Everyone has heard of Santa Clause. But hardly anyone has ever heard of Nicholas of Myra, or otherwise known as Saint Nic. Nicholas was a Christian man who lived in Asia Minor in Turkey. He lived in the 3^rd and 4th century. He was a member of the Eastern Orthodox church. He became a priest and eventually a Bishop of Myra. He was known as a kind and gentle man. He prayed earnestly for the needs of people. He was known as an intercessor. Many miracles were attributed to his prayers. Nicholas would not only pray for people, he put himself in the middle of many a struggles in his community. Nicholas helped so many people without them knowing that it was him. Whether people needed food, clothing or money, he would do his best to help. Nicholas was jailed by the Roman Emperor Diocletian and released by Emperor Constantine. When you look at this Christian man from the 3^rd century, you see what a Christian is. A person who prays for people and goes about doing good just as Jesus did. So, where did Santa Clause come from? In the 1700s, as the Dutch settle in the new world, they brought with them the feast day of Saint Nicholas. The Dutch called him Sinterklaas or Saint Nicholas. Americans pick up on this feast day and called him Santa Clause. What ever he was called, Nicholas was Christian man that followed the teachings of Jesus. He lived his life trying to be the example of Jesus on this earth. And this is the story of Nicholas of Myra.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

There are many archetypes in this world. In the most basic unit of this world it is our parents, in particular our fathers. When God designed this world, He formed the basic unit in the garden of Eden. It was Adam and Eve. Adam had responsibilities to God and the garden. After God built the garden, He placed Adam in it. This was an inheritance from God. As Adam’s Father, God wanted him to be successful and to take responsibility for the garden. Each day God would come and walk with Adam in the cool of the evening and talk about the days activities. In this way God could teach Adam about bearing responsibility. This is one of the duties of a father. Adam didn’t go through childhood like every other person. But God was teaching Adam about life through the garden. God saw that Adam was alone and needed companionship and help. So God created Eve out of the side of Adam. This is why Eve was called a woman. The word woman means from the side of man. Eve was Adam’s partner in the garden. Actually God called them two halves of one person, and they shall be one flesh. God had to teach Adam about being married also. This is the responsibility of a father toward his children. The shame of this country is the 50% divorce rate. Single parents homes are hardest on the children. Children need to see the struggle for parents to live together. Nothing is perfect and everything needs to be worked out with love and patience. Jesus told the religious leaders that God allowed divorce because of the hardness of their hearts. Children need to see forgiveness working in our lives. So that they will know that God is real and alive. This is the responsibility of a Father toward His children to be a Father Figure.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

There is a difference between passion and obsession. Passion is doing something with your whole heart. Obsession is doing something because you have to. The last week of Jesus’s life is called the passion of Christ. Why passion and not obsession? Jesus, like every other man, had a choice in the way His life went. When Jesus was 12, He went with His parents to Jerusalem for Passover. When it was over, His parents thought that He was with the other children in the caravan. After a day’s journey, they looked for Jesus and could not find Him. They rushed back to Jerusalem. They found Him in the temple discussing the law with the priests. His mother expressed her fear for Him and He went home with them. The Bible says that He grew in wisdom and favour with God and man. A choice He had to make. His ministry was a choice that He also made. The religious leaders wanted to kill Him from the start. Because He was a threat to them. The last week of His life, Jesus was in the temple in front of the religious leaders for three days. It was to fulfill the scriptures saying the Passover lamb had to be inspected to make sure there were no blemishes. Jesus had to face His killers. Then after the Last Supper, Jesus and the disciples went to the Mount of Olives for Him to pray. Jesus had to make a choice and God gave Him the choice. Jesus prayed that He didn’t have to die. And He did this three times and then made a choice to go to the cross. This is passion. Making a choice to do the right thing even though it will kill you. Jesus went to the cross with joy, knowing that God’s will and plan would happen. Passion is what God wants for us. With passion, we can face all the difficulties in the world. Passion rules out fear and doubt. It gives us clarity in our life. We can see God’s will and plan for us. Passion will take us from here to home. So, it is up to us to decide what we are going to do. Will it be passion or obsession.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

