Thank you for stopping by, God bless you all, Wear Red on Fridays, and support Warriors for Innocence!

On this Friday, while you are wearing your Red Shirts to show your support of the troops, take a minute to examine where else you support the troops. Once they return from the hotzone, do you forget about them? Or, like most Americans, do you give to the Veteran’s Organizations that call and solicit donations from you?

How deeply have you investigated the charity that you support? I, myself, am guilty of handing my hard earned money to the wrong organization. I found that out when I read TexasFred’s pieces on Veteran Charities. Read more here and here. Then, call your charities and ask them the hard, hard questions: Where do the dollars go? How much of each dollar goes to support overhead, expenses, and salaries? How much did the organization pay to it’s highest officers last year? While you are at Fred’s. tell him I said howdy…

Thank you for stopping by, God bless you all, Wear Red on Fridays, and support Warriors for Innocence!

Today, December 7, 2007, please take the time to stop and remember the heroes from 7DEC1941. The Greatest Generation led this country through a time of national trouble, and did so with the work ethic they were raised with.

Then, take another moment and remember the heroes that are serving us today.

Thank you for stopping by, God bless you all, Wear Red on Fridays, and support Warriors for Innocence!

Dear Children,

It has come to my attention that many of you are upset that folks are taking My name out of the season. Maybe you’ve forgotten that I wasn’t actually born during this time of the year and that it was some of your predecessors who decided to celebrate My birthday on what was actually a time of pagan festival. Although I do appreciate being remembered anytime.

How I personally feel about this celebration can probably be most easily understood by those of you who have been blessed with children of your own. I don’t care what you call the day. If you want to celebrate My birth, just GET ALONG AND LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

Now, having said that, let Me go on. If it bothers you that the town in which you live doesn’t allow a scene depicting My birth, then just get rid of a couple of Santas and snowmen and put in a small Nativity scene on your own front lawn. If all My followers did that there wouldn’t be any need for such a scene on the town square because there would be many of them all around town.

Stop worrying about the fact that people are calling the tree a holiday tree, instead of a Christmas tree. It was I who made all trees. You can remember Me anytime you see any tree. Decorate a grape vine if you wish: I actually spoke of that one in a teaching, explaining who I am in relation to you and what each of our tasks were. If you have forgotten that one, look up John 15: 1 – 8.

If you want to give Me a present in remembrance of My birth here is my wish list. Choose something from it:

1. Instead of writing protest letters objecting to the way My birthday is being celebrated, write letters of love and hope to soldiers away from home. They are terribly afraid and lonely this time of year. I know, they tell me all the time.

2. Visit someone in a nursing home. You don’t have to know them personally. They just need to know that someone cares about them.

3. Instead of writing George complaining about the wording on the cards his staff sent out this year, why don’t you write and tell him that you’ll be praying for him and his family this year. Then follow up. It will be nice hearing from you again.

4. Instead of giving your children a lot of gifts you can’t afford and they don’t need, spend time with them. Tell them the story of My birth, and why I came to live with you down here. Hold them in your arms and remind them that I love them.

5. Pick someone that has hurt you in the past and forgive him or her.

6. Did you know that someone in your town will attempt to take their own life this season because they feel so alone and hopeless? Since you don’t know who that person is, try giving everyone you meet a warm smile; it could make the difference.

7. Instead of nit picking about what the retailer in your town calls the holiday, be patient with the people who work there. Give them a warm smile and a kind word. Even if they aren’t allowed to wish you a “Merry Christmas” that doesn’t keep you from wishing them one. Then stop shopping there on Sunday. If the store didn’t make so much money on that day they’d close and let their employees spend the day at home with their families.

8. If you really want to make a difference, support a missionary– especially one who takes My love and Good News to those who have never heard My name.

9. Here’s a good one. There are individuals and whole families in your town who not only will have no “Christmas” tree, but neither will they have any presents to give or receive. If you don’t know them, buy some food and a few gifts and give them to the Salvation Army or some other charity which believes in Me and they will make the delivery for you.

10. Finally, if you want to make a statement about your belief in and loyalty to Me, then behave like a Christian. Don’t do things in secret that you wouldn’t do in My presence. Let people know by your actions that you are one of mine.

Don’t forget; I am God and can take care of Myself. Just love Me and do what I have told you to do. I’ll take care of all the rest. Check out the list above and get to work; time is short. I’ll help you, but the ball is now in your court. And do have a most blessed Christmas with all those who you love, and remember:

I LOVE YOU,
JESUS

Thank you for stopping by, God bless you all, Wear Red on Fridays, and support Warriors for Innocence!

There has been a lot of flap going on in various organizations about Holiday Trees and Christmas Trees. Several Christian Watchdog Groups have exhorted there mailing lists to beware of this retailer or that retailer, depending on the use if the word “Christmas” in their ads. I will ask you one question, and let you decide the whole “Holiday Tree” or “Christmas Tree” issue for yourself: What holiday, during this time of year, uses a tree in it’s celebration?

Yes, this month Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Notice I didn’t say “birthday” of Jesus Christ. That exact date is not known. According to the clues in the Bible, the birth of Christ (the Lamb of God) occurred when all the animals were giving birth – in the springtime, generally – and not in the middle of the winter. (Remember, the Angels appeared to the shepherds keeping watch over their flocks? The flocks are not out in the wild during the winter, they are kept penned up at home then. In the springtime, the flocks would have been roaming in the fields.)

Another clue is the census, (Luke 2:1-3) for tax purposes – historically, the census took place in the early spring. With all the families gathering at their ancestral homes from far-flung outposts, the inns would have been full and all the relatives’ houses were probably full also. With a not-quite-wife (Luke 2:5) already pregnant, not too many of the relatives of Joseph would have wanted this scandal under their roofs as it were. So, in order to fulfill prophecy, (Psalm 132:11) Jesus was born among the lowest, so that He could be raised to the highest.

While I am bursting bubbles in Christmas Carols, remember the Magi? You know, the Wise Men that are always portrayed as following a star to present gifts of Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh to a newborn child? Turns out they didn’t show up at the manger – let’s face it, would you want to hang out in a smelly barn, once you had been counted and had a child? “Let’s get packed up, Joseph – there’s a heck of a draft in here.” Joseph, Mary and their newborn son returned to Nazareth, where Joseph was a carpenter of some renown. In Matthew 2, the travels of the Magi are related, including a summons by King Herod to tell him when the star that they were following appeared. King Herod, in a show of false fealty, asked that they return to him and tell him where they find the child king. The Magi followed the star, and rejoiced when they came to the house where “they saw the child with his mother Mary and they bowed down and worshiped him.” Then they opened their gifts of gold, incense, and myrrh. (Matt 2:11) If Jesus was visited by the wise men as a baby, wouldn’t it have said the Magi showed up at the manger? In one of the most profound passages in the Bible, these wise men, once they found Jesus, did not return to the way they followed before. (this is a paraphrase. the wise men had been told by God in a dream that herod wanted to harm Jesus, so they returned to their homes by a different route.)

Now, back to the tree question – besides the attempt to popularize a Hannukah Bush, what other holiday at this time of year utilizes a tree? None. Only Christmas utilizes the tree that is associated with Christmas Lights, Christmas Decorations, and Christmas Gifts.

Thank you for stopping by, God bless you all, Wear Red on Fridays, and support Warriors for Innocence!