One of the ‘fruit of the Spirit’ is joy, and when I think of Christmas, I think of joy and become, well—joyful. That is to say, Christmas makes me full of the joy at what the holidays bring, and also full of Joy for what the Christ Child means. Some of my fondest memories are of Christmastime. When I was a child there was something expansive in the Season it seemed, in that, it gave to the rest of the year its whole meaning. The year would end on a happy note, and the next would begin that way. There was—and is, of course, the family Christmas tree and the ritual of going out and picking just the right one (and on occasion, getting to actually chop one), loading that perfect tree and then trying to get it inside the house to an appointed spot (trees always look smaller outdoors!). The hard part sometimes was setting it up to make it stand straight, but we always had fun decorating, and I would "help" a younger sibling with pointers like, "Don’t hang all the bulbs on the lowest branches!" So when work and school would finally make way, hours were spent together in the house in sheer enjoyment, looking at the lights and decorations on the tree, squinting to produce still more effects; listening to the beautiful carols you can’t play enough, since they only come out once a year. There was time then to contemplate things taught at Sunday school, and lots of time contemplating bright, paper-wrapped packages beneath the tree; and wondering what the smaller, bulgy knick-knacks at the bottom of stockings hung might be. For me there were also favorite family trips this time of year—to snow-covered peaks of the Rockies in Colorado, to the frosty wood of the Ozarks in Arkansas. Most of all, I suppose, I do remember the love of family and the cheer of the whole community and in places we’d go at Christmastime, as smiles and salutations came from total strangers. The reason I believe was that joy sprang from Joy of another kind: even the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the collective and sincere celebration of His Birthday. How awesome and amazing that Joy remains!

The fact of the Virgin Birth meant that God not only knew about us here on earth, but He also cared for us supremely. He sent His only begotten Son, ‘that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.’ Jesus awakened, as it were, the soul in man; activated his conscience; and made him aware of the eternal aspect of his nature. After Jesus, there were no excuses—but there was hope like never before. God wouldn’t leave us lost or abandoned, but rather sent His Son, a Way-Shower to humanity. Jesus’ Birth literally signaled that physical conditions and limitations were no object, that we might follow Jesus in overcoming the world. For God our Loving Father—omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent—the One who fills all space and is all knowing and all-powerful—dwelt among us, not only as the invisible air we breathe, but also as another human being, Whom we could see and touch and hear and love back. God visited us in Person through His Son, and His presence changed the world. History could never be the same. Jesus ransomed this world in effect, after betrayal and unspeakable cruelty—and said it was okay too, that we could be forgiven and altogether washed clean.

But the experiences of Jesus’ worldly existence would come later. On that first Christmas morn, it was relatively simple: a moment of complete and unadulterated Joy. The angels sang, and men from the East followed the Star to Bethlehem to find Him there, dressed in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger; and they laid their gift offerings beside the greatest Gift of all. How God picked the lowly to frame His surroundings, the pure in heart to witness the miracle and keep Him company on that First Day. And ever after, the world’s perspective changed: Love became the highest virtue. Man felt the weight and worth of his soul as never before. Indeed, American freedom would spring from that singular moment and the knowledge that came from it, for Jesus demonstrated by His example and teaching the moral worth of every single human being! Every people could be a chosen people, and every person "elect" through adoption. For Jew and Gentile alike, there was no more need of waiting—the light was come into the world. Man would have to regard the Father and consider Eternity in his calculus day to day, its import and its implication for living life on earth. Jesus would grow in Spirit as a young man and, in the fullness of time furnished many examples of the material world yielding inevitably before Him, and evil submitting involuntarily before Him. As amazing as His works and miracles were, what is still more amazing is that God would voluntarily submit Himself to be human, that is, to experience the frailty, pain, temptation and all that the human condition entails. Perhaps we read too much now into that Nativity Scene—all that’s implied, the growth of a boy, the blossoming of a man, the unparalleled career of the Great Teacher, the Friend and Master of man; His crucifixion and glorious Resurrection. For now, He is a Baby—sweet, undefiled, innocent; and one imagines happy, playful, curious, smiling. For the moment, nothing in the world impinges upon the utter happiness: of Mary the most wonderful Mother, Joseph the model stepfather; and of animals and every creature blessed to behold and gaze upon the sight. There is only Joy, in other words. King Herod has his evil intent and design to try and kill this Child, but for now there’s no threat, no element, no evil thought can penetrate the stronghold of a palace-manger, where the King of kings heralds Good News.

May this Christmas be a time of joy and Joy for you and yours; may it please your every sense, including your spiritual sense: to smell the scented candles, the crisp outdoors; to taste the cookies and the fancy meats; to listen to a choir singing; to feast your eyes on the colors and soft firelight; but also to feel His Hand in yours, to rest your faith and hope in Him, both now and forevermore. Amen.

