CHRISTMAS TREE

[Nancy]

Some people like to abuse givers by always having a crisis of need. So it is prudent to hide giving.
Some people are just "junk/stuff" oriented.

Always gotta have the latest cell phone, latest vehicle, latest album, latest greatest whatever.

My cookies and candies are the best of the best. Equivalent to the highest end gourmet treats around.
We searched the internet to find equivalent cookies and candies.
It's around $75-$120 for the cookies and then a minimum of another $120 for the truffles we have given out. We gave a plate of cookies and a box of candies to everyone this year.

Others have been given extraordinary gifts of money to further goals that we see as good. (Thousands) We have a savings account for this too. It never seems to empty out no matter how hard we try. But we never consider it ours to begin with.
With it we fund adoptions, missionaries, buying sex slaves, aliens and whatever else that is good.

When the needs are real. And we have a personal relationship with whomever we are ready, willing, and able to act.

I do extensive investigation into those that receive God's money. Plenty of people have their hand out asking for donations. Most of those I consider "The Profits from God" and not worth a dime.

An example is those who fundraise money for the Mercy Ships. An organization that provides charitable healthcare including surgeries for low socio-economic areas in the world that have a port. They are quite vocal...but only 2% of everything they get actually goes to the charity.

However...
I, through my international missionary trips have met other missionaries that work full time in the mission field. This global pandemic has curtailed their usual fundraising tours so that they can do another year of service.
So I filled in the gap.

It's difficult to find good, effective places to donate. They don't come often.

I see. Yes, there are so many users and I've had way tooo many run ins with them. God has taught me discernment...I think! What you are doing is so AWESOME! Yes, it is difficult to find places to donate to...KNOWING God's work is being done through your hands, and others like yourself. I am hoping to write some letters to Church's around me to see if they might help MyDreams in India. He and I have been unboxing with prayers. And, he has all kinds of photos of those he gives Hindi bibles to. There are times he gets big bags of rice and he will distribute that, as well as the cart for vegetables he and his family bring around to the poor there. This is something that I've prayed on forever! Just want to do what I can, prayer is powerful but so is providing food, clothes, shelter, water...you know what I mean.
What an awesome plan you and your family have...and of COURSE you will not run out of money...seeing it is His anyhow, He trusts you to be a good steward and that is just what you are
God Bless!
Merry Christmas!
nancy
BTW-Any diabetics on your gift list?

 

[Nancy]

Yeah, I never heard about this before but maybe it is talking about a Christmas tree. Btw, I used that song to hilariously troll (tease in this case) somebody with it on here awhile back.













No,.. but I sure like rocking around it.

 

[Truther]

I hope everyone can use this same reasoning to excuse all the statues in Catholic and Orthodox Christian churches - they don't worship their statues and you don't worship your christmas tree. If just having their statues in their churches means they are worshiping their statues, then you are also worshiping your christmas trees and are guilty of idolatry.

They speak to their statues as a representative of someone. Idolatry.

If I pull out a dollar bill and speak to the dead president on the bill I am an idolater among other things.

 

[April_Rose]

Okay so I was looking more into the Bible verses that were posted and when it's talking about vanity I don't think it's talking about doing the traditional chopping down an evergreen tree (or using an artificial one as that's what I have) and bringing it in your house and decorating it for fun. I think the important thing is the reasoning behind it. Are you doing it to be a showoff or are you doing it just because it's tradition?

 

[Ronald Nolette]

Hello all and Merry CHRISTmas.
There is a few verses I read years back and it made me wonder. Maybe some of you can possibly explain what you think of this verse and it's meaning:

Jeremiah 10:1-5
"1 Hear the word that the LORD speaks to you, O house of Israel. 2 This is what the LORD says:

“Do not learn the ways of the nations

or be terrified by the signs in the heavens,

though the nations themselves are terrified by them.3 For the customs of the peoples are worthless;

they cut down a tree from the forest;

it is shaped with a chisel

by the hands of a craftsman.4 They adorn it with silver and gold

and fasten it with hammer and nails,

so that it will not totter.5 Like scarecrows in a cucumber patch,

their idols cannot speak.

They must be carried

because they cannot walk.

