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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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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