On this Christmas we remember….
Light came into the world and said,
“I will crush your darkness.â€
Justice came into the world and said,
“I will proclaim your freedom.â€
Peace came into the world and said,
“I will turn your conflict.â€
The Word came into the world and said,
“I will call your name.â€
Love came into the world and said,
“I will share your life, always.â€
Amen
(ht again to Stewart Culter for “cultivating” this great message)
If you haven’t had a chance to – I’d highly recommend taking 40 min and listening to our advent reflections from the podcast last week.
Perhaps pull it up on your computer/Hi-Fi/iPods and listen as a family around the fire tonight or tomorrow evening.
Enjoy the thoughts, reflections and music and remember what this season of the year is all about.
53/365
Originally uploaded by Jonathan D. Blundell
illumination
Brian began a new series today about illumination. where does your light shine? or does it? really enjoyed it – and like usual it was challenging. I hope my life-light is shining as I think it is.
1 John 1:5-7
This, in essence, is the message we heard from Christ and are passing on to you: God is light, pure light; there’s not a trace of darkness in him.
If we claim that we experience a shared life with him and continue to stumble around in the dark, we’re obviously lying through our teeth—we’re not living what we claim. But if we walk in the light, God himself being the light, we also experience a shared life with one another, as the sacrificed blood of Jesus, God’s Son, purges all our sin.
Day 145 ~ 365 Days Project
Originally uploaded by Laurie B!
Laurie and I have been wanting this light for our kitchen for a while now – it’s been out of stock at the Frisco IKEA for at least a month.
On the way back from our cruise we stopped at IKEA in Houston and were able to grab the one we wanted.
Took some time tonight to hang it and Laurie took some great photos.
Not sure if it was the summers doing electrical work with my dad or the easy instructions IKEA provided, but its been fun getting my “hands dirty” fixing/installing these random things around the house.
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
Matthew 11:28-30
HT to Headphonaught
What a great image of God and Jesus.
“Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.”
I remember in elementary school I was in the band. I played snare drum simply because I couldn’t play a wind or brass instrument thanks to my orthodontist work. When I first started out, I had to force the rhythm at times. I had to work on getting it right. But as I became familiar with the song and the drum, it became easier. Suddenly it wasn’t forced. It was natural.
The same happened when I took piano lessons. The more I did it, the less forced it was. The more natural it became. Now years later, it’s a real effort for me to sit and read music. There are a few songs that still come naturally to me – but don’t ask me to read the music for it – I’ll be lost in an instant. It’s because I’m out of practice and now what may have been unforced rhythm takes a lot of effort.
Throughout life I see this pattern over and over again.
Imagine grace becoming such a thing we’re so used to giving and receiving that it just comes natural. It’s just a natural rhythm of life. It isn’t a pain to give when asked. It isn’t a forced effort to smile at someone we’re not particularly found of. It isn’t unusual to accept the unacceptable or the unloved.
When grace becomes an unforced rhythm of life – suddenly we love those who least expect it and love those who lease deserve it.
Imagine what would happen if grace became an unforced rhythm of life just as music was to Evan in the movie August Rush? What if it just flowed from us each and every day?
I remember as a kid my dad showed me how to make a small cardboard Christmas tree with lights that used LEDs. It wasn’t a bright enough light to light up much at all, but now developers are predicting household lighting uses for LEDs will be practical within the next few years. From CNet:
Light-emitting diodes will become economically attractive as replacements for conventional lightbulbs in about two years, a shift that could pave the way for massive electricity conservation, according to a researcher.
Right now, consumers and businesses can buy a light-emitting diode, or LED, that provides about the same level of illumination as an energy-hogging conventional 60-watt lightbulb, Steven DenBaars, a professor of material science at the University of California Santa Barbara, said at the SEMI NanoForum, taking place here this week. A principal advantage of the LED: It lasts about 100,000 hours, far longer than the conventional filament bulb.
Changing conventional light bulbs to LED would save everyone money. Experts predict that within two years the cost of the bulbs will be $20 a piece, but would pay for themselves within a year with reduced energy costs. But on top of reduced costs, consider the reduced energy usuage worldwide:
If 25 percent of the lightbulbs in the U.S. were converted to LEDs putting out 150 lumens per watt (higher than the commercial standard now), the U.S. as a whole could save $115 billion in utility costs, cumulatively, by 2025, said DenBaars, and it would alleviate the need to build 133 new coal-burning power stations.
In turn, carbon emissions in the atmosphere would go down by 258 million metric tons.
I’m picturing a house with solar energy running LED light bulbs. I can see the meter run backwards faster and faster everyday.