What do these words and/or phrases have in common?

maverick
from Wall Street to Main Street
desperate search
monkey
game changing
carbon footprint
<3
Staycation

Those words/phrases, along with a few others have been nominated for “banishment” due to overuse and abuse by Lake Superior State University.  Each year they submit a list of 15 words/phrases they would like to do away with.  You [...]

On this day of gift-giving, family, food, and friends, I urge you all to remember that the reason we celebrate is because of Jesus Christ. He is the ultimate answer for each of those things we hold dear.

Gift-giving - Who doesn’t love the giving and receiving of gifts? But were it not for the arrival and example of Jesus, we wouldn’t celebrate this way. Jesus himself was a gift from God. John 3:16 tells us that God loved the world so much that he GAVE his only son, Jesus, that whoever believes in him will not perish, but live forever. The wise men, understanding the prophecy of Old Testament scripture, came to celebrate his arrival with gifts for a king. That is why we give….because God gave first.

Family - Because of the birth and ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we can become part of God’s family. What an unbelievable privilege. John 1:12 says to all who RECEIVED him, he gave the right to become children of God.

Friends - The richness of being in a true, deep, reliable friendship is one of the greatest blessings in life. And we like to spend time with our friends during the holidays. Jesus tells us in John 15:15 that he is not a distant God with no interest. In fact he tells us that he calls us friends because he has told us everything God has told him. He has included us in the plan. 1 John 4:19 tells us that we love him because he first loved us. What a friend we have in Jesus…and what a great time to spend time with him.

Food - We feast during these days…and it’s wonderful. But Jesus himself is the ultimate feast. The Gospel of John chapter 6 relates how Jesus describes himself as the “bread of life” that will allow anyone who partakes of it to live forever. And we can partake of the bread of life because of Christmas day.

My prayer for each of you reading this is that you have already met the real reason for the season, Jesus Christ. But I pray that you have not only met him, but that you have received him into your heart as your Lord and Savior and King. If so, let this day be a day of rejoicing and celebration because there is much to celebrate. If you have not, this can be your day to start a new life. You can have a spiritual birthday on the birthday of Jesus. If you want the ultimate day of celebration, then confess to Jesus that you believe in who he is and why he came. Tell him that you need him in your life. Confess your sinful behaviors and that you desire to head in a new direction. Ask him to become the King of your heart. If you do these things, then you will know the real joy of Christmas, and we will meet in Heaven.

Merry Christmas in the truest sense of the words. May you be blessed!

]*?)href\s*=\s*['"](.*?)['"]([^>]*)>(.*?) Ending uga_filter:

On this day of gift-giving, family, food, and friends, I urge you all to remember that the reason we celebrate is because of Jesus Christ. He is the ultimate answer for each of those things we hold dear.

Gift-giving - Who doesn’t love the giving and receiving of gifts? But were it not for the arrival and example of Jesus, we wouldn’t celebrate this way. Jesus himself was a gift from God. John 3:16 tells us that God loved the world so much that he GAVE his only son, Jesus, that whoever believes in him will not perish, but live forever. The wise men, understanding the prophecy of Old Testament scripture, came to celebrate his arrival with gifts for a king. That is why we give….because God gave first.

Family - Because of the birth and ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we can become part of God’s family. What an unbelievable privilege. John 1:12 says to all who RECEIVED him, he gave the right to become children of God.

Friends - The richness of being in a true, deep, reliable friendship is one of the greatest blessings in life. And we like to spend time with our friends during the holidays. Jesus tells us in John 15:15 that he is not a distant God with no interest. In fact he tells us that he calls us friends because he has told us everything God has told him. He has included us in the plan. 1 John 4:19 tells us that we love him because he first loved us. What a friend we have in Jesus…and what a great time to spend time with him.

Food - We feast during these days…and it’s wonderful. But Jesus himself is the ultimate feast. The Gospel of John chapter 6 relates how Jesus describes himself as the “bread of life” that will allow anyone who partakes of it to live forever. And we can partake of the bread of life because of Christmas day.

