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“ECHOING AND PROCLAIMING HIS WORDS” -WHAT DOES IT HAVE TO DO WITH CHRISTMAS!
Years ago when we decided to clean up the way we worshipped and celebrated holidays we first began by throwing out Christmas. Yep, we threw it out the door, literally. Why did we do this? In trying to figure things out, our family had turned outwards to listen to other voices. YouTube after YouTube videos of others telling us that “to celebrate Christmas was wrong.” We were disgusted with what we watched and learned, and due to our lack of knowledge of how Satan ‘can not create, but only copy;’ we dumped everything to do with the 25th—the tree, gift-giving, decorations, and so forth thinking it all was polluted. However,…
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DO I HAVE FAITH LIKE ABRAHAM? THE RETURN OF THE CHRISTMAS TREE
What a journey it has been to learn the real gospel of Jesus Christ, and the closer I get, the more beautiful it is! As you know 10 years ago our family collapsed. The weight of culture and its Babylonian tentacles were all too far-reaching and with it, we came tumbling down. We decided we had to rebuild our family starting at ground zero. It has not been easy, but it has been worth it. The last years have been indescribable as so many purges have happened and tremendous growth has resulted. One of our mighty miracles is to have a child return to the gospel. There are no words…
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A BOOK OF MORMON CHRISTMAS
This last year for the month of December we thought we would do something totally different for our “non-commercialized” Christmas. Non-commercialized for us means, no tree, forced gifts, hung stockings, and cheesy parties. Rather it has become a time to reflect on the ministry of servitude as both messiahs — Joseph Smith and Jesus Christ — had taught. This year, however, I had wanted to experience the spirit in a greater abundance. In the last few months, it felt as though deep darkness was hovering over my home as relationships were under attack, contention with our fellow men was on the rise, and more distractions were diverting us than normal.…
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HOW WE REPLACED SANTA WITH JESUS CHRIST
Stores and radio stations have already begun to prepare us for this Christmas season, bringing out their decorations and playing Christmas music much earlier than the day after Thanksgiving which was once the traditional beginning of the Christmas season. It feels like the pace of this month increases as the list of “have to do’s” grows longer and longer. Like me, many of you are probably looking for new traditions for this month and hoping to slow your family down and focus on Jesus Christ. Maybe you are like us, as you decide to let go of the man in the red suit since he does not belong in the story…
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WHY DO WE NO LONGER CELEBRATE A “COMMERCIALIZED” CHRISTMAS
I have always loved Christmas. For the first half of my life, I celebrated it just like my parents had done when they were children. My memories are filled with reindeer on the roof, jingle bells ringing (mysteriously at night to make us think Santa had come), white flocked trees, long drives as we looked for Santa, the hanging of outside colored lights on the rooftop, and homemade cookies set out for the special guest to arrive after we retired to bed. Stockings were hung, and gifts were piled high under the decorated tree. We would have homemade lasagna with my grandparents for Christmas Eve and awaken to glazed orange…