The following photos are found in my flickr account (just click each pic to go there). You can then download them and print them out (using these instructions) and insert them in an un-used CD case for desktop use. Tomorrow I will publish photos for use in an 8½ by 11 Wall Calendar. Let me know if you decide to use either : )
If you like this image, click on it to go to my flickr account. There you can view a larger version of it and/or download a copy of it, if you like.
Here is a simple powerpoint background (black, blue with a star in the corner) for Epiphany, though it could also be used during Christmas/Advent. As always, click on the pic to go to my flickr account to download the larger (800×600 pixel) version.
Image via Wikipedia
This story is sad, but not sad in a sorrowful way. No it’s a sad commentary on the state of morality or ethics in America. It’s bad enough that a kid would lie on an essay in order to win tickets to a Hannah Montana concert. What’s worse is that her mom was complicit in the scam. As the mom said, "We did the essay and that’s what we did to win. We did whatever we could do to win," Yep, that sums up the mentality of way too many people nowadays.
You can the story in the L.A. Daily News here.
Technorati tags: Hannah Montana, ethics, morality, cheating
I am much more likely to use “One Thing I Know” as a place to complain and whine than I am to post happy thoughts, so I thought tonight I would try to balance the scales a little bit by telling you that I had a very good Christmas this year. I received some great presents for one.
Even better than these monetary gifts, I got to spend some great time with Desiree. My girl is the apple of my eye, and I couldn’t have been prouder when I went to her Facebook profile today and saw the following (see text underlined in read):
Our church services also went very well on Sunday and Christmas Eve. We had over 125 people on Sunday for our Choral Cantata, and then 192 for our two Christmas Eve services. I think I even preached half-way decent sermons at the services as well. Special thanks to Jim, who worked a full day for the postal service, attended the 7 pm service with his family, and then led the singing at our 11 pm service. I know it was an extremely long day for him, but, at least from my perspective, it was worth it. It was so nice to experience Christmas both in a packed sanctuary filled with people and pageantry (wonderful organ, choral, special and handbell music) and in a small intimate setting with communion. I couldn’t have asked for anything more when it came to celebrating the day of Jesus’ birth!
Yes, all in all, it was a good Christmas.
Once in Royal David’s City
Once in royal David’s city
Stood a lowly cattle shed,
Where a mother laid her Baby
In a manger for His bed:
Mary was that mother mild,
Jesus Christ her little Child.
He came down to earth from Heaven,
Who is God and Lord of all,
And His shelter was a stable,
And His cradle was a stall;
With the poor, and mean, and lowly,
Lived on earth our Savior holy.
And, through all His wondrous childhood,
He would honor and obey,
Love and watch the lowly maiden,
In whose gentle arms He lay:
Christian children all must be
Mild, obedient, good as He.
For He is our childhood’s pattern;
Day by day, like us He grew;
He was little, weak and helpless,
Tears and smiles like us He knew;
And He feeleth for our sadness,
And He shareth in our gladness.
And our eyes at last shall see Him,
Through His own redeeming love,
For that Child so dear and gentle
Is our Lord in Heav’n above,
And He leads His children on
To the place where He is gone.
Not in that poor lowly stable,
With the oxen standing by,
We shall see Him; but in Heaven,
Set at God’s right hand on high;
Where like stars His children crowned
All in white shall wait around.
Courtesy of WXPN in Philadelphia, here is Vandeveer’s version of the Christmas classic. They also have other free Christmas downloads here (although I think this song is the best of the bunch).
The Little Drummer Boy – Vandeveer
Whenever this commercial comes on, I have to stop what I am doing and watch it. It is well-crafted and well-acted. Of course, most of you have seen this one already, but if you haven’t, watch it below. I particularly like the reaction of the Verizon guy when the “pony” issues a particularly nasty neigh, and the way the recipient of said pony quickly answers her friend when asked, “Does he bite?” The timing is perfect. Upon closer viewing, you can also make out the bandages on at least two of the pony owner’s fingers, giving added emphasis to her reply.
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This sermon is based on Matthew 1:18-25. I preached it only at our early service (and since there were so few people there and none of them will be at the 11 pm Christmas Eve service, I will preach it again then, although I will probably change to title and the end to reflect more of an understanding Christmas perspective). My paraphrase of the gospel is as follows:
Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being righteous and unwilling to expose her to public shame, resolved to secretly divorce her.
But while he pondered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. Moreover, she will give birth to a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” Now all this happened in order to fulfill what the Lord had spoken through the prophet:
“Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name ‘Emmanuel,’”
which is interpreted as, “God is with us.”And when Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord had bid him and took unto himself his wife, but he had no sexual relations with her until she had given birth to a son; and he called his name Jesus.
There are a lot of things in the Bible that I do not understand,
and for me to list them all or to even share more than of few of them with you would take way too much time.
So let me confine myself to the Christmas story that we all know and love.
I do not understand how Mary became pregnant.
Yes, I do know the mechanics of how pregnancy happens, thank you,
and yes, I know what the Bible tells me,
as Gabriel himself told Mary over two thousand years ago:
And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall call his name Jesus.
And when Mary asks the angel,
“How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
I know what he told her in reply:
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you;
therefore the child to be born will be called holy–the Son of God.
And while I accept this answer as gospel,
the mechanics of what actually happened to Mary are not any clearer to me.
I don’t understand.
And since I have already mentioned an angel,
let me say that I don’t understand them either.
Yes, I know that they are literally messengers of God,
but to use a phrase from my grandmother,
In all my born days, I have never even heard,
let alone seen an honest to goodness real, live angel.
In some ways I wish they were still flitting around,
telling people what God wants them to do,
and maybe they are,
maybe others see them and I am just blind to their presence,
maybe even some of you have encountered these mystical beings,
but I have not,
and so I really don’t understand them,
what they are and what they do,
other than scare the living daylights out of those they pop in to see.
You may have noticed, for instance,
that in almost every instance where an angel or angels appear,
the very first words out of their mouths are,
“Don’t be afraid.”
Why? If they are messengers of God, why are they so scary?
I don’t understand.
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“When I die I shall see myself as I’ve never seen myself before, I shall see myself in the light of God’s truth. That may not be very comfortable at all. Sometimes I feel afraid of it . . . All can do is trust that God already sees that truth and already loves me. So even when I see myself in the most unattractive light, God is still love. Can I accept that? We’ll see when I die.” – Rowan Williams
Tonight on CBS (9-11 pm Eastern) there will be prime time special entitled In God’s Name. 12 of the world’s religious leaders (including Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, the Dalai Lama, Muhammad Sayyed Tantawi, a Sunni Sheikh in Cairo, Yonna Metzger, Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem, and Patriarch Alexei II, head of the Russian Orthodox Church) will be featured in personal interviews. It looks to be a worthwhile view, and I, for one, will be watching. If for no other reason than to hear more of what Williams has to say.
Thanks to Jason of Theolog for the tip, which I found here: In God’s name (originally posted on Saturday, 22 December 2007).