My prayer for each of you reading this is that you have already met the real reason for the season, Jesus Christ. But I pray that you have not only met him, but that you have received him into your heart as your Lord and Savior and King. If so, let this day be a day of rejoicing and celebration because there is much to celebrate. If you have not, this can be your day to start a new life. You can have a spiritual birthday on the birthday of Jesus. If you want the ultimate day of celebration, then confess to Jesus that you believe in who he is and why he came. Tell him that you need him in your life. Confess your sinful behaviors and that you desire to head in a new direction. Ask him to become the King of your heart. If you do these things, then you will know the real joy of Christmas, and we will meet in Heaven.

Merry Christmas in the truest sense of the words. May you be blessed!

Start uga_filter:

On this day of gift-giving, family, food, and friends, I urge you all to remember that the reason we celebrate is because of Jesus Christ. He is the ultimate answer for each of those things we hold dear.
Gift-giving - Who doesn’t love the giving and receiving of gifts? But were it not for [...]

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On this day of gift-giving, family, food, and friends, I urge you all to remember that the reason we celebrate is because of Jesus Christ. He is the ultimate answer for each of those things we hold dear.
Gift-giving - Who doesn’t love the giving and receiving of gifts? But were it not for [...]

Start uga_filter:

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Start uga_filter:

As a man in ministry, I’m intent on keeping our focus on the true “reason for the season”.  Without the birth of Jesus Christ, there is no Christmas.

But…….    there’s no sense in trying to pretend that we don’t go shopping duirng this season.  I enjoy giving and receiving gifts as much as anyone.  So that means that most of us are going to spend quite a few hours shopping in the next three weeks.  I don’t know about the rest of you, but I know I’ve lost perspective a time or two during this shopping marathon.  While it may have been fun on Christmas, it wasn’t so much fun in the months that followed trying to pay for it all.

So, there is the reality that we’re all gonna shop…and probably shop a lot.  There’s nothing wrong the shopping part of it…only the way we go overboard.   It’s important to keep the shopping urge under control and the spending within reason.

I came across an article in Parade magazine that offered some practical tips on accomplishing that very thing.  Here are the main idea.

1. Leave the kids at home - According to the report, shoppers accompanied by children bought 40% more items than those without children with them.
2. Watch out for fake bargains - Apparently signs have a huge affect on our purchasing.  Don’t be misled by signs.  Make sure it really is a deal before you buy.
3. Avoid big carts - Here’s a quirky factoid.  People buy roughly 30% more items when they sop with a big cart than when they don’t.
4. Don’t sniff - Smells entice us to buy and retailers are taking advantage of it.  One more reason to eat before you shop.
5. Leave your credit cards at home - The average household has about $10,000 in credit card debt.  Leave it home this year.

Enjoy your Christmas shopping, but remember to keep it within reason.  And make sure you put something aside for the real reason for the season…. give back to Jesus.

For more info on the article at Parade, click here.

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As a man in ministry, I’m intent on keeping our focus on the true “reason for the season”.  Without the birth of Jesus Christ, there is no Christmas.

But…….    there’s no sense in trying to pretend that we don’t go shopping duirng this season.  I enjoy giving and receiving gifts as much as anyone.  So that means that most of us are going to spend quite a few hours shopping in the next three weeks.  I don’t know about the rest of you, but I know I’ve lost perspective a time or two during this shopping marathon.  While it may have been fun on Christmas, it wasn’t so much fun in the months that followed trying to pay for it all.

So, there is the reality that we’re all gonna shop…and probably shop a lot.  There’s nothing wrong the shopping part of it…only the way we go overboard.   It’s important to keep the shopping urge under control and the spending within reason.

I came across an article in Parade magazine that offered some practical tips on accomplishing that very thing.  Here are the main idea.

1. Leave the kids at home - According to the report, shoppers accompanied by children bought 40% more items than those without children with them.
2. Watch out for fake bargains - Apparently signs have a huge affect on our purchasing.  Don’t be misled by signs.  Make sure it really is a deal before you buy.
3. Avoid big carts - Here’s a quirky factoid.  People buy roughly 30% more items when they sop with a big cart than when they don’t.
4. Don’t sniff - Smells entice us to buy and retailers are taking advantage of it.  One more reason to eat before you shop.
5. Leave your credit cards at home - The average household has about $10,000 in credit card debt.  Leave it home this year.

