Knowing Jesus

 

Many Jews recognized Jesus from Nazareth, but none knew He’d been born in Bethlehem, the city of the promised Messiah. So, when He began telling them He was God’s Son, they thought He was a crazy person.

No need for Google. They had Him, the real McCoy right there with them. The real Jesus, that is.

The populous had the opportunity to begin a relationship with Jesus, but few chose to do so. His fame grew. He lived right there. People had the privilege of meeting Him in person.

Today, we see famous people play sports, act in movies, or sing in concerts. We admire them, but we don’t know them. We recognize who they are, but we don’t have a relationship with them.

Ahhh! Now you are getting the idea. You can know a lot about Jesus without having a connection with Him.

Jesus, the Son of God, wants to bond with all of us. If you haven’t hooked up with Him yet, do it now.  Ask Him to forgive you for sins and invite Him into your life. A new relationship will begin.

One you will never regret.

 

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Christmas and Moms

 

 

At times, we mothers wonder if we're good mothers. 

Mary, mother to Jesus, must have thought about that, too. The Scripture says she pondered many things in her heart.

Bringing up a child is complicated, but the Son of God? That presented quite a challenge.

Mary must have wondered if she was doing it right. Think about how horrified she felt when she lost Jesus when he was twelve years old. He'd stayed in Jerusalem and she didn't know it.

If a mom did that today, an Amber alert would go out, and she'd be arrested for child negligence.

 As a baby, Scripture tells us she wrapped Him in swaddling cloths. 

By the way, what in the crazy world is swaddling cloths?  

Here's the answer. They were long strips of cloth and mothers wound them tightly around them the baby. 

Changing a diaper wasn't easy, and how did she wash and dry all those stips of cloths?

Mary was a human mom with an unusual baby. She must have prayed for guidance daily. I'm guessing she doubted herself at times, but she is a famous, amazing mother.

It’s okay to doubt as a mom, after all, you are a human rearing a child of God by an earthly father.

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Speak with Kind Tones

 

Questions!

                                       

Do you ask them? I do. I’m naturally a curious person, and the internet answers queries for me. I love to silently inquire. It replies to me in tones or pitches that do not say, “you’re stupid for not knowing that.” Yet, a human responder often voices that very thing.

And if you disagree with a person? Well, you can receive more of the same. “You are really a dumb person to not know that.”

Now, occasionally, a person verbally makes that remark. As an example, I heard President Trump recently tell a reporter she was stupid for asking a particular question. However, most people are too polite to come out and say that, but they imply it with the slant they use.

Have you had people respond to a question from you with a verbal assault like Trump did with the reporter? Or do they merely use a degrading tone?

I’ve never had a verbal assault, but boy! I’ve heard the mocking dialect. And I find the derisive responses hurtful and unkind.

If the person is a Christian, I find the degrading reaction unchristian, too.

Okay, I’ll tell you the reason for this diatribe. I asked someone recently why they didn’t install gas connections inside their woodburning fireplace. I said, “It’s easier than burning wood, and I love mine.” Just a conversation, really about nothing, right?

The answer came back in talk of patronizing disbelief about the dangers of gas. “Don’t you know about all the houses exploding because of gas?”

Wait! What? Where did that little show of antagonism come from? Does it have anything to do with a political party wanting to eliminate anything gas? Bann all gas appliances? I responded nonchalantly, “Well, no. Not recently. I haven’t heard of any.”

“Oh, they are everywhere. I can’t believe you don’t know that. Look it up.”

So, I looked it up.

Mr. Google tells me more than 1,000 injuries annually occur in the United States due to gas explosions. Now 1,000 injuries are a lot, but the USA has a current population of 326.7 million people. About 1300 US incidents are reported yearly.

                                                                      Statistics

No one wants anyone killed or injured from a gas explosion. Or a car wreck. Or a freak tornado. Or a plane crash. Or an overdose. Or a fall. (I stumbled and fell the other day)

So, unintentional death happens, but back to gas explosions.

Odorants now exist to detect gas leaks. Texas brought the odor factor to the forefront after a school’s natural gas explosion killed 300 students and facility in March 1937.

My dad lived two hours away, and he said he heard the explosion in Irving all the way from New London, a town found in Rusk County in East Texas.  

At the time, no one realized the odorless gas needed a smell until the disaster. A chemical is added to natural gas, and if you smell a “rotten egg,” it could be a gas leak.

Chemical odor mixed to gas

If a funky smell comes inside your home, exit at once, and leave the doors open. Do not make any calls. Get out and phone from a safe location.

All right, gas warning noted, now, back to degrading tones.

Perhaps you and I don’t realize we speak a sentence that sounds demeaning by our vocal expressions. I’m sure I’ve done that, but since it happened to me lately by two people I adore, I’ve taken notice.

Might it be better for me to simply say in a sweet voice, “You have a beautiful home, and I'm happy you enjoy it." After thinking about it, I remember I did a YouTube Video on my own impolite retorts. We are all guilty!

Gay on YouTube

By the way, I love the ambience of wood burning in the fireplace. The crackling sound, the perfume of the smoke, and the romantic evening shadows cast by the fire.

Yes, gas in the home can be scary, but so is my driving. I terrify myself as well as a lot of drivers on the Katy Freeway.