We’re on the countdown to another wedding, and I look forward to being father of the bride while also performing the wedding ceremony. We had our first family wedding in November, 2008, when my second-born daughter wed at University of Georgia chapel in Athens. It was a beautiful event, and she was a gorgeous bride.

I love Christmas! It’s a season of cheer and goodwill, wrapped in red and green. There’s an extra skip in our step and a song in our heart as the calendar unfolds and Christmas approaches. Christmas is a holy hug from heaven.

Presnell Wood tells about a boy growing up in a simple cottage nestled on the side of a mountain. His family was poor, but they enjoyed a millionaire’s view of a wooded valley.

I guess I missed it. National Eat Together Week, a promotion that encourages families having meals together, was held Sept. 20-26. I grew up eating supper together as a family. I thought everybody did. That time was a highlight of the day, and a great time of building memories.

An elderly man was sitting on a park bench in tears. A policeman came along and asked what was wrong.

“I’m 80 years old,” sobbed the man. “I have a 28-year-old wife at home. She’s beautiful, charming and madly in love with me.”

In 1919, President Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States, died in his sleep at age 60. Edsel Ford succeeded his father as head of Ford Motor Company. Congress established most of Grand Canyon as a National Park. The Treaty of Versailles was signed, officially ending World War I. The League of Nations was formed, and so was a Sunday morning Bible study in old College Park, Georgia.

A young man went into a drugstore and bought three boxes of chocolate: small, medium and large. When the pharmacist asked him about the three boxes, he said, “Well, I’m going over to a new girlfriend’s house for supper. Then we’re going out. If she only lets me hold her hand, then I’ll give her the small box. If she lets me kiss her on the cheek, then I’ll give her the medium box. But if she lets me do some serious smooching, then I’ll give her the big box.

Did you see the 2008 comedy Marley and Me? Good story about a family and their dog. Lots of laughs, some language, a sad ending.

We’re enjoying having our son home for the summer after completing his freshman year of college. One of the things we’ve missed when he’s away is the crowd he brings home with him. It’s not unusual to have four or five guys spend the night at the last minute, or pop in to watch a ballgame. Recently, a late night game of Monopoly developed that lasted into the early morning hours.

Sometimes I briefly wonder what I’d be doing if God had not called me into the pastorate. I might be the owner/operator of a small town radio station.

Ronda Rich, the Southern author and columnist, recently wrote about small town newspapers. Her column reminded me of my early flirtation with a journalism career. I’ve always enjoyed reading the newspaper. Any newspaper from any city. Big or small. I especially appreciate the small town papers.

Author Gary Burge told about Jay Leno roving among his late night show audience several years ago, asking how much the audience knew about the Bible.

The Wall Street Journal online reported, as of Feb. 9, a total of 34 banks have failed or been taken over by federal regulators since early 2008. The credit turmoil and other factors contributed to “banks going bust.”

I hate to see John Smoltz leave us Braves fans, but I wish him the very best. Smoltz and the Braves parted ways after he signed as a free agent with the Red Sox. The 41-year-old pitcher coming off of major shoulder surgery said he’s doing great and is confident he can contribute this year and even beyond.

Have you heard about the merry Christmas ladies? Five ladies in Niles, Ohio, are spreading the message of Merry Christmas. For the second year in a row, they’ve raised money to rent billboards. Last year, they were able to secure four billboards with the messages that read: “I miss hearing you say Merry Christmas” and “Why Have You Stopped Saying Merry Christmas?” Each was signed Jesus.

Five kernels of corn. After a delicious lunch, the speaker at our senior adult luncheon placed five kernels of corn at each place and reminded us of the hardships of those pilgrims in 1621. That cold winter, facing starvation and a depleted food supply, their daily allotment was five kernels of corn.

My mom grew up on the farm in Upson County with farm chores galore: fields to work, animals to feed, eggs to gather. They worked hard, but when Sunday came, they ceased work. Sunday was a day of worship and rest. Of course, chickens were fed and cows were milked, but Sunday was God’s day.

Did you read about the two pilots for Hawaii’s Go airlines that slept through their flight’s landing procedure and basically overshot their exit from the friendly skies? The FAA suspended them for the careless and reckless operation of an aircraft. The airline fired them.

I had a moment of awakening the other Sunday. At the end of the service we reminded our youth parents about the student ministry lunch meeting, and it hit me that, for the first time in 14 years, I was no longer a youth parent.

Sunday, May 4, seemed like a normal day. Pretty good attendance. Great spirit. Two new members. After final comments, I asked our minister of music to lead us in singing our closing song, but, instead, he turned things over to our chairman of deacons.

When I have the chance to break away from the office, I enjoy visiting in neighborhoods, meeting people and inviting them to church. I usually say something like:

Stress experts will tell you that there are two kinds of stress: eustress and distress. Eustress is the good stress that motivates us to get tasks underway and completed. Distress is bad stress that occurs when stressors pile up and become too much to bear.

Do you own a cell phone? Seems like we can’t do without this piece of 21st century technology. They’re a great convenience when used appropriately, but can be a safety hazard if we’re not careful. How many wrecks have occurred because the driver was talking on the phone instead of watching the road? Or attempting to text message and drive at the same time?

McKay Hatch’s No Cussing Club was all over the news recently. McKay is now a freshman at South Pasadena High School in South Pasadena, Calif. Last year, McKay got his fill of his peers’ cursing and swearing, and he decided he couldn’t take it any more.

Two ladies in Massachusetts gave new meaning to the term birthday bash recently. A child’s birthday party at a Chuck E. Cheese restaurant was cut short after a fight broke out between two mothers. Police said the mom of the nine-year-old birthday boy apparently became enraged because the other woman’s son was “hogging” an arcade game.

Many preachers dread rainy Sundays. Rain makes the flowers grow and church members disappear. Actually, even the threat of rain often affects Sunday attendance. For some, if the Weather Channel says “rain likely,” then that translates into “church going unlikely.”

This year has gotten off to a bizarre start on some fronts. Along with the grisly Gary Hilton alleged murders, several weird events have made the news.

I know there are two sides to every story, but the way this Bobby Petrino exit from the Atlanta Falcons came across reminds us that, as our mothers told us growing up, honesty is always the best policy.

I know there are two sides to every story, but the way this Bobby Petrino exit from the Atlanta Falcons came across reminds us that, as our mothers told us growing up, honesty is always the best policy. Obviously, I was not within earshot of previous conversations between Petrino and Falcons owner Arthur Blank before his infamous December 11 resignation from the Falcons and subsequent joining the Arkansas Razorbacks as head coach hours later. So I don’t who said what.

I love hearing and singing the music of the Christmas season. Topping my “favorites” are ì”Oh Holy Night,” “Joy to the World,” “Oh Come All Ye Faithful,” “Silent Night,” and most of the traditional carols we grew up with.