Into the Fire

                                    Merry CHRISTmas!

There's a journey toward heaven many people make. Or attempt to take. It's a point in time when they must consider themselves more than a two dimensional being. If they choose to admit or desire to be more than just the skin and bones and the intellect and emotions, it usually means they will investigate what a spiritual being looks like, feels like, and ultimately what that individual will do in life once this concept is embraced.

What many people will fail to do is to go looking for Jesus. They will seek rituals, rules, practices, ideals, and general theologies for the simple reason that life has felt out of control for them. Of course it is. For all of us. But it's not something that all these idelogies will correct, although some people will be pacified by them and allow them to provide justification for whatever their laws demand.

There is a simple beauty, often too simple for some to believe, that alleviates the multiple forms of investigations in this journey. It is the Truth. The one few actually choose because of its miraculous but simple admission and format. And the fact is the Truth isn't a concept or a practice or a ritual. The Truth is Jesus. God, man, Spirit. Jesus Christ. The Way to heaven, the Life who overcomes eternal death for which we are all destined without Him, and the Truth about all things physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual.

People protest the "fairy-tale" of a miraculous God whose Son came down to earth from heaven to live among men and ultimately give His pure, unstained life as a ransom for the human race, enabling anyone who accepts His sacrifice for them and acknowledges their sins, asking forgiveness, and deciding to surrender to the One who loves them above all others. That's it? some ask. Well, there is an endless well of spiritual renewal to follow, an awakening where suddenly even the tragic ugliness makes sense – albeit to no one's liking – and the influx of understanding continues in great depths if the person who has turned to Jesus allows himself to walk forward with the Savior.

Some find that the world is too complex for such simplicity and disallow it in their lives. In their sinful hearts, they perceive there must be ritual or works to salve their guilt. Others refuse to take ownership of their black interior and insist "goodness" can be manufactured, in other words "man-made", yet they ignore the continual status of this earth since the first note of history was recorded, relying on the lies of evolutionary conduct in "millions or billions" of years to finally solve the inevitable problems of mankind. In this short-sighted evaluation they fail to realize mankind hasn't changed in all of the time allotted to its admittance on earth in spite of their unrealistic and impossible assessments.

Looking for Jesus can be a meaningful journey but needn't be long and filled with myth, superstition, and magic. His coming was written about hundreds of years before He arrived. As was His sacrificial death. His eye witnesses documented His time here and those of us who found Him in our journeys – when really He "found" us – can tell you He's as real as the air we breathe, the love we pursue, the food we consume. He is, was, and always will be. Unchanging. Real. Waiting. He did the dirty work for an undeserving creation. All God asks is that the human race acknowledge the huge price paid for them to get to an eternal heaven. And embrace Jesus.

The essence of the Christmas season is seeing the arrival of Jesus, the One who would save us from the terrible penalty of sin, the One who gave it all, experiencing the degradation of humanity only to rescue everyone who chooses to follow Him. It's marvelous, miraculous, and majestic.

Looking for Jesus? Look no further than the yearnings of your heart.

Thank you, Jesus. It's never enough.  

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger."

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

     "Glory to God in the highest,

      and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds retruned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Luke 2:8-20 (NIV)

For whatever reason, by design, genre, or insufficient access to money or imagination, few television series dramas can muster "having it all". From costumes, set designs, hues and colors, stunning photography, even future episode previews to perfect casting, great acting and creative direction with character understanding/development, superb dialogue and original/provocative writing and editing, and a carefully scripted inclusion of poignant soundtracks, Reckless had it all. The CBS summer replacement series kept upping its game and culminated in a two-part, same night dynamite Series Finale. As it stands, Reckless ended its run in the shocking Series Finale, leaving viewers in desperate need of a Season Two.  

Although Reckless was initially promoted as a southern steamy evening soap opera, Reckless proved to be so much more.The "steam" diminished and was replaced by the much more desirable UST (Unresolved Sexual Tension). There were definite flare-ups of the sexual scenes because of the overall defining theme of the first season focusing on the wrongful termination/defamation of character trial of Lee Anne Marcus v. the City of Charleston and the CPD. As her character became more exposed, we watched as she wielded her sexuality like a powerful weapon, intoxicating men and bringing them under her spell.

Creator and writer of Reckless Dana Stevens closed the season with a knockout punch preceded by writer Corey Miller's tantalizing set-up power jabs. Their Season Finale efforts activated shock and awe from Reckless viewers and have successfully spawned the #RenewReckless campaign for a Season Two.

