December 31, 2013 at 10:10PM

See you all sometime next year, or at least chat with ya. Justin Taylor

December 25, 2013 at 03:49PM

Christmas, arguably, is the most important holiday of the year, at least according to children. Christians celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday that denotes the birth of Christ. Merchants celebrate Christmas as the busiest shopping season of the year. In most public places, an evergreen tree is set up and decorated with bright ornaments and lights. Christmas trees are common in many homes. Small towns and big cities put up "holiday" decorations. It's become a bit politically incorrect to call the decorations "Christmas decorations," since only Christians celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday. We have Christmas traditions. These traditions vary from region to region, and even from family to family. Traditionally, Christmas is a day when families gather to share an enormous meal of traditional foods. But families are scattered in today's modern and mobile world, so often at least part of Christmas Day is spent in crowded airline terminals. On Christmas Eve, wide-eyed children are sent to bed with the promise that if they've been "good" all year, Santa Claus will come in the night and leave gifts beneath the Christmas tree and/or in stockings that have been hung by a chimney. The Christmas season is a season of goodwill. People are moved to be more generous with those who are less fortunate. Soup kitchens appear. The homeless and the poor are fed wonderful meals. Food banks have drives and collect food for the poor. Churches and civic organizations "adopt" poor children and provide them with gifts and their families with food. "It's too bad that the goodwill generated by the Christmas season doesn't last all year." We all say that every year. And it IS too bad. If the generosity and the goodwill of Christmas lasted all year, the world would be a better place for all of us to live. Today, "Father Christmas" and "Santa Claus" are one and the same; but historically, they are actually two different figures. The historic figure of Father Christmas began somewhere around the 17th century. The figure actually emerged as a resistance to the Puritan criticism of the traditional Christmas feast. Those who objected to the criticism of the traditional Christmas feast and saw it as a good "old-fashioned" Christian celebration created the figure of Father Christmas to give a voice to their protest. The earliest appearance in literature of Father Christmas was around the year 1616, in Ben Johnson's "Christmas his Masque." Father Christmas again appears in Thomas Nabbes's "The Springs Glorie" in 1638. Over the next couple of centuries, Father Christmas appears again and again under different names: Sir Christmas, Lord Christmas, and Old Father Christmas. Traditionally, Father Christmas did not bring gifts. He was simply a symbol of the Christmas season. Santa Claus was actually a byproduct of the mixing of cultures, ideas, and beliefs of various ethnic groups in America. He's a combination of St. Nicholas, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle, and others. He's a benevolent, gift-giving, jolly soul who loves children everywhere and magically brings the things they want to make their dreams come true. America is truly a melting pot. More languages are spoken and more religions are practiced in America than anywhere else on earth. Cultures merge, and the result is an improvement of all of the individual cultures. Father Christmas is magical. Father Christmas or Santa Claus or Saint Nick (whatever you want to call him), although not a flesh-and-blood human being, is nevertheless real. He is the symbol of all of the good that resides in the hearts of humans. Saint Nicholas Day is celebrated by Catholic and Orthodox Christians on December 6. The proper name for Saint Nicholas is Nicholas of Myra. Nicholas of Myra lived in what today is known as Turkey. Saint Nicholas is also referred to as Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker because of all of the miracles that he is said to have performed. Saint Nicholas was known for his generosity. He loved to put pennies in the shoes of those who left them out for him to find. Saint Nicholas is today usually referred to as Santa Claus. Nicholas was never canonized by the Catholic Church. His reputation evolved. Saint Nicholas is also referred to as Saint Nicholas of Bari because in 1087 the relics associated with him were secretly transferred to Bari. Sailors especially revere Saint Nicholas. He's known as the patron saint of sailors, and it is believed that Saint Nicholas can prevent sailors from drowning and being shipwrecked. Legend has it that as a young man, Saint Nicholas went to study in Alexandria. On the voyage, he saved a sailor who had fallen from the ship's rigging during a storm from drowning. A more colorful legend says that after Nicholas had saved the sailor from drowning, he (Nicholas) took the sailor to church with him. While Nicholas was praying, the sailor went around the church describing in great detail how Nicholas had saved him. Since the church elders were waiting for a "sign" to show them who their next bishop would be, they had no choice but to appoint Nicholas. Still another legend says that an evil butcher lured three young boys away from their families, killed them, and preserved their remains in barrels to be sold as ham to starving villagers. Nicholas saw through the scheme and resurrected the three boys by praying. The world has become a small place. We all know people of many different ethnic backgrounds. Because the world is a small place, it's important that we know about different winter holidays that are celebrated by people of different ethnicities and different religious faiths. Bodhi Day is a Japanese winter holiday that is celebrated the day that the historic figure Buddha experienced "enlightenment." Bodhi Day is usually celebrated on December 