Merry Christmas Everybody

The day has arrived. The day I wasn't really looking forward to. Not because I didn't want to remember Jesus' birth which is the greatest reason for the day but because of the family attitude towards Christmas. Just the mood, I can feel it you know? it's weird and i can't think of a word....the situation, the atmosphere....there's a better word for it. Last night completely sucked for a couple of reasons...fighting and all that. So much fighting and arguing goes on in my family and that just added to everything. And I'm sick and i couldn't sleep. i really like Christmas and most people do. I still get excited about opening presents like a little kid. I couldn't sleep because so much thoughts were going through my brain. I really wished I could just spend the whole Christmas away from my family. It's so depressing. Like, I'm pretty much okay, I am just kind of lonely and stuff. Thanks for the presents and phone calls. It made me feel special :)

I was thinking about the whole moving out thing and worrying about money and it just kind of thought, "Yeah I don't want to be here right now but it's going to be okay and I shouldn't worry because if I trust in God He will take care of me. If i move out, I move out. If I don't, I don't. i can hang on till I do. I don't know what God's will is in this area....I don't know if He has a certain opinion about that but He does know what's best for me and He will show me and provide opportunites if that is the right decision. I'm really lucky. I have a good job, a great church, wicked awesome friends and people who care about me and an Almighty God looking after me." And what really helped me was the passage in Matthew 6 about worrying.

25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life[b]?
28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

A really good book is The Jesus I Never Knew by Phillip Yancey. i haven't finished it but it really brings Jesus to life and makes you think about him and who he is a lot more. Anways....

Here is another tow of my favourite passages, one of which became my favourite of last night when i was once again questioning myself and thinking about Christmas.
Romans 4:9-23
9Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham's faith was credited to him as righteousness. 10Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before! 11And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them. 12And he is also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.
13It was not through law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. 14For if those who live by law are heirs, faith has no value and the promise is worthless, 15because law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression.
16Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. 17As it is written: "I have made you a father of many nations."[c] He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.
18Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be."[d] 19Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah's womb was also dead. 20Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. 22This is why "it was credited to him as righteousness." 23The words "it was credited to him" were written not for him alone, 24but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.

Okay one more. i like this one because it makes God more personal adn there is just something magical about it I don't know. The first part of the first line is my favourite.

A Prayer for the Ephesians
14For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15from whom his whole family[a] in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
20Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

And I close with that.