Rationalize Depression?

I’ve tried to understand and rationalize depression but I’m not certain it (depression) can be rationalized by the very nature of what it is. The feelings of sadness can be normal but sometimes when those feelings go beyond a quick moment here and a moment there, it’s time to wake up and take a closer look at it. I won’t try to make sense of it here or help you to make sense of the bleakness but I do know there are times the weight is surprisingly limited and occasionally nearly gone. Different things can trigger “up” times and for some maybe nothing triggers a stabilized moment but when it occurs, seize the opportunity and take advantage of it! It’s during these times I would like to take a closer look.
Much can be accomplished during these limited windows of “up” times toward the breaking out of the “blackness” or "bleakness" as I’ll refer to it for now. I realize that that last sentence probably read like a complete mindless mental piece of jargon but it sums up what I’m trying to write in a nutshell. During UP times; those feelings of stability, one should use this time wisely to attempt to overcome the blackness or at least minimize it before it returns. It’s not easy to do this and I speak to myself first when I say it but the thing I want to point your attention to next MUST be done during UP and DOWN times. What is this you ask? Pray. That’s right, cry out to God for a way through the blackness and be thankful all the time. I'm sure many of us do the first part anyways whenever something sad happens....we might pray. Pray all the time. Pray during the UP times and be thankful at all costs. Take careful notice and attention of your thankfulness level during the BLACK or DOWN times. I’ve seen a trend in my prayers during UP times and those DOWN ones. I’ll be feeling awful and things will be BLACK in my mind and so I get angry, frustrated and upset and then maybe I’ll cry out to God for help to put and end to it....…the end. Next, I’ll be feeling stable and maybe today is actually looking UP overall so then I’ll throw a prayer out telling God I’m thankful for my food before I eat and for a couple aspects of my life that are ok.....the end. I think you get the picture.
Feeling Stable/Good= lapses in prayer, neglect of prayer completely, rushed praying and Feeling Bad/unstable=prayers of: Help me I’m dying!
Ok….together we can try to change that after you’ve read this so prayer looks closer to something like this:
Feeling Bad/Unstable=Prayer of genuine thankfulness (not in the circumstance necessarily) but for knowing Christ and what He has done in the whole scheme of things and adding a prayer of helplessness with the genuine desire to serve Him during this time.
Feeling Stable/Good= Prayer of genuine thankfulness and helplessness. Prayer for God’s help which only He will provide and a desire to serve Him during this time.

Finally, don’t forget to read the Bible.
If you have difficulty digging into the Word on any given day, then perhaps getting a copy of an encouraging biblically sound devotional to read every day is a great start to daily Bible study. There are many to choose from. I recommend one which includes a further study section such as is found in the devotional Drawing Near by John MacArthur (Free Daily Reading). If you know of one which has encouraged you to dig into the Scripture, I would be glad to post it on my website.

Devote yourselves to prayer; stay alert in it with thanksgiving. Colossians 4:2

Is Santa Claus Real?

For some time, there was a movie I had looked forward to watching and so I was recently able to view it. The movie is called The Polar Express. After seeing it, I now think differently about one thing: Santa Claus is real. In fact, I believe in Santa Claus and so should you, here's why.

Christmas time and the days around Christmas is a time we spend giving and getting gifts along with showering one another with kisses, hugs and love. It's all generally a wonderful time, yet this is not what Christmas is truly about. Actually, it should be a time we remember Christ and what He has done for us. In truth, our emphasis should only be on Jesus Christ at all times and days of the year (all 365 of em) and reflecting on whom He is. Unfortunately, this isn't something commonly done today even among so-called followers of Christ.

I'll be the first to confess I don't take the time I should, to remember and thank God for His gift to me for dying in my place, as a sinner, and thanking Him for the many blessings He gives which exist in my life. Why do I forget or neglect to do this? Do you?

One reason is because there is a war going on. I don't mean the war in the Middle East or between Democrats and Republicans or between the terrorists and what is right, good and just, (although these wars are symptoms of what I speak of). The one I'm referring to is a war not fought with flesh and blood but is spiritual in nature and the devil is at war with the One who created you and I and all that is around us. His name is Jesus. The devil hates God, righteousness and ultimately he despises it when one repents of sin and puts his/her trust in the only One who can save them from hell and eternal damnation (meant for the devil and his angels). He doesn't want us to trust in Jesus Christ and make Christ the Lord of our lives.

