Piers has a strong opinion on Christians being killed for their faith. But that does not worry me as much as innocent people being killed indiscriminately so as to scare others. The faith of the victim is not important. The faith of the abusers is debatable. Nero felt he was persecuting atheists when he persecuted Christians. That didn't make his ideas worthwhile. A sherif in England denied safe passage to several families a thousand years ago, and so they were lynched. It would have been a cowardly crime at the time, and is considered one today, except where the UN approves the mayhem. Christians are not assured of a great life in the world. It just highlights an important thing. President Bush was wise to defend US interests in Iraq and Afghanistan. Obama is wrong to abrogate responsibility. A weak President is a bad one, internationally, a weak President is a disaster. Obama is unlikely to tweet himself out of trouble.
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Happy birthday and many happy returns Ammanuel Abebe and Hoa Nguyen. Born on the same day, across the years, along with
- 244 – Diocletian, Roman emperor (d. 311)
- 1765 – Johann Friedrich Pfaff, German mathematician (d. 1825)
- 1858 – Giacomo Puccini, Italian composer (d. 1924)
- 1860 – Austin Norman Palmer, American developer of the Palmer Method (d. 1927)
- 1887 – Srinivasa Ramanujan, Indian mathematician (d. 1920)
- 1888 – J. Arthur Rank, 1st Baron Rank, English businessman, founded Rank Organisation (d. 1972)
- 1949 – Robin Gibb, English singer-songwriter and producer (Bee Gees) (d. 2012)
- 1962 – Ralph Fiennes, English actor
- 1983 – Jennifer Hawkins, Australian model, Miss Universe 2004
- 1998 – G. Hannelius, American actress and singer
Matches
- 69 – Emperor Vitellius is captured and murdered at the Gemonian stairs in Rome.
- 880 – Luoyang, eastern capital of the Tang Dynasty, is captured by rebel leader Huang Chao during the reign of Emperor Xizong.
- 1807 – The Embargo Act, forbidding trade with all foreign countries, is passed by the U.S. Congress, at the urging of President Thomas Jefferson.
- 1808 – Ludwig van Beethoven conducts and performs in concert at the Theater an der Wien, Vienna, with the premiere of his Fifth Symphony, Sixth Symphony, Fourth Piano Concerto (performed by Beethoven himself) and Choral Fantasy (with Beethoven at the piano).
- 1891 – Asteroid 323 Brucia becomes the first asteroid discovered using photography.
- 1894 – The Dreyfus affair begins in France, when Alfred Dreyfus is wrongly convicted of treason.
- 1944 – World War II: Battle of the Bulge – German troops demand the surrender of United States troops at Bastogne, Belgium, prompting the famous one word reply by General Anthony McAuliffe: "Nuts!"
Despatches
- 69 – Vitellius, Roman emperor (b. 15)
- 1550 – Richard Plantagenet, English bricklayer (b. 1469)
- 1767 – John Newbery, English publisher (b. 1713)
- 1899 – Dwight L. Moody, American evangelist and publisher, founded Moody Publishers (b. 1837)
- 1943 – Beatrix Potter, English author and illustrator (b. 1866)
A time for love and joy
Piers Akerman – Saturday, December 21, 2013 (11:43pm)
AS the world carols towards Christmas, at least in packed Western-style shopping malls, it is easy to lose sight of the plight of Christ’s followers.
Across the Middle East, in towns and hamlets where some of the oldest vestiges of the religion have clung to existence for almost 2000 years, the remnant Christian populations are being slaughtered.
In Egypt, Libya, Syria, thousands of Christians have been systematically murdered in a continuing horror that is largely overlooked by the world and overshadowed by the bloody wars raging between the Sunni and Shia Muslims.
The Copts, who had notably lived peaceably among the Egyptians, are now almost extinct in the region of their origin, flourishing only in the West.
According to a three-year Pew Research study of harassment of particular religious groups released in August, 2011, government or social harassment of Christians was reported in a total of 130 countries, 66 per cent of the nations surveyed.
Over the past two years, the situation has only worsened.
Anti-Christian persecution and actual violence have increased. The International Society for Human Rights, a German-based monitoring organisation says 80 per cent of all acts of religious discrimination are directed at Christians.
Rarely however is the big picture revealed, with most news items mentioning the burning of a church here, the murder of a family there, a car bombing or militarily-approved execution somewhere else.
The relentless extermination of Christians rarely rates in the news now. Just as the Syrian civil war, which occupied centre stage and world attention - even drawing some asinine comments from US President Obama for a fleeting moment - is now relegated to background chatter.
Ironically, Syria once housed one of the larger Christian communities in the Middle East and Syrian Christians, and Syrian Jews, were recognised with positions in the Cabinet of the now reviled President Assad.
They would have absolutely no future under the extremists in the militias competing to unseat the dictator.
Even the Burmese, whom the West views in a peculiarly muddled manner because of the media-friendly presence of political figure Aung Sun Suu Kyi, persecute their minority Christian Chin and Karen ethnics.
So much for the luvvies embrace of Buddhism as the religious panacea for the world’s problems.
In North Korea, where Kim Jong-un executed his uncle last week, it is estimated that between 50,000 to 100,000 Christians are held in forced labour camps for failing to worship the nation’s founder Kim Il-sung.
Religion is not a comfortable topic for discussion in Australia unless the absolute evils exposed by the succession of inquiries into child abuse make it inevitable.
The horror stories related to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse would make anyone weep.
But as appallingly tragic as the stories told by the brave survivors have been, there are others still suffering too much pain to expose themselves to the publicity an appearance would inevitably create.
In recent weeks, a number of such people have told me that even the existence of the inquiry has caused them to relive horrendous experiences they had been struggling to cope with.
One correspondent, who sent me a copy of his 29-page psychiatric report to help me gain greater insight into his situation, came forward after hearing the evidence of one of his old companions, Richard “Tommy’’ Campion, who was beaten and sexually abused throughout the 14 years he spent at the North Coast Children’s Home in Lismore.
The distressed man said that Campion had mentioned in his presentation an episode about a child forced to wear a nappy all day as punishment for wetting his bed.
“I was that child, this is the episode,” he wrote.
“I was forced to sleep in a cot, suitable for a little baby because I had a problem with wetting the bed but I was about 4 or 5 years old. I couldn’t straighten my legs.
