DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh    One of the most fascinating parts of the Christmas story is the coming of the Magi.  When the Magi or Wise Men visited the baby Jesus, they brought gifts to present to Him.  It was customary that foreign emissaries and ambassadors would bring gifts to court the favor of royalty.  This was especially true of the times of royal births.  The Magi came to Jerusalem seeking the newborn king of Israel and did not find Jesus there.  The Magi were directed to Bethlehem to search for Jesus there.  Once they located Jesus they presented Joseph and Mary gifts for the birth of the King.  Each of the three gifts represented an aspect of who Jesus is and what his mission was to fulfill.  We are not given any indication of the amounts of each of the gifts or how many of the Magi were represented.  The importance of the gifts was the message that each one conveyed about Jesus.  The gold represented the fact that Jesus was royal.  The frankincense supports the claim

   We all remember our first slice of cheesecake-that gooey, delicious dessert that almost melted in our mouths.  What you may not have realized is that the original cheesecake looked and tasted nothing like what we enjoy today.  Before you grab another slice of this tasty dessert, take some time to learn about the cheesecake origins you never knew. Cheesecake History Starts in Ancient Greece    The first cheese cakes were thought to be made in Ancient Greece.  On the island of Samos, archaeologists reported they found cheese molds that dated back to 2,000 B.C.-that means cheesecake is more than 4000 years old!  In Ancient Greece, cheesecake was not the creamy dessert treat we recognize today.  Instead, athletes used it as an energy source before the first Olympic games in 776 B.C. and newlyweds served it at their wedding reception.    The Greek writer Athenaeus is credited with recording the original cheesecake recipe.  The simple cake included just wheat,flour, honey and ch

   The visit of the Magi is an incredible and fascinating event that is one of the favorite parts of the Christmas story.  The coming of the Magi or Wise Men has been clouded in mystery and intrigue for thousands of years.  One reason for this intrigue is that because of the many misconceptions surrounding their visit.  Today we hold many aspects of their visit to be true but in reality are unknown or untrue.  Here are just a few of the misconceptions involving the visit of the Wise Men. Misconception #1:  The Wise Men were Kings    Nowhere does the Biblical record describe these men as kings.  We hear the song We Three Kings and take it for gospel.  The Wise Men were Magi, a class of advisers that were part of the Babylonian society.  The Magi were well known for various skills such as diplomacy, the interpretation of dreams, the use of sorcery and politics.  The word magi is where we derive our English word magic or magician.  The Magi were often wealthy and held great influ