HOW SILENTLY, HOW SILENTLY THE WONDROUS GIFT IS GIVEN

Northwest Arkansas woke this Christmas morning to a cleansing of white sparkle. Mike and I were muli-tasking at the kitchen table... eating a waffle, trying to remember our last white Christmas (but it was too early for THAT game), and watching as the birds came gratefully to the feeder for their breakfast granola.

Mike turned to me and said: "I think we should move Christmas Day". I could tell he was serious. My next thought was that we were about to tweak the way we "time-share" Christmases with our offspring. Then Mike went on...

"You know Constantine randomly set a date for Christmas when he became a Christian. He just picked a day when his culture was already celebrating winter solstice. I think we should use the Biblical calendar. Leave 'the happy holidays' for the rest of em to fuss about."

My mind began to explode. I remembered the things I'd studied in the fall and had written in the blog ("View from Our Kitchen Window", October 2009). I began to get so excited. Mike was RIGHT! I would much rather celebrate a time from the ages, than celebrate a time pulled out of the air. It's not that Jesus wouldn't want to share His birthday, but He does say He won't share His glory with another. It would be nice not to have to compete with the world's value system. The more we can see life from God's perspective, the better.

Now I'm having all kinds of practical questions. I can see the change would help focus on the Lord rather than the gifts. But would this mean I'd have to decorate twice?

More later.

"But when the time arrived that was set by God the Father, God sent his Son, born among us of a woman, born under the conditions of the law so that he might redeem those of us who have been kidnapped by the law." Galatians 4:4 TM

COPENHAGEN...A GATHERING OF POSERS (working title: What does Copenhagen have in common with "The Emperor's New Clothes"?)

Copenhagen welcomed the heads of state last week who arrived to talk about global warming. They had to fight snow blizzard conditions on arrival, so the ones who packed flip flops were outta luck.

The second picture shows President Obama landing back home after the conference...just ahead of the East coast's blizzard of 2009. So who is kidding who(m)?

Think about these eight points that seem to be obvious, but as ignored as the Emperor's lack of clothes...

1. Man is not almighty, but he sure is arrogant if he presumes to determine the future of the planet. If man could control nature, we would know when to expect rain. Copenhagen's overall premise is speculative.

2. Copenhagen is a gathering of third world leaders who want a chunk of change. We are fresh out of moolah...yet President Obama has committed the United States' share:

"The total reparations would be $30 billion per year in 2012, rising to $100 billion per year in 2020. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters yesterday that the United States would pay $10 billion of the $30 billion per year by 2012. Thus the U.S. share of the $100 billion by 2020 would be $33 billion per year." (American Thinker, "Obama offers $33 billion per year in climate reparations")

It sure seems like a whole lotta reparations are going on. And it is my understanding that emissions numbers in the U.S. decreased last year without any punitive actions.

3. Capitalism seems to be the object of ridicule and scorn at Copenhagen. Capitalism is what made America great and represents hope to every would-be immigrant around the world. Don't they all dream of coming to a place where they are allowed to "make it" according to their abilities?

4. It's important that we pay Brazil to plant trees because we have been bad polluters. Are trees more important than creating jobs for Americans? Trees/people, trees/people. Which?

5. It's important that we pay African nations because, again, we have been bad polluters. Then they take the money and do what with it? What normally happens when we give money to African nations? So how does that help pollution?

6. We pay; China doesn't. If they are one of the top two biggest polluters, will our money change their policy? Nah.

7. The developed nations agree to a pre-1990's emission cut, while developing nations increase their carbon emissions. So what does that mean? The energy costs here spike...so then our out-of-pocket is not only the big guilt payment, but ALSO the energy increases.

8. Copenhagen is over and the agreements that Mr. Obama hailed as "meaningful and unprecedented" are not binding, but only target goals. Since people do what you inspect rather than what you expect, transparency is key. How do you think China feels about transparency?

Any ONE of these eight bad boy derailers above represents a red flag for concern. So what is our President thinking? Whose side is he on? It may be that the campaign "change" we were promised...is a basic change of the playing field. Is this climate change stuff just a sham to get money going from the "haves" to the "have nots" (not only in America, but all over the world). Will that work? Has that ever worked?

