Blogging From The Wii

I got a Wii for Christmas and wanted to see if I could post something with it using the Internet Channel and my wireless Wii keyboard. I'm not sure how to add links yet so I may have to do them from my computer, but this is just a test post.

Here's Some Hanukkah Music For You

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4i4OZBlP80&feature=related

CHRISTMAS RHAPSODY

Here's a Dylanesque Christmas song that I also wrote in 2005:

CHRISTMAS RHAPSODY
(Currin)

“This is a wedding song…this is a Halloween hymn…no, this is a Christmas carol…”


A ring is just a thing to get you through the pain that stings
And wedding bells that ring, around a boxing glove love---take off your mask and expose your wings
Now, it’s time for shelter…it’s time for Doves to feather, in full flight
Never faltering that Star that lights up the night and brightly the sky bedights
Tangling, upon the ‘scape and horizon, on some Eastern desert sand
The waiting Madonna and the Carpenter, surround the sound of a pre-nuptial band
It’s time to incarnate the Word that saves the world from sin-sick lullabies
Oh, Christmas Rhapsody and ecstasy of Easter wings that never taste the poison that makes you die

It’s time for the morning-after and to swallow that little pill of predestined free will
And to look upon the newborn Babe, whose stare and lightning eyes could kill
It’s time to crucify the flesh, until the false humanity is finally choked off
When you nail your sins of pious vanity and pride, upon a blood-stained Cross
Now, I’m just a poor boy looking for a manger and a pillow to rest my head on
I need someone to take me off of the streets to a Nativity scene and take me home
Oh, joyous Rapture, when Easter wings touch…connect…for innocence to protect
And that Christmas Rhapsody of long ago, which reduced worldly things to their proper dusty specks

While flecking flakes of pure gold to rain down, upon the naked human soul
With the blush of the Rose that exposes it all and unravels dignity to shreds---unrolled
And humble down the Winter willows, which creep and crawl, while you stall
With your grave face, against a wailing wall, inside the confines of some prayer hall
Some they calk their holes full of fool’s gold, but we calked Your holes full of solid lead
When the ceiling was pealing, resealing and dealing the wounds that blow red
And stain those Easter wings, which offer up their hollow cups and empty plates for the feast of kings
And queens, on the table spread and sing the ole time Christmas Rhapsody, where church bells ring

Out the turning tides and burn bridges of the past left lingering, on the wind
Go fast and flash the differences, which change you inside, when you begin again
Become like a little Christ, which lights the Tree, in the Garden of Epiphany
Where you can drink a mixed Double-Shot of Truth, until you gain the eyes to see what you don’t see
God is hidden, among the clouds---revealed, in times, between the lines of crowds
Never, in the shadows, but through a glass darkly seen and heard, if you don’t talk so loud
Silence is a prayer, upon Easter wings, even in a mission field with all the tracks that you lay
People can still hear that Christmas Rhapsody written, on every turn of the heart’s stage or page

The whole of humanity is stained by such a ravenous frame and they’re the ones to blame
For playing games with the One, who came to take away their sense of shame---you get lame
Thinking too long, upon that little thorn that twists you up inside---you gotta pull the plank from your eyes
Stop fostering false humanity, let it fall down to the ground---rise up to the skies, you become wise
Put together patterned pieces of puzzled fates, faith’s intangible evidence, which shapes
The conscience and strips it down to the heart of it all---unties the laces and puts you, in your place
When Easter wings crumble like towers, upon the sea of a Higher Reality
Get caught and spent, tangled in that all encompassing net of Christmas Rhapsody

The Old order has been turned into a shadow of the New, which has already come
You’ve seen it’s face, you’ve felt it’s blows, if you’ve stared too long into the wings of the Sun
You’ve burnt your eyes out, on life decaying by the blade of a dangling double-edged sword
Defeated and beaten into ploughshares hidden, behind a Rock, in the field of a Holy Word
Called from the world not out of it---though sometimes, you must hide, in the wings of a Sacred thing
Which redeems everything, when it flings off worldly armor with skill and a numbing sting
To that defecated clay, which sometimes holds down your Easter wings from their career of flight
And it’s that Christmas Rhapsody, which was born this midnight, tonight, on a long ago night

