The second decision took twenty five years for me. It was to accept that the resurrection was real. I had thought it inspired by an army of devout believers and hucksters. But, for some reason, it is natural for a person to be religious, and those that don't tend to suffer. The accounts of the gospels and contemporaneous sources are compelling for me that the resurrection happened .. a group of late teen, early twenties men and women who were not well educated did not deceive the best learners of the age. The authorities could have challenged assertions but chose not to. If one accepts the resurrection happened, and that God is possible .. there is debate in Christian circles as to how to worship God, but there is unanimity of thought too .. Jesus was God, and he died for a purpose, and he resurrected. What that means for you, is only something you and the Lord know. Maybe he wasn't born on this precise Day. Maybe he wasn't thirty three years old when he was crucified. But, what does it mean? Merry Christmas.
Special thanks to birthday girl Chih Yun, who founded, with her husband, David, the Jesus Family Centre in Cabramatta over twenty years ago. Thanks to her choice to open a church for Chinese peoples living in Sydney, the church has grown to embrace peoples of all nationalities and ethnicities. They accepted me on Christmas Day in 2007. I had become a recluse, besieged by some very bad people. But her family gave me a home.
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Happy birthday and many happy returns Smail Cehic, Tina, Chih Yun and Jesus of Nazareth. Born on this day, across the years, along with
- 1250 – John IV Laskaris, Byzantine emperor (d. 1305)
- 1642 – Isaac Newton, English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, philosopher, and theologian (d. 1727)
- 1674 – Thomas Halyburton, Scottish theologian (d. 1712)
- 1728 – Johann Adam Hiller, German composer and conductor (d. 1804)
- 1771 – Dorothy Wordsworth, English author and poet (d. 1855)
- 1821 – Clara Barton, American nurse and humanitarian, founded the American Red Cross (d. 1912)
- 1870 – Helena Rubinstein, Polish-American businesswoman (d. 1965)
- 1878 – Louis Chevrolet, Swiss-American race car driver and automobile magnate (d. 1941)
- 1887 – Conrad Nicholson Hilton Sr., American businessman, founded the Hilton Hotels & Resorts (d. 1979)
- 1889 – Lila Bell Wallace, American publisher, co-founded Reader's Digest (d. 1984)
- 1890 – Robert LeRoy Ripley, American cartoonist and anthropologist, founded Ripley's Believe It or Not! (d. 1949)
- 1891 – Clarrie Grimmett, Australian cricketer (d. 1980)
- 1899 – Humphrey Bogart, American actor (d. 1957)
- 1907 – Cab Calloway, American singer-songwriter and bandleader (d. 1994)
- 1918 – Anwar Sadat, Egyptian politician, 3rd President of Egypt, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1981)
- 1924 – Rod Serling, American screenwriter and producer, created The Twilight Zone (d. 1975)
- 1944 – Kenny Everett, English comedian and radio host (d. 1995)
- 1950 – Karl Rove, American journalist, White House Deputy Chief of Staff
- 1954 – Annie Lennox, Scottish singer-songwriter (The Tourists and Eurythmics)
- 1957 – Shane MacGowan, English-Irish singer-songwriter (The Pogues, The Nips, and Shane MacGowan and The Popes)
- 1971 – Dido, English singer-songwriter
- 1984 – Alastair Cook, English cricketer
- 1984 – Georgia Moffett, English actress
- 1984 – Jessica Origliasso, Australian singer-songwriter and actress (The Veronicas)
- 1984 – Lisa Origliasso, Australian singer-songwriter and actress (The Veronicas)
- 1995 – Mimmi Sandén, Swedish singer and actress
Matches
- 333 – Roman Emperor Constantine the Great elevates his youngest son Constans to the rank of Caesar.
- 336 – First documentary sign of Christmas celebration in ancient Rome
- 597 – Augustine of Canterbury and his fellow-labourers baptise in Kent more than 10,000 Anglo-Saxons.
- 1066 – William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy is crowned king of England, at Westminster Abbey,London.
- 1553 – Battle of Tucapel: Mapuche rebels under Lautaro defeat the Spanish conquistadors and executes the governor of Chile, Pedro de Valdivia.
- 1776 – George Washington and the Continental Army cross the Delaware River at night to attack Hessian forces serving Great Britain atTrenton, New Jersey, the next day.
- 1809 – Dr. Ephraim McDowell performs the first ovariotomy, removing a 22 pound tumour.
- 1814 – Rev. Samuel Marsden holds the first Christian service on land in New Zealand at Rangihoua Bay.
- 1815 – The Handel and Haydn Society, oldest continuously performing arts organization in the United States, gives its first performance.
- 1826 – The Eggnog Riot at the United States Military Academy concludes after beginning the previous evening.
- 1868 – U.S. President Andrew Johnson grants unconditional pardon to all Civil War Confederate soldiers.
- 1926 – Emperor Taishō of Japan dies. His son, Prince Hirohito, succeeds him as Emperor Shōwa.
- 1950 – The Stone of Scone, traditional coronation stone of British monarchs, is taken from Westminster Abbey by Scottish nationalist students. It later turns up in Scotland on April 11, 1951.
- 1968 – Apollo program: Apollo 8 performs the very first successful Trans-Earth injection (TEI) maneuver, sending the crew and spacecraft on a trajectory back to Earth from Lunar orbit.
- 1968 – 42 Dalits are burned alive in Kilavenmani village, Tamil Nadu, India, a retaliation for a campaign for higher wages by Dalit labourers.
- 1974 – Cyclone Tracy devastates Darwin, Northern Territory Australia.
- 1989 – Deposed President of Romania Nicolae Ceaușescu and his wife, First-Deputy Prime-Minister Elena Ceaușescu are condemned to death and executed after a summary trial.
- 2009 – Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab unsuccessfully attempts a terrorist attack against the US while on board a flight to Detroit Metro AirportNorthwest Airlines Flight 253
Despatches
- 795 – Pope Adrian I (b. 700)
- 1868 – Linus Yale, Jr., American engineer and inventor (b. 1821)
- 1946 – W. C. Fields, American comedian and actor (b. 1880)
- 1977 – Charlie Chaplin, English actor and director (b. 1889)
Holly Sarah Nguyen
Misinformation and lies can strain families and relationships all the way to the grave. It takes real courage to give the truth and live the truth. That means going out of your way to see that it is correct and doing repair work when wrong. I know we each do not see things the same. We can make amends and someone can still be unsatisfied. Only do what you can from the well of a good heart, let the rest play out.