“I woke up one morning having wet myself and was terrified. I was then told I would have to wear a nappy to breakfast in front of 35 other children.
“When they had sat down to breakfast I was PARADED in front of them all while they were ‘ordered’ to ‘laugh at me’. I sat and had breakfast with all these children while wearing a nappy hearing the ridicule and laughter constantly.
“Then after breakfast I was told I was going to wear the nappy to school all day. I was absolutely terrified, humiliated and to this day I still wish I was dead, I constantly wish for death and I cannot deal with more than three people at a time.”
His report would indicate he has led a life of catastrophic distress with not infrequent feelings of worthlessness, guilt and self-loathing and thoughts of suicide.
It would be easy, as some have raced to do, to blame religion and particularly Christianity for the wretched life he has endured, but it would be wrong to do so.
The message Christians share is one of hope, whether they are being persecuted in another country or brutalised by someone professing to be a Christian here.
That is the message in those shopping-mall Christmas carols, if they can be heard above the ringing of the cash registers.
It is not a call to arms, a call to hate, a call to slaughter, but a call to love. It is hopeful.
So, a Merry Christmas to all, and let the message of peace and joy spread throughout the world.
Across the Middle East, in towns and hamlets where some of the oldest vestiges of the religion have clung to existence for almost 2000 years, the remnant Christian populations are being slaughtered.
In Egypt, Libya, Syria, thousands of Christians have been systematically murdered in a continuing horror that is largely overlooked by the world and overshadowed by the bloody wars raging between the Sunni and Shia Muslims.
The Copts, who had notably lived peaceably among the Egyptians, are now almost extinct in the region of their origin, flourishing only in the West.
According to a three-year Pew Research study of harassment of particular religious groups released in August, 2011, government or social harassment of Christians was reported in a total of 130 countries, 66 per cent of the nations surveyed.
Over the past two years, the situation has only worsened.
Anti-Christian persecution and actual violence have increased. The International Society for Human Rights, a German-based monitoring organisation says 80 per cent of all acts of religious discrimination are directed at Christians.
Rarely however is the big picture revealed, with most news items mentioning the burning of a church here, the murder of a family there, a car bombing or militarily-approved execution somewhere else.
The relentless extermination of Christians rarely rates in the news now. Just as the Syrian civil war, which occupied centre stage and world attention - even drawing some asinine comments from US President Obama for a fleeting moment - is now relegated to background chatter.
Ironically, Syria once housed one of the larger Christian communities in the Middle East and Syrian Christians, and Syrian Jews, were recognised with positions in the Cabinet of the now reviled President Assad.
They would have absolutely no future under the extremists in the militias competing to unseat the dictator.
Even the Burmese, whom the West views in a peculiarly muddled manner because of the media-friendly presence of political figure Aung Sun Suu Kyi, persecute their minority Christian Chin and Karen ethnics.
So much for the luvvies embrace of Buddhism as the religious panacea for the world’s problems.
In North Korea, where Kim Jong-un executed his uncle last week, it is estimated that between 50,000 to 100,000 Christians are held in forced labour camps for failing to worship the nation’s founder Kim Il-sung.
Religion is not a comfortable topic for discussion in Australia unless the absolute evils exposed by the succession of inquiries into child abuse make it inevitable.
The horror stories related to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse would make anyone weep.
But as appallingly tragic as the stories told by the brave survivors have been, there are others still suffering too much pain to expose themselves to the publicity an appearance would inevitably create.
In recent weeks, a number of such people have told me that even the existence of the inquiry has caused them to relive horrendous experiences they had been struggling to cope with.
One correspondent, who sent me a copy of his 29-page psychiatric report to help me gain greater insight into his situation, came forward after hearing the evidence of one of his old companions, Richard “Tommy’’ Campion, who was beaten and sexually abused throughout the 14 years he spent at the North Coast Children’s Home in Lismore.
The distressed man said that Campion had mentioned in his presentation an episode about a child forced to wear a nappy all day as punishment for wetting his bed.
“I was that child, this is the episode,” he wrote.
“I was forced to sleep in a cot, suitable for a little baby because I had a problem with wetting the bed but I was about 4 or 5 years old. I couldn’t straighten my legs.
“I woke up one morning having wet myself and was terrified. I was then told I would have to wear a nappy to breakfast in front of 35 other children.
“When they had sat down to breakfast I was PARADED in front of them all while they were ‘ordered’ to ‘laugh at me’. I sat and had breakfast with all these children while wearing a nappy hearing the ridicule and laughter constantly.
“Then after breakfast I was told I was going to wear the nappy to school all day. I was absolutely terrified, humiliated and to this day I still wish I was dead, I constantly wish for death and I cannot deal with more than three people at a time.”
His report would indicate he has led a life of catastrophic distress with not infrequent feelings of worthlessness, guilt and self-loathing and thoughts of suicide.
It would be easy, as some have raced to do, to blame religion and particularly Christianity for the wretched life he has endured, but it would be wrong to do so.
The message Christians share is one of hope, whether they are being persecuted in another country or brutalised by someone professing to be a Christian here.
That is the message in those shopping-mall Christmas carols, if they can be heard above the ringing of the cash registers.
It is not a call to arms, a call to hate, a call to slaughter, but a call to love. It is hopeful.
So, a Merry Christmas to all, and let the message of peace and joy spread throughout the world.
48 PEOPLE IN TWITTER TROUBLE
Tim Blair – Sunday, December 22, 2013 (5:08am)
Public relations expert Justine Sacco loses her job after tweeting:
Going to Africa. Hope I don’t get AIDS. Just kidding. I’m white!
Sacco joins a long list of people fired or suspended for Twitter comments:
Continue reading '48 PEOPLE IN TWITTER TROUBLE'
WWW.NEWS.COM.AU
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Season's Greetings!
San Francisco once again adorned in Holiday style as seen from below the famous western span of the Bay Bridge. Getting down to this spot is fairly treacherous, but climbing back up was exceedingly daunting since the fire, leaving the steep climb back up to the top one that was slip sliding on eroded sod and painful side aches for this photographer... the rest of the team didn't seem to fare as badly as I... new year's resolution #1 will be to exercise more. — with Eric Dugan,Mike Oria and Joe Azure at Yerba Buena Island.
