Merry Christmas, From around the World!





Afrikaans: Gesëende Kersfees

Afrikander: Een Plesierige Kerfees


African/ Eritrean: Tigrinja Rehus-Beal-Ledeats


Albanian: Gezur Krislinjden


Arabic: Idah Saidan Wa Sanah Jadidah


Argentine: Feliz Navidad


Armenian: Shenoraavor Nor Dari yev Pari Gaghand


Azeri: Tezze Iliniz Yahsi Olsun


Bahasa Malaysia: Selamat Hari Natal


Basque: Zorionak eta Urte Berri On!


Bengali: Shuvo Naba Barsha


Bohemian: Vesele Vanoce


Brazilian: Boas Festas e Feliz Ano Novo


Breton: Nedeleg laouen na bloavezh mat


Bulgarian: Tchestita Koleda; Tchestito Rojdestvo Hristovo


Catalan: Bon Nadal i un Bon Any Nou!


Chile: Feliz Navidad


Chinese: (Cantonese) Gun Tso Sun Tan'Gung Haw Sun


Chinese: (Mandarin) Kung His Hsin Nien bing Chu Shen Tan


Choctaw: Yukpa, Nitak Hollo Chito


Columbia: Feliz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo


Cornish: Nadelik looan na looan blethen noweth


Corsian: Pace e salute


Crazanian: Rot Yikji Dol La Roo


Cree: Mitho Makosi Kesikansi


Croatian: Sretan Bozic


Czech: Prejeme Vam Vesele Vanoce a stastny Novy Rok


Danish: Glædelig Jul


Duri: Christmas-e- Shoma Mobarak


Dutch: Vrolijk Kerstfeest en een Gelukkig Nieuwjaar! or Zalig Kerstfeast


English: Merry Christmas


Eskimo: (inupik) Jutdlime pivdluarit ukiortame pivdluaritlo!


Esperanto: Gajan Kristnaskon


Estonian: Ruumsaid juulup hi


Faeroese: Gledhilig jol og eydnurikt nyggjar!


Farsi: Cristmas-e-shoma mobarak bashad


Finnish: Hyvaa joulua


Flemish: Zalig Kerstfeest en Gelukkig nieuw jaar


French: Joyeux Noel


Frisian: Noflike Krystdagen en in protte Lok en Seine yn it Nije Jier!


Galician: Bo Nada


Gaelic: Nollaig chridheil agus Bliadhna mhath ùr!


German: Froehliche Weihnachten


Greek: Kala Christouyenna!


Hausa: Barka da Kirsimatikuma Barka da Sabuwar Shekara!


Hawaiian: Mele Kalikimaka


Hebrew: Mo'adim Lesimkha. Chena tova


Hindi: Shub Naya Baras


Hausa: Barka da Kirsimatikuma Barka da Sabuwar Shekara!


Hawaian: Mele Kalikimaka ame Hauoli Makahiki Hou!


Hungarian: Kellemes Karacsonyi unnepeket


Icelandic: Gledileg Jol


Indonesian: Selamat Hari Natal


Iraqi: Idah Saidan Wa Sanah Jadidah


Irish: Nollaig Shona Dhuit or Nodlaig mhaith chugnat


Iroquois: Ojenyunyat Sungwiyadeson honungradon nagwutut. Ojenyunyat osrasay.


Italian: Buone Feste Natalizie


Japanese: Shinnen omedeto. Kurisumasu Omedeto


Jiberish: Mithag Crithagsigathmithags


Korean: Sung Tan Chuk Ha


Latin: Natale hilare et Annum Faustum!


Latvian: Prieci'gus Ziemsve'tkus un Laimi'gu Jauno Gadu!