8. According to tradition, Siddhartha (who was the teacher from ancient India and founder of Buddhism) had just forsaken years of extreme ascetic practices and decided to sit under a Pipul tree. He decided to simply meditate until he found the root of suffering, and how to liberate himself and others from it. There are many variations about what actually happened to Siddhartha. Some say that he made a vow to nirvana and Earth that he would find the root of suffering. Others say that while he was meditating he was sorely tempted by the Hindu god Mara. Still others say that he simply meditated entering deeper and deeper levels and finally confronted the very nature of self. All of the variations do agree that as the sun rose in the east, in the early morning, Siddhartha finally found the answers he sought, became enlightened, and experienced Nirvana. Bodhi Day is a religious holiday. It is widely celebrated also as Vesak during the fifth or sixth lunar month. In Zen, it is also known as Rohatsu. "Rohatsu" quite literally translates as the 8th Day of the 12th Month. It is most usual for Zen monks and laymen followers to stay up all night before Rohatsu meditating. Bodhi Day, like many Buddhist holidays, is a reminder to Buddhists that with the right effort and understanding, any person can become "enlightened." Advent is not so much a holiday as it is a season of some Christian faiths. The word "advent" comes from Latin and roughly translates to "coming." Advent is a period of time that lasts about four weeks. It begins somewhere around December 1 and lasts until Christmas. Advent is a period of time in which members of some Christian faiths wait for the second coming of Christ while preparing to celebrate the first coming. A similar celebration in Eastern countries is called Nativity Fast. Advent and Nativity Fast last different lengths of time, but the celebration is similar. According to some church calendars, Advent begins on December 1 each year. According to others, it begins on the fourth Sunday before December 25. So Advent can begin anywhere between November 27 and December 3. Some Christians believe that the Advent season's purpose is to serve as a reminder of the original suffering and waiting that was done by the Hebrews for the birth of their Messiah and the waiting that Christians today suffer as they wait for the second coming of Christ. Christian churches denote the Advent season by the use of a darker purple color in the vestments of their pastors and priests as well as wall hangings around the church. The third Sunday of Advent is called Gaudete Sunday. The word "gaudete" is a Latin word that is very roughly translated as "rejoice." The tone of the Christian churches becomes lighter and more hopeful, and the color pink is often added to vestments and wall hangings to denote hope. During the fourth century, Advent was a period of fasting. It began as most fasting periods begin, with a feast. Most all churches have relaxed the 40-day fasting associated with Advent now. There's a Hindu celebration called Navatri. Navatri translates literally as "9 nights" in Sanskirt, and that's how long the Navatri celebration lasts. There are 9 nights and 10 days during which nine forms of the female divinity Shakti/Devi are worshipped. The "Divine Mother" is worshipped in her nine different forms on each of the nine nights, and the tenth day is the culmination of the celebration. Navratri begins on the first day of the bright fortnight of the lunar month of Ashwin. The actual date that the Navratri begins varies, and it is determined by the lunar calendar, but it is roughly at the beginning of October. Different regions of India celebrate Navratri in different ways. In northern India, Navratri is celebrated by fasting on all nine days and worshipping the Mother Goddess in her different forms. In eastern India, the last four days of Sharad Navratri take on a particularly dramatic form. Beautiful handmade and decorated lifesize clay idols of the Goddess Durga showing her slaying the demon, Mahisasura, are erected in temples. The clay idols are worshipped for five days and thrown into the river on the fifth day. Navrati is divided into three sets of three days each. During the first three days, Durga (the invincible) is prayed to asking that impurities be destroyed. During the second three-day period, the "Mother" is worshipped and praised for giving spiritual wealth. During the final three-day period, the goddess of wisdom, Saraswati, is worshipped and thanked for supplying wisdom. Navrati is a Hindu religious observance that is considered the most sacred of all Hindu religious celebrations. Every home is expected to have a pot that represents the universe and a lit lamp that is the medium through which Navrati is worshipped. Diwali is the Festival of Lights. It's a Hindu holiday that celebrates the victory of good over evil. Diwali is a five-day festival that includes ceremonies, fireworks, and sweets. Hindu women dress up in fancy costumes and decorate their hands with henna tattoos for the fairs. Diwali celebrations begin about November 15, on the "new moon day of the month of Kartika." Diwali lasts either five or six days. There are many different myths associated with Diwali. One such myth celebrates the return of Lord Rama after a 14-year exile and his defeat of the demon Ravana. In this myth, the people of the capital of his kingdom (Ayodhya) welcomed Rama by lighting rows of lamps. Diwali literally translates as "row of lamps." Diwali is a significant Hindu holiday that celebrates the victory of good over evil and the lifting of spiritual darkness. Diwali is more popularly known as "the festival of lights," but the Hindu spiritual meaning is "the awareness of the inner light." The world is becoming a smaller place, and people from all countries are spreading out throughout the world. They take their customs and celebrations with them wherever they go. The United