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Michelle Malkin
Steve Martin apologizes, deletes tweet about African American neighborhoods ==>http://twitchy.com/2013/
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www.news.com.au
A good man with a proud list of achievements has passed - ed===
It wasn't age that did them in .. drugs, alcohol, firearms .. ed
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en.wikipedia.org
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Anger and empathy
If you’re angry, you cannot really be empathising with the person you’re angry at. A failure to empathise is not a misunderstanding, like when you overinterpret something and get it wrong, nor a fallacy, like failing to see arbitrariness or causality; but it is an intellectual limitation — a form of short-sightedness. When we come into contact with a mind that is not our own, and can only see it from the outside, through the lens of our own thoughts and feelings, then our viewpoints are always blinkered, myopic, one-sided. It’s like never knowing what the back of your head looks like. In the case of anger, it means judging someone without fully understanding him.
Let us not hate anger, but merely see it for what it is. Anger is characterised by paranoia, fallacies of judgement, and a kind of self-centred myopia, but it had to be that way. Darwinian pressures demanded it. The anger program had to be quick and automatic. It had to be nasty. Like it or not, the angriest, most dogmatic, and most tribalistic of our ancestors are the ones that reproduced the most prolifically. So we are not blaming anyone for these intellectual flaws. Man is not Vulcan. Wisdom in man takes considerable work, a little like getting dogs to stop barking at strangers.
Extract from
The Anger Fallacy: Uncovering the Irrationality of the Angry Mindset
by Steven Laurent and Ross G Menzies
Buy the book at aapbooks.com http://tinyurl.com/lsy8bfw
or read more about anger from the authors athttps://www.facebook.com/TheAngerFallacy
or read about The Anger Fallacy Research project at the University of Sydney http://angerfallacy.com/
(2 photos)If you’re angry, you cannot really be empathising with the person you’re angry at. A failure to empathise is not a misunderstanding, like when you overinterpret something and get it wrong, nor a fallacy, like failing to see arbitrariness or causality; but it is an intellectual limitation — a form of short-sightedness. When we come into contact with a mind that is not our own, and can only see it from the outside, through the lens of our own thoughts and feelings, then our viewpoints are always blinkered, myopic, one-sided. It’s like never knowing what the back of your head looks like. In the case of anger, it means judging someone without fully understanding him.
Let us not hate anger, but merely see it for what it is. Anger is characterised by paranoia, fallacies of judgement, and a kind of self-centred myopia, but it had to be that way. Darwinian pressures demanded it. The anger program had to be quick and automatic. It had to be nasty. Like it or not, the angriest, most dogmatic, and most tribalistic of our ancestors are the ones that reproduced the most prolifically. So we are not blaming anyone for these intellectual flaws. Man is not Vulcan. Wisdom in man takes considerable work, a little like getting dogs to stop barking at strangers.
Extract from
The Anger Fallacy: Uncovering the Irrationality of the Angry Mindset
by Steven Laurent and Ross G Menzies
Buy the book at aapbooks.com http://tinyurl.com/lsy8bfw
or read more about anger from the authors athttps://www.facebook.com/TheAngerFallacy
or read about The Anger Fallacy Research project at the University of Sydney http://angerfallacy.com/
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"Writing regulation gives companies a leg up on their competition without ever having to improve quality or lower prices. If lobbying is cheaper than innovating, companies will write regulation instead of taking risks."
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James Calore
I like to keep my friends close and my herbs closer
reminds me of my wife .. ed===
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Five moments when Matt Smith broke our hearts as the Doctor: http://bbc.in/1cQYFlX (fromAnglophenia)
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Agreed but I know somehow someway a barnacle is going to be offended by this post.
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Jason Queue
Just Released this new music video on my new channel for DLake's new track and album - Producer Rapper DJ. Written and Directed by Jason Queue xQUED Productions===
My first thought is "Bullshit." Not that Christians are being killed, but being targeted. The people targeted are defenceless. When Amnesty International divert funds to defend terrorists like David Hicks, it is the defenceless who are victims. Prince Charles is late to the party. His grandfather, for political reasons, facilitated the slaughter of Jewish families so as to appease former Nazi allies. - ed
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Murphy's Law.
Our fridge has died.
We now have now and between the 24th to buy and have delivered a newby.
The last fridge only lasted nine years. They are not made to last like they used to.
Luckily we have two smaller fridges as back up but no room for the 7 kilo turkey I ordered.
One is the beer and wine fridge we keep in the laundry. The other is in our son's granny flat better known in the neighbourhood by some worried mothers as " The Crack Shack ". He bought a fridge too. Our boy is growing up. His own beer and wine fridge but it's filled with bottles of chilled water damn it !
My question is this worth the sacrifice ? I hate warm beer.
Might have to buy some ice for the dairy too.
During times of hardship one can sustain under pressure knowing that matters can only improve.
But warm beer ? Talk about living on the precipice. Sheesh.
I suppose it's better though to have a warm beer instead of a cold woman.
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Truly stunning 143.23ct Emerald cut emerald cabochon and diamond collar necklace 1932 and once belonged to the Countess of Granard.
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pjmedia.com
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elderofziyon.blogspot.com
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newsblaze.com
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www.michaelfreund.org
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unitedwithisrael.org
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www.meforum.org
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http://www.jewishpress.com/
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unitycoalitionforisrael.org
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www.jihadwatch.org
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http://
atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com
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Madu Odiokwu Pastorvin
The Nature Of Man.
The Scripture says,What is man, that he should be clean? and he which is born of a woman, that he should be righteous? Behold, he putteth no trust in his saints; yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight.How much more abominable and filthy is man, which drinketh iniquity like water? Job 15:14-16 (KJV) Don't cross over with your iniquities…
The Scripture says,What is man, that he should be clean? and he which is born of a woman, that he should be righteous? Behold, he putteth no trust in his saints; yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight.How much more abominable and filthy is man, which drinketh iniquity like water? Job 15:14-16 (KJV) Don't cross over with your iniquities…
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Then the king placed Daniel in a high position and lavished many gifts on him. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and placed him in charge of all its wise men. Daniel 2:48.For 3 billion people, the birth of Jesus is one of the most important celebrations of their entire year. In churches in every country on this planet, people gather to worship the child who became the Savior of the world. In many of those 3 billion homes, a family will have a little manger set up somewhere in their house. They’ll be a grouping of figurines with Mary and Joseph and Jesus, some angels, a few shepherds, and some wise men.As you reflect on the birth of our Lord Jesus,may you meditate on what He did on the Cross.It will be nice if you can renew your heart before you enter new year. Merry Christmas...
