If I would sum up what the birth of Jesus and the entire foundation of Christianity means to me in one word, it would be hope. On the day of His birth, an angel annouced Him to shepherds:
Luke 2: 10-11 "I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord."
With this birth, the path to man's salvation was set in place. The birth of Jesus was the beginning of God's plan to reconcile mankind to Himself. There was hope for everyone!
As we all move through this Christmas season, some of us have families that love us and want to share it with us, and some of us don't. This can be a tough time of year for people who fall into the latter group. It is always difficult to see others enjoying something you don't have and once had yourself, or perhaps were never able to enjoy.
Thanks to Jesus, though, there is hope. Not everyone will wind up with a Norman Rockwell lifestyle, but that does not mean God will not have blessings, happiness, and joy available to us if we seek Him and follow His guidance in how we live our life.
I believe with all my heart that His love and blessings are available to ALL His people, regardless of anything, if we turn our lives over to Him.
If you are receiving these blessings, please take a moment to thank Him. If you aren't, this would be a great time to start.
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good life!
December 24, 2005
December 22, 2005
"Twas The Fight Over Christmas"
I received a link to this piece today, written in the form of "Twas The Night Before Christmas." I think it is a cleaver and profound commentary on the supposed "War On Christmas" a group of "fundamentalists" have declared is ongoing this year.
http://www.ethicsdaily.com/article_detail.cfm?AID=6704
http://www.ethicsdaily.com/article_detail.cfm?AID=6704
December 19, 2005
What SNN is About
This little corner of the blogosphere reached two milestones recently. We received our 3,000th visitor, and the site was viewed in our 50th nation. Since we've picked up a lot of new readers in recent weeks, especially from international locations, I want to take a moment and affirm why I write this blog.
My posts will generally touch on at least one of these two main points; positive, biblically based affirmations of God's love for ALL people, or examples of how people acting under the umbrella of christianity have acted in manners that I feel are in contast to the teachings of the bible and the example Jesus showed during his ministry on earth.
It was the negative examples that made me angry and motivated me to start this blog back in June. Since then, I have had the opportunity to exchange views with a diverse group of people from whom I've learned a great deal. Whenever possible, I try to share those teachings with other readers so we can ALL grow in our understanding of God's love and his plan for our lives.
Please understand, this site is first and foremost about Jesus and the teachings of the bible as they apply, or are misapplied, to those in the GLBT community.
Unfortunately, though, politics must play a role in my content here. Politics and religion are far too closely intertwined these days. This is largely due, in my opinion, to "fundamentalists" who are part of the so-called religious right who have pushed an agenda cloaked in God's name.
I strongly feel that many of the issues where the "fundamentalists" have claimed the higher moral ground are based on interpretations of God's word that bear little resemblance to what is written in the bible. The bible is not easy, and those who put forth absolutely rigid interpretations of its message are often filtering God's word through their own agenda. When I see significant examples of this, I address it and show what I feel Jesus truly wants His people to do in that situation.
I don't want to just preach to the choir here, although reinforcing and affirming God's message to the GLBT community would by itself still be a worthwhile endeavor. I also hope people who don't accept GLBT people's place in God's kingdom read this material and open their minds and hearts to the possibility that there are other views.
Thank you for visiting Straight, Not Narrow. I am excited about having this opportunity to address important issues involving the GLBT community and look forward to continuing this dialogue to an ever expanding population.
My posts will generally touch on at least one of these two main points; positive, biblically based affirmations of God's love for ALL people, or examples of how people acting under the umbrella of christianity have acted in manners that I feel are in contast to the teachings of the bible and the example Jesus showed during his ministry on earth.
It was the negative examples that made me angry and motivated me to start this blog back in June. Since then, I have had the opportunity to exchange views with a diverse group of people from whom I've learned a great deal. Whenever possible, I try to share those teachings with other readers so we can ALL grow in our understanding of God's love and his plan for our lives.
Please understand, this site is first and foremost about Jesus and the teachings of the bible as they apply, or are misapplied, to those in the GLBT community.
Unfortunately, though, politics must play a role in my content here. Politics and religion are far too closely intertwined these days. This is largely due, in my opinion, to "fundamentalists" who are part of the so-called religious right who have pushed an agenda cloaked in God's name.
I strongly feel that many of the issues where the "fundamentalists" have claimed the higher moral ground are based on interpretations of God's word that bear little resemblance to what is written in the bible. The bible is not easy, and those who put forth absolutely rigid interpretations of its message are often filtering God's word through their own agenda. When I see significant examples of this, I address it and show what I feel Jesus truly wants His people to do in that situation.
I don't want to just preach to the choir here, although reinforcing and affirming God's message to the GLBT community would by itself still be a worthwhile endeavor. I also hope people who don't accept GLBT people's place in God's kingdom read this material and open their minds and hearts to the possibility that there are other views.
Thank you for visiting Straight, Not Narrow. I am excited about having this opportunity to address important issues involving the GLBT community and look forward to continuing this dialogue to an ever expanding population.
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