Cosmic Christmas

03 Tuesday Jan 2012

Posted by Seeking Peace in Christmas, Dan Bouchelle

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Dan Bouchelle’s Cosmic Christmas Blog

Grace and peace to you.

Merry Christmas

26 Monday Dec 2011

Posted by Seeking Peace in Christmas

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Merry Christmas to one and all. Today is a day of reflecting on the greatest gift, Jesus.var gaJsHost = ((“https:” == document.location.protocol) ? “https://ssl.” : “http://www.”); document.write(unescape(“%3Cscript src='” + gaJsHost + “google-analytics.com/ga.js’ type=’text/javascript’%3E%3C/script%3E”)); try { var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker(“UA-12356560-1”); pageTracker._trackPageview(); } catch(err) {}

Grace and peace to you.

It Should All Be Fun and Games

22 Thursday Dec 2011

Posted by Seeking Peace in battle, Christmas, Ephesians 6, Prayer

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var gaJsHost = ((“https:” == document.location.protocol) ? “https://ssl.” : “http://www.”); document.write(unescape(“%3Cscript src='” + gaJsHost + “google-analytics.com/ga.js’ type=’text/javascript’%3E%3C/script%3E”)); try { var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker(“UA-12356560-1”); pageTracker._trackPageview(); } catch(err) {} What a night. I was supposed to leave work early to meet some missionaries for dinner but stayed late helping an employee and friend through a small minefield. I was going to go home for a nice dinner and watch a movie and relax (which I still accomplished) but it was between texts and phone calls with one friend who’s dad was in the ER for chest pains and another friend who was dealing with two children who were making bad decisions and paying the consequences for them.

Oh, how my heart hurts for these people, for the pain and stress of what these issues are bringing them at a time that is supposed to be filled with joy.

I can’t help but to go to Ephesians 6 over and over, never more than last night.

Lord, come quickly. In the meantime, keep my friends strong and give me the wisdom to help how I can. And, if I can ask this, thump the enemy on his head really, really hard.

Grace and peace to you.

Keeping Christ in Christmas?

22 Tuesday Nov 2011

Posted by Seeking Peace in Charity, Christmas

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var gaJsHost = ((“https:” == document.location.protocol) ? “https://ssl.” : “http://www.”); document.write(unescape(“%3Cscript src='” + gaJsHost + “google-analytics.com/ga.js’ type=’text/javascript’%3E%3C/script%3E”)); try { var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker(“UA-12356560-1”); pageTracker._trackPageview(); } catch(err) {} The new Target ads for Black Friday are a beating and, for me, illuminate all the negative about what Christmas has become for so many in this country. The commercial depicts a lady in hysterics about the opening of Target at 4:00 AM or whatever crazy time they throw the doors open. Now, full disclosure requires me to tell you that I make a living in the retail industry and that Black Friday is a BIG day for my company but it doesn’t mean I like what drives it. I suppose it’s not really all the shopping and ridiculous spending that I have been a part of in my life as much as it’s the spirit of which I hear things and see things, in others and in myself, that irritate me.

On Facebook and so many other places, I will begin to see people writing “Keep Christ in Christmas”. Now, I’m all for it if they are all keeping Christ in Christmas and this is what it would look like to me. Money being spent lavishly on the hurting, homeless, drug-addicted, porn fueled broken people that are so easy to find all around us. Money being spent lavishly on people in third-world countries (another term I’d like to find a better replacement for), being sent to Christian Relief Fund, Charity Water, Mision Para Cristo and other worthy organizations.

How many toys can I have? Heaven knows I have asked for and gladly accepted more than I could ever use or need and I have done the same thing with my kids at times. I thank God I and they are in a place now where a couple of gifts is enough (still more than we need) and I can send money to help others…or better yet, I can keep Christ in Christmas by serving with my time and with my heart.

Grace and peace to you.

Christmas Eve 2010

24 Friday Dec 2010

Posted by Seeking Peace in Christmas, hope

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Today is an anticipatory day. Santa is on his way. Tomorrow most of us will wake up with toys or underwear or a new iron and stockings full of candy to tide us over between desserts. Today is the last shot to get out there and grab something for a parent or spouse and maybe catch a last minute markdown. Or, in my case, a few lottery tickets because I lack imagination and gambling is ok on Christmas. I remember watching Harold Taft tracking Santa on the ten o’clock news. I remember going to bed and not wanting to sleep waiting on Santa to drop by and my parents waking me up to see the cool stuff. I remember the excitement of my own children in their early Christmases and the knowing smiles of Santa’s identity while saying nothing as they got older.

Christmas has come to mean many things over the years and that changes again this year for me. Challenges of a new life paradigm and challenge of typing a blog post on my iPad for the first time. That said, today remains anticipatory of the hope tomorrow brings because the day is about the hope that entered the world in the flesh, the hope embodied by the Christ.

I hope as Christmas day approaches that all the folks who want to keep Christ in Christmas will keep Christ in their life, their words and their actions each and everyday. I hope that the world will come to know the peace we can have because of what these days represent.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and hope that you will be reminded of hope regardless of the situation you find yourself in this Christmas.

Grace and peace to you.

Thankfulness – Part 1

22 Wednesday Dec 2010

Posted by Seeking Peace in Christmas, thankfulness

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What does a person do when they have eternity to be thankful for but a day coming up at the end of the week that they are dreading profusely? What does a person do when they can’t see past the pain they know is coming even though they are surrounded by people who love them? How do you help someone be thankful for all that they have when there is a depth of pain that is immense for what they don’t have?

I have joined a group of people who dread Christmas. For years, especially the last 16, Christmas morning has been something I looked forward to. This year, I would prefer to be oblivious to it’s existence because it is not as it has been, not as I have come to expect, not as I dream it would remain. The enormity of my pain as I think about that day is working to block out all that is good in my life. It is easier to be sad than to be thankful. It is easier to imagine being alone on that day than sharing it with people. It is easier, but somewhere deep down, I know it isn’t beneficial for me. So, I will join friends in activities on that day hoping to be distracted from the force that wants my heart to hurt and my mind to send a barrage of negative thoughts like a loop that never ends.

I have never been able to understand the pain people face at Christmas until now. And, not that I understand everyone’s pain, but I do have a sense of how pain can occur and how it can shake their foundation. If you are one of those who find this Christmas to be something you dread, I hurt for you. If you are one who still lives in the joy of Christmas, in the joy of the smiles and laughs of children and family, in the joy of remembering that what we are really celebrating is the hope for the future that was brought into the world through the birth of Jesus, relish it and try to share it with your friends who are hurting. Whether they will accept it or not, it helps to know you care and that there remains much to be thankful for whether we all want to believe it right now or not.

I know my words are not adequate for all who are hurting or all who can’t wait for Christmas to be here. I hope, in the absence of my ability to convey the right words, that you will hear the voice of God tell you what He wants you to know…and do…and that thankfulness will rule this season.

Grace and peace to you.