if you don't have anything else to be thankful for (which I'm sure you do) thank God for those. And those things will always be there.

Jessica

Concerning the outcome of the election

I think that everyone should read this post Natalie wrote concerning the outcome of the 2008 election.