It’s time for ships to come sailin’ in, in the morning for safe harbor, in some mooring
When it’s winter storming, pouring snow and covering everything and showing
All those little bright white lies of your past, coming down, upon you fast, when tied
Sparkle there, in the clouds, in the stars, in the sky, where your halo lies---you pick up the tides
Put another sail, on your mast---set sail, across the world---seeking there to find
The answers to the questions that always plague your mind---get infected by a Spirit that always shines
And topple over orders that try to hold down Easter wings into a pin hole void and cell
Well, just look at that Christmas Rhapsody cut through all the borders---the Lord with us to dwell

There are stripes, which heal and give life meaning and like a flag all hold onto it, when life gets old
We all seek to fade into that cold warm Winter’s Light, the jailhouse of another soul---never seeking parole
From those streets of gold, which we all reach for, when everything, in life, starts to get quiet
Pretty soon everyone will join in the riot for brotherly love to apply it for everyone to try it
While waiting on Peace to come that’s already here inside, where True Peace can’t die and
You’ve carved out your decorations and strung that Light, across your soul---come out of hiding
You’ve seen your Christmas tree become a Cross to take away everyone’s loss of True Humanity
And it’s those Easter wings, which give that Christmas Rhapsody it’s meaning and sets the world free…






©2005 T/H Songs, INC. & GB Lyrics, CO

CHRISTMAS SONG FOR LINDA

Here's a Christmas song I wrote in 2005 for Linda who runs the soup kitchen I volunteer at:

CHRISTMAS SONG FOR LINDA
(Currin)

The first Christmas surprise was a dirty diaper
I said the first Christmas surprise was a dirty diaper
Sometimes, you wonder how Mary felt, when she heard God cry just like her
It just goes to show how God is humble like that
To put up with all of that, all of our humanly crap
Well, we’re all just dirty diapers and even worse

But Linda, she’s as humble as humble can be
I said Linda, she’s as humble as humble can be
At the homeless shelter, she brings me my cup of tea
When the wind crackles too much and rattles my cage
And the leaves turn brown, fade and fall just like the turn of a page
Being thrown and stripped, dipped into a sea of spice, peppermint and honey

Some-days, I feel unconscious, buried, beneath the grave of all my beliefs
I said some-days, I feel unconscious, buried, beneath the grave of all my beliefs
That’s when Linda, she picks me up, pulls me off of the streets
I was just a weary-eyed wanderer, before Linda sheltered me, in her wings
Now, I’m digging down to the scratch of my relief and the wounds that heal and clean
Well, you can pick a flower and sing a song of mercy for all of your grief

Oh, the face of Jesus, it shines there, upon Linda’s rings
I said, oh, the face of Jesus, it shines there, upon Linda’s rings
A sparkling, in the diamonds of her eyes of things that have been redeemed
The sun, he shines, if just to ease your mind and echo the wind flying with a sigh
When the Winter snow comes calling, falling like shadows of you and I
This here is just a Christmas song for Linda, because she asked me to write her something





©2005 T/H Songs, INC. & GB Lyrics, CO

Hanukkah: The Story Before Christmas

A few years ago I gave a menorah to my dad for his birthday for fun and ever-since then we've been celebrating Hanukkah as part of our holiday celebrations. It may seem different for a Gentile family to celebrate a Jewish holiday in the midst of our Christmas celebrations, but somehow Hanukkah is deeply connected to the birth of Jesus. Hanukkah is a more ancient form of Advent---but whereas Christian Advent celebrates the awaiting and arrival of the miracle of God's Incarnation in baby Jesus, Hanukkah is a remembrance of God's past miracles. This is most evident in the blessings over the Hanukkah lights:

Blessing over Candles

Barukh atah Adonai, Eloheinu, melekh ha'olam
Blessed are you, Lord, our God, sovereign of the universe

asher kidishanu b'mitz'votav v'tzivanu
Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us

l'had'lik neir shel Chanukah. (Amein)
to light the lights of Chanukkah. (Amen)

Blessing for Chanukkah

Barukh atah Adonai, Eloheinu, melekh ha'olam
Blessed are you, Lord, our God, sovereign of the universe

she'asah nisim la'avoteinu bayamim haheim baziman hazeh. (Amein)
Who performed miracles for our ancestors in those days at this time

Shehecheyanu (first night only)

Barukh atah Adonai, Eloheinu, melekh ha'olam
Blessed are you, Lord, our God, sovereign of the universe

shehecheyanu v'kiyimanu v'higi'anu laz'man hazeh. (Amein)
who has kept us alive, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this season (Amen)

The Hanukkah story is as follows:

The story
See also: Hasmonean

Around 200 BCE Jews lived as an autonomous people in the Land of Israel, also referred to as Judea, which at that time was controlled by the Seleucid king of Syria. The Jewish people paid taxes to Syria and accepted its legal authority, and they were free to follow their own faith, maintain their own jobs, and engage in trade.

