For the last three years I have been attending a Christmas Eve Service at a local church that some family members attend.  My wife and I regularly attend a different church, but we go every year with our family to this Christmas Eve Service.  The first year I was a bit disturbed by what I heard.  It wasn’t so much what they said, but what they didn’t say that disturbed me.  There was no talk whatsoever about Christ’s Sacrifice, and our need for it.  Yes, they acknowledged Jesus as God and how he was a gift given to us, which is true, but nothing more.  They completely ignored the most important part: Christ’s life, death and resurrection.  They essentially gave a pithy sermon on how it’s better to give than to receive, said Jesus is the best gift of all, and left it at that.

I wasn’t happy that first year, but I let it go.  Then the next year there was the same problem.  And for the third year in a row, they missed the target.  They talked about how great it was that Jesus came, but never once mentioned WHY He came.  They mentioned that He is the greatest gift, but never mentioned WHY He is the greatest gift, WHAT He gave, and WHY I need this gift.  Trying to explain Christmas and Jesus without the why is like bending a nail with a hammer: yeah, you might have hit the nail on the head, but you didn’t drive it all the way through, which means the nail is WORTHLESS!

So here is the complete meaning of Christmas, and why this is something worth celebrating: 

In the beginning God created everything perfect and good.

We sinned, and screwed everything up.  Therefore we are worthy of Hell and destruction.  That’s justice.

God loves us, and chose to show us grace and mercy.

Therefore He sent Jesus, who is God who became a man.

Jesus came for the express purpose of paying for the penalty for our sin, with His life.

Jesus lived the life we could not live: a life without sin.

Jesus endured the most horrible death ever conceived, a humiliating, long and excruciatingly painful death on a cross.

Jesus was the perfect sacrifice, holy and pure, therefore death could not hold Him.  After three days He rose from death, conquering our enemies of Satan, Sin and Death.

Because of Jesus, we who are Christians, and those who become Christians can live new lives, in relationship with Him, and one day spend eternity with Him in His presence.

There it is: Christmas is ultimately about the Cross.  If you try to celebrate Christmas, or try to explain Christmas, and you don’t get to the cross, then I’m sorry, you’ve failed.  You might have gotten some things right, but you’ve missed or gotten the most important things wrong.  The whole reason that Jesus came was to die.  If we don’t have the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, then the Apostle Paul says “we are of all people most to be pitied” and ”your faith is futile and you are still in your sins” (1 Corinthians 15).  Please remember this, and continue to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas every day.  Jesus came, died and rose.  That is the best news ever.

God Bless.

Have a Happy New Year.

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1. Coast more. Obviously you’ll use your brakes, but there’s no point in maintaining your speed until the last second, when you know you’ll be stopping anyways.  Whenever you get the chance, coast.  Also, if you approach red light more slowly, you may not actually have to stop if it turns green.  So slow down A LITTLE early when approaching lights.  If the light turns green, and you’re still going 15mph, then you have saved gas that would have been needed to accelerate.

2. Fill up first thing in the morning whenever possible. Avoid filling up any other time.  Because gas is so sensitive to temperature changes, when you fill up at the coolest time of the day, you will actually get more gas than you would if you filled up at 3pm.  Buying your gas in the morning will help you get more for your dollar.

3. Don’t take too long to get up to speed, but don’t drive too fast either. Here’s one for all you snails out there: taking too long to get up to speed will cost you more gas.  HA! Get the lead out.  Now for you speed demons out there, accelerating too quickly and speeding also costs more gas.  Get up to speed at a decent pace, and don’t speed.  You’ll get to your destination in plenty of time, and save money.

4. Use your cruise control whenever possible. The constant accelerating and decelerating of using your gas pedal costs more gas than just holding a steady speed, which is only really possible with cruise control.

5. Do as much as you can in one trip. Fewer trips means less gas used.  Try to get as much done in one trip as possible, before coming home.

There you have it.  5 simple tasks anyone can do to save money on gas this summer (and any time of the year).  Don’t be greedy, share this article with someone and help a friend save some cash too.

