Big news coming out of Rome, Caesar Augustus is going to tax everyone in the Roman Empire. They are saying that everyone will have to go have to go to the city of their birth to register. It is the rainy season in Israel. The roads are impossible, but everybody has to go. King Herod has for now finished building on the Temple. His chief architect has said that the Temple is as complete as they can do. In business news the shekel is up against the denarius. Trading has been stiff in the markets. New caravans are coming from Egypt. They say there are exotic goods on them. The traders are talking about new spices for the Far East. The market seems right for a new influx of goods. On the home front, the zealots are making trouble for us and the romans. The roman governor has promised swift justice for these lawbreakers. There is a new stir in Jerusalem. They say that 3 Persian kings have come to the city. King Herod invited them to his palace. They say Herod was surprised. He didn’t know about their visit until they showed up. They say these kings are richer than Herod. It has been another year in Israel but the people are hopeful that the messiah will come. I have to be careful what I say about the romans and the chief priests. Everybody wants their country back. We have been occupied for some 60 years. Everyone is praying for deliverance. Ever since those Persians arrived in Jerusalem, the mood of the people has been somber. There is something happening. I don’t know what, but I will find out and report the news of the day here in Jerusalem. I want to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year.
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First there was Black Friday. Referring to businesses making money and going into the black financially. Then there was Cyber Monday. To continue the sales from the weekend of Black Friday, businesses offered more sales online for customers to purchase. Then came Green Monday for more sales hopefully. Have you noticed that there are more commercials on television and less programming. I keep my remote handy and press the mute button all the time. Silence is golden. I want to suggest a new Monday after Christmas. I think we should call it Purple Monday. Because everyone is black and blue from getting beat up over the sales. I laugh at all these efforts to get people to buy their goods and services. In our state in the last election had only 40% of the people turn out to vote. Day before Yesterday the roads were filled with cars, bumper to bumper, to pick up kids and go shopping. And people wonder why the state in such bad condition. If people turn out a 100% in the next election, things would get done. It is the same in anything. When people show up it makes a difference. Take your family and go to church for Christmas. You make a difference in your children’s lives. And maybe their lives will turn out decent like you want them to. So we don’t have a Purple Monday. I want to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year.
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There is an old country/western song called the race is on. It is appropriate for the last week on Christmas. Friday all the public schools let out for Christmas holiday. At 12 noon the streets were filled with cars headed to pick up their children. Our city streets weren’t designed to hold excessive amount of traffic. People joke and make fun of the city government saying that our streets were laded out on the cow paths. There are no rhythm or reason to the layout of our city streets. Now that they are laid out, it is hard to go back and correct them. Back to the race we run every year. Have you ever stopped and thought about where this race is taking you? For most people it is a race to poverty. How fast can I spend my hard earned cash? Or buy some worthless gift to give to a person who really doesn’t care about you or your gift. This time of year is about compassion for our fellow man. I tell you a truth, man needs all the compassion he can get. It is a statement about our people when the statistics say that there are over 75,000 homeless people. And a large majority of them are veterans of our military. Haven’t you stopped and looked at something and said isn’t that a shame. Then didn’t do anything about it. I’m afraid that our society is headed for the dumpster. Because it seems that no one wants to do anything about the precious life we have. We need to consider what we are doing and where we are going. Our lives aren’t guaranteed to go on. And all of a sudden you are gone and people will say isn’t it a shame that this person’s life was cut short. And then they forget about you. Tis the season to be compassionate to one another. Jesus came to bring peace on earth and good will toward man. I want to wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year.
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It is the last weekend before Christmas. The newspapers are full of circulars advertising anything and everything. It is the big push for Christmas. I haven’t listen closely to financial figures. Right after Christmas every news outlet will have how the big companies did for Christmas. Then they will give the general trend for the rest of us. Most businessmen believe the economic health of this nation depends on Christmas. It also depends on the buyer habits of the average consumer. This year I wanted to do more than normal. I had a good surplus of funds to take care of the Christmas needs. But I wanted to make a difference and make an impact on this world. I saw on TV a commercial, of all things, talking about giving a goat. It caught my attention. As I listen I saw this charitable organization working overseas helping people with basic needs. There were many options as I looked at their catalog. I decided to give a goat, a part of a cow and part of a water well. People all over the world are struggling with basic needs. When Jesus wanted to show compassion for people, He would meet their basic needs, like food, clothing or shelter. Then they could and would listen to what He had to say. People have said it for years, no man is an island. We live in a community of people. It is important not only in their lives that we act upon our compassion, but it is important for us as well. We fulfill our lives when we reach out and help the less fortunate. I thought a goat would be just the present for someone this Christmas. Speaking of Christmas presents, my 3rd son was due on Christmas day. His birthday is today. This is one of my real Christmas presents I received from God. It is as they say a gift that keeps on giving. I want to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and to have a Blessed New Year.
