The face of Jesus? What now...

He shares a room outside with a dozen other guys
And the only roof he knows is that sometimes starry sky
A tattered sleeping bag on a concrete slab is his bed
And it’s too cold to talk tonight
So I just sit with him instead and think

How did I find myself in a better place
I can’t look down on the frown on the other guy’s face
‘Cause when I stoop down low, look him square in the eye
I get a funny feeling, I just might be dealing
With the face of Christ

See you had no choice which day you would be born
Or the color of your skin, or what planet you’d be on
Would your mind be strong, would your eyes be blue or brown
Whether daddy would be rich, or if momma stuck around at all

So if you find yourself in a better place
You can’t look down on the frown on the other guy’s face
You gotta stoop down low, look him square in the eye
And get a funny feeling, ‘cause you might be dealing ...
With the face of Christ

- excerpted from "Face of Christ," Chris Rice



I saw the face of Jesus down on Sixteenth Avenue
He was sleeping in an old car, while his mom went looking for food
And I heard the voice of Jesus gently whisper to my soul
Didn't you say you wanted to know me?
Well, here I am, and it's getting cold

So, What now?
What will you do now that you found Me?
What now?
What will you do with this treasure you've found?
I know I may not look like what you expected
But if you'll remember this is right where I said I would be
You've found me

- excerpted from "What Now," Steven Curtis Chapman


Tonight I'm in line at Panda Express. Obviously homeless guy in line behind me. He asks the server if they serve coffee, which they don't. I assume a lot of places give out free coffee. "I'll buy you some food if you're hungry," I say. He looks at me. Doesn't know how to order food. "You can pick rice or noodles, and then two other things." Stuttering. Mumbling. Me to the server, "Give him some rice and pick some other stuff for him, please." Guy in front of me in line passes me three dollars cash and says he'll split the cost of the extra meal with me. Cashier gives me the employee discount- 30%, $7.68. Between that and the cash, I now have $10 to pay for a $5.60 meal. Funny how stuff like that works. A crippled hand reaches out to take the food. "Thank you very much, ma'am." I hope he figured out how to use the drink dispenser.

Something worthwhile

I just stumbled upon this website called AdoptaPlatoon (http://adoptaplatoon.org/new/indexmomlink.html). As the name suggests, it's an organization that links families, churches, youth groups and the like to a soldier or soldiers to provide cards, letters of support, and care packages. If you have a moment to read the story of how it all got started, it will really touch you and hopefully encourage you to participate as well.

We submitted our application this evening, and though they say it takes a while to get in contact with each applicant for a phone interview, I'm really excited about this opportunity. There are so many soldiers out there sacrificing everything for our country; this is really the least we could do.

Check it out.

Not to worry

Some people, who shall remain nameless, were leary of getting the boys play kitchen stuff for Christmas. Not a full kitchen set, mind you. Just some play food, a cash register, some pots and pans, that kind of thing. Is it really something to worry about? Not when preparations for a "birthday cake" devolve into a full-on knife and spatula duel. I'm not too concerned.

Entirely too windy!

Yesterday was just ridiculously windy. There was so much dust in the air, I had to drive with my lights on in the middle of the day, as if the road was socked in with fog. They even closed the 14 freeway in both directions because the visibility was so low with all the sand blowing around. I rolled down my window to order at the Wendy's drive-thru and dirt starting flying in. And get this- at my mom's work, they had to take care of a lady who had been blown over by the wind. Not a frail old lady, but a middle-aged average-weight lady BLOWN OVER by the wind!! Now that's just too much wind.

Merry Christmas!

Now *that* is how you clean house

My husband- gracious, loving, and kind man that he is- cleaned the house for me today. The whole thing! Toilets, floors, everything. I only wish I had been here to see him using the LEAF BLOWER to get dust bunnies from under the couch, though I did get to witness the car squeegee put to work on the bathroom mirrors.

Christmas Donation

Today I gave blood. For a good long time, I had wanted to do it, but was too scared. I didn't like the thought of laying there as my blood was draining out of me. After 9/11, they had a blood drive at work, but too many people signed up, so I didn't get to do it. Finally a few months back, they had a blood drive at church, and I decided to go for it.

I was nervous, but the guy who did it was excellent and I honestly didn't feel any pain with the needle at all. It wasn't weird to have my blood drained out. They do it very discreetly and professionally, so that it's really not a big deal.

I came home from that experience feeling good about myself and decided I definitely wanted to donate again. Weeks passed, and I had to cancel the next appointment I'd made, which brought me up to today.

Driving over to the donation center, the Lord laid it on my heart to make this a new Christmas tradition. It may seem an odd thing to correlate with Christmas, but really it makes perfect sense. By giving blood, I remind myself of Christ's sacrifice for me. My blood may save someone's life, but Jesus' blood gives us eternal life. Christ came to this earth as a man for the purpose of shedding his blood for us. The whole Christmas story is incomplete if we just look to the manger. The real miracle of Christmas is *why* God came to be with us. Without His blood being shed, there would be no forgiveness... no reason at all for Him to humble Himself and become a baby... a baby born to die.

So while blood donation may not be a traditional Christmas activity, my gift to others will serve to remind me of His gift to all of us. And that's worth celebrating.

Speaking of Merry Christmas

Before the holiday gets past us, I wanted to blog about the whole "Merry Christmas" fiasco.

As you've no doubt noticed, there has been in recent years a great uproar from those who are offended that people don't say Merry Christmas anymore. They do have a point, to some extent. It's a little ridiculous to effectively banish the phrase from common speech, since the majority of this country is still Christian, and even more than that celebrate Christmas.

However, it's equally ridiculous to get all upset when people or businesses don't say it. Back when I was a kid, oh so many years ago, I distinctly remember tons of people saying "Happy Holidays" or "Season's Greetings." I mean, let's face it. Even if you don't recognize Hannukah or Kwanza or whatever other holiday, there is still more than one holiday this time of year- Thanksgiving or New Year's, anyone? And is it really that troublesome to wish someone, regardless of their holiday of choice, season's greetings?

And I'm starting to wonder if this is all just somebody's imagination anyway. In the print ads I do see "holiday" this or that, but in the stores and business, all I ever hear is a big fat MERRY CHRISTMAS, so I think we'll all survive. After all, the season isn't about the words we say, but Who is in our heart.

Should we call her Happy Holidays?

I love this story, especially the last line.


AMERICAN FORK, Utah - Merry Christmas to you, Mary Christmas. That's what the former Mary Young is hearing this holiday season, after she married Brian Christmas earlier this year.

"It was meant to be," Mary Christmas told the Daily Herald of Provo. "God has a sense of humor. What are the chances that it would ever happen?"
She has found, however, that she is not alone. Mary Christmas has been working at Ancestry.com for three years and discovered there are as many as 100 other Mary Christmases in the United States.

The last name of Christmas has its origins in Wales, she said.
"It was given to people that were born on Christmas Day," she said. "Somewhere back there someone of my husband's ancestors was born on Christmas. It is not a super common name." Christmas said her husband's grandmother, Joy Christmas, once was stopped at a counter at JCPenney, under suspicion for using a phony name.

The name brings compliments. "For many people, it seems to make them happy. 'You are my favorite,' they tell me. 'I think of your name and it makes me happy,'" Christmas said.

Her husband, Brian, says the best part of her name is that he has Mary Christmas all year long, not just in December.
___
Information from: The Daily Herald,

Don't get the wrong impression

Just in case my Grinch sketch fooled you into thinking I can actually draw, behold my attempts at a motorcycle.

(The letters spell something about Spider-man)