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{Straight From the Heart} *Christmas Traditions* 12/20/00
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I wanted to share a very special story with all of you by our teenage writer, Emily J. Foster. Emily has shared her writing with us here at SFTH for the past year and half, and sent me the following story for Christmas. I did not have any slots open before Christmas though, so decided to put it on the website and include the link so that you all may read it. I ask that you do so and then write to Emily and encourage her as she begins her writing career...
Thanks!
Michael
Click below to read her story!
True Meaning of Christmas
http://storiesfrommyheart.com/true_meaning_of_Christmas
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Christmas Traditions
By Sean Christensen
Christmas. The very word incites cheerful thoughts--presents, excited
children, the smell of pine trees, the creamy taste of eggnog, and the
warmth of family. Christmas is a time of giving and there's joy in
giving. Christmas is also a time of traditions. My favorite Christmas
tradition is going to my grandparents house on Christmas Eve. All the
Christensen's stuff themselves with real ham sandwiches, green bean
casserole with French's onions (yum!), and cheesy potato casserole. We
have eggnog with nutmeg sprinkled on top and sing some Christmas carols.
Then we open up lots of presents, play games, visit, then pack up all
thegoods and head home. It's hard for me to imagine Christmas without
spending that time with my family.
For my grandpa, Christmas brought mixed emotions--he loved the time with
his family more than anything and was an avid carver of wooden Santa
Clauses; however, his mother died on Christmas Day some 30 years ago, an
event which never ceased to be associated with Christmas in his mind.
This year, my family will gather together without grandpa for the first
time. That will be hard, especially for my grandma, but it will be no
less Christmas. In fact, going without can help us to understand
Christmas even better. Remember that a couple millennia ago there was a
Father who spent His first Christmas without His Son. You see, it was
the first Christmas ever, and that Father had given His Son to the world as
the first Christmas gift ever given. Christmas means God loves us. It is God's
holiday; it is Jesus birthday.
He is the "reason for the season." Without Christ, there would be no
Christmas. Take away the tree, the lights, the gifts, the children's
programs, the SNOW and even the family gatherings--can Christmas be
special without them? Absolutely! As wonderful as those things are, they
are add-ons to the real significance of Christmas. Take them away, and
Christmas remains, because Christ's love remains.
When Jesus came to earth as a man, he did so for two reasons: to show us
what God is like, and to bridge the gap between God and man by taking
our guilt upon himself when he died on the cross. God took the initiative to
make himself known to us, and he took the initiative to fix the broken
relationship between Him and us. That is the reality of God's love and
that is the meaning of Christmas. "This is how God showed his love among
us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live
through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us
and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends,
since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another," (1 John
4:9-11).
Christmas, like all good things, finds its true meaning in God's love
expressed through Jesus Christ. This Christmas, may you know that
love and share that love more than ever before.
Sean Christensen
seanchr@juno.com
Send Sean an email and let him know what you thought about his story!
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Sean is a 4th generation native of Montello, Wisconsin and is an avid
outdoorsman and committed Christian. He and his wife, Heather, live in
Beloit, WI with their son, Ian. Sean is a high school math teacher and a
licensed minister. One of his favorite memories of his grandfather is
ice fishing on Green Lake for lake trout with his grandpa and dad on a
cold January day and catching mostly mudpuppies!
Visit thier website at:
http://homestead.juno.com/seanchr
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Thought For The Day:
"The drops of rainmake a hole inthe stone not by violence but by oft falling."
Lucretius
Verse for the Day:
"Through patience a ruler can be persuaded, and a gentle tongue can break a bone."
Proverbs 25:15
Kid's Thought For The Day:
"Even if you've been fishing for 3 hours and haven't gotten anything except
poison ivy and a sunburn, you're still better off than the worm."
Parent's Thought For The Day:
"Families with babies and families without are so sorry for each other." - Ed Howe
Coach's Thought For The Day:
"Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly." -Robert F. Kennedy
Deep Thought For The Day:
"As we were driving, we saw a sign that said: Watch for Rocks. Kristi said
it should read: Watch for Pretty Rocks. I told her she should write in
her suggestion to the highway department, but she started saying it was
a joke - just to get out of writing a simple letter! And I thought I was lazy!"
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/_/\/\ MICHAEL T. POWERS
\_\ / THUNDER27@aol.com
/_/ \ "For I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but
\_\/\ \ Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body I live for the Son
\_\/ of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Galatians 2:20
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Video Imagery (Michael's Video Production Business.)
"I thought of you first after my family sat down to watch the video we gave them. They loved it, to say the least! Within thirty seconds my mom was crying and my dad did too. They said it was the best Christmas gift we could have given them!! You did such a beautiful job! They were so surprised and so touched---they really, really, really loved it. Thanks for helping to make it so special to us all. My mom mentioned how the songs were perfect for the video too! Thanks again!"
Kelli (RKaGe@aol.com) College Station, TX
Let me make you a video from your pictures or home movies!
Check out the web page for Michael's video production business!
Video Imagery
http://members.aol.com/Videoimg/index.html
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