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<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">So you’re not a winter person. You endure the cold and the snow, but it’s not something you love. I’m not a fan either. I grew up in Wisconsin, and have lived in the cold and snow all my life. I’ve never gotten to the place where I’m ok with the weather. But winter has become possibly my most productive and spiritually/emotionally invigorating time of the year. Let me give you some tips.</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">The Seven Habits of Highly Successful People changed my life 30 years ago. I read the book in two days on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, 1992-1993. Before that, I had made meager attempts at setting goals. But starting that Friday, January 1, 1993, I became very serious about it. I set four lifetime goals, about a dozen long-term goals (10 years), and another dozen 1 year goals. And my life was changed in a significant way.</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">I can hear Andy Williams’ voice from childhood, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year.” It was that for me. It was the one time of the year when our whole family would be together (until my teen years), and my parents got along. So I associated Christmas with happiness.</p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">But later, when I was in college and didn’t have a home for Christmas, I was one of just a few in an empty dorm. </p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">There’s a meme flying around on social media picturing a man staring off into the distance with the words: “Wondering how I can get my wife the perfect Christmas gift when she already has me.”</p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">I thought about reposting it for fun, just to see what my wife would write in the comments.</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Every December I get questions from parents asking for my opinion on Santa: “Did you tell your kids about Santa?” Some Christians are very adamant: “Santa Claus is a replacement of Jesus in this secularized society and just another way of spreading materialism.” Others see the fable as a harmless, delightful fantasy: “I believed in Santa when I was a kid and it didn’t hurt me! It’s just a fun way to give the kids a little magical spar

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">The only reason Christians celebrated Jesus’ birth on December 25 was because the Romans had a pagan celebration on that day and Christians took it over. Right?</p><p class="" data-rte-preserve-empty="true" style="white-space:pre-wrap;"></p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Wrong. There’s no evidence for it.</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">You should’ve skipped Thanksgiving this year if you’re grumbling and complaining today. After all, you were just being a hypocrite. Why would you celebrate a day that you don't believe in? If your modus operandi is to look for what you think is wrong and then voice it, why did you even celebrate Thanksgiving? Everyone was looking at you like, “What’s he doing here?”</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">“It is to one’s honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel” (Proverbs 20:3 NIV). </p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Too many of us do not think this way. Instead, we are so quick to argue, and to even insert ourselves into other people’s arguments.</p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Scripture teaches a different way. </p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Years ago, the city of Pittsburgh constructed a large, new post office that cost millions of dollars. On the day of its opening, the governor made a speech, the bands played, and the people cheered. It was quite a celebration. But when the first man entered to mail a letter, to the embarrassment of the engineers, it was discovered that they had omitted the letter drop in their rush to meet the deadline. Here was a costly new post offi

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Wednesday was All Saints Day, or officially, All Hallows' Day. We actually get “Halloween” from this holiday as the night before was called “Hallowed Evening,” and then shortened to Halloween. No, Halloween is not Satan’s birthday…Satan wouldn’t have a birthday, but that’s a whole ‘nother blog. </p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Carlos met Nicole at a local hangout at the University of Calgary and they hit it off. He asked for her number and she gave it to him. But he wrote it down wrong, so when he tried to call her later that evening, the number was rejected. He was heartbroken. But Carlos wouldn’t give up.</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">I get it. You need a change of scenery. Maybe a move across town…or better yet, to a different state. Maybe it’s time for a job change. You just know that it’s time for change.</p>