Lausitzian: Wjesole hody a strowe nowe leto


Lettish: Priecigus Ziemassvetkus


Lithuanian: Linksmu Kaledu


Low Saxon: Heughliche Winachten un 'n moi Nijaar


Macedonian: Sreken Bozhik


Maltese: IL-Milied It-tajjeb


Manx: Nollick ghennal as blein vie noa


Maori: Meri Kirihimete


Marathi: Shub Naya Varsh


Navajo: Merry Keshmish


Norwegian: God Jul or Gledelig Jul


Occitan: Pulit nadal e bona annado


Papiamento: Bon Pasco


Papua New Guinea: Bikpela hamamas blong dispela Krismas na Nupela yia i go long yu


Pennsylvania German: En frehlicher Grischtdaag un en hallich Nei Yaahr!


Peru: Feliz Navidad y un Venturoso Año Nuevo


Philipines: Maligayan Pasko!


Polish: Wesolych Swiat Bozego Narodzenia or Boze Narodzenie


Portuguese: Feliz Natal


Pushto: Christmas Aao Ne-way Kaal Mo Mobarak Sha


Rapa-Nui (Easter Island): Mata-Ki-Te-Rangi. Te-Pito-O-Te-Henua


Rhetian: Bellas festas da nadal e bun onn


Romanche (sursilvan dialect): Legreivlas fiastas da Nadal e bien niev onn!


Rumanian: Sarbatori vesele


Russian: Pozdrevlyayu s prazdnikom Rozhdestva is Novim Godom


Sami: Buorrit Juovllat


Samoan: La Maunia Le Kilisimasi Ma Le Tausaga Fou


Sardinian: Bonu nadale e prosperu annu nou


Serbian: Hristos se rodi


Slovakian: Sretan Bozic or Vesele vianoce


Sami: Buorrit Juovllat


Samoan: La Maunia Le Kilisimasi Ma Le Tausaga Fou


Scots Gaelic: Nollaig chridheil huibh


Serb-Croatian: Sretam Bozic. Vesela Nova Godina


Serbian: Hristos se rodi.


Singhalese: Subha nath thalak Vewa. Subha Aluth Awrudhak Vewa


Slovak: Vesele Vianoce. A stastlivy Novy Rok


Slovene: Vesele Bozicne. Screcno Novo Leto


Spanish: Feliz Navidad


Swedish: God Jul and (Och) Ett Gott Nytt År


Tagalog: Maligayamg Pasko. Masaganang Bagong Taon


Tami: Nathar Puthu Varuda Valthukkal


Trukeese: (Micronesian) Neekiriisimas annim oo iyer seefe feyiyeech!


Thai: Sawadee Pee Mai


Turkish: Noeliniz Ve Yeni Yiliniz Kutlu Olsun


Ukrainian: Srozhdestvom Kristovym


Urdu: Naya Saal Mubarak Ho


Vietnamese: Chung Mung Giang Sinh


Welsh: Nadolig Llawen


Yugoslavian: Cestitamo Bozic


Yoruba: E ku odun, e ku iye'dun!

No matter where you are in the world and whatever language you may be speaking...
Merry Christmas!

Funny Friday's: The topic, Granpa Shuffelin'

Whoever said old people are not cool obviously never broke it down with these dudes.
--Pass this one along if it made you throw down your cane and get jiggy!

How Glorious are You?

glo•ri•ous: Adjective: 1.Having, worthy of, or bringing fame or admiration: "glorious victory". 2. Having a striking beauty or splendor that evokes feelings of delighted admiration.


I wonder what things you would describe as glorious? The places you have visited. The once in a lifetime experiences you have enjoyed or the quiet moments spent with someone special ... Today while sitting down reading through my Bible, I ran across a place where the author uses the word glorious to describe a city.

  -Psalm 87:3

"Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God."

This got me wondering about that city.
---Specifically, what was it about that city that made it glorious?
Maybe the crime rate was really low?
Perhaps brotherly love was alive and well?
Who knows.

Intrigued, I decided to do a little homework on the word glorious so I decided to look it up in the Hebrew Bible. Here is what I found:

כבד

To be heavy, be weighty, be grievous, be hard, be rich, be honourable, be glorious, be burdensome, be honoured ...

You will notice that the word, "weighty" & "heavy" are in the meaning. Could it be that when you visited the city of God there was a certain overwhelming feeling of the Holy? I think so.

