The Best Christmas Gift

How many gifts are ignored while the child plays with the packaging? Yet, even when we focus on the Christ at Christmas, we often get no further than the packaging—angels, manger, shepherds, etc.

The true gift of Christmas is eternal life. This life is in God’s Son. No one gets one without the other. And the life is the purpose of the Son. He came that we might have life and have it more abundantly. (John 10:10)

The gift is free to us, but it cost the Son his own life: we have been bought with his blood (the life is in the blood).

There are two aspects to receiving this gift of eternal life: first we must acknowledge that we need eternal life. He came “to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:10)

Secondly we need to place our trust in Him as our rescuer. He came “to give His life a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45)

His promise is that “as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name….” (John 1:18)

Missing Out

What good are our eyes, if we don't look?

http://deltackett.com/2009/09/03/oblivious-to-grandeur/#more-1433

Just Read

I just read a marvelous little book by David Gregory, entitled Dinner with a Perfect Stranger. It’s the imaginary account of a businessman who receives and invitation to a nice restaurant to share a meal with Jesus of Nazareth. While the style of the story is somewhat akin to Twilight Zone, the reality and freshness ring true-to-life. Of course, that would usually apply to Twilight Zone, as well.

P.S.

I hereby promise that I, Terry Purtell, will henceforth write and publish a new post for this blog at least once per annum. You may take that for a warning, if you wish.

Getting the Big Picture

I wanted to name this "The Big Picture", but that would be too pretentious. I am unqualified for that topic. It's really a stretch to name it "Getting the Big Picture", but (although I haven't arrived) I am on that journey.

I have only recently discovered how overwhelmingly important the big picture is in every aspect of life. I have been aware of some of the narrower facets of the big picture--looking farther ahead rather than closer when driving, scanning the table of contents before starting most books, trying to listen before starting a conversation. (I don't think that is paradoxical.) What has struck me is how pervasive this need is, especially for me. If there is such a thing as perspective deficit, I must have it.

Therefore, my purpose here is to chronicle, muse, puzzle over, and wonder (note the "o") about my own process of learning about getting the big picture.