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Everybody has seen or read the book “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens. Dickens was writing about the social morays of the 19th century. As bad as it had become in England, he knew that it could change for the better. So Dickens wrote his book. How would you like to see this on reality TV? Where the Spirit of Christmas visits people to see what they would do. I know a few people that need it right now. Bah-Humbug. Fear will make people do all kinds of things. But it is never a good way to change people’s hearts. To start with people have to want to change. I was watching a national news broadcast. Between wanting to throw-up and saying bah-humbug, I found that it was more a big joke being played on the American people. The insincerity of the commentators was sickening. They didn’t have anything good to say. Even the feel good segment was sickening. You know what is funny is that it really hasn’t change since the 19th century. What Dickens saw is still here. That is why we need that reality show today. There has been for several years people who hunt spirts. It is almost as ignorant as the commentators. There are a handful of show I would even watch. It is so bad that other cable channels are trying to imitate the worst cable channels. Bah-Humbug. They all need a reality check. What did Scrooge say? Let them all die and reduce the surplus population of cable channels. Charles Dickens was trying to show that Christmas is a wonderful time of year. Whether you have money or not. When you share of yourself, people will be blessed. So everybody needs to hold down on the Bah-Humbugs and bless the people around you. And the Spirit of Christmas won’t come a calling on you. I want to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year.
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What do you see as your future? Do you have a future? With the way the world is going, what chance does anyone have? I hate to even to look at the evening news. It is all death and destruction. In the middle of the most joyous season of the year, people are miserable. If it isn’t the weather, which has been rotten. It is the unemployment. Who has money to spend on Christmas? There are more homeless people than ever before. It seems that everyone is fighting each other. And the message of peace on earth is loss in translation. People seem to think that weapons are the cause of all their troubles. And if we get rid of all the weapons the world would be a better place. All you have to do is look at Mexico and figure out it don’t work. Everybody wants to blame everybody else and anything that can cause pain. It is a delusion and people are sleepwalking. Your future has always been in your hands. What you do determines what happens to you. It isn’t because of your mother, brother, sister, aunt, uncle or your dad. It is you period. If you don’t wake up, you will lose your life. And that is a tragedy. When Jesus was born, He came into a world ruled by an occupying army. That army didn’t go anywhere. It didn’t make any difference in His life or how He conducted Himself. Jesus went about doing the work of the Father. He built the church, died for the sins of man and rose on the 3rd day. You can change the world around you and the world around you can change for the better. All it will take is that you believe and trust in God. Then you can watch as everything changes. The future is in your hands for good or bad. I want to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year.
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I went to college and studied Communications. I picked that particular subject because I was a shy lad. I couldn’t really hold a conversation with anyone. I found that I could make speeches. It became easy for me to stand up and speechify. It drew attention to myself that I hadn’t had before. It helped me in business. Customer service became my specialty. I married and we had 4 sons. My wife had a younger brother but she really didn’t have to deal with 4 boys at 1 time. I have 3 brothers and it was a piece of cake. My dad had a thick black belt. This belt would come off his pants any time 1 of us or all of us would start something. When we were children, mom and dad took us all over the country. We traveled to all most every state. So I tried to do the same for my sons. Traveling gives you an education that you can’t get in a school. 2 of my sons graduated from college. 3 of my 4 sons served in the Military. The other 2 sons have some college. They grew up in front of me, with their own ideas and opinions. When they were little and visit other people’s homes, the people would come back and say how nice my sons were. I asked them who they were talking about. My wife and I raised them to have manners and to be compassionate. My sons are what God says, if you raise a child in the way he should, when he is old, he shall not depart from it. I was 18 years old yesterday. And today time has gone so fast. My wife and I have been shopping. We bought toys for our 1st grandchild. My dad bought a red stuffed bulldog, 3 times bigger than his 1st grandchild. Do you know what gifts God gave me? My 4 sons. I want to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year.
