CHRIST OR ANTI-CHRIST!

The New Year stands before us
The signs speak loud and clear
The end-time is upon us
The choice you make is here.

The prophets tell of trouble
Of nations in distress
With war and famines growing
Of death and loneliness.

Ten nations, Daniel tells us,
Will form a single head
And one will try to charm us
By rising from the dead.

The Beast will form a treaty
With Jews and Arabs, too
And all the world will wonder
"Can lasting peace be true?"

Then from the Temple throne
The anti-Christ will speak
As Armageddon forces
Around Jerusalem meet.

The sun will then grow dimmer
The moon will hide its face
As angels pour out judgment
Upon the human race.

A choice demands an answer
You cannot neutral be
Its either Christ or Satan
That marks your destiny.
--B. Pent

RIPPLES ON A POND

Like ripples on a pond
That reach the sandy shore
I look at life's short day
When time will be no more.

The weight of earthly store
We spend our lives to gain
So quickly falls apart
Our search seems all in vain.

But when we share our love
Through acts of kindness sown
Like ripples on a pond
Life's loving deeds are shown.

So take another look
Across the swelling tide
And help a wounded soul
To reach the other side.

Life has no greater prize
Than helping others know
The touch of Jesus' love
Has helped them here below.
--B. Pent

WHO IS THIS CHRIST?

"Jesus came from the bosom of the Father to the bosom of a woman. He put on humanity that we might put on divinity. He became son of man that we might become sons of God. He was born contrary to the laws of nature, lived in poverty, was reared in obscurity, and only once crossed the boundary of the land in which he was born and that in his childhood. He had no wealth or influence and had neither training or education in the world's schools. His relatives were inconspicuous and uninfluential. In infancy he startled the king. In boyhood he puzzled the learned doctors. In manhood he ruled the course of nature. He walked upon the billows and hushed the seas asleep. He healed the multitudes without medicine and made no charge for his services. He never wrote a book, yet all the libraries of the country could not hold all of the books about him. He never wrote a song, yet he has furnished the theme for more songs than all songwriters together. He never founded a college, yet all the schools together cannot boast of as many students as he has. He never practiced medicine, yet he healed more broken hearts than the doctors have healed broken bodies. This Jesus Christ is the star of astronomy, the rock of geology, the lion and the lamb of zoology, the harmonizer of all discord, and the healer of all diseases. Throughout history great men have come and gone, yet he lives on. Herod could not kill him, Satan could not seduce him, death could not destroy him, and the grave could not hold him. This is our Christ the pre-eminent One."
(author unknown)

THE GIFT

A thousand gifts may come your way
To bring you joy this Christmas day
With brilliant lights around the tree
For every boy and girl to see.
Yet if you miss the One who came
No other joy is there to claim.

Sweet carols fill the ethereal sky
Like angel choirs once sang on high
With peace on earth to every man
The Christmas story fills the land.
Yet fear can only be a part
If Christ no longer rules the heart.

As busy shoppers seek to find
The perfect gift with love in mind
A voice breaks through life's empty space
"Give Christ a chance to fill its place."
For if you fail to crown Him King
There is no lasting peace within.

God's greatest Gift came down to earth
So man can have redemption's Birth
He is enough, so please take heed
Receive His Son, that's all you need.
Then you will find fulfilled in Him
Life's deepest joy without, within.
--B. Pent

WHY IS OUR KING IN RAGS

The throne was empty in heaven
Legions of angels attend
As Gabriel announces His birthday
The questioning Seraphs exclaim:

(refrain)
Why is our King in rags
What is this covering of flesh
Coming from heaven to man?
Its Jesus, God's free Gift of love.

Prophets foretold of His coming
Wondrous miracle birth
Bringing man hope and salvation
Loudly this message proclaim:
(refrain)

Hushed were the voices around them
Shepherds kept vigil by night
Suddenly angels re-echoed
"Emanuel, Savior is born!"
(refrain)

Mary and Joseph in wonder
Look at the Word made in flesh
Glory and honor and blessing
Flooding their spirits with praise.

(refrain)
Why is our King in rags
What is this covering of flesh
Coming from heaven to man?
Its Jesus, God's free Gift of love.
--B. Pent

I CAN ONLY IMAGINE!

Some of the Christmas story is wrapped in mystery and some in tradition. While I try to stick to the facts of Scripture, I am intrigued by some details left unwritten or left to the imagination. Some questions actually plague my mind:
* Did the Magi follow the star for almost 2 years? or did it take that long to figure it out?
* If they started out from Persia, were they influenced by the Book of Daniel or Ezekiel?
* How did their encounter with Jesus impact their lives after they returned home?
I CAN ONLY IMAGINE!

But then, the appearing of angels to a group of rag-tag shepherds torments me:
* The testimony of shepherds was totally inadmissible in a court of law
* There must have been other, more reliable witnesses, longing and looking for the
Messiah He could have chosen, rather than these shepherds
* So who stayed to care for all those frightened sheep after the angels left? I sure wouldn't
have volunteered, would you? I would want to be the first to see Jesus!
I CAN ONLY IMAGINE!

However, the story of Joseph and Mary completely blows me away!
* If a young teen told you her pregnancy was not by a man, wouldn't you give
some thought to her possible insanity?
* How long do you think Joseph struggled when she told him this seeming impossible
ferry tale?
* How did Mary's parents or future in-laws think or react to Mary's explanation?
I CAN ONLY IMAGINE!

One thing is NOT left to the imagination:
* Mary's virgin birth was God's supernatural, miraculous plan
* God chose to use the most uncommon witnesses to proclaim the birth of Jesus
* The Star did appear in the East and the Magi followed it until they met Jesus
* Jesus was born in Bethlehem in fulfillment to biblical prophecy
* "God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him
shall not perish but have eternal life."
And that is one fact that will change your life! He is the Way, the Truth and the Life! And, the future He is preparing for us is out of this world too. His plan for us is mind-boggling:
I CAN ONLY IMAGINE!