There is a future for our history.

 But it may hurt.

 The supposed symbol of the Knights Templar, preserved by the Order of Freemasons, among others. Western culture has played policeman of the world for almost seven hundred years. How is that working out? The Latin motto quoting Constantine translates: "In this sign (the X or cross) conquer." A similar design is engraved on my great-great uncle's tombstone. These struggles may have been well-intended, but Christ never intended a shooting war.

History is not just a pile of confusing data. It is the heart monitor for the human race. When people disregard history, any history, they are showing carelessness for their own survival. If you want to be smart, study math or science. But if you want wisdom, study history.

It is no accident, that the Holy Scriptures are not math equations or science formulas. They are not about art or music or games. They are mostly concerned with history. So much so, there are cycles discernible within the Scriptures which show the basic truth that history, or the lessons of history, repeat themselves. The major point of the Old Testament is that in thousands of years, after many generations, neither God nor men changed at all.

To be ignorant of these things is to invite the same calamity that visited upon the people of Israel, God's chosen pilot project, several times, each time with worse results. The people of Israel seemed to really detest history, and found it extraneous. Eventually God would find them extraneous. First it was the enslavement in Egypt, then freedom and power until the tribes were swallowed up by the Assyrians and then the Jews were crushed and relocated by the Babylonians. They got one more chance, until they self-destructed and the Romans captured Jerusalem like a wounded bird. Each time they had a warning from prophets, and the LESSONS OF HISTORY. It made no difference. Today our own country is in a similar mode. We cannot be bothered by that old stuff. 

So thank goodness, no thank God that he had plan B.

The New Testament is even more history, but with a twist. Now God was offering a new plan, based on our chronic neglect of history. The Gospel was simple, just believe that Jesus knows the history, and knows your heart, and is STILL willing to pay the price for them. With his own blood. No more altar and fatted-calf and infinite laws for unsustainable righteousness. Just know the last additions in God's Revelation, and you will be fine, although the Old Testament is still an insightful diagram of society and an accurate picture of man's hard heart and thus his hopelessness. And that is a useful bit of history.

With that as an introduction, the rest of history is just same song, umpteenth verse. But still it is useful because in some cases it teaches us about our particular culture... It is good for young Germans or Chinese to learn about the history of their countries... and especially Americans, so that they might know our failures and not repeat the same stupid injustices and miscalculations of our fathers. We need to remind one another, educate our children, that we were morons and should be held accountable for what we have perpetuated. History might even cause us to mitigate our actions in the process of making it. If we knew it.

I'm sure President Bush II was not a very astute student of history, or he would have known that we tried to take the Middle East by force in the Middle Ages and found a resolute, treacherous society unwilling to even conceive of the teachings of Jesus; Mercy, God's Grace, forgiveness or loving one's enemy. Freedom, Human rights and Self-Government were out of the question in these societies. It turns out they had already been conquered by people even meaner and even more stubborn... And they found the perfect way to perpetuate their society... total intolerance. A costly, bloody, futile war was waged for centuries.

We barely evicted them from Spain. It was arrogant (recently) to think we could reform or rebuild such a country as Iraq, whose people said no to Christ and the Gospels when they converted to Islam at the point of a sword some fifteen or sixteen hundred years ago. Anybody that wanted something different left centuries ago. They are the desert sidewinders of the human race. A desert sidewinder is one of God's creatures. But he is also a cunning, poisonous survivor in a hostile environment. Some of his distant cousins are grass snakes... and he would eat them in a heartbeat. It would be senseless and suicidal for grass snakes to try to reform them. 

The only time rebuilding or reforming has ever worked for us (ONCE?) was when we first bombed our feisty enemies into oblivion, as we did to Japan... A lesson in history. Nobody wants to ever do that again. Our meddling in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan have only proved that nothing less than total humiliation will inspire the kind of submission that might produce a lasting rebuild. And we lack that kind of resolve. We keep trying, in that classic definition of insanity... expecting a different result.

Whether it be Mexico, Spain or the Comanche Nation, surgical whooping-tail has never resulted in anything but hate and contempt between both parties. Show me one truly devoted ally among our rebuilds. In fact our most devoted, USEFUL allies are... our former kinsmen, of the "Western world."

And total annihilation is out of the question, since we base our society on those dimming premises found in... the Bible, full of those confounded lessons in history. No, Jesus intended the opposite of the Islamic technique, regardless of what we have done in his name. We were to love our enemies, carry their burdens, turn the other cheek... he forbade his men to use weapons to defend him... he hung on the cross instead... and they followed his lead to man. But he never suggested suicide... "be as wise as serpents and harmless as doves."

