For a few well-deserved minutes, sit back and relax, and ponder how different things might have been if Jesus Christ had been born in today's world instead of the first century Palestine. Naturally, any event today of even minimal importance is a media happening; and who would deny that the best way to get sensational coverage is to claim something is supernatural, out of the ordinary, perhaps even bizarre, and what would be more "news worthy" than the allegation that God has actually become man, to say nothing of the interesting angle that a baby is born without a human father.

It has now been documented. Research polls indicate that Christmas is more popular than Easter. Surprised? It seems to me that a lot of research only certifies the obvious. That’s like asking people whether they prefer going to a baby dedication or christening, or a funeral. Of course, Christmas is more popular. And why not?

The month of December and depression seem to go together! Ask any counselor, any pastor, anyone who has staffed a suicide hot line, and they will tell you that the number of people fighting depression accelerates during the month of December. "It's the weather," some say. "No, it's too much alcohol at the Christmas party," another chirps in. But I suspect that it is something deeper than the weather or the amount of alcohol which is consumed--both of which undoubtedly contribute to the problem.

Annoyed by the fact that his company had to be closed for Christmas and Easter, a certain man who was an atheist was complaining that Christians seem to have all the holidays. He mentioned Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Good Friday and All Saints Day, adding, “We who are atheists have no holidays at all.” “Oh, yes you do,” rebutted a friend, “April Fool’s Day.”

There is a difference between expressing thanks for something and being genuinely grateful for it. For example, let's suppose you are a craftsman and you agree to do a certain amount of work for so much money, and you fulfill your obligation. The work is done within the prescribed period of time and you do it well. When you fulfill your contract you are paid. Common courtesy demands that you respond, saying, "Thank you!" as you pick up the check in the brown manila envelope and take your tools home.

The air was hot and heavy as the temperature and the humidity hovered around the 100° mark. A young politician, longer on rhetoric than good sense, droned on and on, wiping beads of perspiration from his forehead as he jabbed the air with his handkerchief to accent his point.

Amy Carmichael, a missionary leader in India, said that her mission--the Dohnavur Fellowship--had a rule for conversation: "The absent one must be safe among us." That was her way of reminding people that to talk about another person in a derogatory or degrading way in their absence when we would never say the same thing in their presence takes unfair advantage of the person. "The absent one must be safe among us..."

You never know what to expect when a child opens his mouth! He may embarrass you; he may amuse you; or he may say something that reveals wisdom beyond his years.

How far will an individual go just to get someone to listen? Take for example the man who robbed a bank near our office. He had no sooner asked for the money, which was placed in a brown paper bag, then he sat down on the floor and started to cry; and he kept on crying until the police arrived. You see, he has two children who needed physical help, and he was willing to go to prison for someone to hear his furtive cry for help.

"Dear Dr. Sala," writes a listener, "I'm 26 years of age, and at this point in my life, I have such an empty feeling. I'm a member of a Baptist Church (which I haven't been to for at least a month). I'm trying to reach for something but I don't know what!! I'm spiritually weak. Is there a time in our lives when we become stumped--you don't know which way to go? If you are able to answer these questions, please reply."