What CHRISTmas Is All About

What CHRISTmas Is All About

...Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise...

Matthew 21:16 from Psalm 8:2

A Charlie Brown Christmas:

The Meaning of Christmas

Watch Below or Click Here

To Watch On YouTube

Tebow Brings Christmas Cheer to Christians and Football Fans

Having grown up in Denver and also being a huge Denver Broncos fan all my life, I have to admit that I am thoroughly enjoying what is going on with our beloved Broncos.  To put this in perspective I would like to share a little bit of history on this subject.

My younger brother was born when I was about 12 years old, during a Denver Broncos game against the Kansas City Chiefs.  The Broncos Orange Crush defense was famous at this time and they had an eight play goal line stand where they kept the Chiefs out of the end zone for eight straight plays and went on to win that game.  I was not just a fair weather fan but enjoyed Broncos football through all the years of my youth. 

In 1983, Denver drafted a Quarterback by the name of John Elway and during his first season I started attending the ntcc.  For the first time in my life football was placed on a back burner and was one of the things in my personal life that I allowed the ntcc to take away from me.  I was told that football was full of a bunch of proud overpaid arrogant people and was led to believe that watching football was a sin.  For quite a few years, I deprived myself of the joy I once had in many areas of my life and from my personal favorite pastime which was football.  After being deprived of even more important things than football, I began to break the sports rule in the ntcc and started paying attention to football once again. I would read the newspapers and follow the Broncos and John Elway who was considered to be the king of 4th quarter come backs.  The Denver Broncos started to win consistently and made 3 trips to the Superbowl during my ntcc, years, losing all three games.  

As my cult experience began to wear me down spiritually, I paid closer attention to the Broncos, watching John Elway engineer some of the greatest come from behind victories in NFL history.  On Sundays, I'd go to the Recreation Center on Post and watch games on TV instead of soul snatching and at times I'd go to Department stores and watch games there.  We all know how much of a sin it is to watch a football game on TV when souls are dying and going to hell.  After 13 years of missing out on football, I finally left the ntcc and was able to watch football again.  Thankfully, Elway had a 16 year career and I was able to enjoy some of the greatest moments in football history from the comfort of my own living room.  

In the late 90's Elway and the Broncos, after losing 3 Super Bowls, finally started playing the best football ever.  In Elway's 15th season, he led the Broncos on an unforgettable run to the Superbowl, beating many teams in the final minutes of the game.  Superbowl 32 was played at Qualcom Stadium in San Diego, on my Birthday in 1998.  Denver was a huge underdog to the Greenbay Packers and they beat the Packers 31 to 24 in what many consider one of the greatest Superbowls of all time.  It came down to the last seconds of the game and was one of the greatest times of my life.  Elway had one more season after this in which he led the Broncos to another victory in Superbowl 33 and won Most Valuable player that year retiring at the top of his game in a city where football was everything; and Broncos fans were on top of the world.

Since the retirement of Elway and the decline of the Broncos, many quarterbacks have come and gone; but none could live up to the expectations that we had from the Elway years.  Denver's best coach ever, Mike Shanahan, was let go and Denver has struggled with very few playoff appearances and the Mile High magic seemed to be a distant memory.

 Tim Tebow - well - Tebowing 

Along comes Tim Tebow.  Drafted in 2010 as a Florida Gator, Tim Tebow was considered to be one of the best college players of all time and he was the only Sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy and he led his team to two national titles.  Many of the experts and football analysts have written Tebow off because his mechanics are considered to be flawed; and he does not have the attributes that many experts look for in a quarterback.  Last year Tebow started 3 games toward the end of a dismal season and brought hope back to Denver.  At the end of the season last year Denver's coach got fired; and John Elway became Vice President of Football operations and hired a new coach by the name of John Fox.

Denver chose to start Kyle Orton at the QB position because he was an experienced veteran and had a very good completion percentage.  However Orton had a history of losing the biggest games and never could seem to win meaningful games.  After Orton's dismal 4 loss and 1 win start to the 2011 season, Tim Tebow was given another chance.  Down 15 to 0 in his first start of the 2011 season, Tebow led the Broncos to an 18 to 15 victory over Miami, becoming the only QB in the history of the NFL to be down by 15 points with only 2 minutes left to come from behind and win in this fashion.  Tebow has won 6 straight games all very close and many coming from behind in the last seconds of the game to win in spectacular fashion.  Last week Denver was losing 10 to nothing with just over 2 minutes to go; and it seemed completely impossible to even think about a 4th quarter comeback, but through strong will Denver came back and won.

