The Real Christmas Story

And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cryenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, everyone to his own city.
And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
And so it was, that while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her first born son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
And the angel said unto them, "Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger."
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will towards men."
And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, "Let us now go even unto Bethlehem and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
And they came to pass with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told to them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all things that they had heard and seen, as it was told to them.
Luke 2:1-20

Christmas Means The Saviour Came

By Isaiah was foretold
What the shepherds did behold,
Jesus born in Bethlehem
Kin to God and Abraham.
Wise men came from far away
With their gifts of great array;
And they gave Him everything,
Born a child and yet a King.
Angles sang of peace on earth,
All because of Jesus' birth;
Then they sang, "Good will toward men,"
Let's help sing that song again.
Christmas means the Savior came,
Hallelujah!
Jesus was His holy name,
Hallelujah!

A Strange Way To Save The World

To think of how it could have been
If Jesus had come as He deserved
There would have been no Bethlehem
No lowly shepherds at His birth
But Joseph knew the reason
Love had to reach so far
And as he held the Savior in his arms
He must have thought...

Why me, I'm just a simple man of trade
Why Him, with all the rulers in the world
Why here inside this stable filled with hay
Why her, she's just an ordinary girl
Now I'm not one to second guess what angels have to say
But this is such a strange way to save the world

Sure he must have been surprised
At where this road had taken him
'Cause never in a million lives
Would he had dreamed of Bethlehem
And standing at the manger
He saw with his own eyes
The message from the angel come to life
And Joseph said...

Why me, I'm just a simple man of trade
Why Him, with all the rulers in the world
Why here inside this stable filled with hay
Why her, she's just an ordinary girl
Now I'm not one to second guess what angels have to say
But this is such a strange way to save the world

Now I'm not one to second guess what angels have to say
But this is such a strange way to save the world
...this is such a strange way to save the world...Saving the World

I Believe In Bethleham

I believe in Bethlehem,

Where God's Son took human form;
I believe that the things which happen there
Still today can be reborn.
I believe the angels' song of peace
And good will towards men,
Can still be heard by those today
Who choose to hear again.
 

I believe that the star which pierced the night
Showing men to Bethlehem,
Is still reaching out to men of hope,
Brighter now than it was then.
 

I believe we must bow down
With shepherds once again;
And I still believe we all start there

At the town called Bethlehem.
 

I believe that the Babe grew up to die,
Gave His life all men to save;
I believe that He rose up from the dead,
Forever left an open grave!
 

I believe He'll come again,
The Conqueror over sin;
I believe He will find His room this time...
Let my heart be Bethlehem.

Just One Star

Back in the throne room of heaven, plans were being made to announce the birth of God's Son on earth. Micheal, the archangel, had just finished describing his great heavenly display of comets and falling stars.
Gabriel went on with his musical plans- a great angelic choir of tens of thousands of voices, tuned with heaven's finest adn latest harmonies, ready to serenade the earth.
But God interrupted their conversation. "No," He said, "that's not really what I had in mind. I planned a small family gathering in Bethleham, actually. We don't need all those trimmings."
"But... all my stars...." said Micheal. 'What will I do with them?"
"And my music," Gabriel added.
Just then Jesus stepped through the pearly gates, out onto the red carpet of time, and started down the spiral stairway of stars.
Micheal pleaded, "Father, let us do something, please! He simply can't go unannounced!"
"Well, all right," God said, "Gabriel, a few angels... and Micheal, just one star."



Fourteen Words

As the bright copper penny of the sun slid down into the velvet pocket of night, nothing was changed. It had been a day like all the rest. Another 24-hour carbon copy etched in despair and outlined with discouragement. It was an unhappy, suspicious, fearful, needy world into which Jesus came.
A world of moral degradation,
low ethical standards,
and bitter hatred.
Sounds familiar, doesn't it?
Government oppression was intolerable.
Taxes were rising at such alarming rates that personal needs could scarcely be met.
Religious vitality was at an all-time low.
People had lost purpose...
and hope...
and faith.
Still sounds familiar, doesn't it?
The darkness of that night was matched only by the gloom of the spirit that pervaded the countryside.
But God surprised the world with a simple song...

GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST,
AND ON EARTH PEACE,
GOOD WILL TO MEN. 

 Fourteen words... that's all... just 14 words! Complex enough to keep theologians ans philosophers pondering for twenty centuries, yet simple enough for a child to understand.

GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST,
AND ON EARTH PEACE,
GOOD WILL TOWARDS MEN.

A song sent from heaven, brought by angels to touch the hurting heart of man. And even today, if you listen carefully, you can still hear the angels sing.

Christmas Must Be Something More

  What if ribbons and bows didn't mean a thing?
Would the song still survive without 5 golden rings?
Would you still wanna kiss without mistletoe?
What would happen if God never let it snow?
What would happen if Christmas Carols told a lie?
Tell me what would you find?

You'd say that today holds something special
Something holy and not superficial
So here's to the birthday boy who saved our lives
It's something we all try to ignore
And put a wreath up on your door
So here's something you should know that is for sure
Christmas must be something more

What if angels did not pay attention to
All the things that we wish they would always do?
What if happiness came in a cardboard box?
Then I'd think there was something we all forgot
What would happen if presents all went away?
Tell me, what would you find?

