New Life'n

His name is John Daker

(from Between Two Worlds -- more on the video HERE)

The heart of a hug

I'm thinking about God's love and compassion and acceptance. 

I'm also thinking about how God can give his mercy and compassion, how he doesn't just decide to be lenient and be a nice guy and say, aw shucks, c'mon over here and give me a hug.  Yes, he feels kindness and mercy towards me, but he still dished out what I deserved -- he just didn't dish it out on me, but punished himself (his son) in my place.  And he did that without me asking and even when I hated him and was his enemy.  And it hurt -- him.

Without him giving sin what it deserves, there isn't any mercy or compassion or forgiveness.  And even then, after he takes his justice out on himself, I still don't get the benefit until I agree that I deserve what he took. 

Why do I deserve to be punished by him?  Let's see.  He made me.  I was all his idea and his making.  I wasn't my own idea and I couldn't create myself.  But after he thought of me and planned me out and then made me, I said, Hey thanks for the life!  And I took it for myself.  I was indifferent toward him.  Actually worse -- I was actively hostile.  I didn't want to think about any interference with my own ideas of life in general or with my own life.  I was totally dead to any claim he had on me or any purpose he had for me.  I did everything without him and made things and projects and relationships substitutes for him.  And that doesn't even count my sins, all the bad stuff I did.  Outside of that, I was a great guy, a nice guy rebel -- not an in-your-face sinner -- like a son who is polite and sounds respectful but has no intention of listening to dad. 

So I'm thinking about how he offers forgiveness and compassion, but it's offered after a legal kind of thing where a judge said, well you know someone has to serve time for this before you get the pardon, and Jesus does the time and takes the rap and gets the chair and so since justice is maintained and the crime is payed for, THEN I can get the forgiveness and compassion -- if I agree and believe that I need it and that I get it only because of what Jesus has done in my place.  So I love the end -- the compassion and my welcome into God's arms; and I love the compassion of Jesus' suffering for me that provided that compassionate welcome for me. 

And I'm also thinking of when the religious leaders were talking about how Jesus "welcomes sinners and eats with them."  And Jesus told two quick stories and a longer one.  The first story was about a man with many sheep who lost one and went looking for it.  The second was about a woman losing a coin and looking for it.  The assumption of those two stories seems to be that that's the normal thing to do and of course anyone would look for something they lost, even if they had others like it.  It belongs to them, they want to find it. 

And Jesus mentions the rejoicing when the lost thing is found and then says that in the same way there is rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who...who what?  Is found?  It seems obvious that's what he means, but that's not what he says.  He says, "over one sinner who repents."  Apparently, God's finding the lost thing -- person -- is related to the person changing his mind.  The finding and the repenting are kinda the same thing, almost interchangeable.

And then he goes right into story #3, the so-called Prodigal Son, who seems to say to dad, I wish you were dead so I could have my inheritance now, and then goes crazy and blows it and is miserable.  Meanwhile, back at the ranch, his dad loves him so much he's always looking and waiting for him to return.  But dad can't give compassion and mercy and acceptance until his son changes his mind and comes back. 

And the guy does come to his senses and realizes he was foolish and wrong.  But he doesn't stay in the pig pen and feel sorry for himself, or write a letter to his dad.  No, he changes his mind -- repents -- and is not only willing to go back to dad on dad's terms...he actually turns around and goes back, with no expectation of having anything his way.  THEN he receives the incredible, compassionate, and undeserved, welcome home. 

So, I love the hug.  But I don't want to forget why that hug can be given.

How to be happy

Albert Schweitzer:

Happiness is nothing more than good health and a bad memory

Aristotle:

Happiness belongs to the self-sufficient

Buddha:

Happiness comes when your work and words are of benefit to yourself and others

George Burns:

Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city

Mark Twain:

Sanity and happiness are an impossible combination

Jonathan Edwards:

The great enquiry of the world in general in all ages of it, is after happiness...Yet there is scarce anything that the world is more deceived about. And thus therefore was no inconsiderable part of the errand of Jesus Christ, the great teacher of mankind, into the world to instruct men wherein their true happiness consisted.

