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Christmas Present.
What was your favorite Christmas present? Was it a fishing rod or shotgun, maybe it was a bicycle? Whatever the present was, I want to ask you a question. Did the Christmas present change your life? I do not mean for a week or even a month. I mean did the present change your life for the better. When we were young, we wanted to collect things in our life. We thought that the things would make us happy. We would earn money or finagle our way to a certain thing. And if we did not get this thing, our life was over. Does this sound familiar? It probably does because the idea carried over into adulthood. What that saying, the only difference between men and boys are the size of their toys. The amount of things in our life does not make us happy or change our lives for the better. My grandmother was probably the poorest person I knew. My mom and her two sisters would help pay for my grandmother’s bills. But my grandmother was the most unselfish person I knew. She also could find shopping deals and the right present for each of us for Christmas. When I would go to her house, she would always ask if I was hungry. She helped people all of her life. Because it was the right thing to do. I miss that kind spirit she had. My grandmother had the spirit of Christmas all year long. She would reach out to anyone in need and helped. This is the Christmas present that we all want and need. Having this attitude, not just at Christmas, but all year long. This is the Christmas present that we all need.
This is the link to my book.
Crain Blanchard.
Joseph1637.com
The Last Sunday before Christmas.
The last Sunday before Christmas is about the joy of the Lord. Joy is different from happiness. Happiness is for the moment. Joy is what sustains us through everything. It is taking happiness to a much greater level. Jesus faced the cross and all its pain and misery with joy. When the Israelites came back from Babylonian captivity, the priests began to read the word of God. The people starting weeping and crying because of what they had done to God. Nehimiah quieted them. He said this was a celebration and they were not to cry or moan. He said that the joy of the Lord was their strength. Joy is a strength that we can rely on in the good times and the bad. How do you get this joy? We receive this joy by accepting God’s promise Jesus and let the Holy Spirit come into our hearts. He brings the love and joy of God into us. Then we can face any obstacle that presents itself. Looking to the second coming of Jesus, we can have joy until we go home to heaven, or He arrives here on earth. What I have been talking about in the last four blogs is the four Sundays of Advent to Christmas. I wanted to show what their true meaning was and how it applied to all of us. Christmas is coming up and I hope and pray that you and your family have a blessed and holy Christmas and Bonne annee.
This is the link to my book.
Crain Blanchard.
Joseph1637.com
Christmas Past.
During the Christmas season, you hear seasonal music. A lot the music reminds me of home and holidays when I was young. My entire family gathered for either Thanksgiving, Christmas or Easter at my home or one of my Aunt and Uncle’s. My family would fill our homes. The men would gather in the living room for football and politics. The ladies were in the kitchen cooking and the kids were outside playing. More than not , I was in the kitchen, taste testing the food. We all thoroughly enjoying the holidays even though you could hear people complaining. But I think we miss those days more as adults than children. Both my parents are gone and all my aunts and uncles. And I miss that simple time in my life. But you know what I have found out as I have grown older, my life has become simpler. I would like to go back to that time, but we can’t. The time hasn’t changed. We have. It is still about what you believe. And if you don’t believe in those ideas of the past. We can always go back to those cherished dreams and believe. Faith and hope are ours to have. Just like Jesus said He would never leave us or forsake us. Both faith and hope He gave to us to cherish. Jesus said if you have lost faith or hope, what you have to do is go back to the beginning and remember where you started and start again. The Christmas you remember in the past, can be the Christmas you have today. Christmas this year is in 10 days. And it is not to late. All you have to do is believe and if you need help Jesus is ready, willing and able. Your Christmas past can be your Christmas present.
This is the link to my book.
Crain Blanchard.
Joseph1637.com
The Next Sunday before Christmas.
This Sunday is about the love of God. There are over one hundred scriptures about the love of God. When God repeats Himself, He is trying to tell us something. What God is saying is that He loves us unconditionally. God made us in His image and likeness and loved us from the beginning. The Bible that He knew each of us before we were born. God has been loving us since the foundation of the world. And to prove that love, God sent Jesus to die for our sins. Then He raised Jesus from the dead and made Him King of kings and Lord of lords. God did this so we would have an advocate for us to our Father God. God planned all of this out before we existed. This is what love is about and how it works. Love is not about just feeling good. Love does not break the bonds between two people just because they do not like each other. God has had plenty of opportunity to get rid of us if He wanted to. But God has kept us through it all. And loved us no matter what. As we accept the love of God and form the bond between us and Himself and Jesus, we are justified before God. And we can share in the love of God that keeps until we go home to heaven. Therefore, we celebrate the love of God that shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. Taste and see that the Lord is good and when we trust in Him, we are blessed.
This is the link to my book.
Crain Blanchard.
Joseph1637.com
The Second Sunday before The Coming of Christmas.