John Tran It is so true, and especially around this time of the year where family gets together.. it hurts more because it's family who can perpetuate misinformation and ill feelings. But I always turn to my wife and say "remember how when we met, we wanted a loving family ever since we grew up surrounded by the ones that let us down, this just reminds us to raise our kids by good example"
John Tran It is so true, and especially around this time of the year where family gets together.. it hurts more because it's family who can perpetuate misinformation and ill feelings. But I always turn to my wife and say "remember how when we met, we wanted a loving family ever since we grew up surrounded by the ones that let us down, this just reminds us to raise our kids by good example"
=
Sometimes we feel unappreciated and alone as if we do not matter. It is key to try to remember feelings are not always accurate and they can be challenged. We are not prisoners of our thoughts. We can change them to be more realistic and less emotional... ((((Hugs)))) My Christmas wish to you is that we may know peace, serenity, and calmness from the start of the day til the end and may it begin again the following day.. Merry Christmas!!!
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James Calore
Decisions, decisions...
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Immediate gratification .. easy to understand - ed
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Walt Whitman
"This is what you shall do; Love the earth and sun and the animals, despise riches, give alms to every one that asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy, devote your income and labor to others, hate tyrants, argue not concerning God, have patience and indulgence toward the people, take off your hat to nothing known or unknown or to any man or number of men, go freely with powerful uneducated persons and with the young and with the mothers of families, read these leaves in the open air every season of every year of your life, re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book, dismiss whatever insults your own soul, and your very flesh shall be a great poem and have the richest fluency not only in its words but in the silent lines of its lips and face and between the lashes of your eyes and in every motion and joint of your body."
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The Doctor is about to regenerate! Today's shirt honors the legacy of Matt Smith. Look now
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Zaya Toma
How Do You Explain Jesus Christ?
“A young man whose father is a carpenter grows up working in his father’s shop. He has no formal education. He owns no property of any kind. One day he puts down his tools and walks out of his father’s shop. He starts preaching on street corners and in the nearby countryside. Walking from place to place preaching all the while even though he is in no way an ordained minister he never gets farther than an area perhaps 100 miles wide at the most.
He does this for three years. Then he is arrested, tried and convicted. There is no court of appeal so he is executed at age 33 along with two common thieves. Those in charge of his execution roll dice to see who gets his clothing—the only possessions he has. His family cannot afford a burial place so he is interred in a borrowed tomb.
End of story? No, this uneducated, propertyless young man who preached on street corners for only three years who left no written word has for 2000 years had a greater effect on the entire world than all the rulers, kings and emperors, all the conquerors, the generals and admirals, all the scholars, scientists and philosophers who ever lived—all put together. How do we explain that?
Unless He really was what He said he was.”—Ronald Reagan
===“A young man whose father is a carpenter grows up working in his father’s shop. He has no formal education. He owns no property of any kind. One day he puts down his tools and walks out of his father’s shop. He starts preaching on street corners and in the nearby countryside. Walking from place to place preaching all the while even though he is in no way an ordained minister he never gets farther than an area perhaps 100 miles wide at the most.
He does this for three years. Then he is arrested, tried and convicted. There is no court of appeal so he is executed at age 33 along with two common thieves. Those in charge of his execution roll dice to see who gets his clothing—the only possessions he has. His family cannot afford a burial place so he is interred in a borrowed tomb.
End of story? No, this uneducated, propertyless young man who preached on street corners for only three years who left no written word has for 2000 years had a greater effect on the entire world than all the rulers, kings and emperors, all the conquerors, the generals and admirals, all the scholars, scientists and philosophers who ever lived—all put together. How do we explain that?
Unless He really was what He said he was.”—Ronald Reagan
www.washingtonpost.com
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Until I opened the package, the Maltesers was an excellent percussive instrument. Creating a beautiful (ahem) Din. The Jesus Culture CD is awesome too.
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This is why we can't have nice things? - ed
John Tran ...Yep, the trouble with guns is that it takes little skill to kill. So therefore there is little thought involved in training how to use a gun. He could've easily yell out "identify yourself or I will shoot". But a nervous person with a deadly weapon can't think straight.
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<Yet despite all the evidence morons still keep electing these left wing Socialist alliance cretins.>
mrcltd.org.au
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Post by Brilliant Media.
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I want to wish you a merry Christmas. Special thanks to Stephanie Ann,Mandy Mclean, John Tran for their support with Bolt report and everywhere else. Special shout out to Timothy Ly, who took me to Jess Family Centre on Christmas 2007 .. you have a gift, mate and the Lord has blessed you. And many thanks to her, for whom I dream that He might make me young. I see in her the promise of new life .. ed
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www.jihadwatch.org
===<My father told me the Red Cross is corrupt and he is gone over 50 years. This video certainly has proved him right.>
http://youtu.be/ar3Hr77gUQ0
You'd think that that kind of aid was hard to mess up. I used to give to Medicine San Frantiere for that reason. But they do mess up badly .. they are compromised by evil people too. - ed
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Via Jack DeLowe
http://jcpa.org/
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What evil spirit possessed Moshe Dayan to give up Har Habayit/The Temple Mount?
http://youtu.be/7l1ol69rRxo
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.. there is a specific reason for what is happening .. and it isn't because of Israel. What has happened is the US has voted in a weak President .. he might agree with what is happening, but it is still an erosion of his power. - ed===
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While walking in the Shuk, the outdoor open market, I was recruited for a spicy prayer quorum. This miyan happens every day and is probably the best smelling gathering of Jewish men before God since the second Temple. May the merit of the afternoon prayer allow these Persian merchants to provide the spices for the Third Temple as well...
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<The Catholic Church, chose to be blind to the Nazis Genocide ::: Now choosing to be blind to its own Christian genocide while :: Crucifying Israel with hate ..>
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<Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has overseen the transfer of up to $250 million a year to Hamas, and particularly to its governing apparatus in Gaza. I wonder if Iran is giving his a discount on oil purchases .. to help Hamas>
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G'day fellow freedom fighter,
I wish you and your family & loved ones, a very Merry, Safe, Happy and Holy Christmas and an enormously successful and prosperous 2014.
Thank you for your support of my work throughout 2013 and for your honest feedback. I love the critiques as much as the kudos, you help me to grow.
Godspeed
Zeg
Freelance Editorial Cartoonist/Caricaturist
0414293765
www.facebook.com/zegtoons
Blog: http://
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Lord God Almighty.
Just and true are your ways,
King of the nations.
4 Who will not fear you, Lord,
and bring glory to your name?
For you alone are holy.
All nations will come
and worship before you,
for your righteous acts have been revealed....”
