It’s 9 days until Christmas. I had a birthday a few days ago. I reminded me when I was little and was waiting for Santa Clause to come. One present that I received for Christmas was a Magnus Chord organ. I played music on it for years. I kept it all this time and lost it in the flood in August. I don’t know how I feel about that or that I won’t express my feelings about it. I can remember a Prince Valiant sword and armour set, I received one Christmas. There was also a pair of pistols in a black leather holster set. I would play cowboys and Indians with my brothers. It was from an old TV show called Have gun will travel. I remember all the Christmas dinners at mommy’s. The whole family would be there. We were 8 boys. My mom and her 2 sisters had only boys. So, we went outside and played football or baseball. My grandfather wanted a baseball team. My cousin, John, died when he was just a few months old. So, there would have been 9 boys or granddaddy’s baseball team. Granddaddy didn’t live long enough to see us grow up. I think the only boy that didn’t play sports was my youngest brother. 2 of my cousins are high school coaches. We all played football, though I opted for tennis and track. When we started bringing our girlfriends to Christmas dinner, there wasn’t much space in the house. When our children became part of the celebration, the house became too small. So, we started coming in shifts, but we still ate together. So, I’ll be home for Christmas, if only in my dreams. Make memories that will carry you for a lifetime. Jeg ønsker dig en glædelig jul og et Godt Nytår.

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There is only 10 days until Christmas. I am receiving more email than I know what to do with. Sales papers are coming in by mail and newspaper. They all want one thing for me to spend my money buying their stuff. When you get married and have children you begin to understand the meaning of budgeting. Before I got married I used to buy clothes and shoes like I wanted. I would spend my money with abandon. Because nothing was too good for me. After I married, I learned to share with my wife. Then when the children came, it took all my money to see about them. I didn’t care because my family came first. As you grow up, you hopefully get the correct perspective about money. It is a necessary evil in your life. It isn’t the all and end of your life. Your family is. You and your family won’t last forever. We think sometimes that we will live on this earth forever. The only thing that is eternal is our spirit, not our body. We need to make our way on this earth while we are here. Because life is short. We have no guaranty that we live any length of time. So, as they say, make hay while the sun shines. See about your family while you can. In this Christmas season, be with your family and share your life, which includes your money. And let it be just a minor annoyance that it is. Make memories that will last for your family and yourself. God gave us this season so that we would understand who we are and where we belong in His kingdom. Έχετε ένα Καλά Χριστούγεννα και Ευτυχισμένο το Νέο Έτος.

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Most people believe if they see it with their eyes, they believe it. What we see reflects light and what we have learned and stored as memories. It isn’t always the truth. You can’t trust your eyes with the truth. Nowadays, we all have a smart phone with a camera. It takes great photos and videos. People are taking pictures of everything. Some things should be left alone. Our eyes are the most perfect camera we will ever own. But if we don’t combine it with the truth, we will never see straight in our lives. Just because you can protest doesn’t make it right or profitable for our lives. This is where seeing has to become believing. In other words, believing is seeing. If you don’t understand first, you can’t see straight. Your eyes will never know the truth. The only way to see straight is with your heart. Your heart is who you are. It is the immortal part of you that will live forever. Your heart is your mind, will and intellect. It is hard for people to forget terrible things because it is etched on their heart as a picture. And too many of these pictures will corrupt your heart. To the point where you can’t see straight or true. There is only one person who can erase or delete things imprinted on our heart. That is God Himself. He is the creator and maker of heaven and earth and all things therein. God gave us a free will. This means we can choose what we will. But it also means we are struck with what we choose until God erases it from our heart. God made it so simple for us to choose one way or the other. So, why do people keep choosing the wrong way? What profit is there in destroying our own heart? And all you have to do is ask God to help and He will. Heeft u een Vrolijk Kerstfeest en een Gelukkig Nieuwjaar.

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Daniel in the bible was an interesting man. He was going to be true to himself and especially to God. He was a prince of Israel and held high office in Assyrian government. He wasn’t a stranger to controversy. Under each king of Persia, Daniel defied them when it went against God. Whether it was eating the king’s food or his subordinates being thrown into a fiery furnace or being thrown into the lion’s den. Daniel would follow God even if it killed him. The kings of Persia made Daniel an important man and very wealthy. Today, even the Muslims believe that Daniel was one of their major prophets. But he didn’t care about all the things the kings of earth could do for him. Daniel was only concerned with what God did for him. The story of redemption is all through the bible. There are many stories anyone can read. It is funny, how all the great people of God all had to be redeemed. No matter how great you are, the only place to begin is God’s redemption. Do you know why people would hold the sign John 3:16 at sports events? Because what it says is true. And it says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (KJV). Redemption is the first step into living the right life in this world and in the next world. And all you have to do is to ask for it.

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Everybody wants to hear good news. There is so much bad news in this world. Good news like a baby is born or I got a new job or I paid off the mortgage. But it doesn’t always work that way. Why can’t we have good news all the time? What is wrong in this world that we have to hear bad news? I look at the evening news stations and all they are reporting on is death and destruction. And they say that is what the people want to hear. Why are all the new movies stupid and annoying? I must say there are a few good movies, but they are few and far between. People want to be encouraged about life. They really want to hear how someone succeeded. It is not a rare thing to want to hear good things. Jesus began teaching in His home town of Nazareth. He spoke about what God was going to bring to His people. The people started fussing about Jesus saying such mighty things in church. After all He was just a carpenter’s son and not a bounified teacher of the law. Jesus said this is why all of you don’t receive miracles. They got angry and grabbed Jesus. They were going to throw Him off a cliff. They all became confused and Jesus walked away. Hearing good news from God is what He wants to do for us. He wants us to be encouraged that our lives can work out the way it is supposed to. God was so encouraged that we could respond, He wrote it all down in one book, the bible. Read it for yourself and find out what He really has to say. Haben Sie frohe Weihnachten und ein gutes neues Jahr.