The second Sunday before Christmas is about the peace of God. There was and is only one person who could bring the peace of God to mankind and that was and is Jesus. The first Sunday was about the hope of Jesus’ return, the second coming. The second Sunday is about the peace of God that Jesus brought to mankind. There was only one way that Jesus could bring the peace of God to man. Jesus had to die for our sins. God require a perfect sacrifice to forgive us of our sins and Jesus is the only one. Jesus abolished the enmity, the requirements of the law, in His death. He made a new man and thereby brought the peace of God to man. (Ephesians 2:15). And the peace of God that passes all understanding shall keep your heart and mind through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7). If you do not understand how much peace with God is worth, just read in the Old Testament Accounts of God destroying nations. Jesus is our peace offering to God for our sins. To maintain this peace with God, we have a part to play. The gift that God gave to man is up to us to accept. When we accept Jesus in our hearts, we have peace with God. We all know what it is like to live without the peace of God. We can remember how our lives where miserable and lacked peace. I turned to Jesus and asked for forgiveness and the peace of God flooded my soul. So, in this Christmas season, let us remember how God provided peace to us through Jesus Christ.
This is the link to my book.
Crain Blanchard.
Joseph1637.com
The Coming of Christmas.
There are many churches that celebrate the coming of Jesus on the four Sundays before Christmas. I’m going to explore the meaning of each Sunday. The four different meanings are hope and faith, peace, love, and joy. The first is hope and faith. God has always given man hope of salvation. Throughout history, God has intervened in the affairs of man to provided hope of deliverance, provisions, and the promise of salvation. In the coming of Jesus, God provided the answer to His promise to mankind. Hope is where God starts first. We must have hope before it turns into faith. The people, 2000 years ago, hoped for a Messiah to come and deliver them. Now we have hope of His 2nd coming. Because faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of thing not seen. (Hebrews 11:1) And with hope, we are not ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. (Romans 5:5). We look to the future and God’s promise of Jesus’ return. So, we celebrate Christmas, God’s promise that He made to Adam, man. Hope is very necessary for us to have. Without it, we would never believe God. It is up to us to look at what God has done for us and understand how much He has done. For this reason, we need to make Jesus the center of our Christmas celebration and hope for the future.
This is the link to my book.
Crain Blanchard.
Joseph1637.com
The Christmas Season.
Thanksgiving is over and we are in the Christmas season. Thanksgiving was about food and fellowship and rejoicing over family. Now we begin just to think about Christmas. To some people it is just a time to spend money. To others it is a time to think about the year that has passed. I have many fond memories of Christmas past. My family would gather for Thanksgiving Christmas and Easter, my entire family. Mom and her two sisters would prepare for each holiday. They made the holidays is incredibly special to us. and as our family grew our house became very crowded. But it never really bothered us because we would always stay busy and do things together. All my cousins are boys, so we played football together and sports. Mom and her sisters tried to instill in us a sense of Christmas and Jesus. It did not make any difference what we were doing, when it was time for church we would dress and go to church. If we lived in their house, we would go to church. That foundation that my parents gave me has continued into my life long after they have gone. Mom always taught me to have manners to say yes Sir and no Sir. That respect I still extend even to young people. So, when I think about Christmas I think about mom, dad, and home. I get very lonesome sometimes at Christmas even though I have my own family. But Christmas is about the return of Jesus. The disciples as they were standing in the garden of Gethsemane saw Jesus caught up into the clouds. As they stood gazing up into the sky two men robed in white garments stood next to them and said do you look up into the sky. This same Jesus that you saw caught up in the clouds shall return in like manner. So, we look for the return of Jesus and celebrate his birth. We all know that he was not born on Christmas Day. More than likely it was in the early spring after the rainy season. But what is important is that we look for his return. so, it is time to adjust your heart and to begin to look for the return of Jesus.
This is the link to the book.
Crain Blanchard.
Joseph1637.com
More than a Thanksgiving Dinner.
I hope that you had a good Thanksgiving Day. In America, it seems that Thanksgiving Day is synonymous with food, family, friends and football. I went searching for the meaning of thanksgiving. I believe it to be more than just what we made out of it. I searched the only place that I actually believe would give me the truth, the bible. My search led me to Leviticus 7. There it talked about 3 sacrifices, the trespass offering, sin offering and the peace offering. The trespass offering is a lamb. The sin offering is 2 turtle doves. And the peace offering is thanksgiving to God. Yes, thanksgiving is a sacrifice to God. Then my search led me to Luke 22 and the last supper. Jesus and the disciples had finished their meal. Jesus stood up and took the bread of Elijah on the table and lifted it up. He gave thanks to God. Thanksgiving is a sacrifice to God. It is also a peace offering to God. Jesus was lifting Himself up as the peace offering. When we give thanksgiving to God, we are sacrificing ourselves as a peace offering to God. Jesus said do this in remembrance of Me. When we pray, the bible says to come with thanksgiving. This means that we sacrifice ourselves to God as a peace offering.
This is the link to the book.
Crain Blanchard.
Joseph1637.com
Joseph1637/Crain Blanchard 