A Simple Gift For Christmas
Dec 24, 2008 Political
Some time ago I was told a story by a friend who said he wished a fellow worker a Merry Christmas. The other worker was Jewish and flew off the handle saying that not everyone celebrated Christmas and that it was presumptuous for someone to give such a greeting.
In this fast paced world it is very easy to lose sight of the true meaning of Christmas. The holiday celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, the man Christians believe to be the son of God. Christians are not the only ones who believe in Christ, only that he is the son of God. Jews and Muslims believe Jesus was a prophet of God. Jesus is mentioned in the Koran as such a prophet.
So why would a Jew, or any other non Christian be irate at the celebration of the birth of a man that many acknowledge existed but only view as a prophet?
The reality is that as we move farther from the birth of Christ we lose sight of the true meaning of Christmas. Christmas is a time of renewed hope and for giving. Unfortunately, the over commercialization of the holiday has taken away from the concept of giving. One does not need to buy or receive the latest gee whiz item to honor the holiday. Certainly one does not need to spend himself into poverty to uphold the concept of giving.
Giving comes in many forms. There are those who give of their time to those less fortunate by donating to or serving in food centers that help feed the needy. There are those who take in abandoned or drug addicted children and give them love and hope for a better future. Any simple act of kindness is a gift that is given and that includes the kindness of wishing one a Merry Christmas. It would be considered bad manners to berate a person over a material gift so why would we allow one to get away with berating a person over a simple wish?
Christmas is a time to celebrate a new beginning and the idea that each of us is capable of freely giving to others. There is no greater feeling than one gets after giving a gift without precondition, no matter how small the gift might seem. A smile directed at someone can brighten his day and it takes little effort to give.
It is unfortunate that we have lost sight of the meaning of this sacred time. Regardless of whether one believes Jesus Christ was a prophet or the son of God we celebrate His birth because, in part, He was a kind and gentle soul who did good for his fellow man. He preached the value of giving and of leading a wholesome life, something we should aspire to.
Certainly we have the decency to accept a “Merry Christmas” as a greeting intended to wish one well and convey desire for peace and good tidings.
During this season that we have allowed to morph into a chaotic time of year please take the time to count your blessings and remember the true meaning of Christmas Day.
Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a healthy, prosperous New Year. Consider that my gift to you, as simple as it might seem.
This post is my submission to the Carnival of Christmas hosted by my blog sister Kat of Cathouse Chat. Please stop by and rad the great entries by bloggers from around the country. I believe there are around 60 entries this year!
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Tags: Christmas, giving, holiday, jesus christ
New Sponsor – Help Support The Troops
Dec 1, 2008 Political
I have a new sponsor here. It is Comfi phone cards and their link is at the very top of the sidebar.
Phone cards make great gifts. What’s that you say? Most people use cell phones.
Yes, a lot do but there are those who do not. And, these cards will make great gifts to the men and women serving in the armed forces. Phone cards help allow them to call home and save them money. Even if they are in a place where they can use a cell, a phone card will help them save on minutes.
Phone cards make great gifts for our wounded warriors. Consider buying a handful and sending them (or better yet, taking them) to the local military hospital. I also bet our older Vets who stay at the VA would love to have a phone card so they can call loved ones, especially during the holidays.
And don’t forget, the money I make from the ads goes to organizations that support our troops. There are many such organizations and I try to give as much as I can to as many as possible.
So, consider phone cards through this website. You know, instead of gift exchanges at work, why don’t you and your coworkers chip in and buy a bunch of phone cards for our brave men and women serving this great country.
If you enjoy what you read consider signing up to receive email notification of new posts. There are several options in the sidebar and I am sure you can find one that suits you. If you prefer, consider adding this site to your favorite feed reader.
Tags: gifts, holiday, phone cards, sponsor, support our troops, veterans
Obama Sounds Like George Bush
May 4, 2008 Political
Barack Obama has made a lot of noise about his opposition to the Iraq war and he has chided Hillary Clinton for her vote on the matter. He has also told America that Clinton (and John McCain for that matter) are part of the old politics in DC and that he was the candidate of change. Obama touts himself as a DC outsider who will do things differently. Today he stated that Hillary Clinton sounded a lot like George Bush because of a statement she made last month.
Hillary Clinton was asked what she would do, as president, if Iran attacked Israel. Clinton stated that the US would attack Iran in retaliation and she stated that they should know we would obliterate them. At the time Iran claimed that her words were a violation of UN charter. Seems that when Iran threatens to wipe Israel off the map that is not a violation but when we threaten to do the same it is. Typical Muslim thinking.
Obama also took a shot at Clinton for her proposal to suspend the gasoline tax for the Summer (it was actually McCain’s proposal with which Hillary agrees). Obama said that this was a classic Washington gimmick that would only save people $28.
Now I understand Mr. “I was always against the war” and his platform of non aggression. It took him 20 years to realize his pastor was an aggressive man who hated white people so I can understand how he is slow to recognize threats. However, Obama said that Clinton sounded like George Bush with her statement about obliterating Iran because, of course, it involves aggression.
