Being a huge U2 fan, I had to post this quote from Bono (the lead singer of U2) when I found it today:

"I remember coming back from a very long tour.... On Christmas Eve I went to St. Patrick’s Cathedral. ...It had dawned on me before, but it really sank in: the Christmas story. The idea that God, if there is a force of Love and Logic in the universe, that it would seek to explain itself is amazing enough. That it would seek to explain itself and describe itself by becoming a child born in straw poverty... a child, I just thought: “Wow!” Just the poetry. Unknowable love, unknowable power, describes itself as the most vulnerable. There it was. I was sitting there, and ...tears came down my face, and I saw the genius of this, utter genius of picking a particular point in time and deciding to turn on this. Because that’s exactly what we were talking about earlier: love needs to find form, intimacy needs to be whispered. To me, it makes sense. It’s actually logical. It’s pure logic. Essence has to manifest itself. It’s inevitable. Love has to become an action or something concrete. It would have to happen. There must be an incarnation. Love must be made flesh." - Bono

Today is New Year's Eve and my family and I are in Atlanta to ring in the new year with each of my siblings and their families. We have been here for a few days and the fun has been non-stop (accept for the occasional nap). While here a number of things have marked my mind with the fact that I am truly a blessed man as I enter the new year.

First: We all went to church together on Sunday, all 18 of us. We took up a row and a half at Perimeter Church. The service was great. I totally felt God's presence there and so did the whole family. Perimeter is a mega church in the Atlanta area. They have about 5,000 people each week in attendance. As much of a bad wrap that many like to give mega churches, Perimeter is really making a difference and is making a big impact in their community, in my family and around the world. It's been awesome to talk with my brother Scott about his weekly discipleship meeting that he attends with several other men and the things that God is doing in him and through his family as they serve God through their local church in reaching their community.

Second: Sunday night we all gathered at my sister Becky's house and went through about 10 albums of family pictures and divided up the spoils amongst ourselves. The laughs and the stories we flying as we recalled too many crazy times growing up together.

Third: I have been humbled to see my two brothers and my sister raising incredible kids that truly love God and love others just as much. Of course, being together like this, there has been a lot of talk about my mother who passed away 12 years ago. Momma would be so proud to see her 10 grandchildren today growing up following Christ. My mother's family has been full of Christians for generations and the current generation is making sure we're not going to 'drop the ball' on the incredible inheritance we've been given.

So that's where my head is on New Year's Eve 2008. I am a blessed man and it is all because of Christ.

Happy New Year from the Williamsons!

A Christmas Creed

I believe in Jesus Christ and in the beauty of the gospel begun in Bethlehem.
I believe in the one whose spirit glorified a little town; and whose spirit still brings music to persons all over the world, in towns both large and small.
I believe in the one for whom the crowded inn could find no room, and I confess that my heart still sometimes wants to exclude Christ from my life today.
I believe in the one who the rulers of the earth ignored and the proud could never understand; whose life was among common people, whose welcome came from persons of hungry hearts.
I believe in the one who proclaimed the love of God to be invincible:
I believe in the one whose cradle was a mother's arms, whose modest home in Nazareth had love for its only wealth, who looked at persons and made them see what God's love saw in them, who by love brought sinners back to purity, and lifted human weakness up to meet the strength of God.
I confess my ever-lasting need of God: The need of forgiveness for our selfishness and greed, the need of new life for empty souls, the need of love for hearts grown cold.
I believe in God who gives us the best of himself.
I believe in Jesus, the son of the living
God, born in Bethlehem this night, for me and for the world.

~Merry Christmas from GWM

A close friend of mine sent me this email a few days ago. He's seen my wife Susie and I walk through our fair share of betrayals over the last decade or so. Having watched us walk through these tough times, he sent it to us as an encouragement. It comes from the TGIF daily devotional. If you'd like to subscribe to the devotional click here.

Betrayals
TGIF Today God Is First Volume 1 by Os Hillman
Thursday, December 18 2008

"If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it; if a foe were raising himself against me, I could hide from him. But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend." - Psalm 55:12-13

"You will always be attacked in the place of your inheritance," said the man sitting across the breakfast table. "God has called you to bring people together and to impact other people's lives as a result of this anointing in your life. You must make sure that you seek to maintain righteousness in all of your relationships." Those words came from someone who had the wisdom and authority to speak them to me.

I have had a number of close relationships that ended in betrayal. I am very loyal to my friends and those with whom I have covenant relationships. Yet there are times that no matter how righteous you are, when someone means to betray you, he will do it. Loving those who betray you is "graduate-level Christianity." The religious community and one of His closest friends betrayed Jesus. Those who were closest to David betrayed him. Joseph's own family betrayed him. Loving our enemies cannot be accomplished by mustering it up. It can only happen when we have come to a death in ourselves so that Christ can love through us. It is truly one of those acts of identifying with the cross.

If you are a leader, you can be sure God will allow you to experience betrayal. It is one of those courses in the Kingdom that may not be required until God has seen that you have successfully passed other tests. It is the most difficult and most gut wrenching of all tests. A godly response goes against all that is in us. Our natural response is to protect, retaliate, and retain unforgiveness and bitterness. Our natural response is satan's most powerful weapon; to overcome it requires much grace from God. Ask God to build His nature in you now so that when such attacks come, you will be aware that it is a test and you will respond in righteousness.