sunday dec 31/17 Hymn: When I survey the Wondrous Cross

In the Old Testament, the Jewish Feast Day of Atonement was observed annually  by the sacrifice of a Lamb.

That sacrifice was for the purpose of atoning for the sins of the people.

But an annual lamb sacrifice was unable to provide a complete and total forever sacrifice -- rather it was a picture of the coming one time for all perfect sacrifice --

and that was the sacrifice of the Lord God Jesus Christ, who came to earth to become the perfect sinless Lamb of God.

Jesus died on Calvary, as the Lamb of God -- the final perfect atoning sacrifice.

Why did Jesus die?

He died to pay the required death penalty for sins of all mankind forever --

Today's Hymn tells what this accomplished, why, and how we should individually respond.

HERE'S THE LINK to When I survey the Wondrous Cross




 

Another way to stay warm

It is realllly realllly cold in many places

And you might be wondering how to stay warm.

Do you have any toilet paper and isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol?

Sure. you say.

So, since you do

The link today has a nifty idea that you may want to consider.

HERE'S THE LINK to metal can heaters.

How to be saved

For God (The Father) so loved the world

that He gave His only begotten Son, (Jesus)

that whoever believes in Him (Jesus)

should not perish but have everlasting life.

For God did not send His Son (Jesus) into the world to condemn the world,

but that the world through Him might be saved. (ie. escape hell and live forever in heaven)

He who believes in Him (Jesus) is not condemned;

but he who does not believe is condemned already,

because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (Jesus)

            John 3-16-18  KJV

How to protect your Dog's paws in the winter

It's definitely winter !!!

In many places large accumulations of snow and ice are already on the ground.

In other places it is just verrrrry cold.

But regardless --

if you have dogs and are taking them out for walks in this winter weather,

you might want to check out the information provided on today's click through.

HERE'S THE LINK to Wintertime Dog Paws

Why Jesus came down from Heaven

The excitement of Christmas is winding down.

And perhaps some of you have already taken down your Christmas trees and decorations.

Some of your gifts have possibly been returned to the stores

and others you are hopefully enjoying.

But as we reflect on this and every Christmas season

we are reminded of WHY we celebrate Christmas and what is the GREATEST of All Christmas Gifts.

What is / was that? you ask

And the answer is - The Greatest Christmas Gift and the One for which the Christmas season celebrates is --

JESUS

For an explanation of why Jesus is the Greatest of ALL Christmas gifts and why Jesus came to earth as a tiny baby and what this means for all mankind --

HERE'S THE LINK to Why Jesus came down from heaven




 

Cactus, Bats, and Christmas Gift Giving

Christmas is over and the Gift giving has been finished.

Hopefully you had a Merry Christmas and received many gifts --

but did you know that people are not the only ones who exchange gifts?

Yes indeed.

Animals and plants also exchange gifts -- very important and necessary gifts.

Wondering what I am talking about?

Thought so

and todays link will explain.

So with that by way of introduction

HERE'S THE LINK to Cactus, Bats, and Christmas Gift Giving




 

The Greatest Christmas Gift

It is Christmas Day.

Yes, It is that very special time of the year again

and it seems that almost everyone has been rushing around

putting up Christmas trees, stringing lights, cooking yummy delicacies,

going to Christmas plays and concerts, attending parties,

buying and wrapping presents,

and just generally enjoying this special time of the year.

But do you know the Greatest Christmas gift of all?

The link today will explain.

HERE'S THE LINK to the Greatest Christmas Gift of all is God Gave Himself





 

Hymn: For Unto Us a Child is Born

This beloved anthem from Handel's Messiah

speaks of "the reason for the season"

which is a celebration of the birth of the Lord God Jesus Christ.


This anthem explains that

The Lord God Jesus Christ came to bring salvation to mankind --

to those who will bow to and accept Him as their personal God, Lord, and Savior

and will accept His gift of eternal life with Him forever.

HERE'S THE LINK to Unto us a Child is born

The Trumpet Shall Sound

It is Christmas season

and in some places the Messiah by Handel is being performed.

Though, alas and alack, it is becoming more and more difficult to find anywhere where it is being performed.

So we are posting several Anthems from it during this Christmas season.

Today we are linking to one of my favorite parts of Handel's Messiah

which is The Trumpet Shall sound.

HERE'S THE LINK to The Trumpet shall sound

Snow Diving Fox

Well, it is officially winter

but up north where the fox we will see today lives, it has been winter for awhile.

And how foxes get their food and survive is amazing.

Today's short video explains.

HERE'S THE LINK to Young Fox Hunting in the Snow

Winter beginsToday

December 21 is the Winter Solstice, also known as the first day of Winter.

Brrrr.

It is also the shortest day of the year -- so starting tomorrow, Dec. 22, the days will start getting longer again.

A big Yayyyyy to that.

This change of the seasons is not, of course, something that only 21st Century folks notice.