Kingdom, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Suriname, Canada, Guyana, Kenya, Mauritius, Fiji, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Singapore, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Australia, much of Africa, and the United States are all countries where Diwali is celebrated. As Indians and Sri Lankans migrate to other parts of the world, Diwali migrates with them. In some countries, the Diwali celebration is contained almost entirely within the Indian community; in other places, Diwali has been incorporated into the general population, and people other than Hindus celebrate the victory of good over evil. The number 8 has special meaning in the Jewish faith. Eight represents supremacy, and the Jewish people's unique and very special role in history. Creation took only seven days. The universe and the planets were created in seven days, so since eight is one step higher it represents the Infinite. Hanukkah is a Jewish celebration that lasts eight days. It begins anytime between late November and late December. The purpose of the Hanukkah celebration is to commemorate the miracle of the oil after the desecration of the Temple by Antiochus IV Epiphanes, and also his defeat in 165 BCE. After driving the Syrians out of the Temple of Jerusalem, the Maccabees found only enough oil to keep the "Eternal Light" burning for only one day. A miracle occurred, and the oil lasted for eight days. Jewish families celebrate Hanukkah. They use a candelabra called a menorah that consists of nine candles. The tallest candle in the center is lit first, and then it is used to light each of the remaining candles — one on each of the eight days of Hanukkah — until all of the candles are burning on the final day. Families sing songs and play games. One game is called the dreidel game. In this game the children spin an inscribed top while singing "I Have a Little Dreidel." The children win (or lose) candy. Latkes (potato pancakes fried in oil) are the traditional Jewish food for Hanukkah. Children are given gifts, but it isn't Santa who brings them, and the gifts are not bestowed on only one day. Traditionally, children receive one small gift on each of the eight days of Hanukkah. Hanukkah and Christmas occur at about the same time of the year. While Christmas is a Christian holiday, Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday. So in order to be "politically correct," many people now say and send "holiday greetings" that include both the Christian and Jewish celebrations. Kwanzaa is a celebration that lasts seven days every year, beginning on December 26 and ending on January 1. Kwanzaa is celebrated in every country around the world at the same time. Kwanzaa is a celebration that honors African heritage. The first Kwanzaa was celebrated between December 26, 1966, and January 1, 1967. The founder of Kwanzaa of was Maulana Karenga. He was born Ronald McKinley Everett, but later assumed the name Maulana Karenga. Karenga was a black political activist who founded Organization Us in 1965. Karenga was influential within the black community for several years. Organization Us was briefly associated with Malcolm X and the Black Panthers, but there was an internal disagreement over who should head the new Afro-American Studies Center at UCLA. When the dust settled, John Jerome Huggins and Alprentice "Bunchy" Carter, two members of the Black Panthers, had been shot dead. In 1971 Karenga, along with Louis Smith and Luz Maria Tamayo, were convicted of felony assault and sent to prison. The threesome were accused and convicted of torturing two women from the U.S. organization over a period of two days. Testimony by one of the women, Deborah Jones, was that Karenga, Smith, and Tamayo had beaten the women with electrical cords and a karate baton. They were forced to remove their clothing and they were subjected to burning with an electrical soldering iron. Maulana Karenga is still active in Organization Us. He lives in Long Beach, California, where he is professor of Africana studies at California State University. Maulana Karenga established the Kwanzaa celebration as a celebration of African heritage. Today many black people do celebrate Kwanzaa, but few of them hold the radical beliefs of Maulana Karenga. Boxing Day is a gift-giving holiday that is observed in the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia, among others. There are lots of variations of the story about how Boxing Day came to be and how it acquired the name. Boxing Day has nothing to do with men putting on boxing gloves, stepping into a boxing ring, and pounding the daylights out of one another. Boxing Day is actually a recognized public holiday. Some say that Boxing Day came to be because it was traditional back in feudal times for the lord of the manor to give boxes of practical goods to the serfs who worked for him on the day after Christmas. Another story says that the churches set up a special lockbox, where those who could gave money to those who had less. Still another legend says that because servants were required to work on Christmas Day, they were given the following day off and were allowed to "box up" the leftovers of the feast. Originally, Boxing Day was a day for giving gifts to the less fortunate and can actually be traced back to the Middle Ages. The traditional Christmas Box is a box made of clay like those used in artisan shops. Throughout the year apprentices, masters, visitors, and customers drop money into the box. It's like a public piggy bank. The day after Christmas, on December 26, Boxing Day, the box is broken open and contents are shared between the workers in the shop. Today the term "Christmas Box" usually refers to a gift or bonus given by employers to their employees. The John Gay poem sums up the meaning of Boxing Day: "Some boys are rich by birth beyond all wants, Belov'd by uncles, and kind good old aunts; When time comes round, a Christmas-box they bear, And one day makes them rich for all the year." Justin Taylor

