Waiting...

It's almost here. Norad is tracking. People are traveling. Families are gathering.

My Christmas wish for all of us is that we can awaken tomorrow morning and unwrap a different gift. A gift of eyes to see and ears to listen. May we all step away from our presents and the food, and consider the true meaning of the day. We were given a gift approximately two thousand years ago. We were given the gift of forgiveness. We were given an opportunity to live into a new kingdom. A place where scarcity, fear, injustice and oppression are no longer. We are all capable of living into that dream, but it will take all of us to get there. And it will make that pie taste that much sweeter.

My wish for each of us is that we can pass that gift on to another - pay it forward - and perhaps we can begin to live into the promise of God's kingdom that is meant for every one of us.

Merry Christmas.

Chief Mudflap

Control

As we move into full-speed on the holiday juggernaut, it seems like things are a little out of step. Instead of looking forward to the big day, many of us are looking over our shoulder, wondering if the furlough or layoff is coming. For those who have jobs, they are doing the work of three, picking up the slack for those co-workers already gone. I see the stress of all of this coming out in those around me, as shorter tempers or fatigue or just plain withdrawal.

All of this makes me wonder about the concept of control. Did we ever have it? Were we fooling ourselves by thinking we could really affect the outcome of this life?

For me, I've simply come to the conclusion that control is relative. I can choose to get out of bed, and to put on a happy face and to try to brighten my little corner of the world. After that, it's only God's guess as to what the future holds.

I can live with that.