Post by Hot Showers.
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December 22: Mother's Day in Indonesia
- 1808 – German composer Ludwig van Beethoven premiered his Fifth Symphony, one of the most popular and well-known compositions in all of Europeanclassical music, at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna.
- 1921 – The 8th Congress of Soviets approved theGOELRO plan, the first Soviet plan for national economic recovery and development.
- 1937 – The Lincoln Tunnel, connecting New York Cityto Weehawken, New Jersey, opened.
- 1988 – Brazilian unionist and environmental activistChico Mendes (pictured) was murdered at his Xapurihome.
- 2010 – The United States repealed its controversial "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy on gays in the military.
Events[edit]
- 69 – Emperor Vitellius is captured and murdered at the Gemonian stairs in Rome.
- 880 – Luoyang, eastern capital of the Tang Dynasty, is captured by rebel leader Huang Chao during the reign of Emperor Xizong.
- 1135 – Stephen of Blois becomes King of England
- 1622 – Bucaramanga is founded.
- 1769 – Sino-Burmese War (1765–1769) ends with an uneasy truce.
- 1790 – The Turkish fortress of Izmail is stormed and captured by Alexander Suvorov and his Russianarmies.
- 1807 – The Embargo Act, forbidding trade with all foreign countries, is passed by the U.S. Congress, at the urging of President Thomas Jefferson.
- 1808 – Ludwig van Beethoven conducts and performs in concert at the Theater an der Wien, Vienna, with the premiere of his Fifth Symphony, Sixth Symphony, Fourth Piano Concerto (performed by Beethoven himself) and Choral Fantasy (with Beethoven at the piano).
- 1851 – India's first freight train is operated in Roorkee, India.
- 1864 – Savannah, Georgia falls to General William Tecumseh Sherman, concluding his "March to the Sea".
- 1885 – Itō Hirobumi, a samurai, became the first Prime Minister of Japan.
- 1890 – Cornwallis Valley Railway begins operation between Kentville and Kingsport, Nova Scotia.
- 1891 – Asteroid 323 Brucia becomes the first asteroid discovered using photography.
- 1894 – The Dreyfus affair begins in France, when Alfred Dreyfus is wrongly convicted of treason.
- 1920 – The GOELRO economic development plan is adopted by the 8th Congress of Soviets of the Russian SFSR.
- 1937 – The Lincoln Tunnel opens to traffic in New York, New York.
- 1939 – Indian Muslims observe a "Day of Deliverance" to celebrate the resignations of members of the Indian National Congress over their not having been consulted over the decision to enter World War II with the United Kingdom.
- 1940 – World War II: Himarë is captured by the Greek army.
- 1942 – World War II: Adolf Hitler signs the order to develop the V-2 rocket as a weapon.
- 1944 – World War II: Battle of the Bulge – German troops demand the surrender of United States troops at Bastogne, Belgium, prompting the famous one word reply by General Anthony McAuliffe: "Nuts!"
- 1944 – World War II: The Vietnam People's Army is formed to resist Japanese occupation of Indochina, now Vietnam.
- 1947 – The Constituent Assembly of Italy approves the Constitution of Italy.
- 1951 – The Selangor Labour Party is founded in Selangor, Malaya.
- 1956 – Colo, the first gorilla to be bred in captivity, is born at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in Ohio.
- 1963 – The cruise ship Lakonia burns 180 miles (290 km) north of Madeira, Portugal with the loss of 128 lives.
- 1964 – The first test flight of the SR-71 (Blackbird) took place at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California.
- 1965 – In the United Kingdom, a 70 mph speed limit is applied to all rural roads including motorways for the first time. Previously, there had been no speed limit.
- 1974 – Grande Comore, Anjouan and Mohéli vote to become the independent nation of Comoros. Mayotte remains under French administration.
- 1974 – The house of former British Prime Minister Edward Heath is attacked by members of the Provisional IRA.
- 1978 – The pivotal Third Plenum of the 11th National Congress of the Communist Party of China is held in Beijing, with Deng Xiaopingreversing Mao-era policies to pursue a program for Chinese economic reform.
- 1984 – Bernhard Goetz shoots four African American would-be muggers on an express train in Manhattan section of New York, New York.
- 1987 – In Zimbabwe, the political parties ZANU and ZAPU reach an agreement that ends the violence in the Matabeleland region known as the Gukurahundi.
- 1988 – Chico Mendes, a Brazilian rubber tapper, unionist and environmental activist, is assassinated.
- 1989 – Communist President of Romania Nicolae Ceaușescu is overthrown by Ion Iliescu after days of bloody confrontations. The deposeddictator and his wife flee Bucharest with a helicopter as protesters erupt in cheers.
- 1989 – Berlin's Brandenburg Gate re-opens after nearly 30 years, effectively ending the division of East and West Germany.
- 1990 – Final independence of Marshall Islands and Federated States of Micronesia after termination of trusteeship.
- 1990 – The Parliament of Croatia adopts the current Constitution of Croatia.
- 1991 – Armed opposition groups launch a military coup against President of Georgia Zviad Gamsakhurdia.
- 1992 – The Archives of Terror are discovered.
- 1997 – Acteal massacre: Attendees at a prayer meeting of Roman Catholic activists for indigenous causes in the small village of Acteal in the Mexican state of Chiapas are massacred by paramilitary forces.
- 1997 – Hussein Farrah Aidid relinquishes the disputed title of President of Somalia by signing the Cairo Declaration, in Cairo, Egypt. It is the first major step towards reconciliation in Somalia since 1991.
- 1999 – Korean Air Cargo Flight 8509, a Boeing 747-200F crashes shortly after take-off from London Stansted Airport due to pilot error. All 4 crew members are killed.
- 2001 – Burhanuddin Rabbani, political leader of the Northern Alliance, hands over power in Afghanistan to the interim government headed by President Hamid Karzai.
- 2001 – Richard Reid attempts to destroy a passenger airliner by igniting explosives hidden in his shoes aboard American Airlines Flight 63.
- 2008 – An ash dike ruptured at a solid waste containment area in Roane County, Tennessee, releasing 1.1 billion US gallons (4,200,000 m3) of coal fly ash slurry.
