What's In A Name?

Well, more great news from our society these days as there is a dispute about whether Rick Warren should "invoke the name of Jesus" when he prays on Inauguration Day. Wow, where have we gone as a nation and, more importantly, where are we headed?

After I read the article (which is posted below) I began to think about the times in God's Word where the phrase "name of Jesus" is used.

Here are just a few:

"But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name." - John 20:31

"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins" - Acts 2:38

"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." - Acts 4:12

"And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus" - I Cor. 6:11

"That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth" - Phil. 2:10

"And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him." - Col. 3:17

Now here's the article (Associated Press) -

Warren's inauguration prayer could draw more ire -

President-elect Barack Obama's choice of Rick Warren to deliver the inaugural invocation drew one kind of protest. Whether the evangelical pastor offers the prayer in the name of Jesus may draw another.

At George W. Bush's 2001 swearing-in, the Revs. Franklin Graham and Kirbyjon Caldwell were criticized for invoking Christ. The distinctly Christian reference at a national civic event offended some, and even prompted a lawsuit.

Warren did not answer directly when asked whether he would dedicate his prayer to Jesus. In a statement Tuesday to The Associated Press, Warren would say only that, "I'm a Christian pastor so I will pray the only kind of prayer I know how to pray."

"Prayers are not to be sermons, speeches, position statements nor political posturing. They are humble, personal appeals to God," Warren wrote. His spokesman would not elaborate.

Evangelicals generally expect their clergymen to use Jesus' name whenever and wherever they lead prayer. Many conservative Christians say cultural sensitivity goes way too far if it requires religious leaders to hide their beliefs.
"If Rick Warren does not pray in Jesus' name, some folks are going to be very disappointed," Caldwell said in a recent phone interview. "Since he's evangelical, his own tribe, if you will, will have some angst if he does not do that."

Advocates for gay rights protested Obama's decision to give Warren a prominent role at the swearing-in. The California megachurch founder supported Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage in his home state. Obama defended his choice, saying he wanted the event to reflect diverse views and insisting he remains a "fierce advocate" of equal rights for gays.

The Rev. Joseph Lowery, a United Methodist who is considered the dean of the civil rights movement, said he hasn't yet written the benediction for the Jan. 20 ceremony. But he said "whatever religion the person represents, I think he has a right to be true to his religion."

Caldwell, also a Methodist, said no one from the Bush team told him what to say in his 2001 and 2005 benedictions.

The Houston pastor said he had "no intention whatsoever of offending" people when he quoted from Philippians and delivered the 2001 prayer "in the name that's above all other names, Jesus the Christ." In 2005, he still prayed in Jesus' name, but added the line, "respecting persons of all faiths." In the 2008 election, Caldwell supported Obama.

Franklin Graham, son of evangelist Billy Graham, who was a presence at presidential inaugurations for several decades, said it's wrong to expect members of any faith to change how they pray in public.

"For a Christian, especially for an evangelical pastor, the Bible teaches us that we are to pray in the name of Jesus Christ. How can a minister pray any other way?" Franklin Graham said. "If you don't want someone to pray in Jesus' name, don't invite an evangelical minister."

Graham, who in 2001 stepped in for his ailing father, ended the invocation with, "We pray this in the name of the Father, and of the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit."

The lawsuit, which claimed that inaugural prayer was an unconstitutional endorsement of religion, failed in federal court. It had been filed by atheist Michael Newdow, who separately sued to remove the words "under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance.

Billy Graham, now 90, didn't say Jesus' name during presidential inaugurations, but made obvious references to Christ.

At Richard Nixon's 1969 swearing-in, Graham prayed "in the Name of the Prince of Peace who shed His blood on the Cross that men might have eternal life." In 1997, for Bill Clinton's inaugural, Graham prayed "in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit."

Leaders of other traditions with experience in interfaith work said they respected Christians who felt strongly that they should pray in Christ's name.

But they argued that a request for some modification is reasonable for a presidential inauguration, considering it's an event representing all Americans.

Imam Yahya Hendi, a Muslim chaplain at Georgetown University who travels to Muslim countries on behalf of the State Department, said that at interfaith events, he refers to Allah, or God, as "almighty creator of us all."
Rabbi Burt Visotzky, a professor at the Jewish Theological Seminary, the flagship institution of Conservative Judaism, said he invokes "God" for interfaith prayer.

"I know that for Christians, Jesus is part of their Trinity," said Visotzky, who has taught at Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome and at Protestant seminaries in the U.S. "For me as a Jew, hearing the name of a first-century rabbi isn't the worst thing in the world, but it's not my God."

Well, there you have it. More of the same "post-Christian" thinking. Hard to believe that we are seeing it and living in it. I fear for the future of a country that was born out of respect to the Almighty God and now doesn't want to offend anyone by mentioning His name.

Parties, Parties and more Parties

One of my favorite things about Christmas time, besides honoring the birth of our Savior, is to have special times of fellowship with friends and family. The family will come next week when we go to Shreveport to be with my hubby's family.

But over the last few weeks we have had the opportunity to host a few parties and fellowship with precious friends that the Lord has placed in our lives.

Here are a few pictures.

These first pictures were taken at our house with our Sunday School class. We had a great time and we have an awesome group of people in this class. It is an honor to serve alongside each of them in learning and growing in Christ.

The second set of pictures was taken at our annual Ornament Exchange. This is given by my daughters and me at our home. We had 17 people this year and had an absolute blast! It's all ladies and we have snack food and then exchange ornaments with each other. This is one of my favorite get-togethers of the season!!

Then, every year, I celebrate a special luncheon with two of my special friends - Kathy & Sheri. We have known each other for over 12 years and have been doing this Christmas luncheon for about 5 or 6. I am thankful for both of them and the advice, love, tears and wisdom they have shared with me over the years. I love you gals!











