Prior to going over to the Baldwin-Todd residence for Christmas dinner, I had purchased a ginormous croaker at the international grocery store. This fish, whom I named George, weighed almost eight pounds, but cost less than fifteen dollars. Unfortunately, George was so huge he wouldn’t fit in my oven. Fortunately, he did into the oven at Jay and Erin’s, where I was cat, fish and lizard sitting.
There was a time in my life when Christians annoyed me. I remember them approaching me, thumpin’ their Bibles with their wide-eyed warnings and goofy grins. I was confused at how they could talk about the love and salvation of Jesus and the evil and destructive Apocalypse in the same breath. I remember them cautioning that I needed to prepare myself for Christ’s return because “the end was near”. I rejected their message and inwardly scoffed at how presumptuous and brainwashed I felt they were. Looking back, I realize that I refused to listen and study the Bible because I did not want the Christians to be right - my treasures were here on earth and I was not interested in focusing on the hereafter (“There are none who are as deaf as those who do not want to hear”). However, human beings are both flesh and spirit. Although my flesh was clinging to this world, my spirit ached for the eternal - and demanded that I do my homework.
So…
fast forward, here I am - a Bible thumper. I now understand the urgency behind the wide-eyed warnings and the love and hope behind the goofy grins. I understand that the Bible stands alone as God’s word to man and that no other book in human history speaks of the future like the Bible. Just as the B.C. generations were called to study Messianic prophecy in order to recognize Christ’s First Coming, we are called to study End Times prophecy to recognize the signs of His Second Coming. I have had amazing opportunities to learn from some of the best Bible prophecy/Middle East experts from around the world. How do they know that we are headed toward the tribulation hour? We are among the first generations to understand the following:
“Rise in scoffers/deception”
The Bible warns that near the End Times, there will be a rise in people scoffing at the Bible, Christians, and talk of Christ’s return. “Scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying “Where is the promise of His coming?” (2 Peter 3:2) If you’re scoffing right now â you are a part of prophecy fulfilled ;). There will also be a rise in false teachers, false prophets, cults, messages that contradict the Bible and appeal to people’s sinful nature. Many of us are frustrated with the blatant displays of evil and abhorrence of facts, logic, reason… how some people can’t see the obvious. Daniel 12:10 warned us that in the end “The wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand.” 2 Timothy 3:6-7 tries to explain that ignorance of the Bible will lead to deception. As my pastor put it, “If you don’t know your Bible, you will be fooled.”
“Rise in pestilence, famines, earthquakes, natural disasters”
(Matthew 24:3-7) I recently had a government official at my school site. His job was to prepare/inform our staff of the procedures for lock down/quarantine concerning the spread of highly contagious pan epidemic flus/viruses. The National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration stated that over the past 25 years we’ve experienced an increase in super storms and earthquakes like the world has never seen. According to Rev 16:18:“There will be such a mighty and great earthquake as has not occurred since men were on the earth.” Liberals have their scapegoat ready to go: Global Warming. The Left has appropriately renamed their religion “Climate Change”… and yes, our climate is and will continue to make some serious changes.
“Rebirth of Israel”
After the Romans sacked Jerusalem in 70 AD, the Jews were scattered across the earth - just as prophecy predicted (Deuteronomy 28:64). On May 14, 1948, after almost 1900 years, Israel became a state again and the Jews returned home. This event fulfilled Bible prophecy (Deut. 30:5, Is. 11:11-12, Ez. 36:24, Is. 66:8), and was nothing short of a miracle. Through his parables, Jesus cautioned that when Israel regains sovereignty, you will know that the End Times and Kingdom of God is near.
“Wars and rumors of wars”
“For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.” (Matthew 24:6-7). Wars are occurring all around the world, but the ultimate and final battle will be for Jerusalem. The demonic ideology of antisemitism is on the rise again. The Bible warns us of God’s punishment on the nation’s that divide Israel’s land (yet that is EXACTLY what we are trying to do) and that in the end, ALL nations will rise up against Israel and be punished for it (Zech 12:3, Joel 3:2). Revelation 9:16 discusses an army of 200 million that (combined with pestilence and natural disasters) will wipe out a third of mankind. As the world’s population rises above 6 billion, it is increasingly possible to amass an army of 200 million, but this would have been unthinkable even 100 years ago. In Zechariah 14:12, concerning the final battle it states “Their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet, their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets, and their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths.” Past generations did not understand this type of instant and complete destruction, but we do â it’s describing how the human body reacts when exposed to an H-bomb.
