The Bible-Believing, Bacon-Eating, Blog-Writing, Bald-Preacher

     While listening to the thunder and watching the rain I have been trying to remember a Christmas that was this warm or that had a thunderstorm. I can't remember a Christmas with weather like this but hey, it is Jesus' Party and it can rain if He wants it to. This has been some unusual weather but if it was cold we would be fussing it was to cold to enjoy Christmas. If it was snow instead of rain falling we would be fussing because we couldn't get all the places we wanted to go. Well, some of you would. I think being snowed in on Christmas sounds great.     Besides the weather it is a normal Christmas Eve at the Crouse House. We slept in and made a big breakfast. Abby is in her room watching Christmas movies and has tried to find and figure out what is under the tree with her name on it. Lisa is busy cleaning (as always), baking and worrying if we got everything. I am in the living room watching Sports Center witch is hard to do because Lisa keeps turning up the Christm

     So I was sitting at my desk this morning wondering why everybody was stressing about the coming of Christmas. I said to myself, "This is just the first of December. Why is everybody so stressed out?" A few minutes later as I was planning some events for the first of the year I realized Christmas is a week away. I have to admit I started stressing a little. After all I haven't even asked my wife if we are done with our Christmas shopping yet. Then I remembered how she always lets me know when we are done shopping.  She lets out a big sigh of relief and starts to tell me what we bought for who so I am not totally surprised when they open it. This usually comes right before she tells me we cannot go grocery shopping until January. So since there has been no grocery store ban I guess we are not done yet. So I assume that means another dreadful trip to Hickory to spend two hours at each store hunting an empty parking place. Then another four hours at each store trying

     I don't usually plug places in my blog but today I am. I happen to be in Hickory yesterday at lunch and decided since I had not eaten breakfast it would be a good thing to get a bite to eat. I had no idea where  I wanted to go so as I begin to think of places I decided to try someplace new. The first place I saw that I had not been was Dickey's Barbecue Pit. So I pulled in. As I walked up I could smell smoked meat so I figured I had picked a good place.      I walked in and was immediately greeted by a very nice lady carrying a sign. She welcomed me to Dickey's Barbecue Pit and showed me where to go give my order. She then put her sign at the counter where I was to order. She read the sign to me, "Thank you for your patience, we are in training." I promised I would be patient if they would be patient with me because I had never been there. The nice lady then turned where I could see her nametag and her title was owner. She thanked me for giving the restaur