But if Clinton sounds like George Bush for her statement then who does Obama sound like with this statement?
Obama said if elected in November 2008 he would be willing to attack inside Pakistan with or without approval from the Pakistani government, a move that would likely cause anxiety in the already troubled region.
“If we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets and President Musharraf won’t act, we will,” Obama said. al Reuters [emphasis mine]
Here is Obama saying that if we have actionable intelligence he would attack inside another nation with or without permission. Sounds a bit like what he accuses the Bush administration of doing in Iraq. Also sounds like what he chastised Clinton for. I would think Iran attacking Israel is “actionable intelligence” and that attacking Iran in that instance is certainly more appropriate than just invading Pakistan.
Therefore, Obama advocates the same policies that he has castigated since he decided to run for office. Using his own standards, Obama sounds just like George Bush.
As for the gimmick of gas taxes. I agree that a suspension of them will hardly make a dent in anything especially since the states will still tax and most tax at a higher rate than the feds. I see that Obama though, has taken issue with his opponents and mentioned that they are engaging in a clasic Washington gimmick. So where was Obama when Nancy Pelosi sponsored the Economic Relief Package that redistributed income in America?
This is the bill that sends out $600 checks to people up to certain incomes in order to stimulate the economy. This is the bill where people who paid absolutely no income taxes whatsoever will get money from the government while those above certain incomes will not get one red cent. This is a typical Washington gimmick. It is an election year and politicians fell all over themselves to send money to people in hopes that it will curry favor at the polls in November. This package will do nothing for the economy.
The economy is not as bad as people are saying it is and many economists said that it would be improving by the time the checks even went out. The only thing that this bill did was get Democrats to admit that it is better if you are allowed to keep your own money and that they tax too much. They were conceding that taking your money amounts to forcing you to work for free for part of the year and that is true. While they were having this epiphany, they seemed to miss the fact that the money will not stimulate the economy. The market should be allowed to run the economy free of government interference. Government is the reason things get broken in the first place.
If they would learn to keep their work confined to running government and let businesses run themselves free of encumbering regulation things would be a hell of a lot better. Cheesy gimmicks like tax rebates will not help the economy any more than a gas tax holiday will (though they could repeal the gas tax all together and I would be happy).
Oh, and how did Obama see the rebate issue? He, like Hillary Clinton, did not vote on it. Both are listed as “not voting.” They were probably posturing to play gotcha. However, given Obama’s avoidance of controversial votes, he probably just avoided it to keep safe. That is not true leadership.
This guy is a lightweight. The funny thing is he keeps saying he is an outsider but he acts like the rest of them. He, like Clinton, will say anything to get elected. He also seems to ignore his own actions while criticizing others for doing the exact same thing.
Perhaps he should leave the glass house before throwing any more stones?
Sources:
My Way News
Tags: Bush, Clinton, gas tax, holiday, Iran, Israel, mcccain, Obama
The Reason for the Season
Dec 22, 2007 General
The season of joy and goodwill is upon us, a time where Christians the world over celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Though we don’t know when Jesus was really born, December 25th is the day we celebrate the birth of a man who was the lamb sacrificed for our sins. Unfortunately, too many in our society have done a lot to remove the reason for this season from the equation and have, instead, focused on other religions, no religion or on the almighty dollar. People worry more about buying the right gift and merchants worry more about making a profit, all in the name of a man they fail to recognize.
Christmas is a time of renewed hope. A time where people can reflect and realize that while we are born as sinners, our sins were forgiven because of the selfless act of Jesus Christ. While we mark this as his birth, we also realize that his birth was the beginning of a journey that ended in suffering and pain, all out of the love God has for mankind. It is unfortunate that this message is lost in the desire of some to remove all reference of Christmas from the season. Happy Holidays fills the ads, the cards, and the greetings as Merry Christmas is shunned and those who utter it looked upon as some type of Christian boob with little regard for the other religions of the world.
No such war has been declared on any other religious celebration as Muslims celebrate Ramadan and Eid and Jews celebrate Hanukkah. Only Christmas gets a bum rap as organizations such as the ACLU try to remove every reference to Christianity from our culture. Those religions recognize Christ, not as the son of God but as a prophet and they celebrate the beliefs they hold dear. Christians celebrate Christmas as the birth of the son of God and are scorned. Christians are held to a different standard by a population that wants to remove crosses, and other symbols from every facet of life in America.
Jesus is the reason for the season and no amount of opposition will ever change that. The oppressed have a way of showing their faith and will never allow this to continue. I believe that one needs not be a Christian to understand that Jesus was a great man who lived in peace, something that would make Christianity the true religion of peace.
As for me, I have never been politically correct.
Merry Christmas. There I wrote it and I say it no matter what greeting I get. Everyone else should try it as well. They might just find it uplifting and trend setting…
Tags: Christmas, holiday, jesus, meaning and purpose
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