Clelebration!!!

This is blog number 100!!
This Holiday season seems to be going by very slowly for me…I like it. This Holiday season has not been a total happy occasion for everyone. I just got word this morning that my Grandfather (on my Dad’s side) has passed away. We were told the day before that he was in the final stages of his life and he wouldn’t be around much longer. He had been suffering form Alzheimer’s disease for the past five years and it took his life at six o’clock Thursday morning. My grandmother said he this must have not wanted to wake up at six in the morning anymore since he had been doing that for most his life as a teacher. My family has been taking it well and are all gathering together after the New Year for his Memorial Service. It’s interesting how a family that lives so far apart can come together so easily when we need each other. That’s a true family. I never knew him in his younger years. I only knew him as a retired teacher and a grandfather who loved me. I’m finding out more about the man he was know. I asked my Grandmother if she thought he was up in heaven doing what he loved, teaching. She said although he loved teaching more than any other job he was a natural dancer. And’ he probably swing dancing with Sinatra by now. He’s no longer suffering but he’s as young as ever and probably enjoying himself more than he ever had in this life on Earth and that’s a thought that can bring comfort to anybody. But with his death we also found out that one of my uncles gave his life to Christ this past week. After years of denying he called us up and told us that he had become a Christian and had his life headed in the right direction. The count is one uncle saved and two to go. So there are two reason’s for praising God this Holy Season. Halleluyhwh. Have a Holy and Happy New Year.

Happy Holy Day!!!

Lately in the news I’ve been hearing a lot of stuff about people wanting to be “politically correct” this Christmas season by saying Happy Holiday rather than Maeery Christmas. They don’t want to offend someone that celebrates Hanukkah or Kwanzaa or doesn’t believe in Christ by saying Merry Christmas. Political correctness (if that’s even a word) is trying to please everyone at once by taking out every thing that even slightly assumes that someone belongs to a specific group. It’s becoming ridiculous. I was thinking about the term Happy Holidays and I have decided that I don’t mind anyone using that term. In Webster’s Dictionary the very first definition of Holiday is Holy Day. So essentially when you say Happy Holiday you’re saying happy Holy Day; a.k.a. Merry Christmas. It’s has the same meaning just in a different form. No matter how it’s said the true meaning of Christmas is going to be revealed. I think that's revelatory.

We bow down and worship him now...

Philippians 2:10-11 “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. This was or focal point of our Christmas Sunday service. Though there’s still some confusion as to whether that Christmas Sunday was Christmas Sunday or if this Christmas Sunday is the real Christmas Sunday…no one really knows. That doesn’t really matter though. What does matter is that we had an really amazing time to just meet with God an bow down acknowledge him as God the Father. It was a chance to focus on him and put our hearts above our heads, which is something that we may not let happen enough during this time of year. Bowing is something that shows more reverence and adoration that just taking a few seconds to say a quick praise the Lord and going about your life. Bowing involves exalting Christ and humbling yourself. It puts your entire body into worship; your whole body says what your lips have been saying all along. Why wait. You’ll have to do it eventually “every knee will bow”. When someone says every knee it doesn’t sound like anyone will get out of it, whether you believe it or not. If you have nothing below your knees then you’re already there 24-7 so you’re a step ahead of the game. Whether you believe it now or not everyone will come to that realization Jesus Christ is Lord of all. Why Wait? When is that last time you bowed humbly before our God?

I'll be home for Christmas...

Well, I'll be at a home for Christmas. I get to see my parents in Naples, Florida where the weather is always nice. Besides that I get to attend a camp staff reunion at Camp Keystone for News Years Eve. Our old DYS Major Willis and Major Barbara Howell will be our special guests. It’s very exciting. So on my vacation I get to get warm see my family see most of my friends and see part of Detroit, Michigan (the airport part). This is going to be one of the greatest vacations ever conceived.

Release the grease...ewwww

I put on my greasy shirt with my greasy name tag then my greasy pants and my greasy shoes and tied my greasy shoe laces. I put on two coats and stuffed my greasy hat in my pocket and headed out the door. I arrived at McDonald’s. Tired and still worn out from yesterday. I took of my freezing coat and put on a greasy apron and my greasy hat. I flipped greasy hamburgers and chicken until I thought I might throw up. I thought about using them as Frisbees to lighten up the mood in the restaurant a bit but I don’t think the managers see things the same way I see them. I see fun they see money going down the drain…with grease. I looked through a grease newspaper and saw that the Tampa Bay Lightning aren’t doing as well as I thought they would do. They’ll improve. I feel like I have grease on me constantly until I take a shower it’s so gross. I don’t know how people stay and work there as a career. I couldn’t do it and I won’t. What I will do on the 19th of December is get on a plane form Portland, Maine and head down to Naples, Florida. I get to visit my family and friends for the Holidays and spend some time relaxing and getting reenergized for another round in my boxing match me vs. darkness. I’m winning. I am also extremely tired. I have been for a few days so this vacation should be wonderful. It will also get me out of this single digit weather. I have a new definition for stupid cold. Earlier in the month I said it was stupid cold. That’s when it was only 22 degrees outside. I walked past the Penobscot River today and there was no water moving in it. A huge river is frozen. Ice and snow are the top of it.…That, my friend, is stupid, stupid cold. Maybe I should pray for God the Send The Fire in more ways than one. Ba ha ha ha. I know it wasn’t funny but I tried and thats all that counts.

500,250, 600 minutes...

You know trust is a funny thing ba ha ha ha. It comes and goes so quickly. Just ask Aurora how it can disappear seemingly over night.
Now, onto a different subject…I was working at McDonalds today. It gives new meaning to the term release the grease. I feel so greasy after my shifts. Almost like a greasy hen (That’s sounds like fun). I’ll just try to convince myself I’ve been deep frying in the Holy Spirit. I got to go to Powerhouse all greased up and ready to go. Anyway the real highlight of my night is that I got to go see RENT. It was an awesome movie. I love this movie. It was amazing. All I knew about it was that it is a musical (I like music) and I knew it was about these people trying to pay (been there done(ing) that) rent…hence the name. I have heard other people say that it’s a play all about AIDS and homosexuality. It most certainly is not. It has so much more that that. It’s about real people in real situations with real problems in a real world who need real help. It shows people living their lives and enjoying it even though there being run out of there homes. It shows people with HIV enjoying every moment of life and not letting this disease control them. It shows a group of people coming together and experiencing authentic community, and working together for one specific goal. They share their problems and try to help each other through them. They play off of each other talents and expect nothing in return they live life and love it. They try hard no to show their weakness and problems but they’re always there. Theses people are around us all day. They’re pretty good at hiding their problems (some better than others) but they do exist and sometimes they can’t escape alone. It’s about faith hope and love and love never fails.