You'd say that today holds something special
Something holy and not superficial
So here's to the birthday boy who saved our lives
It's something we all try to ignore
And put a wreath up on your door
So here's something you should know that is for sure
Christmas must be something more

We get so caught up in all of it
Business and relationships, 100 mile an hour lives
And it's this time of year and everybody's here
It seems the last thing on your mind

It's that the day holds something special
Something holy and not superficial
So here's to Jesus Christ who saved our lives
It's something we all try to ignore
And put a wreath up on your door
But here's something you should know that is for sure

Christmas must be something
Christmas must be something
Christmas must be something more
There's gotta be more
There's gotta be more

I Heard The Bells

I Heard The Bells
-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow


I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
Their words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!


I thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along
The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!


Till, ringing, singing on its way
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime,
A chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!


Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound
The Carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!


And in despair, I bowed my head;
"There is no peace on earth," I said;
"For hate is strong
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"


Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead; nor doth he sleep!
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail
With peace on earth, good-will to men!"

Christmas Is...

Christmas is... not Christmas was.


Christmas is... as present as the air we breathe,
as current as the events that please or perplex us.
 

Christmas is... light.
More than the light from a new star....
it's the light of God's eternal love
shining through the midnight of man's despair,
proving that He believed in man.
 

Christmas is... giving.
Not of wise men to God,
but of God to men who would be
wise enough to receive the gift of His Son.
 

Christmas is... joy.
Not just because man heard a new song,
but because God wrote it wasn had it sung.
 

Christmas is... the angel saying "...to all people."
And that means everybody....
everywhere....
and that includes you!

Broadway's Beauty And The Beast

Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

February 11-13

The most beautiful love story ever told comes to life in this lush, romantic Broadway musical for all generations. And now the smash hit touring production of Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST is coming back to Juanita K. Hammons Hall! Based on the Academy Award winning animated feature film, this eye-popping spectacle has won the hearts of over 35 millin people worldwide. It's a classic musical love story, filled with unforgettable characters, lavish sets and costumes, and dazzling production numbers including "Be Our Guest" and the beloved title song. Experience the romance and enchantment of Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST!

God Gave The Star

There will be little children on the hills of Bethlehem again this Christmas Eve, looking for The Star. There will be man ans women all over the world, thinking how one night God hung a star from the floor of heaven to guide the humble ad wise. That Star will reflect "the hopes ans fears of all the years," and man will take courage again ans somehow go on.
God gave The Star. It has always been with us.
It got here t the dawn of creation when God said, "Let there be light," and, Job adds, "The morning stars broke forth in chorus."
It was hidden from us for a while, but it as born again into our world over a manger- a manger at Bethlehem.
It was a beautiful star, ready to give guidance to any man, woman, son or daughter who cared to look at it.
But right from the star, some people just didn't like The Star.
They tried to ignore it. They said, "There's no Star. It simply doesn't exist."
Others tried to change its appearance.
Nations made laws to ban it.
Whole armies lined up to march against it.
They killed some who believed in The Star.
Scholars and philosophers screamed at it in fury. They tried to blot it out.
Finally they nailed that Star to a tree.
And they said to themselves, "There! That should take care of that!"
But it didn't.
Laugh at it, sneer at it, deny it. Do anything you will with it. Yet here it is, the same tonight as it was in Herod's time.
You cannot do one little thing to halt the nightly, majestic marching of God's stars across the skies. You can never do anything to dim the shinning of His Star.
Believe this, and believe it well- only God could make a Star.

The Tallest Tree In The World

Once upon a hill,
Three trees were standing tall;
Dreaming what they'd like to be,
If trees can dream at all.
One tree longed for palaces,
Another treasures rare,
The third tree chose to forever stand,
Pointing men to God.

More than anything, the first tree wanted to be part of a beautiflu palae where one day a great king would dwell. The second chose to be made into a large seaworthy ship, sailing all the oceans of the world with great treasure. The third tree wanted to stay righ twhere he was. He dreamt of growing so high that whenever men saw him, he would cause their eyes to look to heaven, and then they'd think of God. He wanted to be the tallest tree in the world.
Those trees shared thier dreams for years. Don't you know it was a happy day for the first tree when the axe cut him down, and he was carried off to town. But he wasn't made into a palace. Instead, he became a feedbox for cattle and was thrown into a barnyard. His dreams were gone. No king would ever see him now.
The second tree fell to the axe and was trilled when they took him to a shipyard. But, oh, the disappointment! No beautiful ship to sail the oceans of the world would he become; instead, rough hands fashioned him into a fishing boat. No treasure here- just failure and lonliness.
The third tree tried to stop the woodsman, but the man wouldn't hear. He chopped the tree- cut him in two, and tossed him in the back of the carpenter's shop to be forgotten.
All he ever wanted to be was the tallest tree in the world.
Then one day God's love touched the little feedbox, and that first tree finaly got his wish. He housed a King the night that Mary laid her baby in the manger.
The second tree- the lonely, smelly, fishing boat- his day came when a man was walking by the seashore. The crowds were so great, they were pushing him into the water. A fisherman spoke up, "Master! Use my boat for a pulpit. You'll be safe here." Jesus stepped into the boat, and the tree knew he was carring the greatest treasure the world had ever known. 
The third tree hated it when they took his tow pieces and crossed them. He cried when they nailed that Man to him and lifted him up. All he ever wated to do was grow tall and point men to God. But today, every time we look at that tree, we always think of God, because He's the tallest tree in the world. 