- 2010 – The repeal of the Don't ask, don't tell policy, the 17-year-old policy banning homosexuals serving openly in the United States military, is signed into law by President Barack Obama.
Births[edit]
- 244 – Diocletian, Roman emperor (d. 311)
- 1095 – Roger II of Sicily (d. 1154)
- 1178 – Emperor Antoku of Japan (d. 1185)
- 1546 – Kuroda Yoshitaka, Japanese Daimyo (d. 1604)
- 1550 – Cesare Cremonini, Italian philosopher (d. 1631)
- 1639 – Jean Racine, French playwright (d. 1699)
- 1666 – Guru Gobind Singh, Indian guru (d. 1708)
- 1694 – Hermann Samuel Reimarus, German philosopher (d. 1768)
- 1696 – James Oglethorpe, English general, founded the Province of Georgia (d. 1785)
- 1723 – Carl Friedrich Abel, German composer (d. 1787)
- 1765 – Johann Friedrich Pfaff, German mathematician (d. 1825)
- 1805 – John Obadiah Westwood, English entomologist and archaeologist (d. 1893)
- 1807 – Johan Sebastian Welhaven, Norwegian poet (d. 1873)
- 1819 – Franz Abt, German composer (d. 1870)
- 1819 – Pierre Ossian Bonnet, French mathematician (d. 1892)
- 1853 – Teresa Carreño, Venezuelan singer, composer, and pianist (d. 1917)
- 1853 – Yevgraf Fyodorov, Russian mathematician (d. 1919)
- 1853 – Sarada Devi, Indian philosopher (d. 1920)
- 1856 – Frank B. Kellogg, American politician, 45th United States Secretary of State, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1937)
- 1858 – Giacomo Puccini, Italian composer (d. 1924)
- 1860 – Austin Norman Palmer, American developer of the Palmer Method (d. 1927)
- 1862 – Connie Mack, American baseball player and manager (d. 1956)
- 1865 – Charles Sands, American golfer and tennis player (d. 1945)
- 1868 – Jaan Tõnisson, Estonian politician (d. 1941?)
- 1869 – Dmitri Egorov, Russian mathematician (d. 1931)
- 1869 – Edwin Arlington Robinson, American poet (d. 1935)
- 1872 – Camille Guérin, French veterinarian and bacteriologist (d. 1961)
- 1874 – Franz Schmidt, Austrian composer (d. 1939)
- 1876 – Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, Italian poet (d. 1944)
- 1878 – Myer Prinstein, Polish-American jumper (d. 1925)
- 1883 – Marcus Hurley, American cyclist (d. 1941)
- 1883 – Edgard Varèse French-American composer (d. 1965)
- 1885 – Deems Taylor American conductor and critic (d. 1966)
- 1885 – Abe Manley, American businessman (d. 1952)
- 1887 – Srinivasa Ramanujan, Indian mathematician (d. 1920)
- 1888 – J. Arthur Rank, 1st Baron Rank, English businessman, founded Rank Organisation (d. 1972)
- 1889 – Minor Watson, American actor (d. 1965)
- 1892 – Herman Potočnik, Croatian engineer (d. 1929)
- 1898 – Vladimir Fock, Russian physicist (d. 1974)
- 1899 – Gustaf Gründgens, German actor (d. 1963)
- 1900 – Marc Allégret, French director and screenwriter (d. 1973)
- 1901 – Andre Kostelanetz, American orchestra leader (d. 1980)
- 1903 – Haldan Keffer Hartline, American physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1983)
- 1905 – Kenneth Rexroth, American poet (d. 1982)
- 1905 – Pierre Brasseur, French actor (d. 1972)
- 1907 – Peggy Ashcroft, English actress (d. 1991)
- 1909 – Patricia Hayes, English actress (d. 1998)
- 1912 – Elias Degiannis, Greek navy officer (d. 1943)
- 1912 – Lady Bird Johnson, American wife of Lyndon B. Johnson, 38th First Lady of the United States (d. 2007)
- 1914 – Satchidananda Saraswati, Indian-American guru (d. 2002)
- 1915 – Barbara Billingsley, American actress (d. 2010)
- 1915 – Phillip Glasier, English falconer (d. 2000)
- 1917 – Gene Rayburn, American game show host (d. 1999)
- 1919 – Lil Green, American singer-songwriter (d. 1954)
- 1921 – Dimitri Fampas, Greek guitarist (d. 1996)
- 1921 – Hawkshaw Hawkins, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1963)
- 1921 – Reinhold Stecher, Austrian bishop (d. 2013)
- 1922 – Mike Banks, English mountaineer (d. 2013)
- 1922 – Jack Brooks, American politician (d. 2012)
- 1922 – Ruth Roman, American actress (d. 1999)
- 1923 – Peregrine Worsthorne, British journalist, writer and broadcaster
- 1924 – Frank Corsaro, American director
- 1925 – Lewis Glucksman, American financier (d. 2006)
- 1931 – Carlos Graça, São Toméan politician, Prime Minister of São Tomé and Príncipe (d. 2013)
- 1932 – Phil Woosnam, Welsh-American soccer player and manager (d. 2013)
- 1934 – David Pearson, American race car driver
- 1935 – Paulo Rocha, Portuguese director and screenwriter (d. 2012)
- 1936 – James Burke, Irish author and broadcaster
- 1936 – Héctor Elizondo, American actor
- 1936 – Wojciech Frykowski, Polish actor (d. 1969)
- 1937 – Charlotte Lamb, English author (d. 2000)
- 1937 – Eduard Uspensky, Russian author
- 1937 – Ken Whitmore, English author and playwright
- 1938 – Matty Alou, Dominican baseball player
- 1938 – Lucien Bouchard, Canadian politician, 27th Premier of Quebec
- 1939 – James Gurley, American guitarist (Big Brother and the Holding Company) (d. 2009)
- 1940 – Luis Francisco Cuéllar, Colombian politician (d. 2009)
- 1940 – Mike Molloy, English children's author
- 1942 – Jerry Koosman, American baseball player
- 1942 – Dick Parry, English saxophonist (Jokers Wild)
- 1943 – Stefan Janos, Slovak-Swiss physicist
- 1943 – Paul Wolfowitz, American politician, 25th United States Deputy Secretary of Defense
- 1944 – Mary Archer, English biochemist
- 1944 – Steve Carlton, American baseball player
