In my reading over the past several months, I have noticed an interesting use of a familiar word. Much of this reading has been historical. I have been especially interested in the lives of Christians of past ages, especially those known for holiness of life.

For years now, as Christmas approaches, I have seen buttons and signs proclaiming, “Jesus is the reason of the season.” Recently, I passed by a church and the sign outside admonished passersby to “Keep Christ in Christmas.”

The other morning was a perfect morning, especially for a pastor at a very hectic time of the year.

I awoke early, slipped out of bed, and went to the basement. We have a finished basement that, except for the absence of a kitchen, is somewhat like a small apartment.

“Peace on Earth and good will toward men” gave way to radical consumerism, a mob mentality, and a young man trampled to death the Friday after Thanksgiving at a Wal-Mart in New York.

On the day after the presidential election, someone asked me how I felt about the results. I replied, “I am conflicted.”

As anyone who has successfully passed through Marine Corps boot camp at Parris Island, S.C., or San Diego, Calif., knows, there is no such thing as an “ex-Marine.” There is a reason for the phrase, “Once a Marine, always a Marine.” The sense of pride in having served as a member of this elite group stays with a person forever.

The Rev. Dr. Billy Graham is 90 years old. I cannot remember a time when there wasn’t a Billy Graham in my life.

When I was a child, my parents would watch the Billy Graham Crusades on our black and white television. As a teen, I would “sneak” and listen to Dr. Graham on the radio.

The administration of George W. Bush, 43rd President of the United States of America, is nearing the end of its run.

President Bush came under intense fire during the last two years on a number of issues, including Iraq, the economy, and immigration. History will have limitless time to sort out whether he will be remembered as a good president or something less. It is too soon to make that judgment now.

This article was written two weeks prior to the 2008 presidential elections, so unless there is a “hanging chad” issue or problems with voter fraud, or an intensely close vote count, we have a President-elect and a Vice-President-elect. Whether your man won or lost, whether President-elect McCain and Vice-President-elect Palin are preparing to assume office or it’s President-elect Obama and Vice-President-elect Biden preparing to lead the country, the election is over, done, fini.

In the early part of 1994, Regina Garrett and Vicki Smith made an appointment and came to my office. At the time, I was the pastor of Trinity Fellowship, an Assemblies of God congregation in Sharpsburg. They proposed that we begin a Christian school at Trinity and they were willing to do the leg work necessary to try to make it happen.

A local 16-year-old owes his life to a Fayetteville, Ga., police officer. According to published newspaper reports, on Aug. 30, Officer Todd Chitwood encountered two College Park young men who were apparently acting suspicious.

There are key issues that, for me, stand in importance above all others. Certainly, especially in the last several weeks, the economy is an issue. How and when peace will be brought to Iraq and Afghanistan are important issues. Energy dependence on foreign sources, how immigrants are to be treated, relations with Russia and other nations are issues to be considered. The security of the nation ranks near the top of the issues. But, for me, there is an issue that I simply cannot ignore.

Next Monday, I fly to Illinois for the 24th time in two years. I will arrive at Hartsfield Jackson Airport in Atlanta around 7 a.m., deposit my car in the Park & Ride, catch a shuttle to the terminal, and do all the things one must do to get on an aircraft in a post 9/11 world.

Sometimes, in the course of serving as a pastor and priest, one receives something precious that should be shared with others. A member of our church family, Carolyn Fjeran, expressed her thoughts about moments shared with a special family. I share them now with you:

While all political campaigns tend to trend toward the negative, several of the supporters of one of the presidential candidates has struck a new and offensive low. The Massachusetts Liberal, an on-line communication, ran a recent article titled, “Jesus was a Community Organizer; Pontius Pilate was a Governor.”

I am no economist. I freely admit that I don’t understand the nuances of capitalism and the ebbs and flows of international commerce. But, in my opinion (and this is, after all, an opinion column), we are being gouged.

Whatever happens in November, history will be made. If John McCain is elected president of the United States, he will be the oldest man ever elected president in his first term. If Barack Obama is elected, he will be the first African-American ever elected to the world’s most powerful office.

Last week I wrote an article about divorce, “The Gift that Keeps on Taking.” I received two letters from women who took issue with me when I wrote, regarding marriage vows, “That’s one promise that must be kept.” I felt they had something to say. I have changed their names to protect their identities.

I was speaking with a pastor friend recently and he expressed concern that a couple in his congregation may be getting a divorce. I understand his consternation. I’m told that about half of all marriages, inside the church and out, end in divorce. My response to my friend was something like, “A bad divorce is infinitely worse than a troubled marriage.”

Some professions are filled with stress. Every job has stress, of course, and some amounts of stress are considered good for performance. But there are those careers where stress can lead to burn-out and can become debilitating: air traffic controllers, firefighters, police officers, soldiers, emergency room workers, paramedics, for example ... and the list goes on and on.

Every so often, someone enters our lives that changes us for the good and leaves a lasting, positive impression. From the moment I met Kenneth Turner, I liked him. You had to like him — he didn’t really give you a choice. His warm smile, his generous hugs, his obvious love for God and those whom God had created, drove away frowns and self-pity.

In our fast-paced, fast-food society we are used to getting what we want, conveniently, quickly, and at a reasonable price. The trade-off for this convenience has often been a loss of customer service. We have become accustomed to encountering people at the drive-thru windows who are surly, barely intelligible, and frequently unknowledgeable.

The lady was upset, anybody could see that. I was standing behind her at the airport in Bloomington, Ill., as she complained and gesticulated angrily. The airline, Airtran Airways, she loudly exclaimed for all to hear, had lost her luggage and she was irate. The young lady behind the counter tried to say how sorry she was. “There’s no excuse!” the luggage-less lady shouted.

The Reverend John Weber will preach his last sermon as the senior pastor of Christ Our Shepherd Lutheran Church this coming Sunday morning. After 34 years of serving as the only senior pastor the church has known, John is retiring.

I am conducting my first ordination service Sunday evening. In our faith community, the privilege of laying hands on men and ordaining them to the ministry is reserved for the bishops.

I have just finished a book on the topic of suffering. The book, “Suffering: the Catholic Answer,” was written in 1961 by Dom Hubert van Zeller (1905-1984), a Benedictine monk and featured 14 chapters based upon the 14 Stations of the Cross.

Just this past week, my wife informed me that newspapers all over the country are shutting their doors. “People are getting their news off the Internet and from cable news shows,” she opined. I argued that, especially in small towns, local newspapers were vital for the distribution of local and regional news. There will, I proclaimed, always be a need for the local newspaper.

The American public is now, according to recent polls, thoroughly disgusted with all national politicians in general. While President George W. Bush has an abysmal disapproval rating of 67 percent, he is surpassed by Congress who had now received the disapproval of a whopping 76 percent of the citizenry.

Over the course of my life I have been in court numerous times. Because of my past involvement with child protective services and law enforcement, and my work in ministry for several decades, I suppose I have been to court dozens of times. I never fail to be amazed about what people wear and how they behave when they are about to appear before a judge.

The event snuck up on me. Quietly, without fanfare, the 25th anniversary of my family’s relocation to and ministry in Fayette and Coweta counties arrived. There was no announcement, no fanfare, no parade, no banners, no balloons or streamers. It came and it went like a Georgia snowfall.