Somewhere, some time, some place where I was not in attendance, somebody, some group must have agreed that since we have it so good here in this God-fearing country, we were supposed to share/force our wealth and wisdom, whether the poor, hateful peoples of the earth wanted us to or not. This led to no small amount of saber rattling and intrigue... for National Security of course, and eventually, regardless of our benevolent intentions, we have been perceived as a decadent, boorish bully. All over the world. And some of that is not far off of the mark. Another lesson of history. Even countries like France and Italy easily forget what we have sacrificed for them, I'm talking tens of thousands of American lives, to preserve their freedom. And they are supposedly from our “culture.” What could we ever expect from Iraqis?

The lessons of history are many... but since you will not read them, here are some of my favorites.

George Washington was not kidding when he warned of foreign entanglements. “Father” knew best. We of course promptly ignored him. Like Moses... Jesus...

Lincoln learned the hard way that you cannot force men (of the South), even God fearing ones, to abandon their way of life, no matter how egregious, without a terrible fight. Yes he “freed the slaves,” only to leave them freed into a heartless society which persecuted them for ANOTHER ONE HUNDRED YEARS.

Mohamed was the only world leader who ever knew how to truly change minds- quickly and permanently. We lack the resolve for his methods as well. Today ISIS demonstrates how effective... and inhuman they are.

 But what makes America a very special place in human history, is we may be the only country that had a bloody, deadly civil war, who made peace and sent our enemies back home to their farms. No imprisonments, no mass executions. That is who we are. That is not who they are. That is an important lesson in history.

But we failed to even read or remember our own mail...

Lincoln's favorite generals, who did his bidding to save the Union, and “freedom for all,” turned around and exterminated or subdued the Native Americans using trickery, starvation and genocide (true it was "tit for tat"). The remnants of the Comanche, Kiowa, Sioux, Cheyenne and Apache people today are evidence of our LACK of proficiency at rebuilding and redirecting cultures. They graciously testify it has been a painfully mixed bag of ill-conceived policies.

The lessons of history demand that we Americans learn to mind our own business. Our best message to the world is to be the best in the world. The best provider, the best neighbor, the best ally, the best trade partner. We need to have a strong military... but only to protect ourselves and our land, and woe to anyone who threatens either. Although China made many mistakes she learned this lesson of history hundreds or thousands of years ago. Meanwhile, next door Russia has bankrupted itself repeatedly for its foreign entanglements. In turn they have been the worst provider, the worst neighbor, the worst ally and the worst trade partner. I guess that is why we are selling them all of our uranium. We are not afraid to give them a handicap or head start and hold one hand behind our backs...

As all of the sane people all over the planet rush here for refuge, and our enemies sharpen their swords, it is time to learn the ultimate lesson of history, that no great “empire” such as ours ever stood strong forever as they over-extended themselves in a world rife with violence and treachery. Persia, Greece, Rome, Spain, Great Britain, none could hold what they grabbed out of greed or ambition or benevolence. Most of these places are comic shadows of their former selves. They did not know when to quit, and eventually an unsympathetic world slapped back. And our all-powerful God allowed that.

During WWII, when the forces of evil conspired to finally wipe out the Jewish people, once and for all, God allowed us and our allies to intervene... with unimaginable forces never seen before... to SAVE THE JEWS  and end the conflict. We can only surmise that in this case, maybe the last time it ever happened, it was a case of "Just War." It is a cruel reality, that ruthless, intolerant societies and cultures who writhe in constant genocide and treachery are not our concern, and that is the kind of conflicts we constantly get sucked into. But to his credit, not under President Obama.

President Obama may have had the moral high ground, thus the right policy, but if this was his belief, he should have brought ALL of our military and ambassadors and EVERYBODY HOME. Instead it was a half-ass attempt to disengage... with terrible results. He tried to play footsie with the sidewinders and our people perished in his inexperience. He actually tried to demonstrate an old adage.. that love begets love, respect begets respect... Objectivity is better than playing favorites. But he made the same mistake that Bush II made, to try to overlay our Christian cultural assumptions upon a unregenerate society.

Perhaps this is the thinking behind the current foreign policy that drives many Americans crazy. Still, the frustrating reality is we have got to"save our bullets" and "pick our battles" very cold-bloodedly... or else find ourselves like Napoleon... broke and defenseless... we are already, in spite of the president's naive overtures, nearly friendless. And regardless of the president's ill-regard for Israel, The God of Judaism and Christianity made certain promises to His people, and he will keep them, in spite of our or our leader's failures. But he will not protect us from ourselves. And that, for us, is the next lesson in history.