We see power taken from private industry and given to government. The result? Bigger government/less freedom. Our president's resume includes time as a pro bono lawyer/teacher at Chicago Law School, but the bulk of his experience is on the government payroll. Mr. Obama has not run a small town or even a small business. So should we be surprised that he (and his cabinet) think government is the answer to every question?

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/Less-than-10-percent-of-Obama-cabinet-has-private-sector-experience-73911212.html

According to the CBO, this administration of less than one year has increased the deficit by 2.3 trillion more than was expected. Mr. Obama's track record is to spend and print more money. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123776518094909023.html

Mike has a doctor friend in his old deer camp who was frustrated with his wife's inability to get a handle on money. She got her own checkbook and account in an effort to simplify matters...but the doc was still getting calls from the bank. When he tried to talk to her, her perspective was that the problem AND the solution were simple. The problem was there seemed to be not enough money and her solution was "just put more money IN!"

Ala the community organizer.

Let's pray for a Damascus Road blaze of spiritual light that would enable our President to "see" beyond the veil. It has happened before to a man who was not seeking it.

"Right in the middle of the day a blaze of light...light outshining the sun... poured out of the sky on me and my companions." Acts 26:13 TM (when Saul became Paul)

LOOKS CAN BE DECEIVING

Well, a week has flown by. Mike and I took the motor home to Little Rock for five days to get our colons routinely scoped. We parked by the Arkansas River and the temp dipped into the 20's. Still, I think Tiger would have preferred our week to his...

In the last blog, I was cutting Mr. Woods some slack. I figured the man had gone off into the weeds and was sorry and the couple could work through it. But looks deceive. As the week progressed, it became obvious that the tiger was a predator. Eeeuuuw! He even paid women...and they were not nearly the "hottie" he had at home. So perhaps he is dealing with more than just a power addiction.

Grace is not impossible, but the trust wall got a whole lot taller to scale. If he wants his family back, Tiger Woods will have to proceed with all the focus and concentration that he previously has given to golf. For his family's sake, I hope he will.

If you read the last blog ("All I Want for Christmas"), the title seemed as if it might be what Tiger would be saying. If he could have one Christmas wish, he would wish for his life back. But in hindsight, to have THAT life back would be reprehensible. You know how we pray for our kids that they will not get away with anything...and if they ARE up to something they will be found out quickly? As painful as being "found out" has been for Tiger Woods, to have continued as a seamy poser would have been stockpiling condemnation.

"But if you don't do what you say, you will be sinning against GOD; you can be sure that your sin will track you down." Numbers 32.23 TM

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS...

Dunno if you have gotten the email picture of Tiger's "Christmas card" with his face all battered...our inbox is familiar with it.

The first time we got the picture, it brought a sheepish smile. I wouldn't have been smiling if the incident had happened to me, but it stoked my inner vigilante.

Clearly Elin Woods went with her first response...but what SHOULD she have done?

I read something today and then posted it on Facebook. It made a lot of sense:

http://www.godissues.org/tiger-woods-and-the-grace-of-christmas/

There but for the grace of God...

COHINKEYDINKS

You know, you wake up one day and you have been birthed.

You have no choice over your parentals. You have little choice about what you look like (Phyllis Diller and Joan Rivers being the exceptions). My point is that there are some remarkable likenesses between my daughter and I. Really, we don't try. They're just cohinkeydinks.

It's nothing to come out in similar clothes when we are going somewhere. That is inconvenient because one has to go back and change.

We simultaneously say the same things...or burst into the same song.

Last week I went to a "doc-in-a-box" to get a flu shot. I noticed the nurse looking at me through the receptionist's window. Each time I looked up, she was rubbernecking. I thought...I'm not sick so she's not worried about me keeling over or anything. Is she stalking me?

When she called my name to come back, she said "you don't have any relatives in this area, do you?" When I nodded affirmatively, she jumped in "named SAFERITE"? People often comment on how much we look alike. I've always thought Beth handled that very graciously. She isn't 62 with a turkey wattle, but she does look similar.

The last time Beth and I talked, I asked her "did I tell you the police stopped me last week?"

B: "me, too!"

