Big Bubba - The Holidays Threads Merged

[ZeldaCA]

As for the winter solstice thing: in December, celebrating the onset of winter is like a celebration of death. Creatures die from the winter cold and starvation. That's what evil celebrates.

Actually, if I remember it correctly, the solstice is celebrated because after that day, the days begin getting longer again, and the nights shorter. It's actually more of a celebration that spring is coming, rather than celebrating the start of winter.

[1angel4u]

What Learner and Eagle said!

I haven't researched the solstice's.

[lavender]

Hi DjJen, Christmas is a holiday created by man, not God, (see Lev 23 for God's appointed times) and there is nothing Biblical about it. First, there are two birthdays mentioned in the Bible, both pagan and someone died at each of them. See Gen 40:20 and Mat 14:6. Next, do you think that our Heavenly Father would have His Son born on the same day as pagan sun gods were born? Throughout the Bible nowhere do I see God's people celebrating birthdays. Pagans are interested in when one is born, ever hear of astrology? God is interested in the way you die, whether saved or unsaved.

Think about all the Christmas traditions, do any sound Biblical? Well, maybe one, the tree;

Jer 10:2 Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.
Jer 10:3 For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe.
Jer 10:4 They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.

Yes, it is an arguable point, but worth thinking about. Also, does man have the power to declare and make something holy?

[Tio-Peregrino]

Hi DjJen, Christmas is a holiday created by man, not God, (see Lev 23 for God's appointed times) and there is nothing Biblical about it.

Do you follow Leviticus 23?

First, there are two birthdays mentioned in the Bible, both pagan and someone died at each of them. See Gen 40:20 and Mat 14:6.

And this means that celebrating on the day of a loved one's day of birth is bad?

Next, do you think that our Heavenly Father would have His Son born on the same day as pagan sun gods were born?

He could have, but He likely didn't. Christ was likely born in the Fall...probably at the time of Tabernacles I have read. Does it matter? Nope. Can we still celebrate it in December. Certainly.

Throughout the Bible nowhere do I see God's people celebrating birthdays.

And I find that some men had multiple wives...

Pagans are interested in when one is born, ever hear of astrology? God is interested in the way you die, whether saved or unsaved.

Yes, and no. God isn't interested in the birth of children? I think He is very much interested in this. Ephesians 1:4 shows that God knows how you'll die. He's concerned in how we live, too.

As for astrology, just because I was born in July doesn't mean our family praises the moon (who evidently rules me) before celebrating the fact that the Lord provided me with another year of this life. Furthermore, anyone who believes astrology ought to know that the dates have been changed a number of times...the latest being around 1750, if memory serves. And then there's old Dennis The Short...a monk who is credited as having begun the "A.D." dating (Anno Domini, which is "in the year of our Lord"). When he did this he evidently calculated the years since the birth of Jesus and if I remember correctly we're actually in the year 2015. He was about seven years off. Something like that. So celebrating someone's birthday doesn't mean you're into astrology, or that you're being a bad Christian. What you are doing is acting like a Jehovah's Witness.

From the link above:

There is nothing explicit in the Bible that that commands us to celebrate or not to celebrate birthdays. Rather, the Bible has given us a general guide on this issue when it says that we should each be convinced in our own minds (Romans 14:5) as to the importance or non-importance of a particular day, and that it should be a matter for the conscience of the individual, between them and God, as to whether we celebrate that day or not. However, in contrast to all this, the Watchtower clearly enforces the non-celebration of certain days, to the point that a person's standing before God Himself is in jeopardy, if a birthday is celebrated in any way. The sad thing about all of this is that it is the Jehovah's Witnesses themselves who end up suffering, particularly their young people. Jehovah's Witness children can be made to feel unnecessarily isolated from their class mates when they have to decline invitations to birthday parties, and non-Witness relatives can be unnecessarily offended by the refusal of JW relatives to send them birthday or Christmas cards.

Think about all the Christmas traditions, do any sound Biblical? Well, maybe one, the tree;

Jer 10:2 Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.
Jer 10:3 For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe.
Jer 10:4 They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.

Yes, it is an arguable point, but worth thinking about. Also, does man have the power to declare and make something holy?

