JOSHUA TIME 208

I'm on a "Merry Christmas" mission and I'm in full throttle. My little > yellow VW Beetle has turned into a Christmas billboard with Merry > Christmas written across the back window. Yes, I've decided to trek off >to > work everyday on the public highways with a message that seems to offend > people. > > At stop lights, I even turn my music up a little louder, and to top it > off, I sing along with it. Don't I know that stopping at a red light to > roll my windows down only to share the joy of Christmas carols on public > streets is a No-No? Don't I fear the Christmas Gestapo and those who >would > have me remove the written message from my car? > > I'm sorry folks, but the only person I'm concerned about "offending" > during this Christmas season is the Lord himself. LEAVE THAT MANGER >ALONE! > We've allowed the Baby Jesus to be kicked out of His lowly manger, and > those offended by Christmas are still not happy. > > I refuse to let this happen. I'm going to do my part to make sure "Merry > Christmas" doesn't become extinct. Because like it or not, if the > believers in Christmas don't take a stand now, it's gone forever. > > Listen folks, the Christian community has been underestimated before; we > will have to show ourselves agai! n. > > I walked into a Wendy's Restaurant the other day and was rather exuberant > with my "Merry Christmas" greeting to the manager. He didn't have much of > a response and I said, "Where's your Christmas spirit?" He said, "We're > not allowed to use the words "Merry Christmas" when greeting customers. >We > can only say "Happy Holiday." > > This morning I grabbed a quick breakfast at a Whataburger Restaurant. I > noticed there wasn't a single decoration in the store. I asked the >manager > why they weren't decorated for Christmas. He told me the corporate > headquarters decided not to send any decorations to any of their stores, > and he didn't know why. > > After I heard about all the Macy's and Federated Stores taking down their > Merry Christmas signs, the Target stores not allowing the Salvation Army > to "Ring the Christmas bells," and the many incidents of children, >choirs, > and bands not allowed to play or sing Christmas carols, I realized it was > happening r! ight here in my own little Texas town. > > How can this be? Not Texas! > > We do, however, have a store, Hobby Lobby, that plays nothing but > Christmas carols during the season. On Christmas Day they run a full page > ad in our local newspaper. That ad is not to promote the store, but uses > the entire page to tell the story of Jesus' birth. Now that's taking a > stand. We need to thank them. > > When I saw a news report the other evening of children being taught new > words to a song we've sung for years - "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" - >I > was saddened to hear "We Wish You a Splendid Holiday." > > I know now that it's just a matter of time that the "Merry Christmas" > greetings will be gone. Look around your town. Notice the "Holiday" > greetings and not "Christmas." It's happening right before our very eyes. > > Start singing the songs; go down the streets of America singing to your > heart's content. Get some of those wash-off markers that these kids us! e > to write on their car windows when they're rooting for their hometown > football team. It's easy to do, and if a torrential rain washes it off, > write it on there again. > > We've got to get this message out. "Go Tell It On the Mountain . . . that > Jesus Christ is Born." Sing it, speak it, be a billboard for our Lord. > > The story of this "Baby Jesus" alone has brought about more goodwill at > this time of year than any other day we celebrate. How can we sit back >and > allow Him to be snuffed out of our lives? > > Is it Jesus, or is it His followers that the "offended" don't like? What > kind of revulsion galvanizes one to campaign so vehemently against the > mere mention of His name, the mere singing of a carol, or the mere visual > of a sign that says "Merry Christmas?" > > I can listen to my own boss at work use some of the vilest words and > follow up with, "Excuse my French." I may cringe inside at his damning of > God's name, but I tolerate it. So if ! you don't like me wishing you a > "Merry Christmas," I'll say, "Excuse my joy." You may cringe that I > celebrate the birth of Jesus, but just tolerate it. > > I cannot be concerned that "Merry Christmas" offends you. If I'm not > careful, the day will come when saying I'm a Christian will offend you. > > I'm offended that you're offended. How about that? > > When we get to a point that we can no longer take part in a tradition we > hold dear, we have no choice; we either defend that tradition or we give > it up to those who say NO. That's it . . . period. So, which will it be? > > I'm not giving up my "Merry Christmas" joy to anyone. If I know of >someone > that celebrates another holiday during this time of year, I will be glad > to wish them whatever holiday they want. Just tell me what it is and I'll > shout it to the world and wish you a grand celebration. > > Just give me Christmas. To you merchants: Stop being so hypocritical and > "filling ! your tills" on the back of Jesus! Who do you think is the > symbol of giving at this time of year? It was the wise men bringing gifts > to the newborn Christ-child. > > You want your coffers full, but have ordered your employees to take down > all the Merry Christmas signs. If that's the case, I'll buy gifts at a > place that understands my joy. > > If you're worried about offending someone, you just did. The most recent > Newsweek survey shows that 82% of Americans believe that Jesus is the Son > of God. So, in trying not to offend a few, you've offended many. > > It's okay to jump into the "Merry Christmas" spirit when it fills your > cash register, but let's call it something else . . . and don't stop > giving . . . and don't stop buying. . . we'll just change the name and > you'll never know the difference. > > I know the difference and I'm feeling it greatly. It's hard not to be > aware that townships across our country have actually banned the singi! >ng > of Christmas carols because it might offend someone. And it's not just >the > religious songs; it's the secular ones too. No more "Jingle Bells" or > "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" because they're associated with > Christmas. Boy, aren't we getting sensitive? > > If we're not celebrating Christmas for the hope it gives with the birth >of > our Savior . . . there is no hope! > > I noticed a few years ago that we changed the name of Abraham Lincoln's > and George Washington's birthday so as to be all inclusive regarding the > Presidents. Hark, if we should recognize anyone as exceptional. Now it's > called Presidents' Day. > > Well, if we're going to be so all inclusive, next month I'll have to >refer > to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as Civil Rights Leaders' Day. We don't > want to exclude great Americans like Rosa Parks or Cesar Chavez, do we? > And to think that Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton might be left out. > > We might need to change Mother's Da! y, Father's Day, and Grandparents' > Day to All Parents' Day. Just lump them all together. > > It sounds ridiculous, doesn't it? So what's the difference? > > My freedom to celebrate Christmas in the tradition of the Christian > religion is as much my right as it is your right to be offended by it. So > what are we going to do? Did anyone hear me . . . what are we going to >do? > > > Do we defend a person's right to go forward with a time tested tradition > (how about 2000 years?), or do we defend a person's right to end it all > because they're offended? As long as we live in this great land and have > the freedom to express ourselves and what we believe in, we will always > offend someone. > > If we try to make everything right for everyone, we won't have anything > for anyone. > > May you always have Christmas in your heart! > > ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ >~ > ~ ~ ~ > > What Debbie Daniel started, let's not let it die here. Let's all do our > part. > > > Let's do something ourselves, and then too, let's pass this on to every > > > Christian we know and if enough of us shout it out, maybe someone, > > > somewhere, will hear us and stop this insanity of Atheism from gripping > our Country. > > > Merry Christmas to ALL > > > > > > (and don't forget to pass it on > > > > > > > > > For the wages of sin is death,:but the gift of God is eternal life >through > Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 6:23 God Bless you, Priscilla > > > > > > > > > > > >
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JOSHUA