Thoughts for Christmas...

As we celebrate Christmas we hear a lot about the birth of Jesus. We know the story all too well. Yet we don't ask questions about certain details very often. There is something that I learned a couple of years ago and I thought I'd share it with everyone.

What am I getting at?

The Virgin Birth. We have heard about it our whole lives and just accept it but we never ask "Why?". Why was it necessary? If we have ever heard a preacher/pastor/teacher talk on the subject, the normal response to the question of "Why?" is: the depravity of man and our sinful nature. We are told that since we are born with a sinful nature, Jesus needed to be born of a virgin so that he could be free of that sinful nature that is passed down. But there is more to it than that! And I think it paints a bigger picure of God.

If you read Matthew chapter 1, you will find the genealogy of Joseph, Jesus' father. Most people skip over the first 17 verses of Matthew if they want to read the Christmas story. But I suggest that you read the genealogy and see what the Bible has to say about people in Jesus' generational history. I want to expose one of those people to you right now. In verse 11 and 12 you see that Jeconiah is in that line of people. Notice that Jeconiah's name has a footnote? Well those are there for a reason. Let's look at it. By looking at this footnote I find that Jeconiah's name is also Jehoiachin. It is just a variation in the Hebrew language. So now, let's look at what the bible has to say about Jehoiachin. For the sake of time and my typing fingers, we won't look at his life but let's look at what God has to say about his life. Jeremiah 22:30 says: (about Jehoiachin)

This is what the LORD says:
"Record this man as if childless,
a man who will not prosper in his lifetime,
for none of his offspring will prosper,
none will sit on the throne of David
or rule anymore in Judah."


Wait a minute!! Did that just say that "none of his offspring will prosper", "none will sit on the throne of David"?! How could that be? He is in Jesus' genealogy. That must not be true. But wait......oh yeah. THE VIRGIN BIRTH!! This is why Jesus could not be born of Joseph's seed. A curse/prophecy passed down from generation to generation ever since Jeconiah (aka. Jehoiachin). The virgin birth made it possible for Jesus to break the curse that was in his genealogy. Jesus could not have been Christ had it not been for the virgin birth.

Maybe this will help you get an even bigger picture of God in this holiday season. And hopefully it might make you think twice about reading the footnotes in your Bible and doing just a little investigation. Learning to use footnotes and cross references has helped me gain an even bigger view of who God is. They are there for a reason, use them.

May everyone have a MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

What some people will do for money...

A couple nights ago someone attempted to rob the ATM machine that I use most often. I've heard stories of this in the past and it doesn't surprise me too much. But this story was a little different. I've heard of people creating fake ATM cards. I've heard of people robbing Joe Schmo after he withdrew his money. I've even heard of people trying to steal the whole machine so they can try to break into it at home. But I've never heard of someone trying to break into a machine with an ax! It just struck me as strange. Strange enought that when I heard the news story it made me laugh. After his first attempt was unsuccessful he tried the same thing on to two more machines that are nearby. And when he was done playing "lumberjack", not only did he not receive any money, but now he has the joy of getting his face plastered all over the news stations in the Dallas area.



Smart kid.....real smart.

Why is blue raspberry invading all the candies?

I got home late tonight and I wasn't tired so I figured I might as well post something. This evening, I had a free night to do whatever I pleased. Well, I decided to go to the movies. I don't make it a habit to go to the movies alone but sometimes it is nice to just do your own thing. Poke fun if you want, but I wanted to see Pride and Prejudice. It is a story I've heard about for such a long time and it is referenced in so many other movies, so I was curious. And I'm not afraid to admit that I sometimes like the so-called "chick-flick". Some of them are horribly cheesy, but there are some that are done quite well. Being such a well-loved book by so many poeple, I had to at least give it a shot. Plus the trailer looked intriguing. The Chronicles of Narnia is also in theaters now but seeing a movie on opening day can sometimes be a big hassle. I generally like to wait at least a week or two so that the lines and crowds aren't quite as crazy. Also, if a movie turns out to be bad you generally hear about it after the first week or two.

Anyway....back to my evening. As I generally do before going to the movies, I picked up a couple sweets at the store on the way. Tonight my choices were a Hershey's bar and some Sour Skittles. I bought my ticket and was on my way. Of course, I had to stop and get popcorn and a drink. That smell of freshly popped popcorn gets me every time. So $100 later (that's what it feels like at least), I was in the theater and ready for it to start. Things were going well, the movie was progressing, I was enjoying the story, and my treats. Popcorn first, then a little later my chocolate bar, and a little later the sour skittles. When I got to the skittles I struggled with opening them quietly. Not an easy task when you are in a quiet part of the movie. So I waited a little until the movie got a little louder. Success. I masked the rustling well. Here is where my story turns a little sour... no pun intended. The first skittle in my mouth was blue raspberry. YUCK!! It was very distracting. Here I was trying to enjoy my movie, and all I could think about was "Why is blue raspberry invading all the candies?". I don't think replacing one of your tried and true flavors with blue raspberry is an upgrade. And does it actually make more people buy your candy? Just because you introduce a new flavor? A flavor that has already invaded so many other candies? A flavor that I, and most of the people I ask, don't really care for?

Well, I got over it, and ate my Skittles. Not without a touch of bitterness towards blue raspberry though. Something that, as far as I know, doesn't even exist in nature. I could be wrong, but I don't think there are any blue raspberries that occur naturally. I enjoyed the rest of the movie. The last scene could have been a little less cheesy, but overall I enjoyed the movie and would recommend it. There wasn't even a sex scene in this movie (a rarity these days). It just goes to show you that you can have a good movie without all the crudeness that Hollywood feels like the have to show us.

That's all for now....

It's me...

Welcome to a small peek inside of my brain. I have no idea where my adventures or thoughts will take you, but let's hope that it is somewhere fun or somewhere thought provoking. This picture is from a Polaroid that my friend Matt took of me after I finished yet another day of snowboarding at Copper Mountain last year. I've been watching the snow reports for this year and I can only hope the snow continues to drop this heavy all year. If it does, it looks like a wonderful year on the slopes. After having the mountains at such easy access for the past two winters I have become spoiled by having the ability to pick and choose my days of riding. Now that I am back in the Lone Star State I can only hope for good snow on my chosen week at the mountain this year.

I named this blog "dreaming of colorado" because that is often my state of mind. While I may live and work in the Dallas area my thoughts often go back to fond memories of my short stint as a Colorado resident. Don't get me wrong, I do not regret moving back to Texas one bit. I have never loved a job as much as I love my current job. But I do often think of Colorado. As I am writing this I am hearing on the news about a winter storm that is hitting Denver. Just the thought of it brings back so many memories of things that some people consider a hassle, but I always loved. Waking up early so you can warm up your car in single digit temperatures, while scraping 3-6 inches of fresh snow off your car. Leaving at least 15-20 minutes earlier than normal, turning on the 4-wheel drive and navigating the plowed and unplowed roads on your trek to work......Well, enough reminiscing for now. I'm sure you'll get a little more later....