Look around our world today and you’ll see many things that people thought were impossible. People swore these things could never happen, and you were a fool to think such things. Let this list be an encouragement to never stop pursuing what you believe in, because someone else says you can’t do it.

It was impossible for man to fly, however two brothers refused to accept this ‘reality’ and found a way to make it happen. Now look up into the sky and you’ll surely find evidence that man can fly.

It was impossible for man to sail around the world. Surely you would fall off the edge, it was believed. Now it is a task that can be accomplished in a matter of hours.

It was impossible for man to reach the moon, and now we’ve done it multiple times, and even sent probes to other planets.

It was impossible to take one man’s blood and put it into another man, and now we do it on a daily basis to save lives.

It was impossible to take the heart from one man and give it to another, and now there are thousands who walk around with another’s heart in their chest.

Henry Ford was told by his engineers that the V-8 motor was impossible, that it could not be created. Now many of us have them in our cars.

At one point it was impossible to have books widely available and the masses literate, then

We’ve not only discovered the atom, but split it.

The 4-Minute Mile, the cell-phone, electric power, the personal computer, whatever device you’re using to read this, was at one time thought impossible.

It might be a good idea for you to take a pair of scissors or a marker and remove the word ‘impossible from your dictionary, since it’s a word that has been proven false time and time again. At the least, it should be removed from your vocabulary permanently, since it accurately describes very little in this world.

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So what’s different?

The new Apple TV is actually less than half the size of the original, and less than half the price. The price on the original was $229, and now its only $99. This makes it much more affordable. This model has no hard drive and doesn’t store movies. What it does is stream iTunes movies and TV shows, thus eliminating the need for a hard drive. If you have shows or movies on your computer’s iTunes you can stream them straight to the Apple TV as well. Also, as a bonus, Netflix subscribers can get instant access to their account and stream any movies or shows available through Netflix for no additional cost. High Definition (HD) TV shows will be available for $.99 per episode to rent (down from $2.99), and HD movies start at $4.99 to rent. The new Apple TV also gives access to YouTube, Flickr, and MobileMe.

So why didn’t it work before, and why will it work now?

In my humble opinion, the original Apple TV was ahead of it’s time. It was a great idea, but at the time there was very little market for digital television or movies. Blu-Ray was new on the market, the PS3 and XBOX 360 had just come out, and people simply weren’t interested. Additionally, at the time people would only be able to watch the movies or shows on their computer, iPod video, or their TV. They couldn’t take the DVD over to a friend’s or anything like that. The idea was simply too limiting. So what changed?

The iPad is the item that will make this possible. With the millions of iPads that are now available, people want digital movies and TV shows like they wanted digital music after the iPod came out. The iPad practically screams “Watch a movie on me!” You combine that with the cheaper prices of both the Apple TV and the content available for it, and Apple should be set up for a win this time.

What’s in store for the future of Television?

I actually predicted this about 6 months ago with the release of the iPad. Over the next 2-5 years I predict a shift away from satellite and cable style television with channels and commercials, and a shift towards On-Demand and streaming movies and TV. Everything is in place, and we’re just now getting to a point where the market will support it. More and more people today are just waiting an extra day or week to see their show on Hulu. People also like paying a monthly subscription to something like Netflix and getting unlimited access to watch whatever they want when they want. I’m sure people would much rather pay $20-25 per show for a full season pass, and be able to watch it whenever they want, than pay $50-75 a month for 250 channels they don’t watch on Cable or Satellite. It is much more convenient, and potentially cheaper. I anticipate that that by next season the NFL package will be available for live streaming (for a price).

Everything is in place for the next phase of television entertainment. Sit back and enjoy the ride, as we embrace the digital age.

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There are many things in this world that can’t be changed, but your bills aren’t always in this category. Over the last two days I made 2, 15 minute phone calls that saved me over $300 for this year.

The first was for a medical bill we got recently from my wife’s trip to Urgent Care back in March. She had a bad ear infection, and said it felt as bad as when it had previously had her ear drum rupture. So naturally I take her to urgent care, and we see a doctor. Well 4 months later I get a bill for $420. After sitting on it a couple weeks I decide to call up the facility. I explain that I wasn’t expecting a bill like that, we’re still in college, blah blah blah, and ask if they can do anything about the price. The lady comes back with $273. I saved/made $150 by making a 15 minute phone call, and simply asking if they could lower the bill. I was almost ready to put a check in the mail. Glad I didn’t.