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When I was a small boy, we lived in a 2 bedroom starter home. Dad bought this home brand new. It was the first house he ever bought. He had returned for WWII and married my mom. My dad owned a 1951 pink 2 door Studebaker Champion. When we were little, all 6 of us fit into the car. Back then you didn’t have to put car seats for children. As we got older, dad bought a 1954 4 door Dodge sedan. We traveled all over the country in that car. My older brother always got carsick. So we would stop for him to empty his stomach. There was a 55 gallon drum on the side of the garage. I would take it out each evening and walk on it. I became so good that I could run that barrel all over the yard. We lived so far south in America, that I can only remember 1 winter that it snowed and stayed. In the winter of 1957, it snowed and stayed for 3 days. That year Hurricane Audrey came through and wiped out several cities near the Gulf of Mexico. Mom would make us go to all the family reunions. We would go kicking and screaming. But I tell a truth, I am glad my mother did that. I got to know my family on all sides. My great grand aunt carried me piggyback when she was 75 years old. She lived until she was 94 years old. I can trace my family for 500 years all the way back to France. They never thought they were doing anything extraordinary when they came to America. Their whole world changed and the whole world changed with them. Each person is unique and special to God. And as you go about your life, your world changes. And guess what the world changes because of you. You are important in God’s plan. This is why He came to this earth. I want to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year.
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Do you know why there is a Christmas? Everyone knows that Jesus came into this world and it is celebrated on Christmas day. The world has made it a special day. There are Christmas specials at the local churches, on television and even at local community centers. There are Christmas lights on all most every house. People are busy buying gifts for almost everyone. Christmas has become a big production. Businesses have to make their yearly income at Christmas time to be successful the rest of the year. The Salvation Army has a Santa Clause at most large retail outlets to collect donations. But what is Christmas about? Why did God send Jesus to this earth? Almost every culture in the world holds that Jesus is a prophet of God. In the past few years there has a real been an attempt to dethrone Jesus. The other side says that there is no God and we are really God. I don’t want to laugh at people’s heresy, but it is sad what man can think of. Jesus came to earth for a very special reason. Don’t only to fulfill the prophesy in the bible, but to do the work for the Father assigned to Him. The work that God had for Him, led to His death. He took abuse, rejection and betrayal by his disciples. But He didn’t give up at any time, Thank God. God knew what was in the heart of man and was willing to sacrifice His son to redeem the world. The Bible says the Jesus came to seek and save that which was lost. Jesus came into this world in a stable with animals. It was a lowly place indeed. He came in as low a station that anyone could. And the world came to Him. Honor Him in the same way. Help those who cannot help themselves. Give of yourself to others and Jesus did for us. This is the Christmas story. I want to wish you a Happy Hanukkah and a Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year.
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Are we there yet, is look at being in a hurry to do something? I go to work most days for 7am. I leave work at 6pm. I drive 30 miles both ways to and from work. I am on the road by 6:30am or I am going to be late. I really need to leave my house about 6:15am but I like to sleep. Thank God my job doesn’t depend on me being there for 7am. I worked all over for a long time and had to be there on time. One job I had I was driving 45 miles each way. I worked 14 to 16 hours each day. I had no family life at all. I finally gave that job up. It did pay well, but my family was more important than money. I have really enjoyed my job since I slowed down. When I got on the highway it was the pedal to the medal. How I didn’t get more speeding tickets or wreaks, I don’t know. Finally God got me to slow down and enjoy what I doing. I never really enjoyed my life, because I was always trying to hurry up and get it done. I have always been able to take pain and push through. So I could get tasks accomplished. My bosses liked the way I worked so much, I was always working at night. I am not a night person. My time is early in the morning. But I accomplished a lot. I guess you say that my mantra was, Are We There Yet? And I push my employees just as hard. I have slowed down and I am enjoying my life. I own all this to my God, who loves and wants the best in my life. I want to wish you Happy Hanukkah and a Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year.
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joseph1637@juno.com