Enjoy your Christmas shopping, but remember to keep it within reason.  And make sure you put something aside for the real reason for the season…. give back to Jesus.

For more info on the article at Parade, click here.

Start uga_filter:

As a man in ministry, I’m intent on keeping our focus on the true “reason for the season”.  Without the birth of Jesus Christ, there is no Christmas.
But…….    there’s no sense in trying to pretend that we don’t go shopping duirng this season.  I enjoy giving and receiving gifts as much as anyone.  So that [...]

Start uga_in_feed Ending uga_in_feed: Start uga_track_user Start uga_get_option: ignore_users uga_options: array ( 'internal_domains' => 'markdoebler.com', 'account_id' => 'UA-4827893-1', 'enable_tracker' => true, 'track_adm_pages' => false, 'ignore_users' => true, 'max_user_level' => '8', 'footer_hooked' => true, 'filter_content' => true, 'filter_comments' => true, 'filter_comment_authors' => true, 'track_ext_links' => true, 'prefix_ext_links' => '/outgoing/', 'track_files' => true, 'prefix_file_links' => '/downloads/', 'track_extensions' => 'gif,jpg,jpeg,bmp,png,pdf,mp3,wav,phps,zip,gz,tar,rar,jar,exe,pps,ppt,xls,doc', 'track_mail_links' => true, 'prefix_mail_links' => '/mailto/', 'debug' => true, 'check_updates' => true, 'version_sent' => '1.6.0', 'advanced_config' => true, ) Ending uga_get_option: ignore_users (1) Start uga_get_option: max_user_level uga_options: array ( 'internal_domains' => 'markdoebler.com', 'account_id' => 'UA-4827893-1', 'enable_tracker' => true, 'track_adm_pages' => false, 'ignore_users' => true, 'max_user_level' => '8', 'footer_hooked' => true, 'filter_content' => true, 'filter_comments' => true, 'filter_comment_authors' => true, 'track_ext_links' => true, 'prefix_ext_links' => '/outgoing/', 'track_files' => true, 'prefix_file_links' => '/downloads/', 'track_extensions' => 'gif,jpg,jpeg,bmp,png,pdf,mp3,wav,phps,zip,gz,tar,rar,jar,exe,pps,ppt,xls,doc', 'track_mail_links' => true, 'prefix_mail_links' => '/mailto/', 'debug' => true, 'check_updates' => true, 'version_sent' => '1.6.0', 'advanced_config' => true, ) Ending uga_get_option: max_user_level (8) Tracking user with level Ending uga_track_user: 1 Calling preg_replace_callback: ]*?)href\s*=\s*['"](.*?)['"]([^>]*)>(.*?) Ending uga_filter:

As a man in ministry, I’m intent on keeping our focus on the true “reason for the season”.  Without the birth of Jesus Christ, there is no Christmas.
But…….    there’s no sense in trying to pretend that we don’t go shopping duirng this season.  I enjoy giving and receiving gifts as much as anyone.  So that [...]

Start uga_filter:

Today is a weird day for me….I am feeling pretty crummy today. At first I thought it was sinuses again, but it appears to be a full-blown cold. Been years since I had one of these and I’m not diggin’ it.

In the meantime, by beloved South Carolina Gamecocks roll into Gainesville, FL to take on the overgrown Lizards from FL. Normally, I would be all fired up for this game, but with this cold thing kickin’ my behind, I’m probably going to just be a big lump on the couch. I had hoped to invite several people over to mix it up during the game, but that ain’t happenin’ now.

Then tomorrow promises to be a challenge. What do you do in a service where you are supposed to lead music and preach when you feel sick as a dog? Praying for some serious short-term improvement at least by tomorrow morning. Don’t think gametime today is going to look much different, but tomorrow needs to. Sad thing is that if Carolina pulls the upset today, I won’t even be able to enjoy it that much.

