Click on the picture to listen to a powerful and deeply insightful message by Dr. Voddie Baucham Jr. He is a preacher at Grace Family Baptist in Spring, Texas. It is only about 20 mins long so turn it on, do some work, and listen to a very wonderful Bible study.
Joe and Jerri in "Festive Christmas Tree". We liked the vibrant look of this card and the fun feel it gave to the traditional Christmas tree. Well done.
Finally, our Third Place Winner goes to Pat from Curry with "Snoopy and Woodstock's Christmas". This card featured various textures that would make it enjoyable to people of all ages. Add that with the enduring Snoopy and you have a winner. Well, a third place winner anyway. This is a blog I wrote in December 2005 over on Windows Live Spaces. I felt it was worth sharing again with a new audience and I hope everyone enjoys it.
Robert
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I just finished watching the film “The Polar Express” for the second time. Technically, it was the 2 ½ time I viewed the movie (once when it came out in 2004, once this past evening and the ½ came as I skipped through it in order that I could jot down a few notes).
For those who haven’t seen the “The Polar Express”, it is a truly outstanding movie. If you only watch one Christmas themed movie this season, watch “The Polar Express”. Along with the outstanding visual effects, this is hands down one of the greatest Christmas stories ever produced (as was the book).
What struck me the first time I saw this movie was the strong spiritual undertone throughout the entire film. It was not only amazing, but moving as well. A year later, I was still in awe over this aspect. What a life lesson this movie provides! Whether you celebrate the Christ of Christmas or are simply a “Happy Holiday’er” who enjoys Santa and decking the halls…this is a movie you need to see.
First allow me to say that I hope you finish reading this blog if you haven’t seen the movie yet. I will try not to ruin anything, but I feel what I have to say is more important than you knowing the end of a film.
Quickly, the movie is about a young boy who is struggling with his belief of Santa Claus. To believe or not to believe…that is indeed the question. He has collected worldly evidence that supports that Santa is not real (newspaper clipping of store Santa’s on strike, a picture of Santa with his fake beard being pulled down, a textbook stating that the North Pole is “devoid of life”, etc.). The world he lives in seems to support his idea of Santa not being real.
He lays down on Christmas Eve a shattered and broken child. A few moments later, the Polar Express arrives to pick him up. The Polar Express is a very magical train which is en route to the North Pole, more specifically, to Santa’s workshop. Along the way the boy witnesses many magical and spectacular things and meets numerous people. Yet he still struggles with his belief. He must see Santa in order to believe. Once they arrive to the very large North Pole, he sees Santa’s entire village complete with an express transportation system, millions of elves, a huge toy factory, and even flying reindeer.
Despite all that he sees around him, he can not believe because he has not seen Santa. He can’t even hear the bells ringing on the sleigh. The big man finally comes out of his home and the crowd goes into a frenzy. Our little boy can’t see Santa though. He can’t, that is, until he chooses to believe. It is in this moment that he can hear the bells. And it is in this moment that Santa comes to him.
Maybe you can identify with this child. You want to know God, you want to believe…but you can’t. You want proof. You won’t believe until you see God with your own two eyes. So often, people overlook the evidence of God around them.
“Well mister preachy guy…what about all the bad things? Where is God in all that?” Great question! Allow me to answer: We live in a fallen world full of sin (I will talk more about this later in the month). It’s a world where people choose to do evil instead of good. Just like we choose to believe or not believe. God gave us free will to choose Him. He truly wants your love…not forced worship.
Now, back to our regularly scheduled lesson; there is so much around us that we should see as evidence of God. I think people are looking for huge miracles, a divine message spoken aloud, or for a conquering king who will rid us of all things wicked. You know, that’s what happened the first time Jesus came to us. People were looking for some one to over throw the Roman government and set up an everlasting kingdom. They missed the baby who was born who would grow into a man who later died for the sins of the world. They missed it then, and people still miss it today. They miss how He touches the lives of millions, they miss the profound affect He has on the hurt, the lonely and the lost. They miss what things He is doing in the lives of others, often dismissing it as ‘untrue’ or ‘misled/informed’.
