There’s a Reason They Call It “Born Again”….

By: J Robert Giles

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“Nothing in the world is more haughty than a man of moderate capacity once raised to power.”  - Baron Wesenberg

 

The phrase “born again” is thrown around a lot, usually in Christian conversation of some fashion. Over the past few days, I have found myself in such a conversation but it has been an internal one. Recently, in a very roundabout way, the question was asked if one Christian can be better than another. The answer, I have to believe is a resounding “no.” Superiority is something we feel as part of our individual human experience. It’s easy to look at those around us and feel a bit holier-than-thou. It doesn’t usually take much of an effort to find someone lower on at least one totem pole than yourself. There’s always someone with less money; there’s always someone with a shakier marriage; a sinful past or a good old fashioned creepy feeling about them. We as humans seem to view perfection through the lenses of our own, personal ideas. In other words, my idea of perfection is different than yours.

When it comes to Christianity, we often assume that the guy with the foul mouth, or the tattoos, or the absurdly beautiful wife simply can’t be “as good of a Christian.” We look at such things as job title, or tax-bracket as pieces of evidence in our quest to determine someone’s value in the eyes of God. No one is equipped to make that determination, yet we all try. We all spend energy identifying those lower on various totem poles than ourselves. It feeds our egos. It makes us feel advanced in whatever we find important. For many, that’s public image. For other’s it’s materialistic display. For Christians, our ego is often fed by what we perceive as a lower “sin-count".” First of all, no man has the ability to accurately count his own sins. We simply can’t count that high. A wise man once shared an analogy with me that seems applicable here. If Hitler and Mother Theresa tried to swim from San Diego to Hawaii, but each sin they had ever committed took away one stroke, who would make it further? Well, Mother Theresa would obviously make it further, but she would still cramp up and drown well before her intended destination. The same can be said for Christianity. If we try to be “better” than another Christian, we may get a few yards further out into the water, but we’re still falling WAY short of God.

The phrase “born again” literally means to begin a new life. That’s exactly what Christians experience but every Christian’s path is different. God waits to enter a life until such a time as His presence will have the most impact. For some it comes through desperation. For others it comes through loss. The lucky ones receive God’s Gift in their youth, but God doesn’t care how long it takes a Christian to accept Him into their heart as long as they eventually do. A lifetime on earth is but a blink of God’s eye, and our individual, earthly accomplishments are even less noticeable. The most important thing we can do on this earth is not to live in a fashion we view as superior to another man, but in a fashion that tells God we appreciate the Gift He gave us all. None of us will ever be able to swim all the way to Hawaii, but luckily there’s plenty of room on the S.S. Almighty Father!

Since this site was never meant to be an exclusively Christian site, but more of an entertaining and relevant look at the world through the eyes of a man whose Faith is firmly cemented within the walls of his heart, I will take this opportunity to get back to the conservative ramblings that have generated my small but unimaginably appreciated following. While religion is often a focal point in a presidential campaign, it is often for all the wrong reasons. Prepare yourself for an all out war against the Mormon Church waged by a man with more mysterious beliefs than Merlin. For all we know, Barack Hussein Obama could be tossing chicken bones around the floor of the Oval Office to determine the future of our country like a Haitian witch doctor but he will use every penny he can raise to convince us that Mitt Romney’s religious beliefs have anything to do with the ability to clean up the mess he’s created. God could care less what we do here in the United States of America. God doesn’t favor one country over another. He favors Christians over those who oppose Him, no matter the country of origin. The demands I have of my President have absolutely nothing to do with the plans I have for eternity. The demands I have of a President will only impact my life here on earth. Sure, I would like to be able to fill my car with gas and not have to cut out one of my own vital organs to pay the tab. I would love to live the rest of my life without being forced to learn Chinese. Of course I would like to be able to buy groceries without cussing at the receipt on the way out of the store but if I died on the way home, do you really think the last thing to go through my head would be the rising cost of food? No. It wouldn’t be. The demands I have of a President are that he restore a sense of morality and confidence in this country. Without looking them up, I can’t recall any of Reagan’s economic figures, but I can certainly recall the feelings and the overall attitude that hung in the air over this country during his time as President.

Vote for the man you believe will restore our country, not your path to Heaven. No man but you has that power. The President is just a man. Hopefully it’s a different man by this time next year, but it will still just be a man. God’s Plan for this world and for every being who has walked, is walking, or ever will walk it’s surface will unfold no matter  who sits in the White House at the time. The responsibility of leadership falls on every person who casts a vote, not the man that wins the title. True leadership takes place at home and within the people you have an opportunity to influence in a positive manner; not in the praise you receive for the efforts. The responsibility to teach our kids falls on all of us, but the lessons can only be learned if we give them a future in which to apply them. If the United States continues spiraling out of moral, economic, and logical control then the little letter after our final President’s name will not matter a whole heck of a lot. No party is “better” without a country to represent. No Christian is “better” than another Christian because the very concept would lend credence to the idea of perfection in the eyes of God. No man is perfect. It’s impossible.

I have sinned. I have led many years of my life in a manner that would make Charlie Sheen grimace, but those experiences led me to the relationship I now have with God. They led to the happiness He has delivered to my life through the pain of mistakes. He has delivered the confidence I have as I face my future. No man’s opinion can take that away from me. I look back on my life with pride and horror in the same breath. So many instances of narrowly escaping an altogether different path, but this is the one God has chosen for me. When I have resisted, I have suffered. When I have tried to insert my own will, I have been crushed. The same will eventually prove true in a President. Shiny words and inflated promises may get you a title, but ineptitude and failure to honor the demands of the people you represent will bring about embarrassing defeat. What do we learn from that defeat? Do we rise and apply the lessons learned? Do we go out there and take back our country from the grips of failure and defeatist mindset or do we continue to blame, ignore, and hope? I truly believe that I was “born again” and I believe that this country can be “born again” as well.

Like I said in the beginning of this article, my idea of perfection is different than yours. If we’re talking about perfection in terms of a “perfect day”, then mine would involve a beach, my beautiful bride at my side, my kids laughing in the surf, and a specific playlist of music you might not enjoy at all. Since your idea of a perfect day had better not include my wife or kids, I assume yours is different! Maybe you dream of a cabin in the snow covered mountains with a raging fire to warm your chilled flesh. Would either vision of perfection work? If someone knocked on your door right now and said “pack your things. You and the family are heading off on a ten day vacation in Fiji” would you slam the door and yell “come back when you’re offering Breckenridge?” Unless you’re the most stubborn man alive, you most likely would find a way to accept the compromise. Nobody is perfect, especially a politician of any kind. Don’t let a man’s “sin-count” determine your vote because all of them would sink after about five yards in the water. Heck, Obama might even get justifiably sucked into the spinning turbine of the aforementioned S.S. Almighty Father! See…..I just proved my own point! No man has the right nor the ability to accurately determine the value God places on another man, yet we can’t seem to stop ourselves, can we?

 

As always, thanks for playing.

 

J. Robert Giles

 

Do Your Part To Support Capitalism 

A Child Changes Everything….

By: J Robert Giles

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“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”    - Luke 2:14

 

I recall several times as a child being told that there was nothing I could do to make my parents stop loving me. I remember them looking me in the eye and assuring me that no matter what I did, they would always love me. To make a confusing concept even more confusing, they always seemed to share this thought with me when I had just done something to test the very validity of such statements. I mistook their claims of eternal loyalty as more of a challenge than a call for change. They showed their disappointment in my actions with little hesitation but I have to say, I never felt as if I wasn’t loved.

