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This is a season of want, need and have. Many of the wants are deep desires for this or that, other wants are good wants. There are lots of needs this year. Well, there really are probably no more needs on a global scale than usual, its just that the needs are closer to home for most people in the West than usual. Folks in the West are used to being able to look away from need because of all they have, but right now the media is keeping anyone, who is watching or reading, posted on the needs around them. But in the developing world, in the undeveloped world, these needs are ever present. I heard a story a minute ago… it caused me to be sad… A poor boy goes to a kitchen door of a woman and asks “Auntie, please may I have a bowl rice?” The woman, holding a pot of rice in her hand, slaps him on the cheek with the rice spoon, “Get out here, urchin” she says. As he turns his cheek, his fingers grab the grains of sticky cooked rice stuck to his cheek and he eats them. He looks at her and says “Auntie, please may I have some more on the other side?”

When I heard that, I was saddened.

I was reminded that this kind of poverty is the norm in much of the world. I remembered the young couple who wandered into a city with little money and slept in a barn with a bunch of animals.

A guy I know wrote on his Facebook status… “every breath leaves me one less to my last”

I was saddened by this too.

I saw a guy I have not seen in a long time. He works with the homeless. Jesus (who was born in the barn) has called him to this amazing work of justice here in the West.

I’m glad that the baby in that barn was born.

I’m glad that he came to bring hope to people of poverty – physical and spiritual – like the boy who wanted rice and the guy who seems to be counting his breaths.

Joy is here… but those of us who have embraced it need to be busy with showing love and joy to the poor, like my friend who is building a shelter for the homeless here among the wealthy.

Joy to the world. He came to bring joy. He gave us joy to give.

Today ends the shortening days! Tomorrow is the first full day of winter and the days will start growing longer a little bit at a time!

Thanks to Lea, here are more pics… click here

Covenant has done a live nativity scene in Charlottesville for a pretty long time… in fact when a landmark court case in the ‘ville cause the city to stop doing it, Covenant wound up with the wise men, stable, etc. and has (I think) done it since… it is always very well attended by families with little kids and we usually have some animals (sheep mostly), a few years ago I was tapped to narrate by reading the Christmas story from Scripture, last night after we finished, the news showed up to film for the 11 o’clock news, here is a link… (the link didn’t work well at school, but that may be b/c of our Internet connection… click HERE

Sweet Anna and I were watching a Christmas special by Faith Hill… she sang this new song which has an amazing message… check out the Youtube version…

When I am traveling across the pond, I often grab a copy of the International Herald Tribune to try to keep up with the news since other outlets are not available. Here at home, I often look to their website for news… today they have published their version of the year in pictures… herein you will see joy and sorrow, disbelief and hope, life and death, defeat and accomplishment… click here.