“Knowledge Explosion”
The book of Daniel describes a great increase of knowledge that the world will experience towards the End Times. Revelations discusses how people from around the globe will be able to access knowledge instantly and simultaneously, that people from all over the world will watch the apocalyptic events as they are unfolding. While this was incomprehensible to past generations, it is common practice for us today thanks to television/internet/satellite (can we say web cams, cell phone videos, You Tube?). Our generation also understands how technology has paved the way for “the mark of the beast” (possibly a micro chip) that a person will have to have in order to “buy or sell”. This mark will also show your allegiance to the anti-Christ and his One World Religion. According to Rev. 20:4, those who refuse the mark will be beheaded. How is it that something as barbaric and ancient as beheadings will be common practice in the future? Here’s a possibility: “I will cast dread into the heart of the infidels: Strike off their heads then, and strike off from them every finger-tip” (Koran, Sura 8:12)
“Every single country mentioned in the Scriptures, regarding the end of time, that God punishes, for attacking Israel, is Muslim today⦠Do you have 365 days, eight hours a day, so I can show you what the Bible says about the coming Islamic invasion of the world? It’s all over Scripture! God didn’t forget to tell us. You forgot to read the Bible. It is all in there.” ~Walid Shoebat
Walid Shoebat is an ex-PLO terrorist and converted Muslim. As he studied the Bible he realized that Islam’s savior, Mahdi (aka: the Twelfth Imam) is the anti-Christ of the Bible. According to Shoebat, the Bible names the anti-Christ as ruler of the world, but specifically names: “Assyrian” (Syria),”Persian” (Iran), “King of Babylon” (Iraq), “Prince of Tyre” (Lebanon), “Pharoah of Egypt”. The anti-Christ will want to change time (hello lunar calendar), change laws (hello Sharia), will have a disdain for women (hello burka) and persecute Christians, Jews and all others who refuse to accept him (hello infidels) (Daniel 7:25, 11:37, Revelations). The Islamic world has announced that Mahdi will be returning soon. According to Islamic belief, Mahdi will dominate the world, confirm a peace treaty, abolish the treaty half way through (what is known to Muslims as hudna and al-taqiyya), persecute the infidels, attempt to destroy Israel… sound familiar? It’s not only Bible prophecy (Zechariah, Daniel, Revelations) it’s Islamic prophecy as well.
Jesus says that although we will not know the exact hour, we will know He is returning by the signs. “So you also, when you see these things happening, know that it is near â at the doors”. (Mark 13:29)
With wars raging, the dollar falling, Islam rising, natural disasters and pan epidemics looming, our choice of candidates for the ’08 elections - why the goofy grin? I have found the ultimate treasure and it is not of this world.
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-20
Uh, well, one reason is b/c I do like to drink. On a random Sunday, say. Wait, today is Sunday! No wonder there’s this glass of Sofia champagne in my hand. (And it’s the last one, dammit!) Yeah, yeah, yeah, no worries, it’s not like I’m not an alcoholic or anything.
My mother, your grandmother, ruined me on Christmas for years. Every year, she insisted on decorating the house with the truckloads of Christmas decorations she had accumulated over the years. I always said that it looked like Santa Claus had thrown up all over the house. There was the Christmas village, all the lights, which were hung from the tree, the windows, and the door frames. Then there were the knick knacks, or “what nots,” as she called them, which covered every surface not reserved for the Christmas village. She was out of control.
In retaliation, I had no Christmas decorations for years. I still celebrated Christmas, and I pride myself at being a great gift giver, but I didn’t decorate my dorm room when I was in college or my subsequent apartments. Eventually, because people began giving me Christmas decorations, a few managed to worm their way into the landscape at Christmas, but for the most part, I swore that I would never let my home look . . . over decorated.
Your grandmother’s entire collection was lost several years before you were born in a fire. She was absolutely devastated, of course, and I started to feel really badly about the fact that I had teased her for her love of this time of the year. She truly lived each year in anticipation of the holidays. Right after Thanksgiving, she would pull them out and turn the house into the nightmare before Christmas, and suddenly, everything was gone. Since the fire, she has managed to start a new collection, but you will probably never see anything resembling what I saw as a child and young adult.
I’m sorry for that.
I’ve been thinking about what I will teach you about Christmas in the future. Usually content with the Christmas items I had received over the years and collected here, and there, I never really thought about what I would want my children to see during the Christmas holidays . . . perhaps because I didn’t know whether I would ever have any children. This year, the year that you will share Christmas with me, without sharing Christmas with me, though, I have obsessed about it, a little.
I can’t wait to get you that little pink or blue stocking for your first official Christmas. There are ornaments, too. And clothing. I even saw a baby Santa outfit today. I swear that I will never make you wear something like that. We all have boundaries.
So what is Christmas?
Or what is the Christmas that I would share with you?
People throughout your life will insist that Christmas is all about this, or that it shouldn’t be about that, but about this instead. Blah blah blah, and bah humbug to those who try to define our family’s holiday traditions by their own standards. And you can tell them I said that.
So here is what I envision for your Christmases . . . and we can look back on this and see how I did when you were older.
The Festivus
Although I fought it for years, your grandmother was right. She wanted Christmas to be about her children and grandchildren and the merriment and wonder that is created by hundred of sparkling lights, little villages, angels, Santa Claus, and eight tiny reindeer. She knew that young children might not appreciate the concept of Christmas if she just tried to describe it in words, but that they would have no problem understanding the fun of Christmas stockings hung with care, and Santa Claus mementos posted everywhere to remember that St. Nick only visits good little girls and boys. She knew that it was all a fantasy, but that it was one that children loved and understood.
