A Blessed Advent and Happy Church New Year!

Charlie Brown . . . And a Tree?

For the last almost eight years, there has been an effort to reduce the significance of faith and religion in our country. Home owner associations have been known to ban religious Christmas decorations on private property because they might offend someone. We have to be tolerant. We have to force religious communities to pay for contraceptives and abortion in mandated health insurance because we have to be tolerant. Symbols of faith such as crucifixes around our neck or tee shirts proclaiming our faith are frowned upon in work places because not everyone is in line with that. We have to be tolerant. The president even tried to prevent Christmas trees in government-run hospitals. More tolerance? The country was founded on Godly principles by people escaping societies that felt that anyone who was different had to be hushed. If the erring people wouldn’t comply, they had to be punished for . . . not being tolerant.

This is the 50th Anniversary of A Charlie Brown Christmas. An ever-popular, meaningful animation that, for years, has help put the Christ into Christmas. Until this year . . . The Christian Post pointed this out:

Mr. and Mrs. Obama appeared during the 50th anniversary airing of “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” During the show, Linus explains to Charlie Brown that Jesus is the reason for Christmas in one of the best scenes of the special.

Unfortunately, the Obamas seemed to have completely forgotten that part, because they utterly changed the line to leave out Jesus, as The Christian Post pointed out.

“They teach us that tiny trees just need a little love and that on this holiday we celebrate peace on Earth and good will toward all,” President Obama stated, and Michelle Obama added, “Because — as Linus knows — that’s what Christmas is all about.”

Actually Linus drops his beloved blanket and recites Luke 2:8-14 to explain what Christmas is all about: the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

All these years of enjoying A Charlie Brown Christmas and no one realized how intolerant the show was and the people who enjoyed it. Go figure, huh? Do you suppose obama used the tiny tree scenario to get a plug in for his ‘religion’ of saving the world, one tree at a time? Yes, Michelle, Linus knows what Christmas is all about . . . it is you and your husband that missed the boat.

Temper and How Do You Temper It?

What do we have in common that many of us are always losing? Few people have been able to keep this in hand forever. At one time or the other, we have all lost this, probably more than once. And losing this is always detrimental to the people around us and our own sense of being. What is this elusive object that we seem to misplace so easily? Our temper.

The stress of life and the problems facing us, contribute to this loss, however, we don’t have to let it’s loss control our lives.

Although there can be occasions of justifiable anger, I, personally, have not been victim of too many episodes of that nature.

Temper is a spur of the moment reaction to something against your wishes. It is usually a self-centered response because your space has been invaded.

An outburst of temper alleviates your stress for only a minute. Bitterness soon takes its place as you resolve to hold your ground because you are right and the recipient of your wrath is wrong. How can you easily forgive someone who is in opposition to your feelings or ideas? A loss of temper, instead of making a point, poisons the one who lost it. Many times, the temper is evoked because you don’t want to admit wrong, guilt, or even stupidity.

“Man is a rational animal who always loses his temper when called upon to act in accordance with the dictates of nature.” Orson Welles

There is a moment of justification in your mind when you have ‘set someone in their place’ but when you lose your temper, you lose a bit of your own worth. People won’t respect your ire. They will avoid your company.

Some people say their temper isn’t really temper, but their ability to speak their mind. If speaking your mind hurts, embarrasses, or alienates another person, we are talking temper not virtue. Guidance by your words or actions is entirely different from getting your way with an onslaught of temper. Loud noises cause us to close our ears while a whisper draws our attention.

Losing your temper is a selfish event. You get to vent. You get to shout. You get to let people know that you are not happy. You get that minute’s worth of enjoyment at seeing another person suffer. Are there any long-term benefits to your tantrums?

“Never do anything when you are in a temper, for you will do everything wrong.” Baltasar Gracian

Someone apologized to me once after giving in to a massive tirade that lasted twenty minutes as I stood there in shock. Her later explanation for the behavior? She was having a bad day and whatever I had said, set her off. She went on to say that she was always apologizing for her temper as if it was a virtue. She is on the way to being alone with her ‘virtue’. Better to have held your temper in the first place than trying to justify it.

A quick look in the dictionary gives an interesting view on temper. One meaning of the word is “Proneness to anger” and the other one is “To exercise control over”.
As we enter into the Advent Season and start our approach to the stable at Bethlehem, what form of temper will we use on our journey?

Barbara M. Barthelette

“REMEMBER –For every minute you are angry with someone, you lose 60 seconds of happiness that you can never get back.” Will Rogers