When the Bowl Games were announced, it was printed on one whole newspaper page. There is a bowl game every day during the holiday and twice on Sunday. There are 50 or 60 bowl games. And every one is commercially sponsored. I wonder who would sponsor the toilet bowl. It’s the bowl for last place and the runner-up. It doesn’t matter what your season has been like. The only criteria for being chosen for a bowl game is if you can draw a crowd and make money. It is a sad state of affairs when you win/lose record doesn’t count. There are only 3 games that actually count for the national championship. I guess you can’t blame TV companies. Their programing is so bad they have to do something to make money. I have cable and about 90 channels. There are 5 TV shows that I will watch. Then I have to keep the remote handy to mute all the commercials. It used to be that television shows would run all year. Now they only make 12 or 13 show per season. That is why there are so many re-runs. And if there is one reality show there is a million. Everything has to be a reality show. It started with singing, then dating, then camping, then boating, then trapping, then swapping wives, then it got a whole lot dumber than that. The cable networks ought to called stupidity center. But what is worse than that is there are sponsors. Are business so hard up for money that they will sponsor anything? It is just sad to look at grown people producing trash after all the money they spent on school to learn a trade. It seems they forgot what is real and what isn’t. We are coming to a new year and hopefully things will get better. But I know as long as man is in control it will not get better. I’m praying.
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What is your favorite new year’s resolution? My personal favorite is losing weight. There are so many that have been broken. His are a few good ones. They are losing weight, quit smoking, learning something new, eating right, saving money, more time with the family, travel to new places, less stress, volunteer and drink less. Most of these are a habit that we formed years ago. Now seems it is hard to break the habit. The formula for breaking a habit is quite simple. It takes about 30 days of work. If you stop doing whatever for 30 days, it will break the habit. The opposite is just as true. Did you know that there is a name for most every generation? There is the GI Generation (WWI), Silent Generation (1920-45), Baby Boomers (1946-64), Generation X (1965-80), Generation Y (1981-2000) and the Boomlets. No matter what generation you belong to, all of these New Year resolutions have been broken by you. Improving yourself is a quest that we all have been on. Working hard for the first week and quitting because it is just too hard. Having a good self-image is important. But you have go after it the right way. The problem is that money can’t buy you a good self-image. It isn’t drinking, smoking or sex that improves your life. People search the world over looking for the magic formula that will change them into the right person. In 1983, the United States Congress declared the Year of the Bible. No nation had done this since Israel did, 2000 years ago. Gallup poll survey Americans and asked them what the 3 most important things in their lives were. To everyone’s surprise the 3 things that they choose were Love, Joy and Peace. These are gifts from God that He to His children. Keep trying those New Year’s resolution. I wish you success.
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Your heart is a peculiar thing. It can beat a million times and just keep on going. If it is interrupted you can die. It seems to last forever but doesn’t. It controls the rest of the body. Without it you are dead. And it is the most neglected part of our body. It causes more diseases than anything else. So why don’t you protect it more? Most people relate your human heart to your spiritual one. As if they are interchangeable. I’ll tell you a truth, they are related to each other. What happens to your spiritual heart does affect your human heart. Have you ever lost a true love? The pain in your heart is spiritual but you human heart hurts like hell. They are tied together just like your body and your spirit. Your spirit is who you are. Your mind, will and your intellect are spiritual. This is what is the image and likeness of God. Your body is made from the dust of the earth. Remember, dust to dust, ashes to ashes, is how your body will go. Most games and TV shows have killing and violence. It always shows the people not being affected by all of it. This is a lie out of the pits of hell. There is nothing that we do that doesn’t affect our lives. And in turn affects our heart. So how can you stop the pain? You can’t but you can slow it down. Because of sin in this world there is pain. That will never change until the very end when Jesus arrives to reign and rule over this earth. But what you can do is to give your spiritual heart to Him. And allow God to take you on this journey that He plan for you in the first place. There are ways to protect yourself and Jesus is His name.
