What Is Christmas Without CHRIST?

Have we forgotten what Christmas is really all about?

It is a day that we celebrate the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior who was sent to free the world from our own sin and rebellion;

• The birth of the One who loved us before the foundation of the world

• The birth of the One who shed His blood and died for us

• The birth of the One whom grants us eternal life

... but ONLY if we personally put our trust and faith in Him!

and it is said that once our time is up on this Earth, that we will not be angels or like angels, but because we are co-heirs to His Kingdom, instead, we will become like Christ, perfect and sinless, and have everlasting life; and we will be exalted above angels. (Eph 3:10, 1Cor 6:3)

... but ONLY if we personally put our trust and faith in Him!

So do you have that assurance?


Or is Christmas just a "holiday" about getting stuff? Stuff that moth and rust destroy or stuff that thieves can steal? Take a moment today to think about Christ in CHRISTmas.

Merry Christmas to you and your family!

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
Isaiah 9:6

Turning It Around for Good - James MacDonald

In the midst of all the pain that people suffer through (loss of a loved one, marital problems, unemployment/financial hardship, etc) today, we can be confident that we are IN Christ and He is IN us and we can find strength and comfort IN Him;

but only if we personally believe in Him, who is our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

-Vincent

"So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."

2 Corinthians 12:7-9

With all due respect to Rabbi Kushner, God does allow bad things to happen to good people. He doesn't cause them, but He doesn't prevent them either. The world is free and God doesn't very often step in and alter the fact that the effects of sin are visiting themselves randomly upon the creation. So God lets trials happen to the Christian just like He lets them happen to the pagans so that the superiority of the life lived in God can be demonstrated through our lives. The majority of the world is choosing not to worship God, but a few of us, by God's grace, can draw down upon God's promised resources to get us through.
God did not cause the horrible events in your life, but you need to embrace the fact that He allowed them. God could not make a world in which we are free and at the same time guarantee that everyone would choose Him. So the world is broken and bad things happen. But God promises that He will be with those who love Him. He will bring us through the fire, and we will come forth as gold.
God allowed Paul to suffer a "thorn . . . in the flesh." Paul said that God allowed "a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited" (2 Corinthians 12:7). Paul understood that God allowed this pain in his life for a reason. God allowed a demon to harass, or buffet Paul. The word buffet means to strike with a fist or beat. But God permitted it with a purpose: to keep [Paul] from being conceited.
God is so sovereign. He's so much in control that even when Satan tries to ruin our lives, God takes the weapon that Satan wants to use to destroy us and turns it into a good thing. God says, "If you will lean hard on Me in the midst of this difficult time, I’ll take that thorn and make it for your good."
We all have a thorn. We all have something that God has allowed into our lives that Satan meant for our destruction but that God has turned around to help us grow and change.

-James MacDonald

Let Us Give Thanks!

So it's been quite some time now it feels since Asher left this world to be with the Lord, but thinking twice, it's only been about 10 weeks but it feels like an eternity. The memories are sweet and yet the pain still linger at times. I suppose it will always be there, which reminds us of our humanity and that we are not desensitized to emotions or pain. It's been difficult to take moments lately to share our thoughts on the blog as we've been trying to just catch back up to life... the 'new' normal. The last several weeks have been trying emotionally as we've seen several deaths pass by. Some close, some not so close, but still close enough to grieve and to share the experience of the loss with the families. How temporal our lives are here, so delicate, and yet in an instant, it can be taken away. I keep thinking how incredible Heaven will be to finally reunite with Asher and all those that have fully placed their trust and faith in the Lord Jesus!


But the Lord just doesn't taketh, but he giveth also! Our good friends in Portland celebrated the birth of their firstborn, Eve, on 11/15/09. An accident? I don't think that word is in God's vocabulary, but it is just part of his infinite perfection and plan for us. Children are such a life changing gift and miracle! Who would have known ahead of time that they would have such a dramatic effect on us?