 

If Only

The entire Christmas story absolutely escaped George Albright. The whole 'God born in a manger" thing was beyond him, or maybe it was just to simple for him to grasp. At least until last Christmas Eve when the snow began to fall.
He had just settled into his fireside chair and begun to read. There was a thumping sound on the window, and at first he thought someone was throwing snowballs. He went to the door and looked into the yard where he saw a small flock of birds huddled in the snow. They'd been caught in the storm and then desperately tried to find shelter by flying through his large living room window. George knew he couldn't let those little creatures freeze, but how could he help them?
The barn, of course, he thought.The barn where the children keep the pony will provide shelter, if I can get the birds in there.He opened the barn doors and turned on a light, but the birds didn't move.
Maybe some food would entice them. He sprinkled bread crumbs leading to the stable door. Nothing.
He tried catching them and shooing them in. The birds went everywhere except into the barn. They were afraid of him.
"I want them to trust me. How can I convince them I only want to help?"
But every move he made tended to frighten them more. They would not follow or be pushed.
If only I could be a bird myself and mingle with them and speak their language and show them the way to the barn, they could see and understand, Just then the church bells began to chime. "O Come All Ye Faithful". Listening to the Good News, George understood and knelt in the snow with thankful belief.

The only blind person
at Christmastime
is he who has not
Christmas in his heart.
-Helen Keller

Rise Up, Shepherd

Imagine one of those shepherds from the first Christmas night. He was very young then, only a boy of seven. But now he's old, and his little grandson sits on his knee as he recounts that momentous evening.
"It was a long time ago, and i was just your age. Hard to believe I was ever as little as you, isn't it? Well... we wee on a hill, just outside of Bethlehem, watching over our flock of sheep, just like King David had done hundreds of years before, right in that same place.
"It always made me feel so grown up when i got to stay out all night with my father. I really wanted to be a good shepherd someday, and this was the best way yo start.
The sheep were quiet and very still. I had almost fallen asleep when a great light shone around us. I though at first it was a dream. But when i saw the angel and heard him speak, i knew it was real.
"The angel told us not to be afraid, because our Saviour was born in Bethlehem. He said we should go and find Him, and he even gave us directions. My father and all my uncles and cousins wanted to go, but somebody had to stay with the sheep. They'd be right back.
"Bethlehem was very crowded that night, and there were lots of babies born. But only one was in a stable, lying in a manger wrapped up in swaddling clothes. Only one like that.
"When they got back a few hours later, they were all really excited and told me all about it. I was really disappointed that I hadn't seen the baby on that first night, but I kept hearing about Him as He grew up. Everybody said He did astounding things- like healing the sick, making blind people see, and deaf people hear. Even raised some from the dead, they said.
"but then He got into some kind of trouble. There were some folks who didn't like Him. They killed Him by hanging Him on a cross. But I heard He didn't stay dead. A lot of people think He rose from the grave and really changed the world with hope and peace and love."
"Well, Grandpa, is it true?" his grandson asked. "Did all of that really happen?"
"That's the way i heard it," Grandpa replied.
"But is it really true?" the boy insisted.
Grandpa shook his head. "I don't know. I never went to see."

Don't let that be your story. If you've only heard about it, you've missed the best part. It's not enough to know that Christmas comes to you; you have to come to Christmas.

Be Ready

"Ready for Christmas," she said with a sigh.
As she gave a last touch to the gifts piled high.
Then wearily sat for a moment to read
Till soon, very soon, she was nodding her head.
Then quietly spoke a voice in her dream,
"Ready for Christmas, what do you mean?"
She woke with a start and a cry of despair.
"There's so little time and I've still to prepare,
Oh, Father! Forgive me, I see what you mean!
To be ready means more than a house swept clean.
Yes, more than the giving of gifts and a tree.
It's the heart swept clean that you want to see.
A heart that is free from bitterness and sin."
So be ready for Christmas... and ready for Him.

Christmas Shoes

It was almost Christmas time, there I stood in another line

Tryin' to buy that last gift or two, not really in the Christmas mood

Standing right in front of me was a little boy waiting anxiously

Pacing 'round like little boys do

And in his hands he held a pair of shoes

His clothes were worn and old, he was dirty from head to toe

And when it came his time to pay

I couldn't believe what I heard him say

Sir, I want to buy these shoes for my Mama, please

It's Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size

Could you hurry, sir, Daddy says there's not much time

You see she's been sick for quite a while

And I know these shoes would make her smile

And I want her to look beautiful if Mama meets Jesus tonight

He counted pennies for what seemed like years

Then the cashier said, "Son, there's not enough here"

He searched his pockets frantically

Then he turned and he looked at me

He said Mama made Christmas good at our house

Though most years she just did without

Tell me Sir, what am I going to do,

Somehow I've got to buy her these Christmas shoes

So I laid the money down, I just had to help him out

I'll never forget the look on his face when he said

Mama's gonna look so great

Sir, I want to buy these shoes for my Mama, please

It's Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size

Could you hurry, sir, Daddy says there's not much time

You see she's been sick for quite a while

And I know these shoes would make her smile

And I want her to look beautiful if Mama meets Jesus tonight

I knew I'd caught a glimpse of heaven's love

As he thanked me and ran out

I knew that God had sent that little boy

To remind me just what Christmas is all about Sir, I want to buy these shoes for my Mama, please