--I think so because in the city of God you will find the people of God.

                   Dwelling together.
                       Mirroring the values, morals & ethics that God requires.
                              Of course someone would describe this place as glorious.

Before I end. There is a very strong application that I feel needs brought to the surface. If you go back and reread the verse you will notice that the author states that, "glorious things are spoken of thee." This means that this city has a reputation higher than its skyline. As you know, a reputation is a credibility check rooted in the past. And this city has a stellar one. There certainly is a challenge in this little gem of a verse. God, and His people gathered togeher in His name should leave a glorious taste in ones mouth.

Little girl ran over & 15 people walk by her ... AND IGNORE HER!

I know today is usually funny Friday's on WOAD. 

But I just ran across something so horrible and gut-wrenching that I had to pass it along right now.  What has happened to "loving your neighbor as yourself!?"
Yes!  You are your brother's keeper and when people are down and out, if you can help then help!
 
*If you have a weak stomach I am not sure this is for you btw.

Anthony Kladitis in: "For Whom the Bell Tolls"

I think you all know me well enough by now to understand that I am the kind of person that likes to put his faith to work.  So this morning a group of us went out to brave the weather and ring the bell for the Salvation Army.  Things went really well: the weather was mild, plenty of smiles, lots of donations and we managed to even intercept an estranged buggy thundering towards a parked car!


Truthfully, I did not know what to expect before I signed up for this.  I have always been on the other side of the bell ringer ... but today I was going to be one.

The morning produced some interesting exchanges with others that I wanted to share with you.  The best was the guy that walked by us pretending to be on his cellphone (absolutely hysterical btw). The second were the individuals that actually tried to walk BEHIND us trying to slither past our eyesight.  Both were really funny and I mention them not to boo-hoo them but just to say that even in serving you can still have fun and create memories.  

Most of all, ringing the bell served as a reminder that Christmas begins and ends with the birth of Jesus Christ.  He lived His 33 years combining Words & Actions that bring life to all.  Our two hours of bell ringing helped remind me that I am blessed.  

And the best way that I have found to express my gratitude is to give back. 

Left to right:  Phillip, Anthony, Christina, Tim & Dan!

Today I did. 



--Merry Christmas!

Anthony "Tebowing" Kladitis

Who said Tebowing was easy?

Here I am getting ready for my 1st Tebow pose.
 Boy was this stressful!







...That is, until my wife stepped in and showed me how it's done.



Anthony on Tebow

Forget about Chuck Norris.. it's all about Tim Tebow now. 
The reasons are too numerous for me to mention, but I'll share some of the most popular rants I came across: 
-Tim Tebow was late for practice one day. The rest of the team had to run laps for being early.
-Tim Tebow set Adam and Eve up on a blind date.
-Tim Tebow can make a snowman out of rain.
-People with amnesia still remember Tim Tebow.

----Leave it to Anthony to pick the controversial sports topic of the day to write about. 
I think the last time the sports world was so divided on their feelings toward  a professional athlete was the time Ricky Bobby raced his one-time co-captain Cal Naughton Jr. in Talledega Nights. 

I get it, some people are really irritated that Tim takes a knee, bows his crown and prays seemingly at the end of every other play.  But remember, Tim is a Christian and his desire to follow the Lord's command is pretty high on his priority list. 

“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father” (Matthew 5:14-16).

Seems clear enough to me.  In Tim's mind, he has been given a national spotlight for a reason   --so why not use it to talk about what he prizes the most? 

Right?  Well, maybe not...

Did you know that if you keep reading along in Matthew, in the very same chapter, you will find the following verses:

“When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. 6But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you” (Matthew 6:5-6).

Kinda makes you think.
Is Tebow a bit too flauntacious (I just made that word up) with his faith?  Is there any room for piety in this guy's life?  I remember hearing a story about hall of fame pitcher Sandy Koufax (now a Jewish icon) sitting out of game 1 of the World Series because it was played on Yom Kippur, the most holy Jewish holiday.  Koufax's actions were the things that spoke the loudest.  If my memory serves me, he never glued a Star of David patch on his baseball cap or wore a Yamaka on the field...(I better Google that last one to be sure).