This is bad exegesis, lavender. Anyone who takes the time to actually read the passage you quote will see that it's talking about idols. Since when have you known anyone to give praise to their Christmas tree? I've heard people say, "Beautiful tree!" But I've never known anyone to prostrate themselves before it in petitionary prayer. Do you know anyone who praises their Christmas tree?

From Dr. Constable's Study Notes:

10:1 The prophet again called his Israelite audience to hear the message that Yahweh had for them. There were people in Judah who were venerating
idols who needed to hear this message.

10:2 He warned His people not to be disciples of the Gentile nations,
specifically not to let the celestial phenomena that the nations looked to
for guidance frighten them. The nations regarded abnormalities in the
heavens as divine signs and held them in awe, particularly unusual
phenomena such as comets, meteors, and eclipses. But it was Yahweh who
controlled these things (cf. Gen. 1:14; Hab. 3:4, 11).

10:3 The worship of the Gentiles was an empty delusion. They worshipped
only wood cut from the forest that a craftsman shaped with a tool. These
gods were no more than pieces of wood.

10:4 They decorated their idols with precious metal and nailed them in place so they would not fall over. How ridiculous it is to worship something that
cannot even keep itself upright, much less its devotees!

10:5 These idols were similar to scarecrows whose only power is to frighten
birds. They did not speak to command, counsel, or comfort their
worshippers. They could not walk to come to the aid of their devotees.
People had to carry them; they were burdens to be borne rather than
bearers of their suppliants' burdens. God's people should not fear them
because they do neither harm nor good. They are do-nothing gods.

10:6 Yahweh, on the other hand, is unique among the deities that people
worship. He is great, and He had a reputation for acting mightily.

I used to be part of a Messianic Congregation, lavender. Did someone who is a Messianic point you to these verses? Before we left that group I had these verses quoted to me. I was also told that Christmas trees were brought into the homes by pagans in Norway, or somewhere, and used for fertility rites. It's really quite perverse what they said to me. I told them my wife and I never utlized the tree for this purpose...and never would have known this had they not placed the perverted image in our minds.

[My Abba's Child]

The only time I've heard this argument and attitude, lavendar, is from a Jehovah's Witness lady who showed up a lot at my door before I was saved. My desire to celebrate Christmas and birthdays is the only thing that kept me from falling into a false religion. You wouldn't happen to be a member of the Jehovah's Witness sect, would you?

In His love,

[Tio-Peregrino]

The only time I've heard this argument and attitude, lavendar, is from a Jehovah's Witness lady who showed up a lot at my door before I was saved. My desire to celebrate Christmas and birthdays is the only thing that kept me from falling into a false religion. You wouldn't happen to be a member of the Jehovah's Witness sect, would you?

In His love,

I posted a good link above regarding Jehovah's Witnesses and this belief of theirs.

[FrankBeMe]

Pagan pride day events happen in every major city in the US. Here, they always have an ad for it in the paper and then the paper does a report on it. And the admission deal is the same everywhere also. So it's not a local thing but a nationwide annual event.

One year here, the party or whatever, was on a Sunday and ended early so they could all watch the Packer game.

So Faithful Servant: There are pagan pride activities in Knoxville, Memphis and Nashville.

Knoxville
Memphis


While there are states that have nothing planned, some have a contact person. These are the states who have NOTHING planned:

VT, DE, WV, AL and WY

[felixthecat]

Pagan pride day events happen in every major city in the US. Here, they always have an ad for it in the paper and then the paper does a report on it. And the admission deal is the same everywhere also. So it's not a local thing but a nationwide annual event.

One year here, the party or whatever, was on a Sunday and ended early so they could all watch the Packer game.

So Faithful Servant: There are pagan pride activities in Knoxville, Memphis and Nashville.

Knoxville
Memphis


While there are states that have nothing planned, some have a contact person. These are the states who have NOTHING planned:

VT, DE, WV, AL and WY

I didn't know that.

It makes me very sad.

I do know that many parents purposely don't teach them anything in the spiritual area. They want the kids to "decide". Well, how in the world can you make an informed decision if you don't expose them to it. Going to these kinds of events appeals to the rebellious nature of a kid. Deep down these kids know this is not acceptable.

I enjoyed Sunday school. Going to church was part of every Sunday. I wasn't given a choice. My parents cared more about where I'd be spending my eternal life. My parents weren't perfect but they did have their priorites and parented my brother and I.