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www.frontpagemag.com
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www.jta.org
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www.timesofisrael.com
===Via Jack DeLowe
http://jcpa.org/
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calevbenyefuneh.blogspot.se
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www.israpundit.com
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What evil spirit possessed Moshe Dayan to give up Har Habayit/The Temple Mount?
http://youtu.be/7l1ol69rRxo
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www.algemeiner.com
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unitycoalitionforisrael.org
===.. there is a specific reason for what is happening .. and it isn't because of Israel. What has happened is the US has voted in a weak President .. he might agree with what is happening, but it is still an erosion of his power. - ed===
www.algemeiner.com
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www.algemeiner.com
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www.washingtonpost.com
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www.imra.org.il
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palwatch.org
===While walking in the Shuk, the outdoor open market, I was recruited for a spicy prayer quorum. This miyan happens every day and is probably the best smelling gathering of Jewish men before God since the second Temple. May the merit of the afternoon prayer allow these Persian merchants to provide the spices for the Third Temple as well...
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<The Catholic Church, chose to be blind to the Nazis Genocide ::: Now choosing to be blind to its own Christian genocide while :: Crucifying Israel with hate ..>
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<Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has overseen the transfer of up to $250 million a year to Hamas, and particularly to its governing apparatus in Gaza. I wonder if Iran is giving his a discount on oil purchases .. to help Hamas>
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G'day fellow freedom fighter,
I wish you and your family & loved ones, a very Merry, Safe, Happy and Holy Christmas and an enormously successful and prosperous 2014.
Thank you for your support of my work throughout 2013 and for your honest feedback. I love the critiques as much as the kudos, you help me to grow.
Godspeed
Zeg
Freelance Editorial Cartoonist/Caricaturist
0414293765
www.facebook.com/zegtoons
Blog: http://
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- 1066 – Norman Conquest: William the Conqueror was crowned King of England at Westminster Abbey, although he still faced rebellions over the following years and was not secure on his throne until after 1072.
- 1809 – American physician Ephraim McDowellperformed the world's first removal of an ovarian tumor.
- 1927 – The Việt Nam Quốc Dân Đảng, a revolutionary socialist political party that sought Vietnamese independence from French colonial rule, was formed inHanoi.
- 1991 – In a nationally televised speech, Mikhail Gorbachev (pictured) resigned as President of the Soviet Union.
- 2009 – The 19th-century St Mel's Cathedral in Longford, considered the "flagship cathedral" of the Irish midlands, was destroyed by fire.
Events[edit]
- 333 – Roman Emperor Constantine the Great elevates his youngest son Constans to the rank of Caesar.
- 336 – First documentary sign of Christmas celebration in ancient Rome
- 350 – Vetranio meets Constantius II at Naissus (Serbia) and is forced to abdicate his title (Caesar). Constantius allows him to live as a private citizen on a state pension.
- 496 – Clovis I, king of the Franks, is baptized into the Catholic faith at Reims, by Saint Remigius.
- 597 – Augustine of Canterbury and his fellow-labourers baptise in Kent more than 10,000 Anglo-Saxons.
- 800 – Coronation of Charlemagne as Holy Roman Emperor, in Rome.
- 1000 – The foundation of the Kingdom of Hungary: Hungary is established as a Christian kingdom byStephen I of Hungary.
- 1025 – Coronation of Mieszko II Lambert as King of Poland
- 1066 – William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy is crowned king of England, at Westminster Abbey,London.
- 1076 – Coronation of Boleslaw II the Generous as king of Poland
- 1100 – Baldwin of Boulogne is crowned the first King of Jerusalem in the Church of the Nativity.
- 1130 – Count Roger II of Sicily is crowned the first King of Sicily.
- 1261 – John IV Laskaris of the restored Eastern Roman Empire is deposed and blinded by orders of his co-ruler Michael VIII Palaiologos.
- 1493 – Caravel "Santa Maria" captained by Christopher Columbus ran into reefs near Haiti shores due to fault of sailor on duty. Local Indians helped to save food, armory and amunition but not ship.
- 1553 – Battle of Tucapel: Mapuche rebels under Lautaro defeat the Spanish conquistadors and executes the governor of Chile, Pedro de Valdivia.
- 1643 – Christmas Island found and named by Captain William Mynors of the East India Company vessel, the Royal Mary.
- 1776 – George Washington and the Continental Army cross the Delaware River at night to attack Hessian forces serving Great Britain atTrenton, New Jersey, the next day.
- 1809 – Dr. Ephraim McDowell performs the first ovariotomy, removing a 22 pound tumor.
- 1814 – Rev. Samuel Marsden holds the first Christian service on land in New Zealand at Rangihoua Bay.
- 1815 – The Handel and Haydn Society, oldest continuously performing arts organization in the United States, gives its first performance.
- 1826 – The Eggnog Riot at the United States Military Academy concludes after beginning the previous evening.
- 1837 – Second Seminole War: American general Zachary Taylor leads 1100 troops against the Seminoles at the Battle of Lake Okeechobee.
- 1868 – U.S. President Andrew Johnson grants unconditional pardon to all Civil War Confederate soldiers.
- 1926 – Emperor Taishō of Japan dies. His son, Prince Hirohito, succeeds him as Emperor Shōwa.
- 1927 – The Vietnamese Nationalist Party is founded.
- 1932 – A magnitude 7.6 earthquake in Gansu, China kills 275 people.
- 1941 – Admiral Chester W. Nimitz arrives at Pearl Harbor to assume command of the U.S. Pacific Fleet
- 1941 – World War II: Battle of Hong Kong ends, beginning the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong.
- 1941 – Admiral Émile Muselier seizes the archipelago of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, which become the first part of France to be liberated by the Free French Forces.
- 1946 – The first in Europe artificial, self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction is initiated within Soviet nuclear reactor F-1.
- 1947 – The Constitution of the Republic of China goes into effect.
- 1950 – The Stone of Scone, traditional coronation stone of British monarchs, is taken from Westminster Abbey by Scottish nationalist students. It later turns up in Scotland on April 11, 1951.
- 1963 – Turkish Cypriot Bayrak Radio begins transmitting in Cyprus after Turkish Cypriots are forcibly excluded from Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation.
- 1965 – The Yemeni Nasserist Unionist People's Organisation is founded in Ta'izz
- 1968 – Apollo program: Apollo 8 performs the very first successful Trans-Earth injection (TEI) maneuver, sending the crew and spacecraft on a trajectory back to Earth from Lunar orbit.
- 1968 – 42 Dalits are burned alive in Kilavenmani village, Tamil Nadu, India, a retaliation for a campaign for higher wages by Dalit laborers.
- 1974 – Cyclone Tracy devastates Darwin, Northern Territory Australia.
- 1974 – Marshall Fields drives a vehicle through the gates of the White House, resulting in a four-hour standoff.
- 1977 – Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin meets in Egypt with its president Anwar Sadat.
