Happy New Year!

Serious Business

Yessir, we're real serious about this physical - er, fiscal cliff stuff! Serious! Attached is the executive order signed by President Obama increasing the pay of Federal employees, including the VP and members of Congress.

www.opm.gov/oca/compmemo/2012/2013PAY_Attach.pdf

God Arrives in Bethlehem

Christmas blessings to you and yours.

Post Tragedy Thoughts

The arguments about more gun control and other policy issues can wait until after Christmas. I hope both sides will back off and allow a decent interval before starting a strident public debate. There are some things, however, that should be said now.

First and foremost, my heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims of both the Connecticut and the Clackamas Town Center shootings. I cannot imagine your sadness and can only mourn with you and pray for God's peace in the days ahead. 

Secondly, it is this same world into which Christ was born. Our lives are lived out against a background that is both light and dark like a Rembrandt painting. The light will not disappear because God will continue turning the darkness into light. That is the real Good News of Christmas. Christ came into the world to do just that and His Word will not be defeated. We have a choice to cooperate with Him or sit it out.  Choose hope; choose real life!

Finally, let the light of Christmas flow into you and love your loved ones - don't get caught up in the commercial rush. Spend time, listen to them, love them - really love them.  That is ultimately what is lasting and not the trinkets that we exchange. Despite the abundant reasons for sadness, let the love overcome the darkness. Merry Christmas to you and yours.

Advent: The Chain is Broken (Third Sunday)

We live in a horribly broken world that is growing worse every day. The unspeakable atrocities at Clackamas Town Square and in Connecticut are but the latest illustrations and on the world scene, they are mere blips when hundreds more are being cruelly slaughtered or persecuted each day elsewhere. It was no different in Mary's day. The Romans, the Assyrians, the Babylonians and many others killed slowly to set an example and sometimes just for sport. Darkness ruled but God's Word does not return to Him empty and He sent light into Mary's womb to overcome the darkness. There was finally hope and Mary responds with faith in her beautiful song to God, The Magnificat, which is recorded in these verses. She knew she was favored among all women, but so were we all. Blessed is He who fulfilled His promises of long ago in a humble young girl and brought a living Hope to the world. Luke 1:39-56

Clackamas Shooter in Draw Down

Here is a story that we haven't heard much about. Thanks KGW for getting it out.

The shooter's weapon jammed during his murderous rampage at Clackamas Town Center, but while he was trying to clear it, he looked up and saw 22-year old Nick Meli drawing down on him with a loaded pistol. Meli has a concealed weapon permit and had the shooter in his sights when he held fire because of the risk of hitting someone behind the assailant. Rather than holding his ground against an armed combatant, the shooter fled and apparently ended up in a dead-end corridor where he took his own life. Kudos to Meli, but one wonders if the outcome would have been different for the victims if 4-5 people drew down on this guy as he started shooting. 

www.kgw.com/news/Clackamas-man-armed-confronts-mall-shooter-183593571.html

(Tip o' the hat to Bill Brooks)

NDEs

Near Death Experiences. As a Christian, I certainly believe that death is not the end. It is nevertheless interesting to read first person stories of what the other side may look like. 

Dr. Mary Neal, an orthopedic surgeon describes her NDE in Chile during a whitewater kayak trip. As a general rule, in my experience surgeons are not given to flights of fancy and her account is no-nonsense. She concludes by saying that God is more than we can ever imagine. That statement I know to be true having caught glimpses of Him now and again. Whatever may come, because He is good, so too will we find heaven. 

www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2012/december-web-only/mary-neal-describes-her-visit-to-gates-of-heaven.html?order=&start=1