As if times are not confusing and crazy enough these days, here come the annual end of year holidays where Faith, Family and Food all mix in a fluid flow of fantastic fellowship.

It is the kind of fellowship which runs for the better part of a month.
It is the kind of fellowship which brings so much joy to many.
But it is also the kind of fellowship and season which brings depression, sadness and loneliness to many!

In fact, this time of year – starting from Thanksgiving week to New Year’s day – is an officially recognized type of depression call Seasonal Affective Disorder or S.A.D.

What an appropriate abbreviation for all of this – S.A.D!

What we find, even in the midst of large groups in some families, community groups, churches and in offices, is the absolute despair and inability to cope with life, as we know it today. Without getting into detail, which we don’t really need to, let’s see this week…and yes, this Christmas season, if we can’t reach out and bless someone who is adrift in such a sea of despair.

Many people do not have a support mechanism or even a friend they can rely on….the type of friend who is a phone call away to encourage and pray with you….the type of friend who is closer than a Brother, like Jesus is! The vast majority of depressed folks this time of year, fall into that category.

Can YOU be that friend….to the older man at work, who has health problems or maybe his wife was sent to a nursing home?

Can YOU be that friend….to the single mom, who has been made to feel like trash by men who gave other men like us, a bad name?

Can YOU be that friend….to that young person in your church, who comes week after week, sings praise songs, listens to a sermon going over her head which means nothing to reality…and leaves even more confused and hurt than when she/he came in?

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I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean…..Romans 14:14 ESV….(as we roll towards the end of our 3 week long verse by verse look or Romans 14).

These past few weeks have been State Fair time across America. We have been eating food items at these Fairs (usually in State capitols) that should not only question our collective sanity but are heart attacks waiting to happen! Some of the food (and I use that word loosely) has gone plain weird!

Why do we need the latest for 2011 – fried stick of butter? It was bad enough someone came up with fried snickers bar a few years ago! The stick of butter, dipped in pancake batter and then covered in powered sugar after deep frying is just as “unique” as the friend Kool-Aid balls I witnessed before me own eyes!

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