Happy Birthday, Master: Some thoughts on Jesus.

C. S. Lewis put it bluntly. The famous athiest cum author and theologian said with fearless resolve that Christ was "either the Son of God or a fried egg." He saw no room for compromise. Either he was who he said he was, or he was a delusional nut-job. You could not find anything useful from the ramblings of a nut job, so a less than Son of God Jesus had no usefulness to those who cherish intellectual integrity. Else they be in delusion as well.

It is all or nothing. No smokey gray prophet, well intended but misunderstood, not really miraculous but a great teacher or some other kind of new age mumbo-jumbo. Son of God, or nut job.

If he was a nut job, it would take a lot of mental calisthenics to arrive at that. All of his followers had to be duped... priests, physicians, soldiers, fishermen, tax collectors, fallen women, even a thief on the cross. Then they had to steal his body, to perpetuate the scam, keep the secret and grow their numbers against all odds... all so everyone could be thrown to the lions, to the amusement of the Roman authorities... Every one of his disciples was persecuted, killed or imprisoned. If it was a lie, it was one which appealed to those with a death wish.

Then they had to scramble to live, to find refuge, to perpetuate the incredible fabrication... for what? To make sure their children suffered the same fate? Why? For pride? Stubbornness? A big joke on mankind? So Christ was a fried egg and his followers mere delusional, perhaps suicidal dreamers. That would take a lot of faith, given what happened after that.

Because this amazing God-man Jesus, whichever he was, who many would reject on grounds of logic and science, had more impact on our world than any other single man. So much so, we take it for granted, never even think about it.

Christians believe he was the Son of God, in fact, a member of a multi-faceted Deity, with three distinct manifestations. He was the human part, the One we could see, hear and touch, and relate to. But he was also there in the beginning: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." The Apostle John gave us the idea that Christ was there.. in THE BEGINNING.

Jesus was not only the Son of God, he was THE WORD, the breath of God, the spoken words, the translated thoughts, all the living, earthly evidence of the Creator; The Creator himself. We speak of the Bible as "the Word" but it is just an inspired paper document recording the message of God. And that message was all about Christ.

So no wonder our calendar reflects his world-changing life. For much of the Western world, our years, soon to be 2012, count back to his birth here on earth. Not bad for a fried egg.

The Western world then proceeded to become the most prosperous, inventive, powerful culture in human history. Today, even in decadance and near collapse, it is still more blessed than any other culture in the world. And most of its decline is due to its unfortunate evolution away from its spiritual roots.

As I have written, compare the Christian icon of Santa Claus, to all other figures in childrendom. Santa is the most loving, active force for their benefit, a symbol of God's Grace and goodness. The culture of Christ, His fruits so to speak, are always grace and love and charity. The Western world leads the rest in charity around the world, at every natural disaster, plague or human tragedy. Thanks to a fried egg, some would say.

Coca Cola made a soda pop bottle back in 1923, a slight modification of their 1915 model, and it was patented on December 25, 1923. Today we call it the "Christmas Coke." It is a popular collectors item. I can think of no other icon in our culture so... quintessential. A major company born in the United States, their product a delightful beverage, that appealed to the American sense of wholesomeness and idealism, choosing, not coincidentally, to put the birthdate of Christ on every bottle. Almost like saying, at every sip, "Merry Christmas." [Yes, I know, the original recipe for Coca Cola had a little cocaine in it, an understandable inclusion at the time]

Funny, a hundred years later, this company is the most recognized symbol in the world... next to THE CROSS. Coca Cola should remember that, that is what it built its umage on, as it stands on the edge of a slippery slope.

After Rome fell to the pagan hordes, Christianity soon filled the void of leadership and vision for the world. As long as Italy and Spain and France and England kept their Christian orientation, they were great powers. As their faith wavered, so did their influence on the world. Germany failed to ever be a world power because she never truly took up the cross.

It has never been a foolish thing, to just associate oneself with this alleged Son of God... or his followers. The children of Israel, now represented by the Jews, have partnered with the Western powers for centuries. It was Christiandom that finally gave them a place on the map.

The next time you see an old coke bottle, try to think of any German or Saudi Arabian beverage you like to drink. The next time you look at a calendar, try to imagine history without Jesus. Think of who else our calendar should have been centered around. You know, the savior we should have been celebrating every year.

