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Monday, December 26, 2005

A Different New Year's Resolution


It's that time again...everyone is making New Year's Resolutions. The problem is most of these resolutions are never followed up on. Here are the typical resolutions that people tend to make and break.
  • Lose weight
  • Eat healthier
  • Work out and get in shape
  • Get out of debt
This year instead of making the same old resolutions, how about trying something different? Here are a just a few examples:
  • Be nicer to your spouse or significant other
  • Practice random acts of kindness every day
  • Get in touch with a relative or an old friend that you haven't contacted for a long time
  • Look for the good in people
  • Smile at a stranger - it's contagious
In other words...let's all try to be nicer and show some love to one another every day. Have a very Happy and Blessed New Year.

Kudos To My Wife

My wife, Christine, really loves Christmas. It is her favorite time of the year and she goes all out with her decorations and dinners and gift-giving. I don't know where she gets the energy to keep the pace this time of year. She works during the day then does all the Christmas shopping and wrapping. The only thing I had to shop for was her presents. She also decorates our tree and home for the Holidays and cooks up a great Christmas Eve dinner and cookies, etc. Watch out Martha Stewart!

In addition to all of this extra stuff for Christmas, she never misses a beat with her usually busy schedule of babysitting the grandkids and niece and nephew and running to football games or marching band practice to support the young ones in their school activities.
Christine really is an amazing woman, I want to take this opportunity to publicly thank her for all that she does.

This year was exceptionally beautiful. The house looked like a page out of a magazine and we had 15 people over for dinner on Christmas Eve. the meal was delicious and everyone loved their gifts. Then Christmas day we had 4 more people over for another wonderful meal and gift exchange.

You would think today the day after Christmas would be a day of rest...but no way. Christine is off and running again, she is out with her sister and niece at the mall. I don't know how she does it all.

Thanks Honey...I love you very much!

Friday, December 23, 2005

The Inn at Ragged Gardens

Here is another great Bed & Breakfast to stay at in the mountains of North Carolina. The Inn at Ragged Gardens is a warm, antique-filled, beautiful place to visit. The Hyatt family has restored this turn-of-the-century home in downtown Blowing Rock and your stay there will be memorable.

Every time we have tried to stay there it has been completely booked. So make your reservations well in advance. Some good friends of ours have stayed there and told us that they really loved it. We have taken a tour of the rooms and hopefully will get to stay there on our next trip to Blowing Rock. You can get a nice look at this lovely Bed & Breakfast on their website: The Inn at Ragged Gardens .

This charming Inn sits on an acre of enchanting gardens and their gourmet breakfast includes the use of herbs and flowers organically grown in their own gardens.

To find more information about Blowing Rock visit their website: Information on Blowing Rock, NC . If you know of a great Bed & Breakfast please share it and leave a comment.

Thursday, December 22, 2005

Another Great Bed & Breakfast


Here is another great Bed & Breakfast located right on the waterfront in Manteo, North Carolina. The Tranquil House Inn is our favorite place to stay when we go to the Outer Banks. It's not far from Nagshead, and it is home of the 1587 Restaurant, with world-class chefs! What a wonderful dining experience, the food there is outstanding!

We have stayed there a couple of different times and really enjoyed it. My favorite thing about The Tranquil House Inn is the wine and cheese they serve in the afternoon on the back porch overlooking the water. It is so peaceful and refreshing to sit there and chat with the other guests as you nibble on cheese and drink some good wine.

Here is the link to their website: The Tranquil House Inn.

Manteo is a quaint little town and a great place for a walking tour and it's just a short ride to Nagshead, Kitty Hawk and other tourist attractions.

While you are there be sure to check out The Lost Colony, a musical theater under the stars, about the first English Colony here in NC that vanished without a trace! Here is website for The Lost Colony.

If you have a favorite Bed & Breakfast please leave a comment.


