Do You Believe in Miracles?

I do.

At least that's the story I'm sticking with come Sunday.  I'm the substitute preacher this week, during a series on the Apostle's Creed (short, Protestant-y version of the Nicene Creed, for any readers who may be Catholic - you know who you are).  I get one whole verse on which to riff: John 1:14, which is plenty, thanks.  I also get to tackle that line in the creed that says Jesus is God's "one & only Son" (or only-begotten, for you traditionalists).

In my preparation for this thing during Christmas week, which is in itself fortuitous timing, I have found that belief in this one part of the creed requires belief in the miraculous, pretty much like the whole of Christianity does.  And by miraculous, I don't mean the Hallmark Channel version of miracles, as in the collision of Providence and chance, resulting in changed lives, changed hearts, etc.

I mean miracles that DEFY THE NATURAL ORDER OF THINGS, go against logic, science, mathematics, startle us with how NOT NORMAL they are, forcing us to confront the Infinite stepping into the finite, the supernatural overriding the natural, God intervening in the human affairs.  How one can embrace full-on Materialism and also believe in Christianity as portrayed in the Bible (the Incarnation, the Virgin Birth, the Resurrection, etc.), is beyond me.  

How a follower of Jesus can believe in the pre-existence of Christ PRIOR TO the Incarnation is beyond me, too, but that's another discussion altogether.  I'll give that one only a passing slap on Sunday, as my focus is really elsewhere:  the existence of miracles, honest-to-God (and I mean that literally) fall-on-your-face (yep, that, too...) miracles that happen whenever God and humanity interact.

Wish me luck.  I'll need a miracle to get through this one.  ;)

Office Christmas Parties... Naughty, or Nice?

The parties you go to during the holidays with your co-workers seem to take on the personality of the company (or the department head, depending on who's acting as host).  At least I hope so!  When I hosted one last weekend for my staff and their spouses at Biaggi's, it was low key, cordial, friendly, pleasant.  Tonight, at D's department party at the department head's house, it will probably be like last year: crowded, hot, exuberant, feisty.  We'll see in a few minutes.

*****

Follow-up report:  Why yes, indeed!  Much like last year.  Crowded, hot, exuberant, feisty.  A couple of slight improvements over last year, however, not the least of which was sharing the pot at the end of Texas Hold-em.  :)   But, note to self:  not a good idea to antagonize spouse's boss by helping the opposite team in Win, Lose, or Draw.  In order to recover from this gaffe, much groveling ensued, but to a good result.  My reputation as a sparkplug for injecting a little life into the party stayed intact.  :)

Travel Month(s), Part 4

Let's see... 72 degrees and breezy, or 22 degrees and breezy?   When would I trade the former for the latter?  When the latter is in Lambeau field for the Vikings game, that's when!

But boy, I'll tell you... 72 and breezy was pretty great.  When I first traveled to Hamilton, Bermuda in June I was NOT ready to declare it Paradise: too warm & humid.  But this time, wow.  So comfortable.

Getting there was not so great; one of the bumpiest flights I've had in a long time.  Hailstones pounding the plane on the tarmac, and then flying through these clouds to boot:

But once there, and in between meetings hanging out on the street with my co-workers, leaning up against the nearest palm tree in the shade and feeling the wind drifting across my "happy face"... I was ready.  Paradise it is.   These are shots out my hotel window, including moonset at dawn:

Then there's the views from the meeting rooms.  Mighty hard to concentrate on business when the pier is waiting...

And you don't even have to bring up the local rum (made by Bacardi, which has its world headquarters there) and the ridiculous deep discount available on it at the Duty Free shop at the airport.

Still, bone-chilling cold at Lambeau that forces one to have a snowshoe (hot chocolate and peppermint schnapps) to warm up... well, I guess that's a worthwhile experience, too, especially when shared with co-workers and mostly paid for by a vendor, including dinners, snacks, drinks, etc.  Worth a little chill to the bones for the sake of camaraderie.

Back in the hotel room after that zero-degree windchill, this was the view that mattered most:

Well, this was the last of the travel for a while.  My feet will be on the ground for the next several months.  Let it snow, baby!