Indeed, the ‘ancients’ (who supposedly were ‘ignorant’, knuckle dragging entities -- according to those with the evolutionary old earth world view glasses) --

knew about the Winter Solstice and erected structures (monoliths, buildings, carins, etc.) to help them know exactly ‘when’ the Winter Solstice occurred.

One of these structures is Maes Howe (also known as Maeshowe).

Several DIT folks have visited the Maes Howe site and other similar sites such as the Chambered tomb of Newgrange.

These sites are famous for their midwinter (Winter Solstice) alignments.

For information about Maeshow and other Similar sites HERE'S THE LINK

The Christmas Scale

We have posted this before

and recently two friends of DIT found the link and emailed it to us

So, let's view this again.

What is it? you ask.

Well, it is another short but powerful video about the meaning of Christmas.

HERE'S THE LINK to The Christmas Scale



 

Christmas Lights and Decorations

Some folks do not do much decorating for Christmas.

Others are moderate.

Still others go all out. 

For those that go ‘all out’ I do not want to see their electric bills but kudos to them for spending the money and for all the hard work.

We have posted amazing and outstanding Christmas Decoration videos previously

but the one to which we are linking today has gone viral.

If you are a Star Wars Fan, you will go ape over this.

But, even if you have never seen a Star War Film, you will still be amazed.

HERE'S THE LINK to the Best of Star Wars Music Light Show



 

Where's the Line to see Jesus?

Another email with an awesome link has arrived.

The email contained an explanation of how the song, “Where is the Line to see Jesus” came to be.

Cutting and pasting from the email, here is the explanation:

“ Here’s the story behind the song:

"While at the mall a couple of years ago, my then four year old nephew, Spencer, saw kids lined up to see Santa Claus. Having been taught as a toddler that Christmas is the holiday that Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus, he asked his mom, "where's the line to see Jesus"?

"My sister mentioned this to my dad, who immediately became inspired and jotted words down to a song in just a few  minutes. After putting music to the words, and doing a quick recording at home, he received a great response from friends.  … … …

"... Out of the mouths of babes come profound truths that many adults can not understand.  Hopefully Spencer's observation will cause people all over to reflect on the love of Jesus, and that one day we will all stand in line to see Him. We are most thankful to our Heavenly Father to have this chance to share our music with you. Merry Christmas everyone.”

And with that said by way of introduction,

HERE'S THE LINK to the Video of Where's the Line to See Jesus

Hymn: Amazing Grace

Everyone knows and loves the Hymn Amazing Grace

but are you familiar with the Dulcimer as the accompanying instrument?

Listen and sing along as Amazing Grace and other Hymns are played and sung in this short Video.

HERE'S THE LINK to Anne Chastain Dulcimer Hymns





 

Christmas, Vikings, and the Providence of God

That is the unusual title of a very interesting article in the Dec. Issue of an ICR Acts And Facts Magazine.

Fortunately it is also on the internet so even if you do not subscribe to this excellent magazine (and it is FREE so you should subscribe), we will link you to it so you will be able to read it.

Why do we suggest you read this article?  What is it about?

Well, you have heard of the famous Viking Battle of Oct 14, 1066, the Battle of Hastings.

But, did you know there was another earlier battle in 1066, on Sept 25, that also had very important consequences for all of us today?

NO?  Well, I didn't either till I read this article. 

The article begins with an examination of 4 (of 5) Witnesses that Testify for God…

These are important and you will be interested in what they teach.

But it is the 5th "Witness" to which the DIT of today is directed.

What is that 5th Witness? you ask.

Well, it tells about how God works in history and specifically, in this case, how God worked in the 2 battles in 1066 in such a way that George Washington, The USA,  the King James Bible, and Christmas were ultimately affected.

Wow.  Reallllllly interesting.

HERE'S THE LINK to Christmas vikings and providence of God

Who really is / was St. Nick?

It is 'that time of the year' when parking lots are full, stores are crammed with people, and traffic on the streets and highways is horrible.

At least that is how it has seemed to us the past few days when we emerged to do some errand running.

So why all these traffic jams and crowds?

Well, as just mentioned, it is 'that time of year' -- Christmas time, of course. 

So people are shopping, traffic is a zoo, decorations are everywhere, and kiddos are standing in lines to see Santa Claus, aka St. Nick / St Nicholas.

But who is / was St. Nick (now revered as Santa Claus) and why is he getting all the attention when the real reason for the season is Jesus Christ.

HERE'S THE LINK To find out who is Saint Nick

Why Do people need to sing Hymns

You have probably noticed

if you have been attending most churches --

That the Hymn books have disappeared

and people now sign from powerpoint projections

or 7/11 Choruses (7 words 11 times).

But, are these Churches missing something important by discarding Hymns and Hymnbooks?

Today's Link explains.

