The Christmas celebration isn’t over until all the dishes are washed and put back in their resting place. If you’re like me, you can’t even bear to go to bed with dirty dishes waiting to be dealt with in the morning. I even like the stove and counter tops to be shiny when I turn off the kitchen light. Brenda and I made a deal a long time ago: she cooks and I clean up. It has worked well for us thus far.

The problem some marriages encounter is a lack of cooperation on the husband’s part to help the wife in the kitchen. I’m not saying that I am any kind of example for other guys to follow, but a slew of marital problems would cease to exist if we dudes got off of our lazy backside to help around the house. They say that romance starts in the kitchen; it’s about time we test that adage!

Many times our high standards can be a hindrance, especially during the Holidays. We want so bad to impress our friends and family that we stress ourselves out of the joy of the season. This year Brenda and I decided that we would give each other a break and offer dinner in a casual way: serve-yourself with paper plates. It certainly saved me a boat-load of work after dinner. The clean-up was almost instantaneous; all I had left were the pots and pans, with a stove and counters to polish. Sometimes giving each other a break can remedy frustration. Our wives deserve to sit down and visit with company too.

So gentlemen, listen closely: be the first to get up from the table and carry the dishes and serving bowls to the sink–commence kitchen clean-up duty, and make it a nightly habit. If paper and plastic help to make the season bright, then so be it. I guarantee, married life will begin to improve….even before the New Year begins!

I have enjoyed a lot of concert broadcasts over the past few months on HDNet and the Audience Network (DirecTV). Just last night, while surfing the TV on Christmas Eve, my son-in-law, Adam, and I stumbled upon a live concert. We were pleasantly surprised by the Atlanta band, Blackberry Smoke (BBS).

These guys look like something out of California Jam, 1974–with their long hair, bell-bottom jeans and mutton-chops. Their sound is totally southern rock, and, as performers, song writers, singers and players, they are probably the best act of their kind touring today. I saw The Allman Brothers a few years ago; even with Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks on guitars, I think BBS gives them a run for their money! BBS even worked their way through an excellent cover of The Allman Brothers’ “Midnight Rider” during the concert last night.

I cut my teeth on the Charlie Daniels Band, The Outlaws, Skynyrd,  ZZ Top, The Allman Brothers, Great Southern, etc., and, in my opinion, BBS stands up to any southern rock outfit past and present; their status has yet to catch-up with their abilities.

As you know, I often like to recommend bands and singers here on my blog, but I do not–in any way–endorse their extra curricular behavior!

These guys have been cruising under the radar for over ten years now. I think it is time they make a dent in the music industry.

Hey, if Zac Brown and Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top love these guys–and you love guitar rock with boogie-woogie piano, and tube-driven Hammond organ swirl, killer songs, solos and singing–you should give Blackberry Smoke a listen.

Tomorrow night is Christmas Eve. I am so happy this year to enjoy the season again. In fact, I have enjoyed the Christmas season this year more than any other time. As a musician I play at every worship celebration, and Christmas is the Church’s biggest celebration of the year–along side Easter.

I’m not complaining…I love the Lord, enjoy singing and playing my guitar, and I love people. But since Christmas Day falls on a Sunday in 2011, many churches are having a huge Christmas Eve service (even multiple options) as well as full services on Sunday. I guess this is gonna sound wrong no matter how I put it: I’m glad my church decided to give Sunday morning to families this year. You heard me, no church Sunday morning!  What a concept…

A lot of people have a difficult time with the notion of no church on Christmas Day. I understand. And even though I consider myself a very dedicated Christian–to the point of choosing a career as a worship pastor–I still am happy to wake up and spend the day with my family.

This past fall, one large church in California gave up a whole weekend of services to go into the community and help the needy, to make necessary repairs to the homes of widows, and to generally say to the community, “We care.” The greatest part of the project was that they went out into the community and didn’t ask for people to come to them.

Sometimes it’s good to give our families a rest. As a church staff, we operate on the generous strength of volunteers. Many times, without doing a quick “cost/benefit” analysis on the projects our churches undertake throughout the year, we can tax our volunteers to the point of exhaustion.

I’m glad to be home with my family on Christmas morning. Tomorrow afternoon on Christmas Eve, though, I will be playing and worshiping with my church family. All of this activity reminds me of the Mary and Martha story: there is a time to work and a time to rest. I’m sure Jesus will let me stay home…just this once!