Tuesday Tunes: Christmas Style

I am not sure about you but I often forget what the true meaning behind a lot of Christmas songs. I have been singing them for as long as I can remember so sometimes we just take them for granted which is a shame. So this week I want to take a long at one song that I enjoy myself and when you look at it closely you realize how much theology is in it! That song is Hark! The Herald Angels Sing  which is a song I am sure you all know.

"Hark! The herald angels sing,

Glory to the newborn king;

Peace on earth and mercy mild,

God and sinners reconciled!"

Right in the first verse just shows the reason for the season! We are given new life because God sent his only Son to save us. "made peace through the blood of His cross" Colossians 1:20 And no this song is not telling the Harkisheimer family to listen up.

Though to my it is the final verse that really jumps out and shows the true meaning of Christmas.

"Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace!

Hail the Son of Righteousness!

Light and life to all He brings

Ris'n with healing in His wings

Mild he lays His glory by

Born that man no more may die

Born to raise the sons of earth

Born to give them second birth

Hark! The herald angels sing

Glory to the newborn King!"

To me there is so much great theology in there. "Light and life to all He brings" is just so awesome because here in the middle of winter, when it is literally the darkest time of the year He comes and brings us light. In the dark is when we need the light the most. He absoultely came and gave us a second birth, he gave us another chance to have a relationship with God "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" 2 Corinthians 5:17. 

I don't want to bore you to death so I encourage to look at this song more and other Christmas songs you constantly sing to see what the message behind them is!

Jr High Weekend 2014

After a crazy and tiring weekend of trying to entertain middle-schoolers I feel like I have finally stabilized (mentally and physically). For those of  you that don't know every year the Jr High takes a trip to Delanco one weekend early in December. This past weekend was my first and I have to say it was an absolute blast.

We started the weekend with an awesome night game thanks to Mike, where I got to be the Winter Soldier and fight Danny who was Captain America. All the kids had a blast running around camp at night while Mike and I chased them.

The next day we did some cleanup around camp and no one died which was awesome. We played manhunt again and later did some target practice with old tiles and softballs. Smashing and breaking things is always a blast regardless of how it happens.

Overall the weekend was one that the kids really got a lot out of which is awesome. I could see kids not only grow closer to each other but to God as well which is what we were there for after all. I have to say that I did feel like I grew closer to God as well. Most retreats I am always caught up in getting the message across to these kids that I forget the messages they can show us. That just goes to show how awesome the kids are that I get to work with. I know I miss seeing you all at Launch every week!

Feel free to comment your favorite part of the weekend!

No Man Is An Island

So Tenth Avenue North came out with a new album a few weeks ago and this was the first single off of it.

Here is what Mike Donehey has to say about this song:

"We need each other. How else are we ever gonna love like God unless we're forced to love people who don't deserve it? God loves us undeservingly, and then He invites us to love in the same way. If we want to participate in the Divine, then we need to come off our islands and come back to the shore"

This gives us another perspective on Mark 12:31 "The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself." 

Sometimes we judge and hate others because they are different but we need to realize that Jesus loves every single person on this planet. We should try to do the same. 

-Jack