When I had my own son on Thanksgiving Day 2004; when I held him in my arms for the first time and felt the enormity of the life-changes he represented, I understood a miniscule amount of the undying love my parents showed to me in my youth. There was literally nothing I wouldn’t do to make this tiny, defenseless, life better. It wouldn’t even be a decision….I will always choose what’s best for him, even if it means I suffer in the process. There is no pain I wouldn’t endure for him. There is no battle I wouldn’t enter on his behalf. I would gladly cut out my own heart to save him from pain. These feelings are not exclusive to me as any parent will tell you. These feelings are not something that can be explained, reproduced, faked, or described. They are simply the feelings of parenthood. It’s been said so many times it sounds like a cheesy greeting card sentiment, but having a child changes everything.

I now know exactly what my parents meant when they spoke of unconditional love. My son could never do anything to make me stop loving him. Even if he showed up tomorrow in a Giants jersey with a Cubs cap on, I would still love him. I would make him eat outside, but I would still love him. My love cannot be earned and it cannot be lost. It’s his whether he wants it or not.

While my son can’t do anything to cause me to take my love away from him, I also know that I couldn’t allow harm to come his way. Even if harming my son would save the lives of thousands of other people, I couldn’t allow harm to come his way. Those who don’t have kids may know that level of commitment to another human being but they have never felt it as deeply as a parent will feel it for their own children. I couldn’t sit by and watch as agonizing pain befell my child, no matter what the cause. No parent should ever be able to make that decision.

No parent should ever be asked to sit by and watch while blood is drawn from the flesh of their own child. No parent should ever have to watch as people cheer the last breath of their child. It’s unimaginable to us and that’s why we celebrate today the way we do. We celebrate the birth of Christ because that's exactly what this day represents. Christmas represents the first day of a life we didn’t deserve to know. Christmas represents the life of a man we will never know how to fully appreciate. Christmas represents the fact that wonderful things can come from unimaginably cruel acts. A child changed everything.

Christmas is not a time for greed yet our greed was forgiven by Christ. Christmas is not a time for over indulgence yet the tradition reminds us of just how imperfect we all truly are. All except for one group. Children are excluded because they are perfect. They are perfect until our world corrupts them. Christmas is especially exciting for a child. The excitement of gifts promised. The simplicity of “be good for goodness sake.” It all makes for some pretty easy to follow rules. Our guilt chips away at that youthful bliss as we get older and realize the sins Jesus died to forgive were acts we have committed millions of times. Jesus paid our debt with His life and we repay him by creating new outlets for sin. Children are not guilty of such things and deserve this one day to relish in their innocence.  We celebrate Christmas because despite all of our sins, mistakes, vices, and misjudgments…..we are all loved unconditionally.

So for today, go and celebrate all of your imperfections. Celebrate the fact that no matter what you may have done in the past year, you are forgiven. Celebrate the fact that no matter what you may do next year, you will be forgiven. Celebrate the strength He gave to a family member when your own love failed. Celebrate the love He sent to you through those around you. Celebrate the wars we wage and the flags we raise because in the end……we are all just children. We’re children who are playing childish games. Our planet, and all of the land we fight for…..it’s all just a big playground and our proud Parent is watching us play.  A child already changed everything. On Christmas, it reminds us of the unimaginable debt we owe to God. He gave us His Son. He gave him to us. We will never be able to pay Him back for that and He will never ask us to. All he asks of us is that we believe in Him and don’t deny Him in front of our friends. Think you can handle that?

I pray for the family I have around me whether they’re in the same state or not. I pray for friends without whom my life would carry less weight. I pray for examples that enhance my world and I pray for heartache that brings forth a lesson because without pain we could not know bliss. I pray that I’m here to celebrate this very special day again next year but if I’m not, I pray that I leave behind more love than animosity; more joy than pain; more happy than sad. I pray for health, I pray for happiness, but most of all…. I give a prayer of Thanks for the gift this day truly represents.

Breathe easier because your mistakes have already been erased.

Merry Christmas!

As always, thanks for playing!

 

J. Robert Giles

Pavlov’s President…

By: J Robert Giles

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“A burned hand teaches best.”   -  J.R.R. Tolkien

 

 

When you were a kid, did you ever burn your hand on the stove? How about when you were finally allowed to start using the oven to prepare your after school snacks and whatnot. How many times did you burn your hand on the heating coil? If you’re like most humans, the sum total of your flesh melting “teachable moments” could probably be measured on one, slightly scarred hand. In other words, it doesn’t require a series of skin grafts and unimaginably painful surgeries to repair the damage left by years upon years of burning your hand on the stove. It’s a lesson that is normally learned pretty quickly. Tolkien was right…..pain is the ultimate teacher. Fear of pain is the best  motivator. Memory of pain is the best encouragement. Freedom from pain is the best measure of success. Why then does our fearless leader not learn the same lessons?

If Barack Hussein Obama cares as much about the economy as he claims then it should feel like a part of his body. It should feel like an extension of himself because that’s how passion drives a man. If he cared about the economy as much as he says he does, it would literally cause him pain when he burns it with the blistering heat of failure. He would learn lessons quickly and would not venture into similar endeavors down the road. It usually takes a toddler about ONE time to learn not to stick his or her tongue in an exposed electrical outlet but our sovereign leader sits atop his throne of arrogance and dismisses our fears as he dangles our collective future over yet another flame.

Recently, in another example of liberal investment practices, Obama and his cronies find themselves defending against outrage from the complete failure of another in a long line of enormous investments. Remember when Obama-lama took office and kept announcing new program after new program and smiling at each and every one of us as he spent more and more of our money on projects and bureaucracies none of us wanted? It seemed like the chosen one was having country saving idea after country saving idea; or at least that’s what he and his clueless followers told us. Now that we are beginning to harvest the fruits of Barack Almighty’s wisdom, it appears he planted orchards upon orchards of taxpayer funded Failure Trees. The latest example of the boomerang of stupidity coming back to smack that guy renting the White House in his ego-crippled head is the constantly mentioned electric car industry and the support given to it by this administration. That support came in the form of $400 million of our money to just one company.

  Whenever Obama and his little buddies get a chance to discuss these ineffective little toys they become so excited they forget to piddle on the newspaper with which the Secret Service was forced to line the floor of the Oval Office. They throw these dazzling descriptions of the style, power, and environmental benefits of these vehicles but the reality is that none of the hype holds up to honest inspection. Obama predicted one million electric cars on American roads by 2015. Bold…..courageous….visionary…..  Okay, I get it. Let’s see……I, the great J. Robert Giles, hereby predict that I will possess the ability to not only fly, but to read minds by 2013. There….it’s out there. I’m brave. I’m a visionary. Follow me you weak and desperate souls. All kidding aside, these so called “Green Energy Investments” are fun to think about. These are the kinds of investments whose prospectus reads more like a children’s book; some even have hand drawn illustrations. (Not sure if that’s true or not, so let’s not dwell on it, okay?) Yes, we would all love to leave a much cleaner world for our children than the one in which they now live but the US Government is most assuredly not the general to lead that charge. Capitalism and good old fashioned, free enterprise and entrepreneurial spirit will accomplish that feat while the government looks for ways to exploit, tax, and regulate the technology. After all, that’s exactly what they’ve done with the auto-industry. Obammunism has blasted it’s way through the doors of GM with bailouts and ridiculously childish dreams. They have used their own political strength to force heinous looking vehicles with untested safety features onto our roads. Electric cars are great to think about, but they’re impractical. Still, they’re a pipe-dream of the left, and Obama is the left’s leader, so naturally he pressured anyone he could.

