From December 1-25, I’ll be sharing a quote and its truth from John Fugelsang’s Separation of Church and Hate: A Sane Person’s Guide to Taking Back the Bible from Fundamentalists, Fascists and Flock-Fleecing Frauds, the book Robert and I are currently and fascinatingly reading.
An odd Advent Calendar, of sorts.
If you’re interested, you can see the introduction to this new blog category here:
My Countdown to Christmas series this year is inspired by a recent simple book recommendation from dear friends Jo and Kathi. “You HAVE to read Separation of Church and Hate! It’s FULL of truth, and it’s often laugh-out-loud funny!”
I Googled the book and saw the full, never-ending title: Separation of Church and Hate: A Sane Person’s Guide to Taking Back the Bible from Fundamentalists, Fascists and Flock-Fleecing Frauds.
“Whoa,” I thought, “That title sounds far too Holiday Heavy.”
But then Robert and I started to read, and we were absolutely flabbergasted by the clear, undeniable truth and push for lovingkindness presented by author John Fugelsang. (And yes, I have laughed out loud many a time during our read.)
So I plan to share with you a quote and its truth from the book each day starting today, December 1 and ending on Christmas Day.
An Advent Calendar, of sorts.
And of course, I realize that everyone is not Christian or religious. That many folks have had awful and problematic issues with organized religion. I get that. And we’ve experienced the same thing. But we are happy today to have found an inclusive, love-embracing and creatively fun congregation here in Savannah, Asbury Memorial.
If possible, may you receive the kernels of truth in these posts without being bogged down by the “Christian-ness” of them.
And may Christmas 2025 for us ALL be a season of pulling away from hatred — and embracing all-encompassing, inclusive Love.
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22: 36-37
Love, then, is the apex of the Christian faith, and I would surmise at the apex of every faith or even non-faith (if that makes a lick of sense).
“Sunday’s premiere of Ken Burns’ new PBS series “The American Revolution” doubles as an attention-grabbing statement, months after President Donald Trump succeeded in stripping away all federal funding for public broadcasting in the US.
1. Buying my first bunch of mid-fall Southern fresh collards at our favorite little neighborhood grocer here in Savannah, The Red and White.
With hog jowls, adding the flavor of yesteryear and Granny. Dinner tonight with Beef Brisket and my jalapeño cornbread.
2. Napping with Benny.
3. The ability to REMEMBER.
What is something you remember with fondness this Friday?
Right now I’m remembering how excited Robert was last Christmas sitting between Santa and Mrs. Claus.
And I realize I’ve had almost a year now to tell HR that there is no real Santa, but with that smile, I just can’t quite bring myself to do it.
4. Pain medication when we need it.
5. The glorious Introduction to the Holidays Robert and I experienced today at the annual Holly Days Luncheon and Bazaar hosted by the incredible women of St. John’s Church here in Savannah.
We’ve been walking across the Historic District for years now to experience this delicious snd elegantly festive day.
The lunch was held at the church’s beautifully historic Green-Meldrim House, which …
greenmeldrimhouse.org
I opted for the BBQ plate, HR the salad trio.
We were GREATLY distracted while eating our lunch because of the Huge Dessert Table right next to us.
I chose the Red Velvet Cake with homemade whipped cream, while Robert got the Guinness Chocolate Cake with whipped cream and fruit compote. (He’s fancy.). He asked for a tall glass of glass of Guinness to go along with it, but he did not get what he asked for.
And post-lunch we loved walking through the Silent Auction area.
Look! A Nanny Bench! (Truthfully, I had never heard of such a thing before.)
See that little railing on the left side. That’s where Nanny plops down Baby so she can snooze a bit while rocking the bench.
Speaking of sitting, check out this beautiful little window alcove.
Let’s get closer and into the light.
Do you think it would be okay if I sat down for just a sec on that gigantic comfy- and angelic-looking pillow?
By the way, it was the golden mirror for sale, not the pretty pillow. My silent offer of $4.99 didn’t get very far, darn it.
But we did pick up a couple of books …
… and some homemade vegetable soup for another day …
We were certainly Well Fed in Every Way at this year’s fun-filled Holly Days.
May you have a healthy weekend and be Fed with a substantial Serving of Joy.
I love this short two-minute You Tube video from yesteryear’s Designing Women, as Julia, running for political office in the episode, passionately expresses her beliefs (and mine) on the subject of … well, just take a listen.
