Happy Christmas Eve! A quick pre-holiday good-news roundup to entertain and encourage as we all settle in for a long winter's nap, or rather a series of to-dos to get ready for the big day. And more!
And another "me too", as others have already said, this is beautiful, simply beautiful ❤️ And, work in progress or not, it lights up the morning for me and clearly many others as well! 💯
Hey Karmy, thanks for asking! He will have surgery Friday to clean up the finger and set the elbow. The ortho wants to get better scans of the arm while he is under anesthesia. Meanwhile, I’m feeding him and he’s in good spirits. Not literally feeding him, but you know, Christmas food. 😝
So blessed to be here with my Comrades in Arms, the C&C Army....and I'd like to thank our Commander in Chief, Jeff Childerrs, for his stellar and stalwart leadership here in Substack-land! Thank you, sir, for your daily exhortations and illuminating insights! 🙌🏼🕊️🎁💝🎄🌟 Merry Christmas to all!!
Perfectly stated… absolutely love being a part of Jeff’s C&C army and am grateful daily for the news with Jeff’s flare and humor… like the unexpected giggle when he included his teens sleeping past noon… 🛌😴…. 😂🤣…. Merry Christmas Eve Jeff and all.. what a beautiful prayer 🙏 to leave with us
Yes! Maureen..."my teenagers are far too old to care about Christmas dawn, and instead require heavy industrial equipment to be extracted from bed shortly before after noon." I had 2 teenage boys that fit this description to a "T".
Right there with ya! But I honestly don’t miss (but remember very fondly) being woken up at dawn by two 5 year olds on Christmas morning, and being ready for a nap by 8:30 am.
I experienced a most remarkable dream last night. It was as vivid and material as a dream could possibly be. I’ll keep it brief:
In it I was jolted upright by the all too familiar sound of my cell phone blaring out a tone similar to an AMBER alert notification. I remember uttering some rather unflattering verbiage at myself for not having shut my ringer and notifications off. Since I was still shaking off the dream state fog, I soon noticed that the alert had a moderately different tone than an AMBER alert. I reached for the phone, glimpsed the screen and saw these words: “All the fools sailed away.” Aside from the 80’s DIO song, I couldn’t cipher its meaning.
Next thing I knew I was standing on the docks at an unknown port of call. Gathering my bearings, I soon noticed - as far as the eye could see - long lines of people parading onto several large galleons. As I gradually made my way to the commotion I recognized the faces of some of them….Obama, Anthony Fauci, Gates and - looking markedly more chagrined than the rest - the complete family of Clintons - to name but a few….There were others….hundreds….thousands, whose scowls were completely foreign to me. Also, they were not boarding of their own volition, but rather were being supervised and forcibly marched up the ramps and onto the waiting vessels - by armed AI robots! I distinctly remember asking one of them why this motley group was being freighted onboard the ships. “We had been programmed for depopulation of the planet. Short of committing murder, logic would dictate to somehow segregate, or otherwise rid it, of the most egregious stumbling blocks to the advancement of your humanity. They are currently being collected across the globe, and will be relocated and sealed up in areas underground at the North and South Poles”
………All the fools sailed away. All the Who's in Whoville approve. If only it weren’t a dream.
And to all a goodnight. ...and, I think, adieu for a time. Best. 🙂
The above link is from economist Martin Armstrong. I was going to post his views on what is going on in the economy. Essentially, the largest economies in Europe are failing. They need a war to cover for this.
Armstrong also expects there to be capital controls in Europe soon. He's recommending his clients get their money out of the EU. So where is the money going? Gold, silver and... the US stock market.
Money is fleeing to safety in anticipation of war in Europe and those that can are physically relocating. The US is still the primary safe haven for wealth.
That sounds like a prophetic dream, Eric! May the gods make it so! Along with the aliens, of course. Merry Blessed Christmas to you, Jeff Childers & family & our C&C tribe! Hallelujah! 💞🎄💫🎁💕
Like a corporate raider: Reduce debt. Negotiate better terms. Cut spending until spending bleeds. Increase revenue as quickly as possible. Crush your recurring non productive expenses. Eliminate liabilities and especially fraud.
Yes- and I like your article. It’s missing one very important point: you must have $100,000 above the 6months emergency and being debt free. Not your house- $100,000 liquid. Until you can generate 7-10k passive liquid investment income you can’t become wealthy. Note the word “liquid”. Not RE Not crypto NOT metals. Money- fiat or stock/bond money. Forget the current fad bullshit. Money.
Uh, I don't know of anywhere you can't find a shop and immediately convert metal (money) into paper (fiat currency. if that isn't liquid, I don't know what is. While a long way from liquid, you can still walk into a Tesla dealership with a Bitcoin and drive off in a Cybertruck. Every piece of silver and gold ever coined is still recognized as money the world over. Every paper currency ever printed has eventually reached the intrinsic value of the paper. The current fad bullshit, BTW, is working out very well for me. Good luck with your paper plan.
Lehman Brothers version of corporate greed: Sell NINJA loans, slice and dice into collateral debt obligations and sell to sovereign wealth and hedge funds around the world. Live high on the hog from the fees until the whole thing collapses.
You must have known Dick Fuld. Thankfully I was long gone, but friends lost everything when the CDO’s imploded. They were all busy bragging about the trade.