And now the results…..Obama estimated 3,000 new jobs in Michigan would come from his highly pressured investment of $400 million of taxpayer money into A123 Systems. This is a Michigan based battery maker that was supposed to lead the ‘charge’ in the electric car industry. Instead, after receiving four-hundred-million of our dollars, they recently announced layoffs. Not 3,000 new “shovel-ready” jobs, but layoffs. Perhaps they bought into the Great Hype-mentum of 2008 as well. They believed the illogical, fairy-tales spewing from the mouth of the man with as much knowledge about anything as two years of questionable experience can possibly lend. Obama’s prediction of 1 million e-cars on the road by 2015 had better get a big gust of wind in it’s sails or that too will fall way short of uneducated estimates. Last year, GM reported that they sold 1,000 Chevy Volts. That’s out of 187,000 cars sold. Could it be because they only travel 30-40 miles on battery power and then have to recharge for TEN FREAKING HOURS? Could it be because they are uglier than homemade shoes? Could it be that once again, Obama used influence to pressure an indebted company to put forth a product that none of us want, but we are all paying for? Hey, if he was able to get 1,000 people to buy one of these hideous things, could he also be responsible for Ugg boots?

These cars that cut down on the emissions our kids breathe, the ones with the confusing commercials featuring actors that make you question Hollywood’s idea of beautiful, are not doing nearly as much as you are being told. Obama wants one million on the road by 2015. There are 250-million cars in America, genius! One million isn’t going to do a damned thing. Yes, I get it, you have to start somewhere but forcing unreliable cars with unfavorable abilities down the throats of Americans at our own expense is absurd. Especially when the continued investment of our money into unproven technologies is done so carelessly. Even if we get one million of these ugly little, suped-up golf carts out there on the road, they still get their power from enormous, coal burning, emissions belching, power plants making the overall impact of Obama’s great vision  negligible at best. That’s like washing your whites with red wine because it’s somehow better for them. I’ve said it before and I will keep saying it until we see him and his revolting arrogance waving goodbye to us and the White House forever……you’re in over your head Mr. President and you need to step aside. You have approval ratings that would make Jimmy Carter look like his successor, and you continue to waste our money chasing your own stupid ideology. You have the nerve to go on 60 Minutes and compare yourself to a courageous ship captain in violent seas who is leading a scared mass of passengers through these uncertain times? You really think that “the passengers will always complain when the water tosses them around a bit” don’t you? You honestly believe that you are at the helm, just hanging on until you can prove that you are indeed the great leader you see in your head, right? We’re still just whining, huh? Get the hell out of my way, moron! YOU are the one causing the troubled seas. We were all enjoying a dinner cruise until your brilliant ideas started slamming into the water. The turbulence we’re all “whining” about is caused by your failure. 

It’s easy to see why Obama doesn’t learn from burning his hand on the fire of failure as often as he does. It’s not HIS flesh that he’s pressing against the red-hot heating element…..it’s YOURS!! Wake up, use that blistered, toughened palm to slap this buffoon out of office before he dreams and “invests” us right into catastrophe. Make no mistake, we’re right on the brink. Don’t fool yourself.

As always, thanks for playing.

J. Robert Giles

 

Do Your Part To Support Capitalism

Time to Believe....

By: J Robert Giles

Christmas Series 2011 (Part 3)

 

"I truly believe that if we keep telling the Christmas story, singing the Christmas songs,
and living the Christmas spirit, we can bring joy and happiness and peace to this world."  

- Norman Vincent Peale

 

 

 

I love Christmas. Christmas, like no other time on the calendar, is a celebration of faith. Christmas brings out the child in even the most rigid of men. Strangers seem a little more familiar when they display evidence of a mutual belief. Christmas provides clear proof of this fact. The disgustingly rude blob that works behind the counter at the local convenience store displays an “It’s all about CHRISTmas” button on his shirt yesterday and suddenly he’s a little less revolting. The genuinely pleasant guy at Starbuck’s with the giant bolt in his face and those lovely, see-through earlobes says “Merry Christmas” with a smile on his face and suddenly he seems like a teammate. I have no idea if these men will celebrate the season with any similarities whatsoever to the festivities and traditions of my own home, but Christmas is the one time of year that allows me to believe they will. We’re bred at an early age to behold the majestic beauty of the Christmas spirit. Santa is one of the first real examples of faith a human being will ever know.

Santa, especially to a 7-12 year old kid, is the ultimate test in faith. At that age, the understanding of the most important kind of faith is limited at best, and conversations are pretty minimal. Santa, however, is easily understood. The physics of chimney accessibility, global travel, and quadruped aviation are irrelevant. As an adult, faith is even more unfathomable when God is the recipient of our belief. On almost a daily basis, we are asked to defend our faith in a God that can’t be seen. We are forced to humbly accept the ridicule from the progressive enlightened bunch. Our faith is twisted and manipulated to support certain causes for which it should never be asked to represent. Through it all, we have faith. We have faith and we have peace. It’s that peace that allows us to smile at the grossly arrogant doubt that oozes from nonbelievers. True magic occurs when someone with adamant faith in both God and Santa is found.

Kids understand their belief in Santa. It can’t be questioned. The fact that they have never seen him delivering the presents doesn’t even make a dent in the encasing armor of their faith. Why is it then that adults sometimes seem to stumble when pressed about their faith in God? Why is it that questioning someone about their belief in God can be done from a platform of assumed superiority but to question a child about their belief in Santa with a condescending tone will bring about a public beating? Why are the two not regarded with the same respect? Christmas has become more of a statement than a celebration. It’s become more about defiance than joy; on both sides of the argument. Those of us who accept that our best Christmas gift was delivered to a manger in Bethlehem feel that we must remain defiant in the face of opposition. Our public celebration of Our Savior’s birth is our signature on the enlistment papers. Those who feel that Christmas and all of it’s faith is something beneath their level of intelligence should not be allowed to celebrate the tangible, earthly benefits of Jesus’ Birthday Party as they mock it’s true origin yet their defiant opposition seems to be their battle cry. Those who worship another, less “fact-based” God…..well…..what the heck are you doing reading this article?!?! Belief in Santa, however, is encouraged in kids born into both sides of the argument. All of us would absolutely welcome the discovery of Santa’s Workshop. If your favorite TV show was interrupted with news that everything you ever heard about Santa Claus was just proven to be true, you would cry with joy. You would be free to be a kid again. You’re smiling right now just thinking about it, aren’t you? I sure am!

We believe that Santa lives at the North Pole, but we can’t believe that Jesus lives everywhere? We believe in Santa’s magical flying sleigh, but we can’t believe that Jesus walked on water? Santa brings joy once every year and we look forward to his visit with eager anticipation yet we shun Jesus’ constant presence and guidance. Santa slithers down your chimney, uninvited, in the middle of the night; eats your cookies and possibly takes pictures of you while you’re sleeping. Kind of creepy, right? Jesus, however is more of a gentleman. He knocks at your door and waits patiently for your invitation to enter. You have to wait in long lines at the mall to see a Santa that smells like old Mac n’ Cheese and paint thinner but a conversation with Jesus only requires the mention of His name. We believe that Santa leaves gifts under our tree and under the trees of every other kid on earth but we can’t accept that God gave us the gift of Jesus? We haven’t ever seen Santa yet our faith remains. God can be seen everywhere if He is truly sought. God can be seen in happy times just like Santa, but God is also present in sadness. God can be seen in the lessons learned from heartbreaking loss. God can be seen in illness and He can be seen in friendship. His presence can be seen in disaster but only to those willing to see it.