I thought I would just take some time to recognize that tomorrow, many families will be getting together to celebrate Thanksgiving Day and to thank God for so many things He has blessed us with. I too am thankful for so many things, but primarily I'm thankful for my salvation and hope that I have through faith in Jesus Christ. Secondly I am thankful for my wife and son, and because of that hope, we have assurance that even as our lives will eventually pass away, we will spend eternity and have everlasting life together in Heaven! Thirdly, we are thankful for YOU! For supporting us, encouraging us, and walking with us through life!


Can I ask that you continue to be an encouragement to us and drop us a note periodically?


So what are YOU thankful for? Would you let us know or share it with someone you love?

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Philippians 4:4-7

Homesick

You’re in a better place, I’ve heard a thousand times

And at least a thousand times I’ve rejoiced for you

But the reason why I’m broken the reason why I cry

Is how long must I wait to be with you

I close my eyes and I see your face

If home’s where my heart is then I’m out of place

Lord won’t you give me strength to make it through somehow
I‘ve never been more homesick than now

Help me Lord because I don’t understand Your ways

The reason why I wonder if I’ll ever know

But even if You showed me the hurt would be the sameBecause I’m still here so far away from home

-Chorus-

In Christ there are no goodbyes

In Christ there is no end

So I’ll hold onto Jesus with all that I have

To see you again

-Chorus-

Homesick-Mercy Me

This song was played at Asher's Memorial Service and is a reminder to us that 'In Christ there are no goodbyes' and that we need to 'hold on to Jesus' to see him again!

Though we can't see or touch him, we will never forget that we have a son in Heaven! But we are homesick and anxious for our glorious reunion!

"So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord."

2 Corinthians 5:6-8

Overwhelmed By Love

Thank you so much for all those who attended Asher's Memorial Service yesterday to celebrate the life of our little boy! We know many of you have travelled from other states, cities, and neighborhoods and we want to sincerely thank you for your friendship and support during this unexpected time. Honestly, we weren't sure how many would actually be able to make it, but our friend Lori predicted that it would be standing room only, and standing room only it was! What a wonderful testimony of how impactful this little child's life was! The loss of Asher is only bearable because we know that he is resting in Jesus’ loving arms. Instead of being overcome with grief during this time we choose instead to rest in the assurance we have, that he simply beat us to Heaven….and we will see him soon!

If you were not able to attend the Memorial Service and would like an audio CD or video DVD, please send us an e-mail at vjramire@yahoo.com and we'll gladly send you a copy...

Some comments from attendees:

"I've never been to a service like this before!"

"It was very inspiring!"

"It was a wonderful service!"

"The photographs were priceless!"

"Thank you for allowing us to be part of your life!"

...and many more!

So if you attended, what was the most memorable part of the service?

Did you become like a child and place your faith and trust in Jesus? If so, would you let us know and drop us a personal message via e-mail? We'd love to help you grow in your new faith!

If you are still unsure and/or still have questions about the free gift and assurance of our Savior, please do let us know as well so we can help answer your questions! We hope to hear from you soon!

In Christ,

Papa & Mama Bear

In Memory Of Asher

Please join us for a memorial service to celebrate the life of our little warrior Bear, formally known as Asher Samuel Ramirez on Saturday, September 26th, 1:15pm at :

The Moody Church

1635 N. LaSalle Street

Chicago, IL 60614

Room 307 CLC

Limited parking is available at Moody Church/Walgreen lot on the northwest corner of North Avenue and LaSalle Street. Additional street parking available.

Everyone is invited and children are welcome! Light refreshments and drinks will be served.

In lieu of flowers or gifts, the family will be making contributions to The Moody Church and Children's Memorial Hospital.

Glory Baby

Glory baby you slipped away as fast as we could say baby…baby..

You were growing, what happened dear?

You disappeared on us baby…baby..

