It’s a day before Christmas and it’s mad dash to finish up last minute preparations. Buying those last minute presents and maxing out your credit cards. Is this the real meaning of Christmas? Is it about material wealth? All too often people just ignore the real meaning of Christmas. It is about the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We think about our troubles and don’t see what really happened when Jesus was born. His country was occupied by a foreign power. They killed whoever didn’t obey their rules. Jesus was hunted by the authorities to kill Him, even as a child. He had to live incognito for most of His life. But this was the plan of God for Jesus and mankind. When we share with our families the Christmas food and fellowship, let us also share our faith in the Creator of all this, Jesus. I hope and pray that everyone has a blessed Christmas day and New Year. Crain.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

When the angels appeared to the shepherds in the fields between Jerusalem and Bethlehem, the angel of the Lord spoke to the shepherds. It says in Luke 2, that the shepherds were deathly afraid. They had never seen an angel or a heavenly vision. The angel said to them, I bring you good tidings of great joy…in the city of David a savior is born, which is Christ the Lord…Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace and good will toward men. After the angels left and they closed their mouths for they were all flabbergasted. They said to each other, let us go and see this sight. This is the story of the birth of Jesus Christ. Have you ever thought about the cost of peace on earth? It is true that Jesus came to bring peace to mankind, but He also said that He brought a sword to set at variance a man with his father (Matthew 10:34-39). The peace that Jesus is talking about is peace with God, not peace on earth. And everyone can have this peace, if they chose it. It comes down to our choice in life. So, what is the cost of this peace that God brings? Not surprisingly, it is the same as the price that Jesus paid, His death. To enter into this peace of God, one must die to themselves. You cannot enter heaven without dying, both spiritually and physically. The spiritual death occurs on this earth and our physical death is the only way to enter into the other side of this world, which is God’s realm. So you see, the cost of the peace of God is death. Jesus is our example, that is why He paid the price for us to have the peace with God. Now, it is up to you what you choose to do. You can have the form of godliness and deny the power or you can have the peace of God, here and now and in the world to come.

I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas et Bonne Annee.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

It is never good to carry our emotions on our sleeve. To have our emotions exposed to world for everyone to see. We should be cool and calculating about everything. I was told this all my life. I should never get too emotional about any thing. But it’s too late for all of that. God made me emotional. I have the emotions of God. In Galatians 5:22-23, It says. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. These are the emotions of God. I get excited about being like God. It is because I am suppose to. In 1983, during the US Congressional declared Year of the Bible, a Gallup poll was taken in the US. The question was what was the most important 3 things in your life. You guess what the answer was. It was love, joy and peace. The first three emotions of God listed in Galatians 5:22. God has put in place our whole life. It has always been right in front of our face all of our lives. It ranges from life, to health, to prosperity, to wisdom and all the way to emotions. We are to become just like God in this life and in the world to come. We are never to use our emotions as a weapon. This is where they become dark and sinister. If we live with just love, joy and peace, we will do well in this life. Now how do we obtain those emotions? That is easy. We ask God to forgive us of sins and accept Jesus into our hearts. It will change your whole prospective about this life and the world to come. Be blessed in the Christmas season and hope that you have a prosperous New Year.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

It’s December 1st and it’s another year gone by. When I was 25, I didn’t think much about time. All I thought was I will live forever. It is true that I will live forever, but not in this world. My time is running out. I have prepared for that contingency. My life in the next world is assured by submitting and following Jesus Christ. But what upsets me is that my life on earth is just about over. I don’t know the time or place but it’s is coming. Time seems to be speeding up. This year has gone by so quickly. And what have I done to improve my life and the lives of others? From my prospective. it’s not enough. I want to do more than I am now. There is so much to accomplish before I pass on. That desire to accomplish more woke me up at 4am this morning. And I am writing this blog to affect the lives of as many people as I can. And hopefully, the effect is distinguishable. When I first started writing this blog, I asked the Lord if He would show me if I was reaching anyone. I wrote a blog that went viral. It traveled around the world and produced 15,000 comments in a month. Now that was changing people’s lives. They heard me and I was glad. It is time for more viral blogs to be written. I hope and pray that your life is one of joy and peace in this Christmas season.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com.

Joseph1637.com.