"After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh." Matthew 2:11 (NASB Version)

Howdy, howdy, it is good to be able to greet you on this Tuesday, December 10, 2013. Yesterday I will admit I may have gone off the reservation, so to speak, but I did have a point I was trying to make. It has to do with checking and consulting with and being willing to listen to those who have respected experience, a proven track record of performance, and they just to happen to care deeply about the matter at hand. In all three of the instances I mentioned, the motivation impetus for monumental change reflected a bandwagon, sloganized, make-a-big-splash kind of effort that sounded so hip and trendy at the time but ended in disaster. I'm not looking for any kind of vindication because that's not even relevant, but in each situation there's something to be learned. It's like the website fiasco that was to support the new healthcare law. I can tell you for sure there are many people down in the trenches that knew what was going on but their voices were muffled because of their lack of rank or them not being a part of the inner circle. They could have likely made it very clear to any and all willing to listen that the emperor being loudly hailed for his spectacular attire was essentially naked as a jay bird.

Okay. Now that I have that all cleared up, let me try to move on. Last Sunday the wife and I were able to reprise our roles as the jolly old couple at a special birthday party for Jesus held at the meeting place of our local fellowship. We had a room full of kiddos and they enjoyed themselves immensely. The folks who prepare and take care of doing the crafts, the stories, and the refreshments, well, they are to be commended. And, be sure the children all left knowing the true Reason for the Season. (It was His party!) After teaching my class I hurried to put on The Suit, as we call it. Looks simple enough. Right? Doing it the best way you can does take a little more effort than just jumping into it and going. It was hot. It usually is. In fact, last Saturday night at the teen lock in at the Church, while waiting on the kids to come back from an ice skating adventure, I dragged a chair out under the drive through porch area and sat there for a spell enjoying the cool air. It was low 30's with a brisk wind but it felt ever so wonderful to me. At the Jesus party we did photos for nearly an hour. Kiddos individually, family groups, and other odds and ends. I typically end up being tired but the children always make my day and they make doing this one of the most rewarding things I've ever done. The photo I chose for this paragraph was taken by the mom of sweet little Madeline. It's one of those that could be labeled: Simply Priceless!

I know I talk quite a bit about the Santa business. It is, after all, a unique aspect of my life's journey and one that tends to be on the front burner, especially at this time of year. Duh! I know. You didn't have to hear Here Comes Santa Claus to figure that one out. As for the Real Reason, our class is, as is our custom, rereading the Birth narrative in honor of our remembrance of His coming to dwell among His created human family. When you think about it, God inspired His chosen writers to record quite a lot of details so that we can know exactly how He brought His One and Only Son into our world. That alone should tell us it is important for us to study and know about these truths. I didn't say that we can understand the profoundly incomprehensible power of God on display in both Matthew and Luke's accounts, but, we can learn them, by faith embrace them, and respond by imitating what the wise men did when they came into the presence of the young Child, they fell down and they worshipped Him. Amen and Amen.    ....More later.

"VALERIS: You knew? ...I tried to tell you but you would not listen. SPOCK: Neither of us was hearing very well that night, Lieutenant. There were things I tried to tell you, about having faith." Movie Transcipt, Star Trek VI

I either hear bells ringing or I'm still a little disoriented from the weekend. The good news is that I am here and I bid you a seasonal happy hello on this Monday, December 9, 2013. Do you know how much it pays to be able to say you were right about something? Nada. Zilch. Zero. But, the truth is the truth, and I did send a letter 10 years ago to the Houston Chronicle before I cancelled my more than 20 year subscription telling them why I was quitting. That letter said if I wanted a left leaning liberal reporting of the news then I was well aware of how to subscribe to the New York Times. This change in perspective all happened when the paper changed hands. Back at that time the Chronicle was in the top 5 newspapers in the country. Today it's distribution count puts it at 22. The 4th largest city in America with a circulation tally of being 22nd. Why? There were then and are now still a large number of conservatives in the Houston metro-plex and surrounding areas, and obviously many of them did what I did, they cancelled. Sure. I know that most printed newspapers are in deep free fall. But, from top 5 to 22? I tried to tell them. I really did.

When I left the big company in 1993 I had given up trying to figure out a way to salute a flag that compromised everything I believed in as it relates to technology and its use in our enterprise. I tried to tell them. They adopted a throw out the baby with the bathwater approach and while it wasn't immediate, the end result saw the end of the careers of those who led that effort. Sadly, it was symptomatic of even larger issues that came to fruition, and, today the once proud company I poured my life into remains as only a brand instead of the multi-billion dollar corporation it was before. Sure. I'm glad that a super mega company bought out what was left including my pension. And, I feel blessed indeed when they send my check every month. But, I did try to tell them. I really did.