So, who's happy?  THEY ARE.  Oh, and THEM.

Great books for kids

Picture books and chapter books.  THIS LIST should keep everybody reading for awhile.

Tidings of comfort and joy

To save us all from Satan's power when we had gone astray...

Avoid stress & save time -- Christmas shop from home

A bunch of links are on the right.  I always check Amazon first -- they seem to have everything and at the best prices.  They're fast and I've always been happy with them.  Some other highlights:

For clothing --

• SmartBargains -- brand name clothes, bed & bath, home stuff.  Jewelry, too.
• Zappos -- huge online shoestore
• Shirts of Bamboo -- yup, that's what they're made of

For electronics -- Buy.com, BuyDig, and Crutchfield.

Christianbook is the Amazon of Christian books, and Discount Christian Software is the same for Bibles and study tools for your computer.

To get some gift ideas, try Cool Tools.  For great framed photos, try Glyphic Art Studio and The New York Times Store.

For kids, Schylling has some neat old-fashioned toys, while the Discovery Channel Store has the high-tech stuff.

And to get that genuine, authorized, official #17, or #89 or #90 -- it's the Panthers Store.

Plus, before you buy, check Consumersearch for product reviews on almost everything, and you might find great disounts at Couponcabin. 

And last, you can Plan holiday cheer without debt fear.

Where have you seen this house?

The celebrities arrive today.  Starting tomorrow, you can visit ('course you have to go to Cleveland).  Walk where Ralphie walked!  You can even get your own major award!

Who said this?

"The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies.  To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God...

"No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things.  They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy."

Was it --

1. James Dobson
2. Billy Graham
3. King David
4. Plymouth Colony Governor William Bradford

Nope.  NONE OF THE ABOVE.

The hardest one to commercialize

See, it doesn't really work, does it?  The best they can do is slap a Pilgrim hat on Bugs and Daffy and Tweety.  But you don't actally buy (or wear!) one yourself.  At WAL-MART on November 1, the costumes were half-price right next to the big new display of wreaths and lights and animatronic Santas.

Christmas, the birth of the Savior of the world, has been intervened with so that we're distracted by Chritmas trees and St. Nick and compulsive, dutiful gift-giving.  Easter, the act of that Savior that saves the world, is distracted by bunnies and eggs and dutiful church attendance.

But Thanksgiving seems to have stayed much on course from it's roots: Gratitude to God for life and for his blessings.  Celebrated with family.  Maybe it's just too hard to commercialize turkeys and Pilgrims; plus Christmas is chomping at the bit to get going the whole time we get ready for Thanksgiving.  So, Thanksgiving is left a little alone to be somewhat like it's always been.

Well, except for the days leading up to it -- prayer and fasting and "every good man privately to enter into examination with his own estate between God and his conscience, and so to humiliation before him..."  After all that, God moved and they celebrated:

While the harvest celebration held in Plymouth Colony in 1621 has been mistakenly referred to as the “First Thanksgiving” since the 1800s, the first Thanksgiving Day as the Separatists understood it occurred in 1623...

In 1623, the colony was still struggling to survive. The colonists were critically low on food. For months they had been expecting a ship with supplies and additional colonists. The spring planting of Indian corn and beans began well. By mid-July, however, “it pleased God, for our further chastisement, to send a great drought...both blade and stalk hanging the head, and changing color in such a manner, as we judged it utterly dead...Now were our hopes overthrown, and we discouraged, our joy being turned into

Kids picks for the best educational toys

Teachers watched 2,000 kids play with educational toys for 2 weeks.  Which ones did they play with over and over again?  Find out HERE.

The thing on the left was NOT on that list.  But, it was on my list when I was a kid.  I can still hear myself saying "Roger" thru the voice distorting facemask.  Two generations later, it's today's equivalent, the scourge of the Jedi, on the head of Spanky.