It's Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size

Could you hurry, sir, Daddy says there's not much time

You see she's been sick for quite a while

And I know these shoes would make her smile

And I want her to look beautiful if Mama meets Jesus tonight

The Other Christmas Story

The Other Christmas Story
And there were in the same country husbands and fathers keeping watch over their home by night but going to work every morning to make lots of money. And lo, the smooth-voiced TV announcer came upon them, and the Glories of many fine possessions shone out at them, and they were sore afraid they would never be able to buy all the things their families wanted.
And the TV announcer said unto them, "Fear not, for I bring unto you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all fathers, mothers, children, and relatives." "For unto you there is this day, in the city where our store is, a Savior, which is our credit manager. And this shall be a sign unto you. You shall find this Wondrous One wrapped in red clothing, with a big stomach, and sporting white whiskers. We call him Santa Claus."
And suddenly there was with the TV announcer a multitude of TV actors, praising the store and saying,"Glory to Santa, and on earth, lots of presents for all."
And it came to pass as the TV actors faded away, the fathers and mothers said one to another, "Let us now go even unto this store which the TV announcer hath made known unto us."
And they came with haste and found glittering wristwatches, fur coats, transistor radios, electric can openers, new dresses, and also the Wondrous One, dressed in red sitting by the cash register saying "Ho ho ho."
And when they had made their purchases they spoke now among all their neighbors how they were going to have one of the best Christmases ever, but Santa Claus kept all the time contracts in his safe and pondered on all the interest he was going to collect.
Be very careful that the message of what man has to sell does not overwhelm the proclamation of what God has to Give.


What can I give Him,
Poor as I am?
If I were a Shepard,
I would bring a lamb.
If I were a wise man,
I would do my part.
Yet what can I give Him?
I give Him my heart.

The Twelve Days After Christmas

The first day after Christmas,

my true love and I had a fight.
And so i chopped the pear tree down,
and burned it just for spite.
Then with a single cartridge, I shot that blasted partridge...
My true love gave to me.
The second day after Christmas,
I pulled on my old rubber gloves
And very gently rung the necks of both the turtle doves...
My true love gave to me.
The third day after Christmas, my mother caught the croup;
I had to use the three French hens to
make some chicken soup.
The four calling birds were a big mistake,
for their language was obscene.
The five gold rings were completely fake,
and they turned my fingers green.
The sixth day after Christmas,
the six geese wouldn't lay;
So i gave the whole worthless gaggle to the ASPCA.
On the seventh day, what a mess i found:
All seven of the swimming swans had drowned...
That my true love gave to me.
The eighth day after Christmas, before they could suspect,
I bundled up the eight maids a-milking,
the nine pipers piping,
The ten ladies dancing, the eleven lords a-leeping
And the twelve drummers drumming,
and sent them back collect.
I wrote my true love, "We are through, love,"
And i said in so many words,
"Furthermore, your gifts were really for the birds
... Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree."

'Twas The Night Before Christmas

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tinny reindeer.

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!

"Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid! on, on Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky.
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of Toys, and St Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler, just opening his pack.

His eyes-how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly!

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"

The Proffesor Told A Lie

Clem grew up in a parsonage. His daddy was a preacher, then a bishop, and finally president of Columbia College. So you can understand how Clem skipped boyhood and became a scholar.
He was a professor of Biblical Learning at General Theological Seminary where he authored A Compendious Lexicon of the Hebrew Language. Not exactly a best-seller.
In 1813 Professor Clem looked up from his reading and writing long enough to discover love. He got married, started a family, and began to explore the wonderland of make-believe.
And one day he authored a false statement. If he had told it only to his children, nothing would have happened, but the meticulous professor wrote it down.
A friend of the family saw a copy and sent it to a New York newspaper. The story was copied... repeatedly.
Thousands came to believe it, and all Clem could do was hope no one ever discovered that he, the distinguished professor of languages, had written this unmitigated falsehood based on the appearance and manner of an old German handyman who worked around the professorial house.
Finally, 15 years after it was first published, with his children grown and gone, he confessed. And the whole world rose up to thank him.
Forgotten is his Compendious Lexicon. We remember Dr. Clement Clarks Moore for the one whimsical verse which embarrassed him and began... "Twas the night before Christmas..."

The Happy Parasite

It's hard to believe that anything which could bring so much joy in classified as a parasite But it's true! The technical name for this Christmas delight is literally "tree thief." But, of course, it's not all bad. Actually this fungus is good enough that Oklahoma made the decoration its official state flower.
To the early inhabitants of the British Isles, it was a magical plant and the object of worship. Some ancients wore it around the neck to ward off disease. Others stuck a sprig in their hats to guarantee good hunting.

The Japanese were convinced that it would increase crop growth and fertility. The Swiss shot it out of trees wit arrows for good luck and happy days. Italian peasants thought the happy parasite offered protection against harm in general, and fire in particular. In old England, the first cow that produced a calf after New Year's Day a bedecked with a garland of its leaves.

Our early colonists kept springs of the plant under their pillow to induce dreams of happy days to come. Young girls believed they could receive a dream-preview of their future spouses.

You know what it is? Sure you do! You've seen plenty of it, every year. No one in America expects it to drive away evil spirits or roll back prices or solve the energy crisis.
But it does enliven dull parties and offer hope to the kiss-less.
It's mistletoe.

The Day After Christmas

'Tis the day after Christmas, and out in the den
Daddy is watching pro football again.
The children are throwing and breaking their toys,
And mother is up to her ears in the noise.
The melting snow drips through a hole in the roof;
Wow... one of those reindeer sure had a big hoof.
Ribbons and wrappings are spread all around,
And we hope when they're cleared our lost boy will be found.
Santa long since disappeared in the fog,
The turkey is tasteless and the eggnog won't nog.
The holly and ivy, the tinsel and lights,
no longer bring warm glows on cold darkened nights.
Children, who were last week helpful and sweet,
Have mouths that are sassy and rooms less than neat.
Those people with faces that smiled forth like elves,
Are now once again just their grouchy old selves.
Then carols of joy and hope filled the air,
but now they are muffled by hard rock's loud blare.
The cold winds which now make Aunt Josephine freeze,
Were not even noticed on Yule shopping sprees.
Why should such a great day let us down so hard?
Is there something about Christmas that we disregard?
The babe in the manger became a great man.
He grew up to be Savior. that was God's plan.
Remember when you take down that last Christmas bough,
He'll never love more than He loves you right now.
And if we know that Christ loves us and always is near,
Then Christmas should be every day of the year.

