I couldn’t watch the game because I thought the whole idea of the game was terrible.  First, nothing could be more unfair to LSU than to have to beat the same team twice in order to win a national championship.  The way college football works, without a playoff, you get one chance — that’s it.  These bowl games are determined to a great extent by which team really wants to win.  Emotion plays a huge role.  Supposedly, in the national championship game both teams bring that to the table.  This match-up messed up that balance.  Alabama gets 40+ days to prepare for revenge, LSU has to play an SEC championship game, revel in the incredible accomplishment of winning the SEC, come back down to earth, and then realize that they have to play Alabama again.  That’s too much to ask of these young guys.

Second, without a playoff it is important to at least pit different regions and styles against each other to add validity to the game.  The defense in the SEC is awesome, but name one quarterback this year on an SEC team that “scared” you.  This was a down year in the SEC: Mississippi, Mississippi St., Tennessee, Florida were not very good; if you want proof this was a down year in the SEC, look at how well Vanderbilt did.  Defense in the Big 12 and Pac 12 was sometimes non-existent, but those hyper-speed offenses put an incredible amount of pressure on you.  The point is this, pit those two against each other and let’s see how it turns out.

We all have a “sense” of fair play and want that to rule in our sports.  This game did not meet my sense, it was not a “level playing field.”  Here’s a rule to consider: Only conference champions can play for the national title.

Maybe someday the sport I love the most will actually figure out how to have a true national championship.  In the meantime, go Longhorns!

Start thinking about the broad areas of your life that need attention: dietary, work, spiritual, personal, etc…  Then, focus these down to a couple of specific things that you would like to do in the new year, i.e. lose X pounds, or call my mother more often (get specific, call my mother once a week).  Then you can develop a list of resolutions.  Remember, focus on a few key things.  don’t overwhelm yourself with such a list that you’ll never be able to accomplish it. 

You’ve already been thinking about these things, but work to make it a real list by this Sunday.  The countdown has begun

I hope you have a joyous and loud Christmas.

This may seem obvious, but don’t forget to enjoy Christmas.  These last few days can be crazy with all the last minute preparations to be done and we so look forward to a picturesque Christmas that is “just so.” In all of this we forget to celebrate the moment.  Mary and Martha entertained Jesus at their home in Luke 10, Martha is so worried about the house being clean and the food being ready and all the preparations to be done that she hardly even noticed that Jesus was there.  The only interaction recorded between Martha and Jesus is Martha complaining that Mary wasn’t helping out enough.  How’s that for welcoming the Savior!

Mary was focused on the moment, the encounter with Jesus.  The meal could be late, overcooked, or even missing some courses.  The perfect Christmas for her was that Jesus was there.  I hope that is your definition too.  Suppose your son or daughter opens up in a rare moment of sharing with you, or you see in eyes of your parents a joy that is normally not there, or your just having so much fun you can’t stop laughing — do you really think perfectly cooked potato casserole should take precedence?

The point is this: celebrate this Christmas in the moment.  Let go what lies behind and don’t worry what December 26th may hold.  Be present this Christmas with the ones you love — that’s the best “present” you can give.

1st Week: We light this candle as a symbol of Christ our Hope. May the light sent frome God shine in the darkness to show us the way.  O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.

2nd Week: We light this candle as a symbol of Christ the Way. May the Word sent from God through the prophets lead us to the way of salvation. O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.

3rd Week: We light this candle as a symbol of Christ our Joy. May the joyful promise of your presence, O God, make us rejoice in our hope of salvation. O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.

4th Week (This week): We light this candle as a symbol of the Prince of Peace. May the visitation of your Holy Spirit, O God, make us ready for the coming of Jesus, our hope and joy. O Come,O Come, Emmanuel.

Our hearts are usually guarded very carefully.  We don’t just let anybody or anything in.  We have learned to be careful, we don’t want to get hurt.  This protection is important to us and we rarely let our guard down.  Unfortunately, the things we use to guard our hearts begin to work against us.  What we thought was a protected place becomes a prison instead.  We can’t get out and nothing can get through.  It’s the end of life, real life.

What guards have you set up?  If Christ comes into the world on Christmas will he even be able to reach you? Will you open the door?  If “God” was on the caller ID would you answer?  Does he even have your number?

Risk opening up this Christmas. Take a chance by sharing something meaningful with someone else.  Give up something (that’s right, even at Christmas).  Be more generous than you are normally comfortable being.  Maybe, just maybe, the door you crack open may be the path for God to come into your life.