PLEASE REMEMBER IN YOUR PRAYERS TODAY...

...those in our community and beyond who will spend this Christmas in pain and/or alone and/or unemployed and/or exiled from their church.

From MadPriest at Of Course, I Could Be Wrong.

"O HOLY NIGHT" (NAVAHO)

A Christmas Card with Jana Mashonee's rendition of "O Holy Night" in Navajo. It is accompanied by appropriate winter scenery on Navajo land featuring original artwork by Daniel Tate.

H/T to Ann at What the Tide Brings In.

INTELLECTUALS AT THE NUDIST COLONY

Two intellectuals were at a nudist colony. They were talking, and one asked the other, "Have you read Marx?"

And the other replies, "Yes, it's the wicker chairs."

Don't blame me. Blame Bruce (aka Canon Itchy).

LAST MINUTE DECORATING?

Jesus tree topper from Ship of Fools




Nativity rubber duckies also from Ship of Fools

Thanks to Cathy for the links.

CHRISTMAS DRAGON

What's that supposed to be? I said.
That's a Christmas dragon, he said. If
Santa rode around with this instead of
all those reindeer I think it'd put real
teeth in the naughty-or-nice thing.

Love it, love it, love it.

From StoryPeople.

THE TREE OF JESSE

Jan Mostaert - "The Tree of Jesse" - 1485 - Oil on panel

Out of the old man's abdomen grows a strange tree. Sitting on the branches, which seem to reach up to heaven, are colourfully clothed men. At the top of the tree, the very crown, is the Virgin Mary with her child on her lap and surrounded by angels. The old man is Jesse, ancestor of the royal house which traditionally produced the likes of Solomon, David and Christ. Sitting on the branches of the tree are Jesse's descendants. Artists usually depicted the Jesse tree schematically: a trunk with branches depicting the ancestors of Jesus. Jan Mostaert's approach was different. He turned Jesus' family tree into a real tree, in a monastic garden.

Now Lapin tells me. Better late than never.

That can't be comfortable.

Click on the picture for the larger view.

From the RijksMuseum.

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY

From Dora (aka Rudo):

Thanks for your prayers. My dad continues to be in need of prayer because he had another stroke on Wednesday. He is now in hospital and his blood pressure continues to be high. Pray that he gets the new medication soon and that he responds well to it.
Thanks,
Dora


O God, the strength of the weak and the comfort of sufferers: Mercifully accept our prayers, and grant to your servant Dora's dad the help of your power, that his sickness may be turned into health, and our sorrow into joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

AWWW...

From Jim Burroway at Box Turtle Bulletin:

Via Sen. Harry Reid’s Twitter feed: “Five months after I promised to repeal #DADT, I’m so happy to give back this West Point ring to [Lt. Dan Choi] @ltdanchoi.”

UPDATE Lt. Dan Choi:

The next time I get a ring from a man, I expect it to be for full, equal, American marriage.

RAIN OR SNOW?

A Russian couple were walking down the street in Moscow one night, when the man felt a drop hit his nose. "I think it's raining," he said to his wife.

She felt a drop also. "No, that felt more like snow to me," she replied.

"No, I'm sure it was just rain," he said.

Well, as these things go, they were about to have a major argument about whether it was raining or snowing. Just then they saw their local Communist Party official walking toward them. "Let's not fight about it," the man said, "Let's ask Comrade Rudolph whether it's officially raining or snowing".

As the official approached, the man asked, "Please tell us, Comrade Rudolph, is it officially raining or snowing?"

"Da; it's raining, of course," he replied, and walked on.

But the woman insisted: "I know that felt just like snow!" to which the man quietly replied:

"Rudolph the Red knows rain, dear".

Don't blame me. Blame Paul (A.).

I leave it to you, my readers, to decide what Paul (A.)'s punishment should be, because, as I see it, a simple dismissal from the stage is far too lenient.

PRAYERS OF THANKSGIVING FOR DAVID

From Ann, whose son-in-law David, had surgery to remove a thyroid tumor. We asked for prayers for him here.

The good news from David:

Just talked to the surgeon-- benign--
no more surgery needed

Thanks be to God, the medical staff, and all who prayed. What a lovely Christmas gift!