White Christmas

In 1939 Isreal Baline composed a Christmas song, but he thought so little of it that he never showed it to anyone. He just tossed it into a trunk and didn't see fit to retrieve it until he needed it ten years later for a Bing Crosby-Fred Astaire movie, Holiday Inn.
Bing Crosby was a staunch Catholic, and at first he refused to sing the song because he felt it tended to commercialize Christmas. He finally agreed, took eighteen minutes to make the recording, and then the "throw away" song became an all-time hit.

Crosby's version had sold over 40 million copies. All together, this song had appeared in 750 versions, selling 6 million copies of sheet music and 90,000,000 recordings in the United States and Canada alone.
You might not recognize the song from the movie Holiday Inn, or from the composer, later known as Irving Berlin.

But you're bound to know it, because it's on everyone's list of Christmas favorites- "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas".



Fractured Christmas Songs

Sing along with these new takes on old favorites:

•  

• Deck the halls with Buddy Holly

• We three kings of porridge and tar

• On the first day of Christmas my tulip gave to me

• Later on we'll perspire, as we dream by the fire

• He's making a list, chicken and rice

• Noel, Noel, Barney's the king of Israel

• With the jelly host proclaim

• Olive, the other reindeer

• Frosty, the Snowman, is a ferret elf i say

• Sleep in heavenly peas

• You'll go down in Listerine

• Oh, what fun it is to ride with one horse, soap and hay

• Come, froggy faithful

• Good tidings we bring to you and your kid

Stimulating Seasonal Songs From Roget's Thesaurus

Listen, the celestial messengers pronounce harmonious sounds. - Hark The Herald Angels Sing
Nocturnal time span of unbroken quietness. - Silent Night
An emotion excited by the expectation of good given to this sphere. - Joy To The World
Embellish the interior passageways. - Deck The Halls
Exalted heavenly beings to whom mankind harkened. - Angels We Have Heard On High
Twelve o'clock on a clement night witnessed its arrival. - It Came Upon A Midnight Clear
The Christmas proceeding all others. - The First Noel
Small municipality in Judea southeast of Jerusalem. - O Little Town Of Bethlehem
Diminutive master of skin-covered percussionist cylinders. - The Little Drummer Boy
Supreme being who elicits respite to ecstatic distinguished males. - God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
In awe of nocturnal time span characterized by religiosity. - O Holy Night
Geographic state of fantasy during Mother Nature's dormancy. - Winter Wonderland
Tintinnabulation of vacillating pendulums in resonant cups. - Carol Of The Bells
Proceed declaring upon a specific geological alpine formation. - Go Tell It On The Mountain
Move hither ward the assembly of those who are loyal in their belief. - O Come All Ye Faithful

Murphy's Law... Christmas Style

• The time it takes to find a parking space it inversely proportional to the time you have to spend.
• The more expensive a breakable gift is, the better the chances of dropping it.
• The other line always moves faster.
• Un-assembled toys will have twice as many screws as you expect, and some will always be left over.
• Interchangeable parts aren't.
• All children have built-in detection devices when it comes to finding the Christmas gifts you've so cleverly hidden.
• Amnesia strikes all family members when the Scotch tape and scissors are needed.
• When a broken toy is demonstrated for the store manager, it works perfectly.

J15 Winter

"Which of the four seasons do you most anticipate?"

Winter, mostly. i love the cold weather, the ice and snow. i like wrapping up in blankets and sitting by the fire. Christmas is great, but winter lasts a long time past Christmas. i prefer cold weather, and i like cloudy days. i spend more time inside, ususlly with people, and i like that :) Winter usually ins't very busy for me, after the holidays. Its nice to have a break for a while.
i also like late spring, the sunshine and warmth, but thats another post :)


What is your favorite season?

Contradance vs. Squaredance

There's some debate about the differences between contra- and squaredance among some of my friends. i personally can't tell a difference, except between the style of music. To add to it, a lot of contra dances go by other names, and are considered squaredances. It's all kinda confusing, but here's what i've found about both styles.

Contra dance refers to several partnered folk dance styles in which couples dance in two facing lines of indefinite length. Sometimes described as New England folk dance, contra dances can be found around the world, though they are especially popular in North America.

At the end of the 17th century, English country dances were taken up by French dancers. The French called these dances contra-dance or contredanse. As time progressed, English country dances were spread and reinterpreted throughout the Western world, and eventually the French form of the name came to be associated with the American folk dances, especially in New England.
Contra dances were fashionable in the United States until the early to mid-19th century, when they were supplanted in popularity by squaredances (such as the quadrill and lancers) and couple dances (such as the waltz and polka). By the late 19th century, square dances too had fallen out of favor, except in rural areas. When squares were revived (around 1925 to 1940, depending on the region), contra dances were generally not included. In the 1930s and 1940s, contra dances appear to have been done only in small towns in widely scattered parts of northeastern North America, such as Ohio, the Martime provinces of Canada, and particularly northern New England.

Square danceTraditional square dance is not standardized and can be subdivided into regional styles. The New England and Appalachian styles have been particularly well documented; both have survived to the present time. There are several other styles; some have survived or been revived in recent years, some have not.

Traditional square dance is frequently presented in alternation with contra dances or with some form of freestyle couple dancing. One ancestor of New England style square dances is the quadrill, and older New England callers occasionally refer to their squares as "quadrilles."

