Silent Night?

Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child
Holy Infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace

Silent night, holy night!
Shepherds quake at the sight
Glories stream from heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!
Christ, the Saviour is born
Christ, the Saviour is born

Silent night, holy night
Son of God, love's pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth

This by far is my favorite Christmas song. However, I do have an issue with it. I don't believe it was a silent night. I believe the angel's were having a party. Not some office party where everyone stands around with a cocktail chatting quietly, but a loud rock and roll party where there was true celebration. A celebration like none other.

Hope and salvation had arrived in a small package. This calls for a party that wasn't quiet, wasn't subdued, wasn't held under close wraps, or a party that was silent. This called for a party of a raucous nature, a party that will continue to the end of time, a party not to be forgotten, a party to be heard. I would love to hear what the shepherds heard, the singing, the joy, the shouting, the celebration. On earth it may have been silent, calm, quiet, and subdued. But in heaven, in our future home, it was a party and a loud one I'm sure.

Yet, beside that little tidbit of dissension, it is my favorite. Of all the Christmas songs and carols it is the one I long to hear.

Meteorologist Schmeteorologist

So this morning I woke up to clear streets and an easy drive to work. Suprise, suprise. (See previous entry)

Last night the tube was full of news about todays pending Armegeddon on the roads. Stay home they all said. Hooey. As we have all so often experienced the news media got the weather all wrong. Who is in control? It is another one of God's ways of saying "you think you have it all figured out don't you... well guess what..."

I contest the best weather report comes by looking out your window.

Snow

Snow today.

Well, snow and ice to be precise. I was on my way to a Christmas party and it started to snow. How perfect is that.

Portland doesn't deal well with inclimate weather. As it stands now the tv channels are scrolling closures across the bottom of the screen touting winter storm warnings and the like.

Work is in question tomorrow, well at least my physical presence. I can log in from home and work but we'll see. Maybe I'll chain up and brave the others on the road, only time will tell.

Brian Time

Every other year we go to Illinois to visit my in-laws for Christmas. This is one of those years.

This year my wife and kids went a week earlier than me which gives me a week to goof off. I still have to work but the rest of the time is "Brian Time".

"Brian Time" consists of sleeping in, eating what I want, listening to music at full volume, and watching movies. Nice. Like now for instance I have Demon Hunter's "The Triptych" playing (Mom, don't look them up... just know that to you it is just noise). It is one of my guilty pleasure bands that most would think I'm too old for.

This year I planned ahead and stopped renting every movie once it came out. In essence, I stocked up. Last night was "The Fantastic Four" and "The Dukes of Hazzard". Both as good or as bad as you would guess. I'm not reviewing them at this time. Tonight is "The Island" and "Mr. & Mrs. Smith". Let's just say I hope both are better than the former two. I have more hopes on Branjolina.

Speaking of Branjolina... I can't stand that I just uses that nomenclature. It is the new media fad to combine the names of celebs when they are together. Imagine the media in the fifties putting names together... Frava, Natbert, Richabeth.

Later. Lasagna is almost ready.

Ever Feel Like This?

There's a burning in my heart everyday
I come to you, I look to you and say
When will I become everything that you've intended me to be
I'm beating at my chest everyday
I run to you, I come to you and say
When will I become everything that you've intended me to be
I am so tired, I am so beaten
From walking down the road of shattered dreams
I am so lonely I am so broken
Won't you come, won't you rescure me
I am so tired, I am so tired, I am so tired, I am so tired
[I'll be the light inside of you and won't let go of you]
Come rescure me, won't you come, won't you come
I'm calling out your name

~ This Could Be The Song That Will Change Your Heart - Kids in the Way

I do.

"Nature Should Listen To Us"

Will Ferrell as GW Bush.

Funny.

Enjoy.

Lexus Driving Pastor

Have you seen TBN (the "Christian" TV channel) lately. If not, God has blessed you. If so, you will know this guy - Joel Osteen, or as I like to call him Mr. Feelgood Preacher Man. Always happy, always smiling, always talking about the blessings in life and his lovely wife Victoria, always talking about a better life, always talking about anything that is not Jesus.

Do you want to know more? Check out his website, and then check out this one.

Thanks again to my friend Sarah we have an entry from the Wittenburg Door on our feel good friend.

. . . Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. ~ Matthew 7:15

More to come later on our new friend.

On a serious note: please be in prayer for him and his congregation. As we should the Church in whole around the world.

A Simple Box

Since we will not be in town for Christmas, my folks gave my kids their Christmas gifts early. They are great gifts that my kids will have fun with and treasure for time to come.

With those gifts came a reminder of days long ago.

