The biggest sale of the season/year/weekend/lifetime

The GPS unit lists at $250---but on Black Friday after all the deals, discounts, and doorbusting, it was $80. $500 suits for $179? A laptop with wireless N, 4 gigs of RAM, and a monstrous hard drive only $499? Gotta get me some of that.

No. I don't. And I didn't venture out on Black Friday, the retailers traditional day where they finally get into the black ink (money making). This really is make or break for many stores--so they battle for bigger deals and open early---crazy early.

You probably saw the incident where a crowd trampled a security guard to death at a Wal-Mart. A pregnant woman lost her baby when she was run over by the throngs bursting through the doors in search of something, anything on sale.

I fall into this all the time but I've learned to fight it. I don't need another laptop, HD radio, mulching mower or food processor. I want all these things, but I don't need them---we have two computers, my table radio works just fine, the Toro is dusty but works great and we have knives to chop stuff up. It might be the austerity brought on by reduced income and two boys in private high school---or it might just be a touch of maturity that has gotten into me---or it might be me thinking about Paul chained up in prison requesting a cloak.

There he is, Paul--once Saul---approaching the end of his life. He's no longer under cushy house arrest in Rome--he's in a dungeon where he spends his days praying and thinking and writing just...one....more.....letter. All he wants is what he has. He has nothing and he has everything.

You know people who have everything and really have nothing, don't you? They can shop til this drop and still not find what they're looking for until the receive the most amazing gift ever---salvation.

And it's always free.