Tuesday, December 20, 2005

More About Bed & Breakfasts

Here is some more information about Bed & Breakfasts. This will be a continuing series of posts about the Bed & Breakfast Experience. Here are a few useful links:

Click Here to Locate a Bed & Breakfast - Directory for U.S. and Canada

10 Tips for First Time for First Time Bed & Breakfast Guests - Tips

Directory of World Wide Bed & Breakfasts - World Wide Directory

What every good Bed & Breakfast host should offer:

  • Friendly service and a great breakfast
  • Tips on where to go in the area to sightsee or to get a good meal
  • Historical information about the Inn or the surrounding area
  • Some hosts offer recipes they use in the Inn
  • A list of area churches and service times
  • Good conversation



We stayed at a The Inn On Main Street several years ago in Weaverville, North Carolina and without fail every year we get a friendly email from the owner thanking us for staying there and inviting us to come and visit again. That's a real nice touch.

Our stay there was wonderful. The Inn Keepers, Nancy and Dan, came out to great us as we arrived and were very warm and friendly. They showed us around their Bed & Breakfast and were very good hosts. We asked them where a good place to eat dinner was and they gave us several choices.

The Inn On Main Street was just a 15 minute drive away from The Biltmore House where we planned to visit the following day. Nancy and Dan told us the best way to go and also had some brochures available for us. After a day of walking around The Biltmore Estate and the streets of Asheville, it was great to come back to the quaint town of Weaverville and relax on the porch with the other guests at The Inn On Main Street.

The next morning we had a wonderful home cooked breakfast of frittatas, made-from-scratch muffins and fruit. We really didn't want to leave this wonderful place, but our weekend was over and we had to return to reality. We look forward to returning there again for another relaxing weekend sometime soon.




Jump Start Your Marriage - Visit a Bed & Breakfast

The Inn On Main Street - Weaverville, NCTired of doing the same old thing all the time? Want to put a little romance back in your marriage? Try a trip to a Bed & Breakfast and jump start your marriage!

The next time you are traveling, instead of the same old boring hotel or motel room, treat yourself to The Bed & Breakfast Experience. You will love it! My wife and I always stay at a Bed & Breakfast rather than a Hotel or Motel; it is a world of difference and a refreshing experience.

Pictured here is "The Inn On Main Street " in Weaverville, NC. We stayed there when we went to visit The Biltmore House, just a short drive from this wonderful Bed & Breakfast. (Coming soon a review of our stay there.)

What is a Bed & Breakfast?

Typically, a Bed & Breakfast is a privately owned home, which offers a place to stay for the night and a home-cooked breakfast in the morning. Thus the term, Bed & Breakfast. Usually the homes are older, historic homes and may only have 3 or 4 rooms available. Sometimes family members or other guests share the bathroom; however, many of the newer ones have private bathrooms now.

Bed & Breakfasts are usually very quiet and many will not accommodate children under 12, so if you have young children this may not be for you. On the other hand, if you are looking for a nice romantic getaway...leave the kids at home and enjoy!

If it's a romantic inn that you are looking for go to: I Love Inns for a list of the top ten romantic Bed & Breakfasts in 2005.

Bed & Breakfasts have been around just about forever. Monasteries used to serve as Bed & Breakfasts and some still do. People in Europe and England have been staying at Bed & Breakfasts for centuries. Here in the United States, we can trace the Bed & Breakdfasts back to the days of Pioneers. Then during the Great Depression many families opened up their homes as "Boarding Houses" to earn extra money.

After Hotel and Motel chains starting popping up everywhere, the Bed & Breakfast kind of faded away. If you know where to look, you can still find a great Bed & Breakfast just about anywhere you plan to go, here or abroad! Once you have experienced the home-cooked breakfast and genuine hsopitality of the inn-keepers in a quaint little Bed & Breakfast, you will never want to stat at a Hotel or Motel Again!

Coming soon: Our favorite North Carolina Bed & Breakfasts

If you know of a great Bed & Breakfast, please leave a comment and share it with us.

Monday, December 19, 2005

Christmas Traditions


If you have a special family Christmas Tradition, I would like to hear about it. We have the family over to our house for dinner on Christmas Eve every year.

