Christmas has snuck up

Wow!
I've really realized this week, how Christmas can really sneak up on a person, more so when you're living in the adult world.  No chance of a Christmas sneaking up on you when you're a child.  As a child, I just lived for that time of year and of course impatiently watched the calendar as that special day with family and gifts and food arrived.  Now, sometimes it seems that Christmas is an inconvenience. I have so much to get done and it can't be done because everyone is busy preparing for Christmas.  Meetings with volunteers, small group Bible studies, and most other church activities get set aside for the big season.  At one time I faced this with frustration, but isn't all this activity what the Israelites did with their big days.  They even travelled miles on foot to arrive at the Holy city of Jerusalem for the festive sabbath.  And Christmas is really one of the Christian's festive sabbaths.  So, I've come to the conclusion that there is no point in destroying the mood of the season by fighting this flurry of activity.  It seems to me to be a better option to just celebrate everyone's business and to respect their concept of enjoying the season.  And when invited, to simply join in the rush, to do my part to prepare for the remembrance of this awesome season, and to embrace it to the best of my ability.  As the old saying goes "If you can't beat them, join them".  Well, here goes "Merry Christmas everyone".  Whew, that wasn't so bad, what's next?

Lets start a movement

Lately it has occured to me that much time and energy goes into healing the abused and working with males who have proven themselves to be abusive.  All of these efforts are great for addressing the problem after it has occurred, but what about preventive measures?  In my experience with working with abusive men, very few have a desire to be abusive.  Most just don't know that the activities they are involved in are having an abusive impact or what leadership means if it doesn't involve power and control.  We live in a culture where many of our males grow up in single parent homes that are absent of good male role models.  Or, in homes where the role model is anything but nurturing a healthy home environment.  TV doesn't exactly paint a great picture, nor does the movie industry.  So how can we expect men to provide a healthy home environment without the tools?   New Hope Family Ministries (check out our facebook page) is all about providing the tools.  However, to get men (and women) interested in using the tools I believe that we need to start a national movement of intolerance towards abuse and a passion for healthy homes.  If you are interested in being a part of this journey with me, I welcome your help.