Right Across the Street

My quest for a brown corduroy jacket has finally ended. I have the jacket. I spoke with my grandmother about my conundrum and she asked about Men's Wearhouse. I told her I didn't think we had one here but I would be in Corpus Christi for Christmas and that there was one there. She said she would get me a gift certificate to Men's Wearhouse so I could finally get my jacket.
The day I left for Corpus, I packed my bags, loaded the truck and pulled out onto my street. I turned right about a block down the road to get on the highway and lo and behold, there was a Men's Wearhouse. There had been one near me the entire time. So close I could have hit it with a rock.
Christmas in Corpus Christ was great. I got to spend time with friends and family and enjoyed my week there. I went to the beach almost everyday. That is the only thing I really like about Corpus Christi, wide open beaches. The day after Christmas I went to Men's Wearhouse and got my jacket, a brown corduroy in size 37S. We made the post Christmas sale and got the jacket half-off, leaving me enough money to buy a few shirts.
I caused myself plenty of unnecessary anxiety by not finding the Men's Wearhouse next door, but I learned an important lesson. If you wait long enough, grandma will buy your sports coat for you.

For Friends and Family.

That's what they say the holidays are for, time for friends and family. Be sure to spend time with the people who mean something to you and you want to spend time with. Often we only spend time at holidays with family. This may be the immediate family or extended. For me personally, my immediate family is my family. I did not grow up or spend much time with my extended family to consider them family. They are kin, but hardly family. This Christmas I will be spending time with both my friends and family. I would love to spend a holiday with just friends. Friends are very important to me and I love my friends and love spending time with them.

What time is midnight yell, church style!

A common joke at A&M is a fish asking what time midnight yell is. My mom took a similar phone call today at the church she works at.


Caller: Will your church be having Christmas Eve services?

Mom: Yes we will.

Caller: And what day will those be on?

Mom: They will be on Christmas Eve

Caller: Well that isn't a Sunday.

Mom: No Ma'am, it isn't.

Caller: But yall will still have services?

Mom: Yes Ma'am, at 7 and 11.

Caller: OK, thanks.

*Click*

Mom: [hysterical laughter]

Only 14 More Days to Shop!

Well there are only 14 more shopping days until Christmas, so be sure to buy all the things your friends and family can't live without. I was out shopping today for gifts and a few personal items. No one wished me Merry Christmas and I was oh so offended! The closest I got was the bagger at HEB told me to have a Happy Christmas.

I finally find a new jacket. As you know, I have been wanting a brown corduroy sports coat. I went to Dillard's and ask. They didn't have any brown corduroy sport coats but did have a brown polyester sports coat. I must sadly report that I settled for the polyester coat and ended the quest for the corduroy. It is my only piece of synthetic clothing, except for raingear. I almost exclusively wear cotton or other natural fibers like wool. Nothing ethical or philosophical, I just like the feel of cotton. It may take some use to wearing it!

This morning at church, the choir I am in performed our Christmas concert. One of our songs had a line in it that I liked. It was quite thought provoking. The line was "As his mother held him closely, it was hard to understand. That her baby, not yet speaking, was the word of God to man." When reading the gospels, we have about a 30 year gap from the time of his birth until the start of his ministry. The only story we have from this time period is when Jesus goes to Jerusalem with his parents and stays behind when they leave. It would be interesting to know what he was doing for those 30 years. Just one of the many questions I have to ask God when I get to heaven.

Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus went to Target because there was no room in the Walmart parking lot.

This morning on the radio, a DJ in Kerrville was reading an essay about the "war on Christmas." In the essay, the DJ chastised retail shops for not using the word Christmas in their advertising campaigns. He encouraged everyone to say merry Christmas and not happy holidays. This is just a sample of the numerous claims of an attack on Christmas, usually dealing with retail stores.

The American Family Association, AFA, annually calls for boycotts of stores that do not include the word Christmas in their advertising. Gap has been written about for the last two years. You can read about the fight here. Gap is guilty of having 172 references of "holiday" in their stores and websites but onyl 3 references of "Christmas."

This story is bound to make the AFA smile. Cleary, the Scottish know how to celebrate Christmas! The article is titled All Wii Want for Christmas. The article talks about how popular the Wii gaming system is and how hard it may be for people to buy it for their children for Christmas. It mentions Christmas 21 times and holiday 0. It provides information about the best way to get a Wii so your kid won't be disappointed on Christmas morning. It also has a review of popular Christmas gifts in the past. A nice walk down Memory Lane.

Has Christmas really become so materialistic that Christian organizations are upset that it is losing its materialism? Is the AFA really complaining because the word Christmas is not used in the secular sense? Stores are not using Christmas to spread the message of Jesus, but instead to make money! Is this what God really wants out of his holiday? A fight over if we can get a Wii or not? A fight over if the sign at Walmart says Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays? Is that why Jesus was born 2000 years ago?

2000 years ago a child was given to us. A child that was prophesied about for hundreds of years. Isaiah wrote

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David's throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the LORD Almighty
will accomplish this.

Luke tells us that during the reign of Caesar Augustus, Joseph took his virgin bride-to-be (who was with child) to Bethlehem to be registered. During the time, Mary gave birth to a child who was called Jesus, which means He will save. And he did save! This child grew up to be the most perfect man to ever live. This man, whose biological father was God himself, came to save us from our sins and allow us to have ever lasting life. 33 years after his birth in a stable, he was hung on a cross. His death was the atonement for our sins, allowing us to be reconciled to God, from whom our sins separated us. His resurrection 3 days later conquered death and gave us eternal life, all who believe in him and take him as their savior. For without Easter, there would be no Christmas. King Jesus now reigns in heaven and in our hearts, having overcome the prince of this world, Satan.

What are people really fighting for? Are we fighting so that God's name will be known throughout the world or that we can feel powerful. Are we fighting for God's glory or our own? To fight for the word Christmas to be placed in store advertising is to fight for your own glory. To fight through prayer and devotion to prepare for the coming of the Christ child is to fight for God's glory.

Who are you fighting for?