We usually eat dinner around 5:00 pm, then we go church at 7:00 pm. After church we have a piece of our birthday cake for Jesus, and sing happy birthday to Jesus.


Then it's into the living room to open up presents. This is great for the young kids, because they actually end up with two chances to open gifts. Once at our house on Christmas Eve and then again in the comfort of their own home on Christmas Day!

Our grandchildren show off their musical talents and we sing Christmas Carols. We have a clarinet player, a piano player, and me on the guitar.


Leave a comment and let me know about your special Christmas Traditions.


May you have a very Blessed and Merry Christmas.

Saturday, December 17, 2005

The Chronicles of Narnia

I just got home from seeing the Chronicles of Narnia and have to write about it. What an awesome movie!

Disney was taking a chance with a cast of unknowns, but they pulled it off. Having read all seven books several times, I had visions of what Narnia would look like in my head. Today when I saw the movie I was amazed to find that Narnia looked exactly like what I expected it to.


My vote for the best performances go to Georgie Henley, who did a wonderful job as sweet Lucy; and Tilda Swinton who potrayed the cold-hearted White Witch. The cinematography and visual effects were great as well.
Filmed in New Zealand the countryside makes a spectacular backdrop for the movie. Director, Andrew Adamson (of Shrek and Shrek 2) did a fantastic job. Liam Neeson was the voice of Ashlan and may very well be the only name you recognize in the credits.

Speaking of the credits -- don't be in a hurry to get up and rush out of the theater as soon as the credits appear on the screen, because there is still a little more to come. One final scene kept the audience standing in the aisle and stopped the mass exodus from the full house.
I can't wait for the sequels, you know it's not going to end there. If you never read the books the movie was complete in itself, but for those of you who are in the know...there is still much more to come!

I highly recommend this movie as a must see. I only hope that the Christian symbolism is not lost in all the excitement. The movie is rated PG but some of the battle scenes may be a little scary for real young children. Narnia is a combination family film and action-adventure thriller. I totally loved the move!

Watch trailer here: http://www.apple.com/trailers/disney/thechroniclesofnarnia/

Friday, December 16, 2005

This is Not a Holiday Tree

I received this via e-mail and do not know who it originated from...but I love it.

This is a Christmas tree.
It is not a Hanukkah bush, it is not an Allah plant, it is not a Holiday hedge. It is a Christmas tree. Say it... CHRISTmas , CHRISTmas , CHRISTmas Yes. CHRISTmas - celebrating the Birth of Jesus Christ!!! If this offends you...too bad. Get over it.

Take a stand and pass this on !!


Thursday, December 15, 2005

Christian Websites

I couldn't decide what to write about today, so I thought I would pass on some info about other other Christian websites that I visit often.

OnLine Christian is a local site for the Carolinas, but it is packed full of great articles and resources. There is a church directory, educational information, a calendar, entertainment section, and much more.

Another site that I find very helpful is The Bible Gateway. Here you can search for Bible verses in many different versions of the Bible. There is also commentary available. I use this site all the time.

Monday, December 12, 2005

Want To Get Closer To Your Spouse?

Try doing this if you want to get closer to your spouse. Join a Bible Study group together. That's right, I said Bible Study. Chris and I have been together for 13-years and we have noticed that the times we are happiest is when we have been participating in a Bible study group together.

Right now we are a little upset because we haven't been able to meet on Sunday nights with our church group that is doing the Disciple Bible Study program. We have missed several weeks due to the hectic pace of the Christmas season! Hopefully, we can get back into it the first of the year again.

Not only will you get closer to your spouse by doing Bible Study but you will also get closer to God. There are all kinds of study groups available, a good place to look is within your own church. There are also many studies available online or at Christian bookstores.

We have found that by participating in small group Bible Studies we get more benefit. There is interaction between the members of the group and you get to hear different opinions and interpretations. The study we are in now comes with a great deal of homework also, but that is good because my wife and I do it together and learn from each other.

Give it a try; dust off your Bible, open it up and start reading. Then join a group and discuss what you have read. Do it together with your spouse and I guarantee you will become closer together because of it. Read, believe, be changed!

