Dreaming of a Scorching Hot Christmas

White Christmas? A Winter Wonderland? Not here in Australia.

Down under we generally have a hot Christmas day and it’s brilliant.

I hope you enjoy the video above which I found at My Jarrol Spot.



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We’re off to Bethlehem

RTB.jpgAre you interested in travelling the Road to Bethlehem?

We’ve been to visit the Road to Bethlehem production each December for several years but things are now a little bit different. Our daughter Emily, son James and I will be taking part once again as members of the acting cast. We play …. well …. a family.

The Road to Bethlehem is a remarkable portrayal of the Christmas story in the form of a free, interactive, dramatised experience featuring dozens of actors and singers.

The idea is that you’re taken back in time to witness the events of the first Christmas as they unfold, providing a unique entertainment experience that the whole family enjoys.

Instead of sitting down and watching a show, you walk from scene to scene as you travel to your destination, the stable. Live animals, great humour and some wonderful angelic choirs add to the experience.

Before and after you’ve trod the Road to Bethlehem you can spend time in the welcome area where you’ll be entertained, take part in craft activities or even buy a meal.

Road to Bethlehem is hosted each year by the Livingston SDA Community Church in Canning Vale. It runs for three nights each year. It’s on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, the 13th, 14th and 15th of December. It starts at 7 o’clock each night and there’s free parking across the road at Livingston Marketplace Shopping Centre.

I’d love to see you there. If you want to know more about the event just click the play button on the audio player below to hear my interview with David Shaw, one of the organisers of Road to Bethlehem.

[audio:http://mpegmedia.sonshinefm.ws/feeds/MOR120310_1512.mp3]

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Is Christmas Still Relevant?

gift_1.jpgWhy do we still celebrate Christmas? Is it still relevant in the 21st century? Does Christmas hold any real significance for people today?

While you look forward to unwrapping your gifts this Christmas I wanted to take a few moments to unwrap the real Christmas story and ask what it’s really all about.

We all enjoy giving and receiving gifts on Christmas Day but it’s important that we take time to remember what Christmas really signifies.

It’s more than just the gifts and the jolly man in the red suit. It’s more than a ‘feeling’ or ‘spirit’ that makes us feel warm inside. It’s more than time with family enjoying good food and good times.

December 25th

While it’s generally accepted that the 25th of December isn’t the actual date that Jesus was born, it’s the day that has been chosen for celebrating Jesus’ birthday. That means Christmas is really a big birthday party.

So why should we be invited to the birthday party? Jesus was born around 2000 years ago. Why do we still celebrate his birth?

Who Was Jesus?

Christians believe that Jesus is the Son of God. In fact, and this is where it gets tricky, according to the Bible, Jesus is actually God in human form so this is no ordinary birthday.

Here’s a little bit of the Christmas story from the Bible. This account is from a book of the Bible written by a guy named Luke.

At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was now obviously pregnant.

And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no vacancy for them.

That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. ‘Don’t be afraid!’ he said. ‘I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.’

Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,
‘Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.’
When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’

They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.

Aha! So that’s where the manger and the shepherds come in.

God With Us

That’s pretty much the story of Christmas. God living among the people he created. It’s an amazing thought but it’s even more amazing when you thread the whole story of Jesus’ life together. After all, usually when we celebrate someone’s birthday we don’t just remember the day they were born, we celebrate who that person has become and what they’ve brought to the world.

If we’re still celebrating the life of someone born around 2000 years ago, we’ve got to assume that they lived a remarkable life. If you want to find out more about the remarkable life of Jesus, I’d encourage you to grab a Bible in an easy to read translation and then read one of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke or John) to find out about Jesus’ birth, life, death and resurrection.



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Don’t Buy Sexploitation

Melinda Tankard Reist has published an article titled Don’t Give Sexploitation Companies Your Xmas Dollar.

She’s encouraging us all to “create a shopping bag free of sexploitation this Christmas” and she’s helping us do that by providing a list of products, brands, people and companies who have been ‘naughty’ and not ‘nice’ this year. She claims the businesses she highlights have been exploitative, degrading and disturbing. Are you prepared to put your money into the pockets of those who use sex as a marketing tool?

I encourage you to check out Don’t Give Sexploitation Companies Your Xmas Dollar as well as staying in touch with what Melinda writes at her blog so you can remain informed on who is exploiting sex to sell their products.



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Happy Christmas 2009

It might be Christmas Eve 2009 where you are but here in Perth the clock has passed midnight and it’s Christmas Day.

I want to take this opportunity to wish you and yours a very happy day as you celebrate Christmas wherever you are in the world. Many will be experiencing a white Christmas while here in Perth, Western Australia, we have a hot summer day forecast. At 35 degrees Celsius (95 Fahrenheit) it’s not quite a scorcher but I’m glad we have air conditioning.

Remember to pace yourself throughout the day so that you don’t regret it all on Boxing Day and don’t forget to take time out to reflect on what Christmas is truly all about.

Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth peace, good will toward men. – Luke 2:14

It’s our first Christmas in our new (well … new to us) home and we’ll be hosting my side of the family for Christmas lunch.

I’d really love to hear how you’ll be celebrating. Please leave a comment or two to let me know.



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