Christmas is a celebration of faith. Proudly display yours!

 

 

SEEING JESUS

I’m sure you’ve heard stories before of Jesus being seen in varying circumstances. You may have even heard the story I’m about to re-tell (with a bit of good old fashioned creative license) before. Once again, cliché stories take on magical meaning when told against the backdrop of Christmas!

In 1962, there was a young preacher travelling through the Midwest at Christmas time. The preacher was single and he was leaving his job in Indianapolis to go to his family home in Michigan. Anyone who has ever spent any time in the Midwest this time of year knows that the weather conditions can get downright nasty. It was one of those days. Blowing snow racing along the surface of the interstate like an advancing army; a painful bite to the wind, and temperatures so cold it makes breathing a task. There was ice in spots, but it didn’t stop the young preacher from racing down the virtually traffic free interstate in his Corvette.

Several hours into his trip the preacher saw a soldier standing under an overpass with his government issue cap pulled down over his head as tightly as it would go. His hands were shoved deep into his pockets as he weathered the howling winds and the fine powder of old snow it carried in it’s momentum. His large, stereotypical duffel bag, stuffed as full as physically possible, stood at rigid attention beside him.

The preacher, travelling much faster than he should have been considering the road conditions, sped past the soldier. As he did, he noticed the young man jerk one of his hands out of his pocket and extend his thumb. The preacher gave little thought to altering his course for this stranger. Not because he was a mean man, but simply because he was driving a two-seater and the seat not caressing his own derriere was piled high with gifts and clothes for his Christmas vacation in Michigan.  The trunk of a Corvette is just big enough for two pints of Ben & Jerry’s Half Baked Ice Cream (I suggest you go ahead buy three though. Eat one on the way home! IT’s THAT good!) so it wouldn’t prove to be much help even if he did want to stop and pick up this inconvenient stranger. He whipped past the shivering, camouflaged soldier and tried to put his blossoming guilt out of his mind before it grew.

He was unsuccessful in those attempts. The Christian in him simply wouldn’t allow him to leave a fellow human being out in the cold like that…..especially a soldier…..at CHRISTMAS! He was a preacher for heaven’s sake! He did a u-turn after about five miles of begrudging inner negotiations, and hoped the whole way back to the bridge that someone else had stopped and picked up the Army-cicle. No such luck. He stood there in the same position he had been on the first pass only now he looked more forlorn and miserable than before.  His eyes were closed as if the cold had begun to shut down the nonessential functions of his body.The preacher pulled up as the soldier opened his eyes and walked excitedly to his car. The poor man’s teeth were chattering. Thick collections of ice could be seen in his eyelashes and eyebrows as he approached as quickly as his frozen, often dragging feet would allow.

The grateful soldier was determined but proud. When the preacher began to explain the limited space, the soldier never accepted defeat. The preacher pulled away from that bridge having stuffed the soldier into the passenger seat, his duffel bag between his legs, and all of the clothes and presents in his lap. The poor man couldn’t see out of any windows and boxes slid around in his lap, but never once did he complain. Feeling began to return to his extremities, and with it came his voice.

He explained that he was stationed at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. “Didn’t I see you go by a little while ago? Not many Corvettes out today, kind of sticks out in my head.”

“Yes, that was me?” the preacher replied.

“You mean you turned around and came back?” The astonished soldier inquired. “Why would you do that?”

“I was raised in a home where helping others was always viewed as a gift that was never to be squandered. Plus, I’m a Christian minister. Leaving you out there in the cold just wouldn’t be right. I didn’t really think you would fit in the car, so I thought I could offer my assistance without having to actually do anything to be honest, but apparently God saw through that little ploy.” The preacher explained. “Honestly, if I wasn’t a Christian I’d probably still be racing along without a second thought whatsoever. Jesus guides me to do some things that I simply wouldn’t consider without Him.”

The soldier was silent. He just stared at the preacher for several minutes before he spoke. Even if he had been able to see out any of the windows around him, he probably would have stared at the young minister just the same. When he finally spoke it was with the shaky chords of a man using every mental weapon in his arsenal to fight back the tearful emotions attempting to seize control of him. “You have no idea how that convicts me.” he said in a shaky but confident tone. “I’m no Christian, sir. My wife is a Christian and she’s just about the greatest woman alive. She takes our kids to Church every Sunday despite my constant encouragement to just stay home with me instead. A few weeks ago, I was turned down for holiday leave because I got drunk and caused some trouble on post. I was sick about it. When another solider found out his parents were coming to spend the Holidays with some nearby relatives, he offered to relieve me of my duties so that I could get home. I had already loaned my care to another platoon-mate, and I had spent all my money on these gifts I was going to ship home to my wife and kids.” he patted his duffel bag. “I decided to start hitchhiking. My family doesn’t even know I’m coming home.”

The preacher, who had been a little put-off by the inconvenience this stranger was causing him, was now completely enthralled.

“I had been standing out there under that overpass for three and a half hours and it occurred to me that some of those passing cars had to have been carrying Christians, right? I began to get kind of bitter about it until I started to accept the fact that if I were them, I wouldn’t have stopped either. I wouldn’t have even considered it. In fact.I might have tried to splash me if I was one of the drivers! Anyway, I got so cold, so lonely, and so desperate that I began to pray. I’ve never really done it before but I’ve heard my wife say ‘just have a conversation with Him’ so many times that I just started to talk to God. I prayed that he would please send someone to help me and you want to know the embarrassing part……you showed up as soon as I opened my eyes from that prayer.”

The preacher made no attempts to hide the tears flowing freely down his cheeks. “I wasn’t going to come back but your image just wouldn’t leave my brain. Everything I preach would have been discredited if I had left you there.”

The pair of now familiar strangers pulled up to the soldier’s much missed home and sat in the driveway. The preacher honked his horn as instructed and a few moments later the front door opened just a crack. A curious child could be seen peering through the frosted glass, only able to see a car in the driveway, not it’s inhabitants. Finally, the soldier stepped out of the car and yelled toward the house “Hey, Buddy! Daddy came home for Christmas!”

Before the shakily joyous words escaped his lungs, the door swung open and a woman in a bathrobe and house slippers came bursting out into the snow covered yard. It was dark but the joyful tears could be seen flowing down her cheeks as she embraced her husband and let her emotions flow freely. The soldier hugged all three of his kids several times as tears of his own flowed more freely than the preacher had ever seen on the face of a man before.The wife and the kids thanked the preacher and explained that they had been praying for the last week that Christmas would somehow deliver “their daddy.”

That young preacher was given a lesson that he would never be able to teach a congregation. He was able to see firsthand the work of God. He was able to acknowledge the power of God in his own life and admitted that Jesus is truly in control. We can’t all rescue a soldier from frostbite in 1962, but we can all witness the power of God in our homes this Christmas. Spread it around and do your part to keep that Faith going year round.  

 

 

As always, thanks for playing!

 

J. Robert Giles

 

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Oh, The Merry Hypocrisy….