My First Tenant

I have my first tenant on this new blog. Please take a moment to visit her blog, "Reflections in the Mirror". Here is what Dawn says about her blog:

"My name is Dawn, I live in the Northeastern US, with my husband, two kids and various critters. Reflections is a personal journal/photoblog/hopefully someday an 'online store' for my crafts. This blog also gives me something to do with my time, which I am forced to share with Migraines. I am often awake late into the night, due to the meds that I am on, which has large amounts of caffine. I am happy that you have 'clicked', and I hope that you enjoy your visit to my site."

Dawn's blog is refreshing. You will find posts about her daily life, some great pictures and a section with her crafts. I'm sure you will enjoy your visit there and be sure to leave her a comment saying that you were sent there from "3 Is The Charm".

Whenever you are blog surfing make sure you have read the article "Blogging Etiquitte 101", and practice good blogging etiquitte.

Sunday, December 11, 2005

Life Assurance

It's time for a spiritual post. I hope that many of my readers are religious and will enjoy this post. As always, your comments are welcome.

I used to sell life insurance and I did very well because I really believed in what I was doing. I thought everyone needs life insurance because it provides for those who are left behind. True as that may be, I have since discovered something much better to believe in…life assurance! You can't buy it from Prudential or Met Life but just like their life insurance policies, life assurance will provide for those who are left behind! Only God can give us life assurance and it's a wonderful feeling to know that we have something to look forward to after death!

In the last few years we have seen three people that were very close to us pass away. At first we were devastated by these losses, but after reflecting upon their lives and deaths and reading the bible; we came to understand that they are indeed in a much better place now.

Ezekiel 37: 1-14 tells us the story of the prophet Ezekiel who is shown a great miracle as God is able to give live to the dead bones and bodies that are scattered all about and raise them up again!

Three-years ago my mom lost her battle with cancer and Chris and I were overwhelmed with grief. We had always known her as a healthy, energetic person and to see mom in her last days after going through chemotherapy and fighting for breath with every step she took was heartbreaking, we hardly recognized her.

Then my sister Joan died suddenly two-years ago from heart failure. Just two weeks before her death she had visited us and seemed very happy and healthy! Joan was only fifty-years old. It didn't seem fair that she should be taken away so young.

Subsequently just three months after Joan had died our family suffered another loss. Chris' brother, Billy passed away after a life long struggle with diabetes. He too was very young, only fifty four-years old!

Three different people, three different diseases, yet they all have something in common. They all have been gloriously resurrected and no longer have to struggle with their various ailments.

In Ezekiel 37:13 God tells us, "And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people." This assures us that we will know life after death!

One thing is for certain, we are only here on this earth for a short time and eventually we will die. However, it should not be a time of sadness and grieving for the friends and family left behind. Rather it should be a time of peace and comfort, knowing that our loved ones have left all their troubles behind and have been resurrected. Sure we are saddened because we will miss them but it is reassuring to know that they are now in the presence of God in all His glory!

We read in Ezekiel 37:14. "And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land; then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken, and I have done it, says the LORD" . What more assurance could we possibly need?

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, we ask that you be with the friends and families of those who have lost loved ones. Touch their hearts so that they will know peace and help them to understand that there is life after death. Let us all embrace the fact that God gives us life assurance and He tells us that after our time on earth here is done we will be with our Father in heaven enjoying eternal peace!

An Angel on a Long and Winding Road

Working the closing shift is not bad except for the long drive home at 3:00 A.M. after a hard day's work. Half of the trip is interstate driving which is not too bad; however, the final leg of the journey is along a dark and winding back country road. The entire drive home usually takes one-hour with very little or no traffic.

Normally, I would be so wound up from work that I didn't get sleepy on the way home but this particular night I was extremely tired because we were short handed at work and I was really exhausted. After about forty-minutes my eyes started to get very heavy and my mind would start to wander. Before I realized it, I found myself drifting off to sleep as I was driving.

