Howdy

Well if anybody is reading this I would first like to say thanks to Amy Unthank for spreading the Blog Bug to me... lol Well let's see what's been going on lately. I just started a new job within the past couple of weeks and it's going really well. The manager that was there when I was hired walked out on us thus placing the Assistant Manager in charge. The most likely scenario after the first of the year is that she will be promoted to official store manager and she has already promised me the position of Assistant Manager. That means more money and hours for Corey along with some nice benefits! YEE HAW!! Anyway this is the first "real" job I've taken since I came off the road from the Jeff Treece Band. If you ever get a chance to hear them live, or on CD for that matter, do so! This guy is a good friend and a hilarious person. He's not a bad song writer either! ;-)
Well now that the preliminaries are over I'd like to get a little "deeper" concerning this holiday season. I love this time of year because of it's general mood. It's one of more brotherly/sisterly love, more compassion, friendliness, and many of the positive human traits that so often get left by the wayside. It seems as though our goodness gets taken out of the closet, so to speak, for at least a short time and we allow ourselves to be the humans God intended for us to be in the first place. Having said all of that, I must confess that this year has brought to light some degree of negative revelation for me as a person. I realized that until this year, I have loved Christmas for most of the wrong reasons. I LOVED getting things from people and really enjoyed being active and in the spotlight during Christmas. Whether it was on the platform in the church Christmas play, singing a special song, or just simply finding things to do, I was a spotlight hog. This year, however, I've discovered something fantastic about Christmas! It's REAL meaning! Sure everyone knows the story of the birth of Christ but that's the problem. Everyone knows the story but it takes a little extra to KNOW the story! I've realized that this season IS all about love! This is the time in which God showed us the very first glimpse of His love and compassion for us! When the Angel appeared before Mary and told her of Jesus' coming, it was God's way of saying, "Hey, I love you!! This is my eternal gift to you!!" And with a gigantic smile on His face, He sent Jesus to literally rescue mankind from itself. What an amazing revelation if you really take a moment and look at it from a different perspective that we traditionally take. We tend to turn these precious events from the Bible and make them into religious fairy tales and miss the entire message in the story! So without getting TOO longwinded, let me encourage you to get back to basics this Christmas! Don't worry so much about spending money on people. Write a card or note to someone you love letting them know just how wonderful you think they are! I promise, they'll treasure that FAR more than the $24.99 toaster you got them from Wal-Mart! ;-) Every gift you give should be given from the heart and not obligation! So my gift to all who read this is simple, "I LOVE YOU!!" From the bottom of my heart! And as the Apostles told the leper, "Silver and Gold have I none, but such as I have, I give to you!!" Remember Jesus this holiday season and keep things focused on Christ! May you all have the BEST Christmas ever!! God Bless!