- 1944 – Guido de Angelis, Italian singer (Guido & Maurizio De Angelis)
- 1944 – Barry Jenkins, English drummer (The Animals)
- 1945 – Frances Lannon, English academic
- 1945 – Diane Sawyer, American journalist
- 1946 – Roger Carr, English businessman
- 1946 – Rick Nielsen, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Cheap Trick)
- 1947 – Brian Daley, American author (d. 1996)
- 1948 – Noel Edmonds, English game show host
- 1948 – Steve Garvey, American baseball player
- 1948 – Flip Mark, American actor
- 1948 – Chris Old, English cricketer
- 1948 – Lynne Thigpen, American actress (d. 2003)
- 1948 – Martin Yan, Chinese cook, host of Yan Can Cook
- 1949 – Maurice Gibb, English singer-songwriter bass player and producer (Bee Gees and The Bloomfields) (d. 2003)
- 1949 – Robin Gibb, English singer-songwriter and producer (Bee Gees) (d. 2012)
- 1951 – Charles de Lint, Canadian author
- 1951 – Gerald Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster, Northern Irish businessman
- 1951 – Dan Martin, American voice actor
- 1953 – Bern Nadette Stanis, American actress
- 1953 – Ian Turnbull, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1953 – Tom Underwood, American baseball player (d. 2010)
- 1954 – Hideshi Matsuda, Japanese race car driver
- 1955 – Lonnie Smith, American baseball player
- 1956 – Erica Boyer, American pornographic actress (d. 2009)
- 1956 – Jane Lighting, English business woman
- 1957 – Stephen Conway, English Bishop of Ely
- 1957 – Carole James, Canadian politician
- 1957 – Susan Powter, Australian author and motivational speaker
- 1958 – Frank Gambale, Australian guitarist, songwriter, and producer (Chick Corea Elektric Band, Return to Forever, and Vital Information)
- 1958 – David Heavener, American singer-songwriter, producer, actor, and director
- 1959 – Bernd Schuster, German footballer
- 1960 – Jean-Michel Basquiat, American painter and poet (d. 1988)
- 1960 – Mark Brydon, English guitarist, composer, and producer (Moloko, Chakk, and Krush)
- 1960 – Luther Campbell, American rapper (2 Live Crew)
- 1960 – Wakin Chau, Hong Kong-Taiwanese singer and actor (Superband)
- 1960 – Patrick Fitzgerald, American lawyer
- 1961 – Andrew Fastow, American businessman
- 1961 – Yuri Malenchenko, Russian astronaut
- 1962 – Ralph Fiennes, English actor
- 1963 – Giuseppe Bergomi, Italian football coach and former player
- 1963 – Luna H. Mitani, Japanese American painter
- 1963 – Brian McMillan, South African cricketer
- 1964 – Simon Kirby, English politician
- 1966 – Dmitry Bilozerchev, Soviet gymnast
- 1966 – Marcel Schirmer, German singer and bass player (Destruction)
- 1966 – David Wright, English politician
- 1967 – Richey Edwards, Welsh singer-songwriter and guitarist (Manic Street Preachers) (d. 1995)
- 1967 – Stéphane Gendron, Canadian politician
- 1967 – Rebecca Harris, English politician
- 1967 – Paul Morris, Australian race car driver
- 1967 – Dan Petrescu, Romanian footballer manager and former player
- 1968 – Lauralee Bell, American actress
- 1968 – Luis Hernández, Mexican footballer
- 1968 – Dina Meyer, American actress
- 1969 – Myriam Bédard, Canadian biathlete
- 1969 – Mark Robins, English football manager and former player
- 1970 – Gary Anderson, Scottish darts player
- 1971 – Pat Mastroianni, Canadian actor
- 1972 – Big Tigger, American radio and television host
- 1972 – Kirk Maltby, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1972 – Vanessa Paradis, French singer and actress
- 1974 – Michael Barron, English footballer coach and former player
- 1974 – Heather Donahue, American actress
- 1975 – Chris Adler, American actor
- 1975 – Sergei Aschwanden, Swiss martial artist
- 1975 – Dmitri Khokhlov, Russian football manager and former player
- 1975 – Stanislav Neckář, Czech ice hockey player
- 1976 – Katleen De Caluwé, Belgian sprinter
- 1976 – Jason Lane, American baseball player
- 1977 – Steve Kariya, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1978 – Joanne Kelly, Canadian actress
- 1978 – Emmanuel Olisadebe, Nigerian-Polish footballer
- 1979 – Jamie Langfield, Scottish footballer
- 1980 – Chris Carmack, American actor
- 1981 – David Cormican, Canadian actor and producer
- 1982 – Brooke Nevin, Canadian actress
- 1983 – Jennifer Hawkins, Australian model, Miss Universe 2004
- 1983 – Drew Hankinson, American wrestler
- 1984 – Basshunter, Swedish singer-songwriter and producer
- 1986 – Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, Nigerian terrorist
- 1986 – Dennis Armfield, Australian footballer
- 1987 – Johannes Ahun, Estonian sailor
- 1987 – Éderzito António Macedo Lopes, Guinea-Bissauan footballer
- 1988 – Leigh Halfpenny, Welsh rugby player
- 1989 – Logan Huffman, American actor
- 1989 – Jordin Sparks, American singer-songwriter and actress
- 1989 – Jharal Yow Yeh, Australian rugby player
- 1990 – Jean-Baptiste Maunier, French actor and singer
- 1990 – Josef Newgarden American race car driver
- 1992 – Michaela Hončová, Slovak tennis player
- 1993 – Ali Lohan, American singer and actress
- 1996 – Makisig Morales, Filipino singer and actor (Mak and the Dudes)
- 1998 – G. Hannelius, American actress and singer
Deaths[edit]
- 69 – Vitellius, Roman emperor (b. 15)
- 1100 – Bretislaus II, Duke of Bohemia (b. 1060)
- 1550 – Richard Plantagenet, English bricklayer (b. 1469)
