Jeffrey Skilling is not yet going to prison. He was scheduled to begin his more-than-24-year sentence today at a federal penitentiary in Waseca, Minnesota. But today's New York Times reports that the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has ordered a delay in his scheduled report date. The court wants to consider Skilling's request for bail pending his appeal, which could take a year or more for the appellate court to consider.

Closer to home (if you live in Dallas), the Cowboys' Tony Romo has made the Times. We're used to reading in the local papers about Romo's brilliant season, and all agonized with his team's horrific performance Sunday night against the Saints. Now even the Times is interested in his state of mind. Today's edition reports on the need for Romo to recover quickly from the debacle, as his team travels to play the Atlanta Falcons this Saturday night. The division lead may hang in the balance.

Cowboys' head coach Bill Parcells continues to remind his team, "you can only lose a game once." That may be true on the field, but apparently not in the national media. Or in a federal prison.

Why are these stories relevant to the Christmas season? For at least three reasons. First, they point to the fallen nature of the human condition. Name a month when a significant business, community, political or religious leader was not in the news for criminal or moral failure. Only one team has ever gone undefeated in NFL history, and Miami's starting quarterback was injured for most of the season. Jesus had to come for all of us, because all of us need a Savior. There are no exceptions.

Second, Skilling and Romo show us that it's always too soon to give up. Skilling maintains his innocence, and is preparing for his appeal. Romo will be back in the good graces of Cowboys fans if his team wins in Atlanta. Just when human history couldn't get more bleak, with the pagan Roman Empire in control even of God's Hebrew people, his Messiah came to set us free. As the hymn says, our Father's grace is greater than all our sin. Our future is as bright as the promises of God.

Third, the two men demonstrate that our lives are significant beyond our knowledge. Neither has any idea that I'm writing or you're reading about them today. You don't know all the ways God plans to use your faithfulness for his glory and your good. A baby in a feed trough changed the world. Now he's ready to change yours. Have you submitted your Tuesday to his Lordship yet this morning?

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