December 24, 2013 at 09:03PM

I had to share this, take a second and read this, you will not regret it: GoodBuffaloEagle says, "Those who read this true story will be touched in the most wondrous way..." "The TableCloth" 12/24/2013 The brand new pastor and his wife, newly assigned to their first ministry, to reopen a church in suburban Brooklyn, arrived in early October excited about their opportunities. When they saw their church, it was very run down and needed much work. They set a goal to have everything done in time to have their first service on Christmas Eve. They worked hard, repairing pews, plastering walls, painting, etc, and on December 18 were ahead of schedule and just about finished. On December 19 a terrible tempest - a driving rainstorm hit the area and lasted for two days. On the 21st, the pastor went over to the church. His heart sank when he saw that the roof had leaked, causing a large area of plaster about 20 feet by 8 feet to fall off the front wall of the sanctuary just behind the pulpit, beginning about head high. The pastor cleaned up the mess on the floor, and not knowing what else to do but postpone the Christmas Eve service, headed home. On the way he noticed that a local business was having a flea market type sale for charity so he stopped in. One of the items was a beautiful, handmade, ivory colored, crocheted tablecloth with exquisite work, fine colors and a Cross embroidered right in the center. It was just the right size to cover up the hole in the front wall. He bought it and headed back to the church. By this time it had started to snow. An older woman running from the opposite direction was trying to catch the bus.. She missed it. The pastor invited her to wait in the warm church for the next bus 45 minutes later. She sat in a pew and paid no attention to the pastor while he got a ladder, hangers, etc., to put up the tablecloth as a wall tapestry. The pastor could hardly believe how beautiful it looked and it covered up the entire problem area. Then he noticed the woman walking down the center aisle. Her face was like a sheet.. "Pastor," she asked, "where did you get that tablecloth?" The pastor explained. The woman asked him to check the lower right corner to see if the initials, EBG were crocheted into it there. They were. These were the initials of the woman, and she had made this tablecloth 35 years before, in Austria The woman could hardly believe it as the pastor told how he had just gotten the Tablecloth. The woman explained that before the war she and her husband were well-to-do people in Austria. When the Nazis came, she was forced to leave. Her husband was going to follow her the next week. He was captured, sent to prison and never saw her husband or her home again. The pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth; but she made the pastor keep it for the church. The pastor insisted on driving her home, that was the least he could do.. She lived on the other side of Staten Island and was only in Brooklyn for the day for a housecleaning job. What a wonderful service they had on Christmas Eve. The church was almost full. The music and the spirit were great. At the end of the service, the pastor and his wife greeted everyone at the door and many said that they would return. One older man, whom the pastor recognized from the neighborhood continued to sit in one of the pews and stare, and the pastor wondered why he wasn't leaving. The man asked him where he got the tablecloth on the front wall because it was identical to one that his wife had made years ago when they lived in Austria before the war and how could there be two tablecloths so much alike He told the pastor how the Nazis came, how he forced his wife to flee for her safety and he was supposed to follow her, but he was arrested and put in a prison.. He never saw his wife or his home again all the 35 years in between. The pastor asked him if he would allow him to take him for a little ride. They drove to Staten Island and to the same house where the pastor had taken the woman three days earlier. He helped the man climb the three flights of stairs to the woman's apartment, knocked on the door and he saw the greatest Christmas reunion he could ever imagine. True Story - submitted by Pastor Rxx Rxxx Who says God does not work in mysterious ways... Justin Taylor

December 03, 2013 at 12:09AM

100 degrees and rising... Justin Taylor