- 1603 – Mehmed III, Ottoman sultan (b. 1566)
- 1646 – Peter Mogila, Moldavian bishop (b. 1596)
- 1660 – André Tacquet, Flemish mathematician (b. 1612)
- 1681 – Richard Alleine, English clergyman (b. 1611)
- 1708 – Hedvig Sophia of Sweden (b. 1681)
- 1738 – Constantia Jones, English prostitute (b. 1708)
- 1767 – John Newbery, English publisher (b. 1713)
- 1788 – Percivall Pott, English physician and surgeon (b. 1714)
- 1806 – William Vernon, American merchant (b. 1719)
- 1828 – William Hyde Wollaston, English chemist (b. 1766)
- 1867 – Jean-Victor Poncelet, French mathematician (b. 1788)
- 1870 – Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer, Spanish poet (b. 1836)
- 1880 – George Eliot, English author and journalist (b. 1819)
- 1899 – Dwight L. Moody, American evangelist and publisher, founded Moody Publishers (b. 1837)
- 1902 – Richard von Krafft-Ebing, German psychiatrist (b. 1840)
- 1917 – Frances Xavier Cabrini, Austrian-American saint (b. 1850)
- 1918 – Aristeidis Moraitinis, Greek aviator (b. 1891)
- 1919 – Hermann Weingärtner, German gymnast (b. 1864)
- 1939 – Ma Rainey, American singer (b. 1886)
- 1940 – Nathanael West, American author and screenwriter (b. 1903)
- 1942 – Franz Boas, German anthropologist (b. 1858)
- 1943 – Beatrix Potter, English author and illustrator (b. 1866)
- 1944 – Harry Langdon, American actor (b. 1884)
- 1944 – Eleni Papadaki, Greek actress (b. 1903)
- 1950 – Frederick Freake, English polo player (b. 1876)
- 1955 – Jules De Bisschop, Belgian rower (b. 1879)
- 1955 – Otto Eppers, American illustrator (b. 1893)
- 1957 – Frank George Woollard, English mechanical engineer (b. 1883)
- 1959 – Gilda Gray, Polish-American dancer and actress (b. 1901)
- 1960 – Ninian Comper, Scottish architect (b. 1864)
- 1963 – Giovanni Giorgio Trissino, Italian horse rider (b. 1877)
- 1965 – Richard Dimbleby, English journalist and broadcaster (b. 1913)
- 1968 – Raymond Gram Swing, American journalist and broadcaster (b. 1887)
- 1971 – Godfried Bomans, Dutch author (b. 1913)
- 1974 – Sterling North, American author (b. 1906)
- 1979 – Darryl F. Zanuck, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1902)
- 1985 – D. Boon, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (The Minutemen and The Reactionaries) (b. 1958)
- 1986 – Mary Burchell, English author and activist (b. 1904)
- 1987 – Luca Prodan, Italian-Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist (Sumo) (b. 1953)
- 1988 – Chico Mendes, Brazilian activist (b. 1944)
- 1989 – Samuel Beckett, Irish author, poet, and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1906)
- 1992 – Harry Bluestone, English violinist and composer (b. 1907)
- 1992 – Frederick William Franz, American religious leader (b. 1893)
- 1995 – Osvald Käpp, Estonian wrestler (b. 1905)
- 1995 – Butterfly McQueen, American actress and dancer (b. 1911)
- 1995 – James Meade, English economist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1907)
- 1996 – Jack Hamm, American cartoonist (b. 1916)
- 1997 – Sebastian Arcos Bergnes, Cuban activist (b. 1931)
- 2001 – Ovidiu Iacov, Romanian footballer (b. 1981)
- 2002 – Desmond Hoyte, Guyanan politician, 3rd President of Guyana (b. 1929)
- 2002 – Joe Strummer, English singer-songwriter and actor (The Clash, The Mescaleros, and The Pogues) (b. 1952)
- 2003 – Dave Dudley, American singer (b. 1928)
- 2004 – Doug Ault, American baseball player (b. 1950)
- 2006 – Dennis Linde, American singer-songwriter (b. 1943)
- 2006 – Elena Mukhina, Russian gymnast (b. 1960)
- 2006 – Galina Ustvolskaya, Russian composer (b. 1919)
- 2007 – Adrian Cristobal, Filipino journalist and playwright (b. 1932)
- 2009 – Luis Francisco Cuéllar, Colombian politician (b. 1940)
- 2009 – Albert Scanlon, English footballer (b. 1935)
- 2010 – Fred Foy, American radio and television announcer (b. 1921)
- 2012 – Mariam Amash, Ottoman-Israeli super-centenarian (b. 1888)
- 2012 – Bashir Ahmad Bilour, Pakistani politician (b. 1943)
- 2012 – Chuck Cherundolo, American football player and coach (b. 1916)
- 2012 – Ryan Freel, American baseball player (b. 1976)
- 2012 – Emidio Greco, Italian director and screenwriter (b. 1938)
- 2012 – Rip Hawk, American wrestler (b. 1930)
- 2012 – Květa Legátová, Czech author (b. 1919)
- 2012 – Bill Leger, American journalist (b. 1964)
- 2012 – Bill McBride, American lawyer and politician (b. 1945)
- 2012 – Cliff Osmond, American actor (b. 1937)
- 2012 – Robert Pew, American businessman (b. 1923)
- 2012 – Bolesław Proch, Polish motorcycle racer (b. 1952)
- 2012 – Arthur Quinlan, Irish journalist (b. 1923)
- 2012 – Mike Scaccia, American guitarist (Ministry, Rigor Mortis, Lard, and League of Blind Women) (b. 1965)
- 2012 – Arkady Vorobyov, Russian weightlifter (b. 1924)
- 2012 – Marva Whitney, American singer (b. 1944)
- 2012 – Lim Keng Yaik, Malaysian politician (b. 1939)
Holidays and observances[edit]
- Armed Forces Day (Vietnam)
- Christian Feast Day:
- Mother's Day (Indonesia)
- National Mathematics Day (India)
- Unity Day (Zimbabwe)
- Winter solstice related observance (see December 21):
“While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.” Luke 2:6-7 NIV
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Morning and Evening by Charels Spurgeon
Morning
"Yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant."
