According to ABC poll results from this week’s Barbara Walters special on heaven, nine in 10 of us believe in heaven, and one out of four believes access is limited to Christians. 78 percent believe it’s a spiritual place, not a physical one. And scientists now think there is a "God gene" which influences our thinking about heaven.

Like "JoePa," Isaiah could have said "I told you so." Seven centuries before Christmas, the prophet predicted that the Baby would be a "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:7). But the world didn't see it. Peasants for parents; a cave for a home; a feed trough for a crib; grimy field hands for attendants--what kind of God comes to earth like that?

The technological revolution is not painless. If you bought the new XBox 360 for your kids this Christmas, what do you do with their now obsolete video system? I purchased a digital camera for my trip to England this past summer; last Friday I found a camera half its size for half its cost. Progress has its price. Christmas is no exception. Because Jesus came to earth, you and I can gain eternal life in paradise. But such progress is not cheap.

The best way we can show the reality of the Incarnation today is to demonstrate Jesus' life in ours. If he could inhabit flesh 20 centuries ago, he can do the same today.

This week we'll return to Bethlehem with Joseph, the husband of Jesus' mother. Next week we'll travel to the manger with the angel who announced the good news to the world. So this morning, it is my privilege to welcome Joseph to the essay.

Just because I can ask God for anything doesn't mean I should. Yesterday we remembered Jesus' promise, "Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it" (John 14:13-14). The condition is clear: "that the Father may be glorified in the Son."

I used to wonder if such audacity with God was actually a good thing. After all, Jesus promised us, "Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it" (John 14:13-14). If I just have enough faith, God will do whatever I ask; if he doesn't, my faith was weak.

Paul warned us, "Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth…Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry" (Colossians 3:1, 5). The answer is not to retreat from the world, but to love Jesus more than we love the world.

The good news is that God is as interested in you as he was in your great-great-great grandmother. In fact, "the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:22-23). He is as concerned about your problems as those of the president.

Life's lotteries can be gone in a moment. Sunny beaches become ice-slicked roads. So, who is in control of your Thursday?