Now I don't want to get off on a rant here...

Granddaddy of All Presents

So my first married Christmas indeed as my wife had been promising me for weeks, yielded the granddaddy of all presents for me I got an XM Satellite Radio system! First chance I got to get outside, I had it out of the box and was hooking it up to my car. I’ll be getting the home kit for it soon, but for now I am content to hang out in my car all day.

My wife caught me yesterday sitting in the driveway rocking out to some worldwide tunes. I hate commercials and I don’t ever have to listen to another one on the radio again, if I don’t wanna! It is so awesome and I think will be opening up my horizons for my music tastes.

Some channels I’ve been checking out:
The Torch – Christian Music that Rocks
The Loft – Acoustic Rock
Lucy – Classic Alternative Hits
Fox News

There are so many choices in their ever expanding lineup. And now they have announced that they are the official network for Major League Baseball. It just gets better and better!

Aside from the granddaddy of all presents, we had a very pleasant Christmas. We went down to my in-law’s (in Delaware) on Christmas Eve Eve and left Christmas Day to head up to my parent’s place (in Baltimore). It was a great way to be able to see both our families that day. Our own personal Christmas for the two of us was on Sunday morning.

Amy’s family is rather large in comparison to my only child household. At her parent’s house were her little brother, older sister – husband & two kids, and of course her parents. There were so many presents under the tree and the kids helped pass them out to each family member. Then they took turns going from youngest to oldest opening presents.

This was very different from what happened at my parent’s place. As my dad, Amy and I opened up our presents together, my mother struggled to get my grandmother to sit down with the rest of us. Then my uncle showed up early for dinner further adding the chaos of the room. I love my family, but they sometimes make the simplest of tasks complicated. While Amy’s family seems to make the most complex situations look easy. Everybody like every family has their strengths and weakness I suppose.

Still a wonderful holiday was had by all. Because some of Amy’s family was not able to make it on Christmas day, we will be heading back down there for New Years. So when all is said and done, I think we will have had 4 Christmas celebrations. Creeping close to the 8 crazy nights!

Price’s Twelve

I am currently recruiting a gang of thieves for an upcoming project. This will not be a crack commando unit surviving as soldiers of fortune like the A-Team, but twelve highly skilled veterans of the underworld. If you fit this description please read on and leave your contact info in the comments.

Now for the job description (please excuse the use of “code words”, these channels are being monitored)

Background
This past Sunday night I put out my “garbage” for its normal pickup on Monday morning. When I returned to “headquarters” Monday night my “garbage cans” were missing. Some suggested the wind blew them away, but I’m not buying it. I have my suspicious as to whodunit, but I am more concerned about future “garbage pick-ups” than living in the past.

There is an outside chance that simply buying new “garbage cans” to replace the missing ones will remedy the problem, but I have devised a full-proof plan that will work much better. I cannot do it alone and this is where Price’s Twelve comes in.

Full-Proof Plan – Phase 1
We need to scout the locations of all my “neighbor’s” “garbage cans”, including their “garbage can” dimensions and capacities. Then we need to log their schedules to determine when they are their most vulnerable and accessible.

Full-Proof Plan – Phase 2
While Phase 1 is taking place a subcommittee will be charged with phase 2. This will probably include many trips to Radio Shack, Best Buy & Circuit City. So it will require an expert driver to navigate the streets, plan routes and fast getaways. These details can be worked out later. Now for the easy part, we will need to build a holographic replica of my missing “garbage cans”. Picture will be provided upon request.

Full-Proof Plan – Phase 3
Now once Phase 1 and 2 are complete we will be ready to strike. This phase requires quick, agile and stealthy members. We will be parsing out my “garbage” into my “neighbor’s” “garbage cans” during their times of accessibility/vulnerability. There is no margin for error here and getting caught is not an option. Timing is crucial. Every Sunday night I will activate the holographic replica in front of my “headquarters”, so there are no suspicions raised by my “neighbors” as to why I am no longer putting out the “trash”.

The plan I have laid out is flawless and I suspect will be very easy to implement by the right crew. If you have the stomachs for this kind of work contact me immediately. There is no time to delay and we must act quickly. Sunday night is fast approaching.

Holiday Greetings from the Department of Political Correctness

Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, our best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low stress, non-addictive, gender neutral, celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasions and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all.

We also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling, and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2005, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great (not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country or is the only “AMERICA” in the Western Hemisphere), and without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith, or sexual preference of the wishee.

By accepting this greeting, you are accepting these terms: This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal. It is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for her/himself or others, and is void where prohibited by law, and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher.