She also wisely recognized that many sad, sad people forget the merriment and wonder of this time of the year as they grow up. They forget how they felt about Rudolph, Frosty the Snowman, and Santa Claus, and that it was a tragedy of the human condition that comes when we all lose that innocence. Your grandmother never lost that. Whatever I give you as your mother over the years . . . whatever lessons I teach you about this time of the year, I wonder now if you will be able to restore that in me. I truly hope so.
It’s a time of joy. Regardless of their origins, the physical symbols of Christmas you will see throughout your life are meant to create for you a time of festive merriment, of happiness, a time of year when we believe in the best in humanity and that the impossible really does happen. Even if it is just an illusion.
The Family
This one is easy for me, I hope. Your family is something that you might have just been stuck with under circumstances beyond your control, but it will become a vital part of your life. Christmas, to me, is a time to celebrate your family. That is something I hope you take with you throughout your life, even if you decide that you don’t care for the Christmas decorations. This time of year is still a gift of time that you have to reach out to family that might live far away, or to family whose lives might often become so busy that frequent interaction is rendered impossible.
Cherish that time with your family. Cherish the meals and parties with family and friends. Embrace the opportunity you have each year to step away from work to focus on them. You’ll never eat the rest of the year the way you will during the Christmas holidays. Savor those tastes and smells. Try to remember the laughter and delight of loved ones gathering after long separations to welcome new children, new spouses, new friends, and give of your heart and compassion as you all reflect on loved ones who won’t be there to share the holidays with you that year. Those times are precious.
In many ways, I have often thought that the time we have to spend with family is the true gift of Christmas. We have so little time with loved ones, if you think about it. I can’t wait for you to become part of that.
The Savior
Yes, Blob, I know that there will be Santa Claus tales and gifts wrapped under pagan-influenced evergreens in your future, and I know that your family will always be a part of your Christmas experience, but I want to also teach you, and share with you, the true meaning of Christmas . . . the birth of Jesus Christ.
Was he actually born December 25? It’s doubtful, but the human errors and lack of written history commemorating the exact details of his life, with the precise date of birth and death, are hardly the point. Never think they are. The point of Christmas, as it relates to Jesus Christ, is that we have chosen one particular day to celebrate his birth, much like we will celebrate your own birth. Just like people in ancient times awaited the coming of the Savior, as foretold in prophesies, I waited for you for years and years. Now that your arrival is almost here, there is absolutely no question in my mind that I will celebrate the anniversary of your birth for as long as I live. Fortunately, I will know that date exactly, and while we don’t have that same luxury with Christ’s own birth date, the concept is the same.
It’s a show of respect and adoration, a time to show our gratitude for the gift of a child who would offer us redemption and salvation through his death. Without his birth, though, there would have been no death. Never let anyone make you feel ashamed of acknowledging the birth of Jesus Christ, if you choose to believe in Him.
You see, Blob, so many people will try to limit Christmas for you, telling you that it is a big lie that children are told by harried parents to make them behave for a brief period of time. Some will condemn the commercialization of the season through the presentation of gifts and the proliferation of decorations. There is more to it than that. The decorations are for show . . . for fun and fantasy . . . a time to believe in the impossible. But the family and the religious meaning behind the holiday, those are integral parts of the Season as well, and I hope to be able to share all aspects of the holidays with you. Not just what other people determine the holidays are for them and their families.
When you become older, you can reevaluate and make the determination of what you want the holiday season to be about, for yourself. But as your parent, I will give you all of it — everything that Christmas is and can be, leaving nothing out.
It’s what your grandmother gave me.
You deserve that.
And more.
Love,
Me
I am having a HUGE calendar release party I want to see your faces there 
i also need like 50 girls to join me in the press and VIP booth champagne all around.
Gith public relations cordially invites you to the Somaya Reece 2009 official calender release party@ social Hollywood sat jan 17th 9p-2a.
Rsvp to Devon Guzzie or Eric Z
310 709 2818
Githpr@yahoo.com
Check out the mini clips of my calendar DVD.
I’ve been known to blog about anything. Sex, Love, Pain, Poetry, etc… Nothing has really been off limits when it comes to topic or expression. If you’ve been around, you’ll know that from time to t…
Not all vampire movies have to suck, even if 99.9% of them do. This one isn’t just the best of the subgenre since Near Dark. It’s not just the best horror film of the last few years. It’s one of the best films of the past year, from any country and in any genre.
In cold and dreary Stockholm in the early 1980s, two twelve-year-old kids fall in love. One of them has been twelve for a very long time.  Here’s the Swedish trailer, followed by the American one:
See the original while you can, before the slated American remake, which will almost probably tone down the more disturbing aspects of the story while adding synthetic in-your-face shocks and splashy effects, and which will almost certainly make the tragic couple at the heart of the story into teenagers rather than kids (not to mention cast them with actors years older than the characters they’re playing).
It opened tonight at the Carousel here in Greensboro. Joe Scott, form the Mixed Tape Film Festival and the person who convinced the Carousel to book it, tells me that it’s unlikely to play past Thursday.  Locals should make the time, even in the busy holiday week, to check it out.