S. "I got stopped on Rupple"

B: "ME, TOO! I was going 40 in a 30"

S: "ME, TOO!"

B: "the policeman gave me a warning, how about you?"

S: "yep"

At this time Beth drolly injects "he probably thought he stopped the same woman twice". I like her humor.

Cohinkeydinks aside...we're all here to be conformed to another image.

"...being conformed to the image of Christ" Romans 8:29 NAS

THIRSTY FOR RIGHT

If you are self-directed and want to do right, which route would you take as you set sail for Port Righteousness? It's a bit "iffy" to presume on our common sense alone to be North Star...the Book says our thoughts are not like God's thoughts. Those who do not ask Him for direction may be busy expending energy, but not getting anywhere. I tried doing what I considered "good" for thirty years. It made me feel better about myself for a while, but needed constant work to maintain. That's because we were not made to please ourselves, but to highlight and please the One who loved us first. Then our thirst for righteousness is satisfied.

That's why a life in God's hands is so necessary. He made each life individual and with special gifting for special circumstances. It's like a hand in a glove. So why wouldn't a person ask for help in finding their way? Is it like a man driving a car...lost, but unwilling to ask for directions? Yes! Pride is our enemy and the enemy of God. Pride caused God's #1 angel to swell up and actually try to take God's position. That coup failed, so now that fallen angel is "misery looking for company" among us. And the bait is the same old leavening agent...pride. Pride is sure powerful. And it can be spiritually fatal.

Could that be why people are so passionate these days about alternate causes? With a few notable sociopathic exceptions, most people want to feel good about themselves. They sense the need for a cause bigger than self. But if they haven't taken advantage of divine light to find their reason for being, they're dressing themselves in good works that may seem laudable, but may not be what the Lord had in mind at all.

Consider some fashionable causes that are in vogue. What about the cause of the protected smelt fish. Did God say they were more important than mankind, His highest creation? What "righteous cause" puts an endangered animal above those Californians who need water for farm irrigation (their very lifeblood)?

Or what about the torture issue? Smarting from a perceived lack of patriotism due to positions on the war, troop strength, and value of joining the service, some Americans needed a righteous military cause. The torture issue is perfect. It is safe and high moral ground. When one side says "the United States does not torture"...that leaves the other side looking despicable. Trouble is, there is no consensus about what constitutes torture. Not everyone thinks waterboarding is torture. It would be a safe bet that if I had a choice to be tortured by the Iranians or by the Americans, I could see this issue more clearly.

There is much passion around the cause that insists a woman should have a right to choose. That passion isn't proven by science...or even supported by simple observation (see YouTube video "The Silent Scream"). When God came, was His cause to promote "rights"? Did Jesus die that we might have the right to have our own way? No...Jesus sweat blood to submit His will to the Father.

And then there is the mother of all glam causes...the concern for global warming. Recently this cause seems to be coming unraveled.

http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article.aspx?id=513835

http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/11/global_warming_fraud_and_the_f.html

Global warming was a bloated assumption that man was powerful and important enough to ruin the planet. Stay tuned for more on that...

So how DO we pick our causes? We need to be about finding out what God is passionate about so that our thinking can be reshaped. We were made to put God at the center of our lives and listen to what He counts as righteous. How does the old hymn go? "Living for Jesus, a life that is true...striving to please Him in all that I do...yielding allegiance, glad-hearted and free..this is the pathway of blessing for me." Jesus the Designer knows where each person's gifting "fits".

The bottom line is that we don't get to say what is righteous; He does. Righteousness flows out of following His lead. And the bonus promise He throws in...is that we will not thirst for righteousness anymore.

Jesus said "I am the Bread of life. The person who aligns with Me hungers no more and thirsts no more." John 6:35

THE DAY AFTER THANKSGIVING

You know those pesky ORANGE decorations that you couldn't wait to get down in favor of the RED ones?

Well, I for one...can't bear to just throw away a perfectly "good" pumpkin. And apparently neither can Nate's mother.

If you share that concern, have you thought about the entertainment value of a pumpkin past it's prime? It brings recycling to a whole new level.

Pumpkin Man liveth in the creativity of a boy.

"Then our mouth was filled with laughter.

The Lord has done great things for us; we are glad." Psalm 126:2,3