Traditional view
By 175 BCE Antiochus IV Epiphanes ascended to the Seleucid throne. At first little changed, but under his reign, the Temple in Jerusalem was looted, Jews were massacred, and Judaism was effectively outlawed. In 167 BCE Antiochus ordered an altar to Zeus erected in the Temple. As was the normal practice of the Hellenic religion when sacrificing to the Greek gods, pigs were sacrificed on the altar to Zeus.

Antiochus' actions proved to be a major miscalculation as they provoked a large-scale revolt. Mattathias, a Jewish priest, and his five sons Jochanan, Simeon, Eleazar, Jonathan, and Judah led a rebellion against Antiochus. Judah became known as Yehuda HaMakabi ("Judah the Hammer"). By 166 BCE Mattathias had died, and Judah took his place as leader. By 165 BCE the Jewish revolt against the Seleucid monarchy was successful. The Temple was liberated and rededicated. The festival of Hanukkah was instituted by Judah Maccabee and his brothers to celebrate this event.[10] After recovering Jerusalem and the Temple, Judah ordered the Temple to be cleansed, a new altar to be built in place of the polluted one and new holy vessels to be made. According to the Talmud, olive oil was needed for the menorah in the Temple, which was required to burn throughout the night every night. But there was only enough oil to burn for one day, yet miraculously, it burned for eight days, the time needed to prepare a fresh supply of oil for the menorah. An eight day festival was declared by the Jewish sages to commemorate this miracle.

Hanukkah lamp unearthed near Jerusalem, c. 1900.The version of the story in 1 Maccabees, on the other hand, states that an eight day celebration of songs and sacrifices was proclaimed upon rededication of the altar, and makes no mention of the miracle of the oil.[11] A number of historians believe that the reason for the eight day celebration was that the first Hanukkah was in effect a belated celebration of the festivals of Sukkot and Shemini Atzeret.[12] During the war the Jews were not able to celebrate Sukkot/Shemini Atzeret properly; the combined festivals also last eight days, and the Sukkot festivities featured the lighting of lamps in the Temple (Suk.v. 2-4). The historian Josephus[13] mentions the eight-day festival and its customs, but does not tell us the origin of the eight day lighting custom. Given that his audience was Hellenized Romans, perhaps his silence on the origin of the eight-day custom is due to its miraculous nature. In any event, he does report that lights were kindled in the household and the popular name of the festival was, therefore the "Festival of Lights" ("And from that time to this we celebrate this festival, and call it Lights").

It has also been noted that the number eight has special significance in Jewish theology, as representing transcendence and the Jewish People's special role in human history. Seven is the number of days of creation, that is, of completion of the material cosmos, and also of the classical planets. Eight, being one step beyond seven, represents the Infinite. Hence, the Eighth Day of the Assembly festival, mentioned above, is according to Jewish Law a festival for Jews only (unlike Sukkot, when all peoples were welcome in Jerusalem). Similarly, the rite of brit milah (circumcision), which brings a Jewish male into God's Covenant, is performed on the eighth day. Hence, Hanukkah's eight days (in celebration of monotheistic morality's victory over Hellenistic humanism) have great symbolic importance for practicing Jews.

Modern perception
Most modern scholars argue that the king was in fact intervening in an internal civil war between the traditionalist Jews in the country and the Hellenized Jews in Jerusalem.[14][15][16] According to Joseph P. Schultz:

Modern scholarship on the other hand considers the Maccabean revolt less as an uprising against foreign oppresion than as a civil war between the orthodox and reformist parties in the Jewish camp.[17]

These competed violently over who would be the High Priest, with traditionalists with Hebrew/Aramaic names like Onias contesting with hellenizing High Priests with Greek names like Jason and Menelaus. [18] In particular Jason's Hellenistic reforms would prove to be a decisive factor leading to eventual conflict within the ranks of Judaism.[19] Other authors point to possible socio/economic in addition to the religious reasons behind the civil war. [20]

What begun in many respects as a civil war escalated when the Hellenistic kingdom of Syria sided with the Hellenizing Jews in their conflict with the traditionalists. [21] As the conflict escalated, Antiochus took the side of the Hellenizers by prohibiting the religious practices the traditionalists had rallied around. This may explain why the king, in a total departure from Seleucid practice in all other places and times, banned the traditional religion of a whole people.[22]

The Hanukkah story comes from I and II Maccabees in the Christian Apocrypha. So how else is Hanukkah related to Christmas---well without the events that Hanukkah is based on there would be no Christmas, because there would be no Judaism as a backdrop for Jesus to grow up in. So when we Christians participate in the Jewish celebrations of Hanukkah, we experience an alignment with Jesus' spiritual ancestry. See also: What Hanukkah and Christmas Have in Common. Oh and Happy Hanukkah to my Jewish and non-Jewish friends alike!

