Tim Ellsworth

Speaking of Christmas memories, Christmas just wouldn’t be the same without “O Holy Night.” I posted it last year, but it’s worth doing again.

Poorly-written condolences, I might add. Read the statement and you’ll see what I mean.

As Justin Taylor wrote, “As long as the Lindsay Lohans of the world exist, there will be a need for editors! It’s just too bad she didn’t think to hire any of us for this public statement.”

I watched “A Charlie Brown Christmas” with my son earlier this week, as well as “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” It’s neat to sit with him as he enjoys the same Christmas shows that I recall so fondly from my own childhood.

One of my favorite Christmas programs is “Stingiest Man in Town.” How about you?

Pro-life leaders are asking Rick Warren to disinvite Barack Obama from speaking at Saddleback Church this weekend.

“You cannot fight one evil while justifying another,” says the appeal, whose signers include Phyllis Schlafly of the Eagle Forum, Judie Brown of the American Life League and Tim Wildmon of the American Family Association.

Warren, author of the bestseller “The Purpose Driven Life,” responded yesterday by asserting that he and his wife, Kay, are “staunchly pro-life” and “completely disagree” with Obama’s position in favor of abortion rights.

Rocky VI will be out in a few weeks, and the movie supposedly has some significant spiritual themes.

[Sylvester Stallone] first explained that he felt compelled to write the first film, and he believes that drive came from above. He said the character of Rocky was meant to reflect the characteristic nature of Jesus.

“It’s like he was being chosen, Jesus was over him, and he was going to be the fella that would live through the example of Christ,” Stallone said. “He’s very, very forgiving. There’s no bitterness in him. He always turns the other cheek. And it’s like his whole life was about service.”

And although the Rocky character wasn’t based on Stallone’s life, Sly says God has done a work in his life in recent years.

“I was raised in a Catholic home, a Christian home, and I went to Catholic schools and I was taught the faith and went as far as I could with it,” he said. “Until one day, you know, I got out in the so-called real world and I was presented with temptation. I kinda like lost my way and made a lot of bad choices.”

No joke, said all the subscribers to People magazine.

But, Stallone added, he’s been going through a change in his life. He’s realized that he was wrong to place his career and fame ahead of his family.

“The more I go to church,” he said, “and the more I turn myself over to the process of believing in Jesus and listening to His Word and having Him guide my hand, I feel as though the pressure is off me now.”

Interesting to read about what could be a work of grace in Stallone’s life. Let’s also hope there’s a work of grace in Rocky VI to make it better than Rocky V.

According to Bernie Miklasz, the Cardinals have signed Adam Kennedy to play second base, Kip Wells for the rotation, Gary Bennett to remain the backup catcher and Eli Marrero to a minor league deal.

I like the Kennedy signing, which appears to be a three-year, $10 million deal. That’s not bad. Wells has some potential, too, and I’m anxious to see what Dave Duncan can do with him.

TV Land has compiled a list of the 100 greatest TV catchphrases, and will air a countdown special beginning Dec. 11. Some of my favorites from the list:

– “Book ‘em, Danno” (Steve McGarrett, “Hawaii Five-O”)
– “I love it when a plan comes together” (Hannibal, “The A-Team”)
– “Nip it!” (Barney Fife, “The Andy Griffith Show”)
– “No soup for you!” (The Soup Nazi, “Seinfeld”)
– “Resistance is futile” (Picard as Borg, “Star Trek: The Next Generation”)
– “Whatchoo talkin’ ’bout, Willis?” (Arnold Drummond, “Diff’rent Strokes”)
– “Where’s the beef?” (Wendy’s ad)

From AP:

CHICAGO (AP)-A public Christmas festival is no place for the Christmas story, the city says. Officials have asked organizers of a downtown Christmas festival, the German Christkindlmarket, to reconsider using a movie studio as a sponsor because it is worried ads for its film “The Nativity Story” might offend non-Christians.

New Line Cinema, which said it was dropped, had planned to play a loop of the new film on televisions at the event. The decision had both the studio and a prominent Christian group shaking their heads.

“The last time I checked, the first six letters of Christmas still spell out Christ,” said Paul Braoudakis, spokesman for the Barrington, Ill.-based Willow Creek Association, a group of more than 11,000 churches of various denominations. “It’s tantamount to celebrating Lincoln’s birthday without talking about Abraham Lincoln.”

Hat tip: Mike

A new study has determined that women talk three times as much as men.

We really needed a study to figure this out?

Hey all, I changed the clock on my site to the proper time (it was an hour off), so now it’s throwing posts up higher on the page. If you don’t see yours at the bottom of a page, check to see if it’s been posted up higher. It should be back to normal in another half hour or so.

So, some of our active threads today have new comments on them, even if it’s not showing up on the right left of the page under “Recent comments.”

Sorry for the trouble.

This year’s Baseball Hall of Fame candidates include Tony Gwynn, Cal Ripken Jr. and Mark McGwire.

Gwynn and Ripken are locks. But what about McGwire? If you had a vote, would you vote for him?

An AP story examines how children’s exposure to sexually-charged images and music are forcing them to grow up faster.

Natalie Wickstrom, a 10-year-old in suburban Atlanta, says girls her age sometimes wear clothes that are “a little inappropriate.” She describes how one friend tied her shirt to show her stomach and “liked to dance, like in rap videos.”

Girls in her class also talk about not only liking but “having relationships” with boys.

“There’s no rules, no limitations to what they can do,” says Natalie, who’s also in fifth grade.

Her mom, Billie Wickstrom, says the teen-like behavior of her daughter’s peers, influences her daughter - as does parents’ willingness to allow it.

“Some parents make it hard on those of us who are trying to hold their kids back a bit,” she says.

And therein lies the problem, one that presents tremendous challenges to parents — so many parents aren’t responsible enough to shield their children from material to which they should not be exposed. And so those parents who do adequately protect their kids from the media’s influence must protect their kids from other kids, as well.

May God give us wisdom as parents, for the task before us is becoming increasingly difficult.

Michael Vick made an obscene gesture to Atlanta Falcons fans after the team’s loss yesterday. Gotta love those Vick brothers. Classy guys.

Interesting story from the Dallas Morning News about churches’ differing views on hell.

Modern Christianity has many answers to who goes to hell. On the one extreme are universalists who say that a loving God could leave nobody in eternal torment. On the other are strict Calvinists who say that God picked a small elect for paradise before the world was created, and everyone else is simply stuck in the Handbasket to Hard Times.

The Christian discussion generally starts with this passage from the Gospel of John: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

But how does Jesus decide who he’ll take to the father – and who he won’t? Not every Christian claims to have a straight answer.

The story proceeds to give an overview of the beliefs of several denominations, including Southern Baptists, United Methodists, Church of God in Christ, Presbyterian Church USA, Catholics and nondenominational types.

If you find a funny YouTube video, feel free to post a link here. I’ll get us started with Will Ferrell as George W. Bush.

Have a happy Thanksgiving.