Do not fear them, for they can do no harm,

and neither can they do any good.”

Is this where the modern day "Christmas tree" came from? I hope not as I do love a nicely decorated tree!! Any takers?

Hi Nancy:

It is true that so many of the trappings of Christmas, Easter and other holidays have pagan origins, it does not mean having a Christmas tree means you arew worshipping some Baal or Morduch or Ashereoth etc.

God looks upon teh heart on things like this. If you are worshipping one of the modern Baals' like commercialism or leisure or gluttony or mirth apart from godliness, then yes there is everything wrong with it. But if you are simply keeping a tradition in honor of celebrating the Birth of the Savior- go find a wonderful tree!

 

[Nancy]

Hi Nancy:

It is true that so many of the trappings of Christmas, Easter and other holidays have pagan origins, it does not mean having a Christmas tree means you arew worshipping some Baal or Morduch or Ashereoth etc.

God looks upon teh heart on things like this. If you are worshipping one of the modern Baals' like commercialism or leisure or gluttony or mirth apart from godliness, then yes there is everything wrong with it. But if you are simply keeping a tradition in honor of celebrating the Birth of the Savior- go find a wonderful tree!

Thanks Ron,
I do have a tree and some lights up this year. And, yes...we need to prioritize this celebration...I don't see the tree as an idol, it's just decoration really, and it is pretty.
As long as we keep things in perspective and give Him the glory...

 

[Pearl]

Thanks Ron,
I do have a tree and some lights up this year. And, yes...we need to prioritize this celebration...I don't see the tree as an idol, it's just decoration really, and it is pretty.
As long as we keep things in perspective and give Him the glory...

I think a Christmas tree physically marks Christmas as a special season. And I think it is right to celebrate in feasting as the father of the prodigal son did in Jesus' parable. We can celebrate all the people who have returned to God through Jesus the Son..

Luke 15:23
Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate.

 

[farouk]

I think a Christmas tree physically marks Christmas as a special season. And I think it is right to celebrate in feasting as the father of the prodigal son did in Jesus' parable. We can celebrate all the people who have returned to God through Jesus the Son..

Luke 15:23
Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate.

@Pearl Probably fair to say, anyway, that a lot of ppl who feast at Christmas probably don't think of the lesson of the prodigal son at all....

 

[Nancy]

I think a Christmas tree physically marks Christmas as a special season. And I think it is right to celebrate in feasting as the father of the prodigal son did in Jesus' parable. We can celebrate all the people who have returned to God through Jesus the Son..

Luke 15:23
Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate.

Here here!! Amen and yes, celebrate!

 

[Pearl]

@Pearl Probably fair to say, anyway, that a lot of ppl who feast at Christmas probably don't think of the lesson of the prodigal son at all....

No, but it shouldn't stop us doing it right.

 

[farouk]

No, but it shouldn't stop us doing it right.

@Pearl My wife cooks a lovely meal at Christmas...

 

[Pearl]

@Pearl My wife cooks a lovely meal at Christmas...

Everybody round to farouk's.

 

[farouk]

Everybody round to farouk's.

 

[amadeus]

Hello all and Merry CHRISTmas.
There is a few verses I read years back and it made me wonder. Maybe some of you can possibly explain what you think of this verse and it's meaning:

Jeremiah 10:1-5
"1 Hear the word that the LORD speaks to you, O house of Israel. 2 This is what the LORD says:

“Do not learn the ways of the nations

or be terrified by the signs in the heavens,

though the nations themselves are terrified by them.3 For the customs of the peoples are worthless;

they cut down a tree from the forest;

it is shaped with a chisel

by the hands of a craftsman.4 They adorn it with silver and gold

and fasten it with hammer and nails,

so that it will not totter.5 Like scarecrows in a cucumber patch,

their idols cannot speak.

They must be carried

because they cannot walk.

Do not fear them, for they can do no harm,

and neither can they do any good.”

Is this where the modern day "Christmas tree" came from? I hope not as I do love a nicely decorated tree!! Any takers?