This wish is warranted to perform as expected within the usual application of good tidings for a period of one year, or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first, and warranty is limited to replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wisher.

Happy Holidays!

Thanks Santa - Politics of Christmas

At Work Evangelism

This is a word that can cause the discomfort of the believer and the non-believer. It’s an equal opportunity squirmsh word. The believer feels discomfort at being bold or offending or getting too personal or just stepping on toes. The non-believer doesn’t want to be preached at, proselytized or be told what to believe.

This can make everyone uncomfortable with the present connotation of the word evangelism. It has even been used to describe a group of Christian believers as being evangelical. This group gives hope to some and infuriates others. This group has made their presence known on more than just Sundays, but has been credited in large part to a November 2nd victory for President Bush.

The original meaning of a term that sets many hearts a blaze in one direction or another is simply to bring the good news of salvation. Of course it is the disagreement of how salvation is attained or if it is even required that causes such turmoil.

This Christmas my company decided to decorate their office doors for the holidays, and since we happen to have exactly 12 doors they decided on doing the 12 days of Christmas as a theme. Each door was to be decorated as a specific day. I seized this opportunity to share the good news with anyone that walked by my door. I choose the ninth day, 9 ladies dancing.

A proposed origin for the song, that can neither be proven nor refuted, is that during the 16th Century when Christians were persecuted in England and unable to worship publicly, they created the song to teach catechism (brief summary of the basic principles of Christianity) to children. The outline of the days and their suggested original meaning appears below:

• A Partridge in a Pear Tree – Jesus Christ
• Two Turtle Doves – Old and New Testament
• Three French Hens – Theological Virtues (Faith, Hope, Love)
• Four Calling Birds – Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John)
• Five Golden Rings – Torah/Pentateuch (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy)
• Six Geese A-Laying – Days of Creation
• Seven Swans A-Swimming – Gifts of the Holy Spirit (Prophecy, Ministry, Teaching, Exhortation, Giving, Leading, Compassion)
• Eight Maids A-milking – Beatitudes (Blessed are the: Poor, Those who morn, Meek, Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, Merciful, Pure in heart, Peacemakers, Those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake)
• Nine Ladies Dancing – Fruits of the Holy Spirit (Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Generosity, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-Control)
• Ten Lords A-leaping – Ten Commandments
• Eleven Pipers Piping – Faithful Apostles (Judas Iscariot excluded for betraying Jesus)
• Twelve Drummers Drumming – Points of Doctrine in the Apostle’s Creed

My door has the passage from Galatians 5 that gives the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit. Then there are nine silhouettes of ladies dancing flowing down from the passage which cover my door. Each lady has one of the fruits along with an Old and New Testament passage bearing witness to that fruit.

The fruit that requires most of my attention is patience. The two passages that I have posted to remind me and anyone else that walks by my office of that fruit appear below:

Ecclesiastes 7: 8-9
The end of a thing is better than its beginning; The patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry, For anger rests in the bosom of fools.

James 1: 4
But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

There is a saying that goes, "never pray for patience because it will be answered". Part of praying is giving thanks for what you already have, but another very important part is asking for growth in overcoming your weakness. I pray for patience regularly and find myself tested daily. What a wonderful feeling it is to know that God is listening!

Luke 2: 1-20

And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!" So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, "Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us." And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.

Matthew 1: 18-25, 2: 9-12

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins." So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: "Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us." Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus.
When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.

May your days be merry and bright

I’ve been on a bit of a blogging hiatus that has lasted about a month now. This is my first Christmas as a married man and the best one in my 25 years of celebrating I must add. I’m 27, but there were 2 years that I was atheist and choose not to go down the hypocritical alley of celebrating the birth of a Christ I did not believe in.

As this is my first Christmas with my wife, as a married couple, we have been thoroughly enjoying this time of year. Bought our tree and had it decorated by the end of the first week of December, had most our Christmas presents bought, wrapped and under the tree by the second week of December. It has been a very special time for us and has drawn us closer together in our love for one another and our Savior.

These are times we wish to relish and hold onto, enjoying every moment. We celebrated our 3 month anniversary over the weekend with the opening of an early Christmas present and bouquet of tulips.

I have also been fasting from listening to talk radio all day long while at work, and just been listening to music. I think this also hindered my blogging because I have had very little to rant about. This has made me feel little disconnected from the world, but very connected to Christ (which was the purpose of the fasting to begin with)!

I hope everyone is enjoying their holiday as much as I am and have a Merry Christmas!