“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. ” (Col 3:16)
Personal,Friday, December 09, 2005
Toshiba is helping kids get Christmas presents this year by participating
in the Family Giving Tree, an organization that fulfills Christmas wishes
for children who would otherwise go without gifts.
Here’s how it works. Christmas tags are displayed in the lunch break room.
Each tag has a little information about the child; name, age, and their
gift wish. Employees can choose a tag and go Christmas shopping for the
child. Employees bring the gift and tag back to Toshiba. The gifts are
collected, wrapped and distributed by the Family Giving Tree organization.
Check out the warehouse—donated by Cisco—filled with gifts. It’s an
amazing sight. Imagine how big a Christmas tree you would need for all
those gifts!
http://www.familygivingtree.org/pics04.htm
Christianity,Thursday, December 08, 2005
Christmas is falling on a Sunday this year. Many churches are not holding a Christmas day service. Many churches are holding a Christmas day service.
Our church, Church on the Hill, is holding a Christmas day service. It will be Christmas morning, during the time that most kids are exploding at the seams, ready to open their presents. What should the Church do on a day like this, when it falls on the sacred Sunday?
It’s no secret that Christmas has become a very secular holiday. Even Christians who know the religious significance and importance of Christmas loose sight of the real reason for the season. Jesus Christ was born into the world. Sometimes it seems like the Christmas songs we hear on secular radio have more heartfelt acknowledgement of Christ’s birth.
Let be real, it’s Christ’s birthday. What better way to celebrate Christ’s birthday than to get together with the body of Christ, our brother’s and sisters in Christ, and have a huge morning celebration. Is it more appropriate that we all wake up and gather around a tree and think about which present is for me? Let’s compare the option, celebrate Christ’s birthday with his beloved Church? Or think only about my family and open presents for me and my family?
There’s an article about this Subject, Mega Churches to Close Door on Christmas Sunday at The Christian Post. James Bratt, a historian at Calvin College commented:
“It’s a sign of how totally identified with the culture [evangelicals have] become,” Bratt said. “The church has subordinated to cultural icons, and family is one of them. ... The logic of that is you should celebrate the holiday in its true sanctuary, which is the home.”
It’s not often than Christmas falls on Sunday. It’s truly special to honor Jesus’s birthday with fellow believers. It’s a good message to our kids and to ourselve, to step away from thinking about ourselves and our family, and put Jesus at the top of our Christmas day celebration. After all, he is the reason for the season.
Discuss this in our forums
News,Tuesday, December 06, 2005
San Jose State University (SJSU) and the San Jose Public Library (SJPL) joined forces to create the King library in downtown San Jose. It has a lot of accolades, largest west of the Missisipi, $170 million dollar price tag, one of a handful jointly run by both public and university systems, 12,000 visitors a day.
It’s an impressive building. I attended SJSU for Computer Engineering, so I’m familiar with the SJSU library books. I also visited the old downtown SJPL, so I was familiar with their books. When the new building was finished, I felt it was an amazing building, but it just seemed like a new building with a bunch of old books.
Today, they are continuing to struggle with finances for expanding the book collection. Many students who used to go to the student union to hang out are now in the library. Many people from the public are coming to enjoy the new library. A total of 12,000 visitors a day creates a very expensive staff to manage all the people. The SJSU and SJPL staff had wanted more money to go the books rather than employees. This is their biggest issue they are addressing today.
The retired dean, Sean Breivik had this final not to say about the library in an article posted on the library website
Finally, Breivik notes the potential impact on children and minorities and low-income adults who come to the library and are introduced to a college environment. “When you come in from the city side and look through the atrium,” she says, “you see the campus. What that’s saying to families where no one’s gone to college is: You can get a college education that’s only one step beyond your public library. To me, that is architecturally the most important message this building gives out.”
Many other institutions around the country are watching to see if this library is a success. Let’s hope that they can get the funding and the books needed. So far, local voting has been very favorable to approve funding for libraries, let’s hope it continues. I have a few books checked out and overdue. Aside from the taxes I pay, I’ll be contributing my $2.00 late fee. 
Christianity,Monday, December 05, 2005
Has something coincidental ever happen to you and you think—there’s no such thing as coincidence, because God has planned all things?
Well, if you are a Christian, you might have felt a little negatively about the word coincidence. But really, the word does have a place in the Christian vocabulary.
Here’s the definition from http://www.dictionary.com
co?in?ci?dence ( P ) Pronunciation Key (k-ns-dns, -dns)
n.
1. The state or fact of occupying the same relative position or area in space.
2. A sequence of events that although accidental seems to have been planned or arranged
So really, the definition of coincidence is percectly okay for the Christian. The word we want to stay away from is chance. For in God’s world, nothing is left to chance.
chance :
1. A.The unknown and unpredictable element in happenings that seems to have no assignable cause.
B. force assumed to cause events that cannot be foreseen or controlled; luck: Chance will determine the outcome.
2. The likelihood of something happening; possibility or probability. Often used in the plural: Chances are good that you will win. Is there any chance of rain?
3. An accidental or unpredictable event.
Christianity,Monday, December 05, 2005
Did you know it is illegal to hand out food to the homeless?
First Baptist, Church on the Hill Junior High Minisitry decided we would bake some goodies and sell the to the congregation. The proceeds would be used to purchase lunch food that we would pass out to the homeless. It was quite an effort. We spent an evening baking, a Sunday morning selling the items, and a Sunday morning assembling the lunches. When we arrive at the park, a police officer promptly greeted us and told us we could not pass out lunches to the homeless in James Park downtown San Jose.
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