Right there with you, except .seeing 380 will always cause me to twinge. The last .380 round to go through my Sig Sauer P232 went through the back of our only child's head. No reply needed. You didn't ., couldn't know. We put up a tree for the first time in 6 years, though we went away to do it. Merry Christmas.
I will comment with this. I cannot imagine the horror and I'm sorry to bring the memory to the forefront on this day in particular. My friend uses ammo as currency. It works and anyone can afford to buy some a little at a time.
I have no children. It was a choice. Children need a mother and I was headed into disaster and violence when everyone else was fleeing. Not fair to kids. I worked holidays so those with kids could get the night off. Not patting myself on the back at all. It is how it should be.
I don't know much for sure....I know this for sure....children are not supposed to die before the parents. It's just wrong on all levels. There is a hole in the heart forever.
There are no platitudes anyone else can say. The worst is "I know how you feel." No I don't. Maybe "I can't imagine how it is for you" is acceptable?
Those whom I know who have suffered this most tragic of horrors tell me they never get over it. They had to get on with it.
I've had people tell me that God doesn't give us more than we can handle. I reject that. MY God is loving and caring. MY god doesn't give kids cancer, sickness or anything else that is bad. Instead MY God give me the strength to handle what I am given.
I would like to pray for you to get whatever healing you can get...if that's ok with you?
Corporate raider: Buy a strong company using its own assets as collateral. Fire workers, strip the pension fund, refuse to invest in improvements or safety, sell off any property you can immediately take the profits on, run the company into the ground, go bankrupt, fire all remaining workers, sell off all remaining property.
Economists: That'll work for you. Been working for corporate raiders since the 80s.
When I was young I didn’t always get the lessons being taught to me. We all probably wish we were younger, but at the same time could bring with us the wisdom we have acquired. Wisdom is gained when we finally absorb those lessons that were handed to us. At that time in our lives we may have taken things for granted or maybe we didn’t realize or appreciate their importance. I sometimes wonder where I’d be if I got it the first time around.
My mother was always proud to be Catholic, proud to raise her kids Catholic and tried her best to make us be proud. Every Sunday the six of us would get dressed and head to church. As a kid I didn’t look at going to church as a precious right. I didn’t realize, how much suffering so many people had lived through just so that building, that independent church, could exist, and that I was free to go and listen to a priest give his sermon. A priest, a teacher, with the core part of his role being to educate and guide the faithful. Isn’t it true that too many of us don’t appreciate something until a government or an administration forces the churches closure, or imagine an FBI being sent into Catholic Churches to try to threaten the faithful and the religion itself. But isn’t this what tyrants do, divide by demonizing their opposition.
As a kid I didn’t understand that evil does its best to keep you from learning faith in God, it wants you to learn faith in it, it being government, (socialism/communism). Rights, especially the freedom of religion, is much like a muscle, if you don’t exercise your right it will get atrophy and can wither away and die. For far too long I didn’t get that God and religion could be such a threat to government, always a government that has become tyrannical. Imagine a person such as Joe Biden trying to coerce parishioners away from their church.
My mother was born in 1926, next July she would have been 100 years old. I’m positive my father waited for her in heaven. I’m sure my mother welcomed my brother John 17 years ago almost to the day when he found his way home. Someday I hope I will be blessed and join them.
I came across this video. This was my mother’s favorite song. I wanted to share it with you. The singer is 100 years old.
Acknowledge, appreciate and exercise your rights. Too many people have shed their blood for your freedoms, don’t allow them to be taken away, especially by a moron like Joe Biden and his henchmen.
Here's the basic premise in the founding of the Enlightenment Model of the US: Rights were given to you by your Creator, not by your government. Your government didn't give them to you so, they can't take them away. Furthermore the 9th Amendment to the Constitution makes these guarantees explicit. If any person in the government tries to take them away anyway, despite lacking any authority to do so, they are traitors to the citizens and must be treated as such.
James, that Ava Maria rendition was entrancing. Your mother has good taste and her company is surely sought after by many in heaven. Merry Christmas good Sir, I hope so much of the love you write and share is reflected right back on you and those you love this Christmas and beyond.
On a somewhat regular basis, we attend Traditional Latin Mass; if anyone is interested, the mass is breathtaking, especially on Christmas Eve. It's the high point of the liturgical year.
I don't know if the parish we visit was under observation by the feds or not; it really doesn't matter. For many, God comes before the state and that's dangerous to the government.
Thank you for sharing James. Merry Christmas to your Mom, Dad and brother as they share Christmas with the One and Only in Heaven! The song is beautiful. Appreciate the link.
Merry Christmas and thank you for the blessing of that video. Ave Maria is absolutely entrancing, especially when sung from the heart the way that elderly woman sang it.
Thank you for sharing all of this, James! I can see we have/had similar upbringing, conclusions, and viewpoints!
And assuming you haven't already read it, I can wholeheartedly recommend the following book: A Rocking-Horse Catholic, by Caryll Houselander, and which you can find a scanned copy here (but since it's a scanned copy, you'll note the actual writing doesn't start until page 10 of the 167 scanned pages):
Jeff Childers, your writing ability with depth, insight and most certainly, humor, is a Christmas gift to all of us ALL year long! Merry Christmas to you and your family, may God continue to bless you and use you as His instrument of truth in the social market.
I especially liked “Whoosh! “What was zat, herr ubergrupenfloffer?” “Zat was America! It blew right past like a rocket-powered zeppelin!” Or something like that.”
