christine

So like this is my first Christmas after having been born again.

For me I am thinking Christmas should be quite different from those of
the past.

The homeless shelters are solidly booked for volunteering for x-mas
around here....

but I am wondering if anybody out there has anything to share about
their first Christmas after being born again?

Thanks, I am hoping someone out there might have some ideas or joy to
share....

I will start it off with a story of Christmas from three years ago.

I remember the Christmas of 2000.... I was quite down, overworked and
distracted and then the holidays came, and there was a startling
message that came out of nowhere into my head.

It asked "Why are you competing with the truth?"


and a few days later it was Christmas Eve and I saw in the papers they
were having a multimedia service that night and thought maybe I
should just go.

It was an inner city Church, a massive structure that loomed
impressively in the city center.

I don't remember the sermon but I remember the music and the feeling
I had as they performed a play.


My body shook, and I was weeping. I had been so lost and didn't even
know it , my tears and my body shaking saying what words would not or
could not say.

....and I wept and shook that evening because I could swear I heard
the sound of angels weeping and felt them embrace me to keep me from
crumbling to the ground.

These people, these ordinary people ----some suburbanites, some
street people were as angels that evening in that place----

and I knew there was something that night in that place that was
larger than me or you or the sum or the mes and yous.

It was His divine presence. Two and a half years later He answered a
prayer, one that I did not know the full depth of at the time and
could not form the words to think to ask.

The same prayer that lives in all people.


Yours in Christ

Christine

mikeburt

In the annual savage attack against Christmas led by such as but not
limited to the ACLU and the radical religious left, the grinch that stole
Christ from Christmas, the true agenda of multiculturalism has become
visible even to the most skeptic. Multiculturalism is merely a code word
for intolerance to Christ and Christophobia.

IN New York City, Menorahs are displayed for some, Islamic stars for
others during the Christmas season, but Nativity Scenes (the event being
celebrated by the National Federal Holiday of Christmas) are banned and
Christians are told to be tolerant to other displays and deal with being
denied there own.

So this Christimas Season, let Christ be Born Again. When visiting the
gas station, drug store, grocery store, car wash, and bank, wish those who
you meet a very Merry Christmas. You may be surprised how much better you
will feel over the religiously atheistic Happy Holidays, and you may be
surprised how much it is appreciated in the pagan world.

It is a great way to 1) exercise your American guarantee of religious
freedom, 2) fulfill the Great Commission of our Lord and Saviour to spread
the Gospel unto all the world, heal the sick and baptise in the Name of
the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

So if someone wishes you Happy Holidays at Christmas, return it with Merry
Christmas this Christmas. If they are offended by that (which probably
won't happen unless dealing with an intolerant Christophobe), simply
explain that you would be offended if you were not denied the religious
freedom to wish them a Merry Christmas, and after all, you are the
customer, and the customer is always right.

For advanced expressions of religious freedom, if your bank, store, etc
has displays of various holiday symbols at or near the Federal Holiday of
Christmas, but no Nativity, which is after all what is being celebrated,
express how much you are offended by the avoidance of proper expression of
Christ's birth at the Federal CHRISTmas holiday being celebrated. As the
customer, you are always right. Although Christophobes may be offended,
they have offended Christians for decades and perhaps it is time that
they learn to be more inclusive, tolerant and learn to deal with it.

BTW, Happy Thanksgiving also, the first Thanksgiving was to give thanks to
God for His Blessings on this great Christian nation, how conveniently
fundie pagas forget.

Revelation 7:12 Saying,.. Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and
thanksdiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our Father, for
ever and ever. Amen.

elmer bataitis

http://www.salvationbygrace.org/QandAChristmas.htm
http://seeksafely.com/seeksafely/pnot_celebrate_christmas.html

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Planetech Services -Hobbes
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+r

** The mother's-milk of Christianity is Persecution. If you'r getting
plenty of it, you should rejoice instead of kvetching.

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christine

Christmas is kept alive for by celebrating the life of Christ, his
message and his hope that lives in us.

The only important thing to keep it alive is to keep it alive in
yourself.


However the world chooses to celebrate it, their mode of celebration
is not an attack nor a persecution...those things come when people try
to take your faith away from you, or tell you it is not real, or tell
you that you must not have it.

THAT is better described as persecution and in that sense it is a time
for rejoicing because as you walk through that valley and the world is
a bitter cup and empty He is all the more real, all the more present ,
ever the greater comfortor

You will find more and more of Him that you did not see before as you
reach into the further unknown depths of faith.

and I most certainly will say Merry Christmas and sing Joy to the
World and Silent Night.