Even urber devout QB Kurt Warner reflects on his career by saying, "[I] learned the hard way that he should've been more sparing with his religious rhetoric, and that he should've simply let his actions do most of the talking."

To Tebow or Not to Tebow?  This is the question.

In my mind, I would argue that this is largely up to Tim Tebow.  You could argue from both sides of the coin on whether or not Tim should be so grandiose about his faith.  Therefore, at the end of the day, we have to trust that Tebow is coming from a good place.*
Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 4:5, "Judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each man will get his praise from God."   This means that on this side of eternity we simply cannot know Tim's heart and the good thing is that we don't have to.  My hope is that Tebow's desire to honor God in his fame will follow him when the inevitable winning stops and the scrutiny begins...as it always does. 

*“My relationship with Jesus Christ is the most important thing in my life. So any time I get an opportunity to tell him that I love him or given an opportunity to shout him out on national TV, I'm gonna take that opportunity. And so I look at it as a relationship that I have with him that I want to give him the honor and glory anytime I have the opportunity. And then right after, I give him the honor and glory.”

—Tim Tebow

-Anthony Tebowing before this blog post hits the news-

FUNNY friday's: The Whistler

Some things to pay attention to:
1.  The guy's haircut.
2.  The unnerving look on the whistler's face the entire time.
3.  The audience (esp. when they pan in for close-ups)
4.  The end of the video when balls go rolling everywhere (what kind of talk-show is this?)

THiNK before you SPeaK

"Like apples of gold in settings of silver
             is a word spoken in right circumstances."

                              -Proverbs 25:11

I'm not going to kill myself...

I know this moved you.

Now go and press the "share" button on your FB page.

Mugg'd with Love

Julio Diaz has a daily routine.
Every night, the 31-year-old social worker ends his hour-long subway commute to the Bronx one stop early, just so he can eat at his favorite diner.

But one night last month, as Diaz stepped off the No. 6 train and onto a nearly empty platform, his evening took an unexpected turn.

He was walking toward the stairs when a teenage boy approached and pulled out a knife."He wants my money, so I just gave him my wallet and told him, 'Here you go,'" Diaz says.

As the teen began to walk away, Diaz told him, "Hey, wait a minute. You forgot something. If you're going to be robbing people for the rest of the night, you might as well take my coat to keep you warm."

The would-be robber looked at his would-be victim, "like what's going on here?" Diaz says. "He asked me, 'Why are you doing this?'"

Diaz replied: "If you're willing to risk your freedom for a few dollars, then I guess you must really need the money. I mean, all I wanted to do was get dinner and if you really want to join me ... hey, you're more than welcome.

"You know, I just felt maybe he really needs help," Diaz says.
Diaz says he and the teen went into the diner and sat in a booth.

"The manager comes by, the dishwashers come by, the waiters come by to say hi," Diaz says. "The kid was like, 'You know everybody here. Do you own this place?'"

"No, I just eat here a lot," Diaz says he told the teen. "He says, 'But you're even nice to the dishwasher.'"

Diaz replied, "Well, haven't you been taught you should be nice to everybody?"

"Yea, but I didn't think people actually behaved that way," the teen said.

Diaz asked him what he wanted out of life. "He just had almost a sad face," Diaz says.
The teen couldn't answer Diaz — or he didn't want to.

When the bill arrived, Diaz told the teen, "Look, I guess you're going to have to pay for this bill 'cause you have my money and I can't pay for this.
So if you give me my wallet back, I'll gladly treat you."

The teen "didn't even think about it" and returned the wallet, Diaz says. "I gave him $20 ... I figure maybe it'll help him. I don't know."

Diaz says he asked for something in return — the teen's knife — "and he gave it to me."

Afterward, when Diaz told his mother what happened, she said, "You're the type of kid that if someone asked you for the time, you gave them your watch."

"I figure, you know, if you treat people right, you can only hope that they treat you right. It's as simple as it gets in this complicated world."