When I worked as a consultant for a wonderful company in the Chicago area I saw some really serious challenges developing for them. The founder of this huge enterprise died after only a few months of being diagnosed with liver cancer. His young son took over the company. I was essentially a nobody but because of my great respect for his dad I sent his son a letter describing some of the potential pitfalls associated with the directions he was taking. I'm no business guru. But, I was right. After only a few years, another proud company bit the dust. Literally. So much so, it has become a subject of required study in most business school's curriculum. You might think I wrote to them so that I could later be able to say I told you so. How about this? I really cared and I still do. I hurt for those in my old company that ended up losing much of the value of the stock set aside for retirement. I hurt for those in the company I consulted with for 18 months because many of them lost everything including their jobs at a time when finding another one was a grim prospect. And, some there that I worked with who were in key leadership positions are still being sued by various factions for their decisions, nearly 15 years later. I tried to tell them. I really did.

Now I'm going to try and tell you something: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths." (Proverbs 3:5-6) Take care and may God bless each one is my prayer. Amen.    ....More later.

Winter Mix defined: Wet and Cold! OR Cold and wet!

Our recent work at the private studio.

I suppose we can breathe a little easier because we did make it to Friday, and we find ourselves parked at the location on the calendar marked December 6, 2013. We have a little weather system that has descended upon our area. The best way to describe it is wet and cold. If you get out in it, that's what you end up being, wet and cold. I came up with that one all by myself. But, while it can be slightly uncomfortable, it does reflect many people's notion of what the song means when it says, 'It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas'. We continue to get new inquiries asking about our availability in the Santa Enterprise. Thus far it's all been word of mouth and we do appreciate those who recommend us to others, not that we can fill all the requests. We will never forget how that five years ago a young man in our local fellowship of believers took it upon himself to get us connected up with his management team at Chick-fil-A. The husband wife team are wonderful people and in addition to appearing at their restaurants each year, the lady happened to be President of the Junior League that year and that's how we got started at the big holiday market event, and it was there where we first worked with a great professional photographer and that's how we got started doing her studio each year. Several of our charity events have also led to paid events. We give a shout out to Brother Neil who is now managing one of those same restaurants in another city. See what you helped to get started.

Throughout his lifetime as an American illustrator and painter, Norman Rockwell had to endure a litany of so called art critics who thought his works to be too simplistic. Well, I wonder what they are thinking now? His beautiful painting entitled 'Saying Grace' recently set a record for an American painter at auction as it sold for $46 million. I have always enjoyed the huge volume of illustrations he produced in his lifetime of paintings that reflect upon real people in scenes that require an emotional response. I suppose the number one criticism is that he was too idealistic in his portrayals. I think we all can use some ideal sentiment that helps to soothe but also challenge us to do what we can to make our lives count. Saying Grace depicts a railway station restaurant with a woman and her grandson bowed in prayer at their table. It had a pre-sale estimate of  $15m to $20m. The previous record for a Rockwell painting was $15 million. Just so you know, I am glad his work is appreciated, and I do love this particular scene.

I actually do start out on some days with the intention of being less wordy. Brief. To the point. In a writing course I took once, the lady said I should remove every word in every sentence that is not absolutely necessary. Why would I want to do that? She must not have known that I get paid by the word. That's a joke. I am aware of the need to communicate in as few words as possible but I never said I was good at it. What's that you murmured? Do I have to prove it every single day? I suppose I do. Thanks for tuning in this week. We have a very busy schedule this weekend thanks to the Ho-Ho-Ho commitments. I have to remind myself occasionally that I signed up for this, and maybe I won't have visions of  those kicking triplets dancing in my head as I prepare for my next photo shoot. You do have yourself a wonderful Saturday and Lord's Day Sunday, and I will do my best to show back up, come Monday. May God bless each one! Amen.   ....More later.

“My concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right.” ― Abraham Lincoln

Thursday, December 5, 2013, is here and I do invite you in to visit for a while, so pull up a chair, and let's enjoy some Community Coffee, and solve a few of the world's problems. The fact that it is hard doesn't mean we can't give it a shot. Right? There's some really smart people in this world. It's kind of hard to see how a really smart person can be so forgetful. I'm talking about the chief legal counsel to the IRS. The Congress is still checking into the IRS to determine whether they targeted groups and individuals because of their political affiliation. The counsel, Mr. Wilkins, is known to be a very clever attorney. Yet, when asked specific questions about decisions made that deal with legal matters within the IRS, he answered "I don't recall.." more than 80 times. Whoa! Where I come from that would be a whole lot of don't recalling, if you know what I mean. No wonder they rarely ever get to the bottom of anything in Washington. Or, when it is all said and done, do they really want to would be a very good question. I'm picturing my mom holding a plum tree switch with tentacles going in all directions as she challenged me about some shady action on my part. I'll give it to you straight. I am 100% sure that me saying I don't recall would have only hastened the unpleasant outcome. Ouch!