THAT’S the America we used to be, and the one I want us to return to.
So the experts are baffled yet again by Trump’s tariffs actually bringing in revenue? Maybe the news should be getting a wider variety of ‘expert’ opinions and not just those with TDS. I know, I know... my optimism is showing again. But seriously, how many times are experts going to be baffled by what many people saw coming from a mile away? It’s exhausting.
- White Christmas with Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye, comrades-in-arms set out to help their former general. Good banter and singin' an' dancin'!
- Christmas in Connecticut with (a very young) Barbara Stanwyck and Dennis Morgan. Great comedy of errors - Uncle Felix steals the show, in my opinion. "Its cat - a - stroph!"
Don't forget the sequel The Nine Kittens of Christmas! I have been making fun of Hallmark movies, particularly their Christmas movies for years, maybe decades. This year, for whatever reason, I have watched a few with my mama. I still pick apart all the plot lines, the over the top set dressing, the "that would not happen in real life" situation/dialogue/etc. - and if the movie has horses in it, do not get me started on EVERYTHING that is wrong in each and every scene re: horses, tack, feeding, the stable/barn, etc., etc., etc.! However, there have been a few that have been funny with some good chemistry between the actors, such as The Three Wise Men trilogy about 3 brothers, or the NFL/Hallmark collaboration about a family of die-hard Buffalo Bills fans who end every other sentence with "Go Bills".
Now back to our regularly scheduled programming of classic Christmas movies: A Christmas Story, White Christmas, Christmas in Connecticut, and the newcomer to our yearly movie list, Elf!
"The rules governing the European Union’s digital space are not meant to be determined outside Europe."
Sacrebleu, Manny. Platforms like X are not the EU's digital space; they are American digital space and we make the rules here. Europeans are more than welcome to participate; to play by our rules. If you don't like the the rules on our playground, you are free to prevent your children from playing on it, but under no circumstances do you get to make the rules on the playground that we built.
In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while[1] Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register. 4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
The Shepherds and the Angels
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests." 15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." 16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple
21 On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived. 22 When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, "Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord"[2]), 24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: "a pair of doves or two young pigeons."[3]
25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Messiah. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: 29 "Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss[4] your servant in peace. 30 For my eyes have seen your salvation, 31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel." 33 The child's father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too." 36 There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four.[5] She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.
The Return to Nazareth
39 When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. 40 And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.
The Boy Jesus in the Temple
41 Every year Jesus' parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. 42 When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom. 43 After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. 44 Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. 45 When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. 46 After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you." 49 "Why were you searching for me?" he asked. "Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?"[6] 50 But they did not understand what he was saying to them. 51 Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.
Yeah the polls are social and perception engineering. They aren't measuring anything, but manufacturing and shaping opinions, attitudes, and consent. Man is a social animal to his downfall, and peer pressure is among the most powerful forces in the universe.
IDK. I think they use the chained slaves for the adrenachrome, but that's just me.
NO ONE except naive Boomers answers unknown calls. So it's either retired Boomers -- who probably don't do the survey-- or just fabricated numbers. I'm voting for the second option.
Nehemiah 8:10 Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength.
Fudge, wassail, Santa Claus, twinkling lights, Rudolph, gifts with bows, gingerbread houses, frosted sugar cookies, church and work parties, chips and dip, school plays, Christmas cards, and progressive dinners. This is a fun and happy level of Christmas. Our traditions strengthen our families and communities. We rejoice in the season and celebrate with vigor. We laugh too much, eat too much, and spend too much…and enjoy every minute of it. Three things I enjoy best about the fun Christmas festivities are the twinkling lights, out of town family and friends arriving, and the laughter.
But this level can’t last—even the hardiest of us can only enjoy this for a couple of weeks—it is too rich, too sweet, too intense, and too expensive. The tree dries out, the ribbons unravel, the snow melts, the batteries die, the dip goes sour, the gingerbread goes stale—and we are left with bills to pay, messes to clean up, and extra pounds to lose.
Isaiah 11:1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.”
But thankfully, there is another level of Christmas.
"A child, a child, shivers in the cold. Let us bring him silver and gold."
The drummer boy, beautiful carols, Joseph, Mary, the Shepherds, the star, nativity displays, church pageants, Luke 2, and the baby in the manger. We feel a warmth and safety in the familiar story of the birth of Christ. We think of the stable animals and the tranquility that surrounded the holy manger where the King of Kings was born. We picture shepherds watching the heavens, hearing choirs comprised of angelic voices. We reflect on Joseph’s strength and tenderness in caring for the virtuous and lovely Mary. We imagine holding the new baby and marveling at His perfectness. We dream of feeling peace and hope as must have been felt that evening by those who were aware.
But even this level won’t last. The baby can’t stay in the manger forever, the carols would become over-played and wearisome, displays would fade and gather dust, and the oft-told stories of even Jesus's glory might shed their impact if told every day.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
No, for Christmas to truly be fulfilling and lasting, we must find and enjoy it on yet another level—the level of the adult Christ that has the power to save us from trouble, sin, pain, sorrow, and death. We must live as He lived, and love as He loved. Through Christmas season and throughout the rest of the year.