Start uga_in_feed Ending uga_in_feed: Start uga_track_user Start uga_get_option: ignore_users uga_options: array ( 'internal_domains' => 'markdoebler.com', 'account_id' => 'UA-4827893-1', 'enable_tracker' => true, 'track_adm_pages' => false, 'ignore_users' => true, 'max_user_level' => '8', 'footer_hooked' => true, 'filter_content' => true, 'filter_comments' => true, 'filter_comment_authors' => true, 'track_ext_links' => true, 'prefix_ext_links' => '/outgoing/', 'track_files' => true, 'prefix_file_links' => '/downloads/', 'track_extensions' => 'gif,jpg,jpeg,bmp,png,pdf,mp3,wav,phps,zip,gz,tar,rar,jar,exe,pps,ppt,xls,doc', 'track_mail_links' => true, 'prefix_mail_links' => '/mailto/', 'debug' => true, 'check_updates' => true, 'version_sent' => '1.6.0', 'advanced_config' => true, ) Ending uga_get_option: ignore_users (1) Start uga_get_option: max_user_level uga_options: array ( 'internal_domains' => 'markdoebler.com', 'account_id' => 'UA-4827893-1', 'enable_tracker' => true, 'track_adm_pages' => false, 'ignore_users' => true, 'max_user_level' => '8', 'footer_hooked' => true, 'filter_content' => true, 'filter_comments' => true, 'filter_comment_authors' => true, 'track_ext_links' => true, 'prefix_ext_links' => '/outgoing/', 'track_files' => true, 'prefix_file_links' => '/downloads/', 'track_extensions' => 'gif,jpg,jpeg,bmp,png,pdf,mp3,wav,phps,zip,gz,tar,rar,jar,exe,pps,ppt,xls,doc', 'track_mail_links' => true, 'prefix_mail_links' => '/mailto/', 'debug' => true, 'check_updates' => true, 'version_sent' => '1.6.0', 'advanced_config' => true, ) Ending uga_get_option: max_user_level (8) Tracking user with level Ending uga_track_user: 1 Calling preg_replace_callback: ]*?)href\s*=\s*['"](.*?)['"]([^>]*)>(.*?) Start uga_preg_callback: Array Get tracker for full url Start uga_track_full_url: markdoebler.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/black-gamecock-helmet.jpg Start uga_is_url_internal: markdoebler.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/black-gamecock-helmet.jpg Start uga_get_option: internal_domains uga_options: array ( 'internal_domains' => 'markdoebler.com', 'account_id' => 'UA-4827893-1', 'enable_tracker' => true, 'track_adm_pages' => false, 'ignore_users' => true, 'max_user_level' => '8', 'footer_hooked' => true, 'filter_content' => true, 'filter_comments' => true, 'filter_comment_authors' => true, 'track_ext_links' => true, 'prefix_ext_links' => '/outgoing/', 'track_files' => true, 'prefix_file_links' => '/downloads/', 'track_extensions' => 'gif,jpg,jpeg,bmp,png,pdf,mp3,wav,phps,zip,gz,tar,rar,jar,exe,pps,ppt,xls,doc', 'track_mail_links' => true, 'prefix_mail_links' => '/mailto/', 'debug' => true, 'check_updates' => true, 'version_sent' => '1.6.0', 'advanced_config' => true, ) Ending uga_get_option: internal_domains (markdoebler.com) Checking hostname markdoebler.com Match found, url is internal Ending uga_is_url_internal: 1 Get tracker for internal URL Start uga_track_internal_url: markdoebler.