No, he was no "nutjob," God forgive me if that mere suggestion offends Your Perfect Highness.

Else most of Western history has been a mistake, out of sinc, built on lies, a coincidence where chaos gave birth to order. (NOT!) Coca Cola was not shy about embossing his glorious day on every bottle for around twenty five years. Today, let's try to give this day the honor it deserves. The day we recognize the birth of the Son of God.

Happy Birthday Master

Coca Cola, once a subtle if inadvertant ambassador for Christ.

A Day like no other day.

It was an extra special day. A day like no other day, a day when God, that personage we believe made the Sun and all the planets and spun them into their orbits, stepped out of Himself and into humanity... to touch His own creation, so that we might be One forever.

We do not know the exact time or place, but around two thousand years ago he was born to a woman on a road trip, in Bethlehem, a Middle Eastern village and celebrated by the lowly sheepherders who were invited by angels to witness his birth. His name was Jeshua, "God among us," but the general Hellenization of that part of the world rendered it Jesus. He explained much later that he did not come into the world to comdemn it, but to save it. So we celebrate this wonderful time on this day. December 25th. Symbolically, perhaps the most important day in HIStory.

His mother was a pure young virgin, yet impregnated by the Creator while betrothed to his earthly father, who was understandably overwhelmed and confused by the whole scenario. To some a degree, the world still is.

Whoever he was, the world was never the same. Had it been a contrivance or a deception, his coming and ministry would have been outed, but instead his followers ultimately brought a revolution in thought and deed; Love your enemies; Love one another; To not treat women as possessions but as partners; and treat children as gold; for "He who is last shall be first."

"He who seeks his life shall lose it. But he who loses himself for my sake ... shall find it."

A descendant of King David of Jerusalem, his aged aunt had already given birth, miraculously, to a cousin that would later announce him as "the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world." The son of a respected Jewish priest, he was called John the Baptist, a Nazrite priest so compelling he inspired religions in his own right. But thirty three years later, as a "voice crying in the wilderness" he told those gathering at the Jordan River, those who would listen, that he was not worthy to loosen his cousin's sandals.

And even though this newborn King caught his own countrymen by surprise; stagnant and corrupted, others were more than ready. Wise men or "Magi" from afar were already on the way to pay homage to him, bringing gifts from all over the Middle East and the Orient. They had been told by the stars of his coming, even led to his birthplace. To all of them... the parents, the shepherds, the angels and the wise men, it was a day like no other day.

So jealous was the king in those times, he ordered all the baby boys of Bethlehem killed, rather than risk competing with a worthy rival. Herod was not a Jew, and word of this newborn king was a piercing threat. This was a real person, with real impact, God in the flesh, who was opposed by the powers of evil from the very first day. But he was no ordinary child. Truly it was a day like no other day.

As he grew into manhood, his parents and family knew he was set apart, no common boy, and an old man looked into him and saw a light; THE light unto the world. Foretold by celestial signs for the pagans of Persia, Asia Minor and Egypt, his life had already been written in the ancient Jewish scriptures, where the prophets of old saw glimpses of his wonderful gifts and powers.. and sacrificial death. He was to be bruised for our transgressions, broken for our iniquities. He fulfilled all of their prophesies required of a Savior. A Savior like no other.

Christians, or followers of Jeshua the Messiah, believe that He was unique in the world, incomparable, literally God among us. As fantastic as His story is, they believe it is no more so than the infinite Universe, or the rest of His Creation, which man still cannot begin to explain, or replicate.

So today we celebrate this awesome, perfect expresssion of love. A mission from God. Born in a livestock shed. Praised by the Heavenlies. A short life that changed human history, and reconciled us with our Maker.

On a day, this day, a day like no other day.

the woods are crawling with them...

Great musicians, that is. And pathways... and choices. I got to see an amazing collection of talent last night, here in Grimes County at a private gathering;"invitation only." Given the circumstances I did not bring my camera, so I can't really illustrate my first point, which is... There are so many excellent musicians out there, HERE, many performing for free or cheap, rather than stay home and waste away. The jam session I saw made me wonder what is really happening to us as a culture.

This bunch is not so addicted to technology as the rest of us, but rather the real and sensual. But they are a minority, and given their Bohemian eccentricities, they and their preferences will stay that way. These are what Ray Wylie Hubbard calls the "Night People." He sings a song I love called Rabbit where he explains that there are two kinds of people in the world, the Day People and the Night People. "And it's the Night People's job to get the Day People's money."

