One of the biggest topics of discussion on New Year’s day was concern about next New Year’s day . . . Would we all be sitting around in the dark trying to keep warm?

If everyone agrees that there could be a potential Y2K problem, the logical solution is to prepare.

Plan for the worst, hope for the best.

But that will not be enough if a segment of society has not been following the discussion and is unprepared.

The most honest thing the government can do is alert people that there is a potential problem, give them guidelines on preparation, and hope that people take it seriously.

But as Christians, what is the correct response to Y2K? Should we adopt a bunker mentality or should we be seeing this as a chance to truly practice the teachings of Christ.

If every Christian family is prepared for themselves and one other family, there should be no major problems in survival.

A national blackout might just force people to get to know their neighbors, turn off the T.V., and get back to the basics of personal relationships. Maybe the motto for Y2K should be, Prepare to Share.

If you listen to the words of the old Christmas Carols you will notice that not only are they heralding the arrival of the Savior, the new born King . . . they are introducing unbelievers to Him.

Joy to the world . . . not just to Christians . . . let earth receive her king. Let every heart prepare Him room. This is an invitation . . . not a commandment.

Even nature is implored to sing His praises.

Joy to the earth, the savior reigns . . . while fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains repeat the sounding joy.

And the message is timeless. In Bethlehem, the hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.

When Christ was born, there was no Catholic or Protestant or denominational conflict. Christ fulfilled God’s promise to the Jews, but his salvation is a gift to the entire world.

The most priceless and enduring gift you can share with someone is a personal relationship with the one whose birthday we celebrate today . . . Christ, the newborn King.

This is Nina May and the Renaissance Women wishing you a blessed Christmas.

What is it about the Christmas season that seems to make people a little cheerier? It can’t be the long lines in the mall, or the crowded parking lots.

Many say it is the look of delight on the face of a young child as they behold their first Christmas tree. Or maybe it is just being able to get off work for a few extra days.

But whatever it is, there is something that we tend to overlook. This is the day the world celebrates the birth of the Son of God.

You can be sure that the same angels that heralded His birth 2,000 years ago, don’t miss the opportunity to party . . . in their own angelic way.

The Bible says we fight not against flesh and blood but against principalities of darkness, thus the need for the Ephesians 6:10 set of armor.

That means all believers are in that daily battle . . . but our spirits are also lifted when the heavenly host celebrates.

The season might be the reason we feel so happy at Christmas, but with so much angelic activity around us, some of that joy and peace is bound to rub off on us.

This is Nina May reminding you that Christ is the reason for the season.

What is it about the name Jesus that get’s everyone so exorcized?

People are told that can’t say it at work, kids can’t type it on their computers at school or even wear T-shirts with it on them.

Landlord’s can’t advertise for tenants by saying simply, If you love Jesus too, we’d love to have you as a renter.

Of course they could say, If you love cats, or horses, or trees, then it wouldn’t be a problem.

So what is it about that name that just seems to get everyone so upset?

It can’t be that it is religious because other people can mention Mohamed and Buddha and Mary Baker Eddy and L. Ron Hubbard, and well, just about any other name associated with religion . . . just not the name of Jesus.

Could it be that maybe that name really has power like the Bible says? And maybe the people that keep Jesus’ name out of public discourse know just how powerful it really is.

They must know something they don’t want everyone else to know . . . that there is something about that name . . .

This is Nina May and the Renaissance Women reminding you that Jesus loves you, and that is the difference.

The Bible says to be either hot for God or cold against Him, because if you are lukewarm, He will spit you out of His mouth.

That means even God hates mediocrity.

There are so many people proud of the fact that they are politically moderate. What does that mean?

It only tells the rest of us that they have no belief system, no absolutes, and they hate controversial issues that divide us.

What they fail to understand is that we are already divided.

There are those who believe in moral absolutes and those who don’t.

Those who believe in God as a supreme being and those who reject him.

Those who accept the forgiveness of Christ and those who feel they have nothing to be forgiven for.

If you are in the middle of the road on any issue considered divisive, just remember. . . The only thing you find in the middle of the road are yellow lines and dead chickens.

And if you believe in nothing, you will fall for anything . . . oh and one more . . . sometimes you can be so open-minded that your brains fall out.

This is Nina May and the Renaissance Women challenging you reject mediocrity.

This article is marked for review due to fact checking.

http://prayerfoundation.org/favoritemonks/favorite_monks_telemachus_coliseum.htm

During the second century, Christians were still being persecuted in Rome. The sport of feeding them to lions or having the Gladiators kill them like animals, was common.

A monk named Telemachus, happened upon one of these arenas and was appalled by what he saw.

He was a small man in stature and old in years, but his feebleness did not prohibit the passion of the Lord to rise up in him.

He went out into the middle of the arena, held up his hands in front of a Gladiator, who was about to kill an innocent man for sport, and said, “Forebear in the name of the Lord . . . forebear.”

For a moment there was stunned silence, and then the Caesar motioned for the warrior to kill the monk so the games could continue.

The Gladiator ran him through with his spear. Then slowly, without any prompting, the people started leaving the stadium, until no one was left.

And it was that day that the sport of killing Christians ended.

It took one person with courage to look at the face of death and not shrink from what was right.

It usually only takes one person to change the course of history . . . for good or evil.

For many rebirth or renewal means a spiritual awakening. But for others it means a second chance not just in God’s eyes, but in the eyes of society.

When King David set his eyes upon Bathsheba, a whole set of consequences were placed in motion. Were they irreversible? Some of them were.

The death of Bathsheba’s husband and even the death of the first child she conceived with David…. But there was also redemption.

When David was confronted with the consequences of his actions he fell on his face before the Lord begging for forgiveness.

He knew he was unworthy to receive it, yet he knew God was merciful enough to give it. And a sign of his pure forgiveness, was unmistakable.

They gave birth to one of the wisest men ever to live . . . Solomon.

So for God . . . the past was forgotten, it was behind them, and forgiveness was made manifest in the birth of a very special child.

This shows that even the darkest of sins are forgivable, and there is redemption in all circumstances . . . if we seek God and accept His mercy for us.

When Charles Lindbergh flew over the Atlantic for the first time in history, he was not doing it to be a hero, or to get a good book deal, or have a movie made of him . . . he was doing it because he knew it could be done.

He spent three lonely days fighting the elements and exhaustion. No one really expected him to succeed and many were already declaring him dead.

He expected to have trouble getting papers when he landed in Europe and was worried about where he would get money.

He had no idea that all of France was energized by his approach for landing and the whole world cheered his success.

He was shocked at the response to his feat because the opposition had been so great.

He had been scorned, rebuked, chided and received very little help from people who should have believed in him. But he did it.

He beat the odds and then everyone wanted a piece of him, of his plane, of his life.

His reward for accomplishing the impossible was notoriety that he never sought.

The Bible verse that parallels this story is, Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and all these things will be added unto you.