HERE'S THE LINK to Hymns of Grace

A Charlie Brown Christmas

Christmas is fast approaching and folks are scurrying around decorating, purchasing, attending parties …

But are we remembering WHAT this Christmas season represents?

The DIT today is part of that Famous Classic TV show, Charlie Brown Christmas.

Young whippersnappers may have not seen the show but the older ones certainly have and will love this abbreviated version.

You surely remember the pitiful Christmas Tree that Charlie picked out (which looks much like the one pictured here)

and the poor reception to it by his friends.

So, when Charlie, in frustration, asks "what is Christmas all about?" --

Linus explains.
HERE'S THE LINK to A Charlie Brown Christmas (The Meaning of Christmas)

Hanukkah Begins Today

What is Hanukkah?

Well, Hanukkah is a Jewish Holiday, also known as the Feast of Lights.

It is not as famous or as well known as the other Jewish Holidays such as Passover, etc. But it is a very interesting and important Holiday.

Hanukkah is celebrated for 8 days and 8 nights and commemorates the the victory over the Maccabees and the ensuing miracles during the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem.

Hanukkah is also spelled Chanukah or Hannukah.

For more information about this holiday from a Judiasm site HERE'S THE LINK




 

Silent Monks sing Halleluiah Chorus

We have posted this before but it is toooo good to not post again.

What is it?

Well,

It is Christmas season and in some places the oratorio, the Messiah, is being performed.

But something has happened to the Hallelujah Chorus.

It is not what it used to be.

What has happened?

Well, you will find out in this 2 minute 58 second rendition of the Hallelujah Chorus as portrayed by High School Students dressed as monks.

HERE'S THE LINK to Silent Monks sing Halleluia




 

Hymn: And Can it be

Sung by Wintley Phipps.

HERE'S THE LINK to "And Can it Be...

Is Evolution a Religion?

Yesterday we saw a very short video that Refuted Evolution.

Yet Evolution is taught these days as a FACT.

You see it touted everywhere -- in schools, science classes, on the news, in movies, in magazines, in advertisements, and on and on and on.

But, is Evolution a Fact?

or is Evolution a Religion?

Today's link will help you in this decision.

HERE'S THE LINK to Is Evolution a religion

Evolution Refuted

Today we are linking to a very  short video

with some powerful facts about Evolution.

You might want to watch it more than once.

It is only 2 minutes 36 seconds long so you can easily do that.

So with that by way of introduction

HERE'S THE LINK to Refuting Evolution

Uses for Aluminum Foil

Aluminum Foil.

Everyone has it in their house or apartment.

Indeed, if you are a camper you also have it in your kitchen supplies for your tent or mobile camper.

So this is something that everyone has -- but how much are you using it?

Today's link will give you a number of new ideas and uses for Aluminum foil

HERE'S THE LINK  to more uses for Aluminum foil that you can shake a stick at

What a difference a Day makes

What is a day?

Is it a 24 hour period of time?

Or is it a long eon of time - such as millions of years?

Or is it a thousand years?

Or what?

Why do I ask this? you say -- everyone knows that a day is 24 hours.

Well, not so fast?  Not everyone thinks that.

Some believe it is a long long long period of time of thousands or millions of years or longer.

Why is this important?

Well today's link will explain.
HERE'S THE LINK to What a difference a Day makes

How to Get to Heaven

If you were to die tonight,

do you know where you would go?

Would you go to Heaven?

Or to Hell?

Are you sure?

The link today will help you know for sure.

HERE'S THE LINK to How to get to heaven




 

Learning Cursive -- or Not

Today's link is another hilarious but short video

by Jeanne Robertson.

This time she tells us that students don't have to learn to write in Cursive anymore.

"Surely this can't be true?"  you say

But it IS true.

Many schools are no longer teaching children to write.

So Jeanne Robertson has the perfect solution.

HERE'S THE LINK to Learning Cursive  -- or Not





 

Amazing Grace

Today's Hymn is Amazing Grace,

a Guitar version by Goeff

HERE'S THE LINK to Amazing Grace



 

14 Reasons why we should use Hymnals in Worship

Have you noticed that many churches no longer use Hymnals?

Instead they are using power point, singing in unison, and you rarely hear harmony any more.

Why?

And what difference does this make?

Today's link will discuss this and will give 14 reasons why Churches should consider resuming the use of Hymnals.

I think you will find this most interesting.
HERE'S THE LINK to 14 Reasons why we should go back to using Hymnals in Worship




 

Tomorrow

Boast not thyself of tomorrow;

For thou knowest not what a day may bring forth
 
        Proverbs 27:1

You probably think you have tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow --

But as we have seen from recent events we really have no assurance that we will have a tomorrow.

Folks have gone to concerts or for bike rides or for a walk and to church or ...

but never returned

because their life ended and there was no tomorrow.

Why is this important?

Hint:  It has to do with procrastination

Today's link will explain
HERE'S THE LINK to Tomorrow