And that's what these folks do, using their various creative talents, and then they get together amongst themselves and really celebrate. The results are mesmerizing. They are seeking, experiencing, trying to find their own path. Not watching somebody else's on a screen. And all while a majority of Americans stay home and watch bad TV.

Casual conversation among these highly intelligent, artistic, and liberated spirits highlighted the differences to me, as I sat between them and the rest of our culture. This eclectic, right-brained crowd has at least one basic characteristic, that of being pathfinders. Although I would not recommend that you always follow them, artists and musicians are usually the problem solvers, trend setters, inventors and embellishers, the vanguard of any culture. One guy offered that they are really like farmers, dependent on natural forces, weather and seasons and such. Yet they would have it no other way. They are a multi-talented, adventuresome group, in love with active creativity; hands-on involvement, and not as concerned about money or the accumulation of it; Determined to live life to the fullest, not to miss out on life's simple, but to them essential pleasures.

The truth is, pardon me for saying so, most of you, that's right, most of you... have never lived. As defined by these natural born risk-takers. Don't get mad, I'm just trying to explain that most people never break away from what has been and is now expected of them, instead forever bound by responsibility, while options of true personal self-expression and self-fulfillment pass unexplored, for most or all of their lives. I shudder for instance, when I consider all of the wonderfully talented women I have met while teaching art, who waited until they had raised their children or grandchildren to take art lessons, when all the while they had serious artistic ability that went largely untapped. They often just shrug off what might have been. Their pardigm never allowed them to know the answers to the "what ifs." This bunch in "the wood" could never live with that.

Most people live their lives in fear of something that governs their actions, and those self-inflicted lifetime fences inhibit their lives, creating a kind of security, and yet prohibiting true human joy.

I know, we all have to live in the real world, and face and accept the responsibilities in our life-path. But too many of us put our heads down and ignore those serendipidous rabbit trails that life affords. Even Jesus spoke of the need for joy, and even he had to go out in a boat and go fishing, when hundreds or maybe thousands waited for him across the lake on the shore. He had to get away, clear his mind, return to the core of his being, align himself with God's Universe, and let go of daily anxiety and frustration... and get some rest.

There is Kingdom work, and then there is just human toil. And there is joy, ordained by the Creator, in your work as well. That lesson was lost on me before my heart attack, because I did not think it was such a big deal.

It is a big deal. But some of you will not listen to this line of reasoning, and ignore your own God-given rabbit trails, until it is too late. Sress is also not part of your Divine lifestyle.

Jesus: "Which of you by worrying can add one jot or tittle to your life?"

Ray Wylie: "I said to the rabbit are you gonna make it? The rabbit said, I got to!"

Follow the narrow path. Go find the music. Your true life depends on it. Some of those rabbit trails turn out be your intended God-given highway. Search for your significance. Feed your soul. Get out of the house! Otherwise life is as Solomon, the supposedly wisest man that ever lived, said; Meaningless, and mere vanity.

Our greatest need.

If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent us an educator. If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist. If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist. But since our greatest need was forgiveness, God sent us a Savior.

This was given to me, and I need to find out who said it!

The beautiful painting, one of my favorties, was done by Bouguereau.

The true meaning of Christmas: Jeshua? Isaiah? Iesous?

Names have always fascinated me. We give our children names all the time, having no idea what they might actually mean in the language they came from. My wife’s name, quite luckily and appropriately means beautiful in Spanish. Mine may mean red, or red haired. My father was red haired, but mine was as ash brown as ditch water. Like many people, my name was given because it sounded cool. The Bible is full of people with bizarre and sometimes ironic names. Mary, the mother of Jesus, was originally Miriam, and meant bitter. It may have applied well to Moses’ sister, but not as much to the mother of the Savior, at least as a description for her temperament. Her name only fit at the end, as she looked upon her son on the crucifixion stake.

Sometimes, to no fault of your own, your name brings confusion and danger. I recently met a man named Chuck Norris. No not the famous one, but hold on, that did not stop him from stepping into a karate mismatch, designed for the other Chuck Norris, not yet famous, but a black belt never the less, and pitted against someone of near equal skill. In a strange but true coincidence, two men with the same name attended the very same karate tournament, and when my Chuck Norris heard his name called he stepped into the shortest match of his karate career. The man in front of him was psyched up to spar with the nationally famous martial arts master, and gave it all he had. That day he could truthfully boast he whipped Chuck Norris in short order. And the fellow I met, the not so famous Chuck, will always be able to tell people he took a bad butt beating for Chuck Norris, even if it was a case of mistaken identity…

The same day I met this unknown Chuck, I also met a fellow named Al Calefino. He stepped into a noisy, busy restaurant with his date one night, with music blasting, and the hostess, struggling to understand him over the racket, asked his name, so she could put him on the waiting list. As soon as he told her, she escorted him to the bar, and ignored him for the rest of the evening.