"As you walk through the valley of the unknown, you will find the footprints of Jesus both in front of you and beside you." —Charles Stanley
I often envision us climbing a very steep mountain—with sharp drop-offs and cliffs, the longer we climb, the more difficult it seems to be. But Christ is in front marking the path for us to follow. He calls for us to stay in His footsteps and encourages us to look up to Him—as if to remind us that looking down or back will cause us to stumble, slip and fall. Christ doesn’t take huge daddy-steps that we can’t reach—he takes steps just right for our imperfect legs.
It is when we follow in the adult Christ’s footsteps—caring for the lonely, sick, infirm, elderly, and young; teaching, strengthening, healing the hurts, and providing for the needs of others; willingly leading out in righteous causes—that we find hope, happiness, and joy during the Christmas season and that peace sustains us throughout the year. We are able to enjoy the first and second level of Christmas more because we know there is more—that when the tree and nativity are retired there will still be strength, hope, and love in our lives that is born from following the Perfect Exemplar.
✝️✝️✝️
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” — Jesus, John 10:10 NAS95
✝️✝️✝️
Salvation Came
◽️
Baby’s cry, mother’s joy,
Father’s humble awe;
Bright star shone above,
Stable filled with divine love.
◽️
Manger held the bread of life,
Heaven’s gift to all mankind;
Savior, King, a tiny babe,
Wrapped and laid in hay.
◽️
Cleansing blood, spotless lamb
World’s saving grace;
Love so pure, exemplified
In Savior who was born to die.
◽️
Left His glorious throne on high,
Stepped down from Father’s side;
Offered Himself as sacrifice;
No other would suffice.
◽️
King of heaven, light of earth
Hung on cruel cross;
But lived again, left the grave,
The Risen One alone can save.
◽️
Look upon the stable stall,
Remember His humble birth;
See the salvation that came that night
To rescue our souls with love and light.
◽️
Janice Powell
December 24, 2025
This is beautiful, thank you Janice. That you wrote this today is inspring as the day is still young.
The first line began swirling around in my mind yesterday I think. Started it last night. It may still be a work in progress. God bless you and yours!
Amen
Truly a life changing event and free to all who seek. God's blessings on you all.
Janice, so beautiful. Many Blessings to you and family this Christmas season!
Thank you, and to you as well!
Absolutely beautiful. I’ve shared it with a few friends. I hope you don’t mind
Of course not! I’ll post a prettier version on my stack when I have time. God bless!
Barbara, here's the post. https://open.substack.com/pub/wordsbeyondme/p/salvation-came?r=15f8sw&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
Merry Christmas, Janice!
To you and yours as well!
And another "me too", as others have already said, this is beautiful, simply beautiful ❤️ And, work in progress or not, it lights up the morning for me and clearly many others as well! 💯
Praise the Lord. Merry Christmas!
How is your SIL doing, Janice?
Hey Karmy, thanks for asking! He will have surgery Friday to clean up the finger and set the elbow. The ortho wants to get better scans of the arm while he is under anesthesia. Meanwhile, I’m feeding him and he’s in good spirits. Not literally feeding him, but you know, Christmas food. 😝
I’ll be praying for his surgery Friday and a great outcome. Merry Christmas to you all!
Merry Christmas Jeff and thank you and your family too.
For an incredible journey together, you are a great leader.🤗
Yes! Thank you and please thank your wonderful family as well. Merry Christmas to all! ✨🎄
Cheers! 🍻
So blessed to be here with my Comrades in Arms, the C&C Army....and I'd like to thank our Commander in Chief, Jeff Childerrs, for his stellar and stalwart leadership here in Substack-land! Thank you, sir, for your daily exhortations and illuminating insights! 🙌🏼🕊️🎁💝🎄🌟 Merry Christmas to all!!
Perfectly stated… absolutely love being a part of Jeff’s C&C army and am grateful daily for the news with Jeff’s flare and humor… like the unexpected giggle when he included his teens sleeping past noon… 🛌😴…. 😂🤣…. Merry Christmas Eve Jeff and all.. what a beautiful prayer 🙏 to leave with us
🙌🏼🕊️🎁💝🎄🌟 Merry Christmas to all!!
Yes! Maureen..."my teenagers are far too old to care about Christmas dawn, and instead require heavy industrial equipment to be extracted from bed shortly before after noon." I had 2 teenage boys that fit this description to a "T".
Right there with ya! But I honestly don’t miss (but remember very fondly) being woken up at dawn by two 5 year olds on Christmas morning, and being ready for a nap by 8:30 am.
Yes we are very blessed
Yes, Susan, and I feel blessed by the outstanding quality of the comments and the wisdom of the commentors.
Well, said Susan! 👏🏻 Ditto!!
Merry Christmas to you all! 🎄You may enjoy a short music & advent devotional - start 2 mins in:
https://sing.theworshipinitiative.com/series/daily/silent-night?ref_user=6a5a7008-ddc5-4b77-afbf-ef70eb45343f
I experienced a most remarkable dream last night. It was as vivid and material as a dream could possibly be. I’ll keep it brief:
In it I was jolted upright by the all too familiar sound of my cell phone blaring out a tone similar to an AMBER alert notification. I remember uttering some rather unflattering verbiage at myself for not having shut my ringer and notifications off. Since I was still shaking off the dream state fog, I soon noticed that the alert had a moderately different tone than an AMBER alert. I reached for the phone, glimpsed the screen and saw these words: “All the fools sailed away.” Aside from the 80’s DIO song, I couldn’t cipher its meaning.
