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Phil  2:3 Regard others as More important than yourself True humility         Isaiah  49:16 I’ll  not  forget  you  I  have  engraved  your  name  on The  palms  of  my  hands  A Happy New Year to you and to your family, Bill

The ghost of Christmas past draws near to Ebenezer Scrooge in a blinding light.  "The light...it hurts my eyes...it blinds me,"  The ghost says, "Its the light of thankfulness and gratitude". "I've never seen it before..." "Of course not," she says, "it's men like you that have long forgotten gratitude..." The Psalmist says, "  Praise be to his glorious name forever;  may the whole earth be filled with his glory.  Amen and Amen. ps.72 Some have long forgotten gratitude, peace, and goodwill. But...God has the unique ability to reveal His glory when and how He chooses just like in Charles Dickens' "Christmas Carol". You can take His name out of school, government, hospitals, and even Christmas, but you can't remove His glory from the earth.  Keeping Christ in Christmas is a worthy endeavor, but far more important and even crucial is that you and I keep Him in our hearts.   2 Corinthians

Numbers 13:31&14:8 ...But the other men who had explored the land with him disagreed. "We can't go up against them! They are stronger than we are!" (14:8) Moses and Aaron said, If the LORD is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. 9 Only do not rebel against the LORD. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will swallow them up. Their protection is gone, but the LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them." Expect the Lord to bring you to the place of no return in your spiritual walk; a line of demarcation that forces the exercising of your faith. Only two from this generation actually inherited the land; Joshua and Caleb. Unbelief ravaged the camp like a cancer, infecting all that succumbed to the lie of the other 10. Faith is our victory. Its what defines the whole of who we are as Gods people. When we embark on our journey with Christ, expect the road to be lined wi

II Samuel 18 Vs. 19  "Let me run..." Absalom was despised by all Judah. Because of his rebellion, brother fought against brother in a senseless and brutal civil war. To the generals on the battlefield, the prince was the enemy, but to David, the enemy was his beloved son. Unavoidable judgement had come upon Absalom and what needed to be done...was done.  Davids unfailing love was so intense that even in the final crush of the enemy, David attempted to argue clemency for his tyrant amoral son. The love of a father for his son needs no apology or explanation. Absalom was bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh. The young priest Ahimaaz had witnessed this heart wrenching warfare up close. Maybe Ahimaaz had a son and identified with Davids inner strife or perhaps he at one time had befriended Absalom. Whatever the case, Ahimaaz rushed to King Davids side, out pacing the official messenger. His heart strings guided him and made him swift afoot. En route to his King, he reh

William Chatterton Dix was born in England in 1837. His father was a surgeon, and Dix was in maritime insurance. At age 29 he developed a near fatal illness and was confined to bed for months. He became depressed.  Yet many of his hymns including “What Child Is This?” date to this period. Another is “As With Gladness Men Of Old”. Originally, “What Child Is This?” was a poem entitled: “The Manger Throne”. It became a hymn and was set to a traditional English melody of the 16th Centry, “Greensleeves” in an arrangement by Sir John Stainer. Dix died in Cheddar, Somerset, England in 1898 and was buried in the parish churchyard. Once again we learn that God waste no pain....!   Dix suffered and the world was served. Enjoy this amazing version of "What Child is This" by Andrea Bocelli & Mary Blige. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wix14BuE09o Merry Christmas Dr. Stone & Bro. John