Tebow Glorifying God

Tebow - Commitment

But what makes all of this so great is not just Tebow's ability to win a game but it's what this guy stands for and the testimony he has outside of football that makes him a polarizing individual that many either love or hate.  As a Christian, I have a really hard time understanding why there is so much hate surrounding this guy.  On his spare time he spends his days hanging out with kids that have disabilities and debilitating diseases. He spends much of his NFL fortune building hospitals in the Philippines.   Video Link

What seems to make Tebow so popular is his ability to generate belief and winning attitude among his teammates.  Everyone around him believes in him and thinks very highly of him.  He always gives credit to God first and then his teammates for all of Denver's victories. In spite of all the good we are seeing there are many people that hate Tebow.  How dare he play football and live a Christian life at the same time.  Does God really care about football?  The only thing that I can contribute is my opinion.  I believe that God blesses those that trust in Him.  I believe that some spectacular things have been happening in Denver.  I like everything I see in Tim Tebow and am enjoying this season immensely.  I am glad to be in a free country and to allow myself the simple pleasures in life of being able to enjoy a game on Sunday.  I know that it might seem like sensationalism to some and it might seem a little overboard to others to believe that God has his hand in the game of football, but it is a liberty that I enjoy and choose to believe.  There are many more harmful things that people do with their spare time and this guilty pleasure seems to fit well within the realm of Christianity so I will continue to believe and root for the Broncos this weekend as they take on the Patriots at Mile High.  Here's to the Broncos and Tim Tebow!!!

Mary Did You Know? by Mark Lowry

And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this [child] is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against;  Luke 2:34

(Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.  Luke 2:35

Mary Did You Know? by Mark Lowry Video Link

But Mary kept all these things, and pondered [them] in her heart.  Luke 2:19

Twelve Days Of Christmas

Christmas is a day when we remember the birth of Jesus, God's  best gift to us.  Over time, men have created their own traditions, including songs, to celebrate.  Here's a newer version of an old song.

12 Days of Christmas by Relient K
Watch on YouTube



This version asks the questions, "What's a partridge?  What's a pear tree?" and answers, "I don't know; so please don't ask me!"  :o)  Well, we also wanted some answers.  So we looked up the lyrics on Wikipedia and found the chart [below] that attempts to interpret the well known lyrics of this old song.

Source Article on Wiki

"The Twelve Days of Christmas" as a Catechism Song

Gift	Interpretation
A partridge in a pear tree	Jesus
Two turtle doves	The Old and New Testaments
Three French hens	The three kings bearing gifts
Four calling [sic] birds	The four Gospels
Five gold rings	The Torah or Pentateuch, the first five books of the Old Testament
Six geese a-laying	The six days of Creation
Seven swans a-swimming	Seven gifts of the Holy Spirit
Eight maids a-milking	The eight Beatitudes
Nine ladies dancing	Nine fruits of the Holy Spirit
Ten lords a-leaping	The Ten Commandments
Eleven pipers piping	The eleven faithful Apostles
Twelve drummers drumming	The twelve points of the Apostles' Creed

We share this information with our readers to encourage them to celebrate the birth of Christ and to embrace new experiences.  You may not like this song.  You may not agree with the interpretation of the lyrics offered on Wiki.  And that's fine.  That's the point.  There are some things that we as Christians must agree upon.  For instance, we must all believe that Jesus is our Savior.  But there are other things that can and should be open for discussion.  That is the point we are making here.

We hope you enjoy not only this quest for knowledge but the entire Christmas season.  Here's another video for those who enjoy a more traditional version of The Twelve Days Of Christmas:

Twelve Days of Christmas (Traditional)
Watch On YouTube

Part 2 of Adultery on Demand

 Trading Spouses -
 ntcc's way;
 but NOT God's Way! 

We have covered this topic quite a bit; but it just seems to continue to come up in my thoughts and prayers.  You have seen it before; and you will see it again in the ntcc:  The once married, now single Christian ends up in:

A. St. Louis, MO to be matched up with a recycled spouse.
B. Graham, WA to be matched up with a recycled spouse.
C. Phoenix, AZ to be matched up with a recycled spouse.
D. On the "revival" circuit to find a new spouse [ahem].

I know there are many in the ntcc that will not receive this; after all, in their eyes, we are just "negative and bitter X-ers that have an aXe to grind".  While pondering all this, I couldn't help but think about

  the complete disregard for the institution of marriage that is exhibited by the ntcc.  The vows that a man and woman take are supposed to be for life; and God has much to say about the commitment of marriage.  

It's plain to see that divorce and the breaking up of families is a huge problem in the ntcc.  There are wives and husbands that are in the ntcc that have put away their spouses and are now on their 2nd, 3rd and 4th marriages in what obviously is commonplace in the ntcc.

This is nothing more than spouse swapping!  The men and women of the ntcc might as well throw their car keys in a big bowl and have a drawing; whoever pulls out your keys is the one you drive home with!