Next thing I knew I was standing on the docks at an unknown port of call. Gathering my bearings, I soon noticed - as far as the eye could see - long lines of people parading onto several large galleons. As I gradually made my way to the commotion I recognized the faces of some of them….Obama, Anthony Fauci, Gates and - looking markedly more chagrined than the rest - the complete family of Clintons - to name but a few….There were others….hundreds….thousands, whose scowls were completely foreign to me. Also, they were not boarding of their own volition, but rather were being supervised and forcibly marched up the ramps and onto the waiting vessels - by armed AI robots! I distinctly remember asking one of them why this motley group was being freighted onboard the ships. “We had been programmed for depopulation of the planet. Short of committing murder, logic would dictate to somehow segregate, or otherwise rid it, of the most egregious stumbling blocks to the advancement of your humanity. They are currently being collected across the globe, and will be relocated and sealed up in areas underground at the North and South Poles”
………All the fools sailed away. All the Who's in Whoville approve. If only it weren’t a dream.
And to all a goodnight. ...and, I think, adieu for a time. Best. 🙂
I thought that they were angels...but to my surprise,
they climbed aboard their starship...and headed for the skies
~Come Sail Away, by Styx
Yep
Wow! I had bizarre dreams last night as well. However, they were all family related. : )
Ok that dream makes sense on Christmas Eve! hope you have a beautiful Christmas, Dr Linda!
You as well, Valerie
Thank you!
Thanks to you and your family for the time given to us, your band of followers. Merry Christmas to all!
Haha.
HAHAHA
Wow. GREAT dream! Off to hell, all of those who are anti God, antiChrist, anticivilization, anticreation. Let it be so.
Lisa, sounds like a "Q" plan to me.
Love this but the North and South Poles don't deserve that kind of foulness either:{
I know a place where it burns very hot 24/7/365 that they can be sent to.....
Underground, Lori. Sealed. No possible escape. They will destroy themselves eventually. It is their way. I'll take it.
Not good enough, I like my idea. Burn baby burn.
It's my dream. 🤣🤣
True, I added on.
Wow! Thanks for sharing that. Merry Christmas!
COVID CHRISTMAS – NEVER FORGET
https://www.armstrongeconomics.com/world-news/corruption/covid-christmas-never-forget/
The above link is from economist Martin Armstrong. I was going to post his views on what is going on in the economy. Essentially, the largest economies in Europe are failing. They need a war to cover for this.
Armstrong also expects there to be capital controls in Europe soon. He's recommending his clients get their money out of the EU. So where is the money going? Gold, silver and... the US stock market.
Money is fleeing to safety in anticipation of war in Europe and those that can are physically relocating. The US is still the primary safe haven for wealth.
Phil, how bizarre and demonic is that. Thanks for the review.
"Demonic" is the word for it! And so bizarre and completely antithetical to what America is suppose to be.
Yes, one can only hope…
That sounds like a prophetic dream, Eric! May the gods make it so! Along with the aliens, of course. Merry Blessed Christmas to you, Jeff Childers & family & our C&C tribe! Hallelujah! 💞🎄💫🎁💕
Thank you. This brought tears to my eyes.
so democrats sails away - awesome
If, but it were only, Democrats.
and RINO's
Interesting dream
Wow!! 🤯
Like a corporate raider: Reduce debt. Negotiate better terms. Cut spending until spending bleeds. Increase revenue as quickly as possible. Crush your recurring non productive expenses. Eliminate liabilities and especially fraud.
Economists: that will never work.
Love this! This is similar to a financial plan I laid out here. Both focus on eliminating debt: https://unorthodoxy.substack.com/p/the-unorthodoxy-way-to-handle-your
Yes- and I like your article. It’s missing one very important point: you must have $100,000 above the 6months emergency and being debt free. Not your house- $100,000 liquid. Until you can generate 7-10k passive liquid investment income you can’t become wealthy. Note the word “liquid”. Not RE Not crypto NOT metals. Money- fiat or stock/bond money. Forget the current fad bullshit. Money.
I love this. Hard, liquid money. Thanks for this insight man! Very valuable 🙏💪🔥
Thank Charlie Monger… I am a copy/ paste learner.
Uh, I don't know of anywhere you can't find a shop and immediately convert metal (money) into paper (fiat currency. if that isn't liquid, I don't know what is. While a long way from liquid, you can still walk into a Tesla dealership with a Bitcoin and drive off in a Cybertruck. Every piece of silver and gold ever coined is still recognized as money the world over. Every paper currency ever printed has eventually reached the intrinsic value of the paper. The current fad bullshit, BTW, is working out very well for me. Good luck with your paper plan.
My old mentor at Lehman Bros Kuhn Loeb had a very simple rule: If you ever brag a trade, close it immediately.
In 50 years of observation I have yet to note an exception. Best of fortune with your plan. #notmyfirstrodeo
Lehman Brothers version of corporate greed: Sell NINJA loans, slice and dice into collateral debt obligations and sell to sovereign wealth and hedge funds around the world. Live high on the hog from the fees until the whole thing collapses.
Mrs. RW
You must have known Dick Fuld. Thankfully I was long gone, but friends lost everything when the CDO’s imploded. They were all busy bragging about the trade.
Excellent advise. Can't count how many winners I had that cratered b before I sold. Working on one as we speak.
