Discover Christmas #6 INTRODUCTION: Like that Santa, some of us have been desperately trying to grasp the allusive feeling of Christmas. The feelings we remember from younger days and simpler days. Like that Santa Ornament, determined to get those cookies, we go through all sorts of gyrations and antics trying to resurrect Christmases Past because… Read More »
Discover Christmas #5 Christmas Eve INTRODUCTION: Did you know that the celebration of Christmas is one of the biggest seasons of the year in Japan? It’s odd because Japan’s population only has about ½ to 1% of the people who are Christians. Yet, they love Christmas. It’s not a national holiday like it is… Read More »
Discover Christmas #4 INTRODUCTION: This time of year we’re all searching for the perfect gift aren’t we? We want Christmas to be special for the people we know and love. We want it to be memorable. Often times though we’re like a comic I saw this week in the theological section of the paper. In… Read More »
Discover Christmas #3 INTRODUCTION: I sure hope the next 12 days of Christmas aren’t like that for you and your family. There are truly 12 days until Christmas. Can you believe it? We’ve still got leftover Halloween Candy and wasn’t yesterday Thanksgiving? Time screams by this time of year. This is a hectic time of… Read More »
Discover Christmas #2 INTRODUCTION: Ernie Davis was an American football running back and the first African-American athlete to win the Heisman Trophy. Under the guidance of coach Ben Schwartzwalder, a hard-nosed coach with high expectations and an obsession for winning a national title, Davis overcame seemingly insurmountable obstacles to become an unstoppable running back… Read More »
Discover Christmas #1 INTRODUCTION: Most, if not all of the leftover turkey has been eaten. Black Friday sales are mostly over. The decorations are up all over town and in the malls. We’re stuffed and either glad the relatives have finally left or we’re saddened because they could stay longer; or maybe just a little… Read More »
Altar The World #5 INTRODUCTION: In the Disney/Pixar movie Up, Carl Fredricksen is a 78-year-old widower living alone in the home he and his childhood sweetheart, Ellie, had built as their lifelong love nest. Ellie has been dead now for quite a while and Carl’s life is tied up with her memories. She was the… Read More »
Altar The World #4 INTRODUCTION: Years ago I read a story told about Abe Lincoln and his boys. The boys were both crying and a neighbor asked Abe what the problem was. And Abe answered, “The same problem that is wrong with the whole world. I have three walnuts, and each of my boys wants two.” That sort of… Read More »
Altar The World #3 We all know self centered people don’t we? People who get jealous because someone else is honored and they’re not, even though they didn’t do anything. People who always want to be the center of attention even if the attention should be focused on someone else. These are what… Read More »
Altar The World #2 One of the words we use a lot in the United Methodist church is the word Connection. Generally, when we use the word Connection we are talking about the connection between the local church to the District, the Annual Conference, the Jurisdictional Conference, the General Conference all United Methodist… Read More »