tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3354626964012460623.post1715911747963301822..comments2023-03-28T15:30:45.255-04:00Comments on Hammer and Nail: This One Makes Me Think...Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07306854704766653209noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3354626964012460623.post-81689361926141608422007-12-19T11:51:00.000-05:002007-12-19T11:51:00.000-05:00Brian,I agree with a lot of what Dr. Black says, b...Brian,<BR/><BR/>I agree with a lot of what Dr. Black says, but I'm also not completely on board. I do think we have freedom to celebrate Christmas, as long as the focus remains the birth of Christ. Actually, within our family I try to focus on just how amazing the incarnation is. Therefore, I spend a lot more time in texts such as Phil. 2:5-11 than I do in Luke 1.<BR/><BR/>It sounds like you have some good ideas about this, too. It's hard to go wrong when you preach from Isaiah. Good idea.<BR/><BR/>EricErichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07306854704766653209noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3354626964012460623.post-33304206924818253612007-12-19T11:13:00.000-05:002007-12-19T11:13:00.000-05:00I can see their point (I visit his site daily). E...I can see their point (I visit his site daily). Even so, I have been preaching the themes of Advent and have found it quite interesting. We don't do any of the activities or liturgy stuff, I just use the theme and preach expositionally from a passage related to the theme - such as this week the theme is Joy and so I preached from Isa 35 on Joy. It was interesting to do word studies on the different words for joy used in the passage ("gil" "raan" and "simcah"). It seemed I found biblical support for times of vocal, emotional, outward expressions of joy and gladness - that it is okay to be happy! anyways, hope all is well.Brianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11912653730884160224noreply@blogger.com