And why Christmas music is always in my MP3 player...

My wife gets frustrated because I listen to Christmas music year round. My MP3 player contains Celtic, new age, classical, classic rock, gospel, Christmas, and even a little metal. I don't use playlists so all the music just rotates through. I think songs about the birth of our Saviour shouldn't be limited to the period between Thanksgiving and New Years. As I stated in yesterday's post, we know Jesus probably wasn't born on December 25, that's just the date chosen long ago to celebrate.

Some common theories point to late March or late April as the time Jesus was born but nobody knows for sure. It doesn't really matter when he was born. The fact that He was born and died for our sins is all I need.

Since we don't know the exact date, when I'm listening to Away In A Manger in July, I might be right on the money. So please, give me a break.

Why I no longer play defense in the "war against Christmas"

In the past I have been very vocal when hearing about Christmas being taken out of the Christmas holiday. Challenges to public displays, stores substituting holiday for Christmas, etc. have always made me angry. A podcast by my friend Jeremy Sarber started me looking at it and I've pretty much done a 180 on the issue.

The birth of Jesus wasn't observed in Europe until the fourth century and in the U.S. until the late 1800's because the date wasn't known and it wasn't deemed important. His death, burial, and resurrection (Easter) is the defining moment that separates Christianity from all other religions.

I hate to give credit to athiests and separation of church and state activists, but it is true that the pagan Winter Solstice celebration was appropriated by Christians trying to win people over to Christianity and leave behind the sinful partying that had become commonplace.

I still believe that the First Amendment to the Constitution only applies to Congress, the federal government. If a city, county, or even state wants Christmas displays on public property it is not the business of courts to force removal. But I'm choosing to look at the big picture and let it go. Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's.

Businesses should always be free to choose to celebrate Christmas or not to celebrate. Its customers can decide for themselves if they want to patronize the business or go where they can have their beliefs validated. I will still celebrate Christmas with family and friends but will no longer make a loud, public protest when a company leaves Christmas out of its sale advertisements. Christmas is an artificial holiday and refusing to acknowledge it is not a blasphemous offense.

 

*Edited and reposted from several years ago*

Do you only listen to people who think like you?

That's what many people do. They unfriend or unfollow anyone who disagrees with them and sometimes even block so their posts can't be seen by the enemy. (Like a child with fingers in ears and yelling so as not to hear anything disagreeable.)

I actually like exercising my brain with opposing thoughts. Now, Facebook is my "friends and family meeting room" but Twitter is my debate hall. I follow many people who do things I'm interested in, have similar political views, etc. but I also follow some who I fervently disagree with because I want to know what I'm disagreeing with and occasionally I find I agree with "the other side" on an issue.

For instance, along with many conservative and libertarian voices I also follow Obama, Hillary, Chelsea, Ellen, and other political interests. I love the freedom to listen to all, disagree or ignore freely, and generally soak up information.

Try it, you just might learn something.

Why I will be a repeat customer of CPR (Cell Phone Repair)

My phone had stopped charging and went dead even while plugged in. I took it to CPR mainly because they quoted the quickest turnaround time for the problem I described. I was prepared to pay for a new battery or charger port but after diagnosing it, they cleaned the charger port, straightened one of the contacts, AND CHARGED ME NOTHING! In return I bought the high quality charger cord they recommended and left happy. While I was there I also heard conversations with other customers and decided that this is a well run, honest company with employees who know how to treat people.

Driving during a tornado warning...

There has been a lot of discussion over the last few years about the hazards of trying to drive out of the path of a tornado, especially in a large city. We know early in the morning what our tornado risk will be for that day. If you don't feel your home is safe, make plans ahead of time and leave BEFORE warnings are issued. If you are still home when the sirens sound it's too late. Take cover immediately and use blankets, pillows, helmets, etc to protect yourself from debris. The innermost room should survive all but the strongest tornadoes but YOU WILL DIE in your car if hit by even a weak one.

I repeat,

YOU WILL DIE

if a tornado hits your car with you in it.

Don't use me as an example. Driving in severe weather is what I do. We have annual safety training which covers incidents from last season. Even with training we lost three professional chasers and two amateurs on May 31, 2013. Several others were injured. I keep my distance from danger and I have communication with trusted experts to keep me out of harm's way. You can't rely on the street by street radar analysis given on TV or radio. Those can be inaccurate because radar is seeing thousands of feet up in the air, not on the ground. Relying on a radar app on your phone isn't a good idea either for the same reason, plus it is probably several minutes old. Besides, thousands of extra cars on the road jeopardizes the lives of those who NEED to be out there.

If you are already in your car when a tornado warning comes out find a solid building to take shelter in. A hospital might be able to take you in or most big chain stores have emergency plans and a safe place to take cover. If you have nowhere else to go, the freezer in a convenience store is somewhat reinforced. Don't go to a school and cause security issues.

I will be repeating this message throughout the spring and am not apologizing for the duplication. This is lifesaving information that I want my friends and their friends and THEIR friends to see and think about.