- 1989 – Deposed President of Romania Nicolae Ceaușescu and his wife, First-Deputy Prime-Minister Elena Ceaușescu are condemned to death and executed after a summary trial.
- 1991 – Mikhail Gorbachev resigns as General Secretary of the Soviet Union (the union itself is dissolved the next day). Ukraine's referendum is finalized and Ukraine officially leaves the Soviet Union.
- 2000 – Russian President Vladimir Putin signs a bill into law that officially establishes a new National Anthem of Russia, with music adopted from the anthem of the Soviet Union that was composed by Alexander Vasilyevich Alexandrov.
- 2003 – The ill-fated Beagle 2 probe, released from the Mars Express Spacecraft on December 19, disappears shortly before its scheduled landing.
- 2004 – Cassini orbiter releases Huygens probe which successfully landed on Saturn's moon Titan on January 14, 2005.
- 2009 – Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab unsuccessfully attempts a terrorist attack against the US while on board a flight to Detroit Metro AirportNorthwest Airlines Flight 253
Births[edit]
- 1250 – John IV Laskaris, Byzantine emperor (d. 1305)
- 1461 – Christina of Saxony (d. 1521)
- 1583 – Orlando Gibbons, English composer and organist (d. 1625)
- 1584 – Margaret of Austria, Queen of Spain (d. 1611)
- 1628 – Noël Coypel, French painter (d. 1707)
- 1642 – Isaac Newton, English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, philosopher, and theologian (d. 1727)
- 1652 – Archibald Pitcairne, Scottish physician (d. 1713)
- 1665 – Grizel Baillie, Scottish songwriter (d. 1746)
- 1667 – Melusine von der Schulenburg, Duchess of Kendal (d. 1743)
- 1674 – Thomas Halyburton, Scottish theologian (d. 1712)
- 1686 – Giovanni Battista Somis, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1763)
- 1696 – Prince Johann Ernst of Saxe-Weimar (d. 1715)
- 1700 – Leopold II, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau (d. 1758)
- 1711 – Jean-Joseph de Mondonville, French composer (d. 1772)
- 1716 – Johann Jakob Reiske, German physician and scholar (d. 1774)
- 1728 – Johann Adam Hiller, German composer and conductor (d. 1804)
- 1730 – Philip Mazzei, Italian physician (d. 1816)
- 1742 – Charlotte von Stein, German assistant of Duchess Anna Amalia of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (d. 1827)
- 1745 – Chevalier de Saint-George, Caribbean-French composer, conductor, and violinist (d. 1799)
- 1757 – Benjamin Pierce, American politician, 17th Governor of New Hampshire (d. 1839)
- 1763 – Claude Chappe, French engineer (d. 1805)
- 1771 – Dorothy Wordsworth, English author and poet (d. 1855)
- 1776 – Sydney, Lady Morgan, Irish author (d. 1859)
- 1810 – Alexandros Rizos Rangavis, Greek poet (d. 1892)
- 1817 – John Hewitt Jellett, Irish academic (d. 1888)
- 1821 – Clara Barton, American nurse and humanitarian, founded the American Red Cross (d. 1912)
- 1829 – Patrick Gilmore, Irish-American composer (d. 1892)
- 1856 – Pud Galvin, American baseball player (d. 1902)
- 1856 – Hans von Bartels, German painter (d. 1913)
- 1860 – Manwel Dimech, Maltese journalist, author, and philosopher (d. 1921)
- 1861 – Madan Mohan Malaviya, Indian educator and politician, founder of Banaras Hindu University (d. 1946)
- 1864 – Thomas Cahill, American soccer player and coach (d. 1951)
- 1865 – Evangeline Booth, English 4th General of the Salvation Army (d. 1950)
- 1869 – Charles Finger, British author (d. 1941)
- 1870 – Lloyd Hildebrand, French cyclist (d. 1924)
- 1870 – Helena Rubinstein, Polish-American businesswoman (d. 1965)
- 1871 – Katherine McKinley, American daughter of William McKinley (d. 1875)
- 1873 – Otto Frederick Hunziker, Swiss-American educator (d. 1959)
- 1874 – Lina Cavalieri, Italian soprano (d. 1944)
- 1875 – Theodor Innitzer, Austrian cardinal (d. 1955)
- 1876 – Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Indian-Pakistani lawyer and politician, founder of Pakistan (d. 1948)
- 1876 – Adolf Otto Reinhold Windaus, German chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1959)
- 1877 – Noël Bas, French gymnast (d. 1960)
- 1878 – Louis Chevrolet, Swiss-American race car driver and automobile magnate (d. 1941)
- 1878 – Noël Leslie, Countess of Rothes (d. 1956)
- 1883 – Hugo Bergmann, German-Israeli philosopher (d. 1975)
- 1884 – Samuel Berger, American boxer (d. 1925)
- 1884 – Evelyn Nesbit, American actress (d. 1967)
- 1886 – Edward "Kid" Ory, American trombonist and bandleader (d. 1973)
- 1887 – Conrad Nicholson Hilton Sr., American businessman, founded the Hilton Hotels & Resorts (d. 1979)
- 1889 – Lila Bell Wallace, American publisher, co-founded Reader's Digest (d. 1984)
- 1890 – Noel Odell, English geologist and mountaineer (d. 1987)
- 1890 – Robert LeRoy Ripley, American cartoonist and anthropologist, founded Ripley's Believe It or Not! (d. 1949)
- 1891 – Clarrie Grimmett, Australian cricketer (d. 1980)
- 1899 – Humphrey Bogart, American actor (d. 1957)
- 1901 – Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester (d. 2004)
- 1902 – Barton MacLane, American actor (d. 1969)
- 1904 – Gerhard Herzberg, German-Canadian physicist and chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1999)
- 1906 – Lew Grade, Ukrainian-English film producer (d. 1998)
- 1906 – Ernst Ruska, German physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1988)
- 1907 – Cab Calloway, American singer-songwriter and bandleader (d. 1994)
- 1907 – Mike Mazurki, Ukrainian-American actor (d. 1990)
- 1907 – Glenn McCarthy, American businessman, founded the Shamrock Hotel (d. 1988)
- 1908 – Quentin Crisp, English author (d. 1999)
- 1908 – Ernest L. Massad, American general (d. 1993)
- 1908 – Jo-Jo Moore, American baseball player (d. 2001)
- 1909 – Zora Arkus-Duntov, Belgian-American engineer (d. 1996)
- 1911 – Louise Bourgeois, French-American sculptor (d. 2010)
- 1912 – Natalino Otto, Italian singer (d. 1969)
- 1913 – Tony Martin, American singer and actor (d. 2012)
- 1913 – Henri Nannen, German journalist (d. 1966)
- 1914 – James Muir Cameron Fletcher, New Zealand businessman (d. 2007)
- 1915 – Pete Rugolo, Italian-born composer (d. 2011)
- 1916 – Ahmed Ben Bella, Algerian soldier and politician, 1st President of Algeria (d. 2012)
- 1917 – Lincoln Verduga Loor, Ecuadorian journalist and politician (d. 2009)
- 1918 – Anwar Sadat, Egyptian politician, 3rd President of Egypt, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1981)
- 1919 – Naushad Ali, Indian composer and director (d. 2006)
- 1919 – Paul David, Canadian cardiologist and politician, founded the Montreal Heart Institute (d. 1999)
- 1919 – Noele Gordon, English actress (d. 1985)
- 1920 – Artur Agostinho, Portuguese journalist (d. 2011)
- 1921 – Zaib-un-Nissa Hamidullah, Pakistani journalist (d. 2000)