Wesley Allen Riddle is a retired military officer with degrees and honors from West Point and Oxford. Widely published in the academic and opinion press, he ran for U.S. Congress (TX-District 31) in the 2004 Republican Primary.

William D. ElliottThree recent, yet disparate, events occurred illustrating a point about Dallas Mayor Laura Miller. While there are many events to select from Laura’s Miller’s life from which to draw comparisons of all types, these three episode were juxtaposed quite neatly to illustrate the point that Laura Miller has introduced gender equality into Dallas politics. Prior to Laura Miller, only men engaged in the type of foolishness that marked shabby political behavior in Dallas. Now, Laura Miller has engaged in political tactics formerly unknown to local female politicians. No longer can it be said that Dallas female politicians are the fairer sex.

The first event occurred at the corral area of my cattle ranch up near Sherman last Saturday morning. My cowboys and I were standing around talking about our agenda items and life in general. One of the guys was discussing a high-profile woman politician/office holder whose behavior and judgment were being characterized as goofy. One of my younger cowboys whom I employ, not especially known for following newspapers or political stores, particularly from Dallas, said to me, "That lady [referring to the local woman politician who is drawing controversy] is just as crazy and goofy as that crazy mayor of yours in Dallas. What’s her name?"

"You mean Laura Miller?," I said. "Yea, that’s her," my friend said.

"She's not my mayor." I responded.

This story illustrates how much Laura Miller’s reputation has deteriorated among a broad cross-section of voters. By her aggressive behavior as mayor, and her willingness to engage in a rough brand of politics, and earning a general reputation for slick dealing, Laura has now achieved the point where she has singled handedly reduced the image of female politicians to the level of your typical male politician.

The second, ostensibly unrelated event, was the recent report in DallasBlog.com by Rufus Shaw highlighting the mayor’s veiled racial politics conducted at a level not previously seen by any Dallas mayor, male or female. The aggressive and divisive politics practiced by Lara Miller of a type that we have never seen from a political woman in Dallas, and to a large extent, we have not seen this behavior among political men, or at least successful men. Laura Miller has now leveled the playing field between men and women.

The third event concerned a news article in the Dallas Morning News, in the last few days, critical of Laura Miller’s apparently close relationship with a low income housing developer. The developer it seems is among Mayor’s largest campaign contributors, while receiving from the mayor perks and other benefits that can only be characterized as generous. This kind of "close relationship" has traditionally been reserved for male politicians. Female politicians in Dallas did not play these games. No more.

The fact that Belo Corporation would allow its reporters to write critically of Laura Miller is newsworthy enough, but the journalistic techniques employed in that article on Miller were of the type typically reserved for attacks on male politicians. For those who haven’t noticed, there is a Federal investigation of Dallas housing issues and institutions. In that context, the News was careful to state that no Federal indictment nor US Subpoena has been served on Mayor Miller, at this time. I’m reminded of the sleazy technique of some reporters, "Actor So & So has not been charged with the brutal slaying of his beautiful wife, from whom he was estranged." This type of hit-and-run journalism that we thought did not have a place at the exalted Dallas Morning News, is now being used against our leading female politician - Laura Miller.

These recent events illustrate a key point: Laura Miller has done more for gender equality than anyone in Dallas in recent memory. She has introduced all Dallas voters, and the population beyond, to the idea that a woman politician can be just as shabby and mediocre as male politicians and draw as much criticism. For many years, even decades, feminists have sought gender equality in so many areas of life, and have succeeded in large measure. While there remains a glass ceiling in upper management of large corporations, and there is serious lack of pay equality in lower economic stratas, for much of our society, women and men are in parity.

Thanks to Laura Miller, political behavior of the type that we are accustomed to witnessing in men is now the accepted behavior of women politicians. Political gender parity has arrived in Dallas. Thanks Laura.

This point is not to say that Laura Miller is the first woman politician in Dallas. We have had Annette Strauss, Adlene Harrison, to name just two, among female political officeholders in our town. But with Laura Miller, we have a different breed of woman. Annette Strauss brought our city together. With Laura Miller, we have an aggressive, seemingly angry and mean woman, with a significant ambition - a deadly combination. Usually, our male politicians have been associated with these characteristics.

For a couple of decades in Dallas, men were accused of divisively playing race cards to score political points. Laura Miller is the first female Dallas mayor to have used racial divisions as a positive political strategy. Laura’s hardball strategy has worked for her judging by the voting patters during her mayorial term, so far. When voting patters are shown on city wide maps and compared with all voting in the south section, voting opposite of voting trends in the north, the conclusion is reached that Dallas is racially and culturally stratified. Men were formerly the ones who used to take advantage of these differences in people’s voting habits and ratchet these differences into some political advantage. This did not happen with Annette Strauss. Now, Laura engages in racial stratification with great effect and, to her credit, is quite smooth in doing so. Thanks Laura for lowering the standards of female politics to the lower, more base, common denominator of male politicians.