When It Comes To Christmas

When it comes to Christmas, I feel like the man who was once asked to name the 10 most important people in the history of the world, as he reckoned them. His list was impressive. When he finished, he was asked why he had not named Jesus Christ. “Oh,” he said, “because he doesn’t belong on that list. You see, Jesus Christ is incomparable.” He was right, of course.

That’s how it is with the celebration of the nativity. It is the singular event on the calendar of Christians the world over that has no equal. Christmas is everything.

I am aware that people groan about the claptrap of commercialization, exploitation, and degradation associated with the secularization of the season. But that’s of little concern to me. For those who are proper believers, Christmas is the premier season of the year that can be said to have a heart. Name all of the other holidays you’ll find something unique about each, but Christmas is special. It is a day when no one is left behind. It is the true Jesus day for one and all.

Children anticipate it throughout the year and for more reasons than just a pile of wrapping paper and toys that will too soon be cast aside. The baby Jesus in the manger, the songs, the stories, and the celebration mark the soul in a wonderful way. And if you take the time to think about, there’s something quite miraculous in how young children are drawn to Jesus with an instinctive kind of love. That is as true today as it was when He took them in His arms and blessed them, as only deity could.

But what about the rest of us?

Well, it’s our day, too, and I’ll tell you why. We are living in a frightful time in the history of our planet. There are wars, natural disasters, a culture gone mad, and a clash of civilizations the likes of which we have never seen before. Sit down with any parent or grandparent and ask them what they think their offspring will experience, as opposed to what we have known of life. Most likely you’ll see a look of concern and uncertainty on their faces. And there is reason for concern and uncertainty. We live in a world where boundaries have been broken, morals corrupted, and millions of people exist without any spiritual guidelines. It’s not a pretty picture, but it’s an accurate one.

But, be that as it may, it isn’t all there is. And that’s because of Christmas. Not just a cheery few days to break the icicles off a dreary month or dampened spirits. It’s the reality of what took place in a stable two thousand years ago. The world talks and sings of a love it actually knows nothing about. God delivered love in Bethlehem that day. There is endless talk of peace in a world that is incapable of achieving it. Peace, true peace, arrived by special delivery among wondering shepherds and caroling angels. We hear words spoken about the goodness and fraternity of humankind that are more shallow speech than reality. God’s goodwill was nestled in the arms of a young Jewish mother in that little town of Bethlehem that we sing about.

The peace, joy, and goodwill He brought to all who would receive Him are ours to have. And with them, everything else good, bad, or indifferent becomes less relevant. Therefore, Christmas separates itself from every other season of the year. Why? Because the Incarnation is indispensable. Without His coming, we are irreparably lost, but because He came we can be found.

Merry Christmas!

 

IMMEDIATE DOWNSIZING MEASURES EMPLOYED

The recent announcement that Donner and Blitzen have elected to take the early reindeer retirement package has triggered a good deal of concern about whether they will be replaced, and about other restructuring decisions at the North Pole.

Streamlining is due to the North Pole's loss of dominance of this season's gift distribution business. Home shopping channels, the Internet, and mail order catalogs have diminished Santa's market share. He could not sit idly by and permit further erosion of the profit picture.

The reindeer downsizing was made possible through the purchase of a late model Japanese sled for the CEO's annual trip. Improved productivity from Dasher and Dancer--who will retrain at the Harvard Business School--is anticipated. Reduction in reindeer will also lessen airborne environmental emissions for which the North Pole has received unfavorable press.

I am pleased to inform you that Rudolph's role will not be disturbed. Tradition still counts for something at the North Pole. Management denies, in the strongest possible language, the earlier leak that Rudolph's nose got that way, not from the cold, but from substance abuse. Calling Rudolph "a lush who was into the sauce and never did pull his share of the load" was an unfortunate comment, made by one of Santa's helpers and taken out of context at a time of year when he is known to be under executive stress.

