"Lord Jesus Christ, Prince of Peace,

The ironies in the names.

Advent is so much more than just merely "unto us, a child is born."  It is also, "unto us, a counselor is given."

To complain is elementary human.  But that's the beauty of discipleship: Jesus invites us to a way of life that isn't normal human behavior.  

When Jesus spoke to enormous mobs of people, did He tell them what they thought they already knew in order to win a popularity contest or to keep those "like" notifications blowing up on his iphone?  

"When we are crushed like grapes, we cannot think of the wine we will become." - Henry Nouwen

In a world of lies and deception, there is truth we can know is truth.  In a world of captivity, there is absolute freedom that we can have all the days of our life.  The question is, do we want to be set free?

We're destroyed in the absence of knowledge.  But there's a kind of knowledge that's capable of destruction as well.  The good news is, there's a type of student who is enlightened to life.

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There are exile experiences awaiting us all that will take the music out of our souls.  But even in the lowest depths of Babylon, there is a Zion where Jesus dwells.