I like 3 metals. All can be used as currency. One can protect everything (even as my friend uses .380 to pay for hair cuts.
Gold, silver, and lead.
Right there with you, except .seeing 380 will always cause me to twinge. The last .380 round to go through my Sig Sauer P232 went through the back of our only child's head. No reply needed. You didn't ., couldn't know. We put up a tree for the first time in 6 years, though we went away to do it. Merry Christmas.
I will comment with this. I cannot imagine the horror and I'm sorry to bring the memory to the forefront on this day in particular. My friend uses ammo as currency. It works and anyone can afford to buy some a little at a time.
I have no children. It was a choice. Children need a mother and I was headed into disaster and violence when everyone else was fleeing. Not fair to kids. I worked holidays so those with kids could get the night off. Not patting myself on the back at all. It is how it should be.
I don't know much for sure....I know this for sure....children are not supposed to die before the parents. It's just wrong on all levels. There is a hole in the heart forever.
There are no platitudes anyone else can say. The worst is "I know how you feel." No I don't. Maybe "I can't imagine how it is for you" is acceptable?
Those whom I know who have suffered this most tragic of horrors tell me they never get over it. They had to get on with it.
I've had people tell me that God doesn't give us more than we can handle. I reject that. MY God is loving and caring. MY god doesn't give kids cancer, sickness or anything else that is bad. Instead MY God give me the strength to handle what I am given.
I would like to pray for you to get whatever healing you can get...if that's ok with you?
right there with you
Corporate raider: Buy a strong company using its own assets as collateral. Fire workers, strip the pension fund, refuse to invest in improvements or safety, sell off any property you can immediately take the profits on, run the company into the ground, go bankrupt, fire all remaining workers, sell off all remaining property.
Economists: That'll work for you. Been working for corporate raiders since the 80s.
Mrs. RW
When I was young I didn’t always get the lessons being taught to me. We all probably wish we were younger, but at the same time could bring with us the wisdom we have acquired. Wisdom is gained when we finally absorb those lessons that were handed to us. At that time in our lives we may have taken things for granted or maybe we didn’t realize or appreciate their importance. I sometimes wonder where I’d be if I got it the first time around.
My mother was always proud to be Catholic, proud to raise her kids Catholic and tried her best to make us be proud. Every Sunday the six of us would get dressed and head to church. As a kid I didn’t look at going to church as a precious right. I didn’t realize, how much suffering so many people had lived through just so that building, that independent church, could exist, and that I was free to go and listen to a priest give his sermon. A priest, a teacher, with the core part of his role being to educate and guide the faithful. Isn’t it true that too many of us don’t appreciate something until a government or an administration forces the churches closure, or imagine an FBI being sent into Catholic Churches to try to threaten the faithful and the religion itself. But isn’t this what tyrants do, divide by demonizing their opposition.
As a kid I didn’t understand that evil does its best to keep you from learning faith in God, it wants you to learn faith in it, it being government, (socialism/communism). Rights, especially the freedom of religion, is much like a muscle, if you don’t exercise your right it will get atrophy and can wither away and die. For far too long I didn’t get that God and religion could be such a threat to government, always a government that has become tyrannical. Imagine a person such as Joe Biden trying to coerce parishioners away from their church.
My mother was born in 1926, next July she would have been 100 years old. I’m positive my father waited for her in heaven. I’m sure my mother welcomed my brother John 17 years ago almost to the day when he found his way home. Someday I hope I will be blessed and join them.
I came across this video. This was my mother’s favorite song. I wanted to share it with you. The singer is 100 years old.
Acknowledge, appreciate and exercise your rights. Too many people have shed their blood for your freedoms, don’t allow them to be taken away, especially by a moron like Joe Biden and his henchmen.
Merry Christmas!!
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/16a3A8ATbz/?mibextid=wwXIfr
100%
Here's the basic premise in the founding of the Enlightenment Model of the US: Rights were given to you by your Creator, not by your government. Your government didn't give them to you so, they can't take them away. Furthermore the 9th Amendment to the Constitution makes these guarantees explicit. If any person in the government tries to take them away anyway, despite lacking any authority to do so, they are traitors to the citizens and must be treated as such.
James, that Ava Maria rendition was entrancing. Your mother has good taste and her company is surely sought after by many in heaven. Merry Christmas good Sir, I hope so much of the love you write and share is reflected right back on you and those you love this Christmas and beyond.
Merry Christmas TriTorch, to You and your Family. Thank You!!
On a somewhat regular basis, we attend Traditional Latin Mass; if anyone is interested, the mass is breathtaking, especially on Christmas Eve. It's the high point of the liturgical year.
I don't know if the parish we visit was under observation by the feds or not; it really doesn't matter. For many, God comes before the state and that's dangerous to the government.
Thank you for sharing the video!
Thank you for sharing James. Merry Christmas to your Mom, Dad and brother as they share Christmas with the One and Only in Heaven! The song is beautiful. Appreciate the link.
Thank You Lori Merry Christmas to you!!
Thank you!
Merry Christmas and thank you for the blessing of that video. Ave Maria is absolutely entrancing, especially when sung from the heart the way that elderly woman sang it.
Thank you for sharing all of this, James! I can see we have/had similar upbringing, conclusions, and viewpoints!