Today's global challenges require the North Pole to continue to look for better, more competitive steps. Effective immediately, the following economic measures are to take place in the "Twelve Days of Christmas" subsidiary:

The partridge will be retained, but the pear tree never turned out to be the cash crop forecasted. It will be replaced by a plastic hanging plant, providing considerable savings in maintenance.

The two turtle doves represent a redundancy that is simply not cost-effective. In addition, their romance during working hours could not be condoned. The positions are therefore eliminated.

The three French hens will remain intact. After all, everyone loves the French.

The four calling birds were replaced by an automated voice mail system, with a call-waiting option. An analysis is underway to determine who the birds have been calling, how often and how long they talked.

The five golden rings have been put on hold by the Board of Directors. Maintaining a portfolio based on one commodity could have negative implications for institutional investors. Diversification into other precious metals as well as a mix of T-Bills and high technology stocks appear to be in order.

The six geese-a-laying constitutes a luxury which can no longer be afforded. It has long been felt that the production rate of one egg per goose per day is an example of the decline in productivity. Three geese will be let go, and an upgrading in the selection procedure by personnel will assure management that from now on every goose it obtains will be more productive.

The seven swans-a-swimming is obviously a number chosen in better times. Their function is primarily decorative. Mechanical swans are on order. The current swans will be retrained to learn some new strokes and therefore enhance their outplacement.

As you know, the eight maids-a-milking concept has been under heavy scrutiny by the EEOC. A male/female balance in the workforce is being sought. The more militant maids consider this a dead-end job with no upward mobility. Automation of the process may permit the maids to try a-mending, a-mentoring, or a-mulching.

Nine ladies dancing has always been an odd number. This function will be phased out as these individuals grow older and can no longer do the steps.

Ten Lords-a-leaping is overkill. The high cost of Lords plus the expense of international air travel prompted the Compensation Committee to suggest replacing this group with ten out-of-work Congresspersons. While leaping ability may be somewhat sacrificed, the savings are significant because we expect an oversupply of unemployed Congresspersons this year.

Eleven pipers piping and twelve drummers drumming is a simple case of the band getting too big. A substitution with a string quartet, a cutback on new music, and no uniforms will produce savings which will drop right down to the bottom line.

We can expect a substantial reduction in assorted people, fowl, animals and other expenses. Though incomplete, studies indicate that stretching deliveries over twelve days is inefficient. If we can drop ship in one day, service levels will be improved.

Regarding the lawsuit filed by the attorney's association seeking expansion to include the legal profession ("thirteen lawyers-a-suing"), action is pending.

Lastly, it is not beyond consideration that deeper cuts may be necessary in the future to stay competitive. Should that happen, the Board will request management to scrutinize the Snow White Division to see if seven dwarfs is the most efficient number

Great Expectations

"Your attitude is an expression of your values, beliefs and expectations." This quote by Brian Tracy says it all. Here are some more inspirational quotes on expectation.

Abraham Lincoln
The best thing about the future is that it only comes one day at a time.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
The little that is completed, vanishes from the sight of one who looks forward to what is still to do.

William Congreve
Uncertainty and expectation are the joys of life.

Orison Swett Marden
We advance on our journey only when we face our goal, when we are confident and believe we are going to win out.

Earl Nightingale
We tend to live up to our expectations.

Claude M. Bristol
We usually get what we anticipate.

Brian Tracy
We will always tend to fulfill our own expectation of ourselves.

Viktor E. Frankl
What was really needed was a fundamental change in our attitude toward life. We had to learn ourselves and, furthermore, we had to teach the despairing men, that it did not really matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us.

Benjamin Disraeli
What we anticipate seldom occurs, what we least expected generally happens.

John Lubbock
What we see depends mainly on what we look for.

Brian Tracy
Whatever we expect with confidence becomes our own self-fulfilling prophecy.

Michael Jordan
You have to expect things of yourselves before you can do them.

Missed Opportunities

The story is told of a young man who wished to marry the farmer's beautiful daughter. He went to the farmer to ask his permission. The farmer looked him over and responded, "Son, go stand out in that field and I'm going to release three bulls, one at a time. If you can catch the tail of any one of the three bulls, you can marry my daughter."