Ancient Gold Coins Discovered Under Parking Lot

Rare Coins Found Under Parking Lot
CNN
posted: 23 HOURS 45 MINUTES AGOcomments: 104filed under: World News

JERUSALEM (Dec. 22) -- Some Israeli archaeologists are having a particularly happy Hanukkah.
The Israel Antiquities Authority reported a thrilling find Sunday -- the discovery of 264 ancient gold coins in Jerusalem National Park.

The coins were minted during the early 7th century.
"This is one of the largest and most impressive coin hoards ever discovered in Jerusalem -- certainly the largest and most important of its period," said Doron Ben-Ami and Yana Tchekhanovets, who are directing the excavation on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority.
Researchers discovered the coins at the beginning of the eight-day Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, which started at sunset on Sunday.
One of the customs of the holiday is to give "gelt," or coins, to children, and the archaeologists are referring to the find as "Hanukkah money."
The 1,400-year-old coins were found in the Giv'ati car park in the City of David in the walls around Jerusalem National Park, a site that has yielded other finds, including a well-preserved gold earring with pearls and precious stones.

They were in a collapsed building that dates back to the 7th century, the end of the Byzantine period. The coins bear a likeness of Heraclius, who was the Byzantine emperor from 610 to 641.
The authority said that while different coins had been minted during this emperor's reign, the coins found at the site represent "one well-known type."
In that style, the emperor is clad with military garb and is holding a cross in his right hand. One the other side, there is the sign of the cross.
Authorities said the excavation of the building where the hoard was discovered is in its early stages. They are attempting to learn about the building and its owner and the circumstances of its destruction.
"Since no pottery vessel was discovered adjacent to the hoard, we can assume that it was concealed inside a hidden niche in one of the walls of the building. It seems that with its collapse, the coins piled up there among the building debris," Ben-Ami and Tchekhanovets said.
CNN's Shira Medding contributed to this report.
© 2008 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
2008-12-22 14:53:25

God Comes Through Small Things

Leonard Cohen once wrote:

I balance on a wishing well that all men call the world.
We are so small between the stars, so large against the sky,
and lost among the subway crowds I try to catch your eye.

The lines above are from the Leonard Cohen song Stories Of The Street:


You may be wondering what such a depressing song has to do with Christmas, but the most recent post at That Baptist Ain't Right reminded me of the bolded line. By the way thanks for stopping by the other day, That Baptist Ain't Right! Anyways, here are some highlights from the recent post from That Baptist Ain't Right Blogspot:

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2008
God of the Small Things
I think maybe our Gospel is too big. Yeah, that's right: too big.

I think God likes small. And I think he likes the inner, hidden things instead of the stuff everyone has to see.

Ever noticed the small things in the Bible? The mustard seed. The leaven. A small pearl, tucked away in a creature in the sea. A lost sheep or a lost coin. A worm to get the attention of a prodigal prophet. Children. The non-flashy, non-neon, non-anything that wouldn't seem to be "Biggie Things."

Instead, God uses the ordinary & the subtle. Of course, God can use the fire & lightening bolts & the earthquake. He certainly does at times, I think mainly to remind us of the small things.
.............

Other subtle things. The still, small voice. The deep stirring of the heart.

And God has a way of favoring the small beginnings. The socially unimportant for whom he seeks justice. The widow whose mite was worth more than all the exalted & announced giving of the Pharisees. Eleven disciples that turned the world upside down. An old, childless couple with nothing but a promise of a nation from a yet unseen kid. A manger with 2 young teenagers, & an insignificant town was blessed with the Invasion of God into human history.

In fact, I don't think God likes the Big & Showy. Every time there is Big & Showy, people get involved, show themselves off with the 2x4 in their eyes, & just get in the way of God. The Pharisee on the street corner announcing his prayers & his work for God --- he has his reward, says Jesus. And all those rules those Big & Showy Godslingers like to force on everyone to make sure the small, inner attitude is forgotten --- typical of man; unheard of with God. When Christ spent time with the Down-&-Out instead of the Up-&-In, the Godslingers cried foul. How can anything good come out of partying with those people? They are not believers; don't' wash their hands; don't keep the rules; don't attend church; don't do the right things; don't ... the list just keeps going.