In ntcc if you get tired of your spouse, not to worry; the ntcc leadership can (and will) match-make you with a recycled spouse; everything will be okay!  I have to wonder if folks in the ntcc even read their bibles; or do they just refuse to believe in the scriptures that deal with divorce and adultery?  Instead they listen to false doctrines of men that make them adulterers and adulteresses.  They buy into the li(n)e that if Pastor says it's okay, it's okay.  I wouldn't want to get marriage counsel from an adulterer.

A little over a year ago, I came to God just as I was.  I didn't prepare my life or try to change what I was; but in the realization of my spiritual condition, I asked for forgiveness and experienced salvation.  Prior to this, I had forsaken God and chose to live a life contrary to that which I knew to be true.  God had mercy on me and not only forgave me but also gave me a wife.

I saw many in the ntcc treat their wives like a dog that peed on their carpet or like property or even worse, but few that really lived an example of love for one another.  I love my wife.  She is the most important person on this earth to me.  I have no desire to control her or to manipulate her.  I was serious about the vows that we took; and I plan on spending the rest of my life with her.  By the grace of God our marriage will be a biblical one; and we will not disregard God's word and become dissatisfied with what God has put together.

In the ntcc men have found their vows to be meaningless and chosen to dump the wives that they were joined together with so that they could move on to a different situation.

I think the CULTure in the ntcc creates an environment that makes women slaves to preachers that have been taught to believe that they are a god to their wives.  They are taught to treat their women with little or no respect.

When a woman is abused sexually, physically, mentally or spiritually and she tries to get help from the ntcc leadership, more often than not, she is not believed; and she is expected to continue allowing that man to abuse her.

When women try to seek help at a time when they have been betrayed by their husbands, the ntcc leadership will often blame them for being "too fat and undesirable" to please their husbands; which are, in many cases, also "fat and undesirable" themselves.

This type of behavior is not what you would find displayed in a Christian church!  Why do ntcc'ers have such a hard time believing that they are in a cult?  Why are we made out to be "the devil" and "haters of God", when all we do is point to the sad truth of what the ntcc is all about?

To those that are in the ntcc that read this blog, please think really hard before you allow someone to influence and destroy your relationship with your family!  Love and cherish the wife or husband that God gave you and seek not another.  Honor your vows.  If the unbelieving wife (or husband) is pleased to dwell with you, don't put them away and marry another spouse.  The unbeliever is sanctified by the believer.

Don't allow the ntcc to decide for you that your spouse is an unbeliever and needs to be put away!  Just because someone wants to serve God in a church other than ntcc, that does not mean they have departed from the faith.  There is no biblical grounds for the ntcc spouse to divorce them.

Beware of the Pharisees.  Beware of the wedges that they try to drive in between families, recommending divorce simply because one person wants to serve God in a different church!  As the bond of marriage is destroyed so also is the family destroyed.  Once the family is destroyed there is very little that can be done to restore it, especially when a man DX's* his wife for a newer model; or the wife does the same.
*[DX is military jargon for Direct eXchange, substituting one like thing for another.  That's fine for a jacket that doesn't fit but inappropriate treatment of a life partner as God intended your spouse to be.]

Before deciding to allow ntcc to destroy your family, do yourself a favor.  Get to a movie theater and watch "Courageous".  Those vows are meant to be sacred!  If you can't afford to go to a theater, the DVD will be released soon.  In the mean time check the local library or at least pick up a copy of "Fireproof" and watch it.  Never leave your partner behind.

Courageous Movie Trailer:  Video Link



Fireproof:
Salt and Pepper - Video Link



Please note:

A marriage as God intends does not include any form of abuse.

If two are one, how can one abuse oneself?  Will you yell at yourself or punch yourself?  That is not natural.  If you are in an abusive relationship, please remove yourself to a safe environment and seek help, preferably OUTSIDE the ntcc.  Too many people have sought help from the ntcc leaders and have been further abused by their poor counsel to "stay and obey" even when physical abuse was present.  That is not God's plan for you, His Beloved.

What if you are guilty of adultery as defined by the gospels?

Matthew 5:32

Matthew 19:9

Mark 10:11-12

Luke 16:18

REPENT

NAME THAT SIN

ASK GOD TO FORGIVE YOU

MAKE AMENDS AS HE DIRECTS YOU 

Remember:  King David committed adultery with Bathsheba.  He then had her husband murdered.  When confronted with these sins, David acknowledged his sin.  Under the Law of Moses he and Bathsheba should have been killed as judgment.  But David understood and believed in the mercy of God.  If David could repent through confession and belief, so can anyone who believes the scripture:

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  1 John 1:9

Your families are counting on you.  Choose life.