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December 21, 2008
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=========================== TODAY'S ARTICLE ==========================
A Time of w00t, by Ron Rose
Warm up: Out of the Shallows
One of the things I love about the English language is its ability to
morph, to ad lib, to accept new words. Last year the word
"Merriam-Webster Dictionary" chose as word of the year is a great
example of the new and unusual. At first I thought it was a typo, but
it's not: "w00t."
W00t is: "expressing joy (it could be after a triumph, or for no reason
at all); similar in use to the word 'yay.'" This word comes from the
world of geekdom, where numbers are often used for letters. Video
gamers use the word. It is an exclamation of joy, often upon the
completion of a task or the besting of an opponent.
Some say it's a great expression of pure enjoyment and unvarnished joy.
So, "W00t to the world, the Lord has come." Thank God, he was willing
to risk.
Have a w00t filled Christmas!
Inspiration: Into the Deep
There were just too many people; the little village was overwhelmed.
Mary and Joseph had to settle for a make do, cave-stable on the edge of
town. She was weary, separated from family, and feeling the pains of
labor. Everything was strange and new to her. Was this the way she was
supposed to feel? Was it supposed to hurt this much? Was it supposed to
take this long?
Alone, but not forgotten, she gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, a
helpless incarnation of the Creator, himself. So it began.
Jesus spent his first night wrapped in human skin sleeping in a
hay-filled feed trough. While the God of creation was getting used to
human limitations like breathing and crying, Bethlehem slept. The God
who created time placed his future in the unproven and inexperienced
hands of a teenage girl. The plan was risky.
The Savior of the world, the Messiah, the Christ, the Prince of Peace,
the Son of God, was sleeping in an ordinary stable on the edge of a
tiny little village, in a troublesome province of the Roman Empire.
Nobody knew that this birth would change everything, everywhere.
Did it work?
Finally, heaven could not keep quiet. The nameless shepherds heard the
news. They were stunned by the dazzling brightness filling the sky
around them. The news was incredible, "The Messiah has come." They had
to go; they had to see for themselves.
On that night centuries ago, God opened the windows of heaven, and for
a brief moment ordinary shepherds could glimpse the glory of heaven
itself. Have you ever wondered why it was that shepherds were given
this gift? Why not the religious leaders, the Sanhedrin, the
politicians, the prominent people, the powerful people? Perhaps they
were too busy looking down on others, to look up to God? Or, maybe they
couldn't see God's world, because their eyes were too focused on their
world.
Jesus traded the joys of heaven and the power of the Creator to become
the created. He gave up everything for the willing arms of a novice
mother, from an ordinary town, in a forgotten corner of the world. Yes,
the plan was filled with risk.
Did it work?
Game Plan: Living Beyond Yourself
If you miss the w00t, you have discounted the plan. Your task this week
is simple find w00t each day ... Look for the Jesus; he is still here.
---------
(c) 2008 FaithFitness and Ron Rose <ron@faithfitness.net>.
RELATED LINKS:
* Nativity Set
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/199912/19991223_nativity.html
* The Place of Christmas
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200612/20061223_placeofchristmas.html
* Hope and Joy
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200504/20050416_hopejoy.html
* Faith Fitness
http://www.faithfitness.net
This article can be found on the web at:
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200812/20081221_w00t.html
=========================== FEATURED PRODUCT =========================
HOUSE, by Frank Peretti & Ted Dekker
Best-selling authors Peretti and Dekker join forces for an
adrenaline-laced thriller!
http://shopping.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/link?222
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