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I admit it. I have a sweat tooth that likes to be satisfied about eight o’clock every evening without fail. It’s one of the reasons I have a bit of a weight issue along with the lack of exercise and eating too much. I’m also not really good about taking advice so I ignore things when I shouldn’t. But I know my wife loves me because she never harps on me or tells me what to do or criticizes me when I slip up. However, she does know how to get her point across.

Last week as I was opening up the refrigerator door I noticed something strange taped to it so I closed it and took a second look. I don’t know where she got this picture but it is of the insides of an obese person. It’s an actual scan of the fat suffocating the lungs and the bowels being moved out of place by the mass. You even see the fat in the arms, neck and legs putting pressure on the muscles and bones. It is not a pretty picture and it gives one pause when reaching for the ice cream. Instead, you actually crave apples and oranges. My lovely wife has never said a thing but I have received the message loud and clear! I love you too.

Liz Davis with Liz Davis Homes is someone who takes care of aging people during some of the hardest times in their lives. We all think that retirement brings with it rest and relaxation but sometimes what people get is stress and worry and this is exactly what owning a home after thirteen years has become for two elderly sisters. Several years ago they made a mistake and somehow got one payment behind on their mortgage. Though they thought they were paying on time every month; they were actually behind a payment and had racked up almost fifteen hundred dollars in late fees.

Add to that the fact that a heating and air conditioning company had come out to look at their heating and air unit and had disconnected the electricity and left them with no air conditioning this past summer as they did not have the money to fix it. After talking it over with their children, they decided to sell their home so they both left the house and moved into other facilities that could cater to their needs. This meant that the house needed to be sold very quickly because they could not afford to pay rent and the mortgage. Liz walked them through the process and sold the home within a month! Well done. They both walked off from the property with money that can help them live a better life without the stress and worry.

With the Christmas season right around the corner, it’s time to start looking at your list and checking off those that you have already bought for and looking for the best gifts within your price range for those you have not bought for yet. It’s also a great time to decide who you are buying for locally and who you are buying for over the internet. Of course, there are reasons to do both this year.

Locally there may be sales that you have never seen before to entice people to come out and shop in the retail environment. Let’s face it, retail stores have been hit hard by the recession so they may pull out all the stops to get your business this year. Then again, you may pay more to ship it than ever before as well. That’s where online purchases may have the edge. You can purchase and ship direct so you can factor that into the price upfront and know what it’s going to cost. But before you shop online discover the art of shopping online and see some of the other advantages such as variety and choice. Online retailers are not limited by their inventory like brick and mortar retail stores are so shop smart this year!

We live in a wondrous yet very confusing world that is sometimes very hard to understand. That is why many of us ask the question; what would Jesus do when confronted with an issue or situation where we feel we need a little guidance. What I have discovered is there seems to be many more Jesus’ than I was originally told about growing up in the church. I know this because the Jesus I read about and sang songs about was the loving son of God that healed the sick, ministered to the poor and the prisoner alike and was very clear about loving each other and caring for one another.

But I don’t think that is the Jesus today that many are taking about because we don’t collectively do much of the above. In fact, Jesus is used these days to push the agenda of big business and the business of making money and it’s coming from a very strange place; politicians, so much so that churches are taking sides and openly asking their members to vote for or against issues based on the belief of a politician. The problem is that most of these politicians are simply using the church to get elected and care nothing about solving issues that divide us.

Republicans were in office for six years and had the House, Senate and White House along with the majority on the Supreme Court. They had the perfect opportunity to pass anti-abortion legislation, marriage legislation and block gay rights; three of the largest wedge issues today. They didn’t do it because politicians use those issues to get elected. So ask yourself is Jesus would allow himself to be used by the government? Would Jesus allow himself to be used by the church? Anyone who has read the New Testament knows the answer to both these questions is no. He used the government and refused to get sucked in by the ruling church of His day. And if you are one of those who ask the question; what would Jesus do; it is also wise to read about what Jesus did.