I came across this mentality at the dentist. The hygientist is Jewish. Her husband is Jewish. They purposely didn't even tell their kids they were Jewish. They had no idea they were Jewish until recently. The boy is 15 and the girl is 13. I was shocked. They wanted the kids to figure out what they wanted to be. I guarantee you that if one of them was about to run out in the street in front of a truck, they'd try their best to stop them but when it comes to where you spend eternal life - they don't try to help their children find their way. God is not taken ver seriously in that household.

[Tio-Peregrino]

Is christmas actually from a pagan holiday?

Alexandria

The first evidence of the feast is from Egypt. About A.D. 200, Clement of Alexandria (Strom., I, xxi in P.G., VIII, 888) says that certain Egyptian theologians "over curiously" assign, not the year alone, but the day of Christ's birth, placing it on 25 Pachon (20 May) in the twenty-eighth year of Augustus. [Ideler (Chron., II, 397, n.) thought they did this believing that the ninth month, in which Christ was born, was the ninth of their own calendar.] Others reached the date of 24 or 25 Pharmuthi (19 or 20 April). With Clement's evidence may be mentioned the "De paschæ computus", written in 243 and falsely ascribed to Cyprian (P.L., IV, 963 sqq.), which places Christ's birth on 28 March, because on that day the material sun was created. But Lupi has shown (Zaccaria, Dissertazioni ecc. del p. A.M. Lupi, Faenza, 1785, p. 219) that there is no month in the year to which respectable authorities have not assigned Christ's birth. Clement, however, also tells us that the Basilidians celebrated the Epiphany, and with it, probably, the Nativity, on 15 or 11 Tybi (10 or 6 January). At any rate this double commemoration became popular, partly because the apparition to the shepherds was considered as one manifestation of Christ's glory, and was added to the greater manifestations celebrated on 6 January; partly because at the baptism-manifestation many codices (e.g. Codex Bezæ) wrongly give the Divine words as sou ei ho houios mou ho agapetos, ego semeron gegenneka se (Thou art my beloved Son, this day have I begotten thee) in lieu of en soi eudokesa (in thee I am well pleased), read in Luke 3:22. Abraham Ecchelensis (Labbe, II, 402) quotes the Constitutions of the Alexandrian Church for a dies Nativitatis et Epiphaniæ in Nicæan times; Epiphanius (Hær., li, ed. Dindorf, 1860, II, 483) quotes an extraordinary semi-Gnostic ceremony at Alexandria in which, on the night of 5-6 January, a cross-stamped Korê was carried in procession round a crypt, to the chant, "Today at this hour Korê gave birth to the Eternal"; John Cassian records in his "Collations" (X, 2 in P.L., XLIX, 820), written 418-427, that the Egyptian monasteries still observe the "ancient custom"; but on 29 Choiak (25 December) and 1 January, 433, Paul of Emesa preached before Cyril of Alexandria, and his sermons (see Mansi, IV, 293; appendix to Act. Conc. Eph.) show that the December celebration was then firmly established there, and calendars prove its permanence. The December feast therefore reached Egypt between 427 and 433.

Jerusalem

In 385, Silvia of Bordeaux (or Etheria, as it seems clear she should be called) was profoundly impressed by the splendid Chilhood feasts at Jerusalem. They had a definitely "Nativity" colouring; the bishop proceeded nightly to Bethlehem, returning to Jerusalem for the day celebrations. The Presentation was celebrated forty days after. But this calculation starts from 6 January, and the feast lasted during the octave of that date. (Peregr. Sylv., ed. Geyer, pp. 75 sq.) Again (p. 101) she mentions as high festivals Easter and Epiphany alone. In 385, therefore, 25 December was not observed at Jerusalem. This checks the so-called correspondence between Cyril of Jerusalem (348-386) and Pope Julius I (337-352), quoted by John of Nikiû (c. 900) to convert Armenia to 25 December (see P.L., VIII, 964 sqq.). Cyril declares that his clergy cannot, on the single feast of Birth and Baptism, make a double procession to Bethlehem and Jordan. (This later practice is here an anachronism.) He asks Julius to assign the true date of the nativity "from census documents brought by Titus to Rome"; Julius assigns 25 December. Another document (Cotelier, Patr. Apost., I, 316, ed. 1724) makes Julius write thus to Juvenal of Jerusalem (c. 425-458), adding that Gregory Nazianzen at Constantinople was being criticized for "halving" the festival. But Julius died in 352, and by 385 Cyril had made no change; indeed, Jerome, writing about 411 (in Ezech., P.L., XXV, 18), reproves Palestine for keeping Christ's birthday (when He hid Himself) on the Manifestation feast. Cosmas Indicopleustes suggests (P.G., LXXXVIII, 197) that even in the middle of the sixth century Jerusalem was peculiar in combining the two commemorations, arguing from Luke 3:23 that Christ's baptism day was the anniversary of His birthday. The commemoration, however, of David and James the Apostle on 25 December at Jerusalem accounts for the deferred feast. Usener, arguing from the "Laudatio S. Stephani" of Basil of Seleucia (c. 430. -- P.G., LXXXV, 469), thinks that Juvenal tried at least to introduce this feast, but that Cyril's greater name attracted that event to his own period.

