| My Christmas 2 cents by: Stacey Alpern (my sister) Hey everyone! A very Merry CHRISTmas to all of you. Dave and I were coming back from our Thanksgiving journey and listening to the abundance of Christmas music on the airwaves these days. The boys love this stuff, and we do to, but have you noticed that some of these carols are just plain stupid?? And have nothing to do with Christ??? I actually really like "Winter Wonderland" and "Jingle Bells" and other such secular carols. But some really bug me. Do you all feel the same way?? For example, John Lennon's "Happy Xmas". Now I don't want to tick off any Lennon fans who love this song, but really, "war is over..... if you want it". What?? How many people actually want war-- and yet it's still here. Hey John- No Jesus, No Peace, Know Jesus, Know Peace. He just doesn't get. Well.. now he does,.. and not to judge his heart, he may have changed- but looking at his lifestyle and world view , plus the fact he claimed God was dead and that he and his bandmates had surpassed even Jehovah God in popularity, John Lennon is experiencing the TRUTH, separated from God for all eternity, with no peace to be found. Jesus bridged the gap between God and man. This is the Peace of Christmas.. This is Christmas. This is what we celebrate and sing about. It is such a challenge to keep myself and my kids focused on this, with so many things competing for their attention at Christmastime. The lines between the sacred and secular get more blurry every year it seems. I came across this quote in a book I was reading and it really gave me good perspective. I share it with you. Happy Birthday Jesus! Love, Stacey Alpern If the world is sane, then Jesus is mad as a hatter and the Last Supper is the Mad Tea Party. The world says, Mind your own business, and Jesus says, There is no such thing as your own business. The world says, Follow the wisest course and be a success, and Jesus says, Follow me and be crucified. The world says, Drive carefully- the life you save may be your own- and Jesus says Whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. The world says, Law and order, and Jesus says, Love. The world says, Get, and Jesus says, Give. In terms of the the world's sanity, Jesus is crazy as a coot, and anybody who thinks he can follow him without being a little crazy too is laboring less under the cross than under a delusion. "We are tools for Christ's sake" Paul says, faith says- the faith that ulitmately the foolishness of God is wiser than the wisdom of men, the lunacy of Jesus saner than the grim sanity of the world. Frederick Buechner |