Christmas

For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Merry Christmas to All!!

May your hearts and homes be filled with warmth and love and your tummies with turkey!!

In the World, Not of It

Well we're still here.  The Solstice has passed...the 13th baktun has ended and a new one begun.  Whew!!

Apparently 1/10 Canadians believed that the world was actually going to end.  I wonder what they were doing today.  I've met a couple of folks who said they believed, but their actions said otherwise.  They went to work, they've bought Christmas presents, they've generally lived life no differently than before.  I gotta think that if they really believed, I mean really, really believed, then this belief would be manifested in how they lived.  We would be able to tell that there was something different.

I suppose it's the same with many people that identify themselves as religious of one sort or another.  I'll speak of Christians specifically since that's the community of faith that I am a part of.  Too often we are no different than the main-stream culture that we are surrounded by.  We get caught up in all the same worries, strive after all the same things, and generally if we didn't go around claiming to be a Christian, no one would be able to tell anything was different about us.  I think it's a far cry from the counter-cultural lifestyle we probably should be living.  If we truly believe all that we say we do, then shouldn't the way we live reflect those beliefs? 


We should be known for our love for one another.  In a world that generally emphasizes looking out for the great and mighty "I" we should be looking out for and watching for opportunities to serve others.  Instead of pride we should practice humility...we are easily offended because of our pride.  We become indignant and defensive rather than forgiving.  We let the worries of this world and the lust for more stuff rob of us our joy, contentment and peace.

There should be a connection between how you behave and what you believe. It's easy to get swept up and away in the inertia of it all, but we really ought to pause and consider how our beliefs and convictions are manifested in our actions and lifestyle.  If our beliefs and actions are incongruous then there will be dissonance.  Where there is harmony, there is peace.

More Blessed to Give Than to Receive

I don't watch a lot of television.  In fact our little 13 inch television circa the turn of the century broadcasts the same amount of channels as the cardboard box in our drive-way waiting to be recycled - zero.  We don't have cable or subscribe to any movie providers on the net and one of the main reasons we don't is because of the commercials.  Not because they're annoying but because they tend to propagate materialistic values that we would prefer to keep away from the girls as much as possible.  To be sure the girls are still exposed to them, it's nearly impossible not to be, but it is much more controlled and intentional most of the time - at least they're not inundated with commercial messages on a regular basis.

I do get my fix for television through the net (especially football) and of course commercials have invaded the net and you can no longer watch videos or highlights without being forced to view an ad or two (forced may be a strong word, no one is holding me down forcing me to watch these things...).

One of the things I've noticed this holiday season, in the commercials I've seen, is an emphasis on getting the things I want...in fact one of the slogans is, "I want that," or something to that effect.  Whatever happened to the commercials that promoted getting the perfect gift for that special someone...someone else?  Oh they're still out there...but I've been shocked with the blatant appeal to selfish greed over thoughtful blessings.  Maybe I'm just getting old and sensitive and maybe I've just never noticed before.  Or maybe I'm onto something here.

I'm not even sure what I want this year...but I have a ton of ideas for my ladies.  I sure have fun thinking up gift ideas that will really put smiles on the faces of certain someones in my life.  My wife is pretty prescriptive when it comes to gifts (which is good because it saves me from having to exchange that horrid sweater I would have picked out for her).  But I love finding something that she isn't even expecting and thinking about her reaction...like I did today...I can't tell you what it is in-case she overhears but I think it's nice.  It's not extravagant or especially fancy or anything like that (so don't get too excited sweetie), but I think it's great.  I do the same with my girls - I like to try to find something that will give them pause in the carnage that is Christmas morning, smile and wonder how I knew that they would like it even though they hadn't even thought about it themselves...maybe they're too young to connect the dots, but I like to give them a gift that shows them that I've been thinking about them...that they're on my mind all the time as I walk through my day.  There's no place I'd rather be than with my ladies, day in and day out, but that's just not possible presently - but I'd like them to know that I carry them around with me in my heart and mind each day.

I like getting presents, I do.  But for me there's nothing better than seeing a loved one's face light up after opening a gift from me, not because they're awed by the "coolness" of the latest gadget that in 4 months will be another outdated piece of trash, but rather because they are filled with the joy of knowing that they are cherished, adored and loved.

Gifts given in this spirit remind me of a gift we received from someone who gave because there was no other place He wanted to be than with us...and us with Him.

Hack Hack Sneeze

Well we're still sick. How exciting for you to read I know, but it is the dominating factor of my life at this point in time. Usually I pride myself on our robust and healthy family. We almost never see the doctor, and rarely get more than the common cold. However this season just seems to be knocking us out again and again with hacking coughs, sneezes, headaches, "bowel issues", and the most recent problem ear infections. We ended up having to take our oldest to a walk in clinic at 8:30 pm last night. We had to drive frantically around the city just to try and find one that was open; quite an adventure in itself.  Evidently you cannot trust the hours that are posted on the net - actually the three I had chosen were shut down altogether...the one I finally did find was purely by God's good grace as I was heading home to let my fingers do the walking (or driving in this case) and just happened to gaze out my window at a red light to see the faint glow of a walk-in clinic sign on a pharmacy.  I actually did say a really informal prayer (okay maybe it was more the expression of an exasperated father saying, "Come on!  Please just let me find a clinic that's open...") only moments before I found the open clinic.  Perhaps it's a sign of my lack of faith that I was not looking for a clinic at all but was in fact on my way back home to solve the problem on my own by looking-up and calling some clinics to find one that was open (what I probably should have done in the first place).  Nevertheless...I digress. 

One interesting tidbit that I found when we finally arrived at the walk-in was that the doctor that was attending us was actually trained and certified outside Canada and was therefore not able to prescribe medicine. He instead consulted, via video-conference, with a doctor in Toronto to validate that his diagnosis was correct and then get the OK to issue a prescription with the Toronto doctors name on it. I personally feel very confident with foreign trained doctors. I feel that their proven initiative through getting a good education in their home country, and then come to a new country and continue on in a different system that makes them jump through some ridiculous hoops to practice their vocation here, makes for one smart and dedicated Doctor. Not that becoming a Doctor in Canada is all that simple but I would guess its a bit harder for someone coming from Somalia, but maybe I'm wrong. Either way I'm glad to be living in Canada where I can walk-in to a clinic free of charge and get good care in a very creative way. Yay public health care!

I do hope that our sickness saga will be coming to a close soon and I can report more fantastic events soon. But for now I need to finish up this blog so I can get another Kleenex.

Can I Hide

In the wake of the Connecticut shooting I wanted to take a pause and try to hash out some of my feelings about the horror that happened there. When I first found out about the little children that had died I was nauseous. The Bible verse that came into my head (and often does when I hear about tragedy) was, "My God my God why have you forsaken me!" Of course this did not touch my life in a direct way; but initially I could not help feeling abandoned by our Lord. That  somehow God must have said, "Forget it they're all too messed up for me to deal with anymore." For how could this happen on his Earth? How can little children be fodder for this reigning evil?

I switch back and forth from turning away from the news and then turning it on just to be disgusted again. Does engaging in the information about this Honor their memory, or does the crass coverage of the information sensationalize it?  I don't know.

For now I will pray for peace in our world in the midst of pain and sorrow...and hold my family closer.

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33

Christmas Time