Greetings!
I’m sitting in the midst of a faux snowmagedon. All week it was said there would be a major snowstorm hitting this weekend. Alas, false alarm.
So I’ll keep doing what I normally do on a Friday – offer thoughts on six timely topics in my weekly edition of Doyle’s Half Dozen. Thank you for reading!
- Christmas traditions revisited
I started last week revisiting a list of Christmas versions of DHD that I did in 2016. This week, I feature my list of six Christmas traditions. You can read it here.
I still get a kick out of Martin Luther decorating his Christmas tree with candles.
- A new Christmas song
Are you familiar with Matt Mahar? He’s a Christian artist who sings many popular songs. You should get to know him if you are not.
He has a Christmas album that I discovered this morning, and I love this song he sings. Check it out:
- Reflections of President Bush 41
It was a momentous week for the Bush family, as President George H.W. Bush passed away last week, and the country experienced a week of memorials and observances.
I love the photo of his service dog, Sully, laying by the President’s casket. I admire what Sen. Bob Dole did, getting out of his wheelchair to stand and salute the President’s casket at the Capitol Rotunda. And I appreciate hearing Michael W. Smith singing “Friends” during the President’s funeral. I still remember every word to that song.
President Bush was a gentleman, and he demonstrated respect to everyone. Not everyone will agree with his politics, or some may say he could have been stronger on some issues. But he lived an amazing life, and he served his country well.
- Butterfield’s thoughts on witnessing to LGBTQ friends
I’ve mentioned before I am a fan of Rosaria Butterfield. She had an article featured this week on The Gospel Coalition’s website titled “How to Evangelize Friend Identifying as LGBTQ.”
People may not agree with her approach, but I know she believes in what she shares on witnessing to LBGTQ friends because it is how she became a Christian. A pastor invited her to his home to have meals with his family, and it was through this hospitality that Rosaria decided to make a profession of faith in Christ.
You will not regret getting to know Rosaria Butterfield.
- The ridiculousness of AOC
If you are not familiar with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, consider it a good thing. She is an incoming U.S. congresswoman from New York, and she has some unorthodox thoughts about U.S. politics. Most of the time, when she speaks publicly, what she says is incorrect and considered nonsense. I would rather she not get as much attention as she does.
Read Jonah Goldberg’s article “Ocasio-Cortez takes a page from Trump’s playbook,” and you’ll understand what I mean:
“The more right-wing partisans attack her, the more left-wing partisans rally to her. The more left-wingers rally to her, the more justified the Right feels in paying attention to her.”
- Avoid, Deny, Defend
I attended an active shooter response workshop this week with my wife who is a reserve deputy for Oklahoma County. And I made it on a local news story. You can see here. I was amazed how many people put their hands on their faces – including me!
After attending the workshop, I recommend it to everyone to attend one. There are ones catered to civilians in community meetings such as churches, schools, businesses. If there is one thing we have learned, no one is exempted from a potential active shooter crisis.
Also, I learned a great approach to such an incident – avoid, deny, defend. You can read more about it here.