The young man stood in the pasture awaiting the first bull. The barn door opened and out ran the biggest, meanest-looking bull he had ever seen. He decided that one of the next bulls had to be a better choice than this one, so he ran over to the side and let the bull pass through the pasture out the back gate.

The barn door opened again. Unbelievable. He had never seen anything so big and fierce in his life. It stood - pawing the ground, grunting, slinging slobber - as it eyed him. Whatever the next bull was like, it had to be a better choice than this one. He ran to the fence and let the bull pass through the pasture, out the back gate.

The door opened a third time. A smile came across his face. This was the weakest, scrawniest little bull he had ever seen. This one was his bull. As the bull came running by, he positioned himself just right and jumped at just the exact moment. He grabbed... but the bull had no tail!

Life is full of opportunities. Some will be easy to take advantage of, some will be difficult. But once we let them pass (often in hopes of something better), those opportunities may never again be available.

The same thing is also true of opportunities to serve Christ. God often opens doors -- opportunities to speak up for Him, opportunities to minister to someone who is hurting or in need, opportunities to make an influence on the world around us. If we allow them to pass by (perhaps because we are waiting for something easier to come along), we may miss out on them altogether.

Use It Wisely

Man's capacity to love is the greatest gift He has. At the root of kindness and love, and each act of love also teaches us a lesson. 

When someone loves us, it teaches us love, kindness, charity, honesty, humility, forgiveness, acceptance, and all of these can counteract all the evil in the world. For every good deed, there is one evil deed. Man alone has the power to control the balance between good and evil, but because the lessons of love are not taught often enough, the power is too often abused.

When you enter someone's life, whether by plan, chance or coincidence, consider what your lesson will be. Will you teach love or a harsh lesson of reality? When you die, will your life have resulted in more loving or more hurting? More comfort or more pain? More joy or more sadness? Each one of us has the power over the balance of the love in the world. Use it wisely!

10 Things Pastors Want For Christmas (And The Rest Of The Year As Well)

1. Pastors want harmony in the churchrather than unresolved and destructive conflicts which damage the testimony of the church in the community.

2. Pastors want to love their church family and want to be love in return.

3. Pastors want honesty and to be told the truth rather than gossip or hearsay.

4. Pastors want acceptance and understanding when it come to making decisions that affect the whole body and not just the negative thoughts of a select few. 

5. Pastors want their church family to be friends with the hurting, lost, and needy; and to welcome all in the house of the Lord.

6. Pastors want and desire comradeship with their church family as brothers and sisters in the Lord.

7. Pastors want their members to pay attention to what God is saying to the church through his/her leadership and act accordingly with faith and perseverance to see that it gets done..

8. Pastors want consideration from their members for their own personal time and privacy.

9. Pastors want positive support from their members. They pray for them to concentrate on his good points rather than his weaknesses and to help him do what God has called him to do in that congregation.

10. Pastors want consistency from their member in their affections, moods, and commitments.

The Power of Laughter-Part 2-10 Things To Do With a Fruitcake Besides Eating It

1. Home base in your family’s annual championship game of snowball baseball.
2. Frisbee!
3. Set it next to a door that stubbornly refuses to stay open. Best used with a door you have no intention of ever closing, as removing the new doorstop may be a challenge.
4. Leave it out for Santa to eat and catch him as he’s trying to wedge himself back up the chimney, weighted down with your fruit cake, a can of pressurized whipped cream, and a quart of whole milk.
5. Stick feathers in it during duck hunting season to make a festive decoy.
6. A dog chew toy. . . what do you mean not even your dog will touch it?
7. Crumble it up into small pieces and. . . . just kidding. We know you can’t actually break up a fruit cake!
8. “Pull!” – An inexpensive skeet. Reusable, too.
9. Use as freeweights to bulk up your biceps.
10. Place in a catapult when besieging a castle. Fire.