I like to watch people. It is always interesting to see what they will do. As I watch the antics that people go through, I begin to see something phenomenal. All the people who refuse to accept God and His son Jesus, make references to Him. My favorite thing is an expression that people say, O my God. Or they say Jesus. I have seen people say they will pray and not know what they saying. For people who claim that there is no God, they make a lot of references to God. There is a real reason why. Some 2600 years ago, God did something extraordinary. God made a covenant with man and Jeremiah wrote it down. What God did was to write His laws and commandments on our hearts. So that we could know the word of God. With that knowledge came our accountablity to God. No longer was God going to punish the children for the sins of their fathers. Each person was accountable to God personally. This means that we have no excuse before God. God created us because He loved us. He wanted to share all that He had with us. Starting with Adam and Eve, God gave He very best to man. The garden of Eden was no piece of junk. Adam controlled all that saw. With his word everything changed or was corrected. He named every animal, plant or living thing in the garden. The weather was controlled by Adam. And yet with all of this, Adam sinned against God and was cast out of the garden. This is who man is, a sinner separated from God. God could have destroyed man or left us in sin and dying. But God loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever would believe on Him would have everlasting life. Unfortunately, God only gives us our lifetime to accept His offer to go home. We have this lifetime to hear God speak and listen. This is why God wrote His laws and commandments in our hearts and minds. And this is why we are without an excuse when we stand before God. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of a living God.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

Time marches on and nothing will stop it. The only time it will stop is when time runs out. There will be an end of time and all that we see, hear, touch and taste will be no more. Before time runs out, our life will end. Then what do we do? We are immortal beings and have no end. Our flesh will end and separate from our spirit. Our spirit is who we are, mind, will and intellect. That is what is immortal. Everybody believes that we are the captains of our destiny. To a point, it is true. We can determine what happens to us. Whether it is good or bad. Usually, it is getting into trouble and not having the power to get out of it. We were never meant to have the power to get out of trouble. That power resides with one person and one person only. This person is benevolent and faithful and trustworthy. Who never changes and is always stedfast in their love for us. No one deserves this love. It is given freely and abundantly. You see, this person made time for us. It is so that we can come to the understanding that Jesus is real and alive. He died for us while we were yet sinners. Jesus gave His all so that we could live. God, the Father, raised Jesus from the dead and made Him Lord of lords and King of kings. This progression is what happens to us. When we accept Jesus as Lord, we are raised from the dead and become the children of God. O to God, that everyone would accept Jesus and live. But hell wasn’t made for humans. It was made for the devil and his angels. But hell is filling up with people, because they refuse to hear what God is saying. The Bible says that every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus is Lord of all, whether here on earth and in the next world. God wants us to accept Jesus here and now. It is so much simpler and less painful to do so. But you must believe that He is and is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. Jesus is Lord of all.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

Everything changes every day. There is nothing that remains the same as much as we want it to. God’s mercy is new every morning. God forgives us if we are repentant and ask for forgiveness. He also says that now is the time and today is the day of salvation. How patient is God. He has planned our path from the beginning of time. God knew us from the womb before we were even thought about. God gave us time to measure seasons. He also gave us the sun and moon to measure time. We measure time by so many things that God has given. My time is measure by the weekly bible studies I teach. My weeks are like days. God’s days are like a 1000 years. You see time doesn’t exist in His world. All there is only eternity. God’s world is control by Him and His word. And we know His word. His word was written on our hearts 3000 years ago. So we could recognize Him. The Bible says that the word of God was in the beginning. And the word was made flesh and dwelt among men. God’s word is what created all things. The Bible says that nothing in this world wasn’t created by the Word of God. And we know who the word of God is. His name is Jesus. Blessed be His name, which is above all names. And at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus is Lord of all. No matter what our timetable is. What is your standard for your timetable? Do you have an understanding of how time works in this world? Time operates by the word of God, Jesus.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

When Jesus began His ministry, people began to follow Him. Most people were curious about this young rabbi. They heard that He was feeding and healing people. During that time period, the only physicians they had were nothing more than a basic paramedic. They could sew up a wound or put a bandage on it. But the people of the day had leprosy, were blind, deaf or mute. One woman had an issue of blood and no one could do anything about that. Some were demonically oppressed. The Bible said that Jesus healed them all, even on the sabbath day. The religious leaders accused Jesus of healing by the devil. It was because they saw the hand writing on the wall. That Jesus was and is the Messiah. Most people were just happy that someone helped them with their problems. And He couldn’t turn His back on people in need. You can guess where this is going. Jesus said greater things shall you do because I go to My Father. He meant that we as children of God will do greater miracles than Jesus did while He was on earth. But wait Jesus came back and is now living inside of every child of God. And in the name of Jesus, we can move mountains. In these days of turmoil and trouble, our focus must be about the kingdom of God. We are here to bring the will of God, our Father, to earth through prayer and actions (Matthew 6:9-13). So what is our answer to God? Are you still focused on your life?