When my wife and I were very young together in the Lord in our very first non-Catholic church, a brother introduced us to those very verses in the 1970's [we came to the Lord in April 1976] and as a result we decided against a Christmas tree in our home for our family. It became the bone of contention and the straw that broke the camel's back.

Our pastor, who really did 'rule the roost' of that assembly had gone easy on us because we were new converts. They had not had any of those [new converts] in years. [We were led to the Lord by a family not in that assembly.] Our two children were attending the church's own Christian school and to earn money during the Christmas holidays the school was selling Christmas trees. With this economic venture beginning, we came down hard in our refusal to buy or have a Christmas tree. Our pastor came to us insisting we have a tree and said he would pay for it on our behalf. We refused and the result was us leaving that assembly.

Our ban on Christmas trees in our home did not last long, but our disconnection from that assembly was permanent. If it had been a first confrontation with that pastor we might not have left, but it was that final straw in a series on confrontations. It really did start with those verses cited here by you @Nancy

 

[farouk]

When my wife and I were very young together in the Lord in our very first non-Catholic church, a brother introduced us to those very verses in the 1970's [we came to the Lord in April 1976] and as a result we decided against a Christmas tree in our home for our family. It became the bone of contention and the straw that broke the camel's back.

Our pastor, who really did 'rule the roost' of that assembly had gone easy on us because we were new converts. They had not had any of those [new converts] in years. [We were led to the Lord by a family not in that assembly.] Our two children were attending the church's own Christian school and to earn money during the Christmas holidays the school was selling Christmas trees. With this economic venture beginning, we came down hard in our refusal to buy or have a Christmas tree. Our pastor came to us insisting we have a tree and said he would pay for it on our behalf. We refused and the result was us leaving that assembly.

Our ban on Christmas trees in our home did not last long, but our disconnection from that assembly was permanent. If it had been a first confrontation with that pastor we might not have left, but it was that final straw in a series on confrontations. It really did start with those verses cited here by you @Nancy

@amadeus How legalistic can some churches get, trying to compel ppl to have a Christmas tree!

 

[amadeus]

Everybody round to farouk's.

@farouk
What time will you expect us? Should we bring anything to add to the meal?

 

[Truther]

I like our nativity scene and am cool with that, but the boss wanted a tree, so I eventually gave in through the years. As long as folks don't start singing to it I can tolerate it.

 

[JohnDB]

A christmas tree is a symbol to everyone who sees it that we aren't JWs or some sort of Atheist. We are normal people. We don't bite the heads off of bats or chickens.

*Just in case you didn't know, biting the heads off of animals is abnormal behavior...there's a lot of conspiracy theorist on this website and they are abnormal to begin with*

But decorating and celebrations of the Birth of Christ is perfectly acceptable behavior. Can you imagine doing such a thing in a communist country and not going to jail?

So we celebrate with all that is within us.

 

[Pearl]

I made this about forty years ago for my little son and it's still in use today.

 

[amadeus]

@amadeus How legalistic can some churches get, trying to compel ppl to have a Christmas tree!

We were extremely young in the Lord and had it been up to my wife alone we would have been gone from there long before it finally came. The pastor wanted us there because we were paying tithes and at the time I had one of the higher secular salaries in the church, which was more money in his pocket. When my very strong [not physically] and sometimes harsh mouthed wife [softened a lot over the years since then], opened her mouth to criticize him once too often to his liking, he chose to talk to me alone. [He was never able to stand up to my wife.] He thought I was a soft touch and offered to help me divorce my wife and go with me to court to obtain custody of our two children. He wanted me and the children without my wife. That of course would have been the end already as he certainly did not know me very well at all. I did not hit him, but I let him know I was quite displeased with his offer.

Our marriage had been saved along with our souls together through the miraculous intervention of God. [Now 48 years!] We knew little at that point from the Bible, but we knew that no man was going to cause a division in our marriage. We planned to allow our children to finish the school year and I needed a job transfer. My wife, in her mood for that one, might have literally killed the man if I had been unable to restrained her when I described the offer to her. She left him alone, avoiding him as much as possible only bad mouthed him after that to me as we dug in our heels to wait for the end the school year and then the tree thing came up. Our children did not finish the school year and I got my job transfer sooner rather than later.

Give God the glory!