Although I enjoy several CBS dramas, few contain every possible element of creativity – not that they all should. However, the fact that all of these amazing elements weren't only included in Reckless but were so exceptionally done is not only surprising for a summer replacement, it's generally unheard of in TV dramas. From Dana Stevens to the Sander/Moses duo to the producers, actors, writers, editors, directors, casting crew, camera crews, costumers, sound technicians, and the multitude of people who worked hard to make this show great: you did a fantastic job. You deserve another chance to keep the excellence going, but I must admit it will be very difficult to sustain such a high level of performance at all levels. 

Thank you to all of you for producing such quality TV with such riveting drama.

Father, you give all the talents and gifts to us. I pray each one would be thankful for the blessings you've given them in creating their lives. Thank you, God. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

No other thriller hero is as exceptional as Mitch Rapp. Yes, Agent Scot Harvath is a character full of spunk and guts, but really in the world of espionage and total lack of political "correctness", there has never been anyone like Mitch Rapp created by the late and wonderfully talented Vince Flynn. So for readers of Vince's amazing novels, author Kyle Mills has taken his time to continue the construction of Vince's next book in the series of which Vince had not been able to write a great deal due to his terminal cancer. May he do Vince Flynn and Mitch Rapp proud with his efforts.  

Father, you gave us Vince for a short space of time and loaded him up with an important role in novel writing. Thank you for the blessing he was to those of us who value such amazing talent and insight into important things of this day. Let him know how much he was loved, Jesus. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Father, your beauty is portrayed in so many ways. Your generosity, grace, and mercy in lovely pictures. Christmas tells us all of your love and beauty. Thank you, Jesus, for giving us you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" – which means, "God with us."

When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And He gave him the name Jesus.

Matthew 1:18-25 (NIV)

Netflix just aired the brief one season of Reckless. People who'd never heard of it, never saw it advertised on CBS, have become solid fans and have joined the #RenewReckless brigade. Really baffling how this one got canceled.

Father, you provide the talent. It's amazing what people can do with it. It's a shame when it's overlooked. Please bless those who work so hard to do things well. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

#RenewReckless

For whatever reason, by design, genre, or insufficient access to money or imagination, few television series dramas can muster "having it all". From costumes, set designs, hues and colors, stunning photography, even future episode previews to perfect casting, great acting and creative direction with character understanding/development, superb dialogue and original/provocative writing and editing, and a carefully scripted inclusion of poignant soundtracks, Reckless had it all. The CBS summer replacement series kept upping its game and culminated in a two-part, same night dynamite Series Finale. As it stands, Reckless ended its run in the shocking Series Finale, leaving viewers in desperate need of a Season Two.  

Although Reckless was initially promoted as a southern steamy evening soap opera, Reckless proved to be so much more.The "steam" diminished and was replaced by the much more desirable UST (Unresolved Sexual Tension). There were definite flare-ups of the sexual scenes because of the overall defining theme of the first season focusing on the wrongful termination/defamation of character trial of Lee Anne Marcus v. the City of Charleston and the CPD. As her character became more exposed, we watched as she wielded her sexuality like a powerful weapon, intoxicating men and bringing them under her spell.

Creator and writer of Reckless Dana Stevens closed the season with a knockout punch preceded by writer Corey Miller's tantalizing set-up power jabs. Their Season Finale efforts activated shock and awe from Reckless viewers and have successfully spawned the #RenewReckless campaign for a Season Two.

Although I enjoy several CBS dramas, few contain every possible element of creativity – not that they all should. However, the fact that all of these amazing elements weren't only included in Reckless but were so exceptionally done is not only surprising for a summer replacement, it's generally unheard of in TV dramas. From Dana Stevens to the Sander/Moses duo to the producers, actors, writers, editors, directors, casting crew, camera crews, costumers, sound technicians, and the multitude of people who worked hard to make this show great: you did a fantastic job. You deserve another chance to keep the excellence going, but I must admit it will be very difficult to sustain such a high level of performance at all levels. 

Thank you to all of you for producing such quality TV with such riveting drama.

Father, you give all the talents and gifts to us. I pray each one would be thankful for the blessings you've given them in creating their lives. Thank you, God. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

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            Visiting Novel Rocket today. Come visit with me.

         Thank you, Lord, for it all. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

                                        With love, thank you all.

Father, thank you for everything. Never enough to just say thank you, but it's all I've got. I love you, Lord. In the Name of Jesus and in your hands, Amen.