Merry Christmas!

There are always special television shows during the Christmas season. From music, to variety shows, and from animation to sitcoms, Christmas means enough to the industry to make sure they address it in their programming. Over the last weeks I have posted a variety of program features and today I am posting the last of the series programs. Do not take that the wrong way, there are still quite a few videos to be posted but I am wrapping up the segmented program videos. As I was doing this I begin to think; "What do the people involved in this programming think of Christmas?" "Do they really care for the holiday?" "Do they realize what the holiday is all about?" I guess in a lot of ways, those questions not only apply towards the people making the shows, they apply towards those of us watching.

People often look at the holiday and see if for something other than what it is. They forget the root of Christmas, is Christ, and the root of Holiday is Holy. When we say Merry Christmas, we reference Christ birthday whether we realize it or not. When we say Happy Holidays we are saying have a Happy Holy Day whether we realize it or not. I guess a question I could ask is; "Do we make a regular habit of speaking meaningless words?"

The sad truth is that more often than not this is exactly what we do. When asked; "How are you doing?" The general response is a simple, an often time's dishonest answer of fine. I know in my own life when asked this question, I have found out who cares and who does not by honestly answering it. It becomes clear, when not doing well, and telling someone I am not doing well when asked the question, they become uncomfortable because they were not expecting honesty. I do not know who that says more about, the person asking questions not wanting honest answers, or the person answering them and not being honest.

One of my favorite books of the Bible is James, it is a short book and anyone can read it in less than 30 minutes. One of the things people notice, especially if thinking about what they are reading, is how upfront the Bible is about our words having integrity, and the need to speak truth. James is not the only part of the Bible that talks about this, Jesus spoke it, Paul taught it, and many others talk about the value of words. With this strong admonition in the Bible, we still take this issue lightly. Then we wonder why we do not have the results or the relationships we desire.

I guess I could close with the question; "What do we want out of Christmas?" Are we like those people in the sitcoms, just going through the actions, pretending everything is wonderful and we really understand what the Christmas about? Or, do we speak with truth and integrity? Do we see value in what we do, and really try to apply the concepts from the Bible to our life? I guess I refer to the Bible because if we are going to celebrate and pretend to recognize what this day of Christmas is all about, doesn’t it make sense we would look to the book that tells about the one who is Holy, God, and about the one who the holiday is named after, Jesus Christ?

Maybe I am just trying to be too rationale. Maybe I am taking things too seriously. I don’t know, am I? Maybe we should be okay with being pawns in a society who is satisfied with loneliness, poor relationships, and broken families. Then again, maybe some of us want more we want all Christmas has to offer, not just the presents but a real understanding of the Prince of Peace, The Wonderful Counselor, The Giver of all Gifts, The Star of Bethlehem, The Son of God. I guess that can be the thing to think about with the videos we conclude with today. Are you like the actors or are you wanting to be different? After all, I hope life is just as Shakespeare described, you know the old saying; "Life is more than just an act."

Now before we get to the videos today, hopefully everyone will remember to pass the blogs along to your friends. The Christmas Special blogs from TVP can help a lot of people. You can show them what we are doing by Clicking Here at this Link. They can also get in the Christmas Spirit by Clicking Here and reading about The Virtual Pew and our Christmas giving options. Also be on the lookout for my story of The Best Christmas Ever, which will be posted around Christmas Day. It is a heart tugging story, and a true testament to the power of Christmas and God. I am really looking forward to retelling this story that is true, and happened to me and my family. It has been published across the world, and I will redo the story, just for The Virtual Pew.

Now for those that do not know, make sure you check out the numerous articles and blogs by checking out the archives. If visiting The Virtual Pew or MySpace they are archived on the left hand side of the page. Scroll down to where you see newer or older listed under archives and then click there. There are numerous postings, and you will have to go into the archives to see the 100 plus postings over the last months.

Now I also want to remind you that you can visit www.thevirtualpew.com and on the front page scroll down to the left hand side of the page where you sill see our store. Your purchases through our Amazon store provides needed funds to The Virtual Pew. If you do not see something on the page to buy, you can click on the search engine for the store, (do not put anything in the search box at this time) and you will then be taken to Amazon where you can search for anything you desire. Hopefully as you shop for Christmas you will consider a gift to The Virtual Pew and/or at the very least shop our store. The items on the store page are highly recommended.

Now prior to checking out the videos for the day, here is that information, contact and contribution information regarding The Virtual Pew. Again, thanks for visiting, have a Merry Christmas or whatever holiday you celebrate. Just remember though, from The Virtual Pew, we wish you a Merry Christmas.

Contact and Giving Information

Oh Yea, here is that contact information again.

The Virtual Pew
P.O. Box 17731
Wichita, KS 67217

Or you van give on line via Pay Pal at: http://www.furches.org/donations/index.html

To become a part of The Virtual Pew, visit, http://www.thevirtualpew.com/ To learn more about me visit http://www.furches.org/ I am also active on MySpace at: http://www.myspace.com/mikefurches I have another blog at http://blog.myspace.com/mikefurches To visit the Hollywood Jesus group at MySpace with membership by numerous Hollywood Jesus reviewers visit: http://groups.myspace.com/hollywoodjesus For a more in depth weekly study and conversation you an visit: http://virtualpewsermon.blogspot.com/ where you can access deeper teaching and ultimately videos for viewing and teaching. You can also subscribe to the newsletter at www.thevirtualpew.com or see the newsletter on line at http://thevirtualpewnews.blogspot.com/ You can also sign up for the free newsletter from The Virtual Pew by visiting the main page for The Virtual Pew, or you can see the newsletters online by visiting this web site: http://thevirtualpewnews.blogspot.com/ You can contact me via email at mike@furches.org or mike@thevirtualpew.com For those interested in knowing more about my own story, contact me for a free e-copy of my book The Keystone Kid in pre-edit form.

The Simpsons Christmas Stories 1/3


The Simpsons Christmas Stories 2/3


The Simpsons Christmas Stories 3/3


Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir Christmas Concert 1/4


Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir Christmas Concert 2/4


Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir Christmas Concert 3/4


Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir Christmas Concert 4/4


Full House Our First Christmas Show 1/3


Full House Our First Christmas Show 2/3


Full House Our First Christmas Show 3/3


Full House Christmas Episode 1


Full House Christmas Episode 2