- 1921 – Steve Otto, Canadian politician (d. 1989)
- 1922 – William Demby, American author (d. 2013)
- 1923 – René Girard, French historian, critic, and philosopher
- 1924 – Rod Serling, American screenwriter and producer, created The Twilight Zone (d. 1975)
- 1924 – Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Indian politician, 10th Prime Minister of India
- 1925 – Carlos Castaneda, Peruvian-American author (d. 1998)
- 1925 – Ned Garver, American baseball player
- 1925 – Sam Pollock, Canadian businessman (d. 2007)
- 1926 – Febo Conti, Italian actor (d. 2012)
- 1926 – Enrique Jorrín, Cuban composer and violinist (d. 1987)
- 1927 – Nellie Fox, American baseball player (d. 1975)
- 1927 – Ram Narayan, Indian sarangi player
- 1927 – Leo Kubiak, American basketball player
- 1928 – Dick Miller, American actor
- 1929 – Stuart Hall, English radio and television host
- 1929 – Christine M. Jones, American politician (d. 2013)
- 1929 – Chris Kenner, American singer-songwriter (d. 1976)
- 1930 – Emmanuel Agassi, Iranian boxer
- 1930 – Armenak Alachachian, Armenian basketball player and coach
- 1930 – Salah Jahin, Egyptian poet and cartoonist (d. 1986)
- 1932 – Mabel King, American actress (d. 1999)
- 1935 – Sadiq al-Mahdi, Sudanese politician, Prime Minister of Sudan
- 1935 – Stephen Barnett, American academic and scholar (d. 2009)
- 1935 – Jeanne Hopkins Lucas, American politician (d. 2007)
- 1935 – Al Jackson, American baseball player
- 1935 – Anne Roiphe, American author and activist
- 1936 – Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy of Kent
- 1936 – Ismail Merchant, Indian-English director and producer (d. 2005)
- 1937 – O'Kelly Isley, Jr., American singer-songwriter (The Isley Brothers) (d. 1986)
- 1938 – Duane Armstrong, American painter
- 1938 – David Borden, American composer
- 1938 – Noel Picard, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1939 – Ghulam Ahmad Bilour, Pakistani businessman
- 1939 – Bob James, American keyboard player and songwriter (Fourplay)
- 1939 – Akong Rinpoche, Tibetan-Chinese spiritual leader (d. 2013)
- 1940 – Pete Brown, English poet and songwriter
- 1940 – Hilary Spurling, English journalist and writer
- 1941 – Kenneth Calman, Scottish medical researcher
- 1942 – Françoise Dürr, French tennis player
- 1942 – Barbara Follett, Jamaican born British businesswoman
- 1942 – Enrique Morente, Spanish singer-songwriter (d. 2010)
- 1943 – Wilson Fittipaldi Júnior, Brazilian race car driver
- 1943 – Hanna Schygulla, German actress
- 1944 – Jairzinho, Brazilian footballer
- 1944 – Kenny Everett, English comedian and radio host (d. 1995)
- 1944 – Nigel Starmer-Smith, English rugby player and journalist
- 1944 – Henry Vestine, American guitarist (Canned Heat and The Mothers of Invention) (d. 1997)
- 1945 – Rick Berman, American television producer
- 1945 – Eve Pollard, English journalist and author
- 1945 – Noel Redding, English singer-songwriter and bass player (The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Fat Mattress, Road, and The Noel Redding Band) (d. 2003)
- 1945 – Gary Sandy, American actor
- 1945 – Ken Stabler, American football player
- 1945 – Mike Pringle, Scottish politician
- 1946 – Jimmy Buffett, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and actor
- 1946 – Larry Csonka, American football player
- 1946 – Christopher Frayling, English educationalist and writer
- 1946 – Gene Lamont, American baseball player and manager
- 1947 – Twink Caplan, American actress and comedian
- 1948 – Alia al-Hussein, Egyptian wife of Hussein of Jordan (d. 1977)
- 1948 – Barbara Mandrell, American singer-songwriter and actress
- 1948 – Joel Santana, Brazilian footballer and coach
- 1949 – Simone Bittencourt de Oliveira, Brazilian singer
- 1949 – Nawaz Sharif, Pakistani politician, 12th Prime Minister of Pakistan
- 1949 – Sissy Spacek, American actress
- 1949 – Joe Louis Walker, American singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer
- 1950 – Peter Boardman, English mountaineer and author (d. 1982)
- 1950 – Yehuda Poliker, Israeli singer-songwriter
- 1950 – Karl Rove, American journalist, White House Deputy Chief of Staff
- 1950 – Manny Trillo, Venezuelan baseball player
- 1952 – Desireless, French singer
- 1952 – C. C. H. Pounder, Guyanese-American actress
- 1954 – Annie Lennox, Scottish singer-songwriter (The Tourists and Eurythmics)
- 1954 – Steve Wariner, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1955 – Brett Vroman, American basketball player
- 1957 – Chris Kamara, English footballer and sportscaster
- 1957 – Shane MacGowan, English-Irish singer-songwriter (The Pogues, The Nips, and Shane MacGowan and The Popes)
- 1958 – Cheryl Chase, American voice actress and singer
- 1958 – Hanford Dixon, American football player
- 1958 – Rickey Henderson, American baseball player
- 1958 – Konstantin Kinchev, Russian singer-songwriter and guitarist (Alisa)
- 1958 – Alannah Myles, Canadian singer-songwriter
- 1958 – Martin Wiesner, German footballer
- 1959 – Michael P. Anderson, American astronaut (d. 2003)
- 1960 – Ron Bottitta, English actor
- 1961 – Íngrid Betancourt, Colombian politician
- 1962 – Dean Cameron, American actor
- 1964 – Gary McAllister, Scottish footballer
- 1964 – Ian Bostridge, English tenor
- 1964 – Tim Royes, American director
- 1964 – Bob Stanley, English keyboard player, songwriter, producer, and journalist (Saint Etienne)
- 1965 – David Rath, Czech doctor and politician
- 1965 – Ed Davey, English politician
- 1966 – Toshi Arai, Japanese race car driver
- 1967 – Jason Thirsk, American bass player (Pennywise and Humble Gods) (d. 1996)
- 1968 – Helena Christensen, Danish model
- 1968 – Jim Dowd, American ice hockey player
- 1970 – Nagma, Indian actress
- 1970 – Emmanuel Amuneke, Nigerian footballer
- 1970 – Rodney Dent, American basketball player
- 1971 – Dido, English singer-songwriter
- 1971 – Noel Hogan, Irish guitarist and producer (The Cranberries, Mono Band, and Arkitekt)
- 1971 – Justin Trudeau, Canadian politician
- 1972 – Josh Freese, American drummer and songwriter (The Vandals and Devo)
- 1972 – Mac Powell, American singer-songwriter and producer (Third Day)
- 1973 – Robbie Elliott, English footballer
- 1973 – Chris Harris, American wrestler
- 1973 – Alexandre Trudeau, Canadian journalist
- 1974 – Heriberto Lazcano Lazcano, Mexican drug lord (d. 2012)
- 1975 – Rob Mariano, American reality show contestant, winner of Survivor: Redemption Island
- 1975 – Daniel Mustard, American singer-songwriter
- 1975 – Hideki Okajima, Japanese baseball player
- 1975 – Choi Sung-Yong, South Korean footballer
- 1975 – Marcus Trescothick, English cricketer
- 1976 – Tuomas Holopainen, Finnish keyboard player, songwriter, and producer (Nightwish and For My Pain...)