They miss it because they don’t see it. We live in a world that demands proof. To borrow a line from the movie “…sometimes seeing is believing. And sometimes the most real things in the world are the things we can’t see.” Looking in the Bible in the book of John (chapter 20, verse 29) Jesus says to Thomas (who doubted Jesus was raised from the dead) “Then Jesus told him, ‘Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet believed.’”
Let me ask you, would seeing Him really make you believe? Or, once you saw Him, would you ask “Well how do I know you are really Him?” Believing is not something anyone else can make you do. It comes from within you. You choose to believe.
Maybe you still have questions. There is nothing wrong with having questions…just don’t let your questions keep you from The Answer.
The first true Christmas gift came when God sent his one and only son to earth. Our sins (and yes, we all have sin…whether is be a white lie or storing illegal nuclear arms in you closet) separate us from God. The punishment for sin is death (Hell...thus the separation). In order to fix this problem, God gave us His son. He was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, and then became sin for us. He took the sins of all who ever lived, are living and will live and died because of them. As I said above, we all deserve punishment and separation from God for the things we’ve done. But Christ took that punishment for us. Jesus defeated sin; he defeated death and provided a way to God.
But, you must choose to believe. And this Christmas, I truly hope you would.
"One thing about trains: It doesn’t matter where they are going. What matters is deciding to get on.”
Copyright 2005
In His Image Productions
Just took some pictures on my camera and noticed I never downloaded our pics from our trip to Vermont this past October. There are only a few because it rained the bulk of the weekend, but I am sharing them nevertheless. Click the picture to see the rest.
Just wanted to wish everyone a happy Halloween!
Hard to believe for some because "it has felt longer" and hard to believe for us because "it seems like only a few months" but today marks the one year anniversary that we loaded up in the car and U-haul and made a three day journey across the eastern half of the United States to our new home in Massachusetts. Jen and I have been looking back over the past year and everything that led up to it and it always comes down to 'God is good'.
He has given us a wonderful place to live, a great job, a church and church family, and friends. Being honest with ourselves, we couldn't think of a happier time in our marraige. Has it all been easy? Of course not, life never is. But God sees us through the tough times as well as the good. All the good and the provisions are nothing we have done on our own, but only through His grace and His mercy. As Paul so wonderfully stated, "To the glory of God the Father..." 
Some of the highlights from this year of course include all the family and my friend who have made their way out to see us, helping with a new start up church, all the amazing cities we saw on the trip out here, walking and playing in the snow, summer strolls to the ice cream shop, visits to fun and beautiful places (numerous trips to Newport RI, our 3rd anniversary in NH, white water rafting in ME and soon a trip to VT), my memorization of the Freedom Trail over the course of touring family during the summer, people acting like it was the end of the world when the temperate rose above 100 degrees (no joke, they had help centers...rookies), getting lost at Harvard Square, Superman Returns, getting schooled in pool at the Charlie Horse, finally seeing Les Miserables, an actual white Christmas, the Pour House in Boston, seeing the leaves change colors, One Night 2006, seeing the Fenway Park with my brother and sister, apple picking, student teaching and the list can go on and on...but I have school soon.
to read the blogs I wrote during our move out here. I was actually pretty funny despite the fact that I had just driven over 12 hours everyday. There are also some more pictures if you head over to the old photo album. Of course there is the link to our current photo album on the left side bar.
"For all that you've done I will thank you. For all that you're going to do. For all that you promised and all that you are Lord is all that has carried me through. So Jesus, I thank you. And I thank you, thank you Lord. Thank you for loving and setting me free. Thank you for giving your life just for me. How I thank you. Jesus I thank you. Greatfully thank you. Thank you." (Thank You from Dennis Jernigan's Hands Lifted High)