Produced for Morning Edition by Michael Garofalo.

FUnny FridaY's" The Topic, 3 Dogs & a Prayer!

Final Destination

Do you know where you are going?

Billy Graham is now 91-years-old with Parkinson's disease. In January 2000, leaders in Charlotte , North Carolina , invited their favorite son, Billy Graham, to a luncheon in his honor.  Billy initially hesitated to accept the invitation because he struggles with Parkinson's disease. But Charlotte leaders said, 'We don't expect a major address. Just come and let us honor you.' So he agreed.

After wonderful things were said about him, Dr. Graham stepped to the rostrum, looked at the crowd, said:

I'm reminded today of Albert Einstein, the great physicist who this month has been honored by Time magazine as the Man of the Century. Einstein was once traveling from Princeton on a train when the conductor came down the aisle, punching the tickets of every passenger. When he came to Einstein, he reached in his vest pocket. He couldn't find his ticket, so he reached in his trouser pockets. It wasn't there. He looked in his briefcase but couldn't find it. Then he looked in the seat beside him. He still couldn't find it.

"The conductor said, 'Dr. Einstein, I know who you are.

We all know who you are. I'm sure you bought a ticket. Don't worry about it.'

Einstein nodded appreciatively. The conductor continued down the aisle punching tickets. As he was ready to move to the next car, he turned around and saw the great physicist down on his hands and knees looking under his seat for his ticket.


"The conductor rushed back and said, 'Dr. Einstein, Dr. Einstein, don't worry, I know who you are; no problem. You don't need a ticket. I'm sure you bought one.'
-Einstein looked at him and said, 'Young man, I too, know who I am. What I don't know is where I'm going.''

Having said that Billy Graham continued, "See the suit I'm wearing?
It's a brand new suit. My children, and my grandchildren are telling me I've gotten a little slovenly in my old age. I used to be a bit more fastidious. So I went out and bought a new suit for this luncheon and one more occasion. You know what that occasion is? This is the suit in which I'll be buried. But when you hear I'm dead, I don't want you to immediately remember the suit I'm wearing.

I want you to remember this:

------------------- I not only know who I am. I also know where I'm going."

-I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies.-

John 11:25

Happy Thanksgiving! From, The Bad Parrott

A young man named John received a parrot as a gift.

-----The parrot had a bad attitude and an even worse vocabulary.

Every word out of the bird's mouth was rude, obnoxious and laced with profanity.
John tried and tried to change the bird's attitude by consistently saying only polite words, playing soft music and anything else he could think of to 'clean up' the bird's vocabulary.

Finally, John was fed up and he yelled at the parrot. The parrot yelled back. John shook the parrot and the parrot got angrier and even more rude. John, in desperation, threw up his hand, grabbed the bird and put him in the freezer.

For a few minutes the parrot squawked and kicked and screamed.

Then suddenly there was total quiet.

-------Not a peep was heard for over a minute.

Fearing that he'd hurt the parrot, John quickly opened the door to the freezer.. The parrot calmly stepped out onto John's outstretched arms and said "I believe I may have offended you with my rude language and actions. I'm sincerely remorseful for my inappropriate transgressions and I fully intend to do everything I can to correct my rude and unforgivable behavior."

John was stunned at the change in the bird's attitude.

As he was about to ask the parrot what had made such a dramatic change in his behavior,the bird spoke-up, very softly,

"May I ask what the turkey did?"

Happy Thanksgiving...from my family to yours!

"I will...if you will"

Thanksgiving is a great time of the year to express your gratitude by sharing your time, talents and energy for others that are less fortunate. 

This year, myself and 3 others from Northminster joined the team of volunteers at the City Rescue Mission in their efforts to put on the food drive. 

Getting ready for the food drive is a major undertaking as we started out the day with hundreds of Banana boxes filled with all kinds of non-perishable food.  After separating the food, we spent the next days packing "baskets" according to the number of people in each person's family.  

At the end of the first day, I remember thinking to myself, "Anthony, you are getting old" because my back and knees were killing me! 