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I can remember when I was young how our family gathers at our home or our aunt’s. My grandmother, mom and her 2 sisters would gather the family together for Thanks giving, Christmas and Easter. It was always a big production. The women of the family cooked before each holiday. Then they would bring the food and family together. Sometimes it was a lot of fun. We were nine 1st cousins, all boys. We were about the same age. We were within 5 years altogether. We live near each other. We played on the same football, baseball and basketball teams in elementary school. But in high school, we were on different teams. It was a wonderful time for us. This past year we buried our last aunt. Then we buried my younger brother. We always talked about the older generation. Now we are the older generation. We all gather together at my youngest brother’s house this year for Christmas. My older brother lives in another state. We called him to wish him a Merry Christmas. We all talked to him. But it is not the same. Most of our family was missing. Either they are dead and no longer here or they live elsewhere. I know I can’t go back to that time again. But I miss my parents and my younger brother. Sometimes it is very hard to go on when so much is missing in my life. My family was sometimes the most irritating people on earth. But I wouldn’t trade them for anything. What I wouldn’t do to have them back again. That is why this is a lonely season for me. Cherish your family because God has given you so little time with them. Don’t waste it on nonsense. Let you family know that you care about them. God gave us a family to make us whole. Then it won’t be a lonely season.
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I can remember when I was young how our family gathers at our home or our aunt’s. My grandmother, mom and her 2 sisters would gather the family together for Thanks giving, Christmas and Easter. It was always a big production. The women of the family cooked before each holiday. Then they would bring the food and family together. Sometimes it was a lot of fun. We were nine 1st cousins, all boys. We were about the same age. We were within 5 years altogether. We live near each other. We played on the same football, baseball and basketball teams in elementary school. But in high school, we were on different teams. It was a wonderful time for us. This past year we buried our last aunt. Then we buried my younger brother. We always talked about the older generation. Now we are the older generation. We all gather together at my youngest brother’s house this year for Christmas. My older brother lives in another state. We called him to wish him a Merry Christmas. We all talked to him. But it is not the same. Most of our family was missing. Either they are dead and no longer here or they live elsewhere. I know I can’t go back to that time again. But I miss my parents and my younger brother. Sometimes it is very hard to go on when so much is missing in my life. My family was sometimes the most irritating people on earth. But I wouldn’t trade them for anything. What I wouldn’t do to have them back again. That is why this is a lonely season for me. Cherish your family because God has given you so little time with them. Don’t waste it on nonsense. Let you family know that you care about them. God gave us a family to make us whole. Then it won’t be a lonely season.
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What do you call a person that gives their lives to a cause? What do you think about this person? As you look around this world you find all kinds of people who have done this very thing. Some call them fanatics, zealots or just plain crazy. But there is something about them that is fascinating. Some are amazing at the amount of work that they have accomplished. Some have never been recognized as actually doing the work. Yet there are many people today that are willing to give their lives in causes. I have known many people just like this all through my life. They have inspired me into action. One person was Corrie Ten Boom. She was from the Netherlands. She was sent to the concentration camp because she hid Jewish people from the Germans. She survived a German concentration camp in WWII. Another person was T.L. Osborn. He went to the Far East and Africa after WWII. David Wilkerson, who started Teen Challenge in New York City in the 1950’s. Hubert Linsey, who was the very 1st Alfalfa in the Our Gang series. His exploits are legendary. Bernard Johnson who went to Brazil when no one else would. At the time he went there were estimated 16 million abandon children on the streets in Brazil. He began to work with children. I didn’t know this man but Horatio Spafford , business man in the 19th century, helped rebuild Chicago after it burned down. Then went to Jerusalem and opened a medical clinic in the Arab section. And it is still open today. There are many people that you just hear about who have given their lives for the betterment of man. God has these people to do the work on this earth. If you ever meet them, stop and talk to them. Let their lives inspire you to work for the Lord.
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What starts out the same and is made to be different and ends up the same? And Why?

The Heart of Man. When we are born, we know nothing and can do nothing. We are dependent on our Parents. As we grow we mold ourselves into our image of our self. In death, we are the same. Nothing we have done can be taking with us. We are the image and likeness of God.

Hoped you figured it out. I wish you a Blessed New Year.
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I am presenting a new riddle for Christmas. See if you can figure it out? I will give the answer tomorrow. Merry Christmas.
What starts out the same and is made to be different and ends up the same? And Why?
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Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel. Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also. When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw 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 exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way. And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son. The reason there is a Christmas season is Jesus. And all that He did to come and help man. I want to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year.
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Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS. Now this is a Christmas story that you can read to your children. And they can take this to heart for the rest of their lives. I want to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year.
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