Jesus IS the reason for the season!

Now it is Christmas time again and we might have different thoughts and feelings about this season. When I was a child Christmas was a time together with family and relatives, some kind of a "holy" time, without knowing the meaning of "holy". When I grew up and became a teenager it meant time off from school and a season to be out partying with friends. Christmas eve was still a night together with the family and has always been that all through my life. Further down the road I became a father and I got my own family but we still visited my parents house and came together to celebrate Christmas. Still I never thought about the main reason for the season; the birth of Jesus Christ.

It is with mixed feelings I enter this time of the year. I remember my childhood days when I was a happy kid and when all I had was my mom and dad. Something inside of me is longing for this time of my life and today I wish I had remained a child way longer than I did. I was only 12-13 years when I first started to drink and this became the "thing" in my life. I was un-secure and today I pray that our children will be encouraged to remain children as long as they can! They have all the time in the world to be grown up later. It is important to be a child and as the Bible says we all has to be like children. I wish I never had picked that road, trying to be older than I was. It only led to destruction and fear.

During my family years before I met Jesus I did not use to drink that much during Christmas eve, the rest of the nights I mostly were hanging out at the local bars getting drunk. I wish that I never had done that and stayed home being the kind of father I grew up with to my children. I was never the father that they needed and I was never there for them. My wife had to do it all and as further down the road we walked my life became more and more a mess. I remember the last Christmas in my old life like it was yesterday and it makes me cry. I was drinking three big bottles of hard spirits every day and my life was on the edge. I ruined our Christmas of 2006 being drunk and sick. My eyes were yellow and I slept most of the time. When I was awake I had my bottle. New years eve was the same. I had promised my children to go down to the beach to shoot fireworks but I did not have the energy. My body was giving up and we never got that far. I ended up on the couch and my wife had to do it all, once again.

This Christmas will be the fifth sober Christmas for me and the fifth Christmas I am celebrating my Lord and Savior. Things have changed. My sister lives in the house where mom and dad and all of us used to live, my parents live downtown and two of our daughters lives away from home. I usually get sad over Christmas and I could almost call it "Christmas depression". One thing I thought about this Christmas is that there is no reason for me to be sad or depressed. Think about how sad Jesus is going to be the day HE returns and HE has to turn away those people He loves to eternal death. Those who believe in Jesus will have eternal life. Today I am such blessed that Jesus found me and I accepted HIS call on my life. I am on the right way, the narrow road together with Jesus and my family IS following me. HE did it all so we could be free. HE did it all so we could be forgiven. HE did so much for us, including you and it is time to remember HIS birth this season. JESUS is the reason for the season.

I already got the best Christmas present I could get. My oldest daughter Jennifer wanted to sing together with me and yesterday, December 21st we sang my song Thankful together at her school Christmas party. My heart is touched to tears and I am so thankful to God for what HE is doing in our family. HE ones said to me: - I have everything in my hands. Just trust me! This is true and I can see the light. This is my first Christmas with two mothers and two fathers. The program Suhdekorjaamo where I meet my biological mother for the first time will be broadcasted on Finnish YLE TV2 January 18th at 19:30 (finnish time).

My prayer is that no children shall suffer from alcoholic parents this Christmas. What ever you do, do not get drunk. I am not saying anything about drinking but getting drunk is another story.

I wish you all a Happy and Blessed Christmas!

Pontus

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THE NEW YEAR 2012

The new year 2012 starts off with a BIG BANG when I am celebrating FIVE YEARS at my church, Kvevlax Missionskyrka in Kvevlax. This is a very special night with special guests. I want to celebrate the day when I for the first time entered the church that became my spiritual home. Without my church I would not be where I am today! We also serve a free meal and we are looking forward to fellowship with YOU this night in January! This same night is also the official release party for the new "Thankful" album.

PARTNER WITH US IN 2012

As a ministry being part of Frank Mangs Center r.f we would like to give YOU the opportunity to partner with us and be a part of our work to reach the lost. Frank Mangs Center r.f have now opened a new bank account for this ministry and supporting this ministry with a monthly donation you are being part of reaching not only the lost but reaching our youth, our future. To read more about this in Finnish and Swedish, click HERE!

The NEW account number from now is:

Frank Mangs Center r.f - Pontus mission

Närpes Sparbank FI30 4963 0010 0365 38

BIC CODE: HELSFIHH