uphill

Life at times seems like an uphill battle.

There is an infinite supply of challenges, projects, assignments and expectations to make our days feel like there might not be enough energy to get through. There are crises and challenges that seem to defy our skill and wisdom, and there are he rapacious desires of our own les than perfect hearts to lead us astray.

The good news is that we are not dependant on our circumstances for joy. We are not dependant upon our performance or the evaluations of others for purpose or meaning, and we are not even limited to our own wits when it comes to facing trouble.

God's grace provides all of those things in ways that are eve better than we would have expected. So today, let's climb that hill.

Christmas is one of the many stange things about a post-Christian culture. A holiday (AKA holy day) that was utterly scorned by the Puritains, is now considered a vital battle in the war to retain a "Christian" foundation. "Keep Christ in Christmas" say the Knights of Columbus in their bilboard advertisement. And people are angry when schools in an effort to avoid getting sued start having "winter holidays" instead of Christmas Break.

And yet here we are yet again engaged in a frenetic display of materialism that would do the ancient Romans proud.

I think this year my renewed favorite commentator on Christmas is the Grinch.  Dr Suse never explains Christmas in that story. Probably because he didn't understand it himself. But the Grinch certainly gets at the heart of all of us fallen human beings.

Hating and being hated

And into that kind of a world, on a date probably removed a good deal from Dec 25th at some point around AD1 give or take 3 years or so.  Jesus came into the World.  And that is something to celebrate.

The boys

The boys have been fighting colds this past month, but are finally on the mend.

Dady has been fighting Seminary for the past several months and is finally on the mend.