- 1976 – Armin van Buuren, Dutch DJ and producer
- 1976 – Tim James, American basketball player, coach, and U.S. Army specialist
- 1976 – Atko Väikmeri, Estonian footballer
- 1977 – Uhm Ji-won, South Korean actress
- 1977 – Priya Rai, Indian-American pornographic actress
- 1977 – Israel Vázquez, Mexican boxer
- 1978 – Simon Jones, English cricketer
- 1978 – Joel Porter, Australian footballer
- 1978 – Bridgetta Tomarchio, American actress and model
- 1979 – Robert Huff, English race car driver
- 1979 – Hyun Young-Min, South Korean footballer
- 1979 – Laurent Bonnart, French footballer
- 1980 – Kahi, South Korean singer, dancer, and actress (After School)
- 1980 – Locó, Angolan footballer
- 1980 – Reika Hashimoto, Japanese actress
- 1980 – Laura Sadler, English actress (d. 2003)
- 1980 – Marcus Trufant, American football player
- 1981 – Trenesha Biggers, American wrestler
- 1981 – Willy Taveras, Dominican baseball player
- 1981 – Katie Wright, American actress
- 1981 – Christian Holst, Danish/Faroese footballer
- 1982 – Dev, Indian actor
- 1982 – Shawn Andrews, American football player
- 1982 – Rob Edwards, Welsh footballer
- 1982 – Ethan Kath, Canadian keyboard player, songwriter and producer (Crystal Castles and Kïll Cheerleadër)
- 1982 – Chris Rene, American singer-songwriter and producer
- 1984 – Chris Cahill, Samoan footballer
- 1984 – Alastair Cook, English cricketer
- 1984 – Georgia Moffett, English actress
- 1984 – Jessica Origliasso, Australian singer-songwriter and actress (The Veronicas)
- 1984 – Lisa Origliasso, Australian singer-songwriter and actress (The Veronicas)
- 1984 – Chris Richard, American basketball player
- 1985 – Leon Pisani, Welsh singer-songwriter (V)
- 1985 – Perdita Weeks, Welsh actress
- 1987 – Ceyhun Gülselam, Turkish footballer
- 1987 – Julian Lage, American guitarist and composer
- 1987 – Jorgie Porter, English actress
- 1987 – Justin Sweeney, Australian footballer
- 1987 – LJ Reyes, Filipino actress
- 1988 – Eric Gordon, American basketball player
- 1988 – Lukas Hinds-Johnson, German rugby player
- 1988 – Joãozinho, Brazilian footballer
- 1989 – Shahzaib Hasan, Pakistani cricketer
- 1989 – Michael Green, American soccer player
- 1989 – Djameleddine Benlamri, Algerian football player
- 1990 – Conny Perrin, Swiss tennis player
- 1993 – Emi Takei, Japanese actress, model and singer
- 1995 – Mimmi Sandén, Swedish singer and actress
Deaths[edit]
- 795 – Pope Adrian I (b. 700)
- 820 – Leo V the Armenian, Byzantine emperor (b. 775)
- 940 – Makan ibn Kaki, Iranian warlord
- 1156 – Peter the Venerable, French abbot of Cluny (b. 1092)
- 1553 – Pedro de Valdivia, Spanish conquistador, 1st Royal Governor of Chile (b. 1500)
- 1635 – Samuel de Champlain, French soldier, geographer, and explorer (b. 1567)
- 1676 – William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle, English soldier and politician (b. 1592)
- 1676 – Matthew Hale, English jurist (b. 1609)
- 1683 – Kara Mustafa Pasha, Ottoman general (b. 1634)
- 1758 – James Hervey, English clergyman (b. 1714)
- 1763 – Suraj Mal, Indian ruler of Bharatpur (b. 1707)
- 1765 – Prokop Diviš, Czech theologian and scientist (b. 1698)
- 1784 – Yosa Buson, Japanese painter (b. 1716)
- 1824 – Barbara von Krüdener, German mystic and author (b. 1764)
- 1868 – Linus Yale, Jr., American engineer and inventor (b. 1821)
- 1875 – Young Tom Morris, Scottish golfer (b. 1851)
- 1880 – Fridolin Anderwert, Swiss politician (b. 1828)
- 1916 – Albert Chmielowski, Polish saint, founded the Albertine Brothers (b. 1845)
- 1916 – Solko van den Bergh, Dutch target shooter (b. 1854)
- 1921 – Vladimir Korolenko, Russian journalist, author, and activist (b. 1853)
- 1925 – Karl Abraham, German psychoanalyst (b. 1877)
- 1926 – Emperor Taishō of Japan (b. 1879)
- 1928 – Miles Burke, American boxer (b. 1885)
- 1933 – Francesc Macià i Llussà, Catalan politician, 122nd President of Catalonia (b. 1859)
- 1935 – Paul Bourget, French author and critic (b. 1852)
- 1938 – Karel Čapek, Czech author (b. 1890)
- 1940 – Agnes Ayres, American actress (b. 1898)
- 1944 – George Steer, South African-English journalist (b. 1909)
- 1945 – Franz Kröwerath, German rower (b. 1880)
- 1946 – W. C. Fields, American comedian and actor (b. 1880)
- 1947 – Gaspar G. Bacon, American politician, 51st Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts (b. 1886)
- 1949 – Leon Schlesinger, American film producer, founded Warner Bros. Cartoons (b. 1884)
- 1950 – Neil Francis Hawkins, English politician (b. 1903)
- 1952 – Margrethe Mather, American photographer (b. 1886)
- 1953 – Patsy Donovan, Irish-American baseball player (b. 1865)
- 1953 – William Haselden, English cartoonist (b. 1872)
- 1954 – Johnny Ace, American singer (b. 1929)
- 1956 – Robert Walser, Swiss author (b. 1878)
- 1957 – Charles Pathé, French film and record producer, founded Pathé and Pathé Records (b. 1863)
- 1961 – Owen Brewster, American politician, 54th Governor of Maine (b. 1888)