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Benjamin Franklin put forth a lot of sayings in his time. I believe he was trying to help people as he saw the world. I also think that he had a greater understanding of the world around him than most people. He wasn’t a handsome man, nor was he very wealthy. But he learned early that charm goes a long way. I am sure that he got quite a jolt of electricity when lightning struck the kite he was flying. His power of observation was very great. And he was persistent in all of his endeavors. He was an interesting man in a time that changed the world. And he played his part in this change. How many times has the world changed around us? And how many times did the opportunity come to you to be part of that change? And I will ask one more question. How many times did you let it go by because of fear? Facing this world is one of the most frightening things we can do. But if we don’t do anything, the world will change around us and leave us out wondering why. Whether or not life works out just like we think. It doesn’t matter. The world will change anyway. The most interesting man in the world isn’t one that drinks beer. He is the one that is evolved in the events of this world. So, step out of yourself and be someone that leads from the front. Everyone has an opinion. Let people speak and then get involved. If you want someone to change their opinion, let them see someone who is involved in this world in a positive way. A person who cares about people and events. So, let your fears go and fall away from you by getting involved. buon Natale e Felice Anno nuovo.

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When I was little, I couldn’t wait until my birthday rolled around. It meant cake and ice cream and presents. I have pictures of different birthday parties. They were always a joyous event. Over the years, my desire for the cake and ice cream has just about gone away. I still like to get presents, but at different times of the year. I still like being recognized as the birthday boy. But I yearn for the joy of the event. It has become all most matter of fact. I enjoy more going to a young person’s birthday party than counting my own. I am more aware of how time has creeped up on me. Also, I am more aware that most of my birthday parties are behind me. I am grateful for all the time that I have had to watch my family grow up. And wish for the patter of little feet running down the hallway. My day is planned out. I work this morning. Then we, my family and I, will go to a Christmas play. After that they will take me out to eat at a fine restaurant. I not sure how men and women made it to 500 years old. How they keep the joy of life all that time? One man lived to 932 years. I know that I am closer to going home to heaven. I am excited about that. That joy excites me more than anything else. But it is a mixed blessing. When I finish my time here on earth, I will have to leave my family and friends. You see today is my birthday. And I am another year older. Feliz navidad.

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Many promises have been made to us by many people. Some have come true and others well. They just fade away like into the sunset. Hope is a good thing. We need it to face life as it is. Sometimes our hope is misplaced in people and things. It doesn’t mean that hope is a bad thing. It is just that we need to make better choices. God anointed David as king of Israel over everyone else. He was just a teenager. But God had promised him that he wouldn’t die until he had an heir. God promised David that from him would come the Messiah of Israel. After he had killed Goliath, King Saul eventually made David his general. All the men of Israel trusted David because God was with him and he was fearless in battle. He would lead them into battle from the front. The scripture says that David ran into the middle of the battle and fought his way out. The people became to sing songs about David. The song would say that he would run through a troop and leap over a wall. The song also said that David would kill his 10,000’s and Saul his 1000’s. That is when Saul knew that David was the next king and tried to kill David. But David lived to a ripe old age and went home in peace. All because of the promises of God. You see the promises of God are yea and amen. It is that they are true and everlasting. Jesus is one of God’s promises. If you will be still and listen, you will hear God calling us home. And all we have to do is answer Him.  joyeux Noël.

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I have written about this before. Why is there so much fear going around? People are afraid to look at each other. If you smile too much they think you’re crazy. Here’s one. Last Monday, it was cold and raining hard. I wore a ball cap, a hoodie jacket and a jacket on top of that. People were afraid to come near me, until I smiled at them. It is almost like the world has gone to hell in a hand basket. I was at the most famous breakfast place. There was a new employee taking my order. She wasn’t smiling and not talking very much. She was afraid. It must have been her first job. There was a manager buzzing around her to get her to open up. But she had a stone face. I don’t know if she will last. Fear will make you do strange things. Things you wouldn’t normally do. With the Christmas season in full swing, everybody is running around with things to do. And most of all, people are spending more money than they generally have. Courtesy is needed more than ever. I know people don’t usually smile after spending their hard-earned cash. But if we smile and hold doors open for people, it will make a difference. It will definitely make a difference in other people’s lives and yours. And that is what Christmas is about. We do this by being kind and generous to each other. Christmas didn’t start out by spending all your money. It was sharing a meal and your home with someone who needed it. we are the gifts of Christmas, not the trinkets we buy. God gave His Son, because He love the world and wanted us to come home. God wants all His children to come home and share in the banquet planned for us. I pray that you have a very Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year.

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Two people together are better than one alone. We were designed as social beings. Where we need to be with people to fulfill our destiny. The hardest thing we will ever do is to live alone. People will fill their lives with whatever not to be alone. Pets are a substitute for human companionship. Pets are wonderful but they can’t take the place of another human being. Yes, there is always the risks associated with a relationship with another person. But there are great rewards also. We learn by association. We mimic other people. We followed our parents and have many of their traits. Although we don’t always want to claim that we do. People think that with children, they are the teachers. It is quite the opposite. Our children are our teachers. We can’t be whole person until we have children. Why do you think this is so? Why do we need people in our lives? Who put that desire in us? It is as they say, all part of the grand design. We were designed to need people, so that we would need the One who created us. Yes, our heart searches for a real relationship with our Creator. Knowing that God loves us without any reservations, we search for that relationship. It is unfortunate that some people make it and some don’t. I found a warm place in my home with my Father. And it is yours for the asking.

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