{"id":6090,"date":"2015-12-22T18:53:39","date_gmt":"2015-12-22T16:53:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/?p=6090"},"modified":"2017-12-21T00:56:41","modified_gmt":"2017-12-20T22:56:41","slug":"i-have-a-gift-for-you-this-christmas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/i-have-a-gift-for-you-this-christmas\/","title":{"rendered":"I Have a Gift For You This Christmas"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>I did something special for you this Christmas, I made you a gift.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s a gift that I pray it will bless you this Christmas season. It&#8217;s also a gift that you can give to your family and friends as you gather to celebrate the birth of Jesus.<\/p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/player.blubrry.com\/?media_url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.blubrry.com%2Fnowisthetime%2Fcontent.blubrry.com%2Fnowisthetime%2FChristmas_special_2015.mp3&amp;modern=1&amp;podcast_link=https%3A%2F%2Fsukofamily.org%2Fi-have-a-gift-for-you-this-christmas%2F#mode-Light&border-000000&progress-000000\" scrolling=\"no\" width=\"100%\" height=\"165\" frameborder=\"0\" id=\"blubrryplayer-3\" class=\"blubrryplayer\" title=\"Blubrry Podcast Player\"><\/iframe><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_links_mp3\" style=\"margin-bottom: 1px !important;\">Podcast: <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/nowisthetime\/content.blubrry.com\/nowisthetime\/Christmas_special_2015.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_pinw\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Play in new window\" onclick=\"return powerpress_pinw('https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/?powerpress_pinw=6090-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Play in new window<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/nowisthetime\/content.blubrry.com\/nowisthetime\/Christmas_special_2015.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_d\" title=\"Download\" rel=\"nofollow\" download=\"Christmas_special_2015.mp3\">Download<\/a> (Duration: 15:01 &#8212; 13.7MB) | <a href=\"#\" class=\"powerpress_link_e\" title=\"Embed\" onclick=\"return powerpress_show_embed('6090-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Embed<\/a><\/p><p class=\"powerpress_embed_box\" id=\"powerpress_embed_6090-podcast\" style=\"display: none;\"><input id=\"powerpress_embed_6090-podcast_t\" type=\"text\" value=\"&lt;iframe src=&quot;https:\/\/player.blubrry.com\/?media_url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.blubrry.com%2Fnowisthetime%2Fcontent.blubrry.com%2Fnowisthetime%2FChristmas_special_2015.mp3&amp;modern=1&amp;podcast_link=https%3A%2F%2Fsukofamily.org%2Fi-have-a-gift-for-you-this-christmas%2F#mode-Light&amp;border-000000&amp;progress-000000&quot; scrolling=&quot;no&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot; height=&quot;165&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; id=&quot;blubrryplayer-4&quot; class=&quot;blubrryplayer&quot; title=&quot;Blubrry Podcast Player&quot;&gt;&lt;\/iframe&gt;\" onclick=\"javascript: this.select();\" onfocus=\"javascript: this.select();\" style=\"width: 70%;\" readOnly><\/p><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_subscribe_links\">Subscribe: <a href=\"https:\/\/subscribebyemail.com\/feeds.blubrry.com\/feeds\/nowisthetime.xml\" class=\"powerpress_link_subscribe powerpress_link_subscribe_email\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Subscribe by Email\" rel=\"nofollow\">Email<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/feeds.blubrry.com\/feeds\/nowisthetime.xml\" class=\"powerpress_link_subscribe powerpress_link_subscribe_rss\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Subscribe via RSS\" rel=\"nofollow\">RSS<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Today I sat down and made a special recording for you. This episode of &#8220;Now Is the Time&#8221; is an exclusive reading of my poem <strong>&#8220;The Word Is the Gift.&#8221;\u00a0<\/strong>set to some inspiring <a href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/23violins\/immanuel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Christmas background music.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s perfect for listening to on a quiet winters night with a cup of hot tea and open Bible!<\/p>\n<p>This poem interweaves Scripture in a unique way with a poetic interpretive text.<\/p>\n<p>You&#8217;ll find the entire text of John 1:1-14 weaved between the stanzas.<\/p>\n<h2>A Sample<\/h2>\n<hr \/>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><strong>He came to that which was his own<\/strong> <strong>But his own did not receive him<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Too many too concerned with religious functions<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Too many too comfortable with their powerful positions<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Too few who could see through the man-made superstitions<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Too busy justifying their behavior<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>They saw no need for a savior!<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><strong>Yet to all who did receive him<\/strong> <strong>To those who believed in his name<\/strong> <strong>He gave the right to become children of God!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>No hoops to jump through, no red tape to navigate no behavioral code to live up to<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>No prescribed prayers or perfunctory performances to impress man.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Just believe!<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Not belief for belief\u2019s sake but belief in the truth of the Word.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Belief that sin is your greatest problem<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Belief that man is hopelessly fallen<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Belief in the unique message and person of Jesus<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Belief in the life infused power of forgiveness<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Found exclusively and extraordinarily in the Word.