The Real Spirit of Christmas

The obvious spirit of that first Christmas was one of being blessed, of having received mercy and grace from God. . . .

In our attempt to find the true spirit of Christmas, then, we need to be able to define its counterfeit.  A variety of things can make us feel good during the holidays, but many of them are cultural messages. The true message of Christmas humbles us. It shows us for what we are: poor, blind, deaf, and dumb receivers.

 This season when you are preparing your gift giving and your charitable Christmas projects, focus not on what you are able to give, whether great or small, but on what you have received [from God]. Let the grace and mercy you have received at His hands first fill your heart, and then flow through you to others. In so doing, you are inviting others to join in your grateful celebration. Allow yourself to experience the wonder and joy of gratitude in this holy season. . .  .

We are both receivers and givers at Christmas. Let's just remember which comes first.

~In Search of the Real Spirit of Christmas by Dan Schaeffer 

For more on the true spirit of Christmas listen here.

 

 

Frail Hillary

The Associated Press reports:

 "Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, who skipped an overseas trip this past week because of a stomach virus, sustained a concussion after fainting, the State Department said Saturday."

Wow. The article is dated December 15, and it reports that all of this happened "last week," and her recovery will prevent her from being able to testify at a hearing about Benghazi this coming Thursday.

Which makes me wonder: If she's so frail at 65 that a bad stomach flu and concussion from last week has her in such a condition that she's unable to pull herself together enough to testify regarding the loss of an American ambassador's life (and the lives of others who were defending the embassy) while she was in charge, how could she possibly face the rigors of the presidency in four years when she'll be 69? Never mind carry on until she's 73, at least.

I used to tell my kids that if they were too sick to go to school, they were too sick to play on the computer . . . watch TV . . . talk on the phone . . . etc. So I'm thinking that if you're too sick to do your duties as secretary of state, you're probably too sick to be president of the United States.