The basis of modern Western square dance was established during the 1930s and 1940s, in order to preserve traditional American folk dance. Since the 1970s modern Western square dance has been promoted and standardized by Callerlab, the "International Association of Square Dance Callers". Modern

Western square dance is sometimes presented in alternation with round dances.
The dance was first described in 17th century England but was also quite common in France and throughout Europe and bears a marked similarity to Scottish country dancing. It has become associated with the United States due to its historic development in that country. Nineteen US states have designated it as their official state dance.

The various square dance movements are based on the steps and figures used in traditional folk dances and social dances of the various people who migrated to the USA. Some of these traditional dances include Morris dance, English country dance, Caledonians and the quadrill. Square dancing is enjoyed by people around the world, and people around the world are involved in the continuing development of this dance. Square dancers are prompted or cued through a sequence of steps (square dance choreography) by a square dance caller to the beat of music. The caller leads, but usually does not participate in the dance.

J14 TV Show

"If you had to be trapped in a TV show for a month, which show would you choose?"Prolly the Andy Griffith show. i love small towns, and i think it's be fun meet Floyd (the barber), and Otis, and go shopping with Aunt Bea. Climb trees with Opie, and hang around the courthouse with Andy. i'd prolly get sick of small-town life after a few weeks, but for amonth it's prolly be good.

The Dick van Dyke show is another i could like being trapped in. i'd just follow Rob to work adn be entertained by him, Buddy and Sally all day. Being in New York would be cool too. i really like Laura's character, so it'd be fun to hang out with her. i think i might get tired of black-and-white tho =P


Which show would you chose??

J 13 Possesions

"If you woke up suddenly because your house was on fire, which three things would you save as you ran outside?"

My books, my cds, and my clothes. What? It says three things, i chose three things... i just happend to chose whole collections lol Ok, for real. As much as i love my books, clothes and cds, i can replace all of them. If i had to grab just three things, i'd grab my flash drive with all my photos, papers, emails... pretty much my whole electronic life on it. i'd grab my memory box. It's just a photo box, but its filled with invitations, letters, ornaments, keychains, and random things i've collected that remind me of places i've been or things that have happend to me. i'd also grab my copy of Murder With Penguins by Donna Andrews. There's nothing special about this book, except that my dad bought it for me. You know, as one of those "just becasue i love you" gitfs. Its one of my favorite books, even more so cause my dad got it for me. There's a lot of other things i'd miss if i lost them, but i'd miss those the most.


Which three things would you grab??

Election

Why i didn't vote:

I'm almost 20 so you'd think i would have voted in the last election, right? Wrong. Now, I'm as concerned about political junk as the next person, but i didn't turn in my registration to vote till the beginning of October. They said that i wouldn't get registered in time, and i was ok with that... Until two days after the election... When i got the paper in the mail. Why couldn't they have sent it two days sooner?? i mean really... It wouldn't have been that hard. Of course i could have just turned in the registration sooner... that would have helped too. =P

Salt

Mathew 5:13
"Ye are the salt of the earth; but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of me."

Mark 9:50
"Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltiness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves and have peace one with another."

Colossions 4:6
"Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man."

James 3:12
"Can the fig tree, my bretheren, bear olive berries? Either vine, figs? So can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh."

Jesus identifies His followers as salt. "You are the salt of the earth," says Jesus. "Earth" in this statement does not mean our planet. Earth, in this instance, means man or humanity. "You are the salt of humanity," says Jesus.


Salt is a preservative. As salt, Christians must do what they can to preserve life.
Christians not only preserve life – or prevent decay – but they also promote life and growth.

We live as the salt of the earth when we offer prayers of intercession for the world; when we pray to God to work in hearts with His Word and Spirit; when we ask God to be patient so that the ungodly can have time repent

Christians preserve life – they prevent destruction and decay – by resisting sin, evil, and wickedness in our land. All across our land and even within the church we see sin and immorality becoming more and more acceptable. If God's people live and function as salt then they are like the watchman on the walls of Jerusalem who call the people to arms because of the enemy's approach.

We are supposed to be like salt. Salt irritates, we're supossed to irritate people. We're not supossed to just love them and pray for them, (altho thats important too) we're supossed to show them they are wrong, and that they need God. Who do you need to talk to about God? Who is that person that you pray for, but only tell them the "good" parts about God. You never tell everything, you never make them uncomfortable. You're not being the Salt of the Earth.

Salt irritates. Go irritate someone.

Guys....

Ok, in the last month I've been asked out by two completely unsuitable guys, and it got me thinking... i attract the wrong kind of guy. I'm not kidding, i made a list of the people that (i know of) have liked/hit on me. It was slightly disturbing.

1. The first guy that ever liked me was a friend at a church i used to go to. He had anger issues, and was obsessed with me for about 3 years. He was convinced that we were going to get married someday. He asked me about every other month if my dad would let me date yet. We were about 12 at this point. I saw him a few years ago, i figured we're 17, he'll have matured. It won't be big deal. Wrong. He asked me out... multiple times.

2. The next guy that showed any interest in me was a guy at my high school. He was nice enough, but he had some learning issues and i found it hard to talk to him about anything other than country music, lawn mowers, and cars. He liked me a lot more than i liked him. i might have gone out with him a few times, but only a few, and not seriously. He also talked about getting married. (what is it with these guys??)

3. This random guy that stopped me in a parking lot to tell me that I'm "cute as hell" and ask for my phone number. That was just weird. He didn't get my number.