(Anthony Kladitis volunteering for the City Rescue Mission's Thanksgiving food drive at the Sankey Center)

But those thoughts soon dissipated this past Tuesday morning as car after car pulled up to receive their gifts.  Even though it was cold and rainy most of the day and a ton of work was required to complete the project, seeing all the families lined up ready to receive the gift of food made it all worth it!

As a Christian, a pastor and a leader, I firmly believe that "faith without works is dead" (James 2:26).  For this reason I am always on the lookout for ways to put my faith to work.  I do this to keep my head out of the clouds and my feet on the ground right where they belong...making a difference in the lives of others.

(Left to right:  Phil Behr, Anthony Kladitis, Matthew Pruitt)

Just recently I read a short story that made an impact on me because of the volunteer work that I have recently been involved in.  It goes as follows:

  A pastor saw a beggar amidst the crowd at a Christian conference he was attending. He felt compassion for him and prayed to God, “Lord, please touch him!” Immediately he felt the Lord speak to his heart,

                                                                             "I will, if you will.”

It dawned on me that many of us are like that pastor.  We easily recognize the need(s) of others, have a desire to help, but simply offer up a prayer instead of actually putting our faith in action and helping. 

So as this holiday season approaches, you just might see someone in need of help and decide that God needs to touch them-Remember that He will.

--As long as you will first-

Breaking News: God NOT allowed in Church???

The story goes that a public sinner was excommunicated and forbidden entry to the church. 

He took his woes to God, "They won't let me in, Lord, because I am a sinner."

"What are you complaining about?" said God.
"They won't let me in either."

-Sadly, this story is often the case today.
Too frequently we bar up our churches from the people that make us uncomfortable or challenge us.  We gather together in the "Name of our Lord" in our comfy little worlds called the church and then go home forgetting all about our spirituality until the next Sunday rolls around.  

This is a far cry from our roots. 
I often use the phrase "I am just trying to follow the Leader" when others take intrigue to my walk of faith.  Following the Leader forces me to look at the Biblical Jesus and by the grace of God try to mirror Him on this earth.  And when I do that, I have to realize that Jesus was famous for sitting down and breaking bread with anyone who wanted to be present. Including outcasts, rebels and the down-and-outs. 

I have been thinking about this a lot lately due to the present day condition of the church resembling more of a country club instead of a group of people trying to follow the Leader.  Rejecting others has many consequences but who would have thought that one of them would be baring God from coming to church?   

So today, I am not going to let you off easy. 
Here is a question to ponder:



Is the way Jesus lived His life a far cry from the way YOU are living your life?    

"You fools and blind men!

Which is more important, the gold or the temple that sanctified the gold?

-Matthew 23:17-

Funny Friday's: Let's Get together BEFORE Thanksgiving...

Sad.
But True.

A Note for all Teachers

I have taught in high school for ten years. During that time I have given assignments,


among others, to a murderer, an evangelist, a pugilist, a thief, and an imbecile.

The murderer was a quiet little boy who sat on the front seat and regarded me with pale

blue eyes; the evangelist, easily the most popular boy in school, had the lead in the

Junior play; the pugilist lounged by the window and let loose at intervals a raucous

laugh that startled even the geraniums; the thief was a gay-hearted Lothario with a song

on his lips; and the imbecile , a soft eyed little animal seeking the shadows.

The murderer awaits death in the state penitentiary, the evangelist has lain a year now in

the village churchyard; the pugilist lost an eye in a brawl in Hong Kong, the thief

standing on tiptoe, can see the windows of my room from the county jail; and the once

gentle-eyed little moron beats his head against a padded wall in the state asylum.

All these pupils once sat in my room, sat and looked at me gravely across worn-down

desks. I must have been a great help to those pupils - I taught them the rhyming scheme

of the Elizabethan sonnet and how to diagram a complex sentence
- Naomi J. White.

(*Quoted from Student Teaching, 1940).

-------

Teacher,

How many times this may have happened in your classroom is unknown. 

---So take the time to go beyond reading, writing and 'rithmatic. 

-Lives and Destinies hang in the balance-