By: J Robert Giles

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“I find capitalism repugnant. It is filthy, it is gross, it is alienating... because it causes war, hypocrisy and competition.”  Fidel Castro

 

Leave it to good ol’ Fidel to put that warm, fuzzy feeling in your heart. His chiseled appearance, worldly charm, and global influence obviously prove his credibility. His success and complete lack of civil unrest or poverty within the borders of his homeland most assuredly permit  him the right to talk down to us and our beliefs, right? I know, i know…..it’s Christmas and I shouldn’t let the maniacal ravings of a guy who’s only alive because he has learned to use hatred as sustenance get to me. But, since we’re here…..it’s funny Fidel should mention ‘hypocrisy’ isn’t it? The fact that he would dare to use such a word to describe a way of life that has rendered his own belief system pretty much useless is hilarious. Such overt disdain for an economic system that has all but destroyed socialism. Castro has never made an attempt to hide his opposition to capitalism and often pointed to skewed figures to show failure where no one truly believes any exists. He would point to Africa and Latin America as capitalism failing but the part he never seemed to recognize is that capitalism cannot exist in a dictatorship. Success of capitalism requires democracy and it’s beautiful, inherent freedom. When one man or family has as much control over a country as Castro did, freedom and capitalism are only pretended among the masses. (Would someone please explain to Barack HUSSEIN Obama that socialism is bad and except for a few tent-living fools, the American people he so often refers to in his condescending speeches are happy with the benefits of capitalism?)

Hypocrisy doesn’t end with the grossly misinformed Cuban. Recently, in one of the most arrogant displays of hypocrisy I can imagine, Martin Sheen held a press conference on the steps of a New York City courthouse to announce the innocence of a convicted cop killer. Apparently, Mr. Sheen believes the power granted his presidential character on The West Wing somehow translates to the real world. Martin, a longtime refugee from morality and conservative thought, believes he is a judge, jury, attorney, and warden. He is demanding the release of a man who attempted to rob the illegal casino run by a NYC cop over thirteen years ago. A scuffle ensued, and the officer was shot in the face. Does Martin Sheen have access to information or evidence not provided to the jury? Besides, is Martin Sheen really the man you want to  represent you? Look at his track record when it comes to character. Hypocrisy is apparently a gift a father can bestow upon his son as is evidenced by the very existence of Charlie Sheen’s fading career.

Charlie Sheen’s opinion is somehow still worthy of attention in the media. The crack addled, booze sponge exposes his children to his pornstar roommates, and is somehow heralded as ‘courageous’ for standing by his beliefs. He is supported and coddled by the media as if he is a child and publicity is the blankie so willingly given to him while discipline and accountability go unmentioned. Then, all of a sudden and with alarming predictability, the media gains a moral compass just in time to vilify Herman Cain. While I don’t necessarily believe Cain would have survived as a candidate, I find it hilarious that a media who praises the Sheen family and their ridiculous lifestyles and opinions could question the morals of anyone! A group of people willing to look past Slick Willy’s Oval Office Swine Fests as events that had nothing to do with the effective leadership of our country can’t fathom the thought of Herman Cain’s unscrupulous mind in that same office. Hypocrisy.

Then there’s that rare kind of hypocrisy that we all love to see. That kind of hypocrisy that exposes long opposed thought, opinion, or policy. Take, for example, the lawsuit that was recently brought forth against the bastion of liberal nonsense…..New York University or “N.Y.U.” as it is called in those circles more progressive than your own. It seems that a professor in the Fine Arts department had the nerve to give a poor grade to one of his students who missed 12 of 14 classes. The professor was publicly harassed and ridiculed by the student who happened to be overhyped actor, James Franco. Franco, star of such cinematic classics as Your Highness and Pineapple Express apparently believes that loaning his presence to any organization or institution warrants unyielding support. Attendance and participation in class are only requirements of those students who don’t already pretend for a living. The professor was fired and is now suing the school, but this lawsuit just reeks of hypocrisy, does it not? The very school that has, for decades, pumped out entitled snot actor after entitled snot actor is now being sued for treating an actor like a common student. The professor himself admits that he went out of his way to create a “Franco-friendly” environment. I would be very interested to see just how much of Mr. Franco’s absurdly unjustified net-worth was sacrificed for those classes. I’m willing to bet that there is at least one single mother putting herself through night classes at NYU who paid more than James Franco; the multi-millionaire, James Dean wannabe who managed to over-act the role of Spider-Man’s enemy. In a cinematic franchise known for horrible dialogue, and dazzling special effects with a cartoonish feel to them, Mr. Franco managed to leave audiences annoyed and wishing he had graced another film with his presence. Ahh, the sweet taste of misguided notions being exposed.

The world we have allowed to be created around us is one where hypocrisy is encouraged. We crave it because we have been programmed to do so. We ignore morality in one instance and demand it in another because we have become incapable of defending an unpopular opinion. James Franco has no power over me whatsoever. He shouldn’t have had any power over the admissions processes at NYU, but his celebrity dictated that such concessions be given. I wouldn’t give Charlie Sheen a glass of water if I found him wandering the desert for fear that his body would reject the unfamiliar substance, yet his horrendous morals are followed and chronicled as if they are something to which our kids should aspire. Fidel Castro is about as ridiculous a human being as there will ever be, yet whenever his opinion or stance will aid the left he’s regarded as a great leader. Castro spoke of the evils of capitalism. That’s like Steven Hawking criticizing a marathon runner’s poor technique. That’s like Jon Corzine being asked to give economic advice to the president…….wait……seriously? He did not really do that, did he?

Sift through the incessant crap that the media hurls at us and form your own thoughts. We are being manipulated and more and more evidence of that fact is rising to the surface. Stop being told that you have to change your ways when those telling you to do so are completely unwilling to change their own. Hypocrisy is all around you but it’s power is limited to your invitation. We’ve allowed ourselves to become a nation full of the very kind of people necessary to get Barack HUSSEIN Obama elected in the first place. Now, as those terrifying “Obama 2012” stickers begin appearing on more and more Prius’s and other SRV’s (Sex Repelling Vehicles) we cannot allow those who are vehemently defending his failed policies, laws, and actions to vote him back into office. They elected a man who took more from Wall Street than any other President in history and then have the nerve to blame Bush for Wall Street’s influence in politics. They elected a man who swore he would end the war in Iraq, and then demand that I believe his decision to do so after three years had nothing to do with the fact that his reelection now looks uncertain at best. They support a man who has literally lost BILLIONS of our dollars yet they blame others for the dire economic status of our country. Sure there is occasionally a crushing bit of hypocrisy on our side of the aisle as well, but Herman Cain allegedly sleeping with a co-worker 20 years ago did not put my job, my family, or my country in direct danger. They speak to us about morals and decency yet support the ACLU and NAMBLA. Hypocrisy surrounds you but you are NOT powerless unless you choose to be.

As always, thanks for playing.

 

J. Robert Giles

 

Do your part to Support Capitalism

Only at Christmas….

By: J Robert Giles

CHRISTMAS SERIES 2011 (Part 2)

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“We Make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”  - Winston Churchill

 

 

'The Christmas Angels'

Original Story by: Susan Fahncke

 

It was December 23, 1993. For a single mom who was going to college and supporting my children completely alone, Christmas was looking bleak. I looked around my little home, realization dawning like a slow, twisting pain. We were poor.

Our tiny house had two bedrooms, both off the living room. They were so small that my baby daughter's crib barely fit into one room, and my son's twin bed and dresser were squeezed into the other. There was no way they could share a room, so I made my bed every night on the living room floor.

The three of us shared the only closet in the house. We were snug, always only a few feet from each other, day and night. With no doors on the children's rooms, I could see and hear them at all times. It made them feel secure, and it made me feel close to them -- a blessing I wouldn't have had in other circumstances.