I rolled down the windows to let in some cold night air in hopes that it would keep me awake. I was more than half-way home so I figured I could make it. To make matters worse it began to rain and visibility decreased as the monotonous swish of the windshield wipers lulled me further into a sleepy state.

I turned the radio up full blast and tried to get into the music to keep me awake. But now my eyes were straining because of the heavy rain. Every once in a while my head would drop and I would jolt upright realizing that I had once again closed my eyes! There was no place to pull over on this back road and rest for a little bit so I pushed myself and kept on driving.

The radio was starting to annoy me so I turned it off and hoped that the occasional splatter of wet, cold rain coming in the window and hitting my face would keep me awake. Almost home now, only about fifteen-minutes to go!

Suddenly, I was startled by a voice in the passenger seat as I felt a heavy tap on my shoulder. "Wake up Mike", the voice said. I could not figure out who was in the car with me and I glanced over to see who was there but saw nobody. Just then, I realized that something was very wrong and I could feel the car leave the pavement and head into the woods! Instinctively, I slammed on the brakes and looked up just in time to jerk the steering wheel with all of my strength to avoid a big tree that was directly in front of me!

My car came to a stop just a few feet from the tree and I could feel my heart racing as I turned the engine off and tried to catch my breath. I sat there for quite a while just reflecting on what had happened and I knew that an angel had tapped me on the shoulder and called my name to awaken me just in the nick of time. If I had stayed asleep even a split second longer my car would have hit that big tree head on and I'm sure that I would have been killed!

I have gone over this incident many times in my head since that fateful night and I am certain that I did not imagine a voice calling my name and I know without a doubt that someone did tap me on the shoulder!


Yes, I believe in angels; how about you?

This is a true story that happened to me about thirty-years ago, but I remember it like it was yesterday. I have many more angel stories and will post some of them soon.

Sunrise at Sea

Many years ago when I was in the Navy, on board an aircraft carrier, my favorite thing to do was stand on the signal bridge and feel the wind whip against my face as I smelled the fresh sea air. I used to enjoy looking out at the horizon and seeing nothing but ocean and sky. At night there were thousands of stars in the sky and it would make me feel so small and insignificant as I gazed upon them. Then morning would come and the sun would rise up magnificently out of the ocean! It was impossible to not think about God and how He created all of this beauty!

There was plenty of time for thinking as we had to stand watch for twelve-hour shifts. Often I would read my bible during this time and contemplate many things. Sunrise and mornings were always very special times as I watched and the world awakened; I was reminded of Isaiah 50:4...He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught...
I did listen and my eyes and ears were opened as I read my bible in the early morning hours. My faith helped to keep me strong as death and destruction was all around me.

You see this was 1968 and I was watching the sun rise over the Gulf of Tonkin in Vietnam as the planes from our aircraft carrier dropped 500 and 1000 pound bombs on the landscape and peppered the jungle with Napalm.
There were many distractions during those days of war and temptations to stray from the path of righteousness were everywhere. My shipmates would laugh and make fun when they saw me reading the bible. I do not pretend to be an angel and I did stray occasionally as I am only human. However, I continued to read my bible and took comfort in knowing that the Lord gave me strength....Because the Sovereign LORD helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame...Isaiah 50:7 I learned many things about life during my three tours of duty in Vietnam. I saw people at their best and others at their worst!

I visited many countries in my travels and saw how people lived in different cultures around the world. What I took away from all of this was an education far greater than I received in all my years of schooling, a better understanding of life and people. Most of all I realized that even during our lowest times in life God is always there for us and you can count on him to pull you through!


Prayer: Lord help us to seek your wisdom especially during our low points in life. We take comfort in knowing that you are always there to lift us up and help us through our troubled times. As the sun rises each morning and the world awakens please open our ears and our eyes so we may hear your word and see the Christ in others. Awaken us; let our tongues speak your word and share it with those we meet in our daily lives. Amen

Saturday, December 10, 2005

Do You Believe In Angels?

Do You Believe in Angels? I certainly do. Following is a true story, this happened to me many years ago when I was around 8-years old. An edited version of this story was published in the Jan./Feb 2004 issue of "Angels on Earth Magazine".