4. A guy that i met a few weeks ago. He asked me out for coffee today, he seems nice enough but i thought i'd check with some friends who know him better. Every single one's first reaction was "No!" Apparently he has some issues.

But really? Why do i attract these kinds of guys? What is it that makes them like me and the "good" guys i like not like me? And can they please be reversed? Please??

The Trouble With Harry

The Trouble with Harry: Authors Weigh in on the Potter Debate and Alternative Stories
Douglas LeBlanc
This article first appeared in the News Watch column of the Christian Research Journal, volume 31, number 1 (2008).
J. K. Rowling’s phenomenally popular Harry Potter series launched only a decade ago, and while millions of children happily immersed themselves in its fantasy world, many adults argued about the worldview behind the series. The argument has been perhaps most obvious among Christians. The bookend positions are that the Potter books spread interest in the occult (expressed in the film Harry Potter: Witchcraft Repackaged) or, in contrast, that it is rich with Christian symbolism (expressed in a series of books by Eastern Orthodox layman John Granger). Many Christians find themselves somewhere in between those two interpretations.
Beyond churches and their theological critiques of the Potter series, mainstream journalists also disagreed. Just before the release of the series’ final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows, Lev Grossman of Time magazine argued that the series marked the death of God. He wrote, "In The Lord of the Rings, J. R. R. Tolkien fused his ardent Catholicism with a deep, nostalgic love for the unspoiled English landscape. C. S. Lewis was a devout Anglican whose Chronicles of Narnia forms an extended argument for Christian faith. Now look at Rowling’s books. What’s missing? If you want to know who dies in Harry Potter, the answer is easy: God." Grossman added, "Harry Potter lives in a world free of any religion or spirituality of any kind. He lives surrounded by ghosts but has no one to pray to, even if he were so inclined, which he isn’t. Rowling has more in common with celebrity atheists like Christopher Hitchens than she has with Tolkien and Lewis."
Like Grossman, Jeffrey Weiss of The Dallas Morning News noted the absence of "God, gods, heaven or hell" in Rowling’s books, but he also saw Deathly Hallows as Rowling’s having "the last laugh on the dwindling number of conservative Christians who have attacked her Harry Potter saga over the past decade."
"Most of the themes in Harry’s saga are common to many faiths: loyalty, love, friendship, courage, maturity, sacrifice, moral judgment," Weiss wrote. "But in ‘Deathly Hallows,’ the religious identity of Harry’s family is made stunningly and suddenly explicit. He visits the grave of his parents, on Christmas Eve in a church-side graveyard, and reads the inscription on the headstone: ‘The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.’"
Rowling is a member of the Scottish Episcopal Church. She has objected to arguments that the Potter series promotes interest in witchcraft, but she has not discussed her faith in any great detail during the past decade. Within the evangelical subculture, her series had the salutary effect of creating a new market—speculative fiction, or fantasy—that involves no magic charms or curses.
A Litmus Test.
Hinck had dabbled in speculative fiction before, but her novel The Restorer gave her the chance to immerse herself more fully in a genre she loves. The Restorer retells the story of the Old Testament prophet Deborah, setting it in a fallen and pre-Messianic world. The novel’s protagonist, a mother of four named Susan Mitchell, enters this world after discovering a box labeled "Dress Up" in her attic.
Like Hinck’s other books, The Restorer is aimed at a readership that’s mostly made up of Christian mothers. Hinck does not aspire for a wide readership beyond evangelical circles, simply because she’s found that’s not the kind of work she does best as a writer. "It’s the hope for a lot of Christian writers that their books will get beyond singing to the choir," she said. "My core audience is the Christian who is weary and disillusioned, and finding the whole Christian journey more challenging than expected." During the Fantasy Fiction Tour, "I think our largest order for the book was at Borders, but it’s often a Christian browsing Borders who finds it," she said.
Hinck’s previous series consisted of "humorous books with a tiny bit of speculative fiction snuck in," she said. "That was my sneaky way of getting to write what I love in a form that was sellable." Hinck had been told for several years that the core demographic served by bookstores for evangelicals was not interested enough in speculative fiction. From talking with her friends, Hinck found that evangelicals had many misgivings about the genre. Such books had overly elaborate backstories, geopolitical harangues—and, in the Potter series, the added complication of the debate about magic. Hinck set out to write speculative fiction that defied those expectations, and the fan mail she’s been receiving encourages her to believe she has succeeded.
"Some people in the Christian community are still nervous," she said. "They see speculative fiction as having something to do with the occult and with evil. Their hesitation is not coming from a place of ignorant hysteria."
Hinck is reticent to take sides in church conflicts about the Potter series. "In the Christian community, Harry Potter has become something of a litmus test," she said about both sides. "One of the things I love about the whole Harry Potter phenomenon is that families are getting excited about reading books together."
She’s also troubled by the concept of "reaction art," in which Christians create knockoff versions of successful books or music. "We can be free to write our stories without doing them as a reaction to other things that are being done," she said. She sees her novels, and those of her Fantasy Fiction Tour colleagues, not as offering alternatives to an evil Harry Potter but simply offering additional stories in which people make heroic choices.
Not a Good Kid.
Davis feels additional concerns about how authority figures are treated in the Potter series. "Every rule-keeper is portrayed in a bad light. Every authority figure is portrayed as a buffoon," he said. "It’s a worldview that is not Christian."
Davis said these themes became especially clear to him with Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. "The one trend that was clear right at the get-go was that it’s cool to break the rules," he said. "We need to write stories where good behavior is uplifted and bad behavior is punished."
Davis was, by his own description, an unlikely author of fantasy novels. He was working as a computer technician and helping his wife homeschool their children. "I didn’t set out to write a novel or to become a writer, but to teach my children how to write and to show them how much fun writing can be," he said. He began writing a story and asking his children to give him more ideas to keep the story moving. Davis said he ended up having such a good time himself that a new career was born.