But God looks not at the Big & Showy Rule Book. In fact, I don't think God likes rules. God said he doesn't want Rule Keepers but Heart Followers who love justice & mercy & actually help folks. It's too small a matter to keep rules; that is what Pharisees do --- make the rules so everyone knows what to do & that makes everyone think they are righteous. But that is not what Jesus said: Unless your righteousness exceed that of the Pharisees ... (MATT 5:20).

It is far too easy to keep rules than to live the attitude.

It is too easy to compel behavior than to change lives. Come to think of it, Christ never tried to do the Big Thing & make any laws; change gov't; become a policy advisor to a political leader. In fact, Jesus didn't get involved with the Big Thing of politics at all. None of the disciples did either. No, it was the small things that changed lives --- feeding the poor; helping the homeless; demanding justice for everyone regardless of status or affiliation; laying down his life because the Pharisees didn't like it when the Rule Book Theology was challenged.

When we try to make it too big, we mess it up.

Yeah. Small things. Big results. What a concept. What a God.

After all smallness is the biggest scandal of Christmas---that God was willing to incarnate God's Self into a small newborn infant for our sakes that played a larger role in the universe. That Baptist Ain't Right Blogspot and Leonard Cohen both remind us of that and the fact that God uses the small things.

Documentary On Christianity Available Online

Watch the full PBS documentary here: From Jesus to Christ: The First Christians.

Here is a description of the documentary from the above link:

FRONTLINE

Watch the Full Program Online

"From Jesus to Christ: The First Christians" tells the epic story of the rise of Christianity. The four hours explore the life and death of Jesus, and the men and women whose belief, conviction, and martyrdom created the religion we now know as Christianity.

Christmas Tragedies And Christmas Miracles

Girl Dies in Christmas Parade Accident AP
posted: 14 DAYS 8 HOURS AGOcomments: 348filed under: National News

BEAUMONT, Texas (Dec. 7) - A trailer carrying children in a Christmas parade struck and killed a 10-year-old girl who had jumped out of a pickup truck driving among the floats Saturday, police said.
The girl had been jumping on and off during the parade route and was told to stop before falling and hitting her head, said Monica Smith, a Beaumont police dispatcher. The girl was then struck by the trailer behind her.
A number of parade watchers saw the accident unfold, Beaumont police officer Crystal Holmes told Beaumont television station KBMT.
Authorities said the girl was taken to a hospital with severe head injuries and pronounced dead.
Smith did not have any details about what group the girl was with in the parade.
Stephanie Molina, who attended the parade but didn't see the accident, said the city had considered canceling the Christmas parade this year because of the destruction wrought to the area by Hurricane Ike. Molina works for the city's convention and visitor's bureau.
"We decided to do this for the community because we needed something positive," she said.
Hundreds attended the parade in downtown Beaumont. The grand marshall was former Buffalo Bills tight end Kevin Everett, a native of nearby Port Arthur who was temporarily paralyzed from the neck down while attempting to make a tackle in a game last season.
The Christmas parade accident was the second this week in Texas. Ten members of a Cub Scout troop in Overton were injured Monday when they were struck by a pickup truck. The 82-year-old driver was charged with reckless driving.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
2008-12-07 01:18:19

Ernest Coleman, The Enquirer / AP
A sign outside the Crossroads Community Church in Cincinnati advertises the Christmas show that turned fatal for one young actress.

Christmas Show Actress Falls to Her Death
By TERRY KINNEY, AP
posted: 2 DAYS 5 HOURS AGOcomments: 407filed under: National News

