Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

A huge thank you, faithful readers and friends, for interacting with my blog this past season. Thanks for all your sharing of posts, for your comments, e-mails, and tweets. I’m going to press pause on the blog during the holiday season and will be back in early January.

Hand-drawn Christmas card by Burton "Pat" Christenson, (1920-1999) one of the original Band of Brothers.

If you missed it, I had a highly vulnerable sort of article run on Art of Manliness this past week. The essay has received some strong response, both in the comment section and from readers e-mailing me personally to say they were greatly inspired by it or could relate in big ways. See it HERE or cut and paste this URL into your browser: http://artofmanliness.com/2012/12/18/nuts-why-remembering-christmas-1944-can-change-your-life/

 

If you're new to this site, please take some time to browse around and enjoy past articles. My aim is to offer insight into four main areas: 1) manly character, 2) career & business, 3) relationship & family, and 4) purpose & faith. I always welcome your comments and interaction, no matter what your world-view is.

Today, my encouragement is simply to take some time to enjoy the original Christmas story as taken from the Gospel of Luke, chapter 2 (below), and enjoy spending time with your loved ones and friends this week.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

—Marcus

 

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.

While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

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 to you; he is Christ the Lord.

This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths 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.”