The next day I notice that AT&T has special promotions on their internet service. I call them and ask if I can get the same promotional price. They tell me that it’s just for new customers, and I ask if they can do anything for me. They put me in contact with their retention department, and I get my bill lowered by $13 a month. Over a year that comes out to over $150.

In two days, a total of 30 minutes on the phone saved me $300. The best part is: there was no risk. What was the worst that could happen? They say no? Thats right. The worst thing that could have happened was that my request was rejected. I’m out 15 phone minutes.

How much money could you save with a couple 15 minute phone calls. Always remember: it can’t hurt to ask.

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When I got to the final page, input my credit card information and click “Submit”, the page refreshes and tells me the price has increased about $70. I tried it again about an hour later, exact same flights and hotel, and it started with the same original price I had before, then increases it to the exact same amount it jumped to previously when I try to checkout. I tried a different package, and it also jumped about $70 when I tried to check out. At this point it’s starting to look like a scam to me, but I decide to give them the benefit of the doubt, and call one of their agents.

The first agent I talk to, disconnects me, and I have to wait to talk to someone else. The second person I talk to can barely speak English, and it seems like she’s texting someone or playing a game or something, because she takes forever with everything. I ask to speak to her manager, and after a couple minutes there’s no one on the other end of the line. The third person I talk to seemed very reasonable, and even told me that she would give me a discount beyond my original price for my inconvenience. This seems great to me, so I tell her to go ahead, she takes my credit card information, gives me a confirmation number, and says I should have an email shortly. It’s late at night, so I wait a little bit for the email, doesn’t come, so I go to bed. When I wake up, check my email, and it’s still not there. I’m getting pissed about this point.

So I call back this morning, and give them my confirmation number, and they say it doesn’t exist. So apparantly, it seems to me that everything the lady said she did for me last night was a lie. Then they proceed to tell me it’s going to cost up to $300 more than it was initially. I, obviously ask to speak to a manager. The manager seems realistic, offers me a $50 discount, and offers to book my trip. Then she tries to check me out, and the price jumps $70 AGAIN, and she asks if I want to continue . This is close to my original price, so I say “screw it, go ahead.” She tries to make the purchase again and it jumps an ADDITIONAL $80!!! At this point I get livid, and the lady says “well, prices are subject to change.”

I’m sorry, but that is just plain bull crap. I get that prices may change, but this looks more like a scam to me. Every time I would try to check out, either online or with an agent, the price would bump, without exception. The last lady I spoke with said the best she could do was give me that $50 discount. How much does a $50 discount really help when they increase the price $150?

My conclusion is that Expedia is a scam. I would never recommend it to anyone, in fact, I would recommend that you pick any other website. Tell your friends, and save them the grief of having to deal with this kind of trouble.

and are also part of Expedia.

Honestly it is the perfect combination of computing and convenience. It has all the functionality that I need out of a portable computer, without any of bulk that accompanies even the smallest of laptops. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had a laptop since I was 13. But in my opinion, if you’re looking for something simple and convenient, there’s nothing better than the iPad.

Yeah, there are a couple drawbacks. I’ve gotten used to the multitasking on iPhone, and it’s a little inconvenient not to have it again. The delay of the iOS4 is really a bad idea on Apple’s part. Additionally, the other features given on the iOS4 are sorely lacking and I cannot wait for it to be released so the iPad’s full potentials can be unleashed.

The battery life is amazing. I actually have had difficulty fully depleting battery within a single day. I even have it set so that the screen will not turn off until I hit the button.

Typing on it is actually not too bad. I’ve heard some complain, and It isn’t as good as a keyboard, but for shorter messages or emails it’s actually quite accurate easy to type on. In fact, this post was written entirely on my iPad.