Satan seeks to make truth obscured. I've heard it said and you may have too, that a counterfeit 20 dollar bill isn't a counterfeit unless it looks authentic enough to be real. The closer the devil gets to the truth, without actually becoming or showing the whole truth, the more difficult his scheme is to detect and the more apt we are to falling into his trap. The Bible points to the sacrifice of what God has done for us in sending Christ Jesus to die for us. Satan knows clearly who God truly is. His battle is with God and so naturally he will want to make it difficult for us, as God's creation, to see who God truly is, what he has to say to us and what His plan is for us through Christ. Satan hopes to mask God's truth. What better way to attempt to mask who Christ is as Prince of Peace and the Savior of the world than through pagan ritual, false religion and so much other stuff? How about adding things we as humans must do in order to get something back? And in order to get salvation or to earn a place in heaven? One problem is that salvation is a gift so it can't be earned. He saved us, not because of the good things we did, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins and gave us a new life through the Holy Spirit. (Titus 3:5 nlt) Any other belief system on the earth will teach us we can do something "good" to earn something else. Maybe this is why "naughty or nice" makes so much sense everybody! However, God says we are enemies of Him from our birth through our wickedness. This means it's our natural tendency to do wrong and anger God. We can do nothing to earn salvation. It's only through the sacrifice God alone could make and did make for us on the cross. He has given his life (in Jesus Christ the only sinless man) for us so that we might have life.

Lets look at a perfect diversion to seeking Christ. Satan is in a battle so why not "compete" with Jesus and call this diversion Santa Claus and make him "jolly" and a "gift giver" and one who knows "whether you've been good or bad". Seems reasonable and harmless enough for sure? I say he is not harmless because we don't seek out who Jesus Christ is as we should and it gives us a chance to be sidetracked from God. Santa is an excellent opportunity to divert our attention away from our Maker and worst of all, teach our kids a lie. Why not be truthful with our kids? How can a lie be harmless? It sure seems harmless when he's wrapped up in a red and white suit and he's even got gifts, doesn't it? So many gifts!! For us! And who doesn't love toys. Amazing. Satan knows lies. Satan knows what we like too. The Bible says he's the father of lies so we shouldn't be surprised if we read God's word.

Back to The Polar Express. There are many fantastic graphical sequences and animations proving a fair amount of money was given to this feature film. I was actually mesmerized by the elaborate production. And all for what? Surely not to propagate a lie to kids?
Essentially what we learn from Santa Claus and other commercialization’s of Christmas is that lying is fine....but only if it packaged to "look" ok to others and has many benefits to you or I. Colorful presents can't hurt either. However, a lie is a lie is a lie is a lie and God sees lying as breaking His commands as seen in the Ten Commandments. Have you ever lied? Listen to your conscience. God hates lying and sin in general. Who hasn't lied (sinned)? Through this batte, we see Satan is fighting God here and pulling in as many who will follow his evil ways rather than to seek out truth. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father except through Him. There is only one truth of who Christ is and what He has done for us on the cross. When we didn't deserve life, God came to earth to die for our sins of (lying, stealing, looking with lust, etc. ). He did it through Jesus Christ to pay the penalty for sin, a penalty we could never be able to pay. He rose again on the third day defeating death and sin. There is only one reason for the season. His name is Jesus.

The birth of Jesus Christ came about this way: After His mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, before they came together, she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. So Joseph, her husband, being a righteous man, and not wanting to disgrace her publicly, decided to divorce her secretly. But after he had considered these things, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, don't be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to name Him Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins." Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: See, the virgin will be with child and give birth to a son, and they will name Him Immanuel, which is translated "God is with us." When Joseph woke up from his sleep, he did as the Lord's angel had commanded him. He took his wife home, but he did not know her intimately until she gave birth to a son. And he named Him Jesus. Matthew 1: 18-25

Do you know the temperature?

Call me kooky...but I'm cold and know exactly why. How cold is it? It all depends on the temperature. My theory is that one should always have access to a thermometer in order to have this valuable information at their finger tips. It could save a life too. In fact, I almost didn't know it was literally below freezing until I noticed the temperature to be almost 15 degrees. I could've frozen to death. Right now it's about 10 degrees. Ok, so this may seem kind of silly...but on a serious note...if you happen to be driving and you have a vehicle thermometer that displays outside temperature, then you'll know at a glance if the road might be icy or simply frozen solid.

Now I realize that in some parts of the country, such as where this picture was taken in South Dakota, it probably will be below freezing much of the winter whether one knows the exact temperature or not. In this case, the thermometer might not be all that helpful.
However, there is another reason why you should have instant access to temperature data. Should you park your car or truck outside, the thermometer can remind you of one's stupidity in not filling up the washer fluid with special fluid that will not freeze and before the water freezes in the line while the outside temperature was still above freezing. This bit of knowledge can save you valuable time as you try to start your vehicle and need to use the windshield wipers to clean off your frozen ice-glazed windshield. It just so happens one desperately needs that special de-icing/cleaning fluid to clean off windshield from the sand and snow that accumulates for every yard or two of driving on the mucky roads. Each glance at your thermometer will remind you....yes, it is really cold out there!! (Unless of course you don't live where it gets cold...then you can live warm and in awe of those who look forward to contending with snow, sleet and ice each winter.)

One other thing if you live where it gets icy......you might not want to attempt to start your vehicle if it's older than 1995 and the temp drops below zero..... just a thought. My truck is only a 1994 model and it usually starts on at least the third attempt. It might not stay running but at least it starts!
Stay warm this winter and don't forget check the thermometer.