Please respond to this post.

Skating on Thin Ice By: Mike Marinaro

The Oil Mill Pond was a large pond not far from our house. On one end was a dam, which was a truly beautiful site in the winter as the waterfall glistened in the sunlight and the rocks far below were covered in a sheet of ice. It wasn’t safe to skate too close to the dam because the water was constantly running there and the ice was very thin. I was about to discover just how thin the ice was and how very deep and cold the water was at this end of the pond!


I loved to look down at the ice as I glided across the smooth and glassy surface. In some spots I could see how thick the ice actually was. There were cracks and bubbles that formed interesting patterns underneath. It seemed as if everyone was crowded in the center of the pond where a hockey game was being played so I headed off towards the dam. I enjoyed the feeling of the wind blowing in my face as I picked up speed and raced across the ice.

Before too long it started to snow, just light flurries, but enough to lay a beautiful coat of white over the ice. I could skate around in circles and see the tracks in the snow from my skates. It was fun to make figure eights and other intricate patterns. The sounds of the crowd soon faded away, and the only thing I could hear was the scraping noise my skates made cutting into the ice.

Suddenly, there was another noise that sent shivers down my spine, a loud cracking sound! I looked up and realized that I had not been paying attention and had ventured too close to the dam. The ice was cracking beneath me; I could feel it giving way right under my feet! I turned and tried to skate towards shore but it was too late! My world exploded violently as the ice opened and swallowed me! It was a real shock as my body hit the freezing cold water and I sank like a rock to the bottom of the pond! That was over forty-five years ago but I can still remember it vividly like it was only yesterday! I will never forget that feeling of helplessness as I looked up towards the surface and could not see the hole I had fallen through!

Time seemed to slow down and run in slow motion as I sank to the bottom of the pond. I looked up and at first I could see the circle of broken ice with the sun shining through. But as I went down deeper the circle became smaller and smaller and the sunlight faded into a tiny beam of light. Then there was only darkness! Everything was pitch-black! I felt my feet hit the muddy bottom and I prayed for help. My instinct was to start swimming and hope that I could find the opening again. I could feel my body getting numb from the cold, my ears felt like they were made of ice and would shatter if I touched them! I was wearing a pair of gloves but they were soaked through and I could hardly move my fingers at all! I held my breath as long as I could but my lungs felt like they were about to burst!

Just then when I thought I wouldn’t last another second, I felt someone tapping me on the shoulder and heard a soft voice saying, “Don’t panic Mike, everything is going to be alright.” I spun around to see who was there but could see nobody at all. “Don’t try to swim, or you will lose your way. Just push your feet into the bottom and you will shoot straight up to the surface”, said the mysterious voice.

I pushed myself upward with all of my might and hoped that I would indeed find the hole, which seemed miles above me. “Trust me, I am here to help you”, I heard as I shot up from the bottom. Then a flash of bright light blinded me and I broke through to the surface gasping for air! I splashed around and tried to yell out for help but nothing would come out. I couldn’t believe that no one had seen me fall through the ice. What was I going to do now; every time I tried to pull myself up onto the ice another piece would break away. I thrashed around in the bone-chilling water for what seemed like an eternity.

My situation was getting worse as I neared exhaustion. Then for the second time that day a miracle happened. I was being lifted out of the icy cold water and helped onto the ice by someone I could not see! I can only assume that this was an angel sent to watch over me in my time of need. I tried to talk but still could not get any words to come out. I crawled to the shore and just laid there for awhile shivering and trying to recuperate. Again I heard a voice softly whispering in my ear, “I will go and find someone to help you”. The next thing I know, there was a crowd of people standing around me covering me with coats and asking me what had happened. Everything started to spin around and get blurry, and then I must have passed out.

I am absolutely positively sure about what happened that day and I believe without a doubt that it was an angel who pulled me from the icy water and saved my life!

Looking back on that near-death experience I noticed that I became more self-confident and less shy after that day. Up until then I had always been an introvert and did not make friends very easily. However, I now had a new found sense of well being and felt like I could handle any situation! After all, I had my very own angel to watch over me!