Heaven will hold you before we do

Heaven will keep you safe until we’re home with you…

Until we’re home with you…

Miss you everyday
Miss you in every way

But we know there’s a day when we will hold you

We will hold you

You’ll kiss our tears away

When we’re home to stay

Can’t wait for the day when we will see you

We will see you

But baby let sweet

Jesus hold you‘till mom and dad can hold you…

You’ll just have Heaven before we do

You’ll just have Heaven before we do

Sweet little babies, it’s hard to understand it ‘cause we’re hurting

We are hurting

But there is healing

And we know we’re stronger people through the growing

And in knowing-

That all things work together for our good

And God works His purposes just like He said He would…

Just like He said He would…

BRIDGE:

I can’t imagine Heaven’s lullabies and what they must sound like

But I will rest in knowing, Heaven is your home

And it’s all you’ll ever know…all you’ll ever know…

-Watermark

Asher Samuel is with Jesus now. He left us here at 12:15pm today to spend his eternity with our Lord. Details on a memorial service to come.

Would you like to see Asher again? Well there's only one way to see him in Heaven. Make sure you know Jesus, because it's only in Him that we find hope.
You ask, "Why do I need Him?"

Click here to find out and begin your journey!

Asher can't wait to meet you!

Still Holding On, But For How Long?

The doctors didn't think Asher would make it last Wednesday and now its Tuesday of the following week and he's still holding on, but for how long? The doctors admit that they are not very good at predicting things and one of them commented, "He is one strong little man!" And one of his nurses commented that "He is definitely not textbook!"

Though Asher is still with us, his health is deteriorating very quickly. His body is very edematous with one lung collapsed, the other filled with fluid. He also suffered from several bleeding episodes yesterday which had problems clotting. He has been on stronger doses of pain medications, so we pray that our boy is not in suffering too much while he is still with us.

We've spent time holding him in his nest until that time comes. Please pray that the Lord continues to comfort us all.

He Keeps Going and Going and Going...

We are blessed to have him another day! Apparently it's not yet the Lord's will for Asher to join Him, so we'll just keep embracing His love!
Lark told Asher this afternoon, " It's OK. You should go be with Jesus now. He will take care of you until we get there. Once you get there you will have a perfect body that is not broken. Once your daddy and I get there we will give you a big hug- since we could not do that while you were here with us!"
Thank you for the multitude of prayers! It has kept our little Bear here with us just a little longer!

Dunkin' Munchkins

As Asher's terminal state progresses further, I have been asked by some, "Why don't you go and baptize him?" The assumption, is that through the act of baptism, you earn your salvation and become a child of God and your eternal destiny is with Him in Heaven. I take the question as nothing but an act of love and concern for our child, but I will disagree with that theology. Formerly raised as a Roman Catholic, I know that infant baptism is an integral teaching in their doctrines and as a church tradition. It is also practiced in Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, Lutheran and Mainline Protestant denominations. But where does it say in Scripture, the Word of God, that the act of baptism gives you salvation? Some may argue that it says so in Mark 16:16, but read it closely and in context and harmonize it with the rest of Scripture and you find that it's believing in a personal way in Jesus, and not of any good deeds/works/acts, that allows you to receive that gift of salvation; Ephesian 2:8-9 Sola fide. Refer also to my August blog post The Journey Through Our Faith. Were you baptized a child? Do you think you're going to Heaven solely because your parents baptized you when you were younger? Think again, but that's between you and God; John 1:12. That is why I believe that baptism is a choice that one makes when one makes the decision to place their trust in Jesus.

For a fairly exhaustive discussion of infant baptism, read here.

So back to Asher. He's not baptized and he can't make a conscious decision to place his trust in Jesus and believe on His name. Is he going to be in Heaven when he passes away? I believe so as Scripture clearly teaches. As King David mourned when his child with Bathsheba died, and he said in joy, "Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.” (2 Samuel 12:15-23) Referring to the reunion with his child in Heaven.

For a more thorough explanation and for the Bible student, refer here.

Please continue to pray for our son through what may be his last days, hours, minutes, or seconds.