It was early evening, about eight o'clock. The snow was falling softly, silently, and my children were both asleep. I was wrapped in a blanket, sitting at the window, watching the powdery flakes flutter in the dimming light, when my front door vibrated with a pounding fist.

Alarmed, I wondered who would stop by unannounced on such a snowy winter night. I opened the door to find a group of strangers grinning from ear to ear, their arms laden with boxes and bags.

Confused, but finding their joyous spirit contagious, I grinned right back at them.

"Are you Susan?" The man stepped forward as he held out a box for me.

Nodding stupidly, unable to find my voice, I was sure they thought I was mentally deficient.

"These are for you." The woman thrust another box at me with a huge, beaming smile. The porch light and the snow falling behind her cast a glow over her dark hair, lending her an angelic appearance.

I looked down into her box. It was filled to the top with delicious treats, a fat turkey, and all the makings of a traditional Christmas dinner. My eyes filled with tears as the realization of why they were there washed over me.

Finally coming to my senses, I found my voice and invited them in. Following the husband were two children, staggering with the weight of their packages. The family introduced themselves and told me their packages were all gifts for my little family. This wonderful, beautiful family, who were total strangers to me, somehow knew exactly what we needed. They brought wrapped gifts for each of us, a full buffet for me to make on Christmas Day, and many "extras" that I could never afford. Visions of a beautiful, "normal" Christmas literally danced in my head. Somehow my secret wish for Christmas was materializing right in front of me. The desperate prayers of a single mom had been heard, and I knew right then that God had sent his angels my way.

My mysterious angels then handed me a white envelope, gave me another round of grins, and took turns hugging me. They wished me a Merry Christmas and disappeared into the night as suddenly as they had appeared.

Amazed and deeply touched, I looked around me at the boxes and gifts strewn at my feet and felt the ache of depression suddenly being transformed into a childlike joy. I began to cry. I cried hard, sobbing tears of the deepest gratitude. A great sense of peace filled me. The knowledge of God's love reaching into my tiny corner of the world enveloped me like a warm quilt. My heart was full. I fell to my knees amid all the boxes and offered a heartfelt prayer of thanks.

Getting to my feet, I wrapped myself in my blankets and sat once again to gaze out the window at the gently falling snow. Suddenly, I remembered the envelope. Like a child, I ripped it open and gasped at what I saw. A shower of bills flitted to the floor. Gathering them up, I began to count the five, ten, and twenty-dollar bills. As my vision blurred with tears, I counted the money, then recounted it to make sure I had it right. Sobbing again, I said it out loud: "One hundred dollars."

I looked at my children sleeping soundly, and through my tears I smiled my first happy, free-of-worry smile in a long, long time. My smile turned into a grin as I thought about tomorrow: Christmas Eve. One visit from complete strangers had magically turned a painful day into a special one that we would always remember...with happiness.

It is now several years since our Christmas angels visited. I have remarried, and our household is happy and richly blessed. Every year since that Christmas in 1993, we have chosen a family less blessed than we are. We bring them carefully selected gifts, food and treats, and as much money as we can spare. It's our way of passing on what was given to us. It's the "ripple effect" in motion. We hope that the cycle continues and that, someday, the families we share with will be able to pass it on, too.

 

Susan’s story is a perfect illustration of what Christmas is all about. Her story could have taken place at any time of the year and the immediate effects enjoyed by her family would have been the same. They would have been grateful for the food and money, but it wouldn’t have had the lasting impact that this season tends to deliver only to those of us willing to accept it.

Obviously, it’s loads of fun to receive gifts. Everyone loves it. I’m not going to lie and tell you that I don’t enjoy the thrill of opening up a carefully wrapped present on Christmas morning any less as an adult than I did as a child. That elated curiosity that brings a smile to your face as you reveal the contents to a waiting audience. That’s a terrific feeling no matter what the occasion, but Christmas carries a weight with which no other celebration can compete. Something about the spiritual celebration that takes place in the hearts of Christians this time of year just makes us remember the events a little more vividly. Like a movie that you truly connect with. You remember not only the lines spoken and the facial expressions displayed, but you remember your own emotional reactions to each and every scene. For most of us, that seems to be the case with Christmas as well, but can any of you truly imagine the joy Susan felt that morning when the “angels” visited her?

If you think long and hard about it, I bet you would be surprised at just how easily all of us can relate to Susan’s story. All of us have gone through that one Christmas where money was especially tight, options were bleak, and panic seemed to have you one negative event away from thinning out the population around you. We’ve all been there. The fact that you’re reading this article tells my keen sense of deduction that you survived the nightmare. For many of us, there was a shining moment, in the midst of those dark hours, that we can point to as the moment we knew we would get through it. For some, it was a generous gift from an unknown source. For others, it was the perfect gift given by your perfect person. Maybe your shining moment came when Christmas morning delivered the first smiles since the recent funeral of a much loved family member. Whatever the moment, we got through it. Susan tells a dramatic story, from the perspective of a desperate woman. What separates Susan from the people seeking handouts and expecting free luxury is that her prayer was not uttered out of self-centered greed. She had accepted the label of “poor.” Her prayer was for her children. In the midst of putting herself through college, and struggling on her own, she prayed for the ability to deliver happiness to her children. Not expensive gifts, not extravagant trinkets they would forget within a month. She prayed for the ability to deliver happiness to her own children.

And what about the family that God asked to deliver His answer to Susan’s prayer? It’s safe to assume that at some point, that family sat down and made a conscious decision to help a needy family. There’s a huge difference between needy and lazy. Susan was needy and she received blessings as such. Had she been simply lazy, such good fortune would not have come her way. Yes, she may have received the food. She may have received gifts to give to her children, but those were not the actual gifts she received that day. Those were the earthly representations of her gifts, but through her Faith she was able to see the lesson beyond the tangible objects. She was able to see that the true gift was her own ability to accept the generosity of others. Many of us don’t really see acceptance of someone else’s generosity as a gift. Sadly, it comes all to naturally in this “give it to me now – just charge it and worry about it later – do whatever feels good to you” society we live in. That seems to be all we do anymore is receive, take, and discard. Susan, like so many of what seems like an overwhelming minority, realized that she would only realize the full blessing of that generous gift if she strived to one day be on the other side of the transaction.  As much as the food and the money helped Susan and her blossoming family that year, the true gift has been in her ability to give the same joy to others. Only the recipients can determine if they gain the same experience Susan and her children gained from the generosity of strangers, but somehow Christmas allows us to believe that they will. Christmas, and the defiant birthday celebration it was intended to be, add special impact to normal events. Generosity goes further at Christmas than any other time of the year so get out there and give something. Give time, energy, or money but just make sure your experience doesn’t end upon delivery.

As always, thanks for playing!

J. Robert Giles

Decisively Unsure….

By: J Robert Giles

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“Indecision is a virus that can run through an army and destroy its will to win or even to survive.”     - Wendell Mayes

 

 

The 2012 Election is still a long way off, but already there seems to be weakness in the opposition to Obama. Newt Gingrich is the front-runner di jour but many of us seem suspiciously loyal to him at best. We seem to be willing to hear him out, but cautiously waiting for that bombshell to come around and make us all glad we didn’t publicly hitch our wagon to his experimental rocket. I personally like Newt, but I don’t believe he’ll survive the all out war Obama has been planning and funding for the past three years. It took too many people way too long to create the image of Barack HUSSEIN Obama. No freaking way are his political creators going to let him to just step aside gracefully like we all wish he would. Newt will be isolated from the pack and then eaten alive by Obama’s well funded, maniacal legions. Newt can’t rely on his Fox News love to go very far among the MSNBC crowd.

