It’s Christmas morning. Most of us will be spending time opening gifts and presents. Then we’ll visit with friends and relatives, eat our Christmas meal and then watch a football game. We look forward to the memories that will be made and remembered years from now. That’s what “most” of us will experience.
There are some in our community that don’t have the privilege of a home or the luxury of a hot meal to look forward to on Christmas Day or most any other day of the year. These people are largely forgotten by mainstream America as we go along our busy work days and travel to and fro on the bustling interstates and highways.  They’re usually referred to as homeless and often treated as undesirables. Even though Christ commissioned the Church to see about the widows and the poor, a very poor job has been done.
Established in 2006, this is where the “Brighter Day Community Outreach Services, Inc.” (Brighter Day) and several other organizations, have tried to fill a void. “We just want to show them that they’re not forgotten, especially during this time of year,” states Elder Kenneth Johnson, founder and President of the organization. “It’s important to us that we do as much for our fellow man and woman as possible.”
Brighter Day, with the support and sponsorship of Dr. Daniel Cason’s “I Cared Enough” ministry provided a free, hot, catered lunch to over 200 people at Linn Park in downtown Birmingham on Christmas Day. Says Cason, who operates the Bread of Life Food Pantry on Graymont  Avenue, along with his wife Gwendolyn, “We just want to help people. No one should go hungry ever.” The group chose to have a catered meal because they want to let people that may be down right now know that things can definitely get better.
Catering was provided by Another Level Catering. Owned and operated by Felecia Scott, everyone received a gracious helping of baked chicken, ham, dressing, green beans, macaroni and cheese, apple cobbler and a drink. Ms. Scott volunteered her services to serve the meals and brought her entire staff with her.  There were people from every background in line to receive a meal; Black, white, young, old, male and female.
Other activities sponsored by Brighter Day include monthly visits to the Birmingham Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Center, a Mother’s Day Banquet, meals for the homeless during major holidays and other community activities throughout the year. Brighter Day has recently become an extension of Daniel Cason ministries which provides free food, clothing, legal services, music for kids, GED preparation and also operates an accredited Bible college.
Says Johnson, there is a great need in our community and most of us seem to just ignore it. It’s not going to go away.  We can make it better.”
For more information or if you would like to volunteer or make a donation, contact Kenneth Johnson at 205-767-1647 or by email at brighterday.usa@gmail.com.
“There is never a charge for the work we do because it is the Lord’s work that we do.”

 Cease From Anger

Thy mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds.
Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; thy judgments are a great deep: O LORD, thou preservests man and beast.
How excellent is thy loving kindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.
They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures.
For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.
O continue thy loving kindness unto them that know thee; and thy righteousness to the upright in heart.
Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.
For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.
Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verilt thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.
Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.
Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.
For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.
But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
The LORD knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever.
They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.

from Psalms 36 and 37

For a free Scripture packet, please write From the Bible, BIBLE FOUNDATION, PO Box 908, Newberg, Oregon 97132; e-mail: bf@bf.org.

Making of a Man
God created heaven and earth by His own will, and after God made everything, there was no man to look after God’s great creation. God said let us make man in our image, after our likeness. Therefore, God made man to be like Him. How so, since God is a spirit? Well man is a spirit, and he has a soul, and lives in a body. God made man to resemble Him, and gave him dominion over ever creeping thing on earth, and the birds that fly in mid air.
When Jesus became a man, He came to draw man to God, and to die for man, so man could fulfill the purpose for which God created him to be. Man interfered with God’s plan, which necessitated God sending His Son to bring man back to Himself. God incarnated, which means He became human in the person of His Son Jesus Christ, in order to pay the price for sin that only He could do. Jesus went back to His Father, after His death, burial and resurrection. Man’s responsibility is to carry out the assignment in Jesus’ stead, and that is winning souls for the Kingdom of God. Jesus brought many souls to God, and man’s assignment is to do likewise. Man’s creation in the image and likeness of God is to win souls as Jesus has won many, and He still does through man. God is omnipotent.
www.thealmightyeyes.com

BLACK PR WIRE – Noted faith-based leaders met with key officials from the U.S. Fund for UNICEF to discuss the formation of a strategic partnership to assist children and families in Africa. The partnership will include the launch of an initiative during Black History Month in February to help halt the spread of Ebola in West Africa, where UNICEF has been on the frontlines since the onset of the crisis. The faith-based leaders represent a number of key African-American churches that boast over 11 million members. The meeting was held at the U.S. Fund for UNICEF’s New York City headquarters and is the first of many the organization intends to convene with African American organizations and groups as it works to develop long-term relationships with them.