Davis saw the Fantasy Fiction Tour as a time to spread the love of such storytelling among his fellow Christians. "Let’s take fantasy back into the light, where it belongs," Davis said. "Fantasy is a story of things that cannot happen without a spiritual cause. Jesus used it with his story about a camel going through the eye of a needle."
He also cites the moment in Old Testament history when Elisha’s eyes are opened and he sees chariots of fire. "That’s exactly what fantasy literature does," Davis said. "It opens our eyes to see another realm that people cannot see with their eyes." Davis points out that the fantasy genre had been fairly dormant among evangelicals since John White’s acclaimed Archives of Anthropos series in the late 1970s and early 1980s. "I wrote the first book [Raising Dragons] before Harry Potter appeared," he said. "It just took me eight years to get it published."
Despite his efforts to bring the fantasy genre back into the light, Davis says, he has encountered occasional resistance—one time simply because a person thought that dragons were symbols of Satan. Davis said that when he is in bookstores, "people will come up and say, ‘Your books are of the Devil.’" When they sit with him and hear him out, however, they change their view. "I’ve yet to leave someone unconvinced" about the worthiness of fantasy literature, he said.
Davis does not concentrate his critique of the Harry Potter series on its use of magic, but he respects parents who feel misgivings about it—and about other stories that could influence their children. "Parents who are concerned and cautious, I think they’re awesome," he said. "I have your kids’ interests in mind and their spirits in mind, and I will not dishonor that."
Not a Bad Series.
Shea is especially pithy on charges of occultism. He writes,
The simple fact is this: The books are not occultic. Magic is not real, as Rowling repeatedly has had to state to interviewers who ask her if she "believes" in it. The magic of Harry is, as John Granger points out, "incantational," not "invocational," exactly like the magic of Gandalf. Born with the talent for magic, Gandalf says the magic words and fire leaps forth from his staff, just as from Harry’s wand. No principalities or powers are invoked in HP. Indeed, if any words are "invocational" they are the prayer to Elbereth and Gilthoniel uttered in Middle Earth. Yet nobody accuses Tolkien of promoting the worship of false gods. That’s because we understand Tolkien’s fictional sub-creation and its rootedness in Christian thought. I suggest Christian critics try to extend Rowling the same charity.
Shea’s essay makes clear that criticism of the Potter series is not limited to evangelical Protestants. Catholic novelist Michael O’Brien is a proponent of the view that the Potter series actually is an elaborate Gnostic myth. Shea counters: "Dumbledore’s consolation to Harry is that ‘it is our choices’—far more than our abilities—that really matter. And Harry’s choices concern, not ‘secret knowledge,’ but deeply human things such as love, mercy, forgiveness, courage, loyalty, and fidelity. None of this is gnostic."
"It’s very disturbing to me, as a Catholic, to see Catholics not getting it," Shea told the Journal. Shea believes nevertheless that evangelicals bear some of the responsibility for anti-Potter arguments. "I think there’s a fear of the Incarnation out there," he said. "If you let characters be what they are, rather than pitchmen for the Four Spiritual Laws, you’re getting off the program."
What’s the Trouble With Harry?
Ten years after Rowling’s first novel appeared, with her last Potter novel completed and the film series trotting along at an efficient pace, Shea said he hopes believers will not only show Christian charity toward the author, but toward one another. He shudders at the thought of how many anti-Potter books have been written by Christians. "People are going to be reading the Potter books in a hundred years," he said, and when they see anti-Potter books, they’re most likely to ask, "What was that all about?" Shea said he too felt some caution when he first heard about the Potter series. "I was a typical parent when the books first came out," he said, recalling his initial response as, "Another book about witches—great. But I read the first book, and at about three chapters into it I decided that this was nothing to worry about."One Christian who’s troubled by the Harry Potter debate is Mark Shea, an evangelical who became a Roman Catholic about twenty years ago. Shea recently published an essay, "Harry Potter and the Christian Critics," on the weblog for First Things magazine. In this brisk essay, Shea confronts every major criticism aimed at the Potter series, including occultism, Gnosticism, irreligion and the death of God, and moral problems (such as Harry’s lying). Shea told the Journal he wrote the essay because "I’ve gotten tired of people talking as though your views on Harry Potter are an article of faith." Bryan Davis is less reticent than Hinck about weighing in on the Harry Potter phenomenon. He’s troubled by it, but not so much because of the usual debate about magic. "I’m not a Harry Potter fan, even though I do understand fantasy and how magic can work," he told the Journal. "He is not a good kid. He lies, he cheats, he steals, and he’s never punished for it. In fact he gets worse as the series goes on." As Christians continue their decade-long debate about the Potter series, some authors in this genre offer alternative stories. During the summer of 2007, four of those authors—Wayne Thomas Batson, Bryan Davis, Sharon Hinck, and Christopher Hopper—made a whirlwind Fantasy Fiction Tour through twelve cities to meet their fans, find new readers, and help promote each other’s work.

How He Loves

How He Loves

David Crowder Band

He is jealous for me, Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realize just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.

And oh, how He loves us oh
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all

He is jealous for me, Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realize just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.

And oh, how He loves us oh,
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all

He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.

And we are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If His grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking.
And heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss,
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest,
I don’t have time to maintain these regrets,
When I think about, the way…

That He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.

Yeah, He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.

Yeah, He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.