All signs would indicate that we’re poised for a glorious victory in 2012, but our own indecision may be exactly the spark that sends that victory instead to the devastating blaze of defeat. I believe Newt Gingrich would lead this country in a direction much more conducive to long term success than the buffoon currently residing on Pennsylvania Avenue, but what do we do if he doesn’t even get that far? What do we do if the mighty media succeed in their confusion riddled agenda? Right now, we’re making it pretty easy for them. We are doing exactly what we accused them of doing in 2008 and in 2004. In 2004, when Kerry was all but moving his furniture into the White House, we all accused the left and the media of using “anyone but Bush” as a policy. Every question they were asked received a dismissive scoff and a condescending “great, another FauxNews idiot.” Make no mistake, the fire that their antics lit under our butts in that election will be kissing the flesh of their misinformed glutes if we don’t learn from their mistakes and make some serious course corrections now. Of course we want all traces of Obammunism erased from the White House. We want ObamaCare and all of this administration’s absurd spending and reckless ineptitude soundly defeated. On that point we can all agree. The problem lies in the fact that we can’t seem to get our support behind one particular candidate. We keep holding out hope for this perfect image. That strong willed, charming, humorous candidate with an interesting but scandal free past and approachable mannerisms. That guy was elected in 1980, folks. He ain’t coming back. Now let’s get our heads together and stop letting the media tell us who to vote for and more importantly, who not to vote for.

We rely too heavily on the media for our opinions. Research the candidates. Form your own opinion. If Newt implodes under Obama’s pressure, we cannot be led to believe that it was catastrophic to any hopes of dethroning the Hopey-Changey-Sure-Is-Crazy media darling. Right now there are too many candidates to choose from. I understand that the field could possibly be narrowed by the end of tonight in Iowa, and that new candidates may be out there, just waiting to enter the race; but we had better get our list of demands ready and we had better be ready to vote as a strong, unified voice or doom awaits us. We can’t afford for the Ron Paul supporters to sit at home and waste their vote if their man doesn’t get the nod. If someone other than Gingrich ends up getting the endorsement, then we had better be ready with support and demands. Unwavering demands. Mitt Romney may be the candidate facing Obama in the polls next year. Could you look beyond his religious beliefs and vote for him? The left will convince you that doing so would be unfair. They will run aggressive ads; shocking ads that are aired during primetime to spark the most impact and discussion among families. Ads that insinuate voting for Romney would be hypocritical since we’ve been so judgmental of Obama’s heavily shielded religious beliefs. Are you strong enough to greet those absurd attempts at misdirection with fervent focus and determination? If Gingrich does get the nod, are you strong enough to withstand the onslaught of ads against the “old, white man?” They’ve already started. They’ve already begun the war of subliminal campaigning. Subtle references to “white-haired politicians” in the ‘hip TV shows.” Pithy dialog from the illustrious and never biased Jon Stewart. The seed of doubt was planted in our minds long ago. We have doubts about each one of the candidates on our side of the playing field but an honest reflection of those doubts will reveal that most are based in sound-byte and hyperbole. Their mantra is the same. The ire we direct at the man who dares to consider himself a defender of our values is assuredly warranted.

In front of foreign audiences, he has denounced our collective belief in Christ yet outrage was contained. Billions of dollars wasted, yet he looks down his nose at us and acts as if explaining any of his wisdom to us peasants is a task that’s simply beneath him. When the election/battle finally erupts, we will not be given the same weapons they are given. The media is on their side and they are crafty little devils. They are armed with our loyal attention and they have become insatiable in their thirst for control over our thoughts. They will call you an extremist despite your calm demeanor. They will call you a redneck despite your superior education. They will call you a fear monger despite your proven logic and sound reasoning. They will misrepresent facts and twist numbers. You will not see an honest representation of economic figures between now and the election yet we must fight with the facts as we know them We must collect our energies, share them amongst ourselves and win. There is not a candidate alive who meets every requirement we all have of them. It’s impossible. To waste your vote rather than vote for someone who may wear different undies than you is absurd. If this country ends up under the Chinese flag, it will be YOUR fault! Let’s get it together and form that alliance. Above all else, Obama must be defeated. That is a simple fact but we are not going to fight the same battle the left fought in 2008. We’re not going to cast our vote for someone with inflated credentials, fictional backgrounds, and a “feel-good” army of misinformed idiots demanding their equally misinformed candidate be placed in office. We’re not going to deploy the biggest use of the race card in history, and yet we are still going to win. We are going to win because hype fades. Obama has outlived his hype. He has proven that he can’t deliver the things his voters believed he would deliver. The support he had in 2008 dissolved the second his fan-base realized they still had to pay their bills despite their messiah landing the presidency. The man has been over his head since his inauguration but his vote alone did not land him in office. The hype machine must be silenced during this go-round. When you encounter one of those people that get their news from Jon Stewart and Matt Lauer exclusively, those poor souls who seem to be “on the fence” when it comes to almost any issue…….it is your civic duty to feed them with so many facts that they can’t possibly vote for the current regime.

They hype machine obviously works on both sides of the aisle. Unfortunately, we are usually the recipients of negative hype, but it is hype nonetheless. We were told McCain was too old to lead despite the fact that McCain wins any physical contest between himself and Obama. McCain wasn’t elected because he was street-rat crazy. While we didn’t believe a word out of Obama’s mouth, we couldn’t wholeheartedly throw our support behind McCain either. Not even with Governor Palin in the fray. The media insured that we saw McCain as a dangerously old and feeble man and Palin as a twit, but we didn’t elect him because he just didn’t convince us he was worth going to the polls for. How do you feel now? Would you vote for McCain if the election was held tomorrow? Already we’re hearing disparaging remarks about Gingrich’s wife. “She may only be 45, but her penchant for boxy suits, pearls, and that gleaming helmet of peroxide…..” from Tamara Abraham.  These are the same people who have tried for the last half-decade to convince me that Michelle Obama is attractive, athletic, and “fashion-forward”, whatever the hell that means. Michelle Obama looks like Terrell Suggs in drag. Plain and simple. She’s not pretty. She’s not elegant, or charming, or passionate. She’s just there. Unlike her doppelganger, she has no presence; no command. I guess neither is required when they can just get created for her. Do not get distracted.

Think about this for a few seconds……we keep hearing so much about the “courage” and “collective voice” of the Occupy Wall Street bunch. Media continues to blast capitalism as if they put all those commercials and logos on their channel for free. But when logic is applied, as is so often the case, their arguments crumble. Capitalism works and we have to stop letting them convince the weak that the opposite is true.  This year, 7.2 billion shopping experiences will occur at Wal-Mart. The earth’s population is approximately 6.5 billion. 90% of Americans live within 15 minutes of a Wal-Mart, making them more accessible than the US Postal Service. Wal-Mart paid $7.1 billion in taxes last year, yet during that same period, the combined tax liability of ALL Wall Street protesters was negative $250 Billion. (Okay, so that’s the total amount of money refunded by the IRS in 2010. The conservative in me wouldn’t allow that one to just dangle out there!) I guess a better argument, and one more closely based in fact, would be to tell you that the top 25 companies in the US paid an average of 25.4% of their income in taxes last year. Meanwhile, the majority of those people who split the $250 billion refund pot are now sleeping in tents, pooping in streets, and demanding more free stuff. We are literally paying these people to piss us off. It has got to stop. We should be studying every move Wal-Mart has ever made. They have operated at maximum efficiency and they have expanded in ways the US Government couldn’t duplicate with 100% tax rates and mind control. Stop letting the media dictate how we live our lives. I don’t give a warm Texas cow-pie what Kim Kardashian or Paris Hilton think and I sure as hell don’t care about who will receive their vote. They’re morons yet more people can identify them than John Boehner.