2 Samuel 23:5
2 Samuel 23:5
This covenant is divine in its origin. "He hath made with me an everlasting covenant." Oh that great word He ! Stop, my soul. God, the everlasting Father, has positively made a covenant with thee; yes, that God who spake the world into existence by a word; he, stooping from his majesty, takes hold of thy hand and makes a covenant with thee. Is it not a deed, the stupendous condescension of which might ravish our hearts forever if we could really understand it? "HE hath made with me a covenant." A king has not made a covenant with me--that were somewhat; but the Prince of the kings of the earth, Shaddai, the Lord All-sufficient, the Jehovah of ages, the everlasting Elohim, "He hath made with me an everlasting covenant." But notice, it is particular in its application. "Yet hath he made with me an everlasting covenant." Here lies the sweetness of it to each believer. It is nought for me that he made peace for the world; I want to know whether he made peace for me! It is little that he hath made a covenant, I want to know whether he has made a covenant with me. Blessed is the assurance that he hath made a covenant with me! If God the Holy Ghost gives me assurance of this, then his salvation is mine, his heart is mine, he himself is mine--he is my God.
This covenant is everlasting in its duration. An everlasting covenant means a covenant which had no beginning, and which shall never, never end. How sweet amidst all the uncertainties of life, to know that "the foundation of the Lord standeth sure," and to have God's own promise, "My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips." Like dying David, I will sing of this, even though my house be not so with God as my heart desireth.
Evening
"I clothed thee also with broidered work, and shod thee with badgers' skin, and I girded thee about with fine linen, and I covered thee with silk."
Ezekiel 16:10
Ezekiel 16:10
See with what matchless generosity the Lord provides for his people's apparel. They are so arrayed that the divine skill is seen producing an unrivalled broidered work, in which every attribute takes its part and every divine beauty is revealed. No art like the art displayed in our salvation, no cunning workmanship like that beheld in the righteousness of the saints. Justification has engrossed learned pens in all ages of the church, and will be the theme of admiration in eternity. God has indeed "curiously wrought it." With all this elaboration there is mingled utility and durability, comparable to our being shod with badgers' skins. The animal here meant is unknown, but its skin covered the tabernacle, and formed one of the finest and strongest leathers known. The righteousness which is of God by faith endureth forever, and he who is shod with this divine preparation will tread the desert safely, and may even set his foot upon the lion and the adder. Purity and dignity of our holy vesture are brought out in the fine linen. When the Lord sanctifies his people, they are clad as priests in pure white; not the snow itself excels them; they are in the eyes of men and angels fair to look upon, and even in the Lord's eyes they are without spot. Meanwhile the royal apparel is delicate and rich as silk. No expense is spared, no beauty withheld, no daintiness denied.
What, then? Is there no inference from this? Surely there is gratitude to be felt and joy to be expressed. Come, my heart, refuse not thy evening hallelujah! Tune thy pipes! Touch thy chords!
"Strangely, my soul, art thou arrayed
By the Great Sacred Three!
In sweetest harmony of praise
Let all thy powers agree."
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Today's reading: Micah 4-5, Revelation 12 (NIV)
View today's reading on Bible GatewayToday's Old Testament reading: Micah 4-5
The Mountain of the LORD
1 In the last days
the mountain of the LORD’s temple will be established
as the highest of the mountains;
it will be exalted above the hills,
and peoples will stream to it.
as the highest of the mountains;
it will be exalted above the hills,
and peoples will stream to it.
2 Many nations will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,
to the temple of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us his ways,
so that we may walk in his paths.”
The law will go out from Zion,
the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
3 He will judge between many peoples
and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide.
They will beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
nor will they train for war anymore.
4 Everyone will sit under their own vine
and under their own fig tree,
and no one will make them afraid,
for the LORD Almighty has spoken.
5 All the nations may walk
in the name of their gods,
but we will walk in the name of the LORD
our God for ever and ever....
to the temple of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us his ways,
so that we may walk in his paths.”
The law will go out from Zion,
the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
3 He will judge between many peoples
and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide.
They will beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
nor will they train for war anymore.
4 Everyone will sit under their own vine
and under their own fig tree,
and no one will make them afraid,
for the LORD Almighty has spoken.
5 All the nations may walk
in the name of their gods,
but we will walk in the name of the LORD
our God for ever and ever....
Today's New Testament reading: Revelation 12
The Woman and the Dragon
1 A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. 2 She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. 3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads. 4 Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born. 5 She gave birth to a son, a male child, who “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.” And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. 6 The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days....
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FLESH
The word became flesh, and made his dwelling among us. - John 1:14
Not only did the Son of God become a baby, but also he became flesh. Divinity joined to corporeal muscle, blood and bones. In this humbling of the eternal Son of God, the Word who was with God from the beginning and was God, chose to begin in the way all flesh does-as a newborn.
But what does "flesh" really mean? Doesn't it sound a bit crass?
In the Bible, the word "flesh" points to a number of different realities. Literally, it means "the body," the tissues and bones and fluids that are common to any human being living anywhere in the world at any time. The body is the jar of clay in which God has placed treasures. Consequently, at another level, "flesh" can mean "humanity" or "human nature." To speak of "flesh and blood" refers to the humanness that you share with your family, friends, and people you've never met. And at a different level, "flesh" can mean "fallen, flawed, human." "The flesh" is shorthand in Paul's epistles for intrinsic human nature-broken and fallible. But there is one exception. One human life that was not flawed and full of sin-Jesus'.
"The word became flesh." It means that the Son of God became human-really, truly human-with the exception that he had no sin. Christmas is a time of awe because the best news the human race ever received was that its Creator had so much love, that he joined the human race to save it. He is a savior who experienced real hunger, real fatigue, real sorrow. He faced temptation when the Evil One tempted him in the wilderness with very "fleshy" things like power, wealth, and authority (Luke 4:1-13).
Jesus knows us, because he was one of us. Real flesh, but perfect. So on those days when we are so disappointed with ourselves because we are having a hard time controlling the flesh, this is the kind of savior to turn to.
Prayer for today:
Lord, help me to hear "the Word" this Christmas. Help me to see you for who you are in all your glory. Thank you for humbling yourself.
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Abiezer [Ābĭē'zûr]—father of help orin help.
- The son of Hammoleketh, who was the sister of Machir and daughter of Manasseh. Gideon belonged to this family (Josh. 17:2; Judg. 6:11; 1 Chron. 7:18). Perhaps the same as Jeezer (Num. 26:30).
- An Anethothite, one of David’s thirty-seven chief heroes, who had command of the army during the ninth month (2 Sam. 23:27; 1 Chron. 11:28; 27:12). Also the name of a district (Judg. 6:34).
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