No hugging, dear. I'm British. We only show affection to dogs and horses.

I have talked about hugging before, but never before have I seen a theology of hugging put to music. (Caveat: I will concede that the most powerful line is an argument from silence. Extra points if you find it.)

(HT Brent Thomas)

Get me. I'm givin' out wings.

Merry Christmas from our family to yours.

And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
- Luke 2:10-11 (ESV)

P.S. Listen to Zo. Don't be hatin' on Christmas! (HT Ron)

What I'd really like to do is put the greatness of this man in perspective.

From time to time folks wonder why there are four different gospel accounts in the New Testament. The short answer is because different writers are giving different perspectives on the same person & work of Jesus, trying to convey unique (but non-contradictory) messages.

What are those messages?

"To some extent, Matthew's Gospel portrays the Lord Jesus primarily as the Jewish Messiah. In fact, it is possible to argue that everything that goes into his account of Christ's life supports that theme. Mark's purpose is to reveal Jesus Christ as God's servant. Luke deals with Christ's humanity. John, however, reveals Jesus as the eternal, preexisting Son of God who became man in order to reveal the Father and to bring men access into eternal life through His historical death and literal resurrection."
- James Montgomery Boice, The Gospel of John, 1.21

Charging a man with murder in this place was like handing out speeding tickets at the Indy 500.

I found this funny, and rather educational. It's from a page I happened upon explaining How to Avoid a Traffic Ticket.*

4. Don't stand out in a crowd. Let other vehicles and drivers attract an officer's scrutiny while you drive nearly invisibly.

• Maintain your vehicle. Cracked windshields, burnt-out taillights, and a whole host of other minor maintenance issues can get you a ticket.
• Wear your seatbelt. It's the law pretty much everywhere, and an iron clad excuse for a sharp-eyed officer to pull you over.
• Look attentive. Being the one in the pack with a cell phone cradled on your neck and a burger in the other hand is not a good thing.
• If you are choosing, choose a plain-colored sedan with economy styling over a sporty-looking coupe with bright, eye-popping colors and/or customized appearance. There are lots of economical-looking little cars with snappy power-to-weight ratios and safe, excellent handling.
• Don't cover your car in eye-catching stickers and/or controversial slogans, no matter how mad some politician makes you. A cop may be a big fan of the guy you loathe most.
• Remove license plate frames and dealer stickers that identify you as being from 'out of town' wherever else you go in your state. People who travel a long way are less likely to show up in court to dispute a ticket.
• Don't drive a rolling pig sty. All windows should offer unobstructed views to the driver.

I might add the following:

• Don't kick the bass so hard that your windows visibly rattle.
• Don't drive faster than everyone else, who may have seen the officer, or so slow that you draw suspicion.
  
• Don't darken your windows so much as to suggest suspicious activity occurs within.
• Don't fly your away team's car flag when leaving the stadium, especially if the home team lost.
• Minimize the amount of duct tape visible to the naked eye.
• Ensure nothing on your vehicle is being held on with bungee cords.
• Don't lean your seat back so much that the only part of you visible is your hand resting on the top of the steering wheel.

*CAVEAT: I am not suggesting nor condoning unlawful traffic behavior nor shirking responsibility for one's actions on the roadways.

Ah, youth is wasted on the wrong people.

Clearing off my desk today I came across something passed along by my grandmother. It was printed on the back of her friend's funeral program. According to Grandma, "This poem was a 'Dear Abby' column that Edie had handwritten & put into the back of her Bible."

I found it noteworthy and hope you will as well.

Prayer for the Aged
Lord, Thou knowest better than I know myself that I am growing older, and will someday be old.

Keep me from getting talkative and particularly from the fatal habit of thinking I must say something on every occasion.

Release me from the craving to try to straighten out everybody's affairs.

Keep my mind free from the recital of endless details - give me wings to get to the point.

I ask for grace enough to listen to the tales of others' pains. Help me to endure them with patience.

But seal my lips on my own aches and pains - they are increasing, and my love of rehearsing them is becoming sweeter as the years go by.

Teach me the glorious lesson that occasionally it is possible that I may be mistaken.

Keep me reasonably sweet. I do not want to be a saint; some of them are so hard to live with. But a sour old person is one of the crowning works of the devil.

Make me thoughtful, but not moody; helpful, but not bossy. With my vast store of wisdom, it seems a pity not to use it at all - but Thou knowest, Lord, that I want a few friends at the end.

-Author Unknown

• Wisdom is with the aged, and understanding in length of days. -Job 12:12 (ESV)
• "You shall stand up before the gray head and honor the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God: I am the Lord." -Lev 19:32 (ESV)

You play with your head. Not your heart. In your personal life? Heart. But when you get on the field — you’re a businessman.

At 7-5 there are at least 5 teams who can beat the New York football Giants this season.

The Dallas Cowboys are not one of them, despite two golden opportunities.

This is not the first time they've owned us.

• They beat the Cowboys earlier this year in their home opener at the Death Star (i.e., Jerry World).
• They won the MNF game in which the triplets (i.e., Michael Irvin, Troy Aikman, and Emmitt Smith) were inducted into the Ring of Honor in 2005.
• PLUS, the 13-3 and #1 seeded Cowboys were escorted from the playoffs by the Giants in 2007 as they came in and handled up on our bidness.

What can I say? Just tip my hat and call the Giants their daddy.