I hope everyone has a fun New Year’s weekend. I’m off today and headed to more basketball games in just a bit. It’s a cold and rainy day in Decatur so perfect for staying inside and watching some good ball. We watched a team from Kentucky last night that had a couple of man-children playing. I’m easily entertained.

I’m done blogging until next year. I hope 2007 is a great year for you!

With Rick out of town, I’m not sure anyone is out there. If you are, blink twice.

I’m finally coming to the realization that I’m getting older. I played basketball with some of my 5th grade team the other night and felt little pains I’m not used to feeling. I went to the eye doctor and she mentioned that I’m getting closer to needing reading glasses. A few brave folks mention that there is a spot with less hair than there used to be.

I’ve got a birthday coming up soon and I still am one not to put much stock in birthdays. In my world, they are just another day and I’m only a day older than I was the day before. I prefer to downplay parties and enjoy the few cards I get but don’t wish for any more than I have. I’m also not one who dreads the next birthday. 30 came and went, 40 came and went…no big deal because it’s just another day for me. It’s only when the body begins to be less cooperative that I’m impacted by a birthday and that is starting to happen from time to time. I guess I’ll start searching for that fountain of youth.

The good part is now I have some excuses on why I can’t do things I used to do like move big boxes, paint, mow and on and on. 🙂

I’ll celebrate my birthday this year like I have the last several spending a few days watching good high school basketball and listening to one of my favorite performers at Bass Hall. Thank you to the people in my life that tolerate my only acknowledgement of the day with these two events.

This morning I asked my son how much he spent on a video game for his new PSP. His response was $40 (of which he had Christmas money to help pay for it) and then asked “do you think I made a bad choice Dad?”

I’ve given him a bad example in my “betting” with my wife. When we disagree on something minor or inconsequential and I am confident I am right, I’ll always say “wanna bet?” and suggest we bet anything from a Diet Coke that’s already in the refrigerator to a mythical $100, $1,000 or $1,000,000 when I know she’s not going to bet me. My son has bought in and is willing to bet money on things he doesn’t know for sure so he got a lecture the other day on the foolishness of it and his lack of respect for the money he is given or sometimes earns. That led to his question this morning of whether I thought he made a bad choice.

I was just curious today. I knew he wanted the game and had the money for the game and he used what he had to get what he wanted. Yet for an instant, he wondered if he had done the right thing. I hope that means he is learning to think about his decisions. Over time he will need to make sure he has answered that question before he spends the money but at least he’s asking the question.

Too often I’ve had to ask myself that question. Was it a bad choice? The sermon we heard this past Sunday was on Paul’s question of why he didn’t do the things he wanted to and why he did things he didn’t want to. It’s a question I am too often faced with in my life and one that I hope I can change over time. The Spirit will lead us to the right choice if we focus on God and His will for us. I am usually focused on Jeff and what Jeff thinks is best. That’s the bad choice. I need to focus on God and what God thinks is best. If I do, if I live that way, I’ll never have to ask if my decision was a bad choice.

Today is the 26th and Christmas is over. At least that’s the way it is at our house. I’ve always held that all the decorations should stay around until the end of the year. My wife is ready for it to come down today. Since she does it all, I certainly don’t belabor the point. How does it work at your house?

This is a busy week for me. We are bringing in a new Store Manager to one of our stores, are short handed in the office and it’s the week I love to be gone for a bit and watch some high school basketball. Add to that basketball practices and teaching Wednesday night on Ezra and Nehemiah (I’m not an Ezra/Nehemiah scholar) and it will be busy, busy, busy.

I hope you have a good week and the New Year gets off to a great start for you.

Someone asked me recently why the Church of Christ doesn’t celebrate Christmas (that’s what they had been told anyway). It was a funny question seeing Santa comes to the Mother’s Day Out program, the women all wear Christmas sweaters and earrings and everyone is talking about their Christmas plans and flat panel TV’s (which may cure more than a coney ever will).

I joked with someone the other night that “we don’t celebrate Jesus’ birth at Christmas” and I guess there is some validity to the comment but I know that this weekend, more people will think about Jesus’ birth, more people will hear songs about Jesus’ birth and more people will go to a church service than maybe any other time during the year. When it comes down to it, whatever day Jesus’ was born, there are a lot of people celebrating the fact that He was born, that He did come to earth now more than ever. At our congregation, we celebrate Jesus’ life, ministry, sacrifice and resurrection year ’round.

I’m thankful that we do have a time where everyone has some focus on our Savior and pray that it doesn’t end after Monday but will be a relationship that begins and lasts all year, every day of every year until they have the chance to be with God. Maybe then we can ask what day Jesus was born but I rather doubt that will be an issue in Heaven.

I hope you have a Merry Christmas and I hope you experience the joy of knowing the gift that God sent us this day and every day.

It will snow 4 inches.
Santa will put a swimming pool in my backyard.
The troops in Iraq will all pack up and come home.
T.O. will catch 3 touchdowns and have 200 yards receiving.

I hope #1 and #3 happen but I’m not betting on any of it.