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>True belief in the True Word<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Real faith in the real God<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Complete trust in the completed work of Jesus<\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Suggestions for use<\/h2>\n<p>I have included a few suggestions below to make this recording useful to you. Ultimately I hope that it stirs your heart and wakens your faith in Jesus.<\/p>\n<p>I also hope that you will consider using this recording as a tool to share the Good News of Jesus with your unbelieving friends and family this Christmas season.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>I recommend that you take some time and listen on your own first.<\/li>\n<li>Find a quiet place where you can meditate on these truths without distraction.<\/li>\n<li>Read through the text of John 1:1-14 before listening.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/the-word-is-the-gift-pdf-download\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Download a PDF here<\/a>\u00a0with the full text of the poem and Scripture and follow along as I read.<\/li>\n<li>Listen with your family one night and then ask each member of your family to answer one of the questions below.<\/li>\n<li>Play the reading as you celebrate Christmas with friends or neighbors, again use a few of the questions below afterward.<\/li>\n<li>Send your friends and family a link to this podcast episode and tell them what it meant to you and ask them to listen.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Questions to think on<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Who is the Word?<\/li>\n<li>Who created all things?<\/li>\n<li>What did God call John to do?<\/li>\n<li>Why did the world not recognize who Jesus was?<\/li>\n<li>What\u00a0do you need to do to\u00a0become a child of God?<\/li>\n<li>Why was it important for the Word to become flesh?<\/li>\n<li>What kind of &#8220;grace&#8221; and &#8220;truth&#8221; did Jesus bring?<\/li>\n<li>Do you believe Jesus&#8217; words?\u00a0<b>\u201cI am the resurrection and the life. The person who believes in me, even though he dies, will live.\u201d (John 11:25)<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>One more thing<\/h2>\n<p>If you&#8217;d like to donate to our ministry before the end of the year you&#8217;ll find <a href=\"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/2015-year-end-giving\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">instructions here.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>THANK YOU!<\/p>\n<p>And<\/p>\n<p>MERRY CHRISTMAS!<\/p>\n<h2>Wait, just one more thing!<\/h2>\n<p>I&#8217;d love to know how you used this recording and if or how it blessed you. Please leave a comment, or send me a note!<\/p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/player.blubrry.com\/?media_url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.blubrry.com%2Fnowisthetime%2Fcontent.blubrry.com%2Fnowisthetime%2FChristmas_special_2015.mp3&amp;modern=1&amp;podcast_link=https%3A%2F%2Fsukofamily.org%2Fi-have-a-gift-for-you-this-christmas%2F#mode-Light&border-000000&progress-000000\" scrolling=\"no\" width=\"100%\" height=\"165\" frameborder=\"0\" id=\"blubrryplayer-1\" class=\"blubrryplayer\" title=\"Blubrry Podcast Player\"><\/iframe><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_links_mp3\" style=\"margin-bottom: 1px !important;\">Podcast: <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/nowisthetime\/content.blubrry.com\/nowisthetime\/Christmas_special_2015.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_pinw\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Play in new window\" onclick=\"return powerpress_pinw('https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/?powerpress_pinw=6090-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Play in new window<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/nowisthetime\/content.blubrry.com\/nowisthetime\/Christmas_special_2015.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_d\" title=\"Download\" rel=\"nofollow\" download=\"Christmas_special_2015.mp3\">Download<\/a> (Duration: 15:01 &#8212; 13.7MB) | <a href=\"#\" class=\"powerpress_link_e\" title=\"Embed\" onclick=\"return powerpress_show_embed('6090-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Embed<\/a><\/p><p class=\"powerpress_embed_box\" id=\"powerpress_embed_6090-podcast\" style=\"display: none;\"><input id=\"powerpress_embed_6090-podcast_t\" type=\"text\" value=\"&lt;iframe src=&quot;https:\/\/player.blubrry.com\/?media_url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.blubrry.com%2Fnowisthetime%2Fcontent.blubrry.com%2Fnowisthetime%2FChristmas_special_2015.mp3&amp;modern=1&amp;podcast_link=https%3A%2F%2Fsukofamily.org%2Fi-have-a-gift-for-you-this-christmas%2F#mode-Light&amp;border-000000&amp;progress-000000&quot; scrolling=&quot;no&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot; height=&quot;165&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; id=&quot;blubrryplayer-2&quot; class=&quot;blubrryplayer&quot; title=&quot;Blubrry Podcast Player&quot;&gt;&lt;\/iframe&gt;\" onclick=\"javascript: this.select();\" onfocus=\"javascript: this.select();\" style=\"width: 70%;\" readOnly><\/p><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_subscribe_links\">Subscribe: <a href=\"https:\/\/subscribebyemail.com\/feeds.blubrry.com\/feeds\/nowisthetime.xml\" class=\"powerpress_link_subscribe powerpress_link_subscribe_email\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Subscribe by Email\" rel=\"nofollow\">Email<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/feeds.blubrry.com\/feeds\/nowisthetime.xml\" class=\"powerpress_link_subscribe powerpress_link_subscribe_rss\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Subscribe via RSS\" rel=\"nofollow\">RSS<\/a><\/p><!--powerpress_player-->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I did something special for you this Christmas, I made you a gift.