Johnny Cash – The Man In Black #manlymusicfriday
While you’re waiting for the “man in red” to arrive – let’s celebrate with “The Man in Black”
While you’re waiting for the “man in red” to arrive – let’s celebrate with “The Man in Black”
Santa Claus may be shrouded in myth, but the real Man in Red was quite the manly man. According to history and legend, there are a number of stories that paint “Jolly Old Saint Nick” in a slightly different light than we see on the Christmas Cards.
That time he solved a grisly murder and did a miracle
Keep in mind that in order to be considered a “Saint” according to Catholic tradition – a person must have performed documented miracles. Regardless of whether you believe in the veracity of miracles – stories like this are interesting. (Personally, I do believe in supernatural miracles. I’m perfectly okay if you think this makes me crazy. I’ve seen too many of them to deny their existence. But that’s another conversation for another day.)
Via St. Nicholas Center)
[Three lost children] came to a lighted butcher’s shop, knocked and said, “We are lost and hungry. May we eat and sleep?” “Oh, yes,” came the reply, “do come in.”
As they enter, the butcher takes a sharp knife, cuts them up, and puts them in a large salting tub. Seven years pass.
A knock comes on the door. Bishop Saint Nicholas appears, saying to the evil butcher, “Open your large salting tub!” The saint puts his hand on the tub and, appealing to God, says, “Rise up, children.” The little children awake and stand up. Their families joyfully welcome them home.
Again – whether or not the story actually happened is irrelevant. It’s still a cool story. And it’s cool to think of Santa Claus as doing ACTUAL good in the world, not just giving kids cheap plastic toys made in China and WAY too much chocolate.
Speaking of chocolate – Santa would probably be pretty pissed off about the chocolate industry today.
Beware of These 7 Popular Chocolate Brands that Exploit Child Slaves
This song was my anthem until I met the woman who made me not want to be solitary.
Santa Claus may be shrouded in myth, but the real Man in Red was quite the manly man. According to history and legend, there are a number of stories that paint “Jolly Old Saint Nick” in a slightly different light than we see on the Christmas Cards.
That time he saved three daughters from being sold into prostitution
300AD was a different time. In those days, no respectable man would marry a woman without a monetary gift from her father. If he couldn’t pay for her dowry, she was often sold into slavery, or prostitution.
It was a different time, with different customs, and while it seems barbaric to us today… well.. It was barbaric. Nevermind. I won’t try to excuse it. Apparently, Good Ole’ Saint Nick felt the same way, because he took action against that barbaric practice in at least one instance.
via St. Nicholas Center)
There was a man, once rich, who had fallen on hard times. Now poor, he had three daughters of an age to be married…This poor man’s daughters, without dowries, were therefore destined to be sold into slavery, or worse…Coming in secret by night, [Saint Nicholas] tossed a bag of gold into the house. It sailed in through an open window landing in a stocking left before the fire to dry…The first daughter soon wed.
Rescuing damsels in distress is a pretty manly thing to do.
Ending sex slavery is also a manly thing to do!
Want to help end human trafficking? Here’s how you can be like St. Nick.
Santa Claus may be shrouded in myth, but the real Man in Red was quite the manly man. According to history and legend, there are a number of stories that paint “Jolly Old Saint Nick” in a slightly different light than we see on the Christmas Cards.
That Time Santa Claus hit a heretic in the face.
Once, during a religious debate, another man denied the divinity of Christ. That was, according to many sources, just too much for Nicholas.
(via St. Nicholas Center)
Arius, from Egypt, was teaching that Jesus the Son was not equal to God the Father…As Arius vigorously continued, Nicholas became more and more agitated. Finally, he could no longer bear what he believed was essential being attacked. The outraged Nicholas got up, crossed the room, and slapped Arius across the face.
Some legends refer to the strike as a punch, and say that it resulted in a bloody nose, but at the very least, most historians tend to agree that some kind of physical altercation occured, in which Father Christmas struck a blow for sound doctrine.
While I can’t condone hauling off and smacking someone who disagrees with your theology, I do kind of respect Nicholas a little more knowing that he was passionate about what he believed.
Everclear joined us a few weeks back. Let’s check out another tune.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCb6c-tQ5N0
As we approach Thanksgiving, it’s important for us men to rekindle that little fire of thankfulness.
Think about the people you have been in contact with in the past couple of days. How do you remember them? What do you remember about them?
Undoubtedly, there are some people that you encountered that you will remember fondly, and others you will not.
Manners, kindness, and looks probably factor into the mental image that they left in your mind. You may not even remember if they said, “Thank You” in the course of your conversations, but I do know that those two simple words will help out a person in the “positively remembered” category,
We categorize people based on our experiences, and the words they use, and the feelings they invoked. That means that WE are also categorized in the same fashion.
If you express thankfulness, and demonstrate respect, you will leave a positive impression.
I am speaking mostly in the short term, but if we are thinking of how we are remembered in the long term – that takes a life long commitment to being a person known for his gratitude. This involves being the guy that probably says “thank you” too much for most of his life. This is the man who sends thank you letters when he is given a gift. This is the man who lives in such a way that shows honor and respect to those that have helped him or influenced him in the past.
We talked last month during “Legends of the Fall” a little bit about Legacy.
I want to encourage you to go back and read it further, and think about the kind of legacy you are currently building. Is it one of gratitude?
As we approach Thanksgiving, it’s important for us men to rekindle that little fire of thankfulness.
Your wife and children are craving affirmation from you. That might sound like an overgeneralized statement, and it might even be just that – but it’s been my experience, that your family needs to hear the words “Thank You” as often.
I know this because I don’t say it as much as I should, and overtime, that lack of clearly communicated gratitude starts to wear on them. I demand a lot from my kids – I expect them to work hard, and I frequently ask them to do things for me. I often forget to say “Thanks” for those little things. When I do say it – the eyes light up, a smile forms, and their act of service becomes an act of love.
Let’s challenge each other men, to thank the people in our family daily.
For the next 30 days, make it a point to say “Thanks” at least once a day to the people that you live with. Let me know how when you see a change.