Yes. You are right. There is reason to believe that selective amnesia just might be one of the factors in that little tidbit. And people wonder why we all get sick and tired of being sick and tired with the whole lot. But enough about that. How in the world are you doing today? What's that? You are able to put two on the floor and get up and go and because of that you feel blessed? Wow! That's not a bad way to look at a start to each day. I might even try that one myself. We have a number of folks that are in need of prayer due to facing a variety of challenges. Sometimes I am stirred from my sleep and find that I have a specific person on my mind. The thought I have goes like this: Could it be God? I then say a prayer for that person and go back to sleep. The Psalmist David had quite a lot to say about his communion with God during the night watches. That reminds me of the portion of the passage from the 121st Division of the Psalms that says this:

He will not allow your foot to be moved;
He who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, He who keeps Israel
Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

That's good to know in a world where we all are required to work without a net. Right? That can be a pretty shaky challenge at times so it is good to live in the knowledge that, as they say today, God always has our back. Knowing that to be true is a good thing. Having confidence in it is a source of courage and stability. But, living it is where the rubber meets the road. Some of the testimonies of folks facing horrific life threatening potentials indicate their belief that it was time for them to live out their faith in God, not based on their feelings, but rather, based on the certainty of His presence, promise, and provision. I'm reminded of some of the words of a song popular in Christian circles from a few years ago:

But it was in the night
Through the storms of my life
Oh, that's where God proved
His love to me

The anchor holds
Though the ship is battered
The anchor holds
Though the sails are torn

I have fallen on my knees
As I faced the raging seas
The anchor holds
In spite of the storm

That my friend is so true. May God help us to grasp the reality of His grip on us. Amen.      .....More later.

As two caterpillars were crawling along, a butterfly flew overhead. One turned to the other and said, "You'll never get me up in one of those things!"

Okay. It's Wednesday, December 4, 2013, and just when you thought you had seen and heard it all, you find out that you haven't. It seems that some folks who really take their environmentalism seriously are trying to do something about the real problems out there. People are actually killing trees, bringing them into their homes and putting lights on them. I thought the cartoon they used was cute but it really does show us how really warped things are getting. The people campaigning on this issue must not have checked to find out that over 75% of all live trees used for Christmas come off of farms where they are harvested just like any other crop. Maybe I could send them a note to make them feel better. We've been using our real looking but artificial tree for nearly 30 years and every time we think about replacing it, well, it just looks good enough to keep it. There's probably a group out there somewhere who are against the fibers that were used to make our tree too. Sometimes it's just hard to try and figure these things out.

The continuing saga of Washington spin is really enough to make one a little nauseous. It reminds me of when I was a kid and got on one of those rides at the fair that spun me around until I felt queasy. I don't know if you noticed but I did how the Administration about two weeks ago lost completely the trademark Obamacare and replaced it with the Affordable Care Act, ACA. Had this been done during the Bush presidency the press would have gone bonkers, but in this case it seemed reasonable since that is the actual name on the law itself. What a farce! During the election and up until it all went south they proudly waved the flag with Obamacare on it. One congressman said last week that it was sad that people are holding the President accountable for misunderstanding what he had intended to say. You know. The one where he told everyone about one hundred times that if you have insurance and like it, you can keep it. I could go on. I think I will. One more. They have now delayed the mandate requirement that will cause all kinds of pain to take effect just after the mid term elections next year. Coincidence? I report, you decide. I think you can appreciate why some Dramimine could come in handy as the spin keeps spinning.

I again acknowledge the fact that many people would rather turn all of this off. It can be depressing and even discouraging, but, at the same time, nothing about all of this is going away and bottom line: It is the world that we all must live and function in. That's why I pay attention to it and I think it only prudent that we all do. I am aware of the steady stream of criticism that says anyone against this attempt to provide universal government run healthcare is uncaring and hateful as it pertains to the poor and needy. That's the way the battle is being waged. Class warfare where anyone who opposes anything is called a hater or a racist. I do hope and pray that people will wake up and see that policies matter without regard to some of their intentions, and that you and I, the taxpayers who foot the bill, will have to live with the consequences. And, just for the record, one more time, I am not uncaring and I do not hate the poor or needy. However, I stand in opposition to the government take over of healthcare. I believe the right to oppose this on principle and on policy grounds should be respected but don't expect that from those pushing it. Just a little editorializing on a Wednesday. Have a great day and I'll try to calm down a little by tomorrow. Until then, may God bless each one. Amen.     .....More later.