Antioch

In Antioch, on the feast of St. Philogonius, Chrysostom preached an important sermon. The year was almost certainly 386, though Clinton gives 387, and Usener, by a long rearrangement of the saint's sermons, 388 (Religionsgeschichtl. Untersuch., pp. 227-240). But between February, 386, when Flavian ordained Chrysostom priest, and December is ample time for the preaching of all the sermons under discussion. (See Kellner, Heortologie, Freiburg, 1906, p. 97, n. 3). In view of a reaction to certain Jewish rites and feasts, Chrysostom tries to unite Antioch in celebrating Christ's birth on 25 December, part of the community having already kept it on that day for at least ten years. In the West, he says, the feast was thus kept, anothen; its introduction into Antioch he had always sought, conservatives always resisted. This time he was successful; in a crowded church he defended the new custom. It was no novelty; from Thrace to Cadiz this feast was observed -- rightly, since its miraculously rapid diffusion proved its genuineness. Besides, Zachary, who, as high-priest, entered the Temple on the Day of Atonement, received therefore announcement of John's conception in September; six months later Christ was conceived, i.e. in March, and born accordingly in December.

Finally, though never at Rome, on authority he knows that the census papers of the Holy Family are still there. [This appeal to Roman archives is as old as Justin Martyr (Apol., I, 34, 35) and Tertullian (Adv. Marc., IV, 7, 19). Julius, in the Cyriline forgeries, is said to have calculated the date from Josephus, on the same unwarranted assumptions about Zachary as did Chrysostom.] Rome, therefore, has observed 25 December long enough to allow of Chrysostom speaking at least in 388 as above (P.G., XLVIII, 752, XLIX, 351).

The origin of Christmas should not be sought in the Saturnalia (1-23 December) nor even in the midnight holy birth at Eleusis (see J.E. Harrison, Prolegom., p. 549) with its probable connection through Phrygia with the Naasene heretics, or even with the Alexandrian ceremony quoted above; nor yet in rites analogous to the midwinter cult at Delphi of the cradled Dionysus, with his revocation from the sea to a new birth (Harrison, op. cit., 402 sqq.).

Most folks I have heard who want to criticize Christmas usually say it came out of Saturnalia. However, this is disputable.

Was Jesus actually born in December?

There were shepherds watching over their flocks...sounds like some time other than December in Israel. Also, there was a census going on--as we look at the Scriptures--and these wouldn't take place in winter.

Is easter a pagan holiday since the Easter bunny and the Easter egg are both derived from pagan beliefs?

"Easter" itself is a pagan holiday. But what do Christians celebrate on that day? What's the substance of that celebration? Just as I don't worship the Christmas Tree, or perform fertility rites to Baal beneath it, I don't know of any Christians who celebrate Easter with pagan flare. The substance of what we celebrate is important.

My wife and I routinely celebrate Passover at the time of Easter, and we call the day Resurrection Sunday. We call it Easter, too--which is fine. When we call it that it has nothing to do with Semiramis or Ishtar, or any of that drivel. It is all Messiah-centered. Likewise, when Christmas is Christ-centered then the Lord knows your heart and all is well. What is in your heart? When Jesus is at the core of the celebration then it's not bad.

and the Christmas tree?

Again, what do you do to the Christmas tree? Do you worship it? People often confuse amoral with immoral. Is having a Christmas tree immoral? If you worship it instead of God the Father through Jesus Christ...yes, that's immoral. If it's part of the celebration where Messiah is the center...then it's really amoral.

