Merry Christmas!!!

I LOVE this new Christmas Carol:

YOU'RE HERE

a Christmas song by Francesca Battistelli

Hold on now, I gotta take a deep breath
I don’t know what to say when I look in your eyes
You made the world before I was born
Here I am holding You in my arms tonight

Noel, Noel
Jesus our Emmanuel

You’re here
I’m holding You so near
I’m staring into the face of my Savior
King and Creator
You could’ve left us on our own
But You’re here

Don’t know how long I’m gonna have You for
But I’ll be watching when You change the world
Look at Your hands, they’re still so small
Someday You’re gonna stretch them out and save us all

Noel, Noel, God with us Emmanuel

You’re here, I’m holding You so near oooh oh
I’m staring into the face of my Savior
King and Creator
You could’ve left us on our own
Bbut you’re here, you’re here

Someday I’m gonna look back on this
The night that God became a baby boy
Someday You’re gonna go home again,
But You leave your spirit and flood the world with joy

You’ll be here, I’m holding You so near
I’m staring into the face of my Savior, King and Creator
You could’ve left me on my own, but you’re here… You’re here
Hallelujah, You’re here
Hallelujah, You’re here

Listen HERE

Join in....

Interesting discussion about torture, will Obama do anything about it, will anyone be punished for it, and what can WE do about it. Come join in the discussion here:

Are we Men or Beasts?

Heads up!

Just read an excellent article by Frank Schaeffer: Why the USA is Screwed.... here's an excerpt:

We've gone to the last stop on a road paved with the mantra that no one is allowed to judge anyone else's behavior. The result is a culture that drives whatever vehicles suits it and global warming be damned. The result is a culture in which divorce is easy and common and all the definitive studies which prove unequivocally that the children of divorce, abandonment and instability bear lifelong scars, that in turn directly affect their ability to function in society, be damned (not to mention the economic problems of divorced families, particularly women, those who raise the children.)

(Note: How ironic that the right wing of the "Christian" community is taking a "stand" against gay marriage when gay marriage hurts no one and shows a salutary commitment to stability and the future, and when all studies show that the real marriage meltdown, in terms of actual harm to society that is measurable, is our tolerance of "no-fault" heterosexual divorce and its effect on kids and the economy.)

If the Obama presidency is to succeed, it's going to have to go far beyond policy and laws. President-elect Obama is going to have to become an evangelist.

Swan Song

It appears that Cheney wants to sing before his powerful position takes a final decent into history. I was listening to the beautiful Winter Song by Ingrid Michaelson and Sara Bareilles as I read about his interview. One verse seemed somehow appropriate:

This is my winter song.
December never felt so wrong,
cause you're not where you belong;...

...and in my mind where he belongs is locked up for war crimes!

As Mitchel Bard, the author of the above linked article says,

...if Cheney is going to go on national television and endorse torture, I feel like he has tied the hands of the country. How can we change our image, both to the rest of the world and to our own citizens, if we allow a sitting vice president to confess to supporting a policy of torture and do nothing about it?

Unlike Mitchel, I have not been ambivalent about whether the incoming Obama administration should go after the Bush administration for the High Crimes and Misdemeanors they have committed! Bush and Cheney should have been impeached, but I guess its a tad late for that now, so what next...war crimes trial, Truth and Reconciliation Commission? David Latt says that:

...there are those who see the vice president's admission as part of a strategy to force the president to pardon him and all those named in the Senate Report: Rumsfeld, Meyers, and Rice. If Bush doesn't pardon them, they will certainly be pursued by those in the new administration who will not let-bygones-be-bygone.

It scares me to think that they could just get out of it by a pardon from the puppet president. The outrages of this administration inspired my very first blog, and my outrage has not lessened. For now I will go back to my Christmas carols and take comfort that this must surely be Cheney's swan song!

Let music sound while he doth make his choice;
Then, if he lose, he makes a swan-like end...

Joy to the World!

I'm in the mood for some Christmas music. I hope you enjoy it, too:

It should update as I find more songs. Merry Christmas (and/or Happy Holidays!)

Living Nativity

Our local Union-Bulletin reported on a collaboration on a living nativity scene two local churches are doing. I am not part of the production, but I think it will be worth visiting. What I like best is that it is interdenominational. I love to see people getting along and finding their commonalities!

When done in unison with another denomination, that partnership becomes part of the overall message, Olesen believes. "Doing this together melds volunteers and families and churches," he said. "Right now it seems like two congregations, but if all goes well, it will be an inspiration for other churches to join in."Having St. Clair as this year's director will bring new energy to the living nativity, said the Rev. Owen Frost of Stateline Community Church.

LIVING NATIVITY

The Milton Adventist Church will host "Journey to Bethlehem," Saturday and Sunday, 6-8 p.m. The event will feature the streets of the little town of Bethlehem, including people and live animals. The church is at 1244 N. Elizabeth St. Visitors are asked to bring nonperishable food items to be donated to a local food pantry.

For more information, call 938-3066.

Let boys be boys!

To The Best Of Our Knowledge's recent program

What Boys are Made Of

is a must hear, especially for me: a mother of three boys!

^_^

Let boys be boys. It's a hard thing to do today with concern over violence in schools and the seeming violence of boys' play. But what if, thanks to our culture of fear, boys are slipping through the cracks? In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, we take a look at the inner world of boys. We'll talk with the author of "The Dangerous Book for Boys" who says it's time to celebrate slingshots and skinned knees. And, we'll get to know a South African teenage boy named "Spud."