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s a gift that I pray it will bless you this Christmas season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6092,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"audio","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[297],"tags":[59,250],"class_list":["post-6090","post","type-post","status-publish","format-audio","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-podcast","tag-christmas","tag-poetry","post_format-post-format-audio"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/A-Gift-for-You.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3izZc-1Ae","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1916,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/so-how-was-your-christmas\/","url_meta":{"origin":6090,"position":0},"title":"So How was Your Christmas?","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"December 27, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Christmas is over, at least in the West. The day after Christmas shouldn't be a downer. It should be just as joyful as the day before Christmas! The Messiah has come, he is here, our God is with us, Emmanuel! One thing we really like about living in Ukraine is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Family&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Family","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/family\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/DSC01796.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/DSC01796.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/DSC01796.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":28420,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/the-secret-of-the-christmas-tree\/","url_meta":{"origin":6090,"position":1},"title":"The Secret of the Christmas Tree","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"January 2, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Abby, Dabby, and Labby woke early on Christmas morningQuietly, they tiptoed past their father\u2019s loud snoringIn the living room stood the Christmas tree, bright and tallBut what they saw was not the tree, oh, not at all! This silent green giant held a secret in its boughsYet the shining presents\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Writing&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Writing","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/writing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/604759098_10164453700629809_6074044429133929318_n.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/604759098_10164453700629809_6074044429133929318_n.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/604759098_10164453700629809_6074044429133929318_n.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/604759098_10164453700629809_6074044429133929318_n.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3536,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/merry-christmas-from-the-sukos-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":6090,"position":2},"title":"Merry Christmas from the Sukos","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"December 26, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Christina and I want to wish you and your family a very merry Christmas. May Christ not only be at the center of your Christmas celebration but may he also be at the center of your 2014! Last night I had the privilege of reading a Christmas poem at Discovery\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General Updates&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General Updates","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/updates\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/christmas-vid.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/christmas-vid.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/christmas-vid.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":305,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/church-christmas-party\/","url_meta":{"origin":6090,"position":3},"title":"Church Christmas Party","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"January 8, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Today was our churches annual Children's Christmas party. There was a special service for the kids including lots of singing and a skit. The kids were also given a chance to perform their own song or recite a poem. Misheal and Naomi both won a prize for reciting Luke 2:8-14\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General Updates&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General Updates","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/updates\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":7316,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/christmas-hope-for-orphans-in-ukraine\/","url_meta":{"origin":6090,"position":4},"title":"Christmas Hope for Orphans in Ukraine","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"December 26, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"What image pops into your mind when you think about Christmas morning? Of course it should be Jesus, and probably second to that is some sort of family gathering. Loved ones, smiling faces, hugs, and maybe even tears of delight with the opening of that perfect gift! Unfortunately all these\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Ministry&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Ministry","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/ministry\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/0-02-05-009.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/0-02-05-009.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/0-02-05-009.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1731,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/what-to-tell-your-kids-about-santa-claus\/","url_meta":{"origin":6090,"position":5},"title":"What to Tell Your Kids About Santa Claus","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"December 6, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Christmas is the only time of year when it's generally considered OK to lie to your children! It's an American tradition and it gets them to behave! 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