In the 12/15/00 Shoveletter I ended with this:

Here is some homework for you: Take the above quote from the "Scrooged" movie and change a few words and see if it doesn't sound more like the "gospel" messages you have heard - or maybe even preached - most of your life. Yeah, we're still talking AS IF it CAN happen ... instead of the fact that IN CHRIST it already HAS.

Someone wrote and asked if I would "walk us through the changing of the words" so I'm going to do that here. Since my background may be different from yours keep in mind that the "gospel" messages I've heard may have been worded differently than what you have heard. The beginning of the quote could be expressed a million different ways (to inspire that warm and fuzzy Christmas feeling) so I'll just leave it off.

Here is that quote:

Christmas Eve ... the one night of the year when we all act a little nicer, we smile a little easier, we cheer a little more. For a couple hours out of the whole year we are the people that we always hoped we would be. It's a miracle ... and if you waste that miracle you're gonna burn for it. ... If you give ... if you believe ... the miracle will happen to you. ... it can happen every day, you just gotta want that feeling. And if you live it and you want it you'll get greedy for it. You'll want it every day of your life. And it can happen to you. Excerpt from the movie, "Scrooged", with Bill Murray as Frank Cross

Here's an example of what I was hinting at:

If you waste the miracle of Christmas Eve you will burn in the flames of hell forever. The choice is up to you. If you give Him your heart, if you believe and make that decision then the miracle will happen to you. You just have to want it bad enough. And if you'll live for Jesus every day then you can have a happy and meaningful life. It can happen to you.

As I'm sure this may prompt a few questions I'll continue in this week's Shoveletter. Of course, I'm sure that after reading it many of you will have even more questions ... and I hope you send them on to me. :)