Chris MacKinnon's Blog, page 4
December 15, 2020
The “Magic” of Christmas (3) ~ Wonder
Every magic trick worth its time leaves us staring. “Wait. What? What just happened?”
Instant replays on television shows like America’s Got Talent help us look at it a second or third time, and sometimes from different angles. But we can’t figure it out. We are amazed and left wondering.
After hearing the shepherds in the streets or finding them at their front door, the residents of Bethlehem must have wondered afterwards, “What just happened? Those guys are all stirred up and it sounds c...
December 8, 2020
The “Magic” of Christmas (2) ~ Surprise
To help us understand the magic of Christmas we can take a look at what magic invokes in us. Even when we think we understand what is happening in front of us, there are specific emotions and feelings inside of us that help make the moment memorable.
A magic trick often begins with something simple and mundane. Take an ordinary object and do something with or to it. Hide it. Put it in a box. It may be out of sight but is isn’t out of mind. With every act a tension builds.
Just like a child...
The “Magic” of Christmas ~ Surprise
To help us understand the magic of Christmas we can take a look at what magic invokes in us. Even when we think we understand what is happening in front of us, there are specific emotions and feelings inside of us that help make the moment memorable.
A magic trick often begins with something simple and mundane. Take an ordinary object and do something with or to it. Hide it. Put it in a box. It may be out of sight but is isnt out of mind. With every act a tension builds.
Just like a child who...
December 1, 2020
The “Magic” of Christmas (1) ~ 3 Reactions
Our Town recently hung new banners for the Christmas season. We use banners in our downtown area throughout the various seasons and special days of the year.
This year’s Christmas banners invited passersby to “Believe in the magic of Christmas.” Reactions to such a phrase could swing between the dismissive to the outright hostile.
It isn’t too far a stretch, though, to apply the idea of magic to a Christian view of the holiday. It might even open some doors of conversation to share the Hop...
The “Magic” of Christmas ~ 3 Reactions
Our Town recently hung new banners for the Christmas season. We use banners in our downtown area throughout the various seasons and special days of the year.
This year’s Christmas banners invited passersby to “Believe in the magic of Christmas.” Reactions to such a phrase could swing between the dismissive to the outright hostile.
It isn’t too far a stretch, though, to apply the idea of magic to a Christian view of the holiday. It might even open some doors of conversation to share the Hop...
June 18, 2020
6 Complications to Admitting Our Sin and Facing Our Need for Jesus
Everyone who bumps into Jesus has to decide whether or not they need Him in their life. Whether a search for truth or life or forgiveness or hope led us to Him, or we found ourselves presented with the life and work of Jesus by a friend or stranger, there is a basic evaluation we run through to decide how far we are willing to hear or receive this Jesus. But the admission of sin requires us to overcome complications which tend to stop us in our tracks.
There is a basic yes or no to get us...
June 11, 2020
The Black Lives Conversation and Me
My blog has been silent for a long time. There are a few reasons behind it as life has gone through some adjustments over the past year or so.
Finding my writing voice feels low on the list of things to do in a year where I had a heart attack in February, my oldest daughter graduated, I started a new job, we moved because of the job, after settling in the holiday rush came followed by COVID-19.
The main topic of conversation online now is racism. I grew up on a border suburb of Mi...
April 11, 2020
Locked Inside between Good Friday and Easter
The Saturday between Good Friday and Easter is not mentioned in the Bible. We have to speculate about what the Disciples and the world were doing between the day of judgments and punishments, and the day of wonder and power. We might be shocked at how similar our current situation is.
We know the Sabbath began at sundown on Friday. The Jews, having managed to put away the threat which grew in momentum and followers for three years, went on to celebrate the Passover. The imagery of the lamb...
January 5, 2019
How Fresh is the “New” You Just Discovered?
Over the past few weeks I have seen more on social media than I did most of the last 6 months. I seem to be susceptible to the “rabbit hole” concept of scrolling further down the updates than usual.
Today I came across a post from a pastor sharing his new favorite worship song. I’m familiar with the song and had a feeling it wasn’t quite as new as the post advertised. So I went back to check it’s release date. Turns out, I wasn’t wrong. The song was originally released in January 2014. That’s...
