Christmas is here once again. Morgan and I have decorated our first Christmas tree and are loving being together during this season. Of course, living in Gwinnett means a wet Christmas instead of a white Christmas, but it is still Christmas. Everywhere I go I hear about the “season” of Christmas. It is a time for peace and love on Earth, a time of giving… You know what I am talking about, right? Well it got me thinking, why is Christmas the only season for those things?

Everyone knows who Santa Claus is. I am assuming most people have at least heard of the real St. Nick. He was a real person who lived during the fourth century. He was born into a wealthy family, but lost his parents at a young age. This left him with a great deal of inheritance, but rather than squandering it all on himself, he decided to spend the rest of his life giving his inheritance away. One of the most famous stories regarding him is about three poor girls. In that time and place, if a woman did not have enough money to pay a dowry and get married, she would most likely have to become a prostitute. St. Nick wanted to help them out, so each year when one of the three girls came of age, he secretly tossed a bag of gold through the window so that they could have a dowry and be married. For the third and youngest daughter, the father waited by the window because he wanted to figure out who was giving the money. To avoid being seen (St. Nick wanted his giving to be anonymous, he wasn’t looking for credit) he threw the last sack of money down their chimney. There are many accounts (and legends) about his many deeds. His giving brought him fame, and so, a few hundred years later, with a little help from Macy’s and Coca-Cola, Santa Claus became a part of Christmas culture.

But here’s the thing: St. Nick did not just give things around Christmas time. He gave to people and loved people and helped them year round. For him, it was not a season of giving; it was a life of giving.

During this Christmas time, think about who the real St. Nick was and what he did. As the New Year approaches, remember that giving is not just an obligation you have to perform to keep relatives from being offended. It can be so much more. God has given us infinitely more than we deserve. We have the opportunity to respond in worship by giving out of the abundance he has given us year round. Let us spread Christmas joy for all those we meet, even if it is the middle of July.

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope it’s a good one…

The following two videos are a spoof version of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” It was my most ambitious project to date I think. I had to film and edit everything (ended at 15 minutes, almost a full tv show) in 3 days. I also used the green screen for the first time, which was exciting. Here is the first half. I just realized the second half failed to load, but I’ll get it up soon. So stay tuned!

Yesterday was crazy. We passed the largest object to ever be moved on wheels. It was huge. Fortunately I had a camera, so watch the video and see it for yourself. There are plenty of fun facts about the object in the video you need to see (such as 500 tires under this baby!)

Another celebrity has fallen. Tiger Woods, the golfer who has the world’s highest annual paycheck among all professional athletes, was caught having an affair. But he did not have just one, there have been several over the last few years.

It is amazing how common these sort of scandals are in the celebrity world. It is crazy how we all strive to be just like famous people, because most famous people are miserably unsatisfied. Year after year, someone like Tiger Woods, Heath Ledger, or Michael Vick ends up doing something stupid or dying. They have everything our society teaches us to want: money, fame, and beautiful women. But somehow, those things are not enough to satisfy them and they end up looking for it in the wrong places. Next thing you know, they are on the cover of every magazine in the checkout line at Wal-Mart.

So here is the question: Why are these people who have everything the world tells us we could want so unsatisfied? Or, If they cannot find satisfaction, is satisfaction even possible on this Earth? I think C.S. Lewis answered this question better than anyone:  ’If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.’

This is an incredible statement, and one that we must consider. After all, we do not have cravings for needs that do not exist. We are hungry because we need food, we are thirsty because we need drink. If drink and food did not exist, than we either not exist or crave them! The same goes for God. We crave his presence and the satisfaction He brings. Some people will deny He exists, but that does not lead to satisfaction. It leads to want, and then you have people seeking out money (CEO’s of several companies who have been sent to jail), sex (Tiger), drugs (Heath Ledger, most of Major League Baseball).

I don’t think this man’s success is due to the ostrich races he held at Braves games

We were not made for this world. We need to stop looking at celebrities and worshipping them like they have it all. They do not, and they know it. Ted Turner and Brad Pitt, two of the most successful people alive today, have both talked about the unsatisfying nature of fame. Many have demonstrated their lack of satisfaction with their scandals.

Fortunately, we have a God who does have it all. We were made to be in His presence, just like we were made to eat food. Until we are with Him, their will always be unsatisfaction and hunger in our lives. It does not matter if we have won more golf matches than anyone in the world or if we win every oscar because of our acting abilities. Until we have a relationship with God, something will be missing. We were not made for this world, so let us not live with the delusion that we are. Instead, live for the Kingdom and see what happens over the span of your life.

Well I just filtered out 30 spam blog posts that have all been submitted in the last half hour. I think this means I have made it big. Someone thinks my blog is important enough to spamatize it. Of course, it is pretty annoying, and I need to figure out how to stop it. Otherwise, it is a great day of video editing four different Christmas Carol spoof videos.

Neither delicious nor nutritious