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"Remember (O man) that you are dust, and to dust you shall return"

The 'Tin Man'

"I thought I had beaten the Wicked Witch then, and I worked harder than ever; but I little knew how cruel my enemy could be. She thought of a new way to kill my love for the beautiful Munchkin maiden, and made my axe slip again, so that it cut right through my body, splitting me into two halves. Once more the tinsmith came to my help and made me a body of tin, fastening my tin arms and legs and head to it, by means of joints, so that I could move around as well as ever. But, alas! I had now no heart, so that I lost all my love for the Munchkin girl, and did not care whether I married her or not. I suppose she is still living with the old woman, waiting for me to come after her.

"My body shone so brightly in the sun that I felt very proud of it and it did not matter now if my axe slipped, for it could not cut me. There was only one danger--that my joints would rust; but I kept an oil-can in my cottage and took care to oil myself whenever I needed it. However, there came a day when I forgot to do this, and, being caught in a rainstorm, before I thought of the danger my joints had rusted, and I was left to stand in the woods until you came to help me. It was a terrible thing to undergo, but during the year I stood there I had time to think that the greatest loss I had known was the loss of my heart. While I was in love I was the happiest man on earth; but no one can love who has not a heart, and so I am resolved to ask Oz to give me one. If he does, I will go back to the Munchkin maiden and marry her."

Both Dorothy and the Scarecrow had been greatly interested in the story of the Tin Woodman, and now they knew why he was so anxious to get a new heart.

"All the same," said the Scarecrow, "I shall ask for brains instead of a heart; for a fool would not know what to do with a heart if he had one."

"I shall take the heart," returned the Tin Woodman; "for brains do not make one happy, and happiness is the best thing in the world." Source

The back-story on L. Frank Baum's tin woodsman egregiously absent from the movie, is a vivid reminder to us all to:  NOT LOOSE HEART. I was reminded of this when some friends and I were discussing a chapter in John Eldredge's book:  Waking the Dead. 

With the ongoing crush of bad economic news, discouraging political machinations like the 'Porkulus bill', and outright fraud and deceit in nearly every corner of public life, it is easy to become habituated to the demoralizing consequences of our post-modern life and be lessened by it.  Wave after wave, it pounds and we become hollow, mechanical, and like the tin man, our capacity for humanness is reduced.

And it is to that battle that we are currently called: To stand on the ramparts of our own life and push back against all who would willingly "steal our joy".  Speak loudly against those who gladly diminish our humanity and shout to the heavens that while we yet breath we have do have faith!

From there, we can crawl back to life, heal our wounded spirits,  and stand ready at the parapet with a stout heart prepared for the hard tasks ahead. Our future depends on it, our children's future depends on it. Our way of life depends on it.

Joy to the World , the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the World, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.

Isaac Watts / George Frederick Handel

At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) All returned to their own towns to register for this census. And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David's ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary, his fiance, who was obviously pregnant by this time.
And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the village inn.


The Shepherds and Angels

That night some shepherds were in the fields outside the village, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord's glory surrounded them. They were terribly frightened, but the angel reassured them. Don't be afraid!" he said. "I bring you good news of great joy for everyone! The Savior--yes, the Messiah, the Lord--has been born tonight in Bethlehem, the city of David! And this is how you will recognize him: You will find a baby lying in a manger, wrapped snugly in strips of cloth!"

Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others--the armies of heaven--praising God:


    "Glory to God in the highest heaven,
        and peace on earth to all whom God favors."

(NLT Luke 2 1-14)

Russian warships bound for Cuba in new show of strength

MOSCOW (AFP) - A group of Russian warships will from December 19-23 visit the Communist island of Cuba, a long-time adversary of the United States and Moscow's ally in the Cold War, the Russian navy said on Monday. Source1

Latin America summit excludes U.S. and welcomes Cuba

COSTA DO SAUIPE, Brazil (Reuters) - Latin American leaders on Tuesday blamed the global economic crisis on rich countries and welcomed Communist-run Cuba at a summit meeting designed to weaken U.S. influence in the region. Source2

And posse Comitatus?

A new report by the U.S. Army War College talks about the possibility of Pentagon resources and troops being used should the economic crisis lead to civil unrest, such as protests against businesses and government or runs on beleaguered banks.

"Widespread civil violence inside the United States would force the defense establishment to reorient priorities in extremis to defend basic domestic order and human security," said the War College report.

The study says economic collapse, terrorism and loss of legal order are among possible domestic shocks that might require military action within the U.S. Source3

There will be wars and rumors of wars

And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.  For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.  And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.  And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.  Mathew 24:4 - 13

Be ready!

So when I admonish  us to be ready - what do I mean? 

Since the beginning of time soothsayers, seers and prophets' even guessers have been foretelling the End of the World. And whether or not we are in the end times, we might be in for some 'tough sledding'.  

That's why it is vital that we all focus on what is really important -  our faith, our families  and our friends! All of life is about relationships (with God, with yourself and with others) and how you manage those relationships. It uncertain times, it is essential that you replenish your soul and nourish your friendships and as my friend Freddie sez; "Keep the main thing, the main thing!"

The apostle Paul wrote [writing is what they what they did before they blogged]

"Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need."  KJV Philippians 4: 11 -12

And knowing "how to live in plenty AND in want" may be the great challenge for our post-modern generation.