And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.
Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
“Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.
From my family to yours…
Merry Christmas!
Christmas is upon us.
As we bask in the warmth of the love of family and friends, let us take inventory of the goodness of God in our lives, starting with the Child in the manger, over 2000 years ago… the Hope of the world. Let us put aside the things that divide us, and draw near to the simplicity of that night, that angels heralded His birth, and Hope was given to a people lost in darkness. As the prophet Isaiah proclaimed centuries before that blessed night…
The United States was at peace with that Nation and, at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with its Government and its Emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific. Indeed, one hour after Japanese air squadrons had commenced bombing in the American Island of Oahu, the Japanese Ambassador to the United States and his colleague delivered to our Secretary of State a formal reply to a recent American message. And while this reply stated that it seemed useless to continue the existing diplomatic negotiations, it contained no threat or hint of war or of armed attack… (
But there is another lesson to be learned… a spiritual lesson that comes from one of the little known, little remembered facts about that fateful day. Typically, when we think of the attack on Pearl Harbor, it conjures images of massive aircraft carriers, hundreds of airplanes, bombs falling from the skies, and the fire and smoke rising from the wreckages of the U.S.S. Arizona, the U.S.S. West Virginia, the U.S.S. California, the U.S.S. Oklahoma, and many, many other ships. But what we miss is something that was discovered much later; something that lies beneath the surface of the chaos and destruction of that day.
According to the NOVA 
The story, posted in 
Political correctness has indeed reached a tipping point, and for the left-wing crowd that wants to be able to say, express, and champion every progressive, “enlightened”, offensive, and ungodly idea under the auspices of “free speech”, well… here’s your First Amendment at work.
With these words, written on October 3, 1863, Abraham Lincoln began his Thanksgiving Day Proclamation that set aside the last Thursday* of November as a national “day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father Who dwelleth in the Heavens“.
When President Lincoln penned these words, our nation was engulfed in the heart of the violence, bloodshed, and tragedy of the American Civil War. Yet, President Lincoln chose to find goodness. He chose to look forward with hope to a future of peace, prosperity, and promise. In spite of the hopelessness, despair, death, and destruction that consumed the nation between 1861 – 1865, President Lincoln looked back to better times, and had faith that such times would return.
So this Thanksgiving, if your life is joyous, be thankful for that, and for all of God’s many blessings.
As we are now seeing, our hopes for a peaceful transition of power seem to be interrupted. People who are protesting the outcome of last week’s election are staging protests, riots, “cry-ins”, and other forms of social absurdities, decrying the upset victory of Mr. Trump over Mrs. Clinton in the Presidential Election. With a media that went “all-in” for Mrs. Clinton, the biggest casualty of last Tuesday was, in my opinion, any credibility the mainstream media had left. However, we would be sorely mistaken in thinking that they would go “softly into that good night”. We would be naive to assume that the mainstream media and the left’s devotion to liberality and progressivism would stop with, what many are calling, a stunning “rebuke and repudiation” of their principles, practices, and policies.
The word “scorpion” comes from the root word “skeptomas” from which our English word “skeptic” is derived. It means to question and scrutinize the truth. These scorpions poison humanity with lies that create wrong decisions that bring pain.
Demonic attacks always begin with undermined truth. The attack on the truth is intense today and it is important that we be equipped to take down the lies that are destroying our homes, churches and nation.
Yes, we have been invaded, but not by an army of men with modern weapons. We have been invaded by spiritual forces that are at work at this very hour, chipping away – bit by bit – at the very underpinnings of this nation that was founded on the Judeo-Christian
America has spoken. We have elected our next President and Vice-President. While some across our nation are rejoicing, others of our neighbors mourn. In a political campaign that was as vicious and divisive as any in my lifetime, I think it is important for all of us to remember that the Republic will endure. We have weathered far worse than this — wars, the Great Depression, more wars, scandal, etc. — and we still remain.
I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers—and it was not there. . . . in her fertile fields and boundless forests—and it was not there. . . . in her rich mines and her vast world commerce—and it was not there. . . . in her democratic Congress and her matchless Constitution—and it was not there. Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great.
Could it be that we have finally become weary of being a nation with a broken moral compass, evidenced by rampant police assaults, out-of-control violence in our streets, rabid support for the abomination of abortion-on-demand, acceptance of deviant sexual behavior, and open hostility to the things of God?
It will take understanding. As believers who trust in the inerrancy of the Bible, sometimes we are less than patient with those who are not believers. It is up to us lead in love, and show the love of Christ by example. Charles H. Spurgeon once said…
The nation’s leader was married to an un-elected, unselected ambitious woman who was the enemy of people of faith. This man of mystery spoke words that threatened the establishment, so they attacked this interloper, and put him on the run, for trying to overturn the corrupt and ungodly orders of an equally corrupt leader… corruption that, among other things, unjustly sent many to their deaths, seized the property and wealth of a law-abiding family by executive order, and after first framing the owner by accusations brought forward by false witnesses, had him murdered by an angry mob.
Today we need some folks with the anointing of Elijah to bring down the corruption in America. We need people of faith to stand on their God-given rights and boldly speak the Word of truth to a people that have lost their way. We need leaders who will rise up, and declare the words of Proverbs 14:34 from the rooftops…
It is time for the petty bickering to end.
Joseph Goebbels was propaganda minister for Adolf Hitler in Nazi Germany. He was the man responsible for propagating the demonic lies that led to World War II and the slaughter of millions of innocent people, including six million Jews. He said,
As the foundation grows weaker, the attacks on Christianity grow bolder and are seen in all parts of the world. War has been declared on Christianity in every part of the Middle East, with reports of Christians being beheaded at the bloody hand of ISIS (or ISIS related groups).
This liberalization of attitudes toward moral issues is part of a complex set of factors affecting the social and cultural fabric of the U.S. Regardless of the factors causing the shifts, the trend toward a more liberal view on moral behaviors will certainly have implications for such fundamental social institutions as marriage, the environment in which children are raised, and the economy. The shifts could also have a significant effect on politics, with candidates whose positioning is based on holding firm views on certain issues having to grapple with a voting population that, as a whole, is significantly less likely to agree with conservative positions than it might have been in the past.”
With the close of the final Presidential debate of 2016, our nation now enters the homestretch of the most unusual and heated political campaign in our history. With so much information, misinformation, and misleading journalism out there, I think it is appropriate and timely to step back for a moment, take a deep breath, look at what it is that makes us great as a nation, and what is and is not important when it comes to policy and personality.
Slowly and steadily, our society has changed trains, while Christians, Conservatives, and Constitutionalists have done little to stop the it. Those in power want to fix what ails our society by doubling down on the bad decisions that have put us in the position we are in. As Christians, we have — not just a moral obligation — but a Scriptural mandate to support, not the perfect candidate, but the candidate who is going to do the most in guiding our nation back to a place of safety, sanity, and sanctity. We must put the rhetoric, tabloid journalism, and social media debate aside, put on the whole armor of God, and vote with the mind of Christ. It is time to get off of the vehicle of self-serving destruction, and get on a path of repentance and restoration.
The Heart of Abba - Ron Phillips 