I've personally never had a liking for rabbits and eggs in regard to Easter. So I really can't say anything on that point. But I can tell you from personal experience that I simply like the smell of an evergreen. It's part of Christmas now...and Christmas to me is celebrating Jesus.

My friend and I are discussing stuff about pagans and wiccans. She believes the majority of pagans aren't Satan worshipers at all, becuase they dont believe in Jesus doesn't mean they are worship the devil.

Jesus said that if you're not with Him...you're against Him, though (Matthew 12). Bob Dylan sang it wonderfully: You Gotta Serve Somebody...it might be the devil or it may be the Lord...but you gotta serve Somebody. It's one or the other.

But just because someone is pagan (or wiccan), doesn't mean they fit into this group of devil worshipers.

If they're not worshipping the God of Israel...who are they worshipping?

She goes on to say the wiccans have a high moral code like the bible and that wiccans worship a god and goddess, yes its considered a false idol, but its not satanic.

There is God and His angels...then there is Satan and his fallen angels. I don't see any in-between group that this goddess would be a part of.

A moral code doesn't matter. There is relative good, and absolute good...that which is done for the Lord is absolute. That which is done not for the Lord is relative. Without the Lord that relative good is good...but it's not salvific.

She also says that the catholic church has spent so long making them look like an evil group so that they could gain more control over people.

Maybe the Catholic Church is actually correct in this instance. They're not wrong all the time.

This goes back centuries.
This all ties into her telling me that the Easter and Christmas is a pagan holiday and that Jesus wasn't born in Dec.

I really don't know what to say to her. Can anyone help me out?

Well, she's correct in those things. But what is her point? Just because Jesus wasn't born in December doesn't make it wrong to celebrate His birth then. It all goes back to the heart of the matter...

[Born Again 2006]

I lived in the NJ cesspool for 33 years. This does not surprise me at all. I pray for my family that still lives there. I thank God every day that I now live in Tennessee.

I was just wondering Faithful Servant, Are all of the women in Tennessee constantly barefoot and pregnant? That is how many "small minded" people perceive those "hillbillies in the South." Calling the entire state of NJ a "cesspool" smacks of being judgmental. Please refrain from lumping all of the people of NJ into one pot. Our Lord and Savior knows every persons heart and He will pass the appropriate judgment on each and every one!

[willow]

I just saw Rick Warren on TV. First time I've ever seen him. He doesn't look "right"

[felixthecat]

I was just wondering Faithful Servant, Are all of the women in Tennessee constantly barefoot and pregnant? That is how many "small minded" people perceive those "hillbillies in the South." Calling the entire state of NJ a "cesspool" smacks of being judgmental. Please refrain from lumping all of the people of NJ into one pot. Our Lord and Savior knows every persons heart and He will pass the appropriate judgment on each and every one!

I live in NJ.

It is a cesspool.

I am judgmental.

I do discriminate.

I don't agree with what happens in New Jersey.

I will continue to speak OUT against the

MAJORITY

that keep those who make this a CESSPOOL

in power.

The Good Lord sees it too.

I'm certainly not grandstanding Him.

[Born Again 2006]

I live in NJ.

It is a cesspool.

I am judgmental.

I do discriminate.

I don't agree with what happens in New Jersey.

I will continue to speak OUT against the

MAJORITY

that keep those who make this a CESSPOOL

in power.

The Good Lord sees it too.

I'm certainly not grandstanding Him.

I must ask why do you continue to live in the so-called "cesspool?" Being judgmental is certainly "grandstanding Him." Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was (and is) the only one appointed by His birth, death, and resurrection to pass judgement on this world. Who gave you the authority to judge? IMHO, your use of the oversized font etc. typifies your arrogance and pride that you consider yourself fit to pass judgment!

[FunMudder]

We celebrate Christmas as Christs birthday. Give each other gifts to remind us of God's gift to us. No Santa silliness.

We do not celebrate Easter, we celebrate Resurrection Day. The colored eggs are for fun and games on this day we talk about what Christ did when He came back to life. No freaky bunnies breaking and entering our homes to hide eggs all over.