"You can lead a man to Congress, but you can't make him think." ~ Milton Berle

Hello and welcome. It's Tuesday, December 3, 2013, and we are up and at 'em once again. Thanks for showing up here at the old blogger ranch where I attempt to share a little of this, that, or the other. I know. The emphasis on little is appropriate, not necessarily in the length of the sharing, but perhaps in the substance. I was reading some posted quotes about the Black Friday experience and folks can be amusing in their assessments. One opined how that on Thursday everyone is in a thankful mood and wish only the best for their fellow citizens. Friday, however, it becomes a better-not-get-in-my-way attitude where only the strongest get the goodies. One fellow said he muscled his way into the store and bought himself a new TV. It was, however, hard to feel good about it knowing that he hadn't paid his power bill. I suppose if they turn his power off the new TV may not be that good of a deal. It obviously takes all kinds and we all know that many of them choose to be out and about on that particular day.

The people who do the selling forecasts are about as wishy-washy as the weather prognosticators. The news was blaring during Thanksgiving, the Friday after, and over the weekend about how brilliant it was for the stores to open Thursday because of the great sales numbers that were accomplished. But, alas, there has to be a Monday when all the tallies are checked and rechecked and it appears the actual spending is down nearly 3% compared to last year, subject I'm sure to even more reworking as we move forward. Just 3%. That doesn't sound like much. When you are talking billions with a 'b', it doesn't take long before you are talking the difference between success and failure. Meanwhile, the government run healthcare website has been worked on around the clock and it is now better than it was before. How much better seems to be in the eye of the beholder or the one trying to use it. The Administration is touting it as working now essentially how it should have all along. There does not seem to be much in the way of independent confirmation of that pronouncement, but, we've learned over the years we can trust our government. Right? .......My thoughts exactly.

I suppose this might be a positive thing as they tell us there was more shopper foot traffic this year. You know. More warm bodies. More folks out and about, just not in a mood to spend money. Most likely it was the lack of funds driving the mood. Yesterday I heard a fellow call in on a radio show that said he was barely making ends meet but he doesn't qualify for subsidies under the new healthcare law. He can't afford the insurance he is being forced to purchase but he also can't afford the penalty that will be imposed on those who fail to get coverage. He sounded very stressed out about this dilemma. That's a pretty sad testimony if you ask me, and, my guess is there's literally millions in the same boat. I did read, however, that based on new comparisons The Congress will continue to enjoy much better healthcare than the rest of us. I know that's a big surprise, but after all is said and done, they voted to do it that way because they are special, and I guess that means we aren't. Or something to that affect. Sounds sarcastic? Sometimes the truth has a way of making noises like that. Take care and we will journey on. May God bless each one. Amen.   ....More later.

"I have always thought of Christmas as a good time; a kind, forgiving, generous, pleasant time; a time when men and women seem to open their hearts freely, and so I say, God bless Christmas!" ~ Charles Dickens

Good morning Monday. I can't say that I was prepared to greet you but you came anyway. And, here we go again, I checked and it's already December 2, 2013. Can you believe it? We continue to be so very thankful for our time with family during the Thanksgiving holidays. We did hear reports of entire families who were suffering some type of gastrointestinal bug and that pretty much did away with their big family gatherings. That situation along with some traveling back from out of town made our Church attendance very spotty yesterday. But, we pray for a quick recovery for those ailing and for everyone to be able to be in their place as they start this brand new work week. We anticipated a great meal and the wife did not disappoint. That food was so special. We could hardly stop eating it. However, by Saturday, well, it was, as they say, time to move on. I had eaten enough dressing to last me for a while so to speak. Funny how that works. There's probably a lesson in there somewhere.

I didn't venture out for any Black sales events. The wife and her entourage spent about ten hours mixing it up at the mall and other venues. There were some excellent football games on and I along with my nephew and his son watched several of them. We also caught some of the shenanigans going on out in the shopping wars. They showed them on the local news. People pushing and shoving and some even getting into an old fashioned wrestling match right out in the middle of the store. There were also the regular stuff about armed robberies and home invasions. This caused my nephew's son to remark that he now understood why we always keep our doors locked. They live out in the country and I can remember living in a world like that where these types of things seemed to be so very far away.

The wife and I did a Santa appearance for six hours on Saturday. I actually experienced a first for me at that event. Triplets. Now I've done plenty of triplets but these two girls and one boy were fit to be tied from the get go. They were 18 months old and strong as all get out. I've held a kicking bronco kid more than once. I've had to strong arm two at a time. But this was my first time to try and keep control of three kicking screamers at the same time. I always try to hang on in a way that will not hurt a child but trying to do that with three was about as challenging as it comes. Then people wonder how Santa can be so worn out after just sitting in a chair all day. Fortunately, the professional photographer lady we work with has photo correction tools that can take a pose of them by themselves and then put me in the picture with them. She actually had me pose for several shots that will be used for that purpose. That will make the grandparents happy when they get their greeting card but make sure they don't ask me what I thought about the situation. Just joking. Have a good rest of the day and may God continue to bless is my prayer. Amen.  ...More later.