- 1961 – Otto Loewi, German-American pharmacologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1873)
- 1963 – Tristan Tzara, Romanian-French poet (b. 1896)
- 1970 – Michael Peto, Hungarian-English photographer and journalist (b. 1908)
- 1973 – İsmet İnönü, Turkish general and politician, 2nd President of Turkey (b. 1884)
- 1973 – Gabriel Voisin, French engineer (b. 1880)
- 1975 – Gaston Gallimard, French publisher, founded Éditions Gallimard (b. 1881)
- 1975 – Gunnar Kangro, Estonian mathematician (b. 1913)
- 1977 – Charlie Chaplin, English actor and director (b. 1889)
- 1979 – Joan Blondell, American actress (b. 1906)
- 1979 – Jordi Bonet, Canadian painter and sculptor (b. 1932)
- 1983 – Joan Miró, Catalan painter (b. 1893)
- 1988 – Shōhei Ōoka, Japanese author (b. 1909)
- 1988 – Edward Pelham-Clinton, 10th Duke of Newcastle, English lepidopterist (b. 1920)
- 1989 – Nicolae Ceaușescu, Romanian politician, 1st President of Romania (b. 1918)
- 1989 – Elena Ceaușescu, Romanian politician (b. 1919)
- 1989 – Billy Martin, American baseball player and manager (b. 1928)
- 1989 – Benny Binion, American businessman (b. 1904)
- 1989 – Robert Pirosh, American screenwriter and director (b. 1910)
- 1989 – Betty Garde, American actress (b. 1905)
- 1989 – Frederick F. Houser, American politician (b. 1905)
- 1989 – Wally Ris, American swimmer (b. 1924)
- 1989 – Florică Murariu, Romanian rugby player (b. 1955)
- 1992 – Monica Dickens, English author (b. 1915)
- 1993 – Pierre Victor Auger, French physicist (b. 1899)
- 1994 – Zail Singh, Indian politician, 7th President of India (b. 1916)
- 1995 – Emmanuel Levinas, French philosopher (b. 1906)
- 1995 – Dean Martin, American singer and actor (b. 1917)
- 1996 – Bill Hewitt, Canadian sportscaster (b. 1928)
- 1997 – Anatoli Boukreev, Kazakh mountaineer (b. 1958)
- 1997 – Denver Pyle, American actor (b. 1920)
- 1998 – Bryan MacLean, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Love) (b. 1946)
- 1998 – John Pulman, English snooker player (b. 1926)
- 1999 – Peter Jeffrey, English actor (b. 1929)
- 2000 – Neil Hawke, Australian cricketer and footballer (b. 1939)
- 2000 – Willard Van Orman Quine, American philosopher (b. 1908)
- 2000 – Vibhuti Narayan Singh, Indian king,Kashi Raj(b.1927)
- 2002 – William T. Orr, American actor and producer (b. 1917)
- 2003 – Nicholas Mavroules, American politician (b. 1929)
- 2004 – Gennadi Strekalov, Russian astronaut(b. 1940)
- 2005 – Derek Bailey, English guitarist (b. 1930)
- 2005 – Robert Barbers, Filipino police officer and politician (b. 1944)
- 2005 – Birgit Nilsson, Swedish soprano (b. 1918)
- 2006 – James Brown, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor (The Famous Flames) (b. 1933)
- 2006 – Hiroaki Hidaka, Japanese serial killer (b. 1962)
- 2007 – Des Barrick, English cricketer (b. 1927)
- 2007 – Jim Beauchamp, American baseball player (b. 1939)
- 2007 – Mighty King Kong, Kenyan singer (b. 1973)
- 2008 – Eartha Kitt, American singer and actress (b. 1927)
- 2008 – Asheem Chakravarty, Indian tabla player, percussionist and lead vocalist of Indian Ocean (b. 1957)
- 2009 – Vic Chesnutt, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (brute. and The Undertow Orchestra) (b. 1964)
- 2010 – Carlos Andrés Pérez, Venezuelan politician, 66th President of Venezuela (b. 1922)
- 2011 – Giorgio Bocca, Italian journalist (b. 1920)
- 2011 – Ben Breedlove, American blogger (b. 1993)
- 2011 – Jim Sherwood, American saxophonist (The Mothers of Invention) (b. 1942)
- 2011 – Simms Taback, American author and illustrator (b. 1932)
- 2012 – Sita bint Fahd Al Damir, Saudi Arabian wife of Khalid of Saudi Arabia (b. 1922)
- 2012 – Erico B. Aumentado, Filipino journalist, lawyer, and politician (b. 1940)
- 2012 – Turki bin Sultan, Saudi Arabian politician (b. 1959)
- 2012 – Augusto Bracca, Venezuelan composer (b. 1918)
- 2012 – Frank Calabrese, Sr., American mobster (b. 1937)
- 2012 – Jane Dixon, American bishop (b. 1937)
- 2012 – Rachel Douglas-Home, 27th Baroness Dacre, English wife of William Douglas-Home (b. 1929)
- 2012 – Halfdan Hegtun, Norwegian radio host and politician (b. 1918)
- 2012 – Edward Hughes, American bishop (b. 1920)
- 2012 – Henry Ford Kamel, Ghanaian banker and politician (b. 1961)
- 2012 – Joe Krivak, American football coach (b. 1935)
- 2012 – Othmar Schneider, Austrian skier (b. 1928)
- 2012 – Rudolf Müller, German bishop (b. 1931)
Holidays and observances[edit]
- Christian Feast Day:
- Christmas Day, Christian holiday commemorating the birth of Jesus. (International)
- Constitution Day (Taiwan)
- Malkh-Festival (Nakh peoples of Chechnya and Ingushetia)
- Quaid-e-Azam's Day (Pakistan)
- Takanakuy (Chumbivilcas Province, Peru)
- Brumalia The celebration of the pagan solstice, after Julian calendar instituted. (Italy)
“So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.” Luke 2:16-20 NIV
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Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon
Morning
"For your sakes he became poor."
