Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

I'm off for my holiday break and wanted to wish you all a happy and joyous Christmas. I know that the news we link to here is often grim but I'm sure that most of you who visit this site are Christians who understand that beyond the headlines we know that God is sovereign and always in control. We know that this effort to be watchful has a purpose and a focus, and that focus is on Jesus Christ.

We watch the signs of His return, but this season is all about the First Coming, not the Second Coming, so as we turn to our families and friends to celebrate the holidays we offer thanks and praise to God and above all, celebrate Jesus as the reason for the season.

Hark the Herald Angels Sing
lyrics by Charles Wesley

Hark the herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!
Peace on earth and mercy mild
God and sinners reconciled"
Joyful, all ye nations rise
Join the triumph of the skies
With the angelic host proclaim:
"Christ is born in Bethlehem"
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"

Christ by highest heav'n adored
Christ the everlasting Lord!
Late in time behold Him come
Offspring of a Virgin's womb
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see
Hail the incarnate Deity
Pleased as man with man to dwell
Jesus, our Emmanuel
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"

Hail the heav'n-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings
Ris'n with healing in His wings
Mild He lays His glory by
Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth
Born to give them second birth
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"

CNN.com - U.N. cites 'a slow but steady exodus' of Iraqi Christians
CNN reports: "Violence in recent weeks has prompted a 'slow but steady exodus' of Christians from the Iraqi cities of Baghdad and Mosul, the U.N. refugee agency said on Friday [..] The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said Baghdad and Mosul Christians have been headed to other destinations in Iraq, such as the Kurdish region and the Nineveh Plains, a region in the north with a strong Christian presence."

My Way News - SKorea to hold firing drills despite NKorea threat
My Way News reports: "South Korea said Saturday it will go ahead with artillery drills on a border island shelled by North Korea last month despite Pyongyang's threat to retaliate again, as Russia and China expressed concerns over tension on the volatile peninsula."

My Way News - CIA chief pulled from Pakistan; drones kill 54
My Way News reports: "The CIA yanked its top spy out of Pakistan after his cover was blown and his life threatened, and 54 suspected militants were killed in a U.S. drone missile attack Friday in stark new signs of the troubled relationship between mistrustful allies locked in a war on terror groups."

My Way News - Venezuela congress grants Chavez decree powers: "Venezuelan lawmakers granted President Hugo Chavez broad powers Friday to enact laws by decree, undermining the clout of a new congress that takes office next month with a bigger opposition bloc. Chavez opponents condemned the move as a power grab, saying the law gives him a blank check to rule without consulting lawmakers."

Comment: I wonder how long it will be before he appoints himself president-for-life and puts his political enemies in camps?

My Way News - Coast Guard: Little seafloor oil from Gulf spill
My Way News reports: "Federal scientists said Friday extensive sampling of the Gulf of Mexico seafloor found oil in quantities too small to collect and in concentrations below harmful levels, except in the area surrounding the BP well. The Coast Guard's report contrasts independent scientists who say oil from the BP spill extensively damaged the seafloor and killed coral, sea fans and many bottom-dwelling animals like tubeworms."

Comment: I'd been waiting for this report and the finding are encouraging. As you know, there have been some very negative suggestions about the extent of the damage and the long-term implications of the spill - apocalyptic implications - but it would appear that those fears are overblown.

UPI.com - Seismic stress said moving toward LA
UPI reports: "Scientists say a 7.2 magnitude Easter earthquake south of the U.S.-Mexico border shifted fault stress to Southern California, creating risks of a temblor there."

My Way News - Palestinians ask Europe to recognize a state
My Way News reports: "The Palestinians have asked European countries to recognize an independent state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip - a new step in the campaign to pursue statehood outside the framework of a peace deal with Israel."

My Way News - Arabs against peace talks without clear borders
My Way News reports: "Arab foreign ministers spoke out Wednesday against any talks between Israel and the Palestinians, direct or indirect, unless the U.S. takes a firm stance on the future borders of a Palestinian state."

My Way News - Pope calls Christians the most persecuted
My Way News reports: "Pope Benedict XVI said Thursday that Christians suffer more religious persecution than any other group, denouncing lack of freedom of worship as an 'intolerable' threat to world security."

My Way News - Pakistan, China celebrate 'all-weather' friendship
My Way News reports: "Pakistan calls China its 'all-weather' friend - an ally that offers consistent, no-strings-attached support during turbulent times. However, the reality is a more complicated mix of economics, security and self-interest - complexities that will be on display during Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's three day-visit to Pakistan starting Friday [...] China is Pakistan's closest friend in the region, giving Islamabad military aid and technical assistance, including nuclear technology."

My Way News - New Japan defense policy focuses on China
My Way News reports: "Japan needs to focus on the rise of China and not the Cold War threat of Russia in defining its security goals, according to new defense guidelines announced Friday [...] To bolster its forces, Japan will acquire new submarines and fighter jets, upgrade its missile defense capabilities and make its ground forces more mobile so that they can quickly respond to emergencies in southwest Japan."

Comment: There's nothing like a regional arms race to make everyone feel more secure.

My Way News - 30,000 killed in Mexico's drug violence since 2006
My Way News reports: "Mexico said Thursday that more than 30,000 people have been killed in drug violence since President Felipe Calderon launched a crackdown against cartels in late 2006."

My Way News - Obama: US on track in Afghanistan, issues remain
My Way News reports: "Though mostly upbeat, the Obama administration's assessment of war progress in Afghanistan suggests tough combat will continue for years and if the president begins to bring U.S. troops home next summer, as promised, the numbers will be small."

My Way News - London, tuberculosis capital of Western Europe
My Way News reports: "The number of people infected with tuberculosis has jumped by 50 percent in London in the last decade, making it the tuberculosis capital of Western Europe, a new report says."

My Way News - Arabs against peace talks without clear borders
My Way News reports: "Arab foreign ministers spoke out Wednesday against any talks between Israel and the Palestinians, direct or indirect, unless the U.S. takes a firm stance on the future borders of a Palestinian state."

My Way News - Rabbi says Western Wall cameras desecrate Sabbath
My Way News reports: "A leading Israeli rabbi has declared the Western Wall off limits to the faithful on the holiest day of the week because of security cameras that he says desecrate the Sabbath [...] The Western Wall, located in Jerusalem's Old City, is a retaining wall of the compound where the biblical temples stood 2,000 years ago. Devout Jews and tourists pray in front of the outdoor site and stick small prayer notes between the stones of the wall."

My Way News - Disagreement over EU debt crisis measures deepens
My Way News reports: "Disagreement over how to fight Europe's debt crisis deepened Wednesday, on the eve of a two-day summit of European leaders, as violent protests and uncertainty fueled investors' concerns once again."

My Way News - SKorea stages mass evacuation drill amid tension
My Way News reports: "South Koreans stopped their cars, donned gas masks and ducked into underground shelters Wednesday in the country's biggest-ever evacuation drill - a government attempt to prepare traditionally indifferent citizens for possible new attacks by North Korea."

My Way News - US missile intercept test fails
My Way News reports: "An interceptor missile launched from California on Wednesday failed to hit a target fired from a Pacific atoll 4,000 miles away during a test of an anti-ballistic missile defense system, the Air Force announced."

My Way News - Report: Transplant may have cured man of AIDS
My Way News reports: "A very unusual blood transplant appears to have cured an American man living in Berlin of infection with the AIDS virus, but doctors say the approach is not practical for wide use. The man, who is in his 40s, had a blood stem cell transplant in 2007 to treat leukemia. His donor not only was a good blood match but also had a gene mutation that confers natural resistance to HIV."