The gift my son received came in a big box. A box big enough for the kids to climb into. It has been fun to watch the innocence of loving the box. Sometimes as adults we forget the pleasures of simple things. Kids, however, find joy and excitement in things like boxes. The box will quickly be destroyed in the play and creativity of my kids but until it is a shredded pile of brown corregated wood waste it will be loved. Once it is destroyed it will be missed.

During their visit my dad reminded me of the box forts that my siblings and I had as kids. Complicated structures built from appliance boxes filled with stories and wonder. We would play in the boxes for lengths at a time. The boxes became castles, ships, submarines, homes, forts, and whatever else the imagination of a child willed it to be. When there were no boxes we had blankets, blankets that made great forts. Tuck a blanket into the drawer of a desk and let it drape to the floor and instantly it becomes the cave of a great monster or the hideout of some robbers. Simple things to amuse a childs imagination, simple things now taken for granted.

Do you have a child you can't think of a Christmas gift for? How about heading to your local appliance store and collecting the biggest, coolest, most treasured of childhood toys; a box.

I long to love the box again.

I pray for a simpler life.

A Father's Pride

Yesterday my daughter Brianna, who is eight, had her first singing solo on stage in front of the church. She was nervous and I was nervous for her. She was doing something I'd never have the courage to do at her age. Singing in front of people, let alone speaking, would have made me nervous to the point of passing out.

The group she is a part of, Joyful Noise, did a musical called "Christmas in Reverse". It was very cute. She had the first solo in the first song. As she approached the microphone I could see her nervousness. Her eyes were darting from right to left, she wasn't sure what to do with her hands, and she stood with anticipation of her big moment. When the moment came, and my stomach was as tight as it could get, she belted out her part without missing a word or a beat. She did awesome. I was very proud of her. This was a gift she must have got from her mother.

I hated that I was even nervous for her. I would hate to see her fail, or not do well, because I know how she would feel yet the fact that she was up on stage, willing to put herself in front of the audience, made me feel a great sense of pride in her. Success or failure I was there for her. I love her too much not to be. Us parents are like that.

I believe that God is the same way with us without the nervousness. I believe that He holds a great sense of pride for His children. He looks at us and smiles. Success or failure He is with us, holding us, comforting us, taking in our performance on the stage of life.

The Boy's First Ride

Just having a little Photoshop fun with my son.

For the worried grandparents in the audience - the bike was safely parked in my garage. My four year old didn't really ride the motorcycle. :-)

Band Plug

Besides the great stories, insight, and inspiration Donald Miller provides in his writing he also introduces us to a great band - The Robbie Seay Band.

Please check them out, you won't be sorry.

Creation Blog

Here is a funny and creative (no pun intended) take on blogging.

PS: Thanks Sarah.

Snow or No Snow

It must be a slow news period around the Northwest. For the past week we have been under a "Winter Storm Watch". With predictions of inches of snow on the valley floor that will result in school closures and days off of work the news media has got our area in a frenzy.

So far no snow.

Very disappointing yet predictable. Anytime the temperature drops to near freezing the media frenzy starts. It reminds me of living in Southern California and enduring the news channels "Storm Watches". It is what we in the Northwest call that rain.

This just proves that the weatherman is as good as looking out your window to see what the weather is like. That's what I do. It is one thing that I have learned over the years; Metorology is as good as palm reading... not so acurate

The Season

When I was a kid I looked forward to the Christmas season. I loved the decorations, songs, lights, the anticipation, and the story. I looked forward to the mysterious packages under the tree and the temptation to guess what was inside. I looked forward to Christmas Eve and the feast that accompanied that day as part of our family tradition. I looked forward to going to church and singing Christmas Carols. Images of the baby Jesus lying in a manger as his proud parents looked over him.

That was then.

This is now.

Maybe it's my age. I don't know.

It has been said before and I'll say it again. This is a time to celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus not a time to celebrate capitalism.

It's not that I don't like giving or receiving gifts as part of the celebration or Santa Claus or snow and reindeer. I like to shop and buy and think of creative gifts for my loved ones as much as the next guy. But I don't want to do it starting in October. For some they get a sense of pride saying that they have their Christmas shopping done before Halloween. I say "who cares?".

It really hit me this year when I ran to the mall the day after Halloween and JC Penney's already had out their Christmas decorations. This set me on the path of darkness. I love Christmas, I love the season, but when it confronts me head on two months early I get weary.

I have a rule: No Christmas decorations, songs, cards, etc. until after Thanksgiving.

Sorry to rant, I had to get it off my chest. But we as a nation have lost the baby Jesus under a pile of ribbon and wrap. He is somewhere behind Santa and his little elfs, and rudolph and the snowman, and Clark Griswold and Ralphie and his Red Rider bb gun. Don't get me wrong I love those movies, but in reality they don't portray the true meaning of Christmas.

