Holiday Greeting

"Now therefore fear the LORD and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." -Jos 24:14-15

This verse jumped out at me because of how relevant it seems to me in these days of "Happy Holidays." Is it evil in your eyes to serve the LORD and say "Merry Christmas"? Christians, we should not be saying "Happy Holidays." Which holiday, and which God are we serving and encouraging others to serve? Do we really want to wish people a Happy Hanukkah and encourage their celebration of denying Jesus as Messiah? Or Happy Muslimness? Or Happy Kwanzaa? Or maybe Happy New Year--go get drunk? The fact is, unless it is serving the Lord, it is not a holiday.

But the problem is that we Christians have become so like the world, serving the world's God (money), that the world has hijacked our celebration of the Lord's birth, and reclaimed it as its own. So when you're out shopping and the cashier says "Happy Holidays" what he's really saying is "These days are holy to our money god. This is our month-long celebration of how rich and materialistic we are. Thank you for worshiping money with your Visa."

Oh, Lord, come quickly before my cynicism makes me explode.....

2500

Today I hit 2500 miles on my bike for the 2007 season. Back in March when I first hopped on my bike, I never would have guessed how many miles I would ride. Last year I was excited to break the 1000 mile mark, and I wasn't planning on going much beyond that this year. Then I started training for a century (100 mile) ride, and started a bike-to-work contest, and continued to ride even as the temperature began to drop. So today, here I am, just hopping off my bike in 5 degree weather, bundled up in neoprene shoe covers, running pants, balaclava, and ski goggles, 2504 miles under me....and 10 to go before I get home tonight...and there's still 3.5 weeks left of the year!