What gets you in the Christmas spirit?

There are certain things that just fell like Christmastime to me. One is going to look at Christmas lights. Last night me, Sherry and the girls loaded up and rode through Greer checking out the light displays. The main thing we are looking for on those trips is excess. When it comes to Christmas lights you can never have too much as far as I'm concerned. The closer the house comes to looking like Clark Griswold decorated it the better. Last night we found a great display in Greer right off of Hwy 101 near Victor Baptist Church. If you live in town here you should check it out.

Another thing that feels like Christmas to me is eating lunch at the Beacon Drive-In. I know that's not a normal Christmas tradition but, I've been eating lunch the week of Christmas at the Beacon for about 14 years now. I just got back about an hour ago from eating a plenty plate, and now I'm remembering why I only eat there once a year. It's a great way to get my digestive tract greased up and ready for all the food I'll eat this Wednesday night and Thursday at lunch.

Those are two of my traditions that get me feeling all Christmasy. What are yours? Leave a comment, and let me know.

By the way for all of you out there who were complaining that the warm weather we had last week didn't feel enough like Christmas, I hope you're happy today. The single digit wind chill would have Santa himself running for cover.

Merry Christmas Gran & Grandbob!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

A reminder of what matters

I was cleaning out my e-mail inbox today when I ran across this article someone sent me. It is written by Matt Chandler, a great bible teacher and pastor from Dallas, TX. This was something I needed today, maybe you need it as well.

Merry Christmas from an 80's guitar legend

If you grew up watching MTV in the 80's like I did, you might remember this bit of Christmas fun. Hope you enjoy it!

What will your gift be?

Every year at this time I am always sure to add Luke 1-2 and Matthew 1-2 to my reading list. I know that it's good to read those passages of scripture anytime of year, but reading them regularly during the Christmas season helps me remember what all the fuss is really about.

This Sunday we will focus on the wise men and the fact that they brought gifts to Jesus. Of course that is where the tradition of giving gifts at Christmas got it's start. Funny how we spend lots of time and lots and lots of money on gifts for everyone else but Jesus. It is His birthday we are celebrating after all. Part of the problem is that a gift to Jesus can't be bough at Wal-Mart or ordered on-line, so we struggle to know what to get Him.

During worship this week I will challenge you to answer the question, "What will my gift to Jesus be?" Go ahead and read Matthew 1-2 to get prepared.

Truth is stranger than fiction

The story below goes in the "It's a Sorry World" file.

If you are not easily offended you can read the story here.

I wonder how someone begins that type of hobby. Tim Wilson was right, it is a sorry world indeed.

Santa in need of a bailout

It's no secret that the economy in our country could be better. Financial institutions as well as auto manufacturers are being bailed out by the federal government to the tune of billions of tax payer's dollars. The airlines are threatening bankruptcy, and unemployment is higher than it's been in years. All of this is hard to handle, but today comes economic news that is more shocking than anything that has happened yet.

Reports from the North Pole tell us that the economic situation for Santa's operation is in serious trouble. It seems that Santa has been operating for years under a misguided business model where he produces billions of dollars of products every year and never receives any payment. An official spokeself for Santa, Papa elf, explains the situation: "We just can't continue to give everything away. I've been trying to convince the boss for years that something has to change, I mean, who can run a business when the only revenue you bring in is milk and cookies?"

When asked what the possible solutions are Papa elf responded, "The way we figure it, we have three choices, we can begin charging kids for big ticket items like video game consoles, bikes, ponies etc. or we can breed more reindeer and get into the ranching business selling items like reindeer skin jackets and reindeer jerky, or we can ask Congress for a $750 billion bailout." Sources close to the situation indicate that Santa will not consider charging kids for toys under any circumstances, and he is afraid of the reaction of environmental groups like PETA and the Sierra Club if he begins with the reindeer projects. It looks as if a bailout of Santa is the only option left.

Wall Street has reacted strongly to the news of Santa's possible economic failure. This morning the Dow is down 700 points and the NASDAQ has dropped 275 points. Reports from Washington are that Henry Paulson has already boarded a private jet and is on his way to meet with Santa and his representatives to try and hammer out a deal to save Christmas.

When notified of the situation, President-elect Obama issued the following statement, "I have always supported Santa and when I take office I will continue to support Santa. It's important in these difficult times that all of us, human, elf, reindeer, grinch, and snowman, come together to work out the best economic solution."

Keep watching CNN (the Christmas News Network) for further updates.

Dreaming of a White Christmas?

I'm a warm weather person. During the winter I often go on the Weather Channel website and check what the temperature is in places like Florida, San Diego, and Puerto Rico. I know there are lots of you who love the cold weather, and the ultimate dream is to have snow on Christmas day. What are the chances of that happening? Here's a linc to a map that will tell you the probability of experiencing a white Christmas this year.
By the way, if you live in SC and want the white stuff this Christmas you should be making plans to travel!

As you continue to prep for the big day, try and enjoy the moment without letting all the busyness get you down. Take time to remember why this time of year is special!

How big is your heart?

For the next two Sunday's the messages will be focusing on the size of our hearts. Christmas is the time of year when our hearts seem to grow larger with a desire to help others, but what about the size of our hearts the rest of the year? There are tons of verses of scripture that discuss our hearts. We will look at them for the next two weeks and try to determine together what God thinks our hearts should look like.

Go ahead and read the following verses before you arrive at Greer High School to worship this Sunday:

Proverbs 4:23, 14:10, 17:3, 27:19
Psalm 44:20-21

I'm looking forward to seeing you there!

Messages now available online

Many of you already know this, but I still get questions regularly about how you can get copies of the messages that are preached every Sunday at Freedom. Thanks to Ted Roberts you can listen to the message from our website, or download it for free from itunes onto your ipod.

Our website address is: www.freedomfellowshipsc.com

On the website, simply click on the "multimedia" tab then select "audio" or "podcast" to begin listening to or downloading the message.

If you go to the itunes store you can download the message there as well. You can type "the podcast of Freedom Fellowship" into the search bar, and you will see our logo in the search results.

Also, once you have downloaded the messages onto your computer please feel free to share them with anyone you'd like. You do not need permission to burn copies onto CD's and give them to your friends. In fact that would be great.

Feeling much better today, thank you

I'm still recovering from a stomach bug that woke me up at 2 a.m. Sunday night in a most unpleasant manner. Needless to say, I didn't make it to work yesterday. I'll spare you the details, but will let you know that according to our bathroom scale I lost five pounds yesterday. I hope you will enjoy this silly video I found in lieu of an actual post of any meaning or consequence whatsoever.