I was only eight years old when this happened but it is still fresh in my mind. Many times since then I have thought about that day and wondered if it was only another person who pulled me out of the water, or if it was really an angel. After decades of pondering this question I am convinced that it was indeed an angel who rescued me. There is no way that someone could have crawled out on that thin ice without also falling through!

The amazing thing about that fateful day that still sends shivers up and down my spine every time I recall it is that there were no other footprints in the freshly fallen snow. Just one set of skate tracks leading to the hole in the ice! Do I believe in angels – you bet I do!

Tell Someone You Love Them Today

As I get older, I realize how short life really is. Don't let a day go by without saying "I love you", to someone special in your life. You never know when the last time you will see that person may be.

A few years ago I lost my Mom, and last year my sister Joan passed away at the young age of fifty. Fortunately, I had time to tell both of them how much I loved them. I only regret that I did not get closer to my sister. After she died I discovered how much I really did not know about her. What a wonderful, loving person she really was.

You can read a tribute to Joan at: http://www.mmarinaro.com/html/joanellen.html

Keep The Christ In Christmas

'T'was the Night Before Christmas

(My sister Barb sent me this today...perfect content for my blog. Thank you Barb, I love you.)

'T'was the night before Christmas and all through the town
Not a sign of Baby Jesus was anywhere to be found.

The people were all busy with Christmas time chores
Like decorating, and baking, and shopping in stores.

No one sang "Away in a manger, no crib for a bed".
Instead, they sang of Santa dressed-up in bright red.

Mama watched Martha Stewart, Papa drank beer from a tap.
As hour upon hour the presents they'd wrap
When what from the T.V.
did they suddenly hear?
'Cept an ad.. which told of a big sale at Sears.

So away to the mall they all flew like a flash...
Buying things on credit...
and others with cash!

And, as they made their way home from their trip to the mall,
Did they think about Jesus? Oh, no... not at all.

Their lives were so busy with their Christmas time things
No time to remember Christ Jesus, the King.

There were presents to wrap and cookies to bake.
How could they stop and remember who died for their sake?

To pray to the Savior...
they had no time to stop.
Because they needed more time to "Shop til they dropped!"

On Wal-mart! On K-mart!
On Target! On Penney's!
On Hallmark! On Zales!
A quick lunch at Denny's.
From the big stores downtown to the stores at the mall,
they would dash away, dash away, and visit them all!

And up on the roof, there arose such a clatter
As grandpa hung icicle lights up on his brand new step ladder.

He hung lights that would flash.
He hung lights that would twirl.
Yet, he never once prayed to Jesus...
Light of the World.

Christ's eyes... how they twinkle!
Christ's Spirit... how merry!
Christ's love... how enormous!
All our burdens... He'll carry!

So instead of being busy, overworked, and uptight
Let's put Christ back in Christmas and enjoy some good nights

AUTHOR UNKNOWN

PLEASE KEEP THE CHRIST IN CHRISTMAS


The Lost Phone

My wife and I have a tendency to misplace our cordless phone and seem to spend quite a bit of time in search it. The good news is there is a little pager button on the base section of the phone that we can push and it will send a signal that causes the handset to beep enabling us to locate our lost phone!

Wouldn't it be great if we could have such a device for people? We try to be good Christians, but day to day life tends to get in the way. Often, we get lost just like the cordless phone. If only someone could just push a button and send a signal so we could be found again when we get lost.

In "The Parable of the Lost Sheep" we see that God is like a shepherd and will look for us when we stray and He rejoices when we return!

Luke 15: 4-6
"What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost."

We can take comfort in knowing that there is a way to be found when we get lost. It is much better than a paging device on a cordless phone. Like the sheep we have a Good Shepherd watching over us.

Kairos Prison Ministry

My wife and I were active for several years in a prison ministry. Life kind of got in the way, and we are no longer active. However, I still maintain the Kairos of North Carolina website. Kairos is really an awesome ministry and if you want to experience the power of the Holy Spirit at work inside of prison walls then seek out a Kairos organization near you.