Christ's birth is no small matter. It should be celebrated with a big party. This birth was looked forward to, prophesied about, anticipated, and celebrated by those fortunate enough to be present and alert. Now it is hidden and forgotten. America's desire to boost our economy by promoting the holiday's gift giving aspect of the holiday has shadowed Christmas' true meaning.

All I'm saying is what also has been said a million times, put on bumper stickers, church signs, billboards, and sky writing; put Christ back in Christmas.

There I'm done.

Well sort of. My brother sent me this link. And I'll end with this addition to your Christmas cheer. Clark Griswold eat your heart out.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

Life Experiences

Five years ago I came to believe in Christ’s teaching, and my life suddenly changed; I ceased to desire what I had previously desired, and began to desire what I formerly did not want. What had previously seemed to me good seemed evil, and what had seemed evil seemed good. It happened to me as it happens to a man who goes out on some business and on the way suddenly decides that the business is unnecessary and returns home. All that was on his right is now on his left, and all that was on his left is now on his right; his former wish to get as far as possible from home has changed into a wish to be as near as possible to it. The direction of my life and my desires became different and good and evil changed places…

I, like that thief on the cross, have believed Christ’s teaching and been saved. And this is no far-fetched comparison, but the closest expression of the condition of spiritual despair and horror at the problem of life and death in which I lived formerly, and of the condition of peace and happiness in which I am now. I, like the thief, knew that I had lived and was living badly… I, like the thief, knew that I was unhappy and suffering… I, like the thief to the cross, was nailed by some force to that life of suffering and evil. And as, after the meaningless sufferings and evils of life, the thief awaited the terrible darkness of death, so did I await the same thing.

In all this I was exactly like the thief, but the difference was that the thief was already dying, while I was still living. The thief might believe that his salvation lay there beyond the grave, but I could not be satisfied with that, because besides a life beyond the grave life still awaited me here. But I did not understand that life. It seemed to me terrible. And suddenly I heard the words of Christ and understood them, and life and death ceased to seem to me evil, and instead of despair I experienced happiness and the joy of life undisturbed by death.

- Leo Tolstoy

Tolstoy, Leo, What I Believe, Introduction,
trans. Aylmenr Maude, in A Diary of Readings, ed. John Baillie (New York: Collier Books, 1955), 38.

I love to read things like this.

I firmly believe that Christians learn as much about their faith through the experiences of others as they do their own experiences.

The Bible is full of the life experiences of others for this very reason. We can look at the lives of those that lived before us and learn from their examples, their successes and failures, their experiences, etc. Job can teach us about immense faith and patience, David about success and failure and passion, Jesus about love and compassion, Noah and Moses about determination and perserverance, the twelve about following in faith, and on and on.

What story is God writing with my life?

Guilty Pleasure Reading

One of my favorite guilty pleasure readings are books by author Vince Flynn. I just finished his lastest installment of his Mitch Rapp series, "Consent to Kill", and loved it. Fast paced, action packed, with flecks of human emotion thrown in to make a quick read. Mr. Flynn has mastered the solo hero in Mitch Rapp. Don't skip ahead, start at the beginning. Start at "Term Limits" and move forward.

I am waiting for a movie series to be started. Thus far I've not pinned down my favorite pick for the lead actor but I'm working on it. Hopefully it won't be the lame brains who picked Morgan Freeman to play James Patterson's lead character Alex Cross.

Giving Thanks

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good and his love
edures forever;
his faithfulness continues through
all generations.

~ Psalm 100 (NIV)

A reminder of where my thanks is to be given.

He has been so good to me.

No Work Today

Taking a day off to head up to my sister's house in Washington. It is a dual visit... one to spend some time with her family while they are close (they are a military family which moves every three years) and the other to hit Ikea. I have planned my son's room for a long time, now it is time to get it done.

Entries have been few lately. I will do my best to catch up. There are things going on, to many things, thus time to write has been short.

More to come.

Got to hit the road.

Calvin & Hobbes Redux

Read this.

See my post on 9/25/05.

The Needs Game

Occasionally I run across "blog games" that are kind of fun. This is one of those.

Google "[your name] needs" and post the first 10 or so results... (make sure you include the quotation marks)

My name came up with the following:

1. ...we haven't met Brian's needs yet.
2. Brian needs food, badly
3. Brian needs to communicate more effectively and stop being negative.
4. Brian needs assistance
5. Brian needs to learn to paint darker.
6. Brian needs to adjust his tin foil hat - (this is my personal favorite)
7. Brian-Needs-the-Money movie
8. Brian needs a fix
9. Brian needs to combine two or more site links
10. Brian needs your help!!!
11. Brian needs to take care
12. ... Brian's needs and figure out what exactly is his learning disability.
13. Brian needs both money and a job.
14. Your brian needs upgrade - (obvious mispelling of brain)
15. Brian needs to do a Gospel CD

Try yours...