CINCINNATI (Dec. 18) - An actress in a Christmas pageant who was suspended 25 feet in the air by an overhead rope fell headfirst onto a concrete church floor and died, authorities said Thursday.
Keri Shryock, 23, and two other performers were playing wise men on their way to Bethlehem before about 2,000 spectators during Wednesday night's opening performance at Crossroads Community Church.The three were approaching a star when Shryock fell into an aisle in the audience portion of the theater, witnesses told The Cincinnati Enquirer.
"Toward the ending of the song she came loose," Daniel Doepke, 55, of Middletown, told the newspaper. "I can't describe how heart-wrenching it was, her fall to a hard concrete surface."
Shryock was taken to University Hospital, where she died Thursday morning. A hospital spokesman declined to describe her injuries.
Cincinnati police were assisting the Hamilton County coroner in an investigation, a police spokeswoman said.
There was no immediate explanation of how the accident occurred, or if there was an equipment failure.
"Our prayers and heartfelt sympathies go out to her family during this incredibly difficult time," the church said in a statement. "We are shocked and deeply grieved by this tragic accident."
Shryock, from Sylvania, Ohio, near Toledo, graduated from Bowling Green State University this year.
Melissa Davish, a friend and former gymnastics club teammate at Bowling Green, said Shryock had become a surprisingly good gymnast since taking up the sport only two years ago and was excited about performing the rope act.
"She wasn't scared of anything," Davish said. "It's a strange coincidence. I can see her saying, `I'm a gymnast, I can do that.' She was really excited about doing something that unique."
No one involved with the production would be available to talk about the staging, which the church characterized as a contemporary Nativity story, said church spokesman Matt Chandler.
"It was a figurative and artistic version of the Christmas story found in the book of Luke," he said.
Ten remaining performances of the show "Awaited" were canceled. The nondenominational church held an evening of prayer, reflection and worship Thursday night.
About 1,100 people attended the prayer session, said church spokeswoamn Natalie Hastings.
"There was a sense of grief in our community and a need to gather," Hastings told The Enquirer. "This was a way for people to come together and be reminded what God has done for us, even as we are dealing with something that we're having trouble processing."
The church also planned to provide grief counseling for those who witnessed the fall.
The mega-church was founded in 1996 and has grown to a membership of about 10,000, Chandler said. It is known for dramatic and musical presentations at weekend services.
The church's Web site said "Awaited" was seen by more than 20,000 people when it first was presented last year.
Shryock was employed as an assistant in the Office of Commuter Services and Off Campus Living at Xavier University in Cincinnati.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
2008-12-19 00:03:14

The families involved in both of these tragedies definitely need our thoughts and prayers during this season for families---but on a somewhat better note though still prayer-worthy---here are some Christmas miracles:

Girl's Santa Letter Leads to Man's Arrest AP
posted: 5 DAYS 5 HOURS AGOcomments: 0filed under: Crime News, National NewsPrintShareText SizeAAAPHARR, Texas (Dec. 15) - A Texas man has been arrested after a 9-year-old girl wrote to Santa Claus asking that a relative stop touching her and her sister.
The Monitor of McAllen reports that Andres Enrique Cantu, from the town of Pharr, was arrested Friday and is in the Hidalgo County jail.
A criminal complaint says the girl turned the letter in at Cesar Chavez Elementary School. Authorities interviewed the girl after a school counselor reported the letter.
The complaint says investigators believe the molestation occurred over a period of four years.
Cantu is charged with continuous sexual abuse of a young child and could face as many as 99 years in prison if convicted.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
2008-12-15 22:27:02

Texas Boy Survives Near Decapitation
AOL
posted: 3 HOURS 46 MINUTES AGOcomments: 144filed under: National News, Weird NewsPrintShareText SizeAAA(Dec. 21) - A Hillsboro, Texas, boy who suffered an "orthopedic decapitation" when he was involved in a car accident three months ago has staged an amazing recovery, according to cbs11tv.com.
Nine-year-old Jordan Taylor's head was almost completely detached from his body after a dump truck ran through a stop sign and hit a car he was riding in. "There was no connection between the bones of the neck and the head," said Cook Children Medical Center's Dr. Richard Roberts.
Fortunately, Roberts was able to reconnect Jordan's head to his neck with a metal plate, screws and titanium rods. Now it appears Jordan, who had been given a one to two percent chance of survival, has defied the odds and recovered from an injury that by all accounts should have killed him.
"He's beyond all expectations. He's a rock star. He's doing great," Roberts said.
2008 AOL LLC. All Rights Reserved.
2008-12-21 13:25:49

Christmas Will Soon Be Here

So I finally got all my Christmas shopping done this past week, but I probably won't be posting much till after the Holidays---but I hope to post a few things between now and Christmas Eve. Here is a Larry Norman song on the over-commercialization of Christmas:

Sorry For The Lack Of Updates For Awhile...

... but it's been hard to get back into the groove of things with all this holiday craziness. Anyways, it's hard to believe how fast this year has flown by and that Christmas is 2 weeks away. If you are as excited as I am---here's a site to help you pass the time: Fupa Games!

They even have a Christmas section. Here is one of the Christmas themed games for you to try:

http://fupa.com/play/Puzzles-free-games/christmas-guru_v2.html