A lot of the talk shows in Denver have been debating the Christmas verses
Holidays terms.  Last Christmas, our new mayor tried removing Merry
Christmas from the city and county government building.  The citizens threw
a fit and he decided to leave it the way it is, and has been, for decades.
Our Christmas parade is called the Parade of Lights.  You certainly would
not want to call a Christmas parade a Christmas parade, especially when it
was two nights, back to back, during Christmas.  Last year, the Parade of
Lights board thought they could band a large mega church here in town, the
church runs over 5,000 just in their main building and many more in the
satellite churches scattered around town, because they were afraid their
float in the parade might have a religious theme.  When this hit the news,
again, voting citizens came out of the woodwork and they allow the church to
enter a float.  This year, they allowed a lot of Christmas Christian floats
and walking choirs singing Christian Christmas songs about who?  Jesus!  All
this has reminded me of the first time I got my own vending stand in the
state services for the blind program.  This public school administration
building had been bombed by an Latino activist, although in Denver they
prefer to be called Hispanic instead, years earlier and blown part of one
floor out into the street.  So building security went to one and one only
door entrance, you needed identification given to you by the building
security, and there was a security guard at that door.  One night, when I
was cleaning up the shop, I found a lady's purse on one of my tables I was
washing down.  It freaked me out because it had been a lady's purse placed
in a lady's bathroom, containing the bomb, that blew half of that floor out
into the street from three stories up.  I quickly called security, he came
running down, and took the purse.  Nothing blew.  So back to my reason for
this post.  As I stood at the back door by the security on Christmas eve,
waiting for the lady I car pooled with and whose husband I led to Christ a
couple of years later, she was a Christian, by the way, I would guess at
least half of the building came down the stairs and passed by me before my
ride came.  Everyone of them said Merry Christmas to me and which I, in
turn, said the same to each and every one.  So, that night, I must have said
Merry Christmas over 100 times before Cindy came down and we walked to her
car.  I know this seems ridiculous but I enjoyed doing that more than you
can imagine.  I was young, only about 21 years old, and Sandy and I had only
been married for about two years or less.  There was something special about
saying Merry Christmas that many times, and hearing it from everyone, that
felt good.  So, I don't plan on changing regardless if the change it to a
Holiday Tree verses a Christmas Tree.

Phil.


And God Divided The Light From The Darkness
www.SafePlaceFellowship.com