We look at it like this: We tell our little children who believe their parents completely that there is a Santa, when there is not, that there is a tooth fairy, easter bunny, *add fairy tales of choice here* and then we also tell them that God gave His son who died and came back to life! So believe believe believe!
As they get older the fairy tales fall away one by one. As we see it, we just refuse to even let the true history of Christ even near the catagory of unseen wonderful beings that they one day find out and discover were lies.

We have just as much fun on holidays, and none of the lies. What is so wrong with kid knowing the pressies came from Gramma instead of Santa? Why have a holiday about Christ revolve around a rabbit? What a waste of time invested into commercialism.

Our 2 cents.

[willow]

I live in America. I love it, I'd die to defend my right to call it a cesspool if I want.

[Born Again 2006]

I live in America. I love it, I'd die to defend my right to call it a cesspool if I want.

Willow, I am not disputing that right to voice one's opinion. I am merely voicing my opinion as to some posters "over-generalization" of their perceptions of the overall quality of the environment of NJ and their perceived arrogance to judge all who live within that state. They are not God and they have no right to judge the inhabitants of NJ. BTW, I don't live in NJ. I must again ask the question, who are they to judge? Jesus said (paraphrase) Let those without sin cast the first stone!

BTW- I am sure the Georgian government and the US military would love to give you the opportunity to "die to defend [your] right to...." My suggestion is "be careful what you ask for!" Only God knows those challenges and expectations that are before us as individuals and as a nation.

[Born Again 2006]

Delete

[Faithful Servant]

Pagan pride day events happen in every major city in the US. Here, they always have an ad for it in the paper and then the paper does a report on it. And the admission deal is the same everywhere also. So it's not a local thing but a nationwide annual event.

One year here, the party or whatever, was on a Sunday and ended early so they could all watch the Packer game.

So Faithful Servant: There are pagan pride activities in Knoxville, Memphis and Nashville.

Knoxville
Memphis


While there are states that have nothing planned, some have a contact person. These are the states who have NOTHING planned:

VT, DE, WV, AL and WY

Wow, I was unaware of that. I appreciate you brining that to my attention. Thankfully I live pretty far away for Knoxville and Memphis. The area I live in still display the Ten Commandments in public places like IHOP and the county courthouse, etc. There is daily prayer in the morning at every school along with the pledge of allegiance. I will continue to pray for those lost souls, as I do every day.

[Faithful Servant]

I was just wondering Faithful Servant, Are all of the women in Tennessee constantly barefoot and pregnant? That is how many "small minded" people perceive those "hillbillies in the South." Calling the entire state of NJ a "cesspool" smacks of being judgmental. Please refrain from lumping all of the people of NJ into one pot. Our Lord and Savior knows every persons heart and He will pass the appropriate judgment on each and every one!

I have not seen any barefoot and pregnant women since I moved to Tennessee. I believe "hillbillies" are a little north of me, we are "rednecks" down here. People down here kid with me and think I am either a left wing liberal or I am in witness protection, they are shocked to find out I am a very conservative person from NJ. I am sorry for being judgemental. I am very sad how the state of NJ and our country has turned away from God. Living there as a bible believing Christian is like a goldfish surrounded by sharks. That is the reason I moved. I am aware that Our Lord Jesus will deal with the pagan religions in due time. In the meantime, I will, as always, pray for those lost souls and that our great nation return to God. I served 8 years in our great military and fought in the first Gulf War '90-91 and I would serve again in a heartbeat. God has given our country everything and I will defend it until the end.

Heavenly Father, I come to you in prayer today asking for forgiveness. I humbly ask for forgiveness for being judgemental towards my fellow countrymen and women, your creation. I pray for the souls of this lost and dying world, that they repent and accept Jesus Christ as thier Savior before it is everlasting too late. I pray that I will be a better witness for Jesus Christ and give you all the honor, glory and praise. God, please lead me and guide me to be a better servant. Father, I pray for my country that they return to you. I am thankful you are in control and that your will will be done. Jesus, thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. God, thank you for continuing to provide for me and my family. Please forgive me where I have failed you. I pray today in the precious and holy name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

[lavender]

The only time I've heard this argument and attitude, lavendar, is from a Jehovah's Witness lady who showed up a lot at my door before I was saved. My desire to celebrate Christmas and birthdays is the only thing that kept me from falling into a false religion. You wouldn't happen to be a member of the Jehovah's Witness sect, would you?

In His love,

no