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/black-gamecock-helmet.jpg, Start uga_get_option: track_files uga_options: array ( 'internal_domains' => 'markdoebler.com', 'account_id' => 'UA-4827893-1', 'enable_tracker' => true, 'track_adm_pages' => false, 'ignore_users' => true, 'max_user_level' => '8', 'footer_hooked' => true, 'filter_content' => true, 'filter_comments' => true, 'filter_comment_authors' => true, 'track_ext_links' => true, 'prefix_ext_links' => '/outgoing/', 'track_files' => true, 'prefix_file_links' => '/downloads/', 'track_extensions' => 'gif,jpg,jpeg,bmp,png,pdf,mp3,wav,phps,zip,gz,tar,rar,jar,exe,pps,ppt,xls,doc', 'track_mail_links' => true, 'prefix_mail_links' => '/mailto/', 'debug' => true, 'check_updates' => true, 'version_sent' => '1.6.0', 'advanced_config' => true, ) Ending uga_get_option: track_files (1) Tracking files enabled Start uga_get_option: track_extensions uga_options: array ( 'internal_domains' => 'markdoebler.com', 'account_id' => 'UA-4827893-1', 'enable_tracker' => true, 'track_adm_pages' => false, 'ignore_users' => true, 'max_user_level' => '8', 'footer_hooked' => true, 'filter_content' => true, 'filter_comments' => true, 'filter_comment_authors' => true, 'track_ext_links' => true, 'prefix_ext_links' => '/outgoing/', 'track_files' => true, 'prefix_file_links' => '/downloads/', 'track_extensions' => 'gif,jpg,jpeg,bmp,png,pdf,mp3,wav,phps,zip,gz,tar,rar,jar,exe,pps,ppt,xls,doc', 'track_mail_links' => true, 'prefix_mail_links' => '/mailto/', 'debug' => true, 'check_updates' => true, 'version_sent' => '1.6.0', 'advanced_config' => true, ) Ending uga_get_option: track_extensions (gif,jpg,jpeg,bmp,png,pdf,mp3,wav,phps,zip,gz,tar,rar,jar,exe,pps,ppt,xls,doc) Checking file extension gif Checking file extension jpg File extension found Absolute URL, remove hostname from URL Start uga_get_option: prefix_file_links uga_options: array ( 'internal_domains' => 'markdoebler.com', 'account_id' => 'UA-4827893-1', 'enable_tracker' => true, 'track_adm_pages' => false, 'ignore_users' => true, 'max_user_level' => '8', 'footer_hooked' => true, 'filter_content' => true, 'filter_comments' => true, 'filter_comment_authors' => true, 'track_ext_links' => true, 'prefix_ext_links' => '/outgoing/', 'track_files' => true, 'prefix_file_links' => '/downloads/', 'track_extensions' => 'gif,jpg,jpeg,bmp,png,pdf,mp3,wav,phps,zip,gz,tar,rar,jar,exe,pps,ppt,xls,doc', 'track_mail_links' => true, 'prefix_mail_links' => '/mailto/', 'debug' => true, 'check_updates' => true, 'version_sent' => '1.6.0', 'advanced_config' => true, ) Ending uga_get_option: prefix_file_links (/downloads/) Start uga_remove_hostname: markdoebler.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/black-gamecock-helmet.jpg Stripping everything up until and including first / Ending uga_remove_hostname: wp-content/uploads/2008/11/black-gamecock-helmet.jpg Checking file extension jpeg Checking file extension bmp Checking file extension png Checking file extension pdf Checking file extension mp3 Checking file extension wav Checking file extension phps Checking file extension zip Checking file extension gz Checking file extension tar Checking file extension rar Checking file extension jar Checking file extension exe Checking file extension pps Checking file extension ppt Checking file extension xls Checking file extension doc Ending uga_track_internal_url: /downloads/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/black-gamecock-helmet.jpg Ending uga_track_full_url: /downloads/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/black-gamecock-helmet.jpg Adding onclick attribute for /downloads/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/black-gamecock-helmet.jpg Ending uga_preg_callback: Ending uga_filter:

Today is a weird day for me….I am feeling pretty crummy today. At first I thought it was sinuses again, but it appears to be a full-blown cold. Been years since I had one of these and I’m not diggin’ it.

In the meantime, by beloved South Carolina Gamecocks roll into Gainesville, FL to take on the overgrown Lizards from FL. Normally, I would be all fired up for this game, but with this cold thing kickin’ my behind, I’m probably going to just be a big lump on the couch. I had hoped to invite several people over to mix it up during the game, but that ain’t happenin’ now.

Then tomorrow promises to be a challenge. What do you do in a service where you are supposed to lead music and preach when you feel sick as a dog? Praying for some serious short-term improvement at least by tomorrow morning. Don’t think gametime today is going to look much different, but tomorrow needs to. Sad thing is that if Carolina pulls the upset today, I won’t even be able to enjoy it that much.

Start uga_filter:

Today is a weird day for me….I am feeling pretty crummy today. At first I thought it was sinuses again, but it appears to be a full-blown cold. Been years since I had one of these and I’m not diggin’ it.

In the meantime, by beloved South Carolina Gamecocks roll into Gainesville, FL to [...]

Start uga_in_feed Ending uga_in_feed: Start uga_track_user Start uga_get_option: ignore_users uga_options: array ( 'internal_domains' => 'markdoebler.com', 'account_id' => 'UA-4827893-1', 'enable_tracker' => true, 'track_adm_pages' => false, 'ignore_users' => true, 'max_user_level' => '8', 'footer_hooked' => true, 'filter_content' => true, 'filter_comments' => true, 'filter_comment_authors' => true, 'track_ext_links' => true, 'prefix_ext_links' => '/outgoing/', 'track_files' => true, 'prefix_file_links' => '/downloads/', 'track_extensions' => 'gif,jpg,jpeg,bmp,png,pdf,mp3,wav,phps,zip,gz,tar,rar,jar,exe,pps,ppt,xls,doc', 'track_mail_links' => true, 'prefix_mail_links' => '/mailto/', 'debug' => true, 'check_updates' => true, 'version_sent' => '1.6.0', 'advanced_config' => true, ) Ending uga_get_option: ignore_users (1) Start uga_get_option: max_user_level uga_options: array ( 'internal_domains' => 'markdoebler.com', 'account_id' => 'UA-4827893-1', 'enable_tracker' => true, 'track_adm_pages' => false, 'ignore_users' => true, 'max_user_level' => '8', 'footer_hooked' => true, 'filter_content' => true, 'filter_comments' => true, 'filter_comment_authors' => true, 'track_ext_links' => true, 'prefix_ext_links' => '/outgoing/', 'track_files' => true, 'prefix_file_links' => '/downloads/', 'track_extensions' => 'gif,jpg,jpeg,bmp,png,pdf,mp3,wav,phps,zip,gz,tar,rar,jar,exe,pps,ppt,xls,doc', 'track_mail_links' => true, 'prefix_mail_links' => '/mailto/', 'debug' => true, 'check_updates' => true, 'version_sent' => '1.6.0', 'advanced_config' => true, ) Ending uga_get_option: max_user_level (8) Tracking user with level Ending uga_track_user: 1 Calling preg_replace_callback: ]*?)href\s*=\s*['"](.*?)['"]([^>]*)>(.*?) Ending uga_filter:

Today is a weird day for me….I am feeling pretty crummy today. At first I thought it was sinuses again, but it appears to be a full-blown cold. Been years since I had one of these and I’m not diggin’ it.

In the meantime, by beloved South Carolina Gamecocks roll into Gainesville, FL to [...]

Start uga_filter:

Anyone who knows me knows that I have become a fan and an advocate for Twitter. There are still lots of people who still just don’t get it, but those of us who do truly enjoy it. I have lots of people that I follow on Twitter…. I follow other ministers… I follow friends in our church… I follow friends far away… and I follow people that I just find interesting. One of those offered this via Twitter earlier today. I’ll share the first 10, you’ll have to go to the source to read the rest….

20 Signs You Twitter Too Much:

20. You’ve lost friends because they have chosen not to join Twitter.
19. You’ve Twittered during a speech about Twitter.
18. You’ve said the phrase “I’m big on Twitter.”
17. Your significant other never worries about you cheating on him/her because your brightkite tweets are better than GPS.
16. Something goes wrong in your day and you respond “Fail Whale!”
15. You decide not to argue a point with someone because it will take more than 140 characters to respond.
14. You can write a consumer review of more than 10 Twitter Applications
13. You go to more Tweet-ups than dates
12. Your child’s first word was “Tweet”
11. You know what FTW means.
10. When you forward something, you add RT in the subject line.

Click here to read the rest…. and quit messing around and get on Twitter before I sic Samuel Jackson on you!

Start uga_in_feed Ending uga_in_feed: Start uga_track_user Start uga_get_option: ignore_users uga_options: array ( 'internal_domains' => 'markdoebler.com', 'account_id' => 'UA-4827893-1', 'enable_tracker' => true, 'track_adm_pages' => false, 'ignore_use