Merry Christmas & Happy New Year 2021

I just wanted to take a moment to extend my sincere best wishes to my faithful readers for a very Merry Christmas and a safe, healthy and happy New Year 2021.

This year has been incredibly challenging for most and the best we can do is hope that 2021 will bring calm to the chaos that has plagued us (no pun intended) over the last year.

I think this is an appropriate time to read the words of this very poignant Christmas song and remember the true reason why we celebrate Christmas.

“O Holy Night" is originally a French poem titled "Minuit Chrétiens" and was written in 1843 by Placide Cappeau in Roquemaure, France to celebrate the renovation of a local church.

O Holy night! The stars are brightly shining
It is the night of our dear Savior's birth
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
'Til He appears and the soul felt its worth
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn
Fall on your knees; O hear the Angel voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born
O night, O Holy night, O night divine!

Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming
Here come the Wise Men from Orient land
The King of kings lay thus in lowly manger
In all our trials born to be our friend
He knows our need, to our weakness is no stranger
Behold your King; before Him lowly bend
Behold your King; before Him lowly bend

Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His Gospel is Peace
Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother
And in His name, all oppression shall cease
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we
Let all within us Praise His Holy name
Christ is the Lord; O praise His name forever!
His power and glory evermore proclaim
His power and glory evermore proclaim

The world truly is weary, but we can rejoice and find hope in He that has come to save us all. Do not despair, but put your trust in Him that has conquered the world.

Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.” (Luke 2: 28-32)

Merry Christmas 2018 !!

I just wanted to take a moment to extend my sincere best wishes to everyone and my hope is that you will all have a happy & very blessed Christmas, as well as a safe & prosperous New Year.

At this time of year we all tend to be focused on shopping and the hustle & bustle surrounding Christmas, but I think it is very important to take a moment and focus on what is truly important.

At this time last year I was dealing with the diagnosis that I had cancer. Certainly not what anyone wants to hear, but within a matter of days I would also learn that I had lost my old partner, Paul Murphy, to this insidious disease. Most people would be rocked by the news, but in a way it was very cathartic for me. My diagnosis allowed me to stop for a moment and deeply consider things I had always taken for granted. One of those things was my relationship with Christ.

For several years I had been toiling, unsuccessfully I might add, at writing a book entitled: Where Was God? Suddenly, my diagnosis created a sense of urgency in addressing this, but what started out as a question of where God was on 9/11, soon turned into my investigation if there even was a God.

The very nature of this topic was daunting, but I opened my heart, as well as my mind, to the task. It is nice to ‘believe’ in something, but if that belief is predicated on a fallacy than what is the point? Who’s benefit does it serve? As someone once said: “I’m an investigator, I search for facts, I don’t ‘create’ them.”

When I was finished, I was satisfied that I had explored things to their proper conclusion and I was ready to present it to the reader; the same way an investigator passes a case along to the prosecutor. What I found particularly interesting was that one of the responses I received was from an actual attorney. He wrote in part, “Early in my journey with God I read ‘The Case for Christ’ [Strobel] and I was disappointed. It was not persuasive and frankly left more food for the cynic in me. Your book felt like a real case for Christ, as if a seasoned trial lawyer was putting on a case.”

The reality is, as we come face to face with our own mortality, we all begin to question what we believe in. Beyond the twinkling lights, and the festive decorations on the tree, is the real Reason for this Season: Jesus Christ.

We have all ‘heard’ the story about the innocent little baby, born in a humble manger, who would soon change the entire world, but was it just a story or was it real? The answer, based upon my investigation, is a resounding: YES.

The real Christmas gift is that Jesus came into this world to save us.

This Christmas I ask you to take pause amidst the holiday chaos, and give thanks for the gift of Eternal Life.

“Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world." John 16:33

No matter what you are going through, God is Always Faithful.

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and God bless you all,
Andrew

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