The screen is amazingly beautiful, and makes YouTube and movies look even better. The Internet on the iPad is great, and in my opinion, is much better than using a mouse and a computer. The ability to swipe around the screen and tap away on things makes the internet much easier to navigate and you can hold it right in your hands. Yeah, flash would be nice, but it’s not that big a deal. No Facebook app? Don’t really need it, Facebook is good enough on the Internet with iPad.

There are actually a lot of functions I used to use on my iPhone that I’ve transferred to my iPad. I no longer have a feed reader on my iPhone, because if I had go chose between reading on my iPhone or iPad I’d pick the iPad. I’ve also found a great app called Pocket Informant HD to perform my GTD functions. It holds my calendar, task list and syncs with Google Calendars.

Honestly, I think the age of the laptop is ending, and the age of the tablet is being birthed. While desktops will likely stay around as family computers, for people’s personal use the laptop is going to be replaced with the iPad, and other tablet devices to come.

Overall, I give the iPad 4/5 stars. It’s great, but there are some things to adjust to. Once you’ve adjusted though, you’ll see that this is the start of something new, and something big.

Today, most people are much more flippant with their time than they are with their money.  The waste time on TV shows they don’t really like, or reading books they don’t enjoy, or doing tasks that aren’t that important and won’t contribute to their future success.  A simple solution to help you determine if your time is spent wisely is to turn your hours into dollars.  If you make $25 an hour, every hour is worth $25.  If you waste an hour per day on TV shows you don’t like, at then end of the year you’ve blown over $9000! Was it worth it?

You can use this for anything.  If you spend 2 hours just being bitter at your spouse because they did this, that or the other thing, was it worth $50 to be angry?

Now, I’m not saying that all time should be spent on making money, or on things that are productive.  I make $40 an hour.  I also spend 2-3 hours every evening with my wife watching TV and enjoying her company.  Is that worth $80-120 to me?  Absolutely.  Would it be worth $80-120 to spend an afternoon with my son (someday, I have no kids right now)?  Absolutely.  The idea is simply to turn your time into something you already can quantify, and see if it’s being used properly.  TIme is the only resource you can never get back.

I was first introduced to this concept in Tim Ferriss’ The 4-Hour Workweek.  He contends that if a task will take you 2 hours, and you make $25 an hour, then it would cost you $50 to do.  But if you could pay someone else $30 to do it, then you have a net gain of $20.  Even if it isn’t money in your pocket, it’s time in your pocket, which is just as important.

Take a few minutes and figure out how much your time is worth.  Then ask yourself the question “Am I spending my time-dollars wisely?”  “Is this a wise investment?”  If the answer isn’t yes, then you should probably be doing something else.

To be perfectly honest, I believe this is a result of the completely horrendous state of marriage in our country.  To be perfectly honest I think it’s completely selfish.  This is confirmed in the article by a woman named Barbara Tober who said “Not that we don’t love each other, but at a certain point you just want your own room.”  If that is the perspective that you have on marriage, then I’m sorry, but you’re already divorced.  Even if you never actually get a divorce, you are functionally divorced because your priority is yourself, and not your spouse.

The marriage bed is analogous for the whole marriage.  Sleeping in one bed is akin to spending one life together.  Is it always easy?  No.  Sometimes he snores, sometimes she flips around like a pancake, and eventually someone is going to get kicked (accidentally, I’m sure).  But guess what: you suck it up.  Why?  Because you love them, want to be with them, and it’s not about you.

Now, all that being said, there are circumstances where it’s ok to sleep separately.  These are rare instances, and usually involve injures or illnesses.  Other occasions might include something like the husband getting back very late, and not wanting to disturb his wife.  However these are exceptions to the rule, and are to be avoided.

I’m sorry, but your husband watching Sports Center is not an excuse to sleep in a different room.  Snoring?  Sorry.  If you think you have an excuse, then you have something to work through, not something to run from.  The intimacy that sleeping together brings can’t be found anywhere else.

Remember this: your marriage is not about your happiness, but your holiness.  Your marriage is supposed to show you how much you need Jesus, because without Him, no marriage can truly work.  If you devote your life to serving Him and your spouse, then even when things are hard you can have contentment in your marriage.

Original Article:

http://www.today.msnbc.msn.com/id/38410209/ns/today-the_new_york_times?GT1=43001

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