And assuming you haven't already read it, I can wholeheartedly recommend the following book: A Rocking-Horse Catholic, by Caryll Houselander, and which you can find a scanned copy here (but since it's a scanned copy, you'll note the actual writing doesn't start until page 10 of the 167 scanned pages):
https://archive.org/details/rockinghorsecath008000mbp
Merry Christmas!
Ave Maria is also my favorite song! Thanks for sharing this. A blessed Christmas to you and your family, James.
Jeff Childers, your writing ability with depth, insight and most certainly, humor, is a Christmas gift to all of us ALL year long! Merry Christmas to you and your family, may God continue to bless you and use you as His instrument of truth in the social market.
“Handsome wife”!!!? As I spit up my coffee!
There were a few today worthy of quoting, right?
I especially liked “Whoosh! “What was zat, herr ubergrupenfloffer?” “Zat was America! It blew right past like a rocket-powered zeppelin!” Or something like that.”
THAT’S the America we used to be, and the one I want us to return to.
So the experts are baffled yet again by Trump’s tariffs actually bringing in revenue? Maybe the news should be getting a wider variety of ‘expert’ opinions and not just those with TDS. I know, I know... my optimism is showing again. But seriously, how many times are experts going to be baffled by what many people saw coming from a mile away? It’s exhausting.
Have a strong eggnog. On me.
I’m not a drinker but it’s a good idea. I’ll think of something. Maybe a stupid hallmark Christmas movie will be distracting enough. 🧐
A break from the TDS “spin” is a great idea at Christmas. Humble suggestions beyond the hallmark standard- please consider if not already watched:
-Best Christmas Pageant Ever (2024)
-We’re No Angels (Bogart, in an unexpected comedy, beautifully written play-like, unusual story of redemption/providence at Christmas)
-Come to the Stable - a bit slow especially at the start but a sweet story of faithfulness w subtle humor
-Desk Set - Tracy & Hepburn, comedic story set at Christmas, what Hallmark movies expire to but lack the clever dialog.
-Bells of St Mary - Bergman & Crosby, best Christmas scene ever in the middle of the movie w the little kids retelling the nativity.
Merry Christmas!!
Great movies! To which I humbly add:
- White Christmas with Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye, comrades-in-arms set out to help their former general. Good banter and singin' an' dancin'!
- Christmas in Connecticut with (a very young) Barbara Stanwyck and Dennis Morgan. Great comedy of errors - Uncle Felix steals the show, in my opinion. "Its cat - a - stroph!"
Merry Christmas!
Mrs. "the Knife"
Love Gary Sinise in 2003 movie Fallen Angel.
Then, coffee or tea? Hallmark Christmas movies are not stoopid! Especially, A Nutcracker Christmas or The Nine Lives of Christmas.
Don't forget the sequel The Nine Kittens of Christmas! I have been making fun of Hallmark movies, particularly their Christmas movies for years, maybe decades. This year, for whatever reason, I have watched a few with my mama. I still pick apart all the plot lines, the over the top set dressing, the "that would not happen in real life" situation/dialogue/etc. - and if the movie has horses in it, do not get me started on EVERYTHING that is wrong in each and every scene re: horses, tack, feeding, the stable/barn, etc., etc., etc.! However, there have been a few that have been funny with some good chemistry between the actors, such as The Three Wise Men trilogy about 3 brothers, or the NFL/Hallmark collaboration about a family of die-hard Buffalo Bills fans who end every other sentence with "Go Bills".
Now back to our regularly scheduled programming of classic Christmas movies: A Christmas Story, White Christmas, Christmas in Connecticut, and the newcomer to our yearly movie list, Elf!
Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Mrs. "the Knife"
There is a movie called The Nine Kittens of Christmas???
It has been a difficult holiday season for me, but I might break out of pseudo-Grinch mode to watch that! ;)
The Nine Kittens of Christmas? Hallmark? I'm streaming that tonight, after church. Merry Christmas to you and yours, too! Happy Hallmark watching!
Baa hum bug!
Oh my gosh, my husband loves them too! We did watch daddy’s home 2 last night… always hilarious.
Many guys like Hallmark movies...but don't tell anyone I said that.
If you want a break from the Chevy Chase disasters where everything goes awry. 🤪
I enjoy the optimism of Hallmark movies, Valerie. Overall well done scenery and acting.
Sure, the plots are all the same and everyone lives happily ever after but it's nice to relax and simply enjoy.
Or ‘Scrooged’ with bill murray. Never get tired of that movie.
The definition of ‘expert’ appears to be fluid at the moment. I can’t keep up.
"The rules governing the European Union’s digital space are not meant to be determined outside Europe."
Sacrebleu, Manny. Platforms like X are not the EU's digital space; they are American digital space and we make the rules here. Europeans are more than welcome to participate; to play by our rules. If you don't like the the rules on our playground, you are free to prevent your children from playing on it, but under no circumstances do you get to make the rules on the playground that we built.
The EU is also complaining when their rules are being used against them! Rules for thee, but not for me”
What he said!
😁😂
🎯🎯🎯
Luke Chapter 2
In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while[1] Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register. 4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
The Shepherds and the Angels
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests." 15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." 16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple
21 On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived. 22 When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, "Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord"[2]), 24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: "a pair of doves or two young pigeons."[3]
25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Messiah. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: 29 "Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss[4] your servant in peace. 30 For my eyes have seen your salvation, 31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel." 33 The child's father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too." 36 There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four.[5] She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.
The Return to Nazareth
39 When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. 40 And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.
The Boy Jesus in the Temple
41 Every year Jesus' parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. 42 When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom. 43 After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. 44 Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. 45 When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. 46 After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you." 49 "Why were you searching for me?" he asked. "Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?"[6] 50 But they did not understand what he was saying to them. 51 Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.
What translation is this.
King James
Merry Christmas Jeff & Family and the C&C family too!
Merry Christmas to the Childers family. Thank you Jeff for C&C and everything you do. May God bless and keep you.
Media: Predicts doom and gloom.
Survey: People are expecting doom and gloom.
No duh, Sherlock.
Merry Christmas, Jeff, and thanks for all your hard work to present us accurate, truthful and highly entertaining news every day!
Yeah the polls are social and perception engineering. They aren't measuring anything, but manufacturing and shaping opinions, attitudes, and consent. Man is a social animal to his downfall, and peer pressure is among the most powerful forces in the universe.
The panacea to this exploit lies in Jesus.
Merry Christmas Heather.
Polls measure the success of the media narrative to shape opinion. That is all
For the insiders who get the results, yes, Juju.
But the true results are not shared with the public, the numbers they give to us are fake in order to … shape opinion.
🤣 so true. A viscious circle, a crazed merry-go-round that people MUST learn to get off of
For some reason reading your words put this in my mind:
——
Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?'
‘That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,' said the Cat.
‘I don't much care where--' said Alice.
‘Then it doesn't matter which way you go,' said the Cat. '--so long as I get SOMEWHERE,' Alice added as an explanation.
'Oh, you're sure to do that,' said the Cat, 'if you only walk long enough.' —Lewis Carrol
——
Fake news, fake polls, fake food, fake medicine… we are not in Kansas anymore.
You have to ask yourself: who participates in these poll calls?
Chained slaves on a quota for a bite of bread in the basement of DARPA HQ
IDK. I think they use the chained slaves for the adrenachrome, but that's just me.
NO ONE except naive Boomers answers unknown calls. So it's either retired Boomers -- who probably don't do the survey-- or just fabricated numbers. I'm voting for the second option.
Algorithms.
The Three Levels of Christmas, Author Unknown
Nehemiah 8:10 Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength.
Fudge, wassail, Santa Claus, twinkling lights, Rudolph, gifts with bows, gingerbread houses, frosted sugar cookies, church and work parties, chips and dip, school plays, Christmas cards, and progressive dinners. This is a fun and happy level of Christmas. Our traditions strengthen our families and communities. We rejoice in the season and celebrate with vigor. We laugh too much, eat too much, and spend too much…and enjoy every minute of it. Three things I enjoy best about the fun Christmas festivities are the twinkling lights, out of town family and friends arriving, and the laughter.
But this level can’t last—even the hardiest of us can only enjoy this for a couple of weeks—it is too rich, too sweet, too intense, and too expensive. The tree dries out, the ribbons unravel, the snow melts, the batteries die, the dip goes sour, the gingerbread goes stale—and we are left with bills to pay, messes to clean up, and extra pounds to lose.
Isaiah 11:1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.”
But thankfully, there is another level of Christmas.
"A child, a child, shivers in the cold. Let us bring him silver and gold."
The drummer boy, beautiful carols, Joseph, Mary, the Shepherds, the star, nativity displays, church pageants, Luke 2, and the baby in the manger. We feel a warmth and safety in the familiar story of the birth of Christ. We think of the stable animals and the tranquility that surrounded the holy manger where the King of Kings was born. We picture shepherds watching the heavens, hearing choirs comprised of angelic voices. We reflect on Joseph’s strength and tenderness in caring for the virtuous and lovely Mary. We imagine holding the new baby and marveling at His perfectness. We dream of feeling peace and hope as must have been felt that evening by those who were aware.
But even this level won’t last. The baby can’t stay in the manger forever, the carols would become over-played and wearisome, displays would fade and gather dust, and the oft-told stories of even Jesus's glory might shed their impact if told every day.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
No, for Christmas to truly be fulfilling and lasting, we must find and enjoy it on yet another level—the level of the adult Christ that has the power to save us from trouble, sin, pain, sorrow, and death. We must live as He lived, and love as He loved. Through Christmas season and throughout the rest of the year.
"As you walk through the valley of the unknown, you will find the footprints of Jesus both in front of you and beside you." —Charles Stanley
I often envision us climbing a very steep mountain—with sharp drop-offs and cliffs, the longer we climb, the more difficult it seems to be. But Christ is in front marking the path for us to follow. He calls for us to stay in His footsteps and encourages us to look up to Him—as if to remind us that looking down or back will cause us to stumble, slip and fall. Christ doesn’t take huge daddy-steps that we can’t reach—he takes steps just right for our imperfect legs.
It is when we follow in the adult Christ’s footsteps—caring for the lonely, sick, infirm, elderly, and young; teaching, strengthening, healing the hurts, and providing for the needs of others; willingly leading out in righteous causes—that we find hope, happiness, and joy during the Christmas season and that peace sustains us throughout the year. We are able to enjoy the first and second level of Christmas more because we know there is more—that when the tree and nativity are retired there will still be strength, hope, and love in our lives that is born from following the Perfect Exemplar.
❤️ 1 John 3:16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
Beautifully written. Thank you and Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas Eve all! 🎄💚