It was about 5 am in our home when I heard my wife exclaim from the exercise room, “She called my name!” I dashed over to the exercise room where she was doing a workout class via the Internet. The instructor was leading the participants through various stretching and muscle-building exercises. Normally, the instructor in these classes shouts out generic things like, “You can do it!” or “Three more!” or “Let’s go people!” But on this morning, the instructor could see that my wife Shelley had registered for the class. The company had created a system for the instructor to see all the participants’ names. My wife was ecstatic when the instructor exclaimed, “Good work Shelley!” That’s when my wife shouted down the hall to me, “Honey, she called my name!”

Have you looked at the lawn decorations around your neighborhood for Christmas? I’m so confused! What are we celebrating anyway?? We have the constant whir of air machines propping up manger scenes of bible characters Mary and Joseph looking into a manger holding their baby Jesus next to giant snoopy dogs with Charlie Brown, next to Santa emerging from an outhouse, next to candy canes lining the driveway, with lights on every rooftop, next to Santa and his reindeer, next to giant crosses reminding us of Jesus dying. I thought Christmas was about Jesus being born not dying!