After considerable time, and a few drinks, Calefino noticed people now leaving with satisfied looks, who had been in line right in front of him over an hour before. He confronted the hostess, demanding to know what the problem might be. She responded sarcastically, that when she asked him his name, he had said “Hell if I know” and she decided to put him somewhere until he remembered.

Jesus had similar problems with his name. Jeshua/Yeshua, meaning God saves, was the name of several famous heroes of Israel. The name can be rendered or understood as Joshua, Jesaiah, and Isaiah. The word we know came out of the Greek, written Iesous, but meaning the same. As you can imagine, just as today, there were a lot of Joshuas.

Young and no doubt amazed, Mary (Bitter) was told by a messenger of God to name her future son Jesus (God is salvation), when the very act of her impregnation could cause her own demise, in a culture that was programmed by God himself not to tolerate fornication, which might be suspected of her since she was not yet married. Soon Jesus was recognized for all that he was, and be called the Messiah, the Lamb of God, and the Son of God. Jesus often referred to God as Abba, “the Father.” This must have caused great confusion when the authorities, who had condemned Jesus to die, offered the locals one of two choices to be released and charges against them dropped; The man Jesus, who had been called King of the Jews, and the Son of God, or another man, a known freedom fighter accused of murder named Barabbas, whose name actually translated into Son of Father!

“Which do you want released, and set free, Jeshua (Yahweh is Salvation), or Barabbas (Son of the Father)?” God seemed to have set everything up so that Jesus would be the victim of mass confusion, even that revolving around his own name. He was Jeshua… and he was also Bar Abba! To make sure they had the right guy, the Roman authorities posted a sign over his crucifixion pole that read “This is Jesus King of the Jews” in several languages. The Romans were glad to make an example out of a popular leader of the people in Judah (Let God be praised, “Praise God!”), with an historic, common and inspiring name, and act as if they believed they had just tortured and killed the King of the Jews. And they had. But way back in the beginning, at Bethlehem (House of Bread) when he was still wet behind the ears, the angels had announced His plethora of names, and all were evidence of his significance.

Jesus (God saves), Savior, Christ (Annointed One) the Lord, and yet a babe, lying in a livestock shelter. Since then we have come to know him as Advocate, Beloved, Bread of Life, Bridegroom, Bright Morning Star, Firstborn, Chief Counselor, Cornerstone, Faithful and True, High Priest, King of kings, Light of the World, Master, Messiah, Prince of Peace, Wonderful, The WORD, the Alpha and Omega, the Great I Am. As time has passed into millennia, our ability to give Him a name has not improved. The more we try, the more outrageous we appear to outsiders, who like Pontius Pilate, see only a man.

But we know you can call a man Chuck Norris, and that does not make him a martial arts champion. We know that we could tell people that His name is Immanuel (God with us), but it would not change what they hear, unless God has opened their ears in spite of their bias or disinterest. We know that just the power of His name can heal, and cast out devils, and save souls. But that name must be written in our hearts, and not on signs or in books or on bumper stickers. We know that come Judgment, the seal of His name will be stamped on the scroll, and we will enter paradise on His account.

We celebrate his birthday on this day we call Christmas, because His birth and life changed history and the fate of mankind. And it was a time when names meant something: Increaser (Joseph)and Bitter (Mary) of Consecrated Prince Place (Nazareth) had a baby named God is Salvation (Jesus) , in a shed at House of Bread (Bethlehem) , near Possession of Peace (Jerusalem) , the Holy City of God in Praise God (Judah) !

...Six months before, Bitter’s relative, God is an Oath, had given birth in her old age to God is Gracious, who would someday preach repentance in the wilderness on the river Descender, and publically ritually bathe God is Salvation, announcing Him to be the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world. God is Salvation would gather disciples, like Joined and Hearing, and change their names forever to Gift of Yahweh and Little Stone. Some day they and people like them would be called Little Christs.

And if you understood all of that, then you are well on your way to seeing through the ages of fog obscuring this day. Perhaps you actually grasp the true meaning of Christmas, which by any other name, would still be the Advent of God in the Flesh!

And His name, how did we, his devoted followers manage to butcher it so badly? Calefino!