The office of the President of the United States of America is about so much more than the man who wears the title. We’ve forgotten that, it seems. We’ve forgotten what is really at stake when we cast our votes. It’s not a popularity contest. We’re not asking for someone who looks good on TV, and gives good speeches. We’ve got one of those already. If your candidate doesn’t end up getting the nod and you end up staying home on election day in some kind of self-serving protest, I think I should be allowed to come to your home and punch you. If you stay home and Obama wins…….I’m bringing Mr. Suggs with me! The President of the United States is supposed to represent America. I refuse to believe that Obama represents what we have become as a country, but a reelection would go a long way toward bringing that fear to reality. In the end, it is our responsibility to elect the man or woman we feel would best represent us. We owe it to ourselves and to the very essence of our democracy to vote for the person most likely to propel the interests of our country over those held only in his party, mind, or mysterious family. We owe it to ourselves to research beyond the media offerings catering only to our own beliefs. Be smart enough to fend off manipulation, and committed enough to inspire change in the minds of those left confused. We owe it to our children to show them that the celebrities they follow are not the characters they love. A candidate who talks down to them is just using them whether they’re teenagers or senior citizens. Most of all, we owe it to ourselves to VOTE!!

As always, thanks for playing.

 

J. Robert Giles

 

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Share the Season…

By: J Robert Giles

CHRISTMAS SERIES 2011 (Part 1)

CLICK HERE For Full Site

 

Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.   - Hebrews 13:2

 

 

Original Story By Nancy W. Gavin

1982

It's just a small, white envelope stuck among the branches of our Christmas tree. No name, no identification, no inscription. It has peeked through the branches of our tree for the past 10 years or so.

It all began because my husband Mike hated Christmas---oh, not the true meaning of Christmas, but the commercial aspects of it-overspending...the frantic running around at the last minute to get a tie for Uncle Harry and the dusting powder for Grandma---the gifts given in desperation because you couldn't think of anything else.

Knowing he felt this way, I decided one year to bypass the usual shirts, sweaters, ties and so forth. I reached for something special just for Mike. The inspiration came in an unusual way.

Our son Kevin, who was 12 that year, was wrestling at the junior level at the school he attended; and shortly before Christmas, there was a non-league match against a team sponsored by an inner-city church, mostly black.

These youngsters, dressed in sneakers so ragged that shoestrings seemed to be the only thing holding them together, presented a sharp contrast to our boys in their spiffy blue and gold uniforms and sparkling new wrestling shoes.

As the match began, I was alarmed to see that the other team was wrestling without headgear, a kind of light helmet designed to protect a wrestler's ears.

It was a luxury the ragtag team obviously could not afford. Well, we ended up walloping them. We took every weight class. And as each of their boys got up from the mat, he swaggered around in his tatters with false bravado, a kind of street pride that couldn't acknowledge defeat.

Mike, seated beside me, shook his head sadly, "I wish just one of them could have won," he said. "They have a lot of potential, but losing like this could take the heart right out of them."

Mike loved kids-all kids-and he knew them, having coached little league football, baseball and lacrosse. That's when the idea for his present came.

That afternoon, I went to a local sporting goods store and bought an assortment of wrestling headgear and shoes and sent them anonymously to the inner-city church.

On Christmas Eve, I placed the envelope on the tree, the note inside telling Mike what I had done and that this was his gift from me.

His smile was the brightest thing about Christmas that year and in succeeding years.

For each Christmas, I followed the tradition---one year sending a group of mentally handicapped youngsters to a hockey game, another year a check to a pair of elderly brothers whose home had burned to the ground the week before Christmas, and on and on.

The envelope became the highlight of our Christmas. It was always the last thing opened on Christmas morning and our children, ignoring their new toys, would stand with wide-eyed anticipation as their dad lifted the envelope from the tree to reveal it's contents.

As the children grew, the toys gave way to more practical presents, but the envelope never lost its allure. The story doesn't end there.

You see, we lost Mike last year due to dreaded cancer. When Christmas rolled around, I was still so wrapped in grief that I barely got the tree up. But Christmas Eve found me placing an envelope on the tree, and in the morning, it was joined by three more. Each of our children, unbeknownst to the others, had placed an envelope on the tree for their dad.

The tradition has grown and someday will expand even further with our grandchildren standing around the tree with wide-eyed anticipation watching as their fathers take down the envelope. Mike's spirit, like the Christmas spirit, will always be with us.

May we all remember each other, and the Real reason for the season, and His true spirit this year and always. God bless---pass this along to your friends and loved ones.

That story is the first of several I will share over the next eleven days. It’s that time of year. As I sit here writing this, surrounded by political absurdity, sports misery, and looming poverty; it’s stories like the one Mrs. Gavin told in 1982 that remind us all what this season is truly about. Mike Gavin was right; if the only thing you care about this time of year is the commercialized aspects of this Holiday, then you are a lost soul. Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Christ. We are in a fight to keep the right to celebrate it as such, but in our own homes, where our Christmas memories are made, we are free to celebrate Christmas as it was meant to be celebrated. The traditions, like the one enjoyed by the Gavin family to this day, are what the Christmas season is all about.

Occupy Wall Street hippies and ACLU morons can oppose Christmas all they want but they will never force us into retreat. Beyond the commercial greed, and the billons of dollars spent on gifts, decorations, and electricity for the front yard light displays, Christmas is about love. It’s about giving of not only gifts to the ones you love, but to people you wouldn’t normally notice. Those gifts need not be fancy or expensive. They need not be wrapped in delicate ribbons or beautiful paper. They can be gifts of generosity or time. As long as they are given from a genuine heart they have earned the title of “gift.”

Give your gifts. Give things at Christmas you wouldn’t normally give. Embrace the very foundation of this holiday and cherish the spirit that consumes you. Set aside arguments with forgotten sources. Surrender control and welcome with open arms the full force of Christmas. The songs, the sounds, the smells, the tastes…..as soon as they leave, you’ll miss them. Enjoy them while they’re here so that you can anticipate them again next year. There will always be those who refuse the gifts delivered on the day that launched this annual celebration. The biggest gift you can give this year is to pray a selfless, heartfelt prayer for those who have not discovered the power behind such actions for themselves. We all have close friends who do not share our religious views. We have family members with values that more closely resemble the values of our enemies than our own. Pray for them. Pray that they discover the power to see the world as you see the world at Christmas. Pray that they can one day enjoy not only the memory of their mother decorating the house, but that they can enjoy the celebration of Christ that kept their mother happy as she did so. Pray that they can not only enjoy the memory of a grandmother’s monkey bread, but also the guiding hand of Christ that kept heart attacks at bay as a recipe consisting of mostly butter and sugar was consumed. Pray that they come to know the joy of seeing their kids anticipate a candlelight Church service as an important and non-negotiable part of their budding Christmas traditions. Christmas is about sharing, so share Christmas. Share it or lose it to the misguided opposition.

The Spirit of Christmas allows for indulgence and encourages laughter. Christmas is the one time in our year when thoughts of political landscape can be set aside for a few days while tradition is honored, loved ones are remembered, and family is gathered. Enjoy this time, take lots of pictures, and we’ll get back to the lunacy on Friday!

As always, thanks for playing!

J. Robert Giles