Here is a little information about Kairos:

Kairos is an interdenominational Christian ministry whose programs are designed to be presented in state and federal men's and women's correctional institutions in the U.S. with adaptations for other countries and languages. This ministry is governed by the national board of Kairos Prison Ministry, Inc. with headquarters in Winter Park, Florida. The ministry is conducted, in cooperation with the chaplains of correctional institutions, by teams of laity and clergy who are selected, trained and certified by area governing bodies of Kairos and approved by correctional institutions as citizen volunteers.

Kairos Prison Ministry is a ministry by persons drawn from a broad range of denominational churches. Kairos volunteers have experience in renewal movements within their churches which focus on small group dynamics, share and prayer groups, personal witness and vulnerability in Christian community. It is a continuing ministry. The primary objective of the 3-day short course is to prepare selected residents for life in an ongoing Christian community.

The official Kairos website is here: www.kairosprisonministry.org

Score One for the Kingdom

The other day my wife, went into a store looking for a new Nativity scene for us. She searched all through the store and finally found one, only partially assembled, way in the back corner. Christine, not being very shy, immediatly marched to the front of the store and asked for the manager. When the manager appeared she read him the riot act! Good for you Christine, score one for the Kingdom!

What is wrong with this world today? Now everyone wants to say Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas; you can't take the Christ out of Christmas! Jesus is the reason for the season! Where would all of the retailers be today without Christmas? Many stores do 50% of their annual sales during the Christmas season! I say let's not shop in the stores that say Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas. Another thing, don't be sending me a Christmas card that says Merry Xmas, because I will send you a long letter in return.

It's not just Christmas that is under siege, but rather religious expresion in general. I found this GREAT website: www.savemerrychristmas.org, take a minute to check it out. Following is an excerpt from their website:

The primary goal of the Committee to Save Merry Christmas is to preserve the culture and tradition of the vast majority of Americans that celebrate and honor Christmas. Christmas is a nationally declared federal holiday that has been observed from the inception of our nation.

In the past several years, the term “Merry Christmas” has been deliberately and intentionally excluded from major retailers. The words “Merry Christmas” have been deliberately and intentionally removed from their decorations and advertising. Taking their place are non-celebratory phases like “Seasons Greetings” and “Happy Holidays.” When did it become offensive to display or say, “Merry Christmas”?

This intentional and deliberate exclusion of “Merry Christmas” in advertising and decorations is extremely offensive to the culture and tradition of Americans who honor and celebrate Christmas.

Each Christmas season, every kind of decoration, advertising gimmick and sales promotion is directing the public to purchase their merchandise for the Christmas celebration...all the while never mentioning the word, "Christmas." This deliberate and intentional substitution of “Merry Christmas” with un-celebratory phases are thoughtless, condescending and hurtful.

Should you--the purchasing public--who honors the American tradition and culture of Christmas, continue to purchase Christmas gifts from these stores when they deliberately and intentionally refuse to acknowledge Christmas? Our committee believes you should not! We, instead, encourage you to shop where the values and meaning of Christmas are cherished.

You can download their flyer here: www.savemerrychristmas.org/fly-Sears.pdf

Please join in and help save Merry Christmas!

3 Is The Charm

You may have heard the expression "Three is the charm" many times before; well, I'm here to tell you that it is a fact!

I am married to a wonderful lady named Christine, and we are both on our third marriage. December 19th be our thirteenth anniversary and I think we have finally got this whole marriage thing figured out. Do we ever fight? You bet we do, in fact we often get on each other's last nerve but that's okay. When all is said and done, we always make up and remain good friends through it all.

You may be wondering what is the secret. Well, here it is. This time around we are not trying to do it all alone. Right from the start, thirteen years ago, we invited Christ to be part of our marriage and He has been with us through thick and thin ever since! Both Christine and I are active in church and Bible study and our faith has helped us to grow closer to each other and toghether we have grown closer to God.

Yes three is the charm, not just because it is our third marriage, but also because instead of two in the marriage there are three!

Let Jesus in, he will help!