And one last party that I host is for my ESL (English as a Second Language) and Spanish classes. I do this at the Learning Center in Hartwell. This year I had 5 ESL students and 5 Spanish students. We had a great time and I am so thankful for the friendships I have made and the opportunity to teach. God has truly blessed me in getting to know all of these lovely people.

Don't Miss It!

This is a lovely article written by Teddy Allen for the Shreveport Times and sent to me by my brother-in-law. Wow, it's not only deep and meaningful and thought-provoking, it's, well... just don't miss it....

To miss a chance like that-

"Only God could have thought of giving us Christmas," the pilgrim told me.
"I no longer wonder why the world turns again every year to the Babe born in the innkeeper's cattle shed," he said. "A baby bundled tightly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger. Simple enough to be new every year, miraculous enough to be eternal, tender enough to be personal. Only God would have done it that way.
"No official proclamation. No fuss. No Madison Avenue ad campaign. If man had done it he would have made a great production. But God did it the way God does so many things in the world. The coming of dawn and the setting of sun are quiet things. Sleep needs no trumpets to announce it. Flowers bloom in silence. Falling snow makes no more sound than the cat's paw. And so it was with the coming of the Savior of the World. Just the whimper of a baby, asleep on the hay.
"That's just like God," the pilgrim said. "Bethlehem tells us that the loveliness in life is not in the things that we possess, the titles and checkbook balances and plaques on the wall. Bethlehem tells us that the loveliness in life is in our relationships. 'Come see the baby. Come spend time with us, and come spend time with the baby ...'
"That long ago Judean night when Heaven dipped down to Earth, there were no costly jewels, no golden streets, but instead a place where God was at home in a stable ... a place where shepherds were as welcome as wise men ... a place where, for a moment, nothing in Creation was more important than a donkey who bore on his back a suffering woman, a woman of God's favor, a woman who stepped into a barn on the brink of the Fullness of Time and into a place where a stable filled with animals was a temple fit for a King.
"That's so like God. To send His one and only son into a place humble, a place where voices joined in chorus with the first cry of a newborn. There is nothing in the world so new as Christmas, and nothing in the world so old.
"Bethlehem tells us that God is awake while most all the world sleeps. It was while the world lay in darkness that God chose to come down to Earth. He came into a world of darkness then, He comes into a world of darkness now. Isn't it comforting to know that in a time of darkness and despair, God is always awake, is alive and is still ruling the universe?
"Christmas asks us to follow the star, to look for the light and to listen for the baby. Where there is light, there can be no dark, and so it was into the night that the baby came. The gift in the manger reminds us that the joy and truth of Christmas can be recaptured. There is nothing in the world like a baby. The whole silly world stops when a baby is born. God, a baby at Bethlehem ..."
"The wonder of it all ...""There is nothing as tragic as missing something of great importance when there was no reason to have missed it at all. Such was the experience of those who missed the first Christmas and the experience of those who miss Christmas today. One of those was the innkeeper in Bethlehem. He should not have missed it, because he was so close to it. He missed the Greatest and the Most Important Birth in all of history, right in his own backyard. This child of prophecy, this baby sent to restore and to redeem, born right under his nose. But he was so preoccupied with business, with noise and crowds and himself that he missed the first Christmas in history. He had no room.
"What a tragedy, to miss a chance like that."

An Apron for Christmas

Now what woman doesn't want to look cute in the kitchen this Christmas? I found this great blog, Deliberate Hope, and she is starting an apron business. You need to go there and look over the cute ones she's got. They would make great gifts for your favorite cook or wanna be cook. So get over there and check them out!!

Merry Tossmas With Stuart Shepherd

Keeping Christ in Christmas

I am amazed at how our culture continues in it's downward shift and spiral against all things Christian.

Yesterday, I called 411 on my cell phone to get a number and the operator ended the call with "Happy Holidays". You know, we don't want to "offend" anyone.

A friend of ours recently posted a note on his Facebook page that his daughter works for a large bank and they were told via Corporate Office to remove any Christmas trees that they might have put up in the lobby. As my friend noted, to speak against another religion is considered "hate speech", but speaking against Christianity and all symbols of it, is politically correct.

Listen, I'm determined to keep Christ in Christmas. I hope you are, too.

Do you have any stories to share of how you see the message of Christmas being changed?

I received this email recently and I love it!

This is a Christmas Tree

This is a Christmas Tree

This is a Christmas Tree

These are NOT Holiday Trees
They are not Hanukkah bushes
They are not Allah plants
They are Christmas trees. Say it...
CHRISTmas , CHRISTmas , CHRISTmas Yes CHRISTmas -not Holiday
We are not celebrating the birth of a Holiday!!!

We are
Celebrating the Birth of
Jesus Christ!!!
So I would like to say to each and everyone of you
Have a Very Merry CHRISTMAS
and may GOD BLESS each and every one of you!!!

Every Cloud Has A Silver Lining

Well, it's not exactly shouting grounds, but it'll do. The democrats were not able to gain the supermajority this time! Saxby Chambliss won the run-off race in Georgia! YEAH!!

Balance of Power

Get out and VOTE - TODAY!

One of the beautiful things about our constitution and the purposes set forth therein by our founding fathers, was a balance of power. That meaning that one body could not have all the power and thereby weild too much authority in one direction possibly going against the common good.

That is why it is so important that we Georgians vote in this election for Saxby Chambliss. We do not need a filibuster-proof Congress right now. With the Democrats in full control of both houses, we need some balance.

So, with that being said - get out and VOTE!

This Is How the Government Came Up With the Bailout Plan