“Contradictions in Faith: The Politics of Belief”
Rev. Joseph R. Reid

While teaching children about world religions, a teacher asked her students to bring a symbol of their faith to class. The next day, she asked each student to come forward and share the symbol with the class. The first child said, “I’m Muslim, this is my prayer rug.” The second child said, “I’m Jewish, and this is my families’ me-no-rah.” The third child said, “I’m Roman Catholic, and this is my Mom’s rosary.” The fourth child said, “I’m Greek Orthodox, and this is an icon of my patron saint.” The fifth child said, “I’m protestant, and this is my families’ Bible and a copy of the second amendment to the constitution.
And so it goes in America. Who we are and what we believe are two different things. Last year, as a nation, we went on a roller coaster ride in international and national politics concerning the possibility of our country embarking on another war in the Middle East around the use of chemical weapons of mass destruction by the Assad regime in Syria. There were many sides to the issue, military action, diplomacy, or diplomacy threats by force or doing nothing. Few of the nations involved, including the U.S., through the United Nations and others considered the way of Christ or unconditional love. Now we are facing a continuous cyberwar threat from North Korea and an extension of the war in the Middle East.
As Christians we should be the chief advocates for peace, not war! Love, not hate! We are fighters for truth and justice, not the politics of aggression, especially when our national interest or welfare is not threatened. But even if it is, we should compel our leaders to seek the high ground of reconciliation and armistice before we think of using forces.
As Christians we cannot bury our heads in the sand of other world theology. We must grasp hold of the politics of faith in a God who is able to work out all things. What sets us apart as American Christians is a shared belief that has sustained us from the founding of this country, several wars, the great depression, the struggle for women and civil rights, and now the economic struggles of today, a belief that we are a chosen nation under God in whom we trust! It says so, on our money and was added to our Pledge of Allegiance. It has been a long-held belief that we are the nation to lead the world to peace and the elimination of all weapons of mass destruction. We are a nation founded on our faith in a God that does the impossible. Our politics of faith has made us the greatest nation on earth, blessed as long as we seek God’s will and treat everyone as we wish to be treated.
As the New Year begins, we should remember who we have pledged to be, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Ours is a politics of faith.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Birmingham-Southern students will produce and perform the musical “Godspell” in only three weeks during the college’s January Exploration Term.
The two-act production, set in contemporary America with modern songs, is a joyous celebration of the Gospel According to Matthew through song and dance. It follows the last days in the life of Jesus Christ, culminating in Act II with his betrayal by Judas and execution by crucifixion. “Godspell” exploded off-Broadway in 1971 and has played worldwide since, including a Broadway revival in their 2011-12 season.
The production and performance is an E-Term theatre class in which 28 BSC students are enrolled. The students are working daily building sets, creating costumes, designing lighting and sound, and rehearsing.
“The students involved in the production of “Godspell” will get the true experience of working in the theatre as if it were a real job, said BSC Professor of Theatre Michael Flowers, who is co-teaching the course with Professor of Theatre Matthew Mielke. “The hours are intensive, jam-packed and fun-filled, and the result, after three weeks of work, is a fully realized production of a classic musical.”
Ten of those students will perform their way through the Gospel: DeCorian Cobb, Savannah Weidman, David Strickland, Emily Huff, Jacob Abbott, Kiona Reese, Macy Ladner, Bee Hall as Jesus, Spiro Gerontakis, and Jada Cato.
Student designers include Anna Toal (costumes) and Sean Alexander (lights); the director and choreographer is Birmingham-Southern alumnus Todd Underwood, who choreographed the college’s production of “Jesus Christ Superstar” last spring; and Brent Irwin, who directed BSC’s fall production “Four by Tenn,” is assistant director.
Performances of the musical by Stephen Schwartz and book by John-Michael Tebelak will be at 7:30 p.m. each night, Jan. 27-30, in the College Theatre/The Underground. General admission tickets are $20; $10 for students, and they go on sale Jan. 13. For tickets and additional information, contact the College Theatre Box Office at (205) 226-4780.

Bold New Book by Wretched TV and Radio Host Todd Friel Tackles Hard Questions about Who Jesus Is

ATLANTA, Ga. – Never give into peer pressure. Except where book reviews are involved. It’s true – millions judge a book not by its cover but by its reviews.
And when it comes to one new book tackling tough questions like “Did Jesus claim to be God?” “Does Jesus appear in the Old Testament?” and “Can we know if Scripture can be understood – or trusted?” readers have spoken.
“Jesus Unmasked: The Truth Will Shock You” by Wretched Radio and Wretched TV host Todd Friel is being called “fantastic,” “an incredible read,” “a whirlwind tour through the Bible,” and “naked truth that will rock your foundation.”
“‘Jesus Unmasked’ isn’t shocking because it reveals any new truths; it’s shocking because so few people understand how the Bible really works,” Friel said. “Even some Christians doubt the Bible is actually inspired or have no idea that the Old Testament is really all about Jesus.”
“Jesus Unmasked” persuasively shows otherwise by taking readers on a journey through Scripture and showing the reality and person of Jesus from Genesis to Revelation.
The book was released earlier this fall and is already in its second printing by New Leaf Press, which described “Jesus Unmasked” this way: “How much does God hate sin and how much does He love you? If you ever doubt how kind, good, and loving God is, look at the Cross. Jesus’ brutal death on the Cross is God’s greatest and clearest demonstration of His holy wrath and perfect love.”
Other well-known voices are also weighing in on “Jesus Unmasked.”
•    “‘Jesus Unmasked’ will blast a bright light into a dark and dying world. Give the book to the atheist in your life.” — Ray Comfort, New Zealand-born Christian minister and evangelist who started Living Waters Publications and The Way of the Master
•    “Todd Friel has written the book you always wanted to give to your friends. ‘Jesus Unmasked’ is clear, direct and simple, all without ever being shallow. Get several copies so you can share them with friends who need Jesus.” –– Tedd Tripp, author of the popular child-rearing book, “Shepherding a Child’s Heart,” and senior pastor of Grace Fellowship Church, Hazleton, Pa.
“Jesus Unmasked” is available through the Wretched online store (also as an audio book), as well as on Amazon.com (Kindle and paperback) and at Christianbook.com. Readers can follow conversations about the book online via #JesusUnmasked.
Friel is also the author of several other products, such as “Herman Who: Read it Right, A Hermeneutics Primer,” “It’s Not Greek to Me,” “What Hath Darwin Wrought?” and “On the Shoulders of Giants.”
Wretched Radio can be heard live online at www.WretchedRadio.com under the “On Air!” tab from 3 to 5 p.m. (EST) Monday through Friday, as well as from 10 p.m. to midnight on Saturdays on the American Family Radio Network, available on more than 200 stations in 37 states.