2 Corinthians 8:9
2 Corinthians 8:9
The Lord Jesus Christ was eternally rich, glorious, and exalted; but "though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor." As the rich saint cannot be true in his communion with his poor brethren unless of his substance he ministers to their necessities, so (the same rule holding with the head as between the members), it is impossible that our Divine Lord could have had fellowship with us unless he had imparted to us of his own abounding wealth, and had become poor to make us rich. Had he remained upon his throne of glory, and had we continued in the ruins of the fall without receiving his salvation, communion would have been impossible on both sides. Our position by the fall, apart from the covenant of grace, made it as impossible for fallen man to communicate with God as it is for Belial to be in concord with Christ. In order, therefore, that communion might be compassed, it was necessary that the rich kinsman should bestow his estate upon his poor relatives, that the righteous Saviour should give to his sinning brethren of his own perfection, and that we, the poor and guilty, should receive of his fulness grace for grace; that thus in giving and receiving, the One might descend from the heights, and the other ascend from the depths, and so be able to embrace each other in true and hearty fellowship. Poverty must be enriched by him in whom are infinite treasures before it can venture to commune; and guilt must lose itself in imputed and imparted righteousness ere the soul can walk in fellowship with purity. Jesus must clothe his people in his own garments, or he cannot admit them into his palace of glory; and he must wash them in his own blood, or else they will be too defiled for the embrace of his fellowship.
O believer, herein is love! For your sake the Lord Jesus "became poor" that he might lift you up into communion with himself.
Evening
"The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together."
Isaiah 40:5
Isaiah 40:5
We anticipate the happy day when the whole world shall be converted to Christ; when the gods of the heathen shall be cast to the moles and the bats; when Romanism shall be exploded, and the crescent of Mohammed shall wane, never again to cast its baleful rays upon the nations; when kings shall bow down before the Prince of Peace, and all nations shall call their Redeemer blessed. Some despair of this. They look upon the world as a vessel breaking up and going to pieces, never to float again. We know that the world and all that is therein is one day to be burnt up, and afterwards we look for new heavens and for a new earth; but we cannot read our Bibles without the conviction that--
"Jesus shall reign where'er the sun
Does his successive journeys run."
We are not discouraged by the length of his delays; we are not disheartened by the long period which he allots to the church in which to struggle with little success and much defeat. We believe that God will never suffer this world, which has once seen Christ's blood shed upon it, to be always the devil's stronghold. Christ came hither to deliver this world from the detested sway of the powers of darkness. What a shout shall that be when men and angels shall unite to cry "Hallelujah, hallelujah, for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth!" What a satisfaction will it be in that day to have had a share in the fight, to have helped to break the arrows of the bow, and to have aided in winning the victory for our Lord! Happy are they who trust themselves with this conquering Lord, and who fight side by side with him, doing their little in his name and by his strength! How unhappy are those on the side of evil! It is a losing side, and it is a matter wherein to lose is to lose and to be lost forever. On whose side are you?
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Today's reading: Habakkuk 1-3, Revelation 15 (NIV)
View today's reading on Bible GatewayToday's Old Testament reading: Habakkuk 1-3
1 The prophecy that Habakkuk the prophet received.
Habakkuk’s Complaint
2 How long, LORD, must I call for help,
but you do not listen?
Or cry out to you, “Violence!”
but you do not save?
3 Why do you make me look at injustice?
Why do you tolerate wrongdoing?
Destruction and violence are before me;
there is strife, and conflict abounds.
4 Therefore the law is paralyzed,
and justice never prevails.
The wicked hem in the righteous,
so that justice is perverted....
but you do not listen?
Or cry out to you, “Violence!”
but you do not save?
3 Why do you make me look at injustice?
Why do you tolerate wrongdoing?
Destruction and violence are before me;
there is strife, and conflict abounds.
4 Therefore the law is paralyzed,
and justice never prevails.
The wicked hem in the righteous,
so that justice is perverted....
Today's New Testament reading: Revelation 15
Seven Angels With Seven Plagues
1 I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues—last, because with them God’s wrath is completed. 2 And I saw what looked like a sea of glass glowing with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and its image and over the number of its name. They held harps given them by God 3and sang the song of God’s servant Moses and of the Lamb:
“Great and marvelous are your deeds,Lord God Almighty.
Just and true are your ways,
King of the nations.
4 Who will not fear you, Lord,
and bring glory to your name?
For you alone are holy.
All nations will come
and worship before you,
for your righteous acts have been revealed....”
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EVE
While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born. - Luke 2:6
On the night before Jesus was born, the shepherds would have seen the night sky the way they had seen it thousands of times before. That was a quiet night, in stark contrast to the following night, when an angel would appear with "the glory of the Lord," announcing the birth of the child-then join with a great company of heavenly beings proclaiming glory and peace.
On the night before Christmas, in the year 1968, three men looked into the night sky also, but from an entirely different perspective. Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and William Anders, the crew of Apollo 8, were further away from the earth than any human had ever been. It was the first time a spacecraft had broken earth's orbit and ventured out one quarter of a million miles to orbit the moon. In an historic broadcast on that Christmas Eve, the astronauts beamed back to earth a video picture of a small blue disk, the earth, and spoke of the "vast loneliness" of space. Then, their voices crackled over the radio: "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was formless and void; and darkness was over the face of the deep."
There, on that small blue circle, the entire drama of human history has unfolded: the Creation, the Fall, war, exploration, feast and famine, marriage and divorce, birth and death. And to that blue circle God came, at just the right time, to begin to make things right in the human race.
Wherever you are, whatever you are doing, Christmas Eve is a time when we approach that dividing line in human history, the doorway from BC to AD, the revolution begun by the Son of God's entry into the world. Sometimes you know when you're on the eve of something big (your wedding, moving to a new home, adopting a child), and sometimes you don't. Every Christmas Eve we know we are about to mark the moment when Immanuel came.
So on the night before Christmas, find a quiet moment when you can think about what was about to happen in Bethlehem so many years ago. Think about all the ways you need someone to be your savior-someone who has the strength, the wisdom, the virtue, that you know you cannot come up with on your own.
Prayer for today:
God, thank you that, with millions of other people around the world, I can anticipate and celebrate the moment when you joined yourself to the human race to offer us our only hope for salvation.
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