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

With everything in life, there is a starting point. And with that conclusion, there is a finish line. So, Where do you begin? People look for that starting point all their life. Some find it and some don’t. It is very sad when you see people that are lost and dying. It always moves me to compassion. Some I cry over and some I try my best to help. Let’s get back to the starting point. I was drifting through life until I was 28 years old. I had no point to my life. I can tell you from experience that having no point to your life wreaks havoc on your life. It was as if I was drifting through time and space. Someone reached out to me and began to talk to me about my life. I listen for 3 months before I even considered what he had to say. If I had thought that what he said was not real and justified, I would have walked away. I wasn’t going to commit myself to anything that wasn’t real. My friend changed my mind about what was real and necessary for this life. My friend and I got together after almost 40 years of not seeing each other. And it was like I saw him yesterday. He led me to that starting point and I am so thankful that he did. There are people around you that will lead you to that point. And all you have to do is look around and see. Everyone is looking for a reality. Not everything that you can see or touch is real. I have only found one reality in this world. And it isn’t what most people think. And unfortunately, most people have rejected what is real and have chosen nothing. My reality is only one person and His name is Jesus.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

In this world of doubt and fear, we have to live. As we go along, sometimes we wish that our time on earth would be over, because what is before us is overwhelming. Then there are times that we want our lives to last forever, because everything is great in our lives. It seems that our lives are a combination of both good and bad. What is that old saying, I take one step forward and two backwards. The time that we have on earth is limited. We aren’t going to live forever on this earth. Today our lives are about eighty years, give or take our lifestyles. It seems today the biggest industries we have in America are sports and medicine, sports to keep us entertained and medicine to prolong our lives. Yet if we look at America, it is in sad shape. The homeless population is over a half of a million people. Uneployment stats reached 15% of the general population this year. In the great depression of the 1930’s, the unemployment was at 14.9%. People have lost hope that we can do anything. Without hope there is no future. But getting back to time. How much time do we have on this earth? This is no definitive answer to that question. I have known people who have lived for 3 months and some that have lived for a 100 years. Their lives were according to who they are, whether they were good, bad and indifferent. So, what can we do to make a difference? All we can do is to live our lives to the fullest. And I am not talking about wine, women and song. I am talking about hope in our lives to make a difference where we live. The only thing in this world that makes us truly happy is giving or sacrificing our time for others. There is a chemical release in our body that happens when we give of ourselves to others. That chemical release is proven to prolong our lives. And it is free for the taking. So, how much time do we have? It all depends on us and how we live our lives.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

Another Day in Paradise.

Years ago, I was the Music Director for a Christian radio station. I didn’t listen to secular music. We were always told in the church community that it would affect your walk with God. Because everything that enters into your ears and eyes goes directly to your spirit. This is a true statement. This is why we are warned in the bible about it. Then I heard a song from a rock star and things changed. When I heard this song, I began to cry. What I heard in this song was the heart of God. It moved me so much that I wanted to put it on the Christian radio. The song is Another Day in Paradise by Phil Collins. It about the homeless, the lost and dying people of our generation. When Jesus looked upon the people gathered to hear Him and to be healed, He was moved by compassion for the people. I thought how can this rock star write this song about the compassion of God. The word paradise is Persian for garden. Then God showed me Nebuchadnezzar, the heathen king of Babylon, was called the servant of God. Then I knew that God had ordained this music. The homeless is a passion of Phil Collins. He remade the song in 2016. The song first came out in 1989. This kind of compassion only comes from God. I have a friend who’s first born in homeless in Los Angeles. Earlier this year, he risked catching Covid-19 to try and save his son. He spend seven days on the streets of Los Angeles. Today on the streets of Los Angeles, there are 60,000 homeless people. So as we live our lives in our paradise, garden, what becomes to the lost and dying on the streets? I can still see Jesus weeping.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@Juno.com

Joseph1637.com