This is more likely…
The gift opening will be over in minutes in a whirlwind of noise and paper.
Batteries for something will be missing.
Thousands, maybe millions, will call loved ones to say Merry Christmas.
Thousands, maybe millions, wll talk about the diet and exercise program they are starting in a few days.
Thousands, maybe millions, will talk about diet and exercise while eating their 3rd piece of pie/cake/dessert.
Someone will be sad they didn’t get what they wanted.
Lots of people will be in a rush to get the flat panel HDTV hooked up before the basketball and football games start.
People will start their shopping plans for returns/sales the next morning.
Dads will want to play with their childrens new toys.
More people will smile and more people will appreciate their life than normal.

I look forward to Christmas Day. It’s the culmination of a busy, busy time of year and a time where I can almost always slow down, look around me and see the blessings I have. It’s a day where people really do think of others and make a pledge to try and do it more often for the next 364 days. It’s a day of hope, a day of peace (albeit a loud peace at times), a day to remember the gifts and THE GIFT.

Merry Christmas!

P.S. There will be no blog on Thursday. I have an eye doctor appointment and then a special appointment with a beautiful young lady to spend the day shopping for fun. It’s a special time I have with my daughter and I am elated it will be here soon.

Santa Claus will be here in just a few days to bring gifts and happiness to kids big and little. It’s a magical time when you see the excitement in a child’s eyes and feel the excitement they have over receiving a gift. While I hear parents complain about what their children expect from Santa with regards to pricing (it seems they could exercise some control over what Santa brings), I think the kids are just excited about getting to open a gift, to receive something with no strings attached and to know they were remembered. Whether I’m right or wrong, that is what I want to believe. I see the excitement in my children’s eyes and see pure joy. I want to find the ways to give them that feeling every day with how I treat them, how I raise them and how I teach them to give of themselves to others.

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It seems all the news the past few days has either been about lost mountain climbers or T.O. I feel for the families of the climbers yet am still amazed at the amount of press coverage it generates. In the end, I realize the story is a story of hope until they are all found, a story that maybe something good will come out of something bad. It’s a window into our society, that people still hope to find something good amidst all the bad. As long as there is hope, there is a chance that a seed we plant today will grow tomorrow.

I’m hearing the Christmas songs so much that they are always in my head now.

I appreciate the gift giving thoughts from the 3 wise guys. The fly rod would definitely top the list.

It seems people would get tired of fighting. I was reading an article yesterday about the fighting and killing in the middle east and the bad blood between the Fatahs and Hammas. One group killed the children of the leader of the other group within the last few days. I cannot fathom someone giving the order to go kill children or the ability to pull the trigger in that situation. It blows my mind that they can kill and kill and kill and never see the insanity of it all.

The other story that won’t quit (and shouldn’t) is when our troops will come home. One of my son’s teachers from last year as endured her husband being in Iraq for many, many months. I’m not sure how long he was there but he came back home recently and the plan and hope is that he will not be redeployed but will begin a training position here for the immediate future. I cannot imagine having a loved one in that area of the world right now. I do hope our leaders will find a way to get those troops back home and back home quickly.

Join me in praying that God will be able to intervene in these world events and that our children can know peace on earth and goodwill to men.

OK, I’ve got some folks who keep asking me what I want for Christmas and I don’t know what to tell them. There are only a couple of things I want (but certainly don’t need) but they are priced out of the normal range for gift giving. So I need help and I need all my faithful bloggers to give me some ideas of gifts to tell someone (no foot long coneys or “My Favorite Sermons” on CD). I’m looking forward to your response.

I’ve hit the blogging wall again. No cognizant thoughts are streaming this morning so I’ll resort to an email I received yesterday for text.

Egg nog or hot chocolate? I’d have to go with hot chocolate. I’m not sure I’ve ever had egg nog.

Does Santa wrap presents or leave them unwrapped? Unwrapped. The joy in a youngster’s eyes when seeing what Santa left is too good to keep under wraps.

Colored lights on white lights on the house? If it was me choosing it would be colored.

Do you hang mistletoe? No. (I’ve thought of many comments to add but better leave it alone.)

When do you put up the decorations? It’s starts on Thanksgiving around our place. If it was up to me, maybe by the 24th. Thank heavens for my wife.

What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? It has to be the shrimp – a long standing tradition in my family.

What are your favorite holiday memories from childhood? There are too many to write about. My dad’s family was always at our house which was always fun. One of the Higginbotham’s driving me around while Santa “visited.” The hope for snow.

Do you open a present on Christmas Eve? Why wait until Christmas Eve? My family always opened presents on Christmas Eve. Now, we are with my family on Christmas Eve and my wife’s family on Christmas Day so we’re opening presents on both.

How do you decorate your Christmas tree? Again, thank heavens for my wife. I would have a 2 footer sitting on an end table. She gets out the big tree and she and the kids put on more decorations than I can imagine will fit. I have a few select decorations I always put up along with the star on top. I truly enjoy watching the kids put up the decorations. It’s fun to watch them get excited about an ornament and then put all of them on the same branch.

Snow. Love it or dread it? Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

Can you ice skate? Haha…very funny.

What’s your favorite holiday dessert? Lemon ice box pie always tops the chart. Other than that, why limit one to be a favorite?

What’s the most important thing about the holiday for you? I have always enjoyed how it brings people together. In spite of the commercialism, the small gifts, the smiles, the Merry Christmas wishes we give and receive – it’s glimpes of how we should treat each other at all times.