Yours in Christ

Christine

mikeburt

Tee hee hee, we always rejoice in the Lord, but neither do we accept 2nd
class citizenship. Christ threw out the moneychangers from the Temple in
a very Christian manner, and in His Image are we to strive to live.


Very good advice, and good advice for the nation as well, as the
Constitution for the United States of America was ratified in the Year of
our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, 1787, and in supporting, defending and
protecting that Constitution, the observance of celebrating the life of
Christ in a nation that places its Trust in God, should be proclaimed
often, and loudly.

Are you saying that if the 'world' chooses to recognize Islamic and Jewish
symbols while refusing to recognize Christ, that the nation founded under
Christ as Lord has done anything to keep alive Christ? Not sure that I
can follow you.

those things come when people try

And exactly what do you think that the message is in New York?


Very true, are you saying however, that Christians should be doormats and
accept whatever satan brings our way? Christ protested the satanic
always, and it is in His Image we are to strive to live. Christ never
accomomdated the disciples of satan.

And I with you.

tom

Tom: Tee hee hee, no one is asking you to accept any class citizenship.

Tom: You don't represent the nation you arrogant ass! The nation now has
about 25,000,000 atheists alone, not to mention the other religions.
The ratification of the Constitution says "in the year of our Lord". It
doesn't mention Jeeebus H. Christ. It is nothing more than an identification
of the date as was common practice in those times. Just like AD and BC were
at one time accepted practice. Now we use CE and BCE.

Tom: Tee hee hee, I'm not sure I followed that convoluted statement either.
I did follow where you make the mistake of calling Jeebus, "Lord".


Tom: They haven't told you anything about your personal faith.


Tom: Tee hee hee, Christians need to accept that others of no or different
faiths live in the world today.


Tom: Tee hee hee, hypocrite.

christine

I rejoice in the Lord and accept His citizenship in His kingdom.


the life in Christ is simply lived, and lived simply --- and is its own proclamation.


they don't have to recognize Jesus Christ, many do not

while the world is making progress towards supporting religous
freedoms in displays, they need to be mindful, when they ask a private
enterprise or person not to display any semblance of faith in
Christianity whether in fact they are encroaching upon that religious
freedom.

some may be vocal opponents to such displays because they only see
that a position is being forced upon them.

history tells us that sometimes that was very much the case.

but people who speak out in the name of freedom and equality need to
apply discernment to their own efforts and make sure that the cry out
for separation between state and church is just that and not really a
veiled expression of intolerance towards faith.


Jesus Christ advocated himself the separation between state and
church.

In John 6 he left the scene where he had given bread to the multitudes
because he knew they wanted to force him into being a king in the
worldly understanding of that.

He also said "give unto Ceasar what is Ceasar's" and it would be my
biblical understanding that he would never have an institution of the
state to be used to be the deliverer of His message, because the State
only serves its own ends and means. The lust for power and rule
cannot and should not be mingled with Christ's message.

When walking in Jesus Christ, picking up our cross daily, we can
impact the world in little ways, in big ways. In good ways, as
servants, not rulers.

see above, there is a bit of irony in the crusaders need for the
freedom of expression while asking that the Christian message be
subverted.

My aim is not to disallow any other expression of religious or
irreligious freedom, if my own freedom is respected and people don't
ask that I sit silently , not allowing my faith to be expressed
because it might offend them.

People who freely offer unsolicited explanations for their lack of
faith as being sanity and rational and a knowledgeable position, with
the reverse being said about those of us who have the faith will not
be honored by the suppression of my faith into silence

....but will meet instead with my expression of it, and it won't hurt,
it won't injure, it won't condemn...it will simply stand unfettered as
my own and hopefully they would see they were never threatened by my
faith, and would wonder why they ever were, if they were.

I only follow Jesus Christ, where he leads and when he leads.

Everything he said about believing in him is true, everything he
warned us about is also true....so I fix my eyes only on him, because
everything he said is true...and that is simply amazing.

He leaves us rest in His peace.

Yours in Christ

Christine

shankarees

The publishers of the above links are most certainly certifiable.
Mental hospitals must be short of funds to let these sorts out.

shan

iknowhim

Merry Christmas!! Holy Christmas!! I am